What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Saxuality -- CD :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Candy Dulfer

1991 Arista Records

Some of the best jazz of the 90's., December 23, 1999
By
David Tepper - See all my reviews
This review is from: Saxuality (Audio CD)
I was absolutely flabbergasted when I first heard "Lily Was Here". It's one of those songs that can soothe your soul and energize your body at the same time. I kept listening to that song over and over, each time finding a new level of sound I'd never noticed before.

So I bought this CD on the strength of that track alone, and I wasn't disappointed. Ms. Dulfer took me into a continuing adventure into what her saxophone could do. Hearing her layer that sax over the percussion-driven "Jazzid" always gives me a thrill, and she showed off her brass cojones by completely reworking Miles Davis's cool-jazz instrumental anthem "So What" into an ambitious piece of fusion revisionism. Gotta respect her for that little experiment, even though she doesn't really hope to approach Miles.

Her singing voice is not nearly as good as her instrumental skills. I still can't stand her shrieking on the title track and "Heavenly City", but I've learned to live with it and enjoy the music in spite of that. It's a small price to pay to listen to some of the neatest jazz of the 90's.

This CD was my very first introduction to jazz, and it got me suckered into buying up Miles, Bill Evans, Louis Armstrong... it's very accessible to music lovers who have little previous exposure to jazz. Although this is a highly uneven album, the high points are so high that I feel justified in giving this a five-star rating.

Track Listing

1. Lily Was Here (With Dave Stewart)
2. Pee Wee
3. Saxuality
4. So What
5. Jazzid
6. Heavenly City
7. Donja
8. There Goes the Neighbourhood
9. Mr. Lee
10. Get the Funk
11. Home Is Not a House
12. Lily Was Here (D. N. A. Remix)

 

[Dennie]

Herbie Mann at the Village Gate -- :text-bravo:

Herbie Mann

1961 Atlantic Records

Herbie Mann’s Live At the Village Gate is a must have album for jazz fans. Recorded live at the famous New York club in 1961, this is some of Herbie Mann’s very best work. 

The group — Mann on flute; Ray Mantilla and Chief Bey, percussion; Hagood Hardy, vibraphone; Ahmed Abdul-Malik and Ben Tucker, bass; and Rudy Collins, drums — is tight and responsive. There’s none of that overly commercial or smooth-jazz feel that many people think of when they hear the name Herbie Mann or flute and jazz in the same sentence.

The album was far ahead of its time, its mere three tracks a near-perfect blend of Afro-Cuban and Brazilian influences that hold up very well a half century later.

The release made Herbie Mann a star; “Comin’ Home Baby” would soon become one of his signature songs. The epic 20-minute rendition of “It Ain’t Necessarily So” has no fluff, filler or needless noodling that you might expect during a song taking up a full LP side.

The highlight of the album, however, is Mann’s cover of “Summertime.” You might think that the world doesn’t need any more versions of this standard, but Mann lets the tune breathe in entirely new ways. You can almost hear the summer breeze wash over you as you listen. 

One note: beware of some recent CD re-issues which come from inferior sources. If you can, it’s really worth finding the original vinyl version, but make sure you get it in stereo, not mono. Live At The Village Gate won’t disappoint.

Raoul Van Hall, KMHD Operations Manager and On-Air Host


1 Comin' Home Baby 8:37
Written-By - Ben Tucker
2 Summertime 10:18
Written-By - DuBose Heyward , George Gershwin
3 It Ain't Necessarily So 19:55
Written-By - George & Ira Gershwin

 

[Dennie]

Herbie Mann Returns to the Village Gate -- :text-bravo:

Herbie Mann

1963 Atlantic Records

TRACKLIST:

1. Bag's Groove (Milt Jackson) 8:34
2. New York Is a Jungle Festival (Herbie Mann) 9:53
3. Candle Dance (Herbie Mann) 5:30
4. Bedouin (Herbie Mann) 7:48
5. Ekunda (Herbie Mann) 4:43

 

[Botch]

I have one Herbie Mann album, I bought it in college from the cutout bin (where I got a lot of my music) and it was called "Supermann"; unfortunately it was his "disco" album. :roll: I believe it's the only album I own that I have not been able to listen to all the way yet.

 

[Dennie]

I have one Herbie Mann album, I bought it in college from the cutout bin (where I got a lot of my music) and it was called "Supermann"; unfortunately it was his "disco" album. :roll: I believe it's the only album I own that I have not been able to listen to all the way yet.

Kind of a Sad Story! I don't have that one and I think I am okay with it. :shifty:

This one always reminds me of "Our Man Flint" or IG/COF!

Dennie

 

[Dennie]

My last Herbie Mann for tonight........

Monday Night at the Village Gate -- :text-bravo:

Herbie Mann

1966 Atlantic Records

1. Away from the Crowd
2. Motherless Child
3. In Escambrun
4. Young Turks, The
5. You're Gonna Make It With Me

 

[Botch]

Dennie

My Mann flute shoots pretty far, but not to where I'd need a gunsight...

oh wait, can I say that here? :?

 

[Dennie]

Dennie

My Mann flute shoots pretty far, but not to where I'd need a gunsight...

oh wait, can I say that here? :?

:scared-eek: :text-tmi:


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Leo Kottke Live -- CD :text-bravo:

Leo Kottke

1995 On The Spot/Private Music

Amazon.com

Leo Kottke has peppered his oeuvre with live albums, which is befitting since his extraordinary instrumental technique and droll humor make him a natural (albeit low-key) audience charmer. This 15-song set from a 1995 Boulder, Colorado, concert finds the guitarist focusing on late '80s and early '90s albums. He draws from 1986's A Shout Toward Noon (check out his cover of Duane Allman's deceptively intricate "Little Martha"), '88's Regards from Chuck Pink, '89's My Father's Face, '90's That's What, and '94's Peculiaroso. Kottke reaches deeper into his song bag to pull out "Bean Time" (from 1972's Greenhouse), but it's refreshing to hear him reexamine a particularly fertile period in his career while the original recordings are still fresh in his mind. The clear-as-lake-water audio quality also deserves kudos. As usual, Kottke's playing is beyond reproach and his between-song remarks are winning. --Steven Stolder

1. "William Powell" – 5:32
2. "The Room at the Top of the Stairs" (Randall Hylton) – 2:47
3. "Airproofing" – 4:50
4. "Jack Gets Up" – 4:49
5. "Combat" - 6:05
6. "Peg Leg" – 2:21
7. "Twilight Time" (Buck Ram, Morty Nevins, Al Nevins) – 2:27
8. "Bean Time" – 1:40
9. "Roy Autry" – 6:25
10. "Parade" – 4:11
11. "I Yell at Traffic" – 5:40
12. "Flattened Brain" – 3:45
13. "Little Martha" (Duane Allman) – 2:04
14. "Oddball" – 3:18
15. "Arms of Mary" (Ian Sutherland) – 4:08

EDIT: I found a picture of the Band........... :bow-blue: :music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

Joy: A Holiday Collection -- CD

Jewel

1999 Atlantic Records
Amazon.com

Jewel has concocted an intriguing and at times beautifully inspired holiday album, playing it straight with a big orchestra and backing voices for the first half of the record with standards such as "Joy to the World," "Winter Wonderland," "Silent Night," as well as a lovely rendition of "Ave Maria." Things finally get sparkling in the last half where Jewel does a low-key, kid version of "Rudolph" and sings her own compositions. Her moving "Face of Love" and "Hands" are certain to become holiday standards, capable of being sung in a country, pop, gospel, or R&B vein and deserving of an audience as wide as the nation itself. The record's centerpiece, however, seems to be a six-minute-plus medley that mixes "Go Tell It on the Mountain" with the recent hit "From a Distance" and her own "Life Uncommon." Nonetheless, her stunning adaptation of "Gloria" inspired, in part, by Bach's B-Minor Mass, two tracks later is as powerful and lovely a Christmas vocal performance as you will find anywhere. Produced by the legendary Arif Mardin, Joy is destined to become a holiday classic. --Martin Keller

