What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Happy Sunday everyone.... :banana-dance:

Stardust - The Music of Hoagy Carmichael -- SACD

Bill Charlap

2002/2003 Blue Note Records

Amazon.com

With his elegant lyric sensibility and use of classic harmonics, which might best be characterized as equal parts Hank Jones and Bill Evans, pianist Bill Charlap manages to suggest something at once timeless and modern in his approach to jazz piano. And while references to past and present masters of the keyboard abound in this recital of Hoagy Carmichael compositions (as in his tasty appropriation of Evans's tolling intro to "Some Other Time" on a poignant reading of "The Nearness of You," or his interpolation of Red Garland's "Billy Boy" as a prelude to "I Walk with Music"), Charlap manages to evoke the dreamy, unhurried character redolent of so much of Carmichael's music, while maintaining his own probing, crystalline presence. Thus, while a briskly swinging jaunt through "Jubilee" finds him navigating an equestrian set of changes in a round-robin romp with his exceptionally empathetic rhythm mates (bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington), his sultry flirting with tenorist Frank Wess on "Blue Orchids" and his lofty harmonic byplay with guitarist Jim Hall reveal a musician wise beyond his years--restrained and relaxed and confident enough not to hide behind a fusillade of empty notes. Such maturity is part of what makes his storytelling accompaniments behind master vocalists Tony Bennett and Shirley Horn--and a breathtakingly slow, humid trio treatment of "Georgia"--so richly rewarding. --Chip Stern

1. Jubilee
2. I Get Along Without You Very Well
3. Rockin' Chair
4. I Walk With Music
5. Two Sleepy People
6. Nearness Of You
7. One Morning In May
8. Blue Orchids
9. Georgia On My Mind
10. Stardust
11. Skylark

 

[Dennie]

Ways Not To Lose -- CD

The Wood Brothers

2006 Blue Note Records

From The Wood Brothers Website:

“Ways Not To Lose” is the stunning debut album of original songs from siblings Oliver and Chris Wood. Like the work of Leon Russell, early Tom Waits, or Dr. John, the songs of The Wood Brothers possess a timeless quality; their bedrock melodies and astutely observed stories sound instantly archetypal. The songs are arranged just as the brothers conceived them expressive yet economical, letting Oliver's coarse, impressionistic guitar work and Chris' nimble, note-bending bass playing speak volumes.


One More Day
Tried and Tempted
Luckiest Man
Glad
Chocolate On My Tongue
Atlas
Time to Stand Still
The Truth Is The Light
Spirit
Angel Band
Where My Baby Might Be
That's What Angels Can Do

OLIVER WOOD / guitar, vocals
CHRIS WOOD / bass, vocals
KENNY WOLLESEN / drums, percussion (tracks 3,4,7,8,9)

 

[Dennie]

Angel Band -- CD

Emmylou Harris

1987 Warner Bros. Records

On this 1987 recording, Emmylou Harris focuses on country ballads with a Christian bent. Many traditional songs arranged by Harris are heard here, including "If I Be Lifted Up," "Bright Morning Stars," "We Shall Rise," "Drifting Too Far," and the title track, "Angel Band." Songs by Paul Kennerly and Ralph and Carter Stanley are also featured.Lyrically, the songs on ANGEL BAND revolve around the pursuit of redemption, forgiveness, and joy in a world of heartbreak and loss. Musically, the group, consisting of country greats Vince Gill, Jerry Douglas, and Mark O'Connor among others, is sensitive, subtle and melodically compelling. The highlight of the album is the uplifting "When They Ring Those Golden Bells," which features fine instrumental work in addition to Harris's beautiful vocal performance.

Track Listing
1. Where Could I Go But to the Lord
2. Angel Band
3. If I Be Lifted Up
4. Precious Memories
5. Bright Morning Stars
6. When He Calls
7. We Shall Rise
8. Drifting Too Far
9. Who Will Sing For Me
10. Someday My Ship Will Sail
11. The Other Side of Life
12. When They Ring Those Golden Bells

Personnel: Emmylou Harris (vocals, guitar); Vince Gill (vocals, guitar, mandolin); Emory Gordy (vocals, guitar, bass); Carl Jackson (vocals, guitar);Mike Aldridge, Jerry Douglas (dobro); Mark O'Connor (fiddle, viola, mandola).Engineers include: Donivan Cowart, Joe Scaif, Paul Goldberg.Recorded at The Barn, Brentwood, Tennessee and The Music Mill, Nashville, Tennessee.

