The Hot Fives & Sevens [JSP] [Box]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 October, 1999)
list price: $28.98 -- our price: $25.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Between 1925 and 1929, Louis Armstrong created one of the first great bodies of work in jazz. While he worked regularly as a soloist with big bands, he began his career as a leader with the first all-star studio group in jazz, the Hot Five. The other four musicians were Armstrong's wife, Lil Hardin Armstrong, on piano; Johnny Dodds on clarinet; Kid Ory on trombone; and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo. The music's first great soloist, Armstrong was reshaping jazz by sheer improvisational magic, gradually diminishing the role of the traditional New Orleans ensemble with the clarion brilliance of his trumpet. Possessing an uncanny blend of exuberance and creativity, he combined virtuosic declarations with a talent for the subtlest shifts in phrasing and melodic variation, creating rich emotional statements that could hint at loss in the midst of joy or the promise of better things in the most sorrowful blues. The band expands here, to the Hot Seven and larger ensembles, and it gains soloists who applied Armstrong's lessons to their own instruments--musicians such as pianist Earl Hines and trombonist Jack Teagarden--but all come under the imprint of Armstrong's flowering genius, as both trumpeter and singer.

It's almost impossible to overrate this material. It may be the most influential music in jazz history, establishing standards for originality and sustained invention that have rarely been matched. The JSP set is a superb reissue of Armstrong's essential work. The remastering is by John R.T. Davies, widely acknowledged as the dean of engineers in the field of early jazz, and the resultant sound is simply the best this work has ever enjoyed. There are alternate takes of the later material on Columbia Legacy (including Louis in New York and St. Louis Blues), so collectors will want both. But this recording is superior listening, at a price that also makes it an ideal introduction to one of the few titans of jazz. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (40)

Leaves me cold
I love twenties and thirties music and have a large collection of it. While I know that Louis Armstong is very important to the history of jazz, there is very little of his music that I enjoy. I recognize the technical virtuosity and the improvisational inventiveness. I can hear how tight these two groups were - they really became an organic whole, a unit with one mind performing several instruments. I like "Potato Head Blues." I find myself skipping through most of the other pieces, however. It could be the very strong New Orleans style that rules here. I prefer my twenties jazz sweetened up with the melody prominent, not simply a starting point for improvisation and jamming. Much of New Orleans Jazz wears on me the way those twenty minute guitar or bass or drum solos from the late sixties wore on me. Yes, I can hear that you can do incredible things with your instrument. Fine. You have my admiration, but not my love. This album is not going to be played every month (or year) the way my Six Jumping Jacks albums are played. Sure, Armstrong and his bands are the better musicians but the SJJ's have my love the way that The Kingsmen's version of "Louie, Louie," is my favorite version of that song. I'm glad I have this but it won't get played much.

THREE CHEARS FOR THE BOOTLEGGERS!! HIP HIP HOORAY!!!
Do you believe this guy below?

This is far superior sounding and budgeted than the Columbia issue of these recordings. I know, I own the Columbia versions. Let's hear it for JSP who have given us a reasonably priced alternative to the greedy SONY Company. Armstrong is long gone and I doubt his estate gets anything in the way of reasonable royalties from these greedy record companies. They take all the profit. And their profit is probably 500 to 900 %. It probably costs them 80 cents to put out a single CD, but they charge, on average almost 12 to 20 dollars for that single music CD. I bet a shiny new penny goes to the artist. If the record companies weren't so greedy maybe JSP and PROPER wouldn't need to spend time cleaning up this old material and putting out their great product. Let it be a lesson to these corporate jerks. Think of the fans and maybe Import Companies will stop making and selling these great compilations. I would image that all of this material is public domain by now, anyway. I'm surprised they're not knocking on people's doors with their hands out everytime someone sings Happy Birthday To You. I know they charge TV Producers for that little pleasure. Boo Hoo, Jeff Jones. I'm crying in my beer for the poor record companies. Music fans have probably payed the mortgage on your house three times over, my friend. And Armstrong was probably strong-armed (no pun intended) into signing over the publishing rights to his music long ago. That's the way they treated artists in Armstrong's day and his estate probably gets zilch!! So get over it!! Man, the audacity!!

I'll tell you what. Why don't you give us the name and address of Satchmo's estate and I'll send them a couple of bucks for buying this. I've saved more than that by buying from JSP and I'm sure it's more than SONY would give them.

By the way, this is a stunning remaster of Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven Legacy. BUY THIS NOW!!

Also check out JSP's Django Reinhardt Box Sets. Both are also reasonably priced and stunningly remastered.

I hope JSP and PROPER are getting rich from their generosity. I know I'm feeding their kitty. Thanks guys!! Keep up the great work!!

ENJOY.

This record is a BOOTLEG - Do Not Buy it.
I work for Columbia Records / Legacy Recordings and I know that this company whoever they are has no right to be selling this set in the US. Perhaps it is an import.In Europe this classic material is Public Domain. No royalties are being paid to the artist estate.
While the price is right, the artist and record company is being ripped off. ... Read more

Asin: B00001ZWLP
Subjects:  1. Box Sets (Audio Only)    2. Classic Jazz    3. Dixieland    4. Jazz    5. New Orleans Jazz    6. Pop   

Never No Lament: The Blanton-Webster Band
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 April, 2003)
list price: $39.98 -- our price: $39.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This 75-track, three-CD set from Duke Ellington's RCA dates from 1940 to 1942, was culled from the massive, 1999 Bluebird mega-set. It's named for bassist Jimmy Blanton and tenor saxophonist Ben Webster. Blanton's astonishing technique made him one of the greatest bass players of all time, and Webster's warm, raw-boned tenor tones inspired future saxophonists. Along with the famous Ellingtonians, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges, trumpeter Cootie Williams, violinist Ray Nance, and trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton, the addition of Blanton and Webster, along with the arrival of composer/arranger/pianist Billy Strayhorn, make this aggregation Ellington's first "superband."

All the vivid and varied dimensions of Ellingtonia are included in this digitally remastered set, with songs written by his son, Mercer. There's Ellington's silky blues numbers such as "Jack the Bear" and "C-Jam Blues." The Puerto Rican valve trombonist Juan Tizol's "Conga Brava," "Moon Over Cuba," and "Bakiff" contribute Latin and Middle Eastern colors. "Harlem Airshaft" and "Sepia Panorama" are but two examples of Ellington's tonal portraits. The legendary Ellington/Blanton duets, with the bouncy "Pitter Panther Patter" and the emotive "Sophisticated Lady" still sound modern. Webster's surging, pre-bop solos drive the George Gershwin-based "Cottontail," and soulfully signature Strayhorn's ballad "Chelsea Bridge." This set also marks the introduction of other Strayhorn's classics, including "Take the 'A' Train" and "Johnny Come Lately." All told, these World War II-era sides are essential for the Ellington canon. Eugene Holley, Jr. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Duke Ellington is the Coolest
The Blanton-Webster band of 1940-'42 is one of the Duke's finest hours. This was the band that played Take the "A" Train and redefined swing. It is possible that this band forged be-bop also. This 75 track 3 disc set is simply essential. Many cd's say essential but this one really is. This is some of the greatest American music of all time and damnit I wish I had it and I wish I could've met the Duke. He was one hip brother.
Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington
1899-1974

5 stars for old fans, 1 star for beginners.
I have old version BWB and 24CD box DE Centennial from which new version is taken.
In my opinion this is version of Blanton Webster band, which doesn't too good for beginners.
Sound is very harsh and hiss.
For beginners I push around older versions BWB rather.
In Never no lament version songs like Conga brava, Jack the beer are unlistenable.
But if you want sound not muffled, this is right version for you.
This sounds clearly the previous versions and for more cases band sounds like the musicians come to yourroom and you can listen more details from this great music.
BWB is for me the best jazz compilation ever.

Essential Music, Beautifully Restored
These selections are widely recognized as among the most important recordings in the history of jazz, and rightly so. Included are the definitive versions of many of Ellington's (and his associates') most inspired compositions, performed by one of the greatest bands ever assembled. The musicianship is superb throughout, with absolutely stunning solo and ensemble work on track after track, particularly on the instrumental selections that make up the bulk of the set.