1. "Joy to the World" (Mason, Watts) – 3:05
2. "O Holy Night" (Adam, Dwight) – 3:44
3. "Silent Night" (Gruber, Mohr) – 3:07
4. "Winter Wonderland" (Bernard, Smith) – 3:39
5. "O Little Town of Bethlehem" (Brooks, Redner) – 3:11
6. "Ave Maria" (Bach, Gounod) – 3:44
7. "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" (Mendelssohn, Wesley) – 3:21
8. "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" (Marks) – 1:53
9. "Face of Love" (Kilcher) – 3:27
10. "Medley: Go Tell It on the Mountain/Life Uncommon/From a Distance" (Gold, Kilcher) – 6:31
11. "I Wonder as I Wander" (Niles) – 1:58
12. "Gloria" (Kilcher) – 2:38
13. "Hands" [Christmas version] (Kilcher, Leonard) – 4:13

 

[Dennie]

Famous Blue Raincoat - The Songs of Leonard Cohen -- CD :text-bravo: :text-bravo:

Jennifer Warnes

1986 Cypress Records (Import Germany)

Amazon.com

Since Ella Fitzgerald never produced a songbook of Leonard Cohen songs, Jennifer Warnes's plush 1986 tribute is the next best thing. The sleekly seductive "First We Take Manhattan" is gilded by the guitars of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Robben Ford. Warnes doesn't add much to an evergreen like "Bird on a Wire," but she lays claim to the noirish title song with a confidential vocal that complements the chamber-pop arrangement. "Song of Bernadette" is a ripened gem, and the selection where Warnes lets down her refined vocal technique to reveal deep emotions. More often, Warnes is as professionally accomplished on this well-chosen set as her band of studio pros. --John Milward

All songs written by Leonard Cohen except where noted.

1. "First We Take Manhattan" – 3:47
2. "Bird on a Wire" – 4:42
3. "Famous Blue Raincoat" – 5:33
4. "Joan of Arc" – 7:57
5. "Ain't No Cure for Love" – 3:21
6. "Coming Back to You" – 3:43
7. "Song of Bernadette" – 3:55 (Jennifer Warnes, Bill Elliott, Cohen)
8. "A Singer Must Die" – 4:52
9. "Came So Far for Beauty" – 3:37 (Cohen, John Lissauer)

 

[Dennie]

Oh, this is a good one.....

Moonlight In Vermont -- CD

Johnny Smith with Stan Getz, Zoot Sims

1952/1991 Roost/EMI Records

Pure, clean, unadulterated artistry, December 3, 1999
By
Clayton Chan (Minnesota, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moonlight in Vermont (Audio CD)

In modern times, Johnny Smith has become unappreciated and forgotten for the superb artistry he displayed as a jazz guitarist-maestro. Listen to Moonlight in Vermont. It is unique for its combination of pithy feeling and technical virtuosity. Technically, Smith burns on single-note leads and soothes with inventive chord melody playing. Perhaps his style sometimes borders on being too precious and precise, but this is trifling criticism. His style comes from the "cool" school of jazz (Lennie Tristano, et al.), but he imbues his music with too much controlled emotion to be called purely "cool." Also, fine tenor sax work from Stan Getz and Zoot Sims serve as excellent complements to Smith's fretboard excursions. A must have CD for any fan of true, original jazz guitar (eg, fans of Jimmy Raney, Wes Montgomery, Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Kenny Burrell, Barney Kessel, Herb Ellis, etc.).

