What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Long Island Shore -- CD

Mindy Smith

2006 Vanguard Records

Singer/songwriter Mindy Smith first came to attention with a faithful cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene" on a tribute to the latter, Just Because I'm a Woman: The Songs of Dolly Parton. Smith's fine debut album, One Moment More, arrived the following year and marked her as a country-pop talent worth watching. "Come to Jesus," the album's leadoff track, though uncharacteristic of the rest of the record, gave Smith a substantial hit and readied her newly acquired audience for the sequel. Long Island Shores doesn't exactly take Smith to new places -- she remains perched firmly between mainstream and daring -- but it's as solid an effort as that debut and confirms that the level of talent it displayed was no fluke. On Long Island Shores, Smith never succumbs to the clich‚s of craftsmanship or production that mar so many contemporary efforts within the genre. Although her tunes are relatively free of edge and quirk and her voice is naturally tender and crystalline, the vulnerability and honesty in her words and delivery elevate her quickly from novice to confident veteran. Smith is willing to explore and unafraid of intimacy. In the heartrending title track she longs for a family reunion that can never be, and the intimate soul-baring detail of "Peace of Mind" is confessional songwriting at its best: "I need peace of mind and a lullaby/'Cause there is an angry voice in my head tonight/Telling me to do things that can't be right." Those looking for more along the lines of "Come to Jesus" will find it in the evangelistic "I'm Not the Only One Asking" and "Little Devil," in which surprise overcomes her: "I thought he'd have two big horns and look at me with big red eyes/Instead he wore those baby blues and whispered promises and lies." Though there is a seriousness to much of her writing, it's not all meant to weigh heavily: "Tennessee" is a love letter to her adopted home, and both love (of the non-religious/non-geographic sort) and loss find themselves the center of attention in tracks like "Edge of Love," "You Know I Love You Baby," and "What If the World Stops Turning?" It remains to be seen whether Mindy Smith will emerge as a major player, but there's no sophomore jinx here. Though some might find it on the meek and lightweight side, many more will likely revisit Long Island Shores again and again. ~ Jeff Tamarkin

Track Listing
1. Out Loud
2. Little Devil
3. Edge of Love
4. Please Stay
5. Tennessee
6. I'm Not the Only One Asking
7. What If the World Stops Turning
8. You Just Forgot
9. You Know I Love You Baby
10. Out of Control
11. Long Island Shores
12. Peace of Mind

Personnel: Mindy Smith (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano); Lex Price (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, tenor guitar, banjo, mandolin); Bryan Sutton (acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar); Jonathan Trebing (acoustic guitar); Buddy Miller (electric guitar); Daniel Tashian (12-string guitar, piano, Wurlitzer organ, keyboards, drums, tambourine, percussion); Dan Dugmore (lap steel guitar); Andrea Zonn (viola); David Henry (cello); Reese Wynans (Wurlitzer organ); Roger Moutenot (keyboards); Kyle Andrews (synthesizer); Nick Buda, Eddie Bayers (drums).Audio Mixer: Gary Paczosa.Recording information: Beat Hollow Studios; Omni; Studo 491; the Doghouse.Photographer: Traci Goudie

 

[Dennie]

How was it? did you buy it already? i was also curious as to how it 'felt' like...

like natalie merchant ten thousand maniacs, or natalie merchant tigerlily, or natalie merchant after tigerlily....

Hey Jomari,

Always good to see you my friend! bscene-drinkingcheers:

To answer the "Natalie" question..... Yes!

It came out yesterday and arrived by noon.

I've only listened to it once, but it felt a little like "Tigerlily" and a little like after Tigerlily.

If you are a fan of her solo work, I think you'll like it.

I hope that helps,


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Pushin' Against A Stone -- CD

Valerie June

2013 Concord Records

Pushin' Against a Stone, Valerie June's Concord debut, is the fruit of over a decade of dues paying by the native Tennessean after three self-released "bootleg" recordings. While her music is steeped in various musical traditions of the South -- blues, black and country gospel, soul, and Appalachian folk -- she combines them so idiosyncratically, with canny production from Kevin Agunas and Dan Auerbach, that they openly embrace the possibilities of pop. June's instantly recognizable voice is big and reedy; standing firmly out front here, it falls in a lineage line between Eartha Kitt and Erykah Badu, with hints of the young Esther Phillips and even Dolly Parton. (For examples of the latter, check the string band waltz "Tennessee Time" or the world-weary folk narrative "Twined & Twisted.") While tradition is paramount in June's songs, it includes the present, making her the antithesis of a purist. Check opener "Workin' Woman Blues," where a skittering drumkit underscores urgent acoustic guitars, a funky bassline, and a jazzy, bumping, funky trumpet (reminiscent of Blue Mitchell) in a droning, griot-like blues. "The Hour" borrows the intro and outro from "I Put a Spell on You," and points to the darkness in the lyrics of the second verse. Yet the rest of the tune is a hybrid of early-'60s girl group pop and soul, complete with three-part harmony and a swelling B-3. That intro also makes its presence felt on the title track, adorned with wailing, fuzzed-out electric guitar atop a B-3 pulse, and June's delivery moves through Ray Charles' informed soul and Thomas A. Dorsey-infused gospel in the backing chorus. The only cover here is Estil C. Ball's "Trials, Troubles, Tribulations." It's an acoustic guitar and vocal duet (with Auerbach) that comes right out of the Carter Family but sounds contemporary. "Wanna Be on Your Mind," with its Rhodes piano and June's emphatic phrasing, references Phillips' early-'70s jazz-blues style. "Somebody to Love" is a ukulele and fiddle waltz, but it is soul, treated and gospelized by June's vocal and Booker T. Jones' organ. The single "You Can't Be Told" is a swampy blues with Jimbo Mathus on lead guitar that recalls R.L. Burnside in instrumentation, but June's delivery and her four-part call-and-response backing chorus make it a hypnotic, swaying groover. "Shotgun" features the songwriter accompanied only by her own bottleneck guitar offering a murder ballad. Its presentation is so subtle and smooth, it becomes jarring when the listener takes in the lyric. Despite her slippery blend of styles, June's songs on Pushin' Against a Stone reveal there is one historical place she doesn't deviate from: the storyteller's, a Southern hallmark. Despite being a shade too long, this is a solid endeavor that asks many questions even as spins its tales. ~ Thom Jurek

1. Workin' Woman Blues (3:05)
2. Somebody To Love (3:32)
3. The Hour (3:49)
4. Twined & Twisted (3:13)
5. Wanna Be On Your Mind (3:56)
6. Tennessee Time (3:12)
7. Pushin' Against A Stone (5:14)
8. Trials, Troubles, Tribulations (3:02)
9. You Can't Be Told (3:15)
10. Shotgun (3:07)
11. On My Way / Somebody To Love (Acoustic Version) (7:59)

 

[topper]

 

[Dennie]

One On One -- Remastered CD

Russ Freeman & Shelly Mann

1982/2001 Contemporary Records

A Japanese recording team took down this amazingly satisfying duo session, originally released on the Atlas label and reissued with a brace of alternate takes almost two decades later. It's a long-delayed sequel to a duo recording that the pair made in 1954 on a 10" Contemporary LP, and it carries some historical poignance. Freeman, who wrote the liner notes, says that this was his last recording, having not played jazz regularly since leaving Shelly Manne and His Men in 1967 and reconciling himself to a life of slogging away in the Hollywood studios. It is also one of Manne's final recordings, for he would be dead in two years, still in his musical prime. The collection mixes standards like "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" and "On Green Dolphin Street" with several attractive Freeman originals and a long, complex, partially free-form composition, "One on One." Yet the ultimate sparkplug for the session's success is not so much the playing of Freeman, as inventive a pianist as he is, as it is the extraordinary drumming of Manne. He thinks like an orchestrator at all times, never content to merely lay down a ceaselessly swinging beat, coming up with an unlimited quantity of sounds and ideas that all fit together even when seeming to come out of nowhere. His is truly the sound of surprise, and he keeps you involved when Freeman sometimes seems a bit stolid in the left hand or unvarying in touch. Of the unreleased stuff, the only new title is a tongue-in-cheek ditty called "Name That Tune" (hint -- it's by Johannes Brahms). Review by Richard S. Ginell

