THROWBACK THEATER:  One flute + one saxaphone + Nelson Rangell = Beautiful Music!
341757
I heard a couple of these cuts on the jazz station we had in the Hampton Roads area back in the day, but the DJ never said who performed them, however, it was that one cut that he did mention and I never forgot it.  I thought that it was the most beautiful tune.  It was GRACE, and to this day, that still stuck with me.  After some research, I found the song and the artist behind it, and after purchasing it, it's been on constand rotation in my player.  I TOTALLY LOVE THIS SONG!  After playing the entire disc, I wound up playing it two more times, back to back.  I TOTALLY LOVE THIS CD!  He is a talented man, and his gift is bringing beautiful music to the masses, and I appreciate him for it.  Not one song was skipped...it was that good!  BRAVO, NELSON...BRAVO!!!
4760644
Can you imagine being born into a city where you are going to wake up of a morning to hear this sort of music, hear it all day, faint in the background and then sometimes pressing, and go to sleep, it still going on back there somewhere? someone like maybe Louis Armstrong said it's  back where  you could use to think you would hear old buddy bolden's horn in the 1890s?  I remember that, not long ago like buddy Bolden and them, but long enough now. Now how you going to hear that and not be a different man or woman than if you were from somewhere else?

I love the old classical music, the old back and Mozart and all the great ones. Nobody is going to disrespect them, those men were giants on the earth. But there's just no way to talk about that hear, no, and no disrespect.  Because  this here something else.  Maybe you going to come to this like my friends in New York  did from that new tv show. Thats just fine and it is even great but it does not matter.  Mr. Boutte, does it all on this record and he raises your  soul to hear it.

You got to think back if you are getting old like me. Me, I thought we lost it all. I thought my city was gone and drowned which was once the place where 'american' music came from, but oh no, it's still there. It could be miles underwater and its still there.  I am grown less sprightly and i hope you will not tell my people i wept with something at these tunes and i am very happy that Mister B got these  down on wax.  Let us hope that they got all of that new new levees and such right but  even if they didnt, those guys, what makes me feel  so gladly is that these young bloods just make that music just go on and on and on and on. I think that is something special and I thank the Lord for it. I wish I had higher words but I do not.
421849
Fantastic collaboration! Paul Speer has been a favorite artist of mine for over 30 years and I still follow him to this day. Fantastic collaboration with a wonderful flautist, Sherry Finzer. I'm a sucker for flute in the first place. When combined with Paul's distinct style, I'm hooked! I'd love a full album of this!
3564674
During the mid-1940's, jazz underwent a reworking as it evolved from the "swing" style into the "bop" style, resulting in the beginning of what we now call "modern jazz" (to distinguish it from "traditional" or "vintage" jazz, including swing and "dixieland"). This recording pays tribute to the music of the transitional figures who brought their own styles from the swing era to the bop era and helped the music to evolve - swing era artists like guitarist Charlie Christian and tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Don Byas who embraced the new sounds and worked with younger musicians, experimenting with the new sounds and textures of bop.
  Reedman and session leader Dan Block is quite visible and well-known, especially around NYC, as lead saxophonist for Vince Giordano's Nighthawks band.  Having worked with him myself, I knew his vocabulary of swing and traditional jazz was comprehensive and vast.  But Dan's bop playing on this recording was a surprise and a pleasant one.  Dan is no one-trick pony!  Dan's bandmate in the Nighthawks, Jon-Erik Kellso, shines on this recording as well, bringing a modern, boppish voice to the recording and complementing Dan's tenor saxophone and clarinet work nicely.  The rhythm section swings right along.  I highly recommend this recording!
3589368
Too bad this is one of the last recordings availible of Ms. Vaughan live.  I really enjoyed her melodically enchanting interpretation of these Broadway-turned-Jazz-standard tunes.  The conductor, thankfully, allowed  the divinely sassy songstress to do what she does best: weave complicated  melodies into a marvelous composition.  I was enamored by the medleys!  Good stuff!
2979427
I already have a number of jazz CDs, but wanted another that was performed by jazz musicians. . . artists. . . that would add to the titles I now have. All you have to do is take a look at the artists on this 2 CD set and know that you will feel like you have them performing in your own intimate club. I have three places to listen to music at home and my favorite is our small lower level reading/craft room. Here my wife can sew or we we both can sit back or read while listening to these relaxing and intricate compositions and interpretations. Doesn't anyone just *listen* to music anymore? It is so worth it.

This is the kind of music to listen to with cup of coffee or glass of wine. It doesn't require a large audio system. Just find some high quality 6 1/2" to 8" bookshelf speakers, a small receiver of 50 watts, and a nice CD player or so and you're all set. I actually play this CD through a vintage Sony STR-6065 or 7065 receiver, a set of Wharfedale XP2 3-way speakers and a vintage Kyocera DA-310cx CD player from 1987. This is the kind of system you can truly enjoy the intimate sound of this CD on.

I only mention the type of equipment because it is this very kind and size of system that works very well with this type of music. It just draws you into the musical magic that Sonny Stitt, Darnell Grant, or Kenny Burrel present on this fine 2 CD set.

And Amazon was a great place to purchase this CD. I love shopping on Amazon while listening to music like this.
3716044
This superb live CD (recorded at the 1974 Concord Jazz Festival) combines all any jazz lover could want- good sound, an enthusiastic crowd, minimal but entertaining patter, fabulous musicianship, and great tunes - from classical to ragtime to funky South American sound.  The strings, drums, berimbau, and especially Bud Shank's liquidly-melodic flute make this a sweet ride.  If you appreciate good music, you will seriously dig this regardless of genre preferred because it's lush, well-executed and joyous.  Real craftsmanship at work here!
2585808
In the early 1980's, my best friend Jim and I would travel from our hometown in western Pennsylvania to a small pub in Grantsville, Maryland called The Blue Moon Saloon. We would go whenever we could specifically to see two great musicians; Rob Smith and Keith Roberts. They played to appreciative crowds throughout the region, and I recall those evenings with great nostalgia and warm feelings.

I played this album more or less constantly throughout the early 80's, but once my old turntable died, I was unable to listen to it any more. With the advent of CD technology, my old album collection became largely redundant. When I discovered Buffalo Run one day on a random internet search, I was thrilled beyond expression to be able to purchase these songs again in MP3 format! (Go to their website for more information). It was like getting together with the dearest of old friends.

Buffalo Run is a collection of original songs that were a regular part of my play list at the time. The music is a very nice blend of acoustic country and bluegrass with a little blues and a bit of rock-n-roll thrown in around the edges. There are some wonderul passages with Dulcimer that really capture the native Appalachian feel of the music. The song writing is excellent and the lyrics can still tug at my heart strings, ("Tell me why old lovers can't be freinds?") Songs like Sailing Ships / Appalachian Love Song, Ithaca and Garret County Time are as moving and lovely as any songs I've ever heard. Other songs are just plain fun to listen to and sing along with: Perils of the Highway and Wild Turkey & Cigarettes really capture that small town, playing in a bar ambience.

This review will probably only be meaningful those of you that have shared the S&R experience, but if you have you will want to pick up this album and recapture some of the great times. Please add your own memories and comments, and we'll re-live those great nights at the Blue Moon Saloon!
1392636
If you were in California in the 60's, you'll love this....if you haven't sold out to be a techno-nerd.  If you were at Mission Beach, or Imperial Beach or Ocean City in the sixties, you heard this music...this way.  We played it on little tinny-sounding transistors on the beach or on the radio of our '63 Ford Galaxy convertible....it sounded this way.  We loved it and I still do.  It was a backdrop to our fun and it wasn't an end to all ends.  I was in the Navy, and they played it in the chow hall.  It added a dimension to our lives...it wasn't our whole life.  We didn't invest a lot of money in a sound system and hole up in a sound-proof room listening with headphones in order to critique the sound of our music.  We were too busy living our lives...which were mirror images of this music.  I listen to these two discs while I'm tuning my Harley or while I'm trimming my horse's hooves....whatever.  It provides a barrier between me and old age.  I even have it recorded to my MP3 player so I can play it while riding I-20 on my Harley.  It sounds just like it did in my '63 Galaxy with a single dash radio speaker.  You know....that's just what I like.
1637563
One disc,51 minutes approximately.  Does not say if this has been digitally remastered,however,the sound is clean and warm sounding.  Recorded in Copenhagen in April 1977.  This is the first of two sets that Shepp and Parlan recorded together(the other being TROUBLE IN MIND recorded in 1980 also in Copenhagen) and for my money this is the best of the two.  Having listened to this from way back in the days of vinyl,it's certainly nice to have it on cd-no annoying "pops and crackles" to get in the way of this sublime music.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of Shepp will be surprised with this set.  Known for his more adventurous playing,this is quiet,meditative tenor sax at it's best.  His soprano sax sound,while lighter in tone,is just as good.  Shepp's sound is somewhat in the "breathy" Ben Webster style,combined with his own occasional,subtle,"squelched-notes" sound.  Parlan,who has lived in Europe for many years,is the perfect accompanist/foil for Shepp.  Never getting in the way,letting Shepp speak through his horn,Parlan,too,has a very reserved,yet bluesy style of piano on this set.  For those of you who like Parlan's style,investigate his duo and small group sets,for more of the same.