 

[Dennie]

Hillbilly Deluxe -- CD

Dwight Yoakam

1987 Reprise Records

Dwight Yoakam At His Best, May 20, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Hillbilly Deluxe (Audio CD)

Dwight Yoakam out-did-himself...I love this CD...Dwight is pure country...any fan of rockabilly...or Bluegrass...should try this CD...I believe Dwight enjoyed the songs he sung on "Hillbilly DeLuxe" that's what makes this album so natural...The words are heart-felt...and the music is just amazing...Dwight wrote a couple of the songs on this album fer family...which makes em special ta him as well as the fans...Dwight did an outstandin job on this one...I Love it !!!

"Little Ways" (Dwight Yoakam) - 3:18
"Smoke Along the Track" (Alan Rose/Don Helms) - 3:13
"Johnson's Love" (Dwight Yoakam) - 4:25
"Please, Please Baby" (Dwight Yoakam) - 3:36
"Readin', Rightin', Rt. 23" (Dwight Yoakam) - 3:32
"Always Late with Your Kisses" (Lefty Frizzell/Blackie Crawford) - 2:10
"1,000 Miles" (Dwight Yoakam) - 4:10
"Throughout All Time" (Dwight Yoakam) - 3:54
"Little Sister" (Doc Pomus/Mort Shuman) - 3:01
"This Drinkin' Will Kill Me" (Dwight Yoakam) - 2:35

 

[Dennie]

One of the most relaxing albums I own.....

You Taught My Heart to Sing -- CD

Houston Person with Bill Charlap

2006 Highnote Records

Tenor saxophonist Houston Person teams up with pianist Bill Charlap on this ten-track collection of standards, You Taught My Heart to Sing. Both musicians have released individual albums paying homage to the great songwriters of the '30s and '40s -- George Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, Irving Berlin -- but this is the first time they teamed up in the studio together. Along with such tried and true chestnuts as "S'Wonderful," "Sweet Lorraine," and "Namely You," the duo brings a few originals into the musical fold as well as contemporary romantic standards such as "Where Is the Love." Recorded in the cozy confines of Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood, NJ, the mood is relaxed yet not moribund, nor does the duo succumb to adding weepy strings or sappy horn arrangements. Person and Charlap don't break any new ground with this recording; rather they continue to showcase their combined enduring passion for ballads. ~ Al Campbell

Track Listing
1. You Taught My Heart to Sing
2. Namely You
3. Where Are You
4. Sweet Lorraine
5. If I Ruled the World
6. 'S Wonderful
7. Where Is the Love
8. I Was Telling Her About You
9. Don't Forget the Blues
10. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone

Personnel: Houston Person (tenor saxophone); Houston Person; Bill Charlap (piano).Audio Mixer: Rudy Van Gelder.Liner Note Author: Ray Osnato.Recording information: Van Gelder Studios, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (08/04/2004).

 

[Dennie]

Into White -- CD

Carly Simon

2007 Columbia Records

Amazon.com

For a CD with a lot of soft songs on it--"Scarborough Fair," "Over the Rainbow," "You Are My Sunshine"--Into White sends a loud message, that being: when you're as important an artist as Carly Simon, you can pretty much sing what you want, which accounts for this disc's genre confusion. Part kids' record, part under-the-covers project, Into White feels a little like it went for a toss in the Simon residence's salad spinner; "Oh! Susanna," which has rarely sounded sweeter, is followed by a beautiful reading of the Beatles' poetic "Blackbird," which segues into a family sing-along to ex-husband James Taylor's classic "You Can Close Your Eyes" (son and daughter Ben and Sally Taylor pitch in on harmonies). Deciding whether to play it on the way to morning kindergarten or during brunch for your mellow sweetheart, then, can be brutal. But the choice to buy it or bypass it shouldn't be. Simon, vocally sure-footed as ever, wicks the warmth out of every last track and directs it with pinpoint precision to her listeners--nobody does music as comfort food better. Perhaps nobody knows how to pluck from her own catalog better, either: closing this artful jumble of a late-career disc is the abominably under-appreciated but gorgeous "Love of My Life," from the largely forgotten 1992 film This is My Life. --Tammy La Gorce

"Into White" — 2:49
"Oh! Susanna" — 2:58
"Blackbird" — 2:30
"You Can Close Your Eyes" (with Sally Taylor) — 3:21
"Quiet Evening" — 4:22
"Manhã de Carnaval" — 2:22
"Jamaica Farewell" — 3:29
"You Are My Sunshine" — 2:36
"I Gave My Love a Cherry (The Riddle Song)" — 2:51
"Devoted to You/All I Have to Do Is Dream" — 2:58
"Scarborough Fair" — 3:38
"Over the Rainbow" — 2:24
"Love of My Life" — 2:54
"I'll Just Remember You" — 2:24

 

[Dennie]

Warm Tenor -- Remastered CD

Zoot Sims

1979/1989 Pablo Records

The Pablo label was a perfect home for Zoot Sims during the second half of the '70s; the cool-toned tenor always sounded at his best in informal settings with small groups where he had the opportunity to stretch out. This quartet set with pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist George Mraz and drummer Mousie Alexander (which has been reissued on CD) gives Sims a chance to interpret a variety of mostly underplayed standards along with a duet with Mraz on an ad-lib "Blues for Louise." Highlights include "Old Devil Moon," "You Go to My Head," "Blue Prelude" and "You're My Thrill." ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Dream Dancing
2. Old Devil Moon
3. Blues For Louise
4. Jitterbug Waltz
5. You Go to My Head
6. Blue Prelude
7. Comes Love
8. You're My Thrill

Personnel: Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone), Jimmy Rowles (piano), George Mraz (acoustic bass), Mousey Alexander (drums).

 

[Dennie]

...At Carnegie Hall -- Remastered 2 CD Set

The Dave Brubeck Quartet

1963/2001 Columbia Legacy

In his original liner notes for this incredible 1963 session, George T. Simon discusses the music with Dave Brubeck in detail. Brubeck says, "Remember, everything has to be just right for every man in the group if the entire concert is really to come off." And it did. Originally released as Columbia [C2S 826], this 2-disc set is now available on CD. The quartet finds its groove on the first number and turns out a session where each man improvises freely throughout. Interaction, of course, came naturally to the close-knit group. The acoustics of Carnegie Hall served to provide a full, rich sound, while the wild applause makes you feel as if you were there.

Two full sets with a "Take Five" encore comprise a winning program. Our appetite for complex rhythms gets satisfied, both in the quartet's blues-tinged groove and through their compositions in 11/4, 9/8, 5/4 and alternating meters. "King for a Day" features bassist Gene Wright, and "Castilian Drums" features drummer Joe Morello. After the drummer's powerfully creative nine–minute solo, Brubeck places tongue in cheek and informs the audience, "We won't ask much of him on this [next] tune, because all I have to do is play in 9/8 time." This is timeless music from a classic ensemble. Goosebumps are guaranteed. By JIM SANTELLA

Disc: 1
1. St. Louis Blues
2. Bossa Nova U.S.A.
3. For All We Know
4. Pennies From Heaven
5. Southern Scene
6. Three To Get Ready

Disc: 2
1. Eleven Four
2. It's A Raggy Waltz
3. King For A Day
4. Castilian Drums
5. Blue Rondo A La Turk
6. Take Five

Personnel: Dave Brubeck- piano; Paul Desmond- alto saxophone; Eugene Wright- bass; Joe Morello- drums.

 

[Dennie]

Privateering -- 2 CD Set

Mark Knopfler

2013 Mercury/Verve Records

Since officially embarking on a solo career in 1995, former Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler has been quietly and consistently amassing an unassuming horn of plenty, maintaining his prior outfit's penchant for fusing meticulously crafted English blues-rock with sardonic, radio-ready AOR pop, while introducing elements of traditional folk and country with the effortless gait of an artist who has spent his years as both a student and a professor. On Privateering, his seventh solo outing, Knopfler has crafted his most ambitious and pugnacious collection of songs to date, going all in on a two-disc set that pits all of the aforementioned influences against each other without ever succumbing to the convenience of their architectures. Upon first spin, Privateering feels a little like a garage sale, offering up long cold plates of once warm, late-night porch jams that feel like pre-studio session warm-ups, but the album's stately yet schizophrenic nature, which pits lo-fi, studious, yet ultimately forgettable exercises in rote American blues like "Hot or What" and "Gator Blood" with amiable, highway-ready rockers ("Corned Beef City") and incredibly affecting, spooky folk-pop ballads like "Redbud Tree," "Kingdom of Gold," and the magnificent "Dream of the Drowned Submariner," all three of which owe a couple of polite high fives to Dire Straits songs like "The Man's Strong" and "Brothers in Arms," reveals an artist in complete control of his arsenal. Could the album use some trimming? Sure, but Knopfler is that rare gunslinger who can make even the wildest shot look like it was completely intentional, and his steady voice, mercurial lyrics, and instantly recognizable guitar tone, that latter of which falls somewhere between the rich, lucid beauty of David Gilmour and the Pan-like spell-casting of Richard Thompson, provide just the right amount of ballast to keep a ship as big as Privateering buoyant. ~ James Christopher Monger

Disc one

No. Title Length
1. "Redbud Tree" 3:19
2. "Haul Away" 4:01
3. "Don't Forget Your Hat" 5:15
4. "Privateering" 6:19
5. "Miss You Blues" (Traditional, Lyrics by Mark Knopfler) 4:18
6. "Corned Beef City" 3:32
7. "Go, Love" 4:52
8. "Hot or What" 4:54
9. "Yon Two Crows" 4:26
10. "Seattle" 4:17

Disc two

No. Title Length
1. "Kingdom of Gold" 5:22
2. "Got to Have Something" 4:01
3. "Radio City Serenade" 5:13
4. "I Used to Could" 3:36
5. "Gator Blood" 4:15
6. "Bluebird" 3:27
7. "Dream of the Drowned Submariner" 4:57
8. "Blood and Water" 5:19
9. "Today Is Okay" 4:45
10. "After the Beanstalk" 3:54
Total length:
118:45

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music....

Kamakiriad -- CD

Donald Fagen

1993 Reprise Records

Fagen's Cool Concept Album, July 24, 2002
By Alan Caylow (USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Kamakiriad (Audio CD)

Donald Fagen's 2nd solo album, 1993's "Kamakiriad," came darn close to being released as a Steely Dan album---Fagen's old Dan co-hort, Walter Becker, produced the album, plays guitar on it, and co-wrote the song "Snowbound," t'boot. But since Fagen practically wrote everything else for the album on his own, "Kamakiriad" was ultimately released as a Donald Fagen solo album (and the official return of Steely Dan would have to wait until 2000's "Two Against Nature"). But no matter---this "almost Steely Dan" album is simply terrific, filled with all of the high trademark qualities you'd expect in the music of a Dan man. It's a cool mixture of cocktail jazz/pop, featuring Fagen's hip vocals, cookin' guitars, fat drums, smooth keyboards, happenin' horns, and, for the cherry on top, great sound & production that's very crisp. Not only that, but "Kamakiriad" is a cool *concept* album, telling the story of an Everyman living sometime in the future, who takes off for a spin in his technological wonder car of the 21st century, the Kamakiri, and has several adventures along the way. Being a single album rather than a double, the storyline for "Kamakiriad" may be a lot thinner than, say, The Who's "Tommy" or Pink Floyd's "The Wall," but I don't think Fagen was trying to compete with these double-album rock epics, and the story he tells here is nice & simple, to the point, and a lot of fun, just like the songs themselves.So, hop in the car, hit the "Trans-Island Skyway," admire the "Countermoon," take your pick of "Tomorrow's Girls," chill out "On The Dunes," and head out to that "Teahouse On The Tracks." Donald Fagen's "Kamakiriad" is a wonderful ride.