* Tracks 5, 8, 9, 11, 17, 18 and 19 were added for the CD reissue.

1. "Where or When" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) – 2:24
2. "Tabú" (Margarita Lecuona, Sidney Keith Russell, Al Stillman) – 2:40
3. "Moonlight in Vermont" (John Blackburn, Karl Suessdorf) – 3:12
4. "Jaguar" (Johnny Smith) – 2:28
5. "Jaguar"* (alternate take) (Smith) – 2:28
6. "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You" (Bing Crosby, Ned Washington, Victor Young) – 3:08
7. "Vilia" (Franz Lehar) – 2:40
8. "My Funny Valentine"* (Hart, Rodgers) – 2:37
9. "Sometimes I'm Happy"* (Irving Caesar, Clifford Grey, Vincent Youmans,) – 2:18
10. "Stars Fell on Alabama" (Mitchell Parish, Frank Perkins) – 3:03
11. "Nice Work If You Can Get It"* (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:24
12. "Tenderly" (Walter Lloyd Gross, Jack Lawrence) – 3:24
13. "Cavu" (Smith) – 2:12
14. "I'll Be Around" (Alec Wilder) – 2:44
15. "Yesterdays" (Otto Harbach, Jerome Kern) – 2:50
16. "Cherokee" (Ray Noble) – 2:46
17. "What's New?"* (Johnny Burke, Bob Haggart) – 3:04
18. "I'll Remember April"* (Gene De Paul, Patricia Johnston, Don Raye) – 2:46
19. "Lullaby of Birdland"* (George Shearing, David Weiss) – 3:03

 

[Botch]

A power-pop Gem:

 

[Dennie]

Some of my best friends are... Singers -- 20 Bit CD :text-bravo:

Ray Brown Trio

1998 Telarc Jazz

Amazon.com

Bassist Ray Brown spent 15 years in the Oscar Peterson trio. Since then, he's never fallen off the jazz map, becoming a mainstay in the mainstream with his own swinging, bop-smart trio. His "Best Friends" series has also elevated the dialogue of collective ensembles, integrating seasoned elders and neophytes into his expanding band. With this release, Brown brings singers on board; from the savvy old-world swing of Etta Jones to the hip postbop of Dee Dee Bridgewater, he moves both smoothly and solidly. There are also particularly strong surprises, from Kevin Mahogany's deep blues tracks to Nancy King's underheralded excellence. --Andrew Bartlett

1 I Thought About You 0:05:18 Diana Krall, Vocal
2 Poor Buterfly 0:03:24 Etta Jones, Vocal
3 More Than You Know 0:05:30 Dee Dee Bridgewater, Vocal
4 Little Boy 0:02:25 Diana Krall, Vocal
5 But Beautiful 0:05:37 Nancy King, Vocal. Antonio Hart, Alt Saxophone
6 At Long Last Love 0:03:19 Marlena Shaw, Vocal
7 Skylark 0:05:57 Kevin Mahogany, Vocal. Russel Malone, Guitar
8 Cherokee 0:06:15 Dee Dee Bridgewater, Vocal / Ralph Moore, Tenor Saxophone
9 No Greater Love 0:04:16 'There Is' - Etta Jones, Vocal; Russell Malone, Guitar
10 Imagination 0:07:17 Marlena Shaw, Vocal
11 The Party's Over 0:03:36 Kevin Mahogany, Vocal
12 The Perfect Blues 0:05:16 Nancy King, Vocal; Antonio Hart Alt Saxophone

 

[Dennie]

Swiss Movement Montreux 30th Anniversary Edition CD - :text-bravo:
Recorded Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival Switzerland

Les McCann & Eddie Harris

1969/1996 Atlantic Records

Trust me, just buy it., March 19, 2010
By J. Furlong - See all my reviews

Absolutely essential!

I've always been a rock-n-roll kid. Although I have always appreciated jazz music, I don't often get home from a hard day's work and want to hear jazz... I usually need something that drives and gets my energy back up. And being a lover of most kinds of rock, pop and punk music, I default to my faves.

Having said that, I can tell you this album is not only perfect for after work, it's pretty much perfect for any time, and can easily suit any mood.

I won't go into a detailed song-by-song analysis, since the other positive reviews here that describe Swiss Movement in detail all do a great job at conveying what makes this album so unique and downright excellent.

I can only tell you that it will have your foot tapping and your mood will be good, listen after listen. Swiss Movement is about the most rock-n-roll jazz album (although I'm sure jazz afficionados can cite other great examples of such crossover works). I never get sick of its energy. It is fluid and passionate music made by guys at the peak of their game. Suffice it to say, it has more heart and more balls than most of what passes as rock music in today's world.

Like I said, trust me, just buy Swiss Movement. Absolutely essential to have in your collection...

1. "Compared to What" - (Gene McDaniels) PAULY, the same, but different from Roberta's version :handgestures-thumbup:
2. "Cold Duck Time" - (Eddie Harris)
3. "Kathleen's Theme" - (Les McCann)
4. "You Got It in Your Soulness" - (Les McCann)
5. "The Generation Gap" - (Les McCann)
6. "Kaftan" - (Leroy Vinnegar) - Bonus track on the 1996 reissue


* Les McCann: Piano, Vocals on "Compared to What"
* Eddie Harris: Tenor Sax
* Benny Bailey: Trumpet
* Leroy Vinnegar: Bass
* Donald Dean: Drums

 

[Dennie]

East -- CD

Hiroshima

1989 Epic Records

Still the best of Hiroshima after many years, November 20, 2002
By Larry H. Burdoin (Spanish Springs, Nevada)

This review is from: East (Audio CD)

This was the album that introduced me to Hiroshima back in 1989. It is very easy to listen to and can take the edge off the traffic jams on your way to or from work.

East offers a relaxing mix of great instrumentals (especially Daydreamer and Streetcorner Paradise) and soothing and moving vocals (especially Come to Me, Tabo, and Thousand Cranes). Each song transitions smoothly into the song following. By this, I mean that the ordering of the tracks was done right and makes for an enjoyable listening experience.

Most of the Hiroshima CDs are good to listen to - it's just that East's sounds are a little smoother and a bit more refreshing than the rest. Highly recommended!
Track Listing:

* Midtown Higashi
* Thousand Cranes
* East
* Tabo
* Living In America
* Daydreamer
* Golden Age, The
* Streetcorner Paradise
* Come To Me
* You And Me

 

[Kazaam]

A Charlie Brown Christmas -- SACD :text-bravo: :text-bravo:

Vince Guaraldi Trio

From the writeup it sounds like it's still a stereo mix, so I'll keep my CD copy. BUT, thanks for the reminder, I need to dig this one out. Love Guaradi!!

http://www.amazon.com/Vince-Guarald...=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1291405654&sr=8-3

It's not an SACD, but the Monster Music "SuperDisc" version of this album contains a 5.1 Surround Mix in DTS. It sounds nice, but it's not overly aggressive. It's moreso an ambient concert hall type of mix. However, there is also a special "on stage" mix that is a little bit playful-sounding, but still not overly aggressive. I like the 5.1 better than the included stereo mix, but it's not mindblowing or anything; I've probably listened to the included stereo mix more times just because I've got it ripped to my computer and it's so convenient.

 

[Kazaam]

I just got this today.
Enoch Light's "Spaced Out".

