CD-Charts Position 111
Average Rating:

Astral Weeks

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Van Morrison

Release Date October 25, 1990
I like the instrumentation of this CD; it's got a lot going on in ways that you don't normally hear, but the actual melodies get kinda boggy about halfway through (or sooner), and if Van Morrison CAN sing (like a pro) he blatantly refuses to do so. Another perfect example of how this "they/we write their/our own songs, so they're/we're better" mentality is ruining music; not that it's a new thing, obviously; this album came out in 1968 after all, before The Beatles broke up, but I think music would be more enjoyable if people would quit trying to do everything themselves and work as a team; i.e.: someone writes the music, someone else arranges it, someone else sings it, someone else performs it...of course it's impressive when someone can do ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 112
Average Rating:

Talking Timbuktu

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Ali Farka Touré, Ry Cooder

Release Date March 29, 1994
I bought this CD because of Ry Cooder. I've loved his music since first hearing on the soundtrack for "Paris Texas." I'm also very much into indigenous and ethnic music and am happy to have discovered Ali Farka Toure in this CD. Sometimes slow, sensual, hypnotic, and bluesy like the songs Amandria (my favorite) and Ai Du, and sometimes more rhythmic with a strong beat that you want to get up and dance to, the music on this CD grabs you every which way. Ali Farka Toure's rich voice also adds another dimension to the quality of this CD, on top of the music itself. And every song is top notch. It's rare for me to like every song on a CD, but I love every song. It doesn't disappoint on any level.

CD-Charts Position 113
Average Rating:

Chris Botti - Live - With Orchestra & Special Guests

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
starring: Chris Botti
directed by: Jim Gable

Release Date August 01, 2006
If you missed the original concert on TV you have to see this one. It is amazing on Blu-Ray. I can't count the number of times we have watched this DVD with friends. We have seen Chris Botti live but this is even better than being there in person. Order it, sit back with a glass of wine, and enjoy!

CD-Charts Position 114
Average Rating:

Anthology

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Nina Simone

Release Date July 01, 2003
The fact that Nina Simone is not a household name, like Sarah Vaughan, is inconceivable. She's a brilliant musician--terrific singer, Juilliard-trained classical pianist who accompanies herself no matter what the genre is, and composer, arranger, and consummate actress with a song. On this anthology of thirty-one of her best songs, she is at her peak, doing it all with panache and all but hanging her soul out to dry.

In "I Loves You, Porgy," one of the many favorites on this CD, Simone performs the definitive version of this song, keeping it simple with a simple piano, often singing almost a capella, and often in a whisper, creating an honest and very dramatic mood. "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair," a folk tune, becomes a drama ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 115
Average Rating:

December, Piano Solos: 20th Anniversary Edition

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: George Winston

Release Date October 16, 2001
This has been one of my favorite CD's for years, and I was sorry to lose my copy. The new recording is a little less subtle than the original, but it is still lovely.

CD-Charts Position 116
Average Rating:

The Mirror Conspiracy

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Thievery Corporation

Release Date August 22, 2000
If you really want to hear world music, get the real thing, not this elevator-music version.

CD-Charts Position 117
Average Rating:

Steps

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
from: Golden Horn Records

Release Date February 22, 2008
If you really want to hear world music, get the real thing, not this elevator-music version.

CD-Charts Position 118
Average Rating:

World's Greatest Audiophile Vocal Recordings

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Various Artists

Release Date September 26, 2006
A very good compilation that is well recorded. I would recommend this to any body who likes audiophile quality music.

CD-Charts Position 119
Average Rating:

Sousa's Greatest Hits

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: John Philip Sousa, United States Marine Band

Release Date September 07, 1999
I bought this for walking..It gets me a mile in 18 minutes..Works for me.

jb

CD-Charts Position 120
Average Rating:

Chavez Ravine

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Ry Cooder

Release Date June 14, 2005
That's CHA-vez. Just as he provided a venue for aging Cubans before they were gone and forgotten, Cooder, in 15 songs, shines a light on the unknown tale of how a dusty hillside Los Angeles Mexican neighborhood known as Chavez Ravine was razed in the 1950s in a "greasy handoff" to the newly arrived Dodgers baseball team. Think of the movie Chinatown. Crooked red-baiting right wing politicos, innocent citizens believing "it can't happen here," cool cats being beaten up by GIs, and a UFO-driving Space Vato (space guy) who recognizes the Ravine as the hip place to land; these are the players in Cooder's loving 21st century concept album.

The beautifully packaged Nonesuch CD includes a booklet worthy of a very small coffee table. The record has a ... Read More: