What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Listen Here! -- CD

The Gene Harris Quartet

1989 Concord Records

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade," "Don't Be That Way," Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," and "The Song Is Ended." Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. This Masquerade
2. Don't Be That Way
3. I've Got a Feeling I'm Falling
4. Listen Here
5. This Can't Be Love
6. To You
7. Blues for Jezebel
8. Sweet and Lovely
9. Lullabye
10. The Song Is Ended

Gene Harris Quartet: Gene Harris (piano); Ron Eschete (guitar); Ray Brown (bass); Jeff Hamilton (drums).Recorded at The Plant Recording Studios, Sausalito, California in March 1989.

 

[Dennie]

Things Are Really Great Here, Sort of.... -- CD

Andrew Bird

2014 Wigawam Music Co.

Continuing with the easy tone set by 2012's Break It Yourself and its stripped-down companion piece Hands of Glory, Andrew Bird retreats even further from the elegant pop orchestrations and looping of the decade prior, turning in his most ardently rural album to date. Things Are Great Here, Sort Of... marks yet another era of Bird's prolific and ever-evolving career. For one, it's an album of songs by long-tenured Chicago duo the Handsome Family, making this the first of his releases not to contain a single Andrew Bird song. Additionally, it marks a dedicated return to the live, single-mike recording technique he championed on his first two albums with the Bowl of Fire in the late '90s. Over the years, he has proven himself an inventive, boundary-pushing artist, but as a performer, his musicianship is truly something to behold and the performances he and his new band deliver here are strong and wonderfully nuanced. As a longtime friend, admirer, and occasional collaborator, Bird first tackled the Handsome Family's song "Don't Be Scared" (which receives an updated arrangement here as well) on 2003's Weather Systems, an album that marked his sea change into the mysterious, whistling pop maestro that would go on to international acclaim in the years to follow. The dark undercurrents and gothic beauty of Rennie and Brett Sparks' country and folk songs dovetail neatly with Bird's own darker leanings and his interpretations of their catalog are sparse and haunting, aided richly by his Hands of Glory band, which includes fellow songwriter Tift Merritt on guitar and vocals, double bassist Alan Hampton, pedal steel player Eric Heywood, and former Bowl of Fire drummer Kevin O'Donnell. Tracks like "Cathedral in the Dell" and "Tin Foiled" show a kind of laid-back warmth in their delivery, giving the effect of sitting inside the room with the band during a dress rehearsal. The lonesome "Giant of Illinois" and particularly "My Sister's Tiny Hands" offer a close-up look at Andrew Bird as a true folksinger, interpreting a type of Americana far less wordy and more deliberate than much of his own material, and he rises to the challenge. There is no studio manipulation, nor was there even a soundboard. Recorded with a single mike running into a tape machine in Bird's Los Angeles living room, the ten songs were knocked out in three days' time, apparently after the album's press release and album cover had already been made public. Whether this ultra-organic approach carries into future releases or is just a sort of mid-career palate cleanser, Things Are Great Here is a lovely collection and another unique release by one of the era's most distinctive artists. ~ Timothy Monger


1. Cathedral in the Dell
2. Tin Foiled
3. Giant of Illinois
4. So Much Wine, Merry Christmas
5. My Sister's Tiny Hands
6. Sad Milkman, The
7. Don't Be Scared
8. Frogs Singing
9. Drunk by Noon
10. Far from Any Road (Be My Hand)

Liner Note Author: Rennie Sparks. Recording information: Mini Barn. Personnel: Andrew Bird (vocals, violin); Tift Merritt (vocals, guitar); Alan Hampton (vocals); Justin Glasco (drums). Audio Mixer: David Boucher.

 

[Dennie]

The Cats -- Remastered CD

Tommy Flanagan, John Coltrane, Kenny Burrell, Idrees Sulieman

1957/1991 Blue Note/OJC Records

In 1957, the greatest year for recorded music including modern jazz, Detroit was a hot spot, a centerpiece to many hometown heroes as well as short-term residents like John Coltrane and Miles Davis. It was here that Trane connected with pianist Tommy Flanagan, subsequently headed for the East Coast, and recorded this seminal hard bop album. In tow were fellow Detroiters -- drummer Louis Hayes, bassist Doug Watkins, and guitarist Kenny Burrell, with the fine trumpeter from modern big bands Idrees Sulieman as the sixth wheel. From the opening number, the classic "Minor Mishap," you realize something special is happening. Flanagan is energized, playing bright and joyous melody lines, comping and soloing like the blossoming artist he was. Coltrane is effervescent and inspired, hot off the presses from the Miles Davis Quintet and searching for more expressionism. The other hard bop originals, "Eclypso" and "Solacium," easily burn with a cool flame not readily associated with East Coast jazz. Flanagan himself is the catalyst more than the horns -- dig his soaring, animated solo on "Eclypso" as he quotes "Jeepers Creepers." The near 12-minute blues "Tommy's Tune" is the perfect vehicle for Burrell, a prelude for his classics of the same period "All Day Long" and "All Night Long." The lone trio session, on the standard "How Long Has This Been Going On?," is regarded as quintessential Flanagan, and quite indicative of the Midwestern Motor City flavor Flanagan and his many peers brought into the mainstream jazz of the day and beyond. One yearns for alternate takes of this session. The Cats is a prelude to much more music from all of these masters that would come within a very short time period thereafter, and cannot come more highly recommended. It's a must-buy for the ages. ~ Michael G. Nastos


"Minor Mishap" — 7:26
"How Long Has This Been Going On" — 5:58
"Eclypso" — 7:57
"Solacium" — 9:10
"Tommy's Tune" — 11:58



Idrees Sulieman — trumpet
John Coltrane — tenor saxophone on all but "How Long Has This Been Going On"
Tommy Flanagan — piano
Kenny Burrell — guitar
Doug Watkins — bass
Louis Hayes — drums

 

[Dennie]

Pressure Drop -- CD

Robert Palmer

1975 Island Records

Before he moved to Nassau and became a carefree, laid-back expat who craved sunshine, Robert Palmer lived in New York City, hired Little Feat for a backup band, and released the all over the place yet still solid Pressure Drop. Named after the massive reggae hit from Toots & the Maytals and the excellent cover version Palmer performs here, Pressure Drop is sometimes wrongly sold as the singer's first island-styled album. Past the title cut, Feat and the New Orleans funk of the Meters are much bigger influences, along with smooth, dated disco ballads smothered in strings. The latter numbers are what make the album too blue-eyed and polished for fans of Palmer's more gutsy moments, but the soft songs are well written and convincing, especially the opening "Give Me an Inch." Better still is the loose and feel-good funk that has long made this effort a fan favorite, with Palmer delivering full-bodied vocals over bright horns and popping basslines. Since compilations and Palmer's own live set lists increasingly ignored the album over time, Pressure Drop has grown into the great overlooked album in the man's discography, and it's much more rewarding than the unfamiliar track list displays. Review by David Jeffries

Track Listing
1. Give Me an Inch
2. Work to Make It Work
3. Back in My Arms
4. River Boat
5. Pressure Drop
6. Here with You Tonight
7. Trouble
8. Fine Time
9. Which of Us Is the Fool

Personnel: Robert Palmer (vocals, guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, background vocals); Bill Payne (vocals, keyboards); Fran Tate (vocals); Lowell George, Paul Barr‚re (guitar); Joe Brown (banjo); David Snell (harp); Gene Page (strings); Mongezi Feza (flageolet, horns); Steve York (harmonica); Mel Collins (saxophone, horns); Martin Fry (tuba); Ray Allen, Muscle Shoals Harris, Muscle Shoals Horns (horns); Gordon DeWitte, Jean Roussel (Clavinet, keyboards); James Jamerson, Kenny Gradney (bass guitar); Ed Greene (drums, congas); Richie Hayward (drums, percussion, background vocals); Sam Clayton (congas, background vocals); Vicki Brown (background vocals).Audio Mixer: Phill Brown

 

[Dennie]

Come On Home -- CD

Boz Scaggs

1997 Virgin U.S. Records

Bobby Bland, Jimmy Reed, T-Bone Walker . . . Boz Scaggs!, November 4, 2001
By stranger2himself (Down Here) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Come on Home (Audio CD)

I grew up on Ray Charles, James Brown, soul, blues, country & gospel. I've been listening to and collecting music for 40 years, and have approx. 3,000 recordings. Simply put, this is one of the best, most soulful, powerful, bodaciously BAD records I've ever heard! There is not a weak cut here. Boz sounds like he's been holding this in for 30 years! The production & playing are flawless, but not too slick. The "live-in-the-studio" sound is preserved. There are no "highlights", every cut is astounding. With that in mind, "Love Letters" brings tears to my eyes, and, like the previous reviewer, I fall to my knees when Boz testifies "I've Got Your Love". His vocal chords should be enshrined; his heart and soul could provide electrical power to most of North America. If you like ANY kind of blues or R&B, you will surely dig this!

"It All Went Down the Drain"
"Ask Me 'Bout Nothin' (But the Blues)"
"Don't Cry No More"
"Found Love"
"Come On Home"
"Picture of a Broken Heart"
"Love Letters"
"I've Got Your Love"
"Early in the Morning"
"Your Good Thing (Is About to End)"
"T-Bone Shuffle"
"Sick and Tired"
"After Hours"
"Goodnight Louise"

 

[Dennie]

Rendezvous -- HDCD

Jacky Terrasson & Cassandra Wilson

1997 Blue Note Records

Tired of endless jazz records full of standards that all sound the same? Well, Jacky Terrasson and Cassandra Wilson have a surprise for you. RENDEZVOUS could very well be one of the most unique albums to come along in quite a while. From the first tones of "Old Devil Moon" the listener is immediately drawn into a somber world of mood indigo shadings and sensual caresses. Wilson and Terrasson create a rich pastel of relaxing grooves and floating, dark phrasings which gives each tune a special character. This will certainly be the "bluest" version of "Tennessee Waltz" most listeners have ever heard and is well worth the price of admission.Standards like "It Might As Well Be Spring," " My Ship," "I Remember You" and "Tea For Two" become fresh and new in the hands of Wilson. Her deep, dark tones lend a distinctive shape to each lyric. Terrasson turns in a few impressive instrumental tracks, "Chan's Song", "Chicago 1987", and an almost unrecognizable "Autumn Leaves." Sparse instrumentation (just a trio with a percussionist instead of drums) and consistently tasteful musical conservations make RENDEZVOUS a rare treat.

Track Listing
1. Old Devil Moon
2. Chan's Song
3. Tennessee Waltz
4. Little Boy Lost
5. Autumn Leaves
6. It Might as Well Be Spring
7. My Ship
8. I Remember You
9. Tea For Two
10. If Ever I Would Leave You
11. Chicago 1987

Personnel includes: Jacky Terrasson (acoustic & electric pianos); Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Lonnie Plaxico, Kenny Davis (bass); Mino Cinelu (percussion).Recorded at Clinton Recording Studios, New York, New York between January 4 and April 4, 1997.All tracks have been digitally mastered using HDCD technology.

 

[Dennie]

Invisible Empire // Crescent Moon -- CD

K T Tunstall

2013 Blue Note Records

Editorial Reviews
KT s fourth studio album overall, Invisible Empire/Crescent Moon, is her first to be released on Blue Note.

KT describes the album as full of songs from the heart, adding I followed my path of truth and ended up in a different place.

IECM is made up from two sessions with a season in between them, and KT saw the work as naturally separated into two distinct parts - an 'A' side and a 'B' side. The first batch sees songs like the exquisite Made Of Glass and Yellow Flower focusing on the themes of mortality, a subject close to her heart following the passing away of her father last year. The second batch evokes an ethereal mood, more reflective of deeply felt changes in outlook and shifts in her personal life. Together they add up to KT's most cohesive and affecting album to date.

Tracks:

1 INVISIBLE EMPIRE
2 MADE OF GLASS
3 HOW YOU KILL ME
4 CARRIED
5 OLD MAN SONG
6 YELLOW FLOWER
7 CRESCENT MOON
8 WAITING ON THE HEART
9 FEEL IT ALL
10 CHIMES
11 HONEYDEW
12 NO BETTER SHOULDER
13 BONUS TRACK: FEEL IT ALL - BAND JAM

 

[Botch]

On 5.1 Surround SACD. :music-listening:

 

[Dennie]

Tough All Over -- CD

Shelby Lynne

1990 Epic Records

Before Shelby Lynne reinvented herself at the end of the 1990s and began recording for Mercury, she made a number of fine recordings that were unfortunately lost in the heap of "new traditionalist" and female superstar recordings that were popping out of Nash Vegas like zits. This 1990 effort, produced by the great Bob Montgomery, is a case in point. Not only does this hold up to her best work, it's at the very least on a par with Kathy Mattea, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, etc. It just isn't a strictly country outing, but it's a truly fine pop-country record. Interestingly, it also has the range of her later records. While there are songs here from the then-current crop of Nash Vegas song churners, like the opener, "I'll Lie Myself to Sleep," there are also cuts like the gorgeous gentle Western swing of "Don't Mind if I Do," by the legendary Skip Ewing. The tune borrows as much from Billie Holiday's "Ain't Nobody's Business" as it does from early Bonnie Raitt and Maria Muldaur. And then there's a burning, hard-rocking cover of Charlie Rich's early hit "Lonely Weekends." It's more Dixie-fried than Rich's version, but it comes across as a thoroughly contemporary country-rock song with ringing guitars à la the Doobie Brothers' Toulouse Street, an Elvis-styled delivery, and a piano shuffle in the background that keeps the lyric from sinking under the weight of a cooking band. Wayne Carson's "Dog Day Afternoon" sounds like a latter-day Rich number, or one Tom Waits wrote for Crystal Gayle for the One from the Heart soundtrack; it's all jazzy, warm, and sensual. If there were any doubts about Lynne's country pedigree, it vanishes when her radical working of "I Walk the Line" comes through the speakers. Bluesy, shuffling, and the slightest bit funky, her sense of Cash's melody remains untouched. The set ends with another Western swing-influenced nugget, but this one comes from Duke Ellington, "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," before it breaks out into a full-blown Patsy Cline country-jazz tune. She saved the best moment for last here, and it is so original in its swinging elegance that listeners can only wonder if she might have taken the Diana Krall route, in that she not only has the pipes and the chops, but the feel for this material. Tough All Over is wonderful from start to finish. ~ Thom Jurek

Track Listing
1. I'll Lie Myself to Sleep
2. Don't Mind If I Do
3. Lonely Weekends
4. Things Are Tough All Over
5. Dog Day Afternoon
6. Baby's Gone Blues
7. Till a Better Memory Comes Along
8. I Walk the Line
9. What About the Love We Made
10. Don't Get Around Much Anymore

 

[Dennie]

Don't Wait Up (For George) -- EP

Shooter Jennings

2014 Black Country Rock Records

As a child growing up in the house of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, I met a lot of interesting characters, but a lot of people paint a picture in their head that is very different from my reality. When people ask me about who I remember hanging around as a kid, I always say that I remember Tony Joe White and George Jones being the most frequent and consistent around the house. Very few people can look at a child and sees the full grown human inside them and make them feel important. George was always this way with me, making me feel like he took me seriously, no matter what age I was.

When I started working on my first solo album, I called George and asked him to appear on my record, introducing the first song and performing part of He Stopped Loving Her Today" in my song 4th of July. Without batting an eye, he said yes. This meant the world to me. I flew to Nashville to record him and we had the best time just talking with the studio in between, almost like a buffer. It was beautiful. It was funny, and once again George made me feel like I was just as talented and important as he was.

Jones producer asked me to write some songs for George's next record. It turns out now he wasn't his producer. Maybe he was just gunning for the position and thought if he showed up with some originals I wrote it might help his chances. Who knows? Either way, I wrote one song for him, and co-wrote another with a dear friend of mine, Faren Miller. I sent him the tracks, he liked them, and told me I would hear back from him. I never did and less than a year later George passed away.

I was sitting around recently when I found those old emails and I listened to the songs, and I realized in a weird way how much of my personality was in these songs. Honestly, I kind of needed an excuse
to write something that was very raw, and I couldn't do it for myself. Maybe because it was a full circle dream-come-true, or maybe because I just wanted to impress the Possum. All I know is that the songs were decent, and I thought it would be a cool idea to share these with my friends and fans. The next thing I knew I recorded them, and I wasn't ready to stop. So, I recorded a few more George tunes and ended up with a 5 song EP. Here is it: this is my tribute to the greatest singer and interpreter in country music. This is my tribute to a friend. I miss you George. Thank you for making me feel like I could do this.

Shooter

1. Don't Wait Up (I'm Playin' Possum)
2. Living in a Minor Key
3. She Thinks I Still Care
4. If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)
5. The Door

 

[Dennie]

The Inevitable -- CD

Squirrel Nut Zippers

1995 Shorty Rogers/Mammoth Records

The members of the band mostly just call it jazz, or "hot music," or, when they're feeling naughty, "race music" -- a term that dates back to the1920s and '30s, when major record labels released jump blues and hot jazz singles under special subsidiary imprints with names like Okeh and Sepiatone. It's music that doesn't really have a name anymore, yet everyone recognizes it and loves it. This wasn't the album that made the Squirrel Nut Zippers a household name (that honor goes to Hot, the follow-up), but it sure could have if given the chance. An instrumental with the pitch-perfect title of "Lugubrious Whing Whang," cover versions of "You're Drivin' Me Crazy" and "I've Found a New Baby," originals like "Lover's Lane," and the absolutely hair-raising "La Grippe" -- these are not just labors of love by dewy-eyed nostalgists. The SNZs have taken this music and appropriated it entirely, without a trace of irony or condescension. The result is magnificent. Review by Rick Anderson

Track Listing
1. Lover's Lane
2. Danny Diamond
3. I've Found a New Baby
4. Anything but Love
5. Good Enough for Granddad
6. Wished for You
7. La Grippe
8. Lugubrious Whing Whang - (TRUE instrumental)
9. Club Limbo
10. Wash Jones
11. You're Drivin' Me Crazy
12. Plenty More

Squirrel Nut Zippers: Ken Mosher (vocals, guitar, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone); Tom Maxwell (vocals, guitar, percussion); James "Jimbo" Mathus (vocals, guitar); Katharine Whalen (vocals, banjo); Stacy Guess (trumpet);Don Raleigh (acoustic bass); Chris Phillips (drums, percussion).Additional personnel: John Kempannin (violin).Recorded at WaveCastle Studios, Hillsborough, North Carolina.

 

[Dennie]

Making Movies -- CD

Dire Straits

1980 Warner Bros. Records

A Masterpiece February 7, 2003
By Brad Shorr
Format:Audio CD

This is not only my favorite Dire Straits recording, it is one of my favorite rock CD's of all time. Never has Mark Knopfler's guitar work been more passionate. Never have his lyrics been more poetic. Never have his vocals been more emotive. "Tunnel of Love" has an unforgettable melody, dreamlike lyrics, and a haunting guitar that add up to one of the greatest songs ever. "Romeo and Juliet" tells a heartbreaking story, told perfectly thanks to Knopfler's dead-on vocals. Not a weak song to be found in this masterpiece.


All songs written by Mark Knopfler, unless otherwise noted.

"Tunnel of Love" (Mark Knopfler, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 8:11
"Romeo and Juliet" – 6:00
"Skateaway" – 6:40
"Expresso Love" – 5:12
"Hand in Hand" – 4:48
"Solid Rock" – 3:19
"Les Boys" – 4:07

 

[Dennie]