To my ears, the sound quality is astonishingly good. I've been listening to this material on various other compilations (Bluebird's "Blanton-Webster Band," the relevant volumes in the Melodie Jazz Classic label's "Chronological Classics" series, an RCA "Jazz Tribune" set, etc.) for years, and I'm amazed at how much better this issue sounds than any of those. It's true that there's a bit of surface noise, but as one other reviewer has already noted, the problem with noise reduction is that when it's used to excess (as on the Bluebird set, for example), it strips away a lot of the music along with the noise. Here, where the remastering has been done much more judiciously, the improved clarity, detail, presence, and tonal range more than compensate for the slight increase in extraneous background noise. The result is, to my ears, a stunning improvement in overall sound quality.

This is an extremely well-produced reissue that belongs in the collection of anyone with an interest in Ellington, or in big-band jazz in general.
... Read more

Asin: B00008J2IX
Subjects:  1. Big Band    2. Classic Jazz    3. Jazz    4. Orchestral Jazz    5. Pop    6. Progressive Big Band    7. Swing   

The Complete Decca Recordings
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (17 March, 1992)
list price: $38.98 -- our price: $38.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Ellington's band had more grace and sophistication, but no big band swung harder than the incomparable Basie band. Recorded between 1937 and 1939, these 63 classics feature a cornucopia of legendary musicians: Herschel Evans' big-toned, earthy tenor balances Lester Young's ethereal tenor. Harry "Sweets" Edison's soaring blares complement Buck Clayton's muted trumpet. Jimmy Rushing's nasal, booming operatics contrast with Helen Humes's precise elegance. The Freddie Green-Walter Page-Jo Jones rhythm section flawlessly anchors the driving 4/4 rhythm. And, of course, there's the leader's minimalist piano, using just the right, essential mix of boogie-woogie and stride. These three CDs are peppered with what would become jazz standards and should be a cornerstone of any music library. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (10)

for all who have ears
If you have ears and do not have this set, something is wrong!

Basie's band is here fresh from Kansas City. Its approach is simple. The greatest rhythm section in the history of Jazz, Basie, Walter Page, Joe Jones, and (first Claude Williams followed by the classic) Freddie Green set the tempo, lightly to hardly swinging, the sections come in, and then the great soloists of this orchestra Buck Clayton, Herschel Evans, and the great Genius Lester Young come in to make some of the greatest performances in Jazz history.The tunes, particularly on the first CD are triumphs of the blues based "head arrangements" that were the stock in trade of Kansas City Jazz.

We aksi gave the magnificent singing and swinging of the incomparable Jimmy Rushing and later the singing of Helen Humes.During the first year or so of the Decca contract Billie Holiday was Basie's female singer.However, because she was already signed with Columbia-Brunswick she never recorded with the band. What a tragedy that we only have three air checks from radio of Billie with this band, none on this CD.

It should be noted that on the last set of recordings here after Herschel Evans died, the great Tenor man Chu Berry joined the band to later be replaced by Buddy Tate. The competition between Evans and Young was the stuff of legends, but the blowing battles that triumph between Berry and Young on Cherokee and Lady Be Good on the last CD here is as good as it gets in 1930s Jazz.

How can you choose between the tracks or selections with the smaller collections of Decca Basie do you select One o'clock Jump over Jumpin' at the Woodside, Texas Shuffle over Good Morning Blues, no you can't. There are a lot of gems here that aren't as widely known and do nto appear in smaller compilations.The most import are the many sides with only Basie's piano supported by the rest of the rhythm section. If you are serious about playing, jazz, blues, or swing or just music, particularly if you play a rhythm instrument, program these sides on your CD and try to play along. Just listening without playing is a real education in blues and swing.

The rhetoric is of course that later the band got to be more and more of an arranged band and less swinging than this. I don't agree with that at all. However, there is a gritty bluesy magic here that does tend to float away after they left Decca.

Of course, the sad history of these recordings is that Decca signed Basie to the three years of these recordings for 700 bucks before Basie got to New York and realized what the orchestra could mean.It took the union and lawyers John Hammond found to get Decca to pay the band members union scale for these classic sides. It's also evident if you compare the last of these Decca sides to the first Columbia sides that Decca wasn't as concerned with the recording quality of these records as Columbia.But that's life under capitalism, great art getting ripped off by big money.

There is simply no excuse for anyone with ears not to have this collection.The sides aren't just great art or necessary history, they are fun, they are moving, and they are going to put a song in your heart and a smile on your face!

Superb, and great sound.
This is an excellent recording, obviously mastered by some masterful recording engineers. My only wish is that I could've been in the recording studio or dance hall myself, but this is about the next best thing. Duke Ellington I adore and will forever, but this selection puts jazz band music in a whole different perspective. Smoke is coming out of my speakers. The whole house is shaking. The roof is buckling. Don't say you weren't warned!

Lively, humorous and energetic!
I recently suffered a loss of nearly 1/2 of my cd collection, and when I realized that this set wasn't stolen, I literally cried tears of joy!

I love jazz and swing and the blues and Basie et. al. know what they're doing, and go at it with zest and a sense of fun.Track 7 on Disc 2, "Mama don't want no peas 'n' rice 'n' cocnut oil", never fails to make me smile and often laugh.It's a great story, concept and song.If only for this track, the collection would be worthwhile.

The trick of it is, I'd easily give you a list of 50% of the songs that right off, you're likely to love and find essential to your quality of life.But then again, the other 50% give life balance.

The clarity of the recordings is a pleasure not just because of the absence of pops, clicks or hiss (some tracks have a wee bit, but compared to other period re-releases, this is about as good as it gets), but the recordings have a sense of a "clean, open" headspace, no bounce or reverb or other additions.It's very much as if you're listening to them in a studio or small, empty club.Just you and them and the music.Maybe a pack of smokes and a drink and your best guy/gal.

Close your eyes and smile! ... Read more

Asin: B000003N3G
Subjects:  1. Big Band    2. Big Band/Swing    3. Classic Jazz    4. Jazz    5. Pop    6. Swing   

Yardbird Suite: The Ultimate Charlie Parker
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 March, 1997)
list price: $31.98
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This two-CD set is an ideal introduction to the music of Charlie Parker and the bop revolution. Its 38 tracks are culled from several labels, including Savoy and Dial, with many of them recorded between 1946 and 1949, the altoist's most creative period and the years in which he was reshaping jazz. This is music of luminous vitality--whether rapid-fire and manic, witty or tender. Musical ideas and feelings spun from Parker's horn with divine ease, every newly minted phrase drenched in meaning. Parker was changing the way the best young musicians played--whether saxophonists, pianists, or drummers--and it's apparent here in the supporting work of Miles Davis, Max Roach, Bud Powell, and a host of others. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Be careful!
Ok..I bought this compilation because it had all of the bird & diz tracks that I liked and needed. Has most of his good stuff on verve as well. My MAIN reason for picking this one up, was for 'A night in tunisia' and some of the other Dial tracks, only to find out that the licensing for the Dial recordings were unavailable at the time they made this compilation, so they were replaced with bootleg "live" poor quality versions of these tracks.

To be fair, This would make a good gift for someone who just wants a taste.

Excellent
Bird was a true prodigy, as were many of his bandmates. This album is a very good cross section of some of his best tunes. The Gillespie tune "Groovin' High" is always a good pick-me-up. Even the sadder sounding songs are delightful in their own way. It is hard to stay in a bad mood when these tunes are playing. The sheer skill of these musicians is truly remarkable.

