What Are You Listening To?

[Dennie]

Happy Christmas eve everyone.... :dance:

Sound of Christmas -- CD

The Ramsey Lewis Trio

1961/1989 Chess/MCA Records

This is a pleasing, if rather brief (29 minutes) Christmas jazz album that was originally quite popular. Reissued on a 1982 LP, the set features the Ramsey Lewis Trio (consisting of the leader/pianist, bassist Eldee Young, and drummer Red Holt) on ten Christmas songs, five of which add a string section arranged by Riley Hampton. The renditions of such tunes as "Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "Sleigh Ride," and Lewis' "Christmas Blues" are fun and melodic, if not all that unique. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
THE SOUND OF CHRISTMAS:
1. Merry Christmas Baby
2. Winter Wonderland
3. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
4. Christmas Blues
5. Here Comes Santa Claus
6. The Sound of Christmas
7. The Christmas Song
8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
9. Sleigh Ride
10. What Are You Doing New Year's Eve

Ramsey Lewis Trio: Ramsey Lewis (piano); Eldee Young (double bass); Redd Holt (drums).Additional personnel: Karl B. Fruh, Sol Bobrou, David Chausow, Leonard Chausow, Oscar Chausow, Irving Kaplan, Harold E. Kupper, Abe Meltzer, Emil Podsada, Theodore Silavin (strings).

 

[Babs]

Merry Christmas Eve! Incoming family soon, but there is always time for music.

I luv choirs! Such beautiful music. I will have to play TBO after this, or maybe, Brian Culberson, to appease Zing's ear.

 

[Dennie]

David Grisman's Acoustic Christmas -- CD

David Grisman

1986 Rounder Records

Sticking to traditional Christmas songs, mandolinist David Grisman and his impressive string group, plus a few guests (including recorder players on two brief songs and banjoist Bela Fleck), alternate swinging renditions of familiar melodies with ballads. Highlights include "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town," "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," and "Winter Wonderland." Review by Scott Yanow


"What Child Is This?" (William Chatterton Dix, Traditional) – 1:01
"Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" (J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie) – 3:37
"Respighi: Ancient Aires and Dances" – 2:32
"The Christmas Song" (Mel Tormé, Robert Wells) – 4:07
"God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" (Traditional) – 6:51
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" (Traditional) – 0:41
"White Christmas" (Irving Berlin) – 4:16
"The Flower Carol" (Traditional, Wenchels) – 1:27
"Winter Wonderland" (Felix Bernard, Richard B. Smith) – 3:44
"Silent Night" (Josef Mohr, Franz Xaver Gruber) – 3:42
"Auld Lang Syne" (Burns, Traditional) – 4:04



David Grisman – mandolin, mandola
Darol Anger – fiddle, cello, Violectra
Béla Fleck – banjo, 5-string banjo
Mike Marshall – guitar, mandolin, mandola, mandocello
Martin Taylor – guitar
Rob Wasserman – bass
Pamela Abramson – piano
John Stafford – saxophone
Tony Burille – recorder, tenor Crumhorn
Lyn Elder – Hurdygurdy, bass recorder, Crumhorn
Joanna Young – Crumhorn, alto recorder
Bob Gurland – trumpet

 

[Dennie]

Merry Christmas everyone....

The Christmas Song -- CD

Nat King Cole

1963/1990 Capitol Records

First issued in the early 1960s, this collection of musical Christmas cheer is packed full of the smoothly sung, sentimental favorites associated as much with Nat "King" Cole himself as with the season. The singer's performance of "The Christmas Song" is an unforgettable classic reprised here twice, once in an updated version that includes a contemporary vocal from his daughter, Natalie, and also in Cole's original 1946 recording. Other traditional religious favorites like "I Saw Three Ships" and "Away in a Manger" are also featured, in a setting that, with its well-arranged orchestral accompaniment, manages to sound both sophisticated and folksy.

Track Listing
1. Christmas Song, The (Merry Christmas to You)
2. Deck the Hall
3. Adeste Fideles
4. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
5. O Tannenbaum
6. O Little Town of Bethlehem
7. I Saw Three Ships
8. O Holy Night
9. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
10. Cradle in Bethlehem, A
11. Away in a Manger
12. Joy to the World
13. First Noel, The
14. Caroling, Caroling
15. O Come All Ye Faithful
16. Silent Night
17. Nat's Introduction
18. Christmas Song, The (Merry Christmas to You)
19. Nat's Christmas Wishes

 

[Dennie]

New England Christmastide 2 -- OMR CD

The Christmastide Musicians

1987 MFSL (MFCD 799 Made In Japan)

Traditional Christmas Music November 29, 2007
By Julie
Format:Audio CD

This collection by Otis Read and fellow musicians is by far some of the best traditional instrumental Christmas music I've ever heard. I bought it just by chance back in 1990 for my parents and it became a family tradition. Now it's a tradition in my own family. Unlike other Christmas tunes with singing that "gets old" after the second play, I can listen to this CD over and over again and it is not repetitious. There's 20 carols altogether and all instrumental with no singing: We Three Kings, Joy to The World, Silent Night, O Come Emanuel, Angels We Have Heard on High, to name a few. A total of 14 musicians perform on a variety of instruments, among them flute, mandolin, piano, guitar, violin, cello, bass, banjo, concertina, accordion, tin whistle, vielle, hurdy-gurdy, harmonium and Irish pipes. All songs are performed in small instrumental ensembles. It's rich in traditional folk sounds. As Otis himself says on his website, "This has become a fireside, tree-trimming, gift-opening classic."

Track Listing
1. The Holly and the Ivy
2. Here We Come a-Wassailing
3. Judea
4. In Dulci Jublio
5. O Holy Night
6. The Praise Of Christmas / O Come Let Us Adore Him
7. Once in Royal David's City
8. O Little Town of Bethlehem
9. Carol of the Bells
10. The Leading Of The Stars / Christmas Eve
11. Personet Hodie
12. Christmas Day in the Morning
13. Quand Li Bergie
14. Lo How a Rose
15. The Twelve Days of Christmas
16. While Shepards Watch Their Flocks
17. O Christmas Tree
18. Lord of the Dance
19. Go Tell It on the Mountain
20. Children Where Shall I Send Thee / Jingle Bells

 

[Dennie]

Cowboy Christmas - Cowboy Songs II-- CD

Michael Martin Murphey

1991 Warner Bros. Records

A collection of cowboy Christmas songs divided into two parts, the first dealing with Christmas "On The Range", the second "At The Dance."A "western cowboy" holiday album might seem like a contradiction in terms, but Michael Martin Murphey, in his typical tradition, is able to pull off the unexpected with Cowboy Christmas. Like his other records, Murphey balances traditional songs with originals that manage to capture not just the style, but the very feel of classic cowboy songs and it has a downhome warmth and honesty that is lacking from most Christmas albums, including most country Christmas albums. ~ Thom Owens

Track Listing
Part One: On The Range
1. I Heard The Bells On Christmas / Old Time Christmas
2. Jolly Old St. Nicholas / The Christmas Letter
3. The Creak of the Leather
4. Christmas on the Line (The Line Rider's Christmas
5. Sleigh Ride / Jingle Bells
6. The Christmas Trail
7. Merry Texas Christmas You All
8. Ridin' Home on Christmas Eve
9. Water and Wood Corn

Part Two: At The Dance
10. The Cowboy Christmas Ball
11. Polka Medley: Good King Wenceslas / Under The Double Eagle / Redwing / Golden Slippers
12. Christmas Cowboy Style
13. Santa Claus Shottische
14. Two-Step 'Round the Christmas Tree
15. Two Step Medley: Cotton-Eyed Joe / Buffalo Gals / Soldier's Joy / The Girl I Left Behind Me / Deck The Halls
16. Log Cabin Home in the Sky
17. Waltz Medley: O Christmas Tree (O Tannenbaum) / Put Your Little Foot (The Varsouvianna) / The Westfalia Waltz / Over The Waves (The Skaters Waltz) / O Christmas Tree / The Christmas Dance
18. Pearls in the Snow
19. Good Night Ladies / Auld Lang Syne

 

[Dennie]

In The Nutcracker Mood -- CD

The Glen Miller Orchestra

1997 LaserLight Digital

The average age of this band is about 50. The length of time each player performed with the Glenn Miller Orchestra ranges from as little as 6 months to well over 10 years. The cumulative experience of this band recreating the authentic Miller “sound” is well over 100 years! What is their motivation? Dedication? Commitment? Familiarity? Feeling? Lasting enthusiasm? Wish fulfillment? A reunion of great music with great musicians who are all friends? A celebration of the past and present? The answer is definitely “all of the above!”. The quality of the music and musicianship on these recordings speaks for itself!