Track Listings
1. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
2. How About That
3. I'm Old Fashioned
4. On Green Dolphin Street
5. Take the "A" Train
6. Prime Time
7. Loose As A Goose
8. Lullaby Of The Leaves
9. Blue Monk
10. One On One
11. Name That Tune
12. Blue Monk (alternate)
13. Loose As A Goose (alternate)
14. On Green Dolphin Street (alternate)
15. Lullaby Of The Leaves (alternate)

Personnel:

Russ Freeman - Piano

Shelly Mann - Drums

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

City To City-- CD

Gerry Rafferty

1978/1990 United Artist/Capitol Records

Often mistaken with Night Owl, as they both had similar subject matter and beautiful Patrick Byrne covers, the main difference is that this is the one with 'Baker Street', probably the most flogged song of the past two decades, and one that now does his credibility no good. Missing out in the memory bank is the powerful 'The Ark', and the often ignored, radio-friendly title track. It also includes two of his finest open love songs - 'Right Down The Line' and the innocently profound 'Whatever's Written In Your Heart' (is all that matters), with the line 'so we agree to disagree, at least we got our memories.

All songs written by Gerry Rafferty.

"The Ark" – 5:36
"Baker Street" – 6:01
"Right Down the Line" – 4:20
"City to City" – 4:51
"Stealin' Time" – 5:39
"Mattie's Rag" – 3:28
"Whatever's Written in Your Heart" – 6:30
"Home and Dry" – 4:52
"Island" – 5:04
"Waiting for the Day" – 5:26

 

[Dennie]

Boys Don't Cry -- CD

Rumer

2012 Atlantic Records

Rumer's 2012 sophomore effort, Boys Don't Cry, follows up her critically acclaimed 2010 solo debut, Seasons of My Soul. Much like that album, Boys Don't Cry features a '60s and '70s soft rock vibe inspired by such acts as the Carpenters, Burt Bacharach, Elton John, and others. A covers album, it features Rumer's unique take on lesser-known '70s tunes originally sung by male artists including Isaac Hayes, Clifford T. Ward, Todd Rundgren, Townes Van Zandt, and others. Also included is the Jimmy Webb composition and leadoff single "P.F. Sloan."

Track Listing
1. P.F. Sloan
2. It Could Be the First Day
3. Be Nice to Me
4. Travelin' Boy
5. Soulsville
6. Same Old Tears on a New Background
7. Sara Smile
8. Flyin' Shoes
9. Home Thoughts from Abroad
10. Just for a Moment
11. Brave Awakening
12. We Will
13. [CD-ROM Track]

 

[topper]

1991)

Review:
"John Lee, he of the mojo hand and wearing voice, says, 'Bad luck can't do me no harm." Certainly not with attendants named Robert Cray, Albert Collins, John Hammond, Van Morrison, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Johnny Winter, and Ry Cooder on hand to make him feel better. The highlight is "I Cover the Waterfront," wherein true believers Hooker and Morrison go deep into the mystic."
~~~ Frank John Hadley 1993 ~ From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD


a good one by John Lee Hooker . . . .

[ John dedicated this album to the memory of Stevie Ray Vaughan ]

 

[Dennie]

World Machine -- Remastered CD

Level 42

1985 Polydor London (Import West Germany)

All Music Guide - William Cooper
Level 42 was one of Britain's most successful bands by the time World Machine was released in 1986, but U.S. success was elusive. But that changed with the engaging single "Something About You," which became a Top Ten hit in America and sent this album soaring into the Top 20. World Machine pushes their newfound radio-friendly sound into the forefront, and the result is one of the finest pop albums of the mid-'80s. "Something About You" exemplifies Level 42's sound at the peak of its success. Bassist Mark King's vocals, while limited in range, are soulful and yearning, while keyboardist Mike Lindup's complimentary falsetto backing vocals add just the right ingredient to the mix. Given the group's original guise as an all-instrumental jazz combo, the musicianship is brilliant, and "Something About You" proves how good a song can sound coming from the radio. Unlike most albums that contain one strong single surrounded by duds, World Machine has more than its share of fine tunes. The jazzy, upbeat title track is one of the band's finest moments, the should've-been-a-hit "Leaving Me Now" is an effective ballad, and the midtempo "Good Man in a Storm" is catchy and thought-provoking. While not perfect -- "Physical Presence" drags, and "It's Not the Same for Us" is a bit too cutesy for its own good -- World Machine is the most successful album in Level 42's career, both in terms of sales and quality.

1. "World Machine" Badarou/P. Gould/King/Lindup 5:14
2. "Physical Presence" P. Gould/King 5:27
3. "Something About You" Lindup/P. Gould/King/Badarou/R. Gould 4:24
4. "Leaving Me Now" Badarou/King/P. Gould 5:00
5. "I Sleep On My Heart" Badarou/R. Gould/P. Gould/King 4:04
6. "It's Not The Same For Us" Badarou/King/P. Gould/Lindup 4:36
7. "Dream Crazy" (originally included as a bonus track on the CD and cassette) R. Gould/King/Lindup 3:53
8. "Good Man In A Storm" P. Gould/King 4:36
9. "Coup d'état" P. Gould/King 3:47
10. "Lying Still" Badarou/R. Gould/King 5:39

I'm giving this one a second spin..... :music-listening:





Dennie

 

[Dennie]

1991)

Review:
"John Lee, he of the mojo hand and wearing voice, says, 'Bad luck can't do me no harm." Certainly not with attendants named Robert Cray, Albert Collins, John Hammond, Van Morrison, Keith Richards, Carlos Santana, Johnny Winter, and Ry Cooder on hand to make him feel better. The highlight is "I Cover the Waterfront," wherein true believers Hooker and Morrison go deep into the mystic."
~~~ Frank John Hadley 1993 ~ From Grove Press Guide to Blues on CD


a good one by John Lee Hooker . . . .

[ John dedicated this album to the memory of Stevie Ray Vaughan ]

I really enjoy that album Gary, especially "I cover the waterfront" with Van the Man!



Great Choice! :handgestures-thumbup:




Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Hymn For My Soul -- CD

Joe Cocker

2008 Fantasy Records

Even in his sixties, Joe Cocker is fully capable of releasing a soulful roar as powerful as that of his glory days. HYMN FOR MY SOUL finds the British belter adding a hint of gospel and a decided spiritual feeling to his trick bag without actually covering any gospel material. Ever the gifted interpreter, Cocker takes on everything from Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells" to Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Long As I Can See the Light" and even the Beatles' "Come Together," his emotive rasp transforming them all into something uniquely his own. The title track, an Andy Fairweather-Low tune, combines greasy R&B with a gospel tint in a way that sums up the album's mixture of earthy emotion and upward aspirations.