Good, But not Great
If you don't have alot of cash to spend, this album shows alot of Bird's best tunes from Savoy and Dial. If you've got like $30 to spend, or you don't have any parker and you want to try him hou, then get this and bird's best bop on vereve for most of his best work. (Although I cringe when I hear bird with strings) However, if you have more cash to spend, Get the complete Savoy and Dial master takes (It's like $40) and the complete verve master takes (another $40) With these, you'll have all the best bird, and also all the songs on the famed Omnibook. (Except that dang anthropolgy, anyone know where to get that one?) If you need to just get one, get the Savoy. I, like alot of other people I know, like his dial and savoy output much better. ... Read more

Asin: B0000033PW
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Brilliant Corners
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 July, 1991)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Few composers or improvisers can match the originality of pianist Thelonious Monk. Quirky yet rigorously logical, Monk's playful but always purposeful choice of skewed melodies and interrupted rhythm patterns gave the bebop movement, and jazz in total, a new sound that was totally modern. Although he created a surprisingly limited body of compositions, his impact on the vocabulary and canon of jazz is second to none, including such prolific giants as Duke Ellington. Brilliant Corners is a triumph of both performance and conception: the two small-group sessions, anchored by Monk, drummer Max Roach, and the bass work of either Oscar Pettiford or Paul Chambers, feature superb front-line performances by saxophonists Sonny Rollins and the tragically under-recorded Ernie Henry, as well as trumpeter Clark Terry. The title track, which centers the collection, is one of Monk's most unconventional pieces, skirting whole-tone, chromatic and Lydian scales; a version of "Pannonica" finds Monk doubling on celeste, while the band stretches out on "Bemsha Swing" and the blues "Ba-lue Bolivar Ba-lues-are." --Fred Goodman ... Read more

Reviews (21)

Brilliant on so many different levels!
Yet another GREAT SPHERE ALBUM!!!! I'm a big Sonny Rollins fan and thought that I had heard it all until this album... his lurking tone is forceful, yet evidently self-diffident. Monk is MONK to be elegantly simple! This is truly brilliant and a robust yet poignant album by the one and only..... Definitely a TOP 25!

Which Monk Cd should I choose ?
That is one of life's more difficult questions because the more you listen to Monk the more you hear. Certainly that is true on this Cd. It ranks as one of my favorites because the music is so unpredictable and the musicians that are on this particular Monk recording do an amazing job interpreting Monk's compositions. Every cut is different and eachhas something that just blows me away every time I hear it. Pannonica , the 3rd track is one of Monk's more understated and underrated tunes. His piano playing on that number can only be descibed as sweet.The Blues turnarounds on Bal-Lue Bolivar with Monk and Sonny Rollins are knock-outs and Monk's version of I Surrender Dear is especially unique.
I would be remiss not to mention Max Roach's drumming on this entire cd is fantastic but he particularly shines on Bemsha Swing. Then the icing on the cake is a beautiful trumpet solo on that cut by Clark Terry.
This is certainly one of Monk's finest recordings and on certain nights it is my all-time favorite. Don't miss it.

MONK!
Perfection is a strange word to apply to something as spontaneous as jazz - but somehow it is applicable to this brilliant recording of Thelonious Monk - who is at the top of his game here.No other Monk recording compares to this one in my opinion - and the ensemble is top-notch. Check this one out! ... Read more

Asin: B000000Y1H
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Thelonious Alone in San Francisco
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 July, 1991)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Thelonious Monk was a brilliant improviser, using his incredible rhythmic sense and his harmonic ingenuity to find new possibilities in his own works or standards while touching on the wellsprings of the blues and early jazz piano styles. Those gifts were never more apparent than in his whimsical and inspired solo performances, like this one from 1959. In addition to the usual fare, Monk could always reach into a treasure trove of pop songs others had forgotten. Here he makes original music out of the ancient and ephemeral "There's Danger in Your Eyes, Cherie," and he manages to do it on two separate takes. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Essential
Thelonious Sphere Monk - brilliant pianist, quirky composer. His offbeat sense of harmonics and unusual musical sensibility may have gotten him kicked out of the Julliard music school and made his material a tad skewed for the casual listener to follow - now just as much as then - but to those willing to make a little adjustment, it's the reason he's always been such a complete original. He worked chords and combinations out of a piano that no one else ever thought of. The man was brilliant in any context, but I say his solo albums are the best way of hearing an eccentric genius at work. He plays around with ideas and variations like a sculptor with clay: old standards are given a new twist, his own past songs are nudged and prodded into shapes they'd never seen before, and there's never a lack of new ideas brought to the table.

Different people's ratings of the man's albums are always individual things, but Alone in San Francisco has always been my favorite. As usual you can't always know what to expect. The mood is predominantly quiet and reflective with a touch of the blues: "Blue Monk" (go figure), "Round Lights" and "Bluehawk" are all basically blues tunes, but even within that framework the playful improv work makes them almost nothing alike. The only track that took more than one take is not a Thelonious original, but an obscure 1920s pop tune ("they won't be expecting anything like this from me," he's quoted in the liners). There's some ear-tweaking trick or quirk around every corner here. The compositions don't usually follow standard keys or modes as we know them. When there's a catchy right-hand melody being woven, the block chords underneath it follow an unusual progression that doesn't match up the way you'd expect. Even the timing's sometimes weird, as in the opening to "Everything Happens to Me".. but somehow everything sounds natural with a logic all its own, if you just listen for it.

Short but sweet at 45 minutes, more easy and accessible than some other choices (e.g. Brilliant Corners or Underground), and usually pretty well priced, this disc makes a great introduction for those new to Monk. Solo Monk also makes a worthy find in this vein since it's got more alternate takes, giving a better picture of just how unique every TM performance was, but Alone in SF has always connected with me on a more personal level. As one of the reviewers below said, it's got the perfect empty-club-at-closing-time feel; quiet but not lonely, subdued yet peaceful. This is the one to unwind with while by yourself.. or with the kind of company that doesn't mind sharing a little quiet time. Newcomers, try this or Straight, No Chaser for a good first taste. Established fans: this one shouldn't disappoint in the least.

You need to hear Monk solo
If you like Monk, but don't own any of his solo recordings, you need to.His playing was dramatically different without a group behind him.While his ensemble playing is wild and loose, truly improvisational, his solo playing is even and disciplined.He strikes a perfect balance between joy and melancholy.To get a true picture of Monk, you have to have his solo material.

My favorite jazz cd
There are simply no other records, to me, that capture a sense of harmony, melody, beauty, pain, loneliness, joy, all in one magical recording.This set was recorded in the afternoon between shows in San Fran.The song selection is amazing.This is a record I never put away for long.It has a magical spontaneity to it.Monk's playing is brilliant, but he has that Neil Young-type quality of being slightly flawed or imperfect in evertying he does.This is why I love his music (and Neil's too). ... Read more

Asin: B000000YCZ
Subjects:  1. Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop   

Ella & Louis
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 March, 2000)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

What we have here is the mating of honey and molasses. Or is it the sound of melted butter over gravel?Never mind--sweeter, more joyous music has never been recorded (although the follow-up, Ella and Louis Again, may be even better). You can't listen to these two without smiling. It's such an inevitable pairing that you wonder what titanic forces of nature could have kept Ella and Satchmo apart until they made this record together in 1957, accompanied by the Oscar Peterson trio and Buddy Rich on drums. The songs are standards--extraordinary standards, of course, like "Moonlight in Vermont" and "A Foggy Day"--but nirvana is reached on "Cheek to Cheek." Heaven. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (32)

A desert island disc for sure!
Two of the greatest popular musical performers of the 20th century, "Ella and Louis" together make beautiful music."Stars Fell on Alabama," "Cheek to Cheek," "A Foggy Day," "Can't We Be Friends?," "They Can't Take That Away From Me," "Under a Blanket of Blue" - this is an unbeatable collection of pop standards.Truly a desert island disc.

Touches the Soul
What a wonderful experience.... I've been cycling through this CD over and over since I bought it.It really keeps me warm and relaxed. I find myself swaying (even while driving) and singing along seems to be unavoidable.I'll be buying the rest of the Island series now!

Slow, but wonderfully invigorating.
If ever there were magic caught on a recording, it happened on one day in August 1956 in Los Angeles when these six musicians worked together to produce it. Ella and Louis are the vocalists, Louis alternating on trumpet. The Oscar Peterson Trio and Buddy Rich, drums, complete the sextet. The tracks, all perennial favorites at the time, are ensured of immortality by this recording. All items are slow moving, but such is the buoyant, easy rhythm these artists set you will find the effect is wonderfully invigorating. Australian and Californian listeners might agree with me that the sound of Louis Armstrong's trumpet playing is similar to the sound produced by an improvised arrangement of eucalyptus leaves on a player's lips. ... Read more

Asin: B00004RD5E
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 February, 2000)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Many a young musician has been sabotaged by his own considerable abilities. So caught up are they in technical execution that they give elements such as emotion and taste short shrift. Trumpeter Clifford Brown was a musical dynamo, a man who was capable of playing many instruments well and who possessed supreme natural instincts and boundless energy. Brown painstakingly practiced and perfected his technique, but when practice time gave way to playing time--there was no other time for him--Brown's command was so deeply ingrained that he was free to concentrate on those other elements: emotion and taste. This reissue of the 1954 recorded debut of the Brown-Roach quintet stands as one of the most exciting works in all of jazz, and it plays as if the ensemble knew it at the time. Brown's trumpet work is fiery, confident, and nimble, tempered slightly by Miles Davis's lyricism; his tone is bright and bold, but the icing on the cake is the joy and tenderness that surface. Drummer Max Roach was already a bop veteran when he formed this groundbreaking hard-bop band and he prances like a dancer throughout. Harold Land's grounded, relaxed, grainy tenor is the perfect yin to Brown's yang. Brown emerges here as the crucial link between Dizzy Gillespie and basically all hot trumpeters to follow, even though he was not yet 24 when he made these recordings. Among the four extra cuts on this remastered reissue are alternate versions of "Daahoud" and "Joy Spring," two Brown compositions that have become hard-bop cornerstones. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Reviews (14)

Clifford Brown - on the brighter side of the street
Clifford Brown deserves to be mentioned among the great jazz trumpeters - Louis Armstrong, Roy Eldrige, Freddie Hubbard,Ray Nance, Cootie Williams, Cat Anderson, (the last three were Ellington's Trumpeters), Dizzy Gillespie, Clark Terry, Miles Davis among others (Lee Morgan, Thad Jones, Woody Shaw and Fats Navarro maybe). He generally is thought of as one of the best, and this album shows that opinon to some degree. This is not the best playing Brown did by a long shot, but it deserves to be in your collection. Brown and Roach's chemistry was really starting to click here, and it shows. I enjoy the Hawkins/Rollins style of Harold Land, and the persistant bass of George Marrow. I do think though that Richie Powell did not fit in this group. He did do some amazing arranging and writing for the group (particularly on the basin street recording), but his soloing almost hinders the groups some. The tune will be pulling you along and the then under-recorded/ out of place piano will come in. His playing at times slows down the song and sounds a little uncomforatble and unsure of itself. Don't let this fault hinder the rest of the tune, because they are phenominal. Maybe I will come around to Richie Powell, I don't know

Absolutely essential
Recorded in 1954-55 for EmArcy:

Brown (tp) Harold Land (ts) Richie Powell (p) George Morrow (b) Max Roach (d)

This CD should be in every modern jazz lover's collection, for it has on it some of the greatest performances ever put out on record/CD. Brownie is at his absolute best here. "Parisian Thoroughfare," written by Bud Powell (Richie's brother), is a terrific tune, and the quintet does a great job with Ellington's "What am I Here For," a real scorcher. But the piece de resistance is "Joy Spring," written by Brown and fantastic in every regard. A true modern masterpiece. A must-have CD.

a classic pairing shines brightly!
i have only been collecting jazz music for the last two years, so an expert i am not. however, out of the sixty odd jazz cd's i do have, this one is easily in the top five. the vibrant tone of brownie's trumpet is heard in all it's glory here. he has a way of sometimes using staccato bursts in his blowing that is such a pleasure to hear. i also love the sound of max roach pounding on the bass drum in this cd. deep and powerful! harold land's warm tone on the tenor sax is a nice complement to brownie's trumpet. this was trend-setting music, considering it was made in 54/55, before what i consider the golden age of jazz starting in the late 50's and ending in the late 60's. brownie does not seem to get the recognition he deserves. this is no doubt due mainly to his untimely death at an early age soon after this material was recorded. miles davis, louie armstrong, dizzy, lee morgan, and freddie hubbard are all great trumpet players and get more recognition. however,my favorite is brownie. the recording quality of this remastered cd version is excellent, as good as any of the rvg remastered blue note jazz cd's i have. the verve master edition is worth the extra few bucks. nice packaging with a pull-out booklet of liner notes. highly recommended! ... Read more

Asin: B00004NHC0
Subjects:  1. Hard Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Trumpet   

Sarah Vaughan W/ Clifford Brown
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 February, 2000)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Like a gifted actress, Sarah Vaughan always makes lyrics come alive, whether on poignant ballads or buoyant pop novelties. Vaughan "plays" her voice as if it is a "real" instrument, and on this 1955 marvel, she is matched with musicians of an equally high caliber. On "Lullaby of Birdland," she trades harmonically advanced scat lines with Herbie Mann, Paul Quinichette, and Clifford Brown. Vaughan is hauntingly romantic and Brown is at his most lyrical on "September Song." She shows her unbelievable bop-influenced creativity on "You're Not the Kind"; Brown's hard-swinging solo and Quinichette's Lester Young-styled softness set up an incredible ending cascade from Vaughan. Pianist Jimmy Jones's beautiful chords on the infectious "He's My Guy" show why he was one of the most sought-after vocal accompanists, while Vaughan's phrasing, deliberately behind the time, adds perfectly to the relaxed feel. "April in Paris" reveals her operatic quality as Brown's tingling riffs fill in the space behind her. Throughout, Sassy combines exquisite elegance, impressive range, and an effortless delivery. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Extra tracks

Reviews (28)

Top ten all time Jazz
This is another album ranking in my top-ten personal favorites, and damned if it doesn't feature Clifford Brown too, just like Helen Merrill's classic...he draws your heartstrings and accents these recordings naturally, perfectly. Beautiful songs, beautiful lady, nobody has more gorgeous phrasing or heart-lifting vocals than Sarah.Can you live without this album in regular rotation?I can't.

Come to Mama, come to Mama, do
From the opening intro you know you are in for something accesible and new at the same time with this one.I have listened sporadically to jazz since I was fifteen, I saw aging Gillespie and Basie live, and Ella and Joe Pass.I got hooked on a label that focused on Ella, and never listened to much Sarah Vaughan.I just have to say that this early stuff rocks(or Jazzes, I guess).The aforementioned first cut just cruises along is such a heartstoppingly beautiful way...for me, no music does this to me like Jazz.I listen to a lot of stuff(though I hate when people blow their own horn about how eclectic their musical tastes are...yeah yeah, get over yourself) I can think of no other music that creates these time stopping moments for me like jazz does.The first cut, lullaby of Birdland does this several times...it creates absloutely breathtaking moments, the opening intro, the absolutely spare backup, allowing total support for master vocals....the scatting, and then this great point where Sarah sings in front of a rythmic arrangement...it is magical for me.
Oh yes, there is the rest of the music, which wails and ballads it's way into every nook and cranny of ones romantic soul.When Sarah sings Embraceable You, you want to come to mama(that is a lyric..) (oh that great moment is coming up..........don't you love it)
Gotta figure it out for yourself...but chances are you will want to embrace someone yourself when you listen to it...

or want to go to birdland, or experience Paris

it's an emotional travelogue of the map of the jazzy heart.

