CD-Charts Position 291
Average Rating:

Lifecycle

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Yellowjackets

Release Date May 20, 2008
The jackets keep getting better and better. The addition of Mike Stern is a huge asset. Bob's playing and writing is superb. Buy this!

CD-Charts Position 292
Average Rating:

In the Wee Small Hours

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Frank Sinatra

Release Date May 26, 1998
Aside from a couple "best of" compilations, I never really cared much for Sinatra. I preferred Dean Martin and thought that even Sinatra's hits were OK at best. Then I heard this album, and now I understand why people went crazy for this man. I listened to this on my drive to work, and the sadness stuck with me for the remainder of my shift. This is a masterpiece which should be heard by all music fans, and it does a great job of getting you to want to hear more of what Sinatra has to offer. His singing on this album is perfect, delivering the melancholy in such an effective manner that you want to put your arm around the guy and tell him that everything's gonna turn out alright. The key factor on this album, however, is Nelson Riddle, someone ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 293
Average Rating:

The Sax Pack

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: The Sax Pack

Release Date March 18, 2008
The sax pack is a fabulous ensemble. The vision to make remarkable versions of unforgettable themes from the recent past have gained them a coveted and respectable place among the cult jazz bands of the actuality.

All the album is worthy to listen. There` s no minor track all the way through.

CD-Charts Position 294
Average Rating:

Hidden Beach Recordings presents: Unwrapped Vol. 5 - Collipark Cafe Sessions

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Various Artists

Release Date June 24, 2008
The entire Unwrapped series is just incredible. I can't wait for #6 and so on.

CD-Charts Position 295
Average Rating:

Yes We Can!

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Maria Muldaur

Release Date July 22, 2008
Yes We Can. The Marxist Barack Hussein Obama slogan. Yeah, I checked out her web-site and see that she is left-wing politically active. I purchased Waitress At A Donut Shop years ago and still like it. And I was thinking of getting back into her music. But now - no thank you. I do not patronize any artist that will use the money I spend on them for anti-American left-wing socialist causes. Sorry Maria - but your support for the left makes me say no way to you. In conclusion - I am always amazed at the stupidity of artists that go out of their way to piss off 50 percent of their fan base.

CD-Charts Position 296
Average Rating:

Jazz Icons: John Coltrane Live in '60, '61 & '65

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
starring: John Coltrane

Release Date September 04, 2007
This is the Coltrane live-performance DVD we've all been waiting for. Not only does it include the late saxophonist's famous 1961 German television appearance (in which the musicians play amidst a cool modernist steel-girder studio set), it also boasts ultra-rare footage of the Coltrane Quartet's dynamic set at a 1965 outdoor jazz festival in Belgium, a time when Trane was really pushing the avant-garde envelope. As if that weren't enough, this disc also presents a recently unearthed German TV broadcast from 1960, showing Coltrane playing with Miles Davis' rhythm section, plus guest artists Oscar Peterson and Stan Getz. The DVD is sequenced chronologically, and thus opens with Coltrane in concert with the Davis group (sans Miles). It's interesting to watch Coltrane holding ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 297
Average Rating:

Handel's Messiah: A Soulful Celebration

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Dianne Reeves, Patti Austin, Stevie Wonder, George Duke, Take 6, Al Jarreau

Release Date September 29, 1992
Quincy Jones already rocks my world. I have nothing but respect for him and the level of musical excellence that has always surrounded anything he put his considerable mind and talent to. But this re-imagining of Handel's Messiah from an African-American perspective is exceptional, extraordinary, unabated joy--especially in "And He Shall Purify" and "Hallelujah!" I am a middle-aged white musician/pianist/voice teacher in New York City. I got my Master's at Indiana University in voice. I was raised a Southern-Baptist even! I only offer up this information to suggest what an unlikely candidate I might be to enjoy this CD. I can't stop smiling and moving with these extraordinary performances when I put this CD on. God bless Michael O. Jackson for these vocal arrangements. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 298
Average Rating:

One Size Fits All

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention

Release Date May 02, 1995
Great collection with tolerably absurd lyrics. The never cross the line into being distractingly ridiculous. The melodies here are VERY strong, and FZ's guitar solo on Inca Roads, his best ever. Chester Thompson's drumming is loose and fluid and George Duke is doing his thing singing and playing brilliant keyboards. One of Zappa's absolute best.

CD-Charts Position 299
Average Rating:

Saxophone Colossus

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Sonny Rollins

Release Date March 21, 2006
While it is undeniable that the catchy theme of "St. Thomas" has made Saxophone Colossus the most beloved work of Sonny Rollins, the album fairly showcases his improvisational genius. As heard on "St. Thomas," Rollins typically begins with cautions and then gradually develops into lyric lines. After the other musicians' solos, Rollins comes back with furious fast phrases before returning to the theme. Among the band members, drummer Max Roach is phenomenal, playing aggressive ad-libs while keeping the beat (especially on "Blue 7"). His interplays with Rollins are also thrilling (especially on "Strode Rode"). The variety of tunes, from calypso to Kurt Weill cover to authentic blues, shows Rollins's broad range of interests. Overall, Saxophone Colossus has remained as the most well ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 300
Average Rating:

Head Hunters

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Herbie Hancock

Release Date March 25, 1997
Since its initial release in 1973, Herbie Hancock's "Head Hunters" album has become a fusion jazz classic and rightfully so. Much like his former boss Miles Davis as well as R&B artists like Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Herbie Hancock set out to make music that was innovative for its time and pushed the envelope of creativity. Although Herbie had been experimenting with fusing rock, funk and African rhythms with Jazz styles in previous albums like "Sextant" and with his former group Mwandishi, "Head Hunters" is where all the musical styles and experimentation fell together in all the right places.
At least two of the four tracks on the album have gone on to become timeless classics. The nearly 16-minute centerpiece "Chameleon" is probably one of Herbie's best known compositions ... Read More: