What Are You Listening To?

[Botch]

Spent the money and got the 5.1 Bluray Surround. I know the songs on this disk were recorded during the Division Bell sessions (Richard was still alive) but they didn't make the album, so they might be a bit second-rate, we'll see. What I'm hearing from the intro/first track so far sounds gorgeous. :music-listening:

Did you end up disappointed like I am?

That's $30 and an hour+ of my life I can't get back.

No, I didn't. There's only one "song" on it (with lyrics) but I really enjoyed all the instrumental stuff, and have played it several times so far. I'm sorry you didn't like it...

 

[Dennie]

Happy Sunday everyone... :banana-dance:

Rossiter Road -- CD

Ahmad Jamal

1986 Atlantic Records

This is probably the best Jamal recording. June 11, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Audio CD

Tthis disc sizzles for one reason: Herlin Riley, the drummer. Jamal flies, he soars across the keyboard, across modalities and changes like few others, but unlike some other discs, Riley, along with the solid, if sweating, James Cammack, on bass, provides a solid launch pad. Get it, listen, and wonder why this trio hasn't made more discs.

All compositions by Ahmad Jamal except as indicated

"Milan" - 5:50
"If I Find the Way" - 4:12
"Without You" - 5:18
"Acorn" - 4:58
"Yellow Fellow" (Christian Paulin) - 6:20
"Autumn Rain" - 5:32
"Winter Snow" - 4:11
"Rossiter Road" - 6:09

Personnel: Ahmad Jamal (piano); James Cammack (bass); Herlin Riley (drums); Manola Badrena (percussion).Recorded at Skyline Studios, New York on February 1, 1986.

 

[Dennie]

Take It From The Top -- CD

Bob James Trio

Got this one a little while ago, probably based on your rec (though I have at least one of his other albums), and I am really LOVING this album. Meaning it's probably now in my top 10 favorite jazz albums. Great music, fantastic playing, and excellent SQ. Doesn't get much better!

As always Dennie, thanks for helping me explore the world of jazz!

You are welcome, my friend. I am glad you are enjoying it. It is one of my favorites also. :bow-blue:




Dennie bscene-drinkingcheers:

 

[Dennie]

Spent the money and got the 5.1 Bluray Surround. I know the songs on this disk were recorded during the Division Bell sessions (Richard was still alive) but they didn't make the album, so they might be a bit second-rate, we'll see. What I'm hearing from the intro/first track so far sounds gorgeous. :music-listening:

Did you end up disappointed like I am?

That's $30 and an hour+ of my life I can't get back.

It seems to be a very common response, but repeated listening has been a revelation for some.

Don't give up yet. Maybe add a little of this... bscene-drinkingdrunk:



Dennie :think:

 

[Dennie]

ILLUSIONS -- CD

Eliane Elias

1987 Nippon/Columbia/Denon (Import Japan)

Eliane Elias' debut as a leader (she had been a member of Steps Ahead) finds her abandoning the electric keyboards in favor of acoustic piano. On seven songs she is joined by bassist Eddie Gomez and either Al Foster or Steve Gadd on drums; the remaining two selections feature her accompanied by bassist Stanley Clarke and drummer Lenny White. With harmonica great Toots Thielemans making guest appearances on two numbers, Elias was at the time easily the least-known of the players on her own CD. However the pianist was already far along toward developing her own sound as she shows on four originals, two obscurities, Herbie Hancock's "Chan's Song," Blossom Dearie's "Sweet Georgia Fame" and the standard "Falling in Love with Love." A fine start to a significant solo career. ~ Scott Yanow

1 Choro 4:38 Written-By - Amilton Godoy
2 Through The Fire 6:05 Written-By - David Foster , Tom Keane
3 Illusions 7:09
4 Moments 5:53
5 Falling In Love With Love 6:23 Written-By - Lorenz Hart , Richard Rodgers
6 Iberia 10:26
7 Loco Motif 5:41
8 Sweet Georgia Fame 5:43 Written-By - Blossom Dearie
9 Chan's Song 6:18 Written-By - Herbie Hancock , Stevie Wonder

 

[topper]

*

 

[Dennie]

But Beautiful -- Remastered CD

The Bill Evans Trio Featuring Stan Getz

1974/1996 Milestone Records

BUT BEAUTIFUL's blend of Evans's introspective piano and Getz's velvety tenor saxophone, backed by Evans's long-term trio members, bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Marty Morell, results in a romantic, exuberant take on the material. The album was recorded live at the Laren International Jazz Festival in Holland and Jazz Middelheim in Belgium during the summer of 1974, where the infrequent collaborators created a magical sound. Especially radiant are the ballads, "But Beautiful," which was reportedly one of Evans's favorite songs, and Jimmy Rowles's haunting "The Peacocks." "Stan's Blues," however, belongs entirely to Getz, with the faintest piano chords at the beginning and then not a sound from Evans. Legend has it that Getz introduced the song without having rehearsed it with Evans, and that the pianist sat stony-faced throughout, with his hands off the keyboard. "Lover Man" suffers for its glossiness, but "Funkallero" makes it clear what kind of wild energy is possible from this group.