Look at the repertoire here -- Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite plus many more Christmas standards, some of which were around when Glenn was still alive and other more recent compositions he might have recorded had he not been lost.

IN THE NUTCRACKER MOOD -- Over 40 minutes of musical memories, of good cheer, of the most enduring “sound’ of the Swing Era Big Bands arranged and performed by dedicated alumni of the Glenn Miller Orchestra.

This is music that will live forever. Orchestral and vocal magnificence! Gratification! Enjoy!

Nutcracker Suite (WBLT, L.L.C.) 17:38
Track 1 Miniature Overture
Track 2 March
Track 3 Dance of the Fairy Dragee
Track 4 Russian Dance
Track 5 Arabian Dance
Track 6 Chinese Dance
Track 7 Dance Of The Mirlitons
Track 8 Waltz of the Flowers

Track 9 Jolly Old St. Nicholas (WBLT, L.L.C.) 2:54
Track 10 Toyland (WBLT, L.L.C.) 3:01
Track 11 Ode To Joy (WBLT, L.L.C.) 2:58
Track 12 A String Of Carols: (WBLT, L.L.C.) 3:01
Here We Come A-Caroling, Up On the House Top,
A Child Is Born In Bethlehem, Deck The Hall
Track 13 Parade of the Wooden Soldiers (WBLT, L.L.C. ) 3:05
Track 14 Old Fashioned Christmas Tree 2:32
Track 15 March of the Toys (WBLT, L.L.C.) 2:39
Track 16 What are you doing New Year’s Eve?

 

[Dennie]

The Sinatra Christmas Album -- CD

Frank Sinatra

1994 Warner/Reprise Records

Christmas probably sounded a lot like this in Hoboken, circa the late 1930s: A skinny kid with a huge voice leading friends through favorite carols like "The Little Drummer Boy" and "Greensleeves." Fast forward and that skinny kid is no longer just another voice in the crowd. All ears are turned his way as he croons through a whole new set of Christmas standards, from "The Christmas Waltz" to "I Wouldn't Trade Christmas." Sinatra is in fine voice on this 13-song set, which boasts some of the better arrangements you'll hear on a seasonal album. --David Sprague

1. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas
2. An Old Fashioned Christmas
3. I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day
4. The Little Drummer Boy
5. Go Tell It On The Mountain
6. We Wish You The Merriest
7. Whatever Happened To Christmas
8. The Twelve Days Of Christmas
9. The Bells Of Christmas (Greensleeves)
10. I Wouldn't Trade Christmas
11. The Christmas Waltz
12. A Baby Just Like You
13. Christmas Memories

 

[Dennie]

Graceland -- CD

Paul Simon

1986/1990 Warner Bros. Records

Amazon.com essential recording

The melding of South African styles and Simon's trademark sensibility made for one of the most intriguing albums--not to mention commercial hits--of the '80s. At once lively, thoughtful, gorgeous, and tough, Graceland acknowledges splits both in South Africa's social fabric and in Simon's personal life (the title track is a clear descendant of the earlier "Hearts and Bones," a song about the singer-songwriter's brief marriage to Carrie Fisher). Humor is hardly absent from the mix, though; witness the addled "I Know What I Know" and the fable-like "You Can Call Me Al." --Rickey Wright

Side one
No. Title Writer(s) Length
1. "The Boy in the Bubble" Forere Motloheloa, Paul Simon 3:59
2. "Graceland" Simon 4:48
3. "I Know What I Know" General MD Shirinda, Simon 3:13
4. "Gumboots" Lulu Masilela, Jonhjon Mkhalali, Simon 2:44
5. "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes" Joseph Shabalala, Simon 5:45
Side two
No. Title Writer(s) Length
6. "You Can Call Me Al" Simon 4:39
7. "Under African Skies" Simon 3:37
8. "Homeless" Shabalala, Simon 3:48
9. "Crazy Love, Vol. II" Simon 4:18
10. "That Was Your Mother" Simon 2:52
11. "All Around the World or the Myth of Fingerprints" Simon 3:15

 

[Dennie]

Medusa -- CD

Annie Lennox

1995 Arista Records

Amazon.com essential recording

Post-Beatles, the virtues of deft song interpretation have been consistently devalued in favor of self-contained composer-performers, seldom more so than in the initial response to this sequel to Annie Lennox's triumphant solo debut, Diva. That album's gripping originals deserve acclaim, but the lush Scottish alto remains one of the most riveting pop singers of the past two decades, and this smartly chosen, meticulously arranged collection of cover versions boasts its own abundant charms in her selection of obscure gems and bona fide classics from Al Green, Procol Harum, Neil Young, the Clash, the Temptations, Paul Simon, Bob Marley, and the Blue Nile. The songs are the rightful stars here, and Lennox brings passion and nuance to a set that plays beautifully. From the cinematic heartbreak of "No More I Love Yous" to the faithful recreation of the Blue Nile's "Downtown Lights," this is ravishing pop. --Sam Sutherland

1. "No More I Love You's" Joseph Hughes, David Freeman 4:51
2. "Take Me to the River" Al Green 3:31
3. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, Matthew Fisher 5:17
4. "Don't Let It Bring You Down" Neil Young 3:36
5. "Train in Vain" Mick Jones, Joe Strummer 4:38
6. "I Can't Get Next to You" Norman Whitfield, Barrett Strong 3:09
7. "Downtown Lights" Paul Buchanan 6:42
8. "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" Richard Poindexter, Robert Poindexter, Jackie Members 5:53
9. "Waiting in Vain" Bob Marley 5:40
10. "Something So Right" Paul Simon 3:54
11. "Heaven" (Japanese bonus track) Richard Butler, Tim Butler 4:58

 

[Dennie]

My Blue Heaven - The Best of -- CD

Fats Domino

1990 Capitol Records

These Songs Will Put You In Heaven, May 20, 2000
By Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

The Crescent City has produced a wealth of talent over the decades: Professor Longhair, The Neville Brothers, Lloyd Price, Dr. John, but none has dominated the pop charts like pianist Fats Domino, who with writing partner and producer Dave Barthalomew, placed more than thirty singles on the pop charts between "Ain't That a Shame" in 1955 and "What a Party" in 1961, selling 65 million records along the way--only Elvis sold more records than "The Fat Man" during the same period.

Domino's boogie-woogie piano and R&B vocals propelled such hits as "I'm in Love Again," "Blueberry Hill" (one of the few singles he didn't write), "Blue Monday," "I'm Walkin'," "Whole Lotta Loving" and "Walking to New Orleans," his final Top 10 from 1960. This collection even includes a couple of his early R&B hits: 1949's "The Fat Man" and 1953's "Please Don't Leave Me."

Although he wasn't the showman that contemporaries like Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis were, his impact on the formative years of rock 'n' roll made him a shoe-in for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame's first class of inductees in 1986.

These are all original Imperial recordings and this CD is an excellent overview of a prolific career. If you need more, try tracking down EMI's out-of-print 4-CD They Call Me the Fat Man from 1991. ESSENTIAL

1. My Blue Heaven
2. Fat Man
3. Please Don't Leave Me
4. Ain't That a Shame
5. I'm in Love Again
6. When My Dreamboat Comes Home
7. Blueberry Hill
8. Blue Monday
9. I'm Walkin'
10. Valley of Tears
11. Big Beat
12. Yes, My Darling
13. Whole Lotta Lovin'
14. I'm Ready
15. I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday
16. I Want to Walk You Home
17. Be My Guest
18. Walking to New Orleans
19. Let the Four Winds Blow
20. What a Party

 

[Dennie]

Happy Saturday everyone... :banana-rock:

Enlightenment -- CD

Van Morrison

1990 Polydor Records

Amazon.com

Its title seems squarely in the pilgrim's camp, where much of Van Morrison's '80s music dwells, but 1990's Enlightenment offsets new glimpses of Morrison's oft-sought Avalon ("Avalon of the Heart") with darker confessions of human frailty and challenged faith. The opening "Real Real Gone" belies its hard-charging R&B verve (a welcome return to high-octane soul after his relatively becalmed, then-recent work) with admissions of weakness, and even the lyrical title song reveals confusion more than salvation. A few years later, such defeats might have prompted one of his crankier outbursts, but this set is brightened by the joyful reminiscences of "Youth of 1,000 Summers" and the epic "In the Days Before Rock 'n' Roll," in which Morrison's declamatory fervor is matched by poet Paul Durcan. The latter song is a gloriously apt Morrison moment, exulting in Little Richard as though he walked the same astral plane as William Blake--which, in Morrison's world, is exactly the point. --Sam Sutherland

All songs by Morrison unless noted otherwise.

"Real Real Gone" – 3:43
"Enlightenment" – 4:04
"So Quiet in Here" – 6:09
"Avalon of the Heart" – 4:45
"See Me Through" – 6:13
"Youth of 1,000 Summers" – 3:45
"In the Days Before Rock 'N' Roll" (Durcan, Morrison) – 8:13
"Start All Over Again" – 4:10
"She's My Baby" – 5:14
"Memories" – 4:14

 

[Dennie]

Red Garland's Piano -- Remastered 24bit CD

Red Garland - Paul Chambers - Art Taylor

1957/2006 Prestige/Concord Records

Red Garland's third session as a leader finds the distinctive pianist investigating eight standards (including "Please Send Me Someone to Love," "Stompin' at the Savoy," "If I Were a Bell," and "Almost Like Being in Love") with his distinctive chord voicings, melodic but creative ideas, and solid sense of swing. Joined by bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Art Taylor, Garland plays up to his usual consistent level, making this an easily recommended disc for straight-ahead fans. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. Please Send Me Someone to Love
2. Stompin' at the Savoy
3. The Very Thought of You
4. Almost Like Being in Love
5. If I Were a Bell
6. I Know Why (And So Do You)
7. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
8. But Not for Me

Personnel: Red Garland (piano); Paul Chambers (upright bass); Art Taylor (drums).

 

[Dennie]

A Garland of Red -- CD

The Red Garland Trio

1956/1991 Prestige/OJC Records

Thirty-three at the time of this, his first recording as a leader, pianist Red Garland already had his distinctive style fully formed and had been with the Miles Davis Quintet for a year. With the assistance of bassist Paul Chambers also in Davis's group and drummer Art Taylor, Garland is in superior form on six standards, Charlie Parker's "Constellation" during which he shows that he could sound relaxed at the fastest tempos and his own "Blue Red." Red Garland recorded frequently during the 1956-62 period and virtually all of his trio recordings are consistently enjoyable, this one being no exception. - Scott Yanow


"A Foggy Day" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) - 4:51
"My Romance" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) - 6:51
"What Is This Thing Called Love?" (Cole Porter) - 4:53
"Makin' Whoopee" (Walter Donaldson, Gus Kahn) - 4:15
"September in the Rain" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) - 4:48
"Little Girl Blue" (Hart, Rodgers) - 5:07
"Constellation" (Charlie Parker) - 3:31
"Blue Red" (Red Garland) - 7:40

Personnel:
Red Garland - piano
Paul Chambers - bass
Art Taylor - drums

 

[Dennie]

All Mornin' Long -- Remastered CD

The Red Garland Quintet

1957/1987 Prestige/OJC Records

On November 15, 1957, a quintet headed by pianist Red Garland recorded enough material for two records. This CD reissue (whose companion is Soul Junction) has a 20-minute version of "All Mornin' Long," along with briefer renditions of "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (a mere ten minutes) and Tadd Dameron's "Our Delight." More important than the material is that, in addition to Garland, the main soloists are John Coltrane and trumpeter Donald Byrd. Byrd was on his way to getting his sound together, while Trane, very much in his sheets-of-sound period, was already blazing a new path for jazz to follow. An excellent and often quite colorful jam session-flavored hard bop set. ~ Scott Yanow

Track Listing
1. All Mornin' Long
2. They Can't Take That Away From Me
3. Our Delight

Originally released on Prestige (7130). Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.Personnel: Red Garland (piano); John Coltrane (tenor saxophone); DonaldByrd (trumpet); George Joyner (bass); Art Taylor (drums).Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Hackensack, New Jersey on November 15, 1957. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.Digitally remastered using 20-bit K2 Super Coding System technology.

 

[Dennie]

The Wall -- Experience Edition - Remastered 3 CD Set

Pink Floyd

1979/2011 Pink Floyd/EMI-Capitol Records

Pink Floyd The Wall: Experience Version on 3CD

Experience Editions are expanded versions of classic albums in a Digipak bonus disc format. Included are the original remastered album, a disc of additional material and an expanded CD booklet.

This new Experience version of The Wall presents the original studio album (2CDs), digitally remastered by James Guthrie with a bonus CD featuring a selection of original album demo recordings from different stages of the album. Also featuring a newly designed Digipak and a new 32 page booklet designed by Storm Thorgerson.

One of the most acclaimed concept albums of all time, The Wall from 1979 is renowned as Roger Waters’ Rock Opera dealing with abandonment and personal isolation. Adapted for cinema by Alan Parker featuring Bob Geldof in the lead role, and featuring the unique artwork of Gerald Scarfe, the album also yielded the hit single "Another Brick In The Wall Pt2."

Pink Floyd The Wall: Experience Version Track Listing:

CD1: The Wall (Digitally Remastered by James Guthrie)
1. In The Flesh?
2. The Thin Ice
3. Another Brick In The Wall Part 1
4. The Happiest Days of Our Lives
5. Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
6. Mother
7. Goodbye Blue Sky
8. Empty Spaces
9. Young Lust
10. One of My Turns
11. Don’t Leave Me Now
12. Another Brick In The Wall Part 3
13. Goodbye Cruel World

CD2: The Wall (Digitally Remastered by James Guthrie)
1. Hey You
2. Is There Anybody Out There
3. Nobody Home
4. Vera
5. Bring The Boys Back Home
6. Comfortable Numb
7. The Show Must Go On
8. In The Flesh
9. Run Like Hell
10. Waiting For The Worms
11. Stop
12. The Trial
13. Outside The Wall

CD3: The Wall Selected Album Demos (previously unreleased)
PROGRAMME 1 (BAND DEMOS):

PRELUDE (VERA LYNN) - ROGER WATERS ORIGINAL DEMO
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL (PART 1)
THE THIN ICE
GOODBYE BLUE SKY
TEACHER, TEACHER
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART 2
EMPTY SPACES
YOUNG LUST
MOTHER
DON T LEAVE ME NOW
SEXUAL REVOLUTION
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART 3
GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD
PROGRAMME 2 (BAND DEMOS)
IN THE FLESH
THE THIN ICE
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART 1
THE HAPPIEST DAYS OF OUR LIVES
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART 2
MOTHER
PROGRAMME 3 (BAND DEMOS)
ONE OF MY TURNS
DON T LEAVE ME NOW
EMPTY SPACES
BACKS TO THE WALL
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL, PART 3
GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD
THE DOCTOR (COMFORTABLY NUMB)

 

[Dennie]

Noble Path -- CD

Art Hirahara

2011 Post-Tone Records

The latest CD by Bay Area pianist Art Hirahara asks the question "Yes, but why?" It's a tasteful, swinging, well-played piano trio disc that features four standards (Arthur Altman's "All or Nothing at All," most strongly identified with Frank Sinatra; Dizzy Gillespie's "Con Alma"; Duke Ellington's "Isfahan"; and Cole Porter's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye") sprinkled among eight Hirahara originals. The rhythm section -- bassist Yoshi Waki and drummer Dan Aran -- swings with subtle force, keeping the music moving forward at all times, even during ballads. Hirahara's playing is lyrical and yet somewhat middle of the road, somewhere between Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, displaying plenty of technique and ably blending melody and groove. There's very little here that will convince any listener that he's an indispensable figure in jazz, though. He's just a capable pianist with a decent compositional voice, and this disc is the kind of thing one can put on in the background at a party without disturbing anyone's conversation. ~ Phil Freeman

Track Listing
1. I'm OK
2. All or Nothing at All
3. Stood Down
4. Ebb and Flow
5. Noble Path
6. Con Alma
7. Peace Unknown
8. Change Your Look
9. Isfahan
10. Nocturne
11. Vast
12. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye

Personnel: Art Hirahara (piano); Dan Aran (drums, percussion) Yoshi Waki (bass).Recording information: Acoustic Recording, Brooklyn, NY (01/27/2010).

 

[Dennie]

Hell Freezes Over -- Remastered 20-Bit K2 XRCD2

Eagles

1994/2000 Geffin/Universal Hong Kong - JVC (Import Japan)

The Eagles' first newly recorded album in 14 years gets off to a good start with the rocker "Get Over It," a timely piece of advice about accepting responsibility, followed by the tender ballad "Love Will Keep Us Alive," the country-styled "The Girl From Yesterday," and "Learn to Be Still," one of Don Henley's more thoughtful statements. Hell Freezes Over contains an EP's worth of new material followed by a live album.

1. Get Over It
2. Love Will Keep Us Alive
3. The Girl From Yesterday
4. Learn To Be Still
5. Tequila Sunrise
6. Hotel California
7. Wasted Time
8. Pretty Maids All In A Row
9. I Can't Tell You Why
10. New York Minute
11. The Last Resort
12. Take It Easy
13. In The City
14. Life In The Fast Lane
15. Desperado


Don Felder - lead guitars, steel guitar, slide guitar, vocals, mandolin
Glenn Frey - guitars, piano, keyboards, vocals
Don Henley - drums, guitars, percussion, vocals
Timothy B. Schmit - bass guitar, vocals
Joe Walsh - lead guitars, slide guitar, organ, vocals

Additional personnel

John Corey - piano
Scott Crago - percussion, drums
Timothy Drury - keyboards, vocals
Stan Lynch - percussion
Jay Oliver - organ, keyboards, piano
Paulinho Da Costa - percussion
Gary Grimm - percussion
Brian Matthews - electro-theremin
Al Garth - trumpet on "New York Minute"
Burbank Philharmonic Orchestra - backup on "New York Minute"

 

[Dennie]

Happy Sunday everyone... :banana-dance:

Kind of Blue -- Remastered CD

Miles Davis

1959/1997 Columbia Legacy Edition

Amazon.com essential recording

This is the one jazz record owned by people who don't listen to jazz, and with good reason. The band itself is extraordinary (proof of Miles Davis's masterful casting skills, if not of God's existence), listing John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on saxophones, Bill Evans (or, on "Freddie Freeloader," Wynton Kelly) on piano, and the crack rhythm unit of Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Coltrane's astringency on tenor is counterpoised to Adderley's funky self on alto, with Davis moderating between them as Bill Evans conjures up a still lake of sound on which they walk. Meanwhile, the rhythm partnership of Cobb and Chambers is prepared to click off time until eternity. It was the key recording of what became modal jazz, a music free of the fixed harmonies and forms of pop songs. In Davis's men's hands it was a weightless music, but one that refused to fade into the background. In retrospect every note seems perfect, and each piece moves inexorably towards its destiny. --John Szwed

All songs composed by Miles Davis (see content section for more information). Only six complete takes of the five tunes on the album exist, indicated by the song numbers.

"So What" – 9:22
"Freddie Freeloader" – 9:46
"Blue in Green" – 5:37
"All Blues" – 11:33
"Flamenco Sketches" – 9:26

Reissue bonus track

"Flamenco Sketches" (Alternate take) – 9:32

Tracks 1, 2 and 3 (side one on the original vinyl release) recorded March 2, 1959; tracks 4 and 5 (side two) recorded April 22, 1959. All tracks recorded at Columbia 30th Street Studio, New York City.

 

[Dennie]

Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane -- CD

1958/1989 Prestige/Fantasy-OJC Records

Great people, good tunes; you won't get tired of this one..., December 25, 2002
By William E. Adams (Midland, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)
This review is from: Kenny Burrell & John Coltrane (Audio CD)

Kenny Burrell's guitar-playing sounds a lot like Wes Montgomery, who didn't make a splash in the jazz world until two years after this recording date. That means this disc would be worth buying for his leading work alone. But when you add in support three of the seven artists who created the classic "Kind of Blue" record just a year or so later, you of course have a first-rank album on your hands. John Coltrane on tenor sax, Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums all were part of the later Miles Davis-led album which is one of the most popular jazz works of all time. The final master-stroke was adding Tommy Flanagan on piano, who always is a welcome member of an ensemble. I suspect many recent and future buyers of this will do so because of Coltrane's prominent contributions, but everyone playing here gets kudos, especially Burrell. This disc runs just under 38 minutes, but it is so cheerful and lovely you will play it twice in a row most the time. If you are a 'Trane fan, or a fan of jazz guitar, you need to own this one.

"Freight Trane" (Tommy Flanagan) — 7:18
"I Never Knew" (Ted Fio Rito, Gus Kahn) — 7:03
"Lyresto" (Kenny Burrell) — 5:35
"Why Was I Born?" (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern) — 3:11
"Big Paul" (Tommy Flanagan) — 14:13


Kenny Burrell — guitar
John Coltrane — tenor saxophone
Tommy Flanagan — piano
Paul Chambers — bass
Jimmy Cobb — drums