Track Listing
1. You Haven't Done Nothin'
2. One Word (Peace)
3. Love Is for Me
4. Don't Give Up on Me
5. Long as I Can See the Light
6. Beware of Darkness
7. Just Pass It On
8. River's Invitation
9. Ring Them Bells
10. Hymn 4 My Soul

Bonus Track:
11. Come Together

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Bring it on home... the soul classics -- CD

Aaron Neville

2006 Burgundy Records

Amazon.com

Approach Aaron Neville's Bring it on Home ... the Soul Classics with anything but an open heart and you've missed the point. This is a serious CD, at once mournful, humble, and joyous, with no shortage of moments that recall the terribleness of Hurricane Katrina. One way of processing it is as a cataloging of classic songs that helped Neville's fellow New Orleanians soldier through: opener "Rainy Night in Georgia" with jazzman Chris Botti wrings beauty from soaking-wet despair, "Stand By Me" turns its heel on pleading in favor of promise-making, and "People Get Ready," with David Sanborn and brother Art, is a chill-sending reminder of how unity and perseverance can trump tragedy. Viewed from another lens, Soul Classics is Neville's attempt at climbing aboard the late-career, classic-covers bandwagon while weaving his bayou-soul heritage into the picture. The trouble with that theory, though, is that it feels like so much more. His voice flutters alongside Mavis Staple's on "Respect Yourself" with completely uncontrived tenderness, and Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" becomes a meditation on stillness and ease that befits a boulder-sized lump in the throat. A tossed-together concept album this is not; a reflection of a soul man gifted with the ability to spin epic, unyielding sorrow into grace is more like it. --Tammy La Gorce

Track listing

1. Rainy Night in Georgia
2. Ain't No Sunshine
3. (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay
4. Stand by Me
5. You Send Me
6. Respect Yourself
7. When a Man Loves a Woman
8. Let's Stay Together
9. It's All Right
10. People Get Ready
11. My Girl
12. Ain't That Peculiar
13. Change Is Gonna Come, A

 

[Dennie]

...everybody on the bus -- CD

Francis ROCCO Prestia

1999 Lightyear Records

Don't Miss The Bus--Get Your Ticket Now! February 18, 1999
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD

Hmmm....well, let's see. You've got Rocco (bassist for the legendary soul/funk band, Tower of Power), you've got Bruce Conte, you've got Chester Thompson on keyboards, you've got David Garibaldi and Herman Matthews on drums, you've got Biner, Champlin, Grillo, and the incomparable Brent Carter handling the vocals, you've got Kupka/Castillo collaborating on a couple of the tracks: Hmmm...this is Tower without the Power of the horn section. But what a nice and refreshing change it is! There isn't a throw-away track on this CD, but a couple bear special mention: Brent Carter just really shines on Double Identity and I was especially impressed with Tamara Champlin's vocals on Express Yourself--reminiscent of the Staple Singers. Baby Don't Go features a strong bass line that actually makes you feel the plucking of the guitar strings. I'm So Glad has a unique presence that strikes me every time I hear it. There are also two worthy instrumentals that allow the musicians to shine each in their own right. You ought to get on the bus if you haven't already--it's worth the trip!

Track Listing
1. Solid Like the Rock
2. Express Yourself
3. Double Identify
4. Don't Play Around
5. Space for Bass
6. Baby Don't Go
7. (You Don't) Mean No Harm
8. Everybody on the Bus
9. Don't Need No Changes
10. I'm So Glad
11. I Got the Sauce

Personnel: Carmen Grillo (vocals, guitar); Frank Biner, Brent Carter, Tamara Champlin, Jeff Ramsey (vocals); Bruce Conte, Jeff Tamelier (guitar); Brandon Fields, Tom Saviano (saxophone); Bill Churchville (trumpet); Don Harris (flugelhorn); Eric Jorgensen (trombone); Nick Milo, Chester Thompson (organ, keyboards); Bob Emmet (keyboards); Francis Rocco Prestia (bass); David Garibaldi, Herman Matthews (drums); Arno Lucas (percussion); Bill Champlin, Tim Scott, Gisa Vatcky (background vocals).Personnel: Tamara Champlin (vocals, background vocals); Frank Biner, Brent Carter (vocals); Carmen Grillo (guitar, loops, background vocals); Bruce Conte (guitar); Tom Saviano, Brandon Fields (saxophone); Bill Churchville (trumpet); Eric Jorgensen (trombone); Nick Milo (organ, keyboards); David Garibaldi, Herman Matthews (drums); Arno Lucas (percussion); Bill Champlin, Gisa Vatcky (background vocals).Photographer: Bill Churchville.

 

[Babs]

 

[Dennie]

The Complete 1941 - 1954 Small Group Sessions Vol. 2 (1950)-- CD

Johnny Hodges

1995 Blue Moon Records (Import Spain)

Track Listing
1. Jump That's All
2. Pts. 1 & 2 Last Legs Blues
3. Mix It Nix It
4. Time on My Hands
5. Run-About
6. Wishing and Waiting
7. Get That Geet
8. That's Grand
9. Skip It
10. Mellow Mood
11. How I Wish I Was Around
12. I Met a Guy
13. Tea for Two
14. Perdido
15. In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree
16. Mood Indigo
17. Sweet Lorraine
18. Rendez-Vous at the Hot Club (Bean Bag Boogie)

 

[Dennie]

Sarah + 2 -- Remastered 24bit CD

Sarah Vaughan + Barney Kessel & Joe Comfort

1962/2006 Roulette/Blue Note Records

Her voice was a force of nature, and throughout the 1940s and '50s Sarah Vaughan was paired with every conceivable permutation of jazz combo. In 1962, the critical and popular success of the novel, bare-bones AFTER HOURS album (recorded with only a guitarist and bassist) inspired this similarly spare follow-up from the same year. Here, she teams with guitarist Barney Kessel and upright bassist Joe Comfort on 11 torchy standards that showcase her full-bodied sostenuto and her sophisticated approach to harmonics. "When Sunny Gets Blue," in particular, shimmers in this simple setting, and Kessel and Comfort provide tasteful support at every turn.

Track Listing
1. Just in Time
2. When Sunny Gets Blue
3. All I Do Is Dream of You
4. I Understand
5. Goodnight Sweetheart
6. Won't You Please Come Home Baby
7. When Lights Are Low
8. Key Largo
9. Just Squeeze Me
10. All or Nothing at All
11. The Very Thought of You

Personnel: Sarah Vaughan (vocals); Barney Kessel (guitar); Joe Comfort (bass instrument)

 

[Dennie]

Lucky Lucy Ann -- Remastered CD

Lucy Ann Polk

1957/1987 V.S.O.P. Records

Lucy Ann Polk's lone Mode/VSOP session pairs the singer with a sextet led by pianist and arranger Marty Paich, whose nuanced, spacious orchestrations perfectly complement Polk's sultry yet supremely controlled style. The strength of Lucky Lucy Ann is its subtlety -- not a note is wasted or extraneous, and for all the modernist elements converging in Paich's arrangements, he never obscures the clarity of perennials like "Makin' Whoopee" and "Time After Time." Polk likewise shades the universal themes of the lyrics with a style and fierce intelligence all her own -- for all the power of her voice, it's her restraint that rings loudest and clearest. ~ Jason Ankeny

Track Listing
1. Sitting in the Sun
2. How About You?
3. I'm Just a Lucky So and So
4. Squeeze Me
5. When the Sun Comes Out
6. Makin' Whoopee
7. Don'cha Go 'Way Mad
8. Sittin' and A-Rockin'
9. Memphis in June
10. Time After Time
11. Easy Living
12. Looking at You

Personnel: Lucy Ann Polk (vocals), Bob Hardaway (tenor saxophone), Dick Noel (trombone), Marty Paich (piano), Tony Rizzi (guitar), Buddy Clark (bass), Mel Lewis (drums).Recorded at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, California on July 12, 1957.