Diva -- CD

Annie Lennox

1992 Arista Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Although traces of her synthpop roots certainly showed through, Annie Lennox's solo debut, Diva, made it abundantly clear that her new material would veer away from gender-bending robotics of the early Eurythmics sound and continue toward the more emotionally grounded soul of later releases. On Diva, Lennox infuses each song with tenderly perceptive lyrics, hypnotic rhythms, and irresistibly soulful wailings. Her arrangements are clean and simple, utilizing bare instrumentation and sometimes-languid chord work. The singles "Walking on Broken Glass," "Little Bird," and "Why" became radio mainstays, while gems such as the Eastern-influenced dream ballad "Primitive," the hauntingly autobiographical pop-lament "Legend in My Living Room," and the cheerfully satirical "Keep Young and Beautiful" gave the album a plump maturity. --Sally Weinbach

1. "Why" 4:53
2. "Walking on Broken Glass" 4:12
3. "Precious" 5:08
4. "Legend in My Living Room" (Lennox, Peter-John Vettese) 3:45
5. "Cold" 4:20
6. "Money Can't Buy It" 4:58
7. "Little Bird" 4:48
8. "Primitive" 4:16
9. "Stay by Me" 6:26
10. "The Gift" (Lennox, The Blue Nile) 4:52
11. "Keep Young and Beautiful" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) (CD bonus track) 2:17

 

[heeman]

Diva -- CD

Annie Lennox

1992 Arista Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Although traces of her synthpop roots certainly showed through, Annie Lennox's solo debut, Diva, made it abundantly clear that her new material would veer away from gender-bending robotics of the early Eurythmics sound and continue toward the more emotionally grounded soul of later releases. On Diva, Lennox infuses each song with tenderly perceptive lyrics, hypnotic rhythms, and irresistibly soulful wailings. Her arrangements are clean and simple, utilizing bare instrumentation and sometimes-languid chord work. The singles "Walking on Broken Glass," "Little Bird," and "Why" became radio mainstays, while gems such as the Eastern-influenced dream ballad "Primitive," the hauntingly autobiographical pop-lament "Legend in My Living Room," and the cheerfully satirical "Keep Young and Beautiful" gave the album a plump maturity. --Sally Weinbach

1. "Why" 4:53
2. "Walking on Broken Glass" 4:12
3. "Precious" 5:08
4. "Legend in My Living Room" (Lennox, Peter-John Vettese) 3:45
5. "Cold" 4:20
6. "Money Can't Buy It" 4:58
7. "Little Bird" 4:48
8. "Primitive" 4:16
9. "Stay by Me" 6:26
10. "The Gift" (Lennox, The Blue Nile) 4:52
11. "Keep Young and Beautiful" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) (CD bonus track) 2:17

:text-bravo: One of my all time favorites and AWESOME on the Dual PSA XS-30's!!

 

[topper]

 

[Dennie]

Pretzel Logic -- Remastered CD

Steely Dan

1974/1999 ABC/MCA Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Pretzel Logic marked a transition for Steely Dan from a studio-bound rock band producing hits such as "Reeling in the Years" and "Do It Again" to a looser constellation of studio musicians under the direction of songwriters Walter Becker and Donald Fagen. That later version of Steely Dan would paint its masterpiece with Aja. Pretzel Logic is much more playful than that, and also jazzier than the albums that came before. The jazz intentions are made perfectly clear on "Parker's Band," a swinging tribute to bebop titan Charlie Parker, and a crafty cover of Duke Ellington's "East St. Louis Toodle-oo." The lyrics displayed their own twisted logic, presenting a tumble of images in search of a unifying principle that most often remained elusive. Steely Dan was that rare act that could work such purposeful obscurity to its advantage: "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" was a top-five hit even though nobody had a clue as to what it was about. Or, perhaps, everybody had a clue, but nobody could agree. --John Milward

Side 1

"Rikki Don't Lose That Number" – 4:30
"Night by Night" – 3:36
"Any Major Dude Will Tell You" – 3:05
"Barrytown" – 3:17
"East St. Louis Toodle-Oo" (Duke Ellington, Bubber Miley) – 2:45

Side 2

"Parker's Band" – 2:36
"Through with Buzz" – 1:30
"Pretzel Logic" – 4:28
"With a Gun" – 2:15
"Charlie Freak" – 2:41
"Monkey in Your Soul" – 2:31

 

[Dennie]