"Trans-Island Skyway" (Fagen) – 6:30
"Countermoon" (Fagen) – 5:05
"Springtime" (Fagen) – 5:06
"Snowbound" (Walter Becker, Fagen) – 7:08
"Tomorrow's Girls" (Fagen) – 6:17
"Florida Room" (Fagen, Libby Titus) – 6:02
"On the Dunes" (Fagen) – 8:07
"Teahouse on the Tracks" (Fagen) – 6:09

 

[Botch]

:text-goodpost: Kamakiriad had one thing about it that I didn't like: the bass guitar is very trebly and thin-sounding on most of the tracks. Other than that, love it! :bow-blue:

Incidently the first three Fagen solo albums are available on 5.1 in a boxed set for a very reasonable $60 or so, if you're a fan. bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Dennie]

Good to know, thanks Botch! :handgestures-thumbup:



Today's work truck music...

Hymns of the 49th parallel -- CD

k.d. lang

2004 Nonesuch Records

Amazon.com

Was it homesickness that compelled longtime Los Angeles resident k.d. lang to fashion her one-woman campaign for north-of-the-border nationalism, or just plain good sense? All Canadian content has long been a mainstay of the Canadian Broadcasting System, but few have selected their material with such a fine hand and a high aesthetic. The expatriate singer has taken great pains to create a sophisticated homage to her Canadian roots, elegantly reinterpreting 11 songs penned by some of her more illustrious countrymen (and women) such as Jane Siberry, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen. The idiosyncratic chanteuse turns Cohen's "Bird on a Wire" into an aching monochromatic lament, exploring new tributaries of pain that didn't exist in the original, while recasting Neil Young's "Helpless" into a haunting anthem of memory and comfort, all the while sounding anything but helpless. A gorgeous love letter to her brethren, complete with an intelligent and understated orchestration. --Jaan Uhelszki

"After the Gold Rush" (Neil Young) – 4:00
"Simple" (Lang, David Piltch) – 3:02
"Helpless" (Neil Young) – 4:15
"A Case of You" (Joni Mitchell) – 5:12
"The Valley" (Jane Siberry) – 5:31
"Hallelujah" (Leonard Cohen) – 5:01
"One Day I Walk" (Bruce Cockburn) – 3:24
"Fallen" (Ron Sexsmith) – 2:56
"Jericho" (Mitchell) – 3:45
"Bird on the Wire" (Leonard Cohen) – 4:28
"Love is Everything" (Jane Siberry) – 5:43

 

[heeman]

First time with Keb..............

WOW!!

 

[heeman]

First Time with KT also.........

Good Stuff here also!!

:music-rockout: :music-rockout:

 

[Dennie]

Today's work truck music.....

The World Is A Ghetto -- CD

War

1992 Avenue Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Best known for its distinctive fusion of Latin-flavored jazz, funk, rock, and soul, War was unquestionably one of the most successful fusion bands to emerge in the early '70s. Initially working with Eric Burdon, former lead singer with the British '60s band the Animals, the seven-member team enjoyed a commercial breakthrough with 1971's "All Day Music." The follow-up, The World Is a Ghetto took War mainstream thanks to the crossover success of the title track, a top 10 pop and R&B smash as 1972 became 1973. Cuts like the 13-minute-plus jazz-flavored adventure known as "City, Country, City" alongside the witty "Where Was You At" and the eerie "Four Cornered Room" were standouts on the six-track album. But it was the immediacy of the No. 2 pop single "The Cisco Kid," with its catchy hook that helped give the band a chart-topping No. 1 gold-selling album in 1973, arguably the best representation of its work as groove pioneers of the day. --David Nathan

1. Cisco Kid - War, Allen, Thomas
2. Where Was You At - War, Allen, Sylvester
3. City, Country, City - War, Allen, Thomas
4. Four Cornered Room - War, War
5. The World Is a Ghetto - War, Allen, Papa Dee
6. Beetles in the Bog - War, Warner, Richard

 

[Dennie]

Happy Saturday everyone... :banana-dance:

'S Wonderful -- SACD

Bill Charlap Trio

1998/2014 Venus Records (Import Japan)


Breakthrough Album from Jazz Pianist Bill Charlap and His Trio!

Before the talented pianist Bill Charlap went "major" with the Blue Note label, he was discovered by Venus Records and the Japanese audience. This "debut" album of Charlap, released in 1999, was an enormous hit and became an instant classic.

Deeply rooted in the tradition of jazz and with tremendous knowledge and respect for the American songbook, Charlap's piano playing is lyrical, fantastic and powerful. This album may not dazzle you with apparent "newness," but the beauty of melody, sound, and deep swing will move you and make you smile. The great New York rhythm section, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, contributes with great performances as well.

"Best known for his work with Gerry Mulligan and later Phil Woods during the 1990s, pianist Bill Charlap was clearly developing rapidly on his own record dates. Beginning with a crisp rendition of "Time After Time," Charlap, with a formidable rhythm section of bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington, explores a nice mix of standards and jazz classics...The sound on this studio date is so intimate that it sounds as if the listener is sitting right next to the piano." -Ken Dryden, allmusic.com

Features:
• Single Layer Stereo SACD

Musicians:
Bill Charlap, piano
Peter Washington, bass
Kenny Washington, drums

Selections:
1. Time After Time
2. My Shining Hour
3. The Blue Room
4. Boy, What Love Has Done To Me
5. Isfahan
6. Lover
7. Something To Live For
8. 'S Wonderful
9. Summer Serenade
10. Only The Lonely

 

[Dennie]

No Sun In Venice - Soundtrack - CD

The Modern Jazz Quartet

1975/1988 Atlantic Records

This recording has six John Lewis compositions that were used in the French film No Sun in Venice. The music is quite complex and disciplined, making this set of lesser interest to fans who prefer to hear Milt Jackson playing bebop-oriented blues. However the versatile group was perfect for this type of music and these thought-provoking performances reward repeated listenings.~ Scott Yanow

From Wiki:

The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays No Sun in Venice (originally titled The Modern Jazz Quartet Plays One Never Knows: Original Film Score for "No Sun in Venice") is a soundtrack album by American jazz group the Modern Jazz Quartet featuring performances recorded in 1957 for Roger Vadim's No Sun in Venice and released on the Atlantic label.

All compositions by John Lewis

"The Golden Striker" - 3:39
"One Never Knows" - 9:20
"The Rose" - 4:55
"Cortege" - 7:24
"Venice" - 4:26
"Three Windows" - 6:43


Milt Jackson - vibraphone
John Lewis - piano
Percy Heath - bass
Connie Kay - drums

 

[Dennie]

Feels So Good -- CD

Chuck Mangione

1977/1990 A&M Records

The man with the flugel horn sure can play!!, December 15, 2000
By Glenn "Glenn98" (Bergenfield, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Feels So Good (Audio CD)

The Grammy winning title cut "Feels so Good" is what turned me on to Chuck Mangione's music. But this CD goes much further than that. ALL of the recordings here are excellent. And they are arranged alternating the fast and slow pieces in a pleasing way. "Maui Waui" and "Last Dance" are nice and relaxing. "Theme from Side Street" is short but meaningful. "Hide and Seek" is a catchy piece that will have you tapping to it. And "The XIth Commandment" is a brilliant end to this great CD.

This is by far Chuck's best recording. If you're in a qundary about which Chuck Mangione CD to buy, THIS IS THE ONE!