 

[Dennie]

I Get A Boot Out of You/The Picasso of Big Band Jazz-- Remastered CD

Modern Touch of Marty Paich

1959-1958/2011 MasterJazz Records (Import EU)

Perfection isn't just a word. It's Marty Paich Big Band sound. December 26, 2012
By Jazzcat
Format:Audio CD

Perfection is the sound of the Marty Paich band in the fifties. I mean, just the first album presented in this edition, "I get a boot out of you" is absolutely SHEER PERFECTION in Jazz. You probably may know Art Pepper "Plus Eleven" album from the same era. It was arranged by Marty so you have the picture. Here you have probably a more astounding effort by Marty and his West Coast guys (I'll list the crew in a heartbeat). This album is very well known in the Jazz completists club (I'm in) just for the cover (every album from the fifties with a nice girl on it is very famous), but guys, the music... The MUSIC here is capitol music. Marty's pen is made out of gold, he can make a big band swing and sound totally perfect, with a miracle balance between charts and solos... enthusiasm, freshness and challenging arrangements. This is perfection for real, I'm not exaggerating. I'll list the band of this first album. JACK SHELDON, Al Porcino, CONTE CANDOLI (tp), Bob Enevoldsen (v-tb), George Roberts (b-tb), Vince DeRosa (fhr), ART PEPPER (alto), BILL PERKINS (tenor), Bill Hood (bari), VICTOR FELDMAN (vibes), RUSS FREEMAN (piano), JOE MONDRAGON (bass), MEL LEWIS (drums). LA June/July 59. You got it I guess. It doesn't get any better than this in Jazz. It's the real deal. Nothing is better than this stuff, maybe different, NOT BETTER. NOTHING. This is IT. The remastering of this album has been made very well, the sound is full, bright, fast, three dimnsional. Very beautiful for real. "I get a boot out of you" has been for very long time out of print so when I saw it on the shelves of my music store, I jumped on it. Never a Jump has been so lucky. A GEM. The second album presented here was recorded the year before, 1958, June, in LA. Curiously enough the audio quality is not great as the "Boot". The recordings is less dynamic, less bright and full. A worst remastering Job in my opinion. The line up of the band is more or less the same, with the addiction of HERBIE HARPER (tb), HERB GELLER (instead of Art Pepper), Marty paich at the piano (no russ Freeman here), BOB COOPER together with Bill Perkins as tenors. Musically we're on the same ground here. The album opens up with a medium tempo blues to set the pace. Overall is another splendid album, but I don't know, I still prefer the "Boot". There's a freshness, an enthusiasm in that album that is almost unreachable. Just to try to explain you the general mood, "Picasso" is a softer album in a sense, it's more dry, ... less bright and brilliant, even the fast charts are less vital, but we're comparing this album to probably the best Big Band jazz album of all time. And in the end this is just my taste. I would give 10 stars to the "Boot" and maybe 8 to "Picasso". My taste. It's not a matter of different soloists, they're all great, it's just a matter of the overall mood. I prefer the "Boot", because it's joy all the way, full throttle... Anyway just the "Boot" totally justify the price of this edition, ... you have a 8 album from Marty paich and the guys for free! )) Get this while you can. GOLD!


Tracks:
I Get A Boot Out Of You:
1.It Don't Mean a Thing
2.No More
3.Love for Sale
4.Moanin'
5.Violets for Your Furs
6.What Am I Here for?
7.Warm Valley
8.Things Ain't What They Used to Be

The Picasso Of Big Band Jazz:
9.From Now on
10.Walkin' on Home
11.Black Rose
12.Tommy's Toon
13.New Soft Shoe
14.What's New
15.Easy Listenin'
16.Martyni Time
17.Nice and Easy

 

[Dennie]