Sweepin' The Clouds Away (Live Recordings)-- Remastered CD

The Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra

2011 Crawford Music

Review
A half a century ago, Johnny Crawford was a teenage idol charting Top Ten hits such as Cindy's Birthday and Rumors and playing Chuck Connors son on the popular western ABC television series, The Rifleman, which remains a daily dinnertime staple of Chicago-based MeTV. Crawford also sang on the show (and as an original Mouseketeer before that) and recorded five albums. Still, none of that prepared me for the shock that I had upon first hearing his new album, Sweepin the Clouds Away. A vintage recreation of authentic dance band arrangements from the 1920s and 1930s, Sweepin the Clouds Away is a collection of live tracks by the Los Angeles-based Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra, an eleven-piece collective formed in 1990 following Crawford's stint as the vocalist of Vince Giordano's Nighthawks Orchestra. With Crawford as leader/vocalist, the Johnny Crawford Dance Orchestra painstakingly seeks to perform music of that elegant bygone era, paying careful attention to the performance practices of the time. A fixture at Hollywood celebrity parties and entertainment industry functions, this is the group's first album. There is no shortage of people doing this kind of music, to be sure, but virtually all attempts I have come across contemporize the music by either featuring instruments and later arrangement trends not known in that era or through using more modern styles of singing and playing that sound out of place. Not here. This sounds so authentic that it is actually disconcerting to not hear static and pops and to be able to hear the individual lines of the music so clearly. Crawford's carefree crooning style at times suggests Rudy Vallee, but upon closer listening, he is actually more reminiscent of a young Bing Crosby in his early jazz days, when he was still a tenor. These are musical renditions, to be sure, but Crawford is able to bring his actor prowess to his ability to communicate inner meanings of lyrics. Particularly memorable is the title track, Sam Coslow's Sweepin the Clouds Away from 1930's Paramount on Parade, heard here in a dance-band arrangement by one of the vintage arrangers of the day, Illinois native, Chicago Musical College graduate and later Hollywood composer/arranger Frank Skinner. Skinner arrangements make up the bulk of the album, which also includes songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers and Hart and Duke Ellington, among others. Some of the album is unusually personal, such as Harry Warren's I Found a Million Dollar Baby (in a Five and Ten Cent Store) which was written about Crawford's Chicago grandparents, a song plugger and a Woolworth's pianist. Even the contemporary band photographs and art direction which are pictured alongside fascinating vintage photographs are reminiscent of the era. The overall effect of this extraordinarily optimistic old-time party album is like hearing a collection of vintage 78s brought to life, quite an impressive feat. (Dennis Polkow) --Newcity-Chicago, May 3, 2012

Track Listing
1. To Be In Love
2. You Were Meant For Me
3. Louise
4. Don't Ever Leave Me
5. The Mooch
6. Sweepin' the Clouds Away
7. I Found a Million Dollar Baby (In a Five & Ten Cent Store)
8. When Your Lover Has Gone
9. Isn't It Romantic
10. Look What I've Got
11. The Day You Came Along
12. She Reminds Me of You
13. Truckin'
14. There's a Lull In My Life

 

[Dennie]

Trombone For Lovers -- CD

Roswell Rudd

2013 Sunnyside Records

The album begins with Stan Jones’s ”Ghost Riders In the Sky,” a spirited, soulful take on the cowboy classic. John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s “Here, There & Everywhere” features the wonderfully idiosyncratic vocals of Bob Dorough over Medeski’s lush organ. Frank Loesser’s “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” follows with a gospel tint as Bernstein and Rudd play in a moving duet. Vocalist Fay Victor lends her talents to a moving, blues drenched version of Richard Jones’s “Trouble In Mind” which is followed by a percussive, New Orleans parade beat on “Struttin’ with Some Barbecue.”

Santo and Johnny Farina’s 1950s classic “Sleepwalk” is taken as a laconically lush ballad. Doucet and Sturm join Rudd on the Joseph Kosme standard “Autumn Leaves” in a spare but swinging trio followed by an appropriately groovy rendition of Booker T. Jones’s “Green Onions,” featuring Bernstein and Gary Lucas. Redd Stewart and Pee Wee King’s “Tennessee Waltz” finds the trombonist with Doucet and Sturm for a quietly strolling take on the Western classic. An emphatic rendition of Ellington’s “Come Sunday” is followed by an elegiac rendition of “Unchained Melody.”