Track Listing
1. Grandfather's Waltz
2. Stan's Blues
3. But Beautiful
4. Emily
5. Lover Man
6. Funkallero
7. The Peacocks
8. You and the Night and the Music
9. See-Saw
10. The Two Lonely People

Personnel: Bill Evans (piano); Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Eddie Gomez (bass); Marty Morell (drums).Engineers: Tinus Bruyn, Cees Van Der Gragt.Recorded live at The Singer Concertzaal, Laren, Holland on August 9, 1974 and Middelheim, Antwerp, Belgium on August 16, 1974. Includes liner notes by Helen Keane.Digitally remastered by Phil De Lancie (1996, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, California).

 

[Dennie]

*

Hey Gary, always good to see you, my friend. bscene-drinkingcheers:

How do you like this one? It got mixed reviews, so I never picked it up.


Thanks and have a wonderful Sunday,


Dennie

 

[Dennie]

Trio '65 -- CD

Bill Evans Trio

1965/1993 Verve Records

Amazon.com

In the mid-1960s Bill Evans was involved in numerous recording projects, from film soundtrack work and playing with a symphony orchestra to duets with guitarist Jim Hall and solo and multitracked piano. As a result, he spent very little time in the studio with one of his finest working units, the trio with bassist Chuck Israels and drummer Larry Bunker. Each of Evans's trios found a different balance of elements, usually hinging on the pianist's musical relationship with his bass player. Israels is less given to virtuoso flights and aggressive countermelody than Scott LaFaro or Eddie Gomez, instead picking his notes for maximal harmonic and melodic effect, while maintaining a secure time feel. His style provides a different focus for the pianist, less reactive and more continuous, and it emphasizes Evans's capacity for rhythmically aggressive, boppish playing. John Carisi's "Israel," a tune dating from Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool, has Evans fastening on the rhythmic undercurrent generated by Israels and Bunker, and it continues with his linear approach to the solo on his own "Elsa." With familiar musicians and tunes, Evans produces one of his most relaxed and sustained recordings of the period. --Stuart Broomer

"Israel" (Carisi) – 4:49
"Elsa" (Earl Zindars) – 4:22
"'Round Midnight" (Thelonious Monk, Cootie Williams) – 6:42
"Our Love Is Here to Stay" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 4:02
"How My Heart Sings" (Zindars) – 2:49
"Who Can I Turn To?" (Leslie Bricusse, Anthony Newley) – 4:53
"Come Rain or Come Shine" (Harold Arlen, Johnny Mercer) – 5:26
"If You Could See Me Now" (Dameron, Sigman) – 4:47


Bill Evans – piano, keyboards
Larry Bunker – drums
Chuck Israels – bass

 

[Dennie]

Sextet -- SACD

Cal Tjader Stan Getz

1958/2004 Fantasy Records

STAN GETZ WITH CAL TJADER is a classic, not only because it pairs the renowned tenor player (Getz) with the great vibraphonist (Tjader), but because the additional personnel on the session make it something of an all-star date. Drummer Billy Higgins, still some time away from his work on the groundbreaking experiments of Ornette Coleman, appears here on one of his first sessions. Bassist Scott LaFaro, who would achieve fame as a member of Bill Evans's legendary trio, also makes an early appearance. Pianist Vince Guaraldi, a leader and composer in his own right (his "Ginza Samba" is one of the highlights on the set), sits in, as does fleet-fingered guitarist Eddie Duran.The ensemble--which has a lively, robust sound due to the instrumentation--moves effortlessly between highly lyrical ballads and fierce, up-tempo bop. The set includes several Tjader tunes, including the smart and swinging "Crow's Nest" and "Big Bear," while the group's treatment of the standard "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" displays remarkable sensitivity and sweetness. Though Tjader and Getz are naturally in the forefront throughout--they both balance shimmering, cool tones with dazzling dexterity--there is fine soloing from all involved, making this a consistently superb set.