Feels So Good - 9:42
Maui-Waui - 10:13
Theme From 'Side Street' - 2:05
Hide & Seek (Ready Or Not Here I Come) - 6:25
Last Dance - 10:54
The XIth Commandment - 6:36

------

Chuck Mangione: flugelhorn, electric piano

Chris Vadala: soprano, alto, and baritone saxes; piccolo, flute, and alto flute

Grant Geissman: electric, acoustic, 12-string, and classical guitars

Charles Meeks: bass

James Bradley, Jr.: drums, congas, timbales

 

[Dennie]

River: The Joni Letters -- CD

Herbie Hancock

2007 Verve Records

Amazon.com
On paper, River sounds like a match made in several versions of heaven. Legendary pianist Herbie Hancock re-imagines Joni Mitchell with his hand-picked, star-studded band--including saxophonist Wayne Shorter--in tow. Luminary guests lend vocals to a song apiece: Norah Jones ("Court and Spark"), Tina Turner ("Edith and the Kingpin"), Corinne Bailey Rae ("River"), Luciana Souza ("Amelia"), Leonard Cohen (with an unsettlingly sanguine version of "The Jungle Line"), even Mitchell herself ("Tea Leaf Prophecy"). In the event, though, a few fundamental elements go awry. Hancock plays with almost saccharine understatement throughout, and even Shorter's seminal "Nefertiti" and Duke Ellington's "Solitude" fall into the album's presiding, somnolent surface, though to a lesser degree does the instrumental version of Mitchell's "Sweet Bird." But girding, and in some measure, saving, the proceedings, the lyrics here testify to a subtler wisdom guiding Hancock's set list. The mix includes a continuum from intrepid classics to dusty, fans-only fare, but a distinct reverence for Joni Mitchell the Poet threads them together, and, in the end, this album works best as a sleepy window into one fan's giddy and particular love affair with his source material. Fans of Hancock win out. --Jason Kirk

TRACK LISTING:

Court and Spark - Featuring Norah Jones - 7:35
Edith and the Kingpin - Featuring Tina turner - 6:32
Both Sides Now - 7:38
River - Featuring Corinne Bailey Rae - 5:25
Sweet Bird - 8:15
Tea Leaf Prophecy (Joni Mitchell - Larry Klein) - Featuring Joni Mitchell - 6:34
Solitude (Edgar De Lange - Duke Ellington - Irving Mills) - 5:42
Amelia - Featuring Luciana Souza - 7:26
Nefertiti (Wayne Shorter) - 7:30
The Jungle Line - Featuring Leonard Cohen - 5:01

 

[Dennie]

Happy Sunday everyone... :banana-dance:

The Legendary OKEH & Epic Recordings -- Remastered CD

Ahmad Jamal

2005 Epic/Legacy

Recorded between 1951 and '55, these LEGENDARY OKEH & EPIC sessions present the revered, though often underrated, jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal hitting his stride. Backed by Ray Crawford on guitar and either Israel Crosby or Eddie Calhoun on bass, Jamal unveils inventive percussion-less takes on a number of standards, along with two originals, with his spare yet energetic piano work showcased on every track. These are the recordings that directly influenced Miles Davis's late-'50s aesthetic, and this beautifully remastered collection is a reissue of the highest order. For aficionados of jazz piano, this album is essential.

Track Listing
1. Surrey with the Fringe on Top, The
2. Will You Still Be Mine?
3. Ahmad's Blues
4. Gal in Calico, A
5. Aki and Ukthay
6. Billy Boy
7. Black Beauty
8. Love for Sale
9. Something to Remember You By
10. Poinciana
11. Don't Blame Me
12. Autumn Leaves
13. They Can't Take That Away from Me
14. Old Devil Moon
15. It's Easy to Remember
16. Squeeze Me
17. Crazy He Calls Me
18. Pavanne
19. Perfidia
20. Rica Pulpa
21. Donkey Serenade, The

Personnel: Ahmad Jamal (piano); Ahmad Jamal; Eddie Calhoun, Israel Crosby (acoustic bass); Ray Crawford (guitar).Audio Remixer: Mark Wilder.Liner Note Authors: Nat Hentoff; Randy Weston.Recording information: Columbia Studios, Chicago, IL (10/25/1951-10/25/1955); Columbia's 30th Street Studio, New York, NY (10/25/1951-10/25/1955).Author: Miles Davis.Photographer: Don Hunstein.Arranger: Ahmad Jamal.