Weill and Anderson’s “September Song” is lovingly rendered by the trio of Doucet, Sturm and Rudd before the country swing of Verna Gillis and Rudd’s “Funky Little Sweet Thing,” featuring the lilting vocals of Heather Masse. The recording concludes with a suite consisting of a multitude of arrangements of Alfred Hayes and Earl Robinson’s “Joe Hill” featuring the NYC Labor Chorus, pianist Dennis Nelson and rapper Reggie Bennett.

A performer of eclectic taste and stylistic breadth, Roswell Rudd has provided an intriguing recording of music that has made an impact on him. Trombone for Lovers is a tribute to a lifetime of listening and love of music through the collaboration of an eclectic crew of musical friends.

Album Tracks

1. Ghost Riders in the Sky
2. Here, There & Everywhere
3. Baby, It's Cold Outside
4. Trouble in Mind
5. Struttin' with Some Barbecue
6. Sleepwalk
7. Autumn Leaves
8. Green Onions
9. Tennessee Waltz
10. Come Sunday
11. Unchained Melody
12. September Song
13. Funky Little Sweet Thing/Slow Dance for Fast Times
14. Joe Hill [Trombone Solo with Piano Accompaniment] [Version]
15. Joe Hill [NYC Labor Chorus] [Version]
16. Joe Hill [The Relenteless Walk] [Version]
17. Joe Hill [Joe Hill Will Never Die] [Version]
18. [CD-ROM Track] [Multimedia Track]

Roswell Rudd - trombone
John Medeski - Hammond B-3
Richard Hammond - bass
Aaron Comess - drums
Steven Bernstein - slide trumpet
Bob Dorough - vocal
Fay Victor - vocal
Michael Doucet - violin
Rolf Sturm - guitar
Gary Lucas - electric guitar
Heather Masse - vocals
Ira Coleman - bass
Matthew Fink - guitar
T Xiques - drums
NYC Labor Chorus - choir
Reggie Bennett - rap

 

[Flint]

I recently stumbled onto the Paris Café channel on JazzRadio.com and have been playing it most of the time when I need background music.

Great stuff!

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music...

Abbey Road -- Remastered Stereo CD

The Beatles

1969/2009 EMI Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The Beatles' last days as a band were as productive as any major pop phenomenon that was about to split. After recording the ragged-but-right Let It Be, the group held on for this ambitious effort, an album that was to become their best-selling. Though all four contribute to the first side's writing, John Lennon's hard-rocking, "Come Together" and "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" make the strongest impression. A series of song fragments edited together in suite form dominates side two; its portentous, touching, official close ("Golden Slumbers"/"Carry That Weight"/"The End") is nicely undercut, in typical Beatles fashion, by Paul McCartney's cheeky "Her Majesty," which follows. --Rickey Wright

Side one
No. Title Lead vocals Length
1. "Come Together" Lennon 4:20
2. "Something" (George Harrison) Harrison 3:03
3. "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" McCartney 3:27
4. "Oh! Darling" McCartney 3:26
5. "Octopus's Garden" (Richard Starkey) Starr 2:51
6. "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" Lennon 7:47
Side two
No. Title Lead vocals Length
1. "Here Comes the Sun" (Harrison) Harrison 3:05
2. "Because" Lennon, McCartney and Harrison 2:45
3. "You Never Give Me Your Money" McCartney 4:02
4. "Sun King" Lennon, with McCartney and Harrison 2:26
5. "Mean Mr. Mustard" Lennon 1:06
6. "Polythene Pam" Lennon 1:12
7. "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" McCartney 1:57
8. "Golden Slumbers" McCartney 1:31
9. "Carry That Weight" McCartney with Lennon, Harrison and Starr 1:36
10. "The End" McCartney 2:05
11. "Her Majesty" McCartney 0:23