One of the best vocal jazz albums ever
It is hard to find information about Jazz in today's world, so it is hard to know what is good, what is bad and what is... well, you know. THIS is better than good. This is Sarah Vaughn, one of the best voices in the history of singing, backed by the best band she ever worked with, featuring trumpeter Clifford Brown. I'd pay the purchase price just for "Lullaby of Birdland", but fortunately there are 8 other awesome tracks here. This is one of those albums you can play all the way through over and over again. No jazz record collection should be without it. ... Read more

Asin: B00004NHCC
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Pop    4. Standards    5. Traditional Pop    6. United States of America    7. Vocal Jazz   

Birth of the Cool
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 January, 2001)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $7.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The first important leader date from one of jazz's most seminal figures and farsighted practitioners. Having made his reputation in large measure from playing with bop giant Charlie Parker, Davis confounded expectations when he embraced the "cool" arranging style of Gil Evans, an arranger for Claude Thornhill's band. Evans, who was employing unique voicings by adding French horns and tuba to Thornhill's instrumentations, also emphasized a diminished use of vibrato in both reeds and brass, producing a drier, "cool" sound. Two of Evans's arrangements, "Boplicity" and "Moon Dreams," appear on the album. Also involved are baritone saxophonist Gerry Mulligan, who contributed such outstanding tunes as "Jeru" and "Venus de Milo," and Modern Jazz Quartet pianist John Lewis. The result is a date that has withstood the tests of time, fashion, and Davis's own extraordinary growth as a performer.

An enhanced set, The Complete Birth of the Cool features previously bootlegged live recordings of the nonet at the Royal Roost in New York in 1948. Although the sound quality is far from perfect, the performances are remarkable, and worth the additional expense for the serious fan. --Fred Goodman ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (34)

Birth of the Cool deserves 50 stars.
Miles Davis is awesome - Birth of the Cool deserves 50 stars.

Sounds SuperFresh Even After Over 50 Years!
This is one those records that on hearing the first time, one might wonder "What is going on here?" Even now, it has a unique , fresh sound, with some very interesting harmonics and solos, not to mention rhythms that don't swing, but may be like a mellow bop. You can tell all the players are right on target thruout. It may seem a bit dissonent on first hearing, but no doubt this CD deserves its reputation as innovative and timeless.Some very nice listening once you've gotten the feel for it!

not his best
I really like miles davis but this cd I listen to the least it's just to structured for miles and simple awesome jazz it's just I'am more of a fan of kind of blue and [...]brew songs like spanish key and so what are my favorites ... Read more

Asin: B00005614M
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

My Favorite Things
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $8.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This 1960 recording was a landmark album in John Coltrane's career, the first to introduce his quartet with pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones and the first release on which he played soprano saxophone. It also provided him with a signature hit, as his new group conception came together wonderfully on the title track. It's an extended modal reworking in 6/4 time that brought the hypnotic pulsating quality of Indian music into jazz for the first time, with Coltrane's soprano wailing over the oscillating piano chords and pulsing drums. The unusual up-tempo version of Gershwin's "Summertime" is a heated example of Coltrane's "sheets of sound" approach to conventional changes, while "But Not for Me" receives a radical harmonic makeover. This is an excellent introduction to Coltrane's work. --Stuart Broomer ... Read more

Reviews (30)

My favorite thing
Coltrane was God. Only he could take a show tune and fill it with sonic hurricanes and the kind musical dexterity on display here. Drummer Elvin Jones is a revelation and would be one of the most influential in jazz or rock.

This album also introduced the world to one of Jazz musics' greatest quartets. And one of the 3 greatest 60s jazz bands(the other 2 - Miles great mid 60s quintet with Wayne Shorter, Tony Williams..., and Ornette Coleman's early 60s quartet with Don Cherry)

This is essential to any jazz collection.

A landmark in jazz, but...
Compared to the other Coltrane recordings I have, this one seems to fall short of the mark.While the title cut is adventurous, has some impassioned sax playing, and has a beautiful rhythmic flow, it seems that McCoy Tyner (who, incidentally, is one of my favorites) spends his entire solo section trying to figure out what to play, killing time by plinking some octaves, or vamping while waiting for Coltrane to come back in, which doesn't happen for too long a time. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye is a beautiful first-rate rendition of a standard ballad, and Summertime and But Not For Me are very enjoyable uptempo pieces.Try as I might, I still feel like I'm waiting for something to happen when listening to the title cut.Maybe I'll get it a few months down the road.

One of my favorite things
Some of the jazz snobs on this page seem somewhat underwhelmed by this classic, enduring recording.I come down firmly on the side of those who absolutely love it.Perhaps it's not quite as innovative or complex as Coltrane's free-form output, but it is lovely to hear.I find that the melody of a well-known tune imposes a discipline on the musician and one of the pleasures of this recording is hearing how Trane and company expand these very familiar tunes, how they stray away from them and come back again ... Read more

Asin: B000002I53
Subjects:  1. Cool    2. Hard Bop    3. Jazz    4. Modal Music    5. Pop    6. Post-Bop    7. Standards    8. United States of America   

John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (27 June, 1995)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This is one of the three all-ballad albums that John Coltrane recorded in late 1962 and early 1963. Johnny Hartman was apparently Coltrane's suggestion, and his deep, dark voice meshes perfectly here with Coltrane's tenor. The material is well-chosen, including definitive readings of "My One and Only Love" and "Lush Life." McCoy Tyner fills out the chords, augmenting the harmonies and keeping the tone of these ballads respectful but not overly sentimental. All the players get to the deep structure of the songs and are not afraid to play in the most essential and elegant manner. This is beautiful jazz. --Michael Monhart ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (111)

Throw the rest away
No serious lover of music should feel qualified unless they have this piece in thier collection.It is the performance that eclipses and stands as the bench-mark for all others to live up to.I think it is time for me to shut up.In closing, I only wish Hartman had done other recordings with a couple of the "Other Masters".I am a young 48 years old and only wish that I could have seen him perform.Check out Kurt Elling.I have seen him

Most Romantic Album I Own
I disagree with other reviewers who hail this as the greatest jazz album ever.That is a bold statement, and an untrue one at that.The most significant element in jazz is improvisation, and this album is lacking it, although it is still worthy of five stars.

Here we have the classic Coltrane quartet with Johnny Hartman on vocals.It is by far the most romantic album I own, and it's a shame there are only six tracks.I'm glad Trane chose Hartman for this recording - I find that the addition of a crooner like Hartman does wonders for the feeling put into these tunes.His voclas are soft and sad at times, but extremely relaxing as well.

My favorite track is 'My One and Only Love' - countless musicians have performed this song including Sting, Ella, and Satchmo, however, this version stands out.The first half of the song is just Coltrane and his bandmates playing the melody, and then around half way through, Hartman enters.They complement each other in amazing ways, and it's too bad this is their only work together.Another highpoint is the Billy Strayhorn classic, 'Lush Life'.McCoy Tyner really stands out on this piece - his playing is reminiscent of a nice spring breeze.Other highlights are 'You Are Too Beautiful' and the upbeat 'Autumn Serenade'.

Like I said - it's not the greatest jazz album, but still belongs in any jazz collection.Even if you end up hating it, it should prove to be useful the next time you are with your wife or girlfriend.They will love it if you don't!

slow jams.
before 92q even knew what slow jams were, hartman was croonin' and coltrane was doing stuff too.what a baritone the man sings in, oh my word.isso bootyful. ... Read more

Asin: B000003N7K
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

A Night at Birdland, Vol. 2 [2001]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (31 July, 2001)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $11.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

The second volume of recordings from this seminal hard-bop date (February 21, 1954) picks up where Volume 1 leaves off, and is no less thrilling. Trumpeter Clifford Brown positively smokes through "Wee-Dot" and a supercharged reworking of the standard "The Way You Look Tonight." Alto Lou Donaldson earns his "Sweet Papa Lou" moniker with a tender reading of "If I Had You," rippling off a flurry of notes without ever upsetting the gentle nature of the tune, and evidencing a strong Bird influence in the process. Speaking of Bird, the two closing tunes come from Parker's pen, most notably "Now's the Time," which here receives a superbly slowed-down and funked-up rendition. --Marc Greilsamer ... Read more

Features

• Live
• Original recording remastered

Reviews (8)

A great night for jazz
This second volume of the Art Blakey Quintet live at Birdland (2/21/54) is just as good as volume 1. Clifford Brown, alto man Lou Donaldson, Horace Silver, and Curly Russell join Blakey for some swinging hard bop performances. "Wee-dot" is a fast blues, as is "Lou's blues," which might be just a tad too frantic. All the playing is exceptional, though, on every track. Should be had with volume 1, and both CDs are must-have deals.