Track Listing
1. Ginza Samba
2. I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face
3. For All We Know
4. Crow's Next
5. Liz-Anne
6. Big Bear
7. My Buddy

Personnel: Stan Getz (tenor saxophone); Cal Tjader (vibraphone); Vince Guaraldi (piano); Eddie Duran (guitar); Scott LaFaro (bass); Billy Higgins (drums).Recorded at Circle Record Studios, San Francisco, California on February 8, 1958.

 

[Dennie]

Something For You -- CD

Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans

2008 Blue Note Records

Romance and Remembrance, January 9, 2009
By Jinkyu - See all my reviews
This review is from: Something for You: Eliane Elias Sings & Plays Bill Evans (Audio CD)

Aside from her Brazilian roots, Eliane has attributed jazz pianist Bill Evans as a major influence. It also happens that her husband, bassist Marc Johnson, played with Evans in Evans' final days. The jazz played by Evans could sometimes have romantic overtones, a key part of Eliane's persona. "Something for You" is devoted to Evans and is full of songs written or performed by him. It has a good deal of fast and slower jazz, including the bebop sound, but also a good amount of romantic piano work, both interpretative and original. The first half of the CD tends toward the jazzy, the second half toward the romantic. Drummer Joey Baron has an uneven presence; also, unlike in most of Eliane's recent work, there are no other supporting musicians save for Johnson, much less an orchestra, in any of the tracks.

My dark horse favorite is Miles Davis' "Blue in Green." It is not really bebop or romantic, but has some pretty, very elegant improvisation. Recall that it was Evans who contributed the piano work on this song in Miles' classic album "Kind of Blue." Eliane's medium-paced piano is played over a slower rhythm tempo, and she does sophisticated interpretative work against the heavily horn-infused original. In addition, Eliane observes in the liner notes that it has a Brazilian feel. It touches Miles well with her own flavor, yet subtly a different sound for her. Also note that Eliane and the group honor Miles' spirit in "Solar," his other song here, with more great improvisation.

Eliane's singing is better on romantic pieces, as in all her popular ones, and it is always pretty; her accent and thicker voice can get in the way when it comes to certain slow jazz singing in English. But what the hey, she sings in her lovely Portugese in the one Brazilian song, "Minha." Her piano work is great, as always. She has only one original composition -- the pretty "After All" -- but she also did major romantic rearrangements for "Evanesque," one of the highlights, and for the strong title track, for which she also created lyrics. Some of her best flowery, romantic phrasing and occasional flourishes come in "I Love My Wife" and "For Nenette," which are among her several solo piano numbers.

As you can read, on a personal level I recommend this CD more for its prettier side than its traditional jazz side, just a matter of taste. As in the past, Eliane shows she is enjoyable with solo piano or piano supported only by a rhythm section. This time, the context was particularly special.

Track Listing

1. You and the Night and the Music
2. Here's Somethign For You
3. Sleepin' Bee, A
4. But Not For Me
5. Waltz For Debby
6. Five
7. Blue in Green
8. Detour Ahead
9. Minha (All Time)
10. My Foolish Heart
11. But Beautiful/Here's That Rainy Day
12. I Love My Wife
13. For Nenette
14. Evanesque
15. Solar
16. After All
17. Here's Something For You (Inro)

 

[Dennie]

Pres and Teddy -- Remastered CD

The Lester Young - Teddy Wilson Quartet

1956/1986 Verve Records

Floating over bar lines using a light, airy tone, Lester Young redefined (and refined) the tenor saxophone. A nonconformist, Young's sound soon overshadowed Coleman Hawkins' thicker, more abrasive style. Indeed, Young's approach influenced most of the new wave of saxophonists to come out of the 1950s. On PRES AND TEDDY, we hear Young (nicknamed Pres) teamed up with the great pianist Teddy Wilson, who himself, is one of three definitive swing era pianists (the other two being Earl Hines and Art Tatum).PRES AND TEDDY is a small group outing that also highlights the talents of bassist Gene Ramey and drummer Jo Jones. This is straight-ahead, no bull jazz that doesn't cross too many stylistic boundaries. Recorded in 1956, tinges of cool jazz color the playing and feel of the record. Still, the band's swing roots shine through, making this release more closely aligned with earlier genres of jazz. Highlights include the medium bounce "Louise" and the bluesy "Pres Returns."