Mine is a CD version that was clearly made from a needle drop. Not sure if that means I bought a fancy lookin' "bootleg" or if this was just a low-budget "legal/legitimate" release? Regardless, it still sounds quite good despite the occasional click and pop. In fact, when I listen to it with Dolby Prologic II's "Music Mode" set to "Panorama On" it almost sounds like a true discrete 5.1 surround mix at times. It makes me wonder if this stereo CD is using the "QS" quadraphonic mix??? ("QS" was one of the matrixed quad formats back in the 1970s, and apparently "Spaced Out" was released on that format, in addition to some other quad formats, too.) Anyway... I don't have a QS decoder so heck if I can say for certain. It's possible that this is just a regular stereo mix that happens to play nicely in DPLII, as opposed to matrixed quad.

Love the brass, the percussion, and of course the Moog synthesizer!!!! The album artwork states these songs are "exploratory trips through the music of Bach, Bacharach, the Beatles - integrating the Moog, the guitar scene, electric harpsicords, flugalhorns, etc."

Here's a YouTube sample of one of the songs:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1eR5an-5f3I[/youtube]

 

[Dennie]

Ring -- :handgestures-thumbup: :handgestures-thumbup:

Gary Burton Quintet with Eberhard Weber

1974 ECM Records

Here is Burton in the summer of 1974, teaming up with producer Manfred Eicher to lead one of his most visionary bands, and the sound of RING is gorgeous. It features twin electric guitars (the innovative Mick Goodrick and his young acolyte Pat Metheny), twin electric basses (bass guitar pioneer Steve Swallow and Eberhard Weber on a fretless 6-string upright) and the cymablistic pulsations of drummer Bob Moses.

Burton chooses individual works by Goodrick, Michael Gibbs and Carla Bley to form a suite-like structure that is indeed bell-like, favoring the timbre of vibes and cymbals. The music on RING progresses through a variety of raga-ish forms, full of polymetric wizardry (the Mahavishnuesque turns of "Mevlevia") and moody oriental counterpoint (the misterioso shadow dances of "Tunnel Of Love"). The self-effacing vibraphonist's accompaniment often melts into Metheny's chiming 12-string, so there's plenty of room for all soloists to shine. Given room to front his own string orchestra, Burton rises to a percussive revelry on Weber's majestic "The Colours of Chloe," and achieves koto-like gravity on Carla Bley's ritualistic "Silent Spring."

1. "Mevlevia" (Mick Goodrick) - 6:01
2. "Unfinished Sympathy" (Mike Gibbs) - 3:03
3. "Tunnel Of Love" (Mike Gibbs ) - 5:30
4. "Intrude" (Mike Gibbs) - 4:47
5. "Silent Spring" (Carla Bley) - 10:37
6. "The Colours Of Chloe" (Eberhard Weber) - 7:12

 

[Dennie]

The Wonderful World Of: Julie London -- :handgestures-thumbup:

Julie London

1963 Liberty Records- Mono

(Liberty: LRP-3324/LST-7324) Released: November 1963.

Billboard Peak: #136 Producer: "Snuff" Garrett. Arranger: Ernie Freeman.

All Music Guide review by Greg Adams:

The Wonderful World of Julie London is a pop album without the jazz underpinnings of "Cry Me a River" and most of her best work. The LP was produced by Snuff Garrett and arranged by Ernie Freeman, but the music isn't pop/rock -- it's a neat foreshadowing of the easy listening sound of the mid- to late '60s, and a perfect example of the kind of music that necessitated the adult contemporary label. Breezy and modern without borrowing from rock, The Wonderful World of Julie London delivers snappy performances of Cole Porter songs alongside contemporary numbers by Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman in London's distinctive sultry voice. This was London's final charting album and is still an agreeable listen, but isn't as timeless and appealing as her traditional pop recordings.

1. I'm Coming Back to You

2. Soft Summer Breeze

3. Can't Get Used to Losing You

4. A Taste of Honey

5. Little Things Mean a Lot

6. In the Still of the Night

7. Love for Sale

8. When Snowflakes Fall in the Summer

9. How Can I Make Him Love Me?

10. Say Wonderful Things

11. Guilty Heart

12. (I Love You and) Don't You Forget It