Pressure Cooker
Be careful folks, this one can scorch your knickers! Everyone here is in tip-top shape and there are times when this one is a full-blown show of pure firepower.

It also slows down nicely though when it does pull back to the mid and slow tempos. Actually the mid-tempo stuff here is my favorite. Lou Donaldson purely shines here. He really should be more well-known. His playing is an absolute joy from beginning to end and, at least for me, he is the true star of this release. Of course there is also no lack of material here to please the Clifford Brown crowd, either. Sometimes upper-register pyrotechnics types of trumpet players seem to kill my ears. It's not my most favored style, but I still can't help but marvel at the lines Brownie blows here. When listening to him, I get the feeling that audience members probably broke out into a sweat just from hearing and seeing him play.

Even though Jazz at Massey Hall (whether partial or the complete one) is often viewed as a high-water mark in bebop, I'd tend to go with this disc as a better example of what it's all about. The sonic quality of this recording is fuller, richer, and I just think the performance is better, too. This disc has hard-bop-lengthed solos, but bebop style and freneticism... along with the killer slower stuff, as I mentioned earlier.

Bebop transforms into hard bop
The second album produced of a concert done in 1953 at Birdland by Art Blakey, this is actually better than Volume 1, in my opinion.I'd give it 4 stars for material and soloing, but 5 for importance, because there are several things are interesting about this cd:

1. This was the first live recording ever made that is not bootleg, but recorded for the specific purpose of commercial release.

2.Art Blakey is known as the god of hard bop, but this is really a bebop album, with blistering tunes and elongated, flowing lines by all the soloists.But you can begin to sense the elements of hard bop coming in, especially with Clifford Brown's solos, so in this way this is a great historical document.

3.The line up of Brown, Blakey and Silver, the three fathers of hard bop, all playing on the same stage is just a joy.

The album is deffinitely worthwhile, as Clifford Brown and Horace Silver (who I've always loved as a composer but less as a soloist) contributing excellent solos, especially Silver on Quicksilver, and Brown on Now's the Time and especially Confirmation.Altoist Lou Donaldson is a solid, adept player in the Bird tradition.While not the equal of Brown, he has two nice moments early on: he steals the show on the tune Wee Dot, and of course is featured on the ballad If I had You.Art Blakey is as brillaint on the drums as always, rarely taking a solo but shining when he does.This really is jazz history right here, and thus EVERY jazz fan should have it, especially lovers of Blakey, Brown and Silver. ... Read more

Asin: B00005MIZ9
Subjects:  1. Hard Bop    2. Jazz    3. Pop   

Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (09 February, 1993)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $10.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Reviews (16)

Absolute beauty
I first played this album on LP years ago. It still remains the most loved piece of greatness in my collection of over 1000 jazz albums. Nancy and Cannonball are absolutely beyond repraoch. Indeed, listen and you'll love it.

a match made in heaven
This might be the only vocal jazz album I've ever paid for, and I don't regret it.Nancy Wilson...well, what can you say?She's expressive, flexible, energetic, dynamic, and, unlike many other jazz vocalists, her voice is actually pleasant to listen to.The only problem is that she disappears halfway through the album, which might be a problem if Cannonball wasn't one of the earth's greatest alto players ever.There's his brother too, who isn't the first trumpet player to get upstaged by his sax playing brother.
The album is balanced and well paced, and has a very fresh and youthful sound that will endure through the ages.ESSENTIAL for fans of either artist.

Masterpiece
I have actually listened to this album since about 1973, over 100 times as the other reviewer noted. It is phenomenal how Adderly and Wilson coordinated and perfectly complemented each other, ranging from delicate to intense. This album is so masterful that you know it is as fine as any other collaboration of vocalist and instrumentalist; at a certain level, the best are unique yet equally profound. Wilson' voice on this album and Swingin's Mutual set her charismatic standard--a voice that has yet to be imitated because it is so distinct. Julian Adderly's saxophone is magnificent, subtle as accompaniment and powerful on the brief solos. Same for the rest of the band. The more you listen, the more you will be able to isolate this brilliant collaboration. ... Read more

Asin: B000005HBG
Sales Rank: 46002
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Songs for Swingin Lovers
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 September, 1998)
list price: $17.98 -- our price: $9.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Sinatra already had one youthful career behind him by the time he made Songs for Swingin' Lovers! His were no longer the lustrous pipes of the kid crooner from Hoboken--the voice that made bobbysoxers swoon--but from the first notes of the opening track ("You Make Me Feel So Young") he seems to have discovered a musical fountain of youth that fully justifies the exclamation point in the album title. There's a buoyant new spring in his step, accented by Nelson Riddle's lighter-than-air arrangements, that makes the Columbia records of Sinatra's younger days sound stiff and stodgy in comparison. Even chestnuts like "Old Devil Moon," "Pennies from Heaven," "Makin' Whoopee," and "Anything Goes" are rejuvenated by his vibrant touch. Put this alongside his previous Capitol album, In the Wee Small Hours, and you have the definitive statements by both sides of Sinatra's mature musical personality: the lonely "saloon singer" and the swaggering, sophisticated swinger. Sinatra's carefree confidence achieves its supreme expression in "I've Got You Under My Skin," a performance that builds steadily to an ecstatic climax. Cole Porter may have hated his lyrical embellishments, but by the time the singer jauntily breaks the "fourth wall" on "Anything Goes" ("...may I say before this records spins to a close..."), you can't deny he's taken the title to heart. --Jim Emerson ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (59)

The best of the best
Simply put, this is the best album Frank ever recorded. Nelson Riedle's arrangements are fabulous, Frank's voice is at its best, and the song selection is extraordinary. I highly reccomend this to anybody who wants to understand what Frank and his legacy are all about: elegance, simplicity and style.
Swing it baby!

Class Never Goes Out of Style
These recordings are now nearly fifty years old, but they contain an excitement that doesn't diminish with time.Following quickly on the heels of his success with IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS, a 40-year-old Frank Sinatra teamed up once again with arranger/conducter Nelson Riddle and created what is arguably his best album of a stellar career. Sinatra is one of those artists that each generation rediscovers for itself. As an aging Baby Boomer, I hope that audiences will continue to listen to the Beatles a hundred years from now; but I KNOW they will be listening to Sinatra--class simply never goes out of style! If you own only one Sinatra album, this is it.ESSENTIAL

Sinatra Swings through Song after Song
Nelson Riddle, Frank Sinatra's regular arranger and conductor, called SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS one of his favorites of his many album collaborations with the singer.Whereas in another of Riddle's favorites, the 1958 ONLY THE LONELY, Sinatra sings, "Maybe it's because nobody loves me" (from Rodgers and Hart's "Spring Is Here"), in the 1955/56 SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS he sounds like a man intoxicated by love.His debonair manner and rich yet easy baritone, an irresistible collection of songs ranging from "You Make Me Feel So Young," "Too Marvelous for Words," "Old Devil Moon," and his definitive "I've Got You Under My Skin" to "Makin' Whopee," "Anything Goes," and "How About You?" and Riddle's great contribution all combine to make SONGS FOR SWINGIN' LOVERS a classic and a must-have. ... Read more

Asin: B00000AEVA
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Come Fly With Me
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 September, 1998)
list price: $16.98 -- our price: $14.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

When critics refer to Sinatra's Capitol albums, their highest praise is usually reserved for the dark melancholy of Wee Small Hours or Only the Lonely. But the upbeat "Swinging" records should not be ignored. Probably the finest of these albums is Come Fly with Me. The first of Sinatra's albums with arranger Billy May (whose arrangements have been overshadowed by Nelson Riddle's), Fly is the conceptual equal of Lonely-a carefree, romantic musical travelogue. From the opening invitation--one of Sinatra's most rollicking vocals--to the tender invocations of "Autumn in New York" and "April in Paris," and the serene seductiveness of "Moonlight in Vermont," Sinatra personified the modern traveler--jaunty, cosmopolitan, irrefutably cool. --Steven Mirkin ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (31)

Around The World With Mr. S
From the Isle of Capri and Rome to Vermont and New York, from Paris and London to Brazil and Hawaii, from Peru and Mandalay to Chicago and South of the Border, Mr. Sinatra is all over these beautiful and exotic places. He loves to "take a boat to Bermuda ... and get away from it all." He loves to "go traveling but always love to come home." ("No more Customs ... burn the passport ... no more packing ... and unpacking ... light the home fires ... get my slippers ... make a pizza!")