Track Listing
1. All of Me
2. Prisoner of Love
3. Louise
4. Love Me or Leave Me
5. Taking a Chance on Love
6. Our Love Is Here to Stay
7. Pres Returns - (bonus track)

Personnel: Lester Young (tenor saxophone); Teddy Wilson (piano); Gene Ramey (bass); Jo Jones (drums).Recorded in New York, New York on January 13, 1956. Includes original release liner notes by Bill Simon.Digitally remastered by Dennis Drake.

 

[Dennie]

Midnight Sugar -- SACD

Tsuyoshi Yamamoto Trio

1974/2012 First Impressions Music

One of the all time great Jazz Audiophile recordings of all time is once again available on FIM SACD! This Piano Trio will mesmerize you with this great collection of standards, superb musicianship and awesome sonics. You are sure to listen to this one over and over.

The Yamamoto Trio performing Midnight Sugar, recorded March 1, 1974 at Aoi Studio. Award Winner, Best Engineering Award, Jazz Disc Award of Swing Journal, 1974.

"This is one of the finest piano recordings I have ever heard." - Bob Bantz, President of Elusive Disc, Inc.

Features:
• 2012 Re-released SACD

Musicians:
Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, piano
Isoo Fukui, bass
Tetsujiro Obara, drums

Selections:
1. Midnight Sugar
2. I'm A Fool To Want You
3. The Nearness of You
4. It Could Happen To You
5. Sweet Georgia Blues

Total Time: 39:32

 

[Dennie]

Jazz For A Mellow Morning -- 2 CD Set

Various Artists

2003 Savoy Jazz/SLG Records


Jazz for a Mellow Morning, as released by Savoy Jazz in 2003, is a continuation of the popular Jazz For series released by 32 Jazz in the late '90s. Those discs contained songs from the catalog of the Muse label from the '70s, '80s, and '90s, and so does this disc. The 17 tracks are spread over two discs, and jazz giants like Kenny Burrell, James Moody, Cedar Walton, and Ron Carter all contribute tracks and brush shoulders with jazz middleweights like Mulgrew Miller, Larry Coryell, and Buster Williams. As the title suggests, the songs are relaxed and the mood is swinging in a polite and sophisticated way. Although the songs date from well beyond jazz's peak years, the performances are uniformly solid and the disc is a nice low-priced collection of mellow jazz perfect for relaxing a morning away. ~ Tim Sendra

Track Listing
DISC 1:
1. Poinciana - Arturo O'Farrill
2. Yesterdays - Larry Coryell
3. Morning Glory - James Moody
4. Gaeta - Jaki Byard
5. As Long As There's Music - Cedar Walton
6. My Funny Valentine - Buster Williams
7. Early Minor - Joe Chambers
8. Delores Street S.F. - Kenny Barron
9. Footprints - Quartette Indigo

DISC 2:
1. The - Buster Williams Enchanted Flower
2. My Man's Gone Now - Mulgrew Miller
3. Detour Ahead - Junior Cook
4. Here's That Rainy Day - Kenny Barron
5. Good Morning Heartache - Houston Person/Ron Carter
6. Love Letters - Bobby Hutcherson
7. So Little Time - Kenny Burrell
8. Bliss - Pete Sims (LaRoca)

 

[Dennie]

West of 5th -- SACD

Hank Jones - Christian McBride - Jimmy Cobb

2006 Chesky Records

From the vigor and agility with which Hank Jones plays on WEST OF 5TH, one would never guess that the pianist was 88 years old at the time of this 2006 recording. Jones is joined by a fellow legendary jazz veteran in drummer Jimmy Cobb (best known for his work on Miles Davis's KIND OF BLUE), and young-gun bassist Christian McBride. The music isn't futuristic or rule-bending, but therein lies its charm. Jones, Cobb, and McBride work through a set of standards, including "On Green Dolphin Street" and "Stella by Starlight," masterfully turning material that would otherwise seem clich‚d into fresh, vital, and totally engaging jazz for the ages.

Track Listings
1. On Green Dolphin Street
2. Mr. Walker
3. Speak Low
4. A Child Is Born
5. If I Were A Bell
6. Billie's Bounce
7. Lotus Blossom
8. Confirmation
9. We'll Be Together Again
10. Stella by Starlight
11. Eleanor

Personnel: Hank Jones (piano); Christian McBride (double bass); Jimmy Cobb (drums).Liner Note Author: Ira Gitler.Recording information: St. Peter's Episcopal Church, New York, NY (01/29/2006)

 

[Dennie]

Phoebe Snow -- CD

Phoebe Snow

1995 The Right Stuff

Phoebe Snow is the eponymous debut album by singer/songwriter Phoebe Snow, released in 1974 (see 1974 in music). It contains her Top 5 Billboard pop hit, "Poetry Man".