Really Big! -- Remastered CD

The Jimmy Heath Orchestra

1960/2007 Riverside/Concord Records

Jimmy Heath's first chance to lead a fairly large group, an all-star ten-piece, found him well featured both on tenor and as an arranger/composer. With such colorful players as cornetist Nat Adderley, flugelhornist Clark Terry, altoist Cannonball Adderley, and either Cedar Walton or Tommy Flanagan on piano, Heath introduces a few originals (including "Big 'P'" and "A Picture of Heath") and uplifts "Green Dolphin Street," "Dat Dere," and "My Ideal," among others. A well-conceived set. [Originally released in 1960, Really Big! was reissued on CD in 2007.] ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Big "P"
2. Old Fashioned Fun
3. Mona's Mood
4. Dat Dere
5. Nails
6. On Green Dolphin Street
7. My Ideal
8. Picture of Heath, The
9. Nails - (take 1, bonus track)

Personnel: Jimmy Heath (tenor saxophone); Julian "Cannonball" Adderley (alto saxophone); Pat Patrick (baritone saxophone); Clark Terry (trumpet); Nat Adderley (cornet); Dick Berg (French horn); Tom McIntosh (trombone); Tommy Flanagan, Cedar Walton (piano); Percy Heath (bass); Albert "Tootie" Heath (drums).Recorded at Plaza Sound Studios, New York, New York on June 24 & 28, 1960. Originally released on Riverside (1188). Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1992, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

 

[Dennie]

Happy Sunday (and Mother's Day) Everyone...... :banana-dance:

Count Basie Swings - Joe Williams Sings -- CD

Count Basie Orchestra with Joe Williams

1956/1993 CLEF/Verve Records

"I Love The Blues Because It's So Natural. It's Life, Man.", September 17, 2000
By Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (Audio CD)

That quote, from Joe Williams as part of the liner notes for this remarkable re-issue, emphasizes that blues is not so much a rudimentary style as an approach to music and, especially, lyrics. It's a lesson Basie, Williams, Ray Charles, B.B. King, Bobby Bland, and a generation's country, R&B, and blues performers taught the rock and roll revolution that so quickly followed and incorporated them.

"Basie Swings - Williams Sings" joins jazz vocal panache to Basie's rollicking big-band punch. Williams sings circles around the melodies of "The Comeback," (with its stick-and-move sax punctuation) Joe Turner's "Roll 'Em Pete," (with Williams trilling "Ohwellohwellohwell..." as if he discovered a new instrument) and the huge R&B hit, "Everyday I Have The Blues" (later a B.B. King theme song). Credit Frank Foster's inventive, galloping arrangements (brought to the fore by Phil Schaap's excellent remastering) for bringing fire and funk to what otherwise would've been a swing-era holdover. On the ballad side, "In the Evening" brings flutes and clarinets into a sleepy blues tune that recalls Bland's later, "If You Could Read My Mind."

This LP and its long-running success deservedly expanded and extended Basie and Williams' careers, stretching across pop culture from Basie's three LPs with Frank Sinatra (and a band still performing Foster's arrangements today) to Williams' casting on the "Cosby Show." Most importantly, "Basie Swings - Williams Sings" redefined big band music for the post-rock and roll era, making it essential to jazz, blues, and early rock and roll fans all.

"Every Day I Have the Blues" (Memphis Slim) – 5:29
"The Come Back" (Charles Frazier) – 5:28
"Alright, Okay, You Win" (Mayme Watts, Sidney Wyche) – 3:05
"In the Evening (When the Sun Goes Down)" (Leroy Carr, Don Raye) – 3:38
"Roll 'Em Pete" (Pete Johnson, Big Joe Turner) – 3:12
"Teach Me Tonight" (Sammy Cahn, Gene DePaul) – 3:04
"My Baby Upsets Me" (Joe Williams) – 2:58
"Please Send Me Someone to Love" (Percy Mayfield) – 3:33
"Ev'ry Day" (Sammy Fain, Irving Kahal) – 3:48
"As Long as I Love You" (Bernie Moten, Henri Woode) – 3:06
"Stop! Don't!" (George Ronald Brown) – 2:36
"Too Close for Comfort" (Jerry Bock, Larry Holofcener, George David Weiss) – 2:53