This is a far cry from the lonely and melancholy Sinatra. This recording personifies a jetsetter and footloose Sinatra who loves to go around the world. Billy May's very first project with Mr. Sinatra proved one thing - that he could be in the league of the best Sinatra arrangers/conductors in the company of Nelson Riddle, Don Costa, Axel Stordahl, Claus Ogerman, Gordon Jenkins, Robert Farnon and Quincy Jones.

This CD welcomes the listeners with an upbeat "Come Fly With Me," a Sammy Cahn & James Van Heusen gem, which was composed exclusively for the Chairman of the Board at his request. I love his gentle treatment of Victor Young & Harold Adamson's "Around The World" ("No more will I go all around the world ... for I have found my world in you!"). Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger's "Blue Hawaii" is also remarkable. I can't think of any awesome interpretation than this one. He sung it so splendidly that I could listen to it endlessly. Ary Barroso & Bob Russell's "Brazil" and Cole Porter's "I Love Paris" with their jazzy arrangements and Mr. Sinatra's sublime renditions are so invigorating and refreshing to the ears.

The last three tracks were not arranged and conducted by Billy May but by the greatNelson Riddle, equally nice arrangements of "Chicago," "South of the Border" and"I Love Paris."

"Weather-wise it's such a lovely day
You just say the words and we'll beat the birds
Down to Acapulco Bay
It's perfect for a flying honeymoon, they say
Come fly with me, let's fly, let's fly...
Pack up ... let's fly away!"

A very nice addition to your Sinatra collection. Very highly recommended for your listening pleasure. . . now and forever!

Just has to be his best!
Frank is 5 star on this all the way.Heard him in a High School auditorium in 1942 with Cy Oliver at the piano.Knew he was gonna make it and he did.Has to be best modern American singer ever....he can sing anything and everything great.This album is a tribute not only to his great voice but his selection of songs, fantastic arrangements and a sound that just makes you wanna get up and dance...Go Ahead you'll see.the duke

Fine work
I never really cared for most of the selections on this album but Come Fly With Me is so good it saves the day.
Buy if you have extra money. ... Read more

Asin: B00000AEVD
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Pop Vocals   

Getz/Gilberto
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 May, 1997)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $13.49
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Originally released in March 1964, this collaboration between saxophonist Stan Getz and guitarist João Gilberto came at seemingly the end of the bossa nova craze Getz himself had sparked in 1962 with Jazz Samba, his release with American guitarist Charlie Byrd. Jazz Samba remains the only jazz album to reach number one in the pop charts. In fact, the story goes that Getz had to push for the release of Getz/Gilberto since the company did not want to compete with its own hit; it was a good thing he did. Getz/Gilberto, which featured composer Antonio Carlos Jobim on piano, not only yielded the hit "Girl from Ipanema" (sung by Astrud Gilberto, the guitarist's wife, who had no professional experience) but also "Corcovado" ("Quiet Night")--an instant standard, and the definitive version of "Desafinado." Getz/Gilberto spent 96 weeks in the charts and won four Grammys. It remains one of those rare cases in popular music where commercial success matches artistic merit. Bossa nova's "cool" aesthetic--with its understated rhythms, rich harmonies, and slightly detached delivery--had been influenced, in part, by cool jazz. Gilberto in particular was a Stan Getz fan. Getz, with his lyricism, the bittersweet longing in his sound, and his restrained but strong swing, was the perfect fit. His lines, at once decisive and evanescent, focus the rest of the group's performance without overpowering. A classic. --Fernando Gonzalez ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (115)

I'm in love all over again!
No! I'm not "in love" again. I am rich. I rediscovered this music and these songs - but the way they were meant to sound. I'm the luckiest person in the world to have discovered composers, musicians, singers who put their own egos aside so that the music - and only the music - could be the star. I have certainly heard others perform these songs and melodies, but it wasn't until I found this music the way it was meant to be played that my heart and soul perked up. The singing is deceptively understated, as is the music itself. The sound of the Portuguese language is music onto itself and I recommend to my English speaking friends "in love" that they listen to the lyrics in Portuguese, as well as in English (as they deserve to be heard that way). A funny thing; when I was married (in the 1970s) and I was asked by the band what song I would like to choose as "our" song, I picked "Wave."Isn't it amazing that I never heard of Antonio Carlos Jobim until only a few weeks ago (and I was married to a Jazz pianist, to boot). Now that I'm listening to his music the way it was meant to be heard I can't get enough of it.It has enriched my life in a way that can't really be expressed in a short review written in English.I'm in love all over again! __Shari Gellman-Dince

BOSSA NOVA MASTERPIECE
One of the all time great records! The sound that comes out of Stan's saxophone is simply superb - it is so warm, gorgeous and lyrical. The quality of music is just flawless. A joy!

THE bossa nova album - 10 STARS!!!
To this date, this remains the GOLD STANDARD for all bossa nova records.It was the highpoint.For once, it had Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim - all the major forces of bossa nova on one record - I don't believe that ever happened again.

The playing is superb and you can hear and feel the chemistry and enjoyment of the group.The songs are timeless and sound fresh 40 yrs later......noone could play the sax like Stan Getz.


The sound is amazing.Verve did a heck of a job remastering an already great 30 inch per second (15 inch was common)..

I can only repeat, if u ever get only ONE bossa nova album, this is it. ... Read more

Asin: B0000047CX
Subjects:  1. Bossa Nova    2. Brazil    3. Cool    4. Jazz    5. Pop    6. Post-Bop    7. Saxophone    8. United States of America   

Time Out
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 March, 1997)
list price: $11.98 -- our price: $7.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Boasting the first jazz instrumental to sell a million copies, the Paul Desmond-penned "Take Five," Time Out captures the celebrated jazz quartet at the height of both its popularity and its powers. Recorded in 1959, the album combines superb performances by pianist Brubeck, alto saxophonist Desmond, drummer Joe Morrello and bassist Gene Wright. Along with "Take Five," the album features another one of the group's signature compositions, "Blue Rondo a la Turk." Though influenced by the West Coast-cool school, Brubeck's greatest interest and contribution to jazz was the use of irregular meters in composition, which he did with great flair. Much of the band's appeal is due to Desmond, whose airy tone and fluid attack often carried the band's already strong performances to another level. Together, he and Brubeck proved one of the most potent pairings of the era. --Fred Goodman ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (139)

Brubeck and Beyond
Of course this is one of the greatest jazz albums of all time. What's sad to me is that people stop here. They get Time Out and Kind of Blue by Miles Davis and don't pick up another jazz CD. But there are dozens of amazing albums by both these artists, not to mention several hundred truly great jazz albums by other artists if you take the time to explore.

But if you like Time Out you might also enjoy these others by Brubeck:

The Great Concerts - A high-energy live collection, Time Further Out - expanding on the time theme, Jazz Impressions of Eurasia and Jazz Impressions of Japan - both classics with wonderful tunes, Brubeck Time - Dave's first studio album with Columbia and, believe it or not, Dave Digs Disney - just marvelous, and So What's New - all new compositions from 1997. You can't go wrong with any of these. In fact Dave is still going strong at age 85. He's also amazing in concert.

Even though Time Out, recorded in 1959 (possibley the gratest year for recorded Jazz), is one of the truly great jazz albums, don't stop there. Make it your starting point for a lifetime adventure of listenting to jazz.