All songs by Phoebe Snow, except where noted

"Good Times" (Sam Cooke) – 2:20
"Harpo's Blues" – 4:22
"Poetry Man" – 4:36
"Either or Both" – 3:52
"San Francisco Bay Blues" (Jesse Fuller) – 3:29
"I Don't Want the Night to End" – 3:55
"Take Your Children Home" – 4:15
"It Must Be Sunday" – 5:50
"No Show Tonight" – 2:57

 

[Dennie]

Western Standard Time -- CD

Asleep At The Wheel

1988 Epic Records

As the standard-bearers for a half-century old music genre, Western swing revival band Asleep at the Wheel has always had one cowboy boot planted firmly in the past. True, the band has been known to crank out a catchy original song in its time, but its bread-and-butter is the familiar repertoire of bygone country and swing tunes. WESTERN STANDARD TIME finds the band working through 10 very familiar tunes, successfully breathing life into material that, in lesser hands, could easily degenerate into museum pieces.The mother lode for Western swing material, of course, is Bob Wills' catalog, and unsurprisingly WESTERN STANDARD TIME plucks two songs, "San Antonio Rose" and "Roly Poly," from this treasure chest. The band also revisits Hank Garland's classic "Sugarfoot Rag" with a performance that earned a Grammy for best instrumental recording. Willie Nelson chips in vocal support on "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and band leader Ray Benson demonstrates considerable moxie by taking on "That Lucky Old Sun," a song previously immortalized by both Frankie Laine and Ray Charles. Other highlights of this uniformly strong album include the two-step boogie "Hot Rod Lincoln" and the anthemic "That's What I Like About the South."

Track Listing
1. Chattanooga Choo Choo
2. Don't Let Go
3. Hot Rod Lincoln
4. That's What I Like 'Bout the South
5. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)
6. Walk on By
7. San Antonio Rose
8. Roly Poly
9. Sugarfoot Rag
10. Walking the Floor over You

Asleep At The Wheel: Larry Franklin (vocals, guitar, fiddle); Ray Benson (vocals, guitar, 6-string bass); Tim Alexander (vocals, piano); John Ely (pedal & pedal steel guitars, Fender Hawaiian); Mike Francis (saxophone); John Mitchell (bass); David Sanger (drums).Additional personnel: Larry Seyer (vocals, guitar, Fender bass); Johnny Gimble (vocals, electric mandolin, fiddle); Willie Nelson, Chris O'Connell (vocals); Tony Garnier (6-string & upright bass).

 

[Dennie]

Prairie Wind -- CD

Neil Young

2005 Reprise Records

Amazon.com

An artist for all musical seasons, Neil Young returns to autumnal harvest mode on Prairie Wind, with homespun material and sing-song melodies that renew the spirit of some of his most popular releases. Yet the mood here is darker in its maturity than on Harvest and Harvest Moon--the previous releases in what now sounds like a trilogy--and the arrangements have greater range and aural depth, with Wayne Jackson of the soulful Memphis Horns, the Fisk University Jubilee Singers gospel choir, and a string section employed to striking effect. This is a song cycle of dreams, memories, family ties, and the passage of time--what is lost and what endures. The elliptical, epic "No Wonder," with its evocation of 9/11, ranks with the most ambitious songs of Young's career, while "Falling Off the Face of the Earth," "It's a Dream," and the bluesy title cut combine childlike innocence with unsettling experience. Spooner Oldham's church keyboards and coproducer Ben Keith's steel guitar reinforce the sound's sturdy simplicity. Young has released a lot of albums in different musical styles, but Prairie Wind feels like a homecoming, and ranks with his very best. --Don McLeese

All songs written by Neil Young, and ©2005 Silver Fiddle Music (ASCAP)

"The Painter" – 4:36
"No Wonder" – 5:45
"Falling Off the Face of the Earth" – 3:35
"Far From Home" – 3:47
"It's a Dream" – 6:31
"Prairie Wind" – 7:34
"Here for You" – 4:32
"This Old Guitar" – 5:32
"He Was the King" – 6:08
"When God Made Me" – 4:05

 

[Babs]

A classic from the 80's!

 

[mcad64]

A classic from the 80's!

Are you sure that wasn't the 70's??