Thanks, Dave!
I remember my excitement when, 46 years ago, I first heard Joe Morello's drum riff intro to Take Five. "What the heck?!" I thought. With its 5/4 time signature, it was so odd, yet so cool. And that amazing drum solo, with its use of space. I played drums along with that album countless times, trying to play that triplet on beat 5 of Take Five as smoothly as Morello tossed it off.

For many listeners, part of the appeal of this album comes from experiencing the group in live performances. I saw the Quartet in Cleveland's Music Carnival. Such joy they brought to the audience! It was raining that day. When the group played "Pennies from Heaven," Gene Wright looked skyward and grimaced. I talked with Joe Morello along with a swarm of other young drummers surrounding him after the concert. He was delighted to share all he knew.

Back to the record, Paul Desmond was famous for his velvety sax tone and graceful musical lines. But he also did amazing things rhythmically which are revealed on close listening.

Strange Meadow Lark starts as a lovely ballad for solo piano, then moves along effortlessly at a medium tempo as the other members join in. The piece closes as it started, serene as a sunset.

Kathy's Waltz was named after Dave's daughter Cathy, but was misspelled on the liner notes. What's remarkable in this tune(and in Strange Meadow Lark) is the mood of bliss: so relaxed, not a care, all is right with the world. No wonder people love this record.

Blue Rondo a la Turk contrasts a regimented uptight rhythm with a loose, free jazz feel. Two opposite attitudes coexisting in the same song. You can feel the tension release when the rhythms change.

Many albums later, Brubeck and otherwise, I fully appreciate the Quartet for getting me excited about jazz. Thanks, Dave and friends for a lifetime of musical enjoyment.

an unusual and thrilling jazz classic
the trademark of this album is the effort Dave Brubeck and company go to to deviate from established forms in jazz.from the cover art to the insane time signatures that change repeatedly, TIme Out is a special recording that stands as a jazz classic.This is a good companion and one of the "big three" jazz records for me, which are KInd of Blue by Miles Davis, BLue Train by John Coltrane, and this album.of course, these 3 don't take into account the work of Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington and Billie Holiday, artists who I have yet to hear for myself (I'm getting to them eventually!).This cd is also known for its bouncing life, which is sometimes missing from jazz in favor of darker, "bluer" overtones.Nothing blue about this cd.It's a classic! ... Read more

Asin: B000002AGN
Subjects:  1. Jazz    2. Pop   

Love Scenes
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 August, 1997)
list price: $18.98 -- our price: $13.99
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

Like a mink draped over mahogany, Diana Krall's luxuriously supple alto adorns the vintage songs of romance and longing found on Love Scenes with a palpable aura of glamour and late-night cool. Her ostensibly effortless command of phrasing and intonation, whether the mood is seduction or a sweet sassiness, further fortifies the opinion that the Canadian vocalist-pianist possesses one of the great female jazz voices to surface in the late 1990s. Augmented by spare but skillful instrumentation from bassist Christian McBride and guitarist Russell Malone, Krall sustains a largely quiet (though hardly sleepy) ambience throughout the CD's 12 selections, from Irving Berlin's "How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)," which she also uses as a showcase for her touch at the keyboard, to Gershwin's "They Can't Take That Away from Me." Her swing is artfully subdued ("All or Nothing at All"), and her wry, expressive approach to "Peel Me a Grape" is pure charm. Yet Krall shines most luminously on languid gems such as "I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You" and "Garden in the Rain." Anyone in search of an album ideal for watching city lights at 2 a.m. should keep Love Scenes in mind. --Terry Wood ... Read more

Features

• Enhanced

Reviews (152)

About as perfect as hubby's "North"
I have not purchased the new CD by the husband-wife team of Diana Krall and Elvis Costello but am planning to do so.Both have long been in my vocal top ten for sheer talent, originality and musicality.You never know what to expect from such a hyped offering but for once, I was not disappointed.There is something interesting and lovely in ever single track.From the sexy "Peel me a Grape" to the fantastic "Garden in the Rain" these are extremely intelligent interpretations of several old classics.

One almost wants to enter that smoke-filled bar, order a Martini and take a seat.The piano-playing complements the vocals and that is another reason to like this album. With so many rap and hip-hop "singers" abounding who can neither read music nor play a musical instrument, it is refreshing to find an artist who can do both effortlessly. Wonderful, soulful sounds.

Sit down and relax...
Being next to her just as she sings... simply couldn't get better than that! As a jazz freak, it is nice to settle down and just enjoy little nicely composed tunes, in all sense just a great work! Very standard preserved jazz, well structured and entertaining, and Diana's piano skills just add more and more to the scene, not to mention her consonant beautiful voice that is always precisely adding more harmonic structure overall. The girl is talented, no doubt, but I recognize other than her virtuosity the fact that she sticks to her style, and she does it like few others, Sarah Vaughanet al... Great music, just get it...

Amazing
The first song I ever heard of Diana Krall was 'Peel me a grape' and boy did I fall in love.I automatically bought the cd and fell in love.She is one of the first jazz artists I was introduced to and remains to be my favorite. ... Read more

Asin: B000003NA4
Subjects:  1. Bop    2. Contemporary Jazz    3. Jazz    4. Pop    5. Standards    6. Swing    7. Torch Songs    8. Traditional Pop    9. Vocal Jazz   

Live at Birdland
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (22 April, 2003)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $19.98
(price subject to change: see help)
US | Canada | United Kingdom | Germany | France

Editorial Review

This two-disc set celebrates the tenth anniversary of the John Pizzarelli Trio (with his brother Martin Pizzarelli on bass and Ray Kennedy on piano). Pizzarelli is the son of legendary guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli. Taught by his father, he grew up immersed in the world of jazz, playing with Zoot Sims by the time he was twenty. He's an easily engaging singer in the manner of Nat "King" Cole, drawing on both jazz standards and well-chosen contemporary material. Recorded at the famed New York City jazz club in the autumn of 2002, Pizzarelli mixes songs old and new into one seamless whole. George and Ira Gershwin rub shoulders with James Taylor, as he takes over the songs with his own casual confidence. The smoothness of his style belies prodigious chops. His between-song patter also shows him to have all of the qualities of a well-informed host who also knows how to tell a short and funny anecdote or two. Originals by both Pizzarelli and Kennedy add further diversity to a memorable night. --David Greenberger ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (6)

whats not to like?
this cd contains terrific live versions of past "hits" of this tremendous trio(oh, how my heart beats for you, three little words) and new arrangements i had never heard before(a touching "Manhattan", isn't it a pity and just you,just me). it is full of spontanaiety , humor and musicianship. these are NOT rehashes of previous cd's. they are to me what this trio is all about live. a must have!

If you've ever seen him live, don't bother with this cd
It's a fine cd if you've never seen John Pizzarelli live.But if you have, there's no reason to bother with this.Half the songs are the same ones he was doing live 5 years ago.The best song on the cd, I Like Jersey Best, is an exact duplicate of the arrangement on PS Mr. Cole.There's just too many other excellent cd's out there to invest in this one.As far as this cd goes, he's done it all before.Many times.

John Pizzarelli the way he should be heard... LIVE
It's no secret. I am a fan of John Pizzarelli. He has the guitar skills of his father combined with a comfortable (though not strong)singing voice. His interaction with the audience captures a mood and personality which makes the music jump out of your speakers and into your hearts. Like Harry Chapin, John can tell a story and keep you interested. It was wonderful to hear about his run in at the Library of Congress. But with that you get great music, and when he invites NJ local Grover Kemble (who?) onto the stage to join him, that castle starts Rockin'!
Other highlights include the original compostion of Ray Kennedy "Gospel Truth", and an extended version of the J.P.T. Standard "I Like Jersey Best" - with more versions than you've ever heard before ("In my mind. I'm going to New Jersey")...

I would encourage everyone to check out this album... Better yet, buy it! ... Read more

Asin: B00008RV22
Subjects:  1. Ballads    2. Jazz    3. Mainstream Jazz    4. Pop    5. Swing