The tracks on this set are all "traditional" except for one previously unissued track(track 10) which is a Duke Ellington composition.  This is open,spacious,heartfelt music,which subtly takes ahold of the listener and doesn't let up until the final notes have drifted off somewhere in the listener's mind.  This is music that must be not only listened to,but heard.  Take the time and sit down for this set and let this moving music wash over you-you won't be disappointed.
4286583
I've been going to a series of house concerts put on by Dark Thirty Productions of Lakeside, California, for the past five years or so. The concerts are excellent and offer the possibility of sitting within 20 feet of the performers amongst a group of music lovers. Nice experience! Most of the performing acts are lesser known and willing to perform before audiences of 60 to 120, but that doesn't mean they aren't good. Some are truly outstanding! One such act is a couple known as Albert (her) and Gage (him).

After attending one Albert and Gage concert, I was so taken by the experience that I just had to have a couple of their CDs. The "Cry Love" CD fairly approximates the concert experience, except that there are a few extra musicians (drums and bass). In concert, Albert provides most of the vocals and rhythm guitar. Gage provides all else and is an amazingly talented musician. One this recording, he plays acoustic, electric, slide and baritone guitars, keyboards, accordion, mandolin, dobro and percussion, in addition to supplying vocals and harmonizing vocals. He's just amazing.

The music is soft and mellow and acoustic. Very pleasant listening. The two harmonize wonderfully together. I notice on my CD that they are classified as rock. Well, this is very misleading. I'd say they were closer to country, but not Nashville country. Well, who cares how they're classified. They present wonderful, easy listening music. If you ever get a chance to see them live, don't miss it! In the meantime, this is an excellent recording.

Gary Peterson
3776526
When I was lucky enough to come across this album I was in a playful mood, and so despite primarily being a horn player I decided to broaden my scope, and am I glad I did!
From a sax player perspective, this album is a welcome opportunity to hear two great Tenor's duke it out - Michael Brecker and Bob Mintzer. The best is that the sum is even better than the parts: both play energetically and tastefully off the other.
I personally found the quality of the album variable from a sound perspective - it is, after all, a live performance. However, unless you are a complete sound snob, it is easy to get past this and appreciate a glimpse at what it must have actually been like to be there. However, while the quality of the recording is very high given the setting, if you want perfect studio production, this isn't it.
If you like Jaco, you probably already own this; if you like Brecker/Mintzer, this is a must have. The Chicken and Invitation alone are worth the price of the album.
4683943
I lived in Los Angeles in 2008 - 2009, on Wilshire Boulevard. So there were many times that I walked past the Wiltern Theater, a few blocks west from where I lived. The theater marquee caught my eye the very first time I saw it: its name the marriage of the two streets that come together at that intersection: Wilshire and Western.

I never gave that theater much thought until today, when I heard the CD recorded from the live concert on April 16, 1998 to benefit Walden Woods and the Thoreau Institute. Had I known of this recording when I was a resident of L.A. I would have left a bouquet of roses at the theater door. Something to commemorate the incredible event that took place in that auditorium.

It's rare to have a group of highly talented female vocalists performing at one venue. It's even rarer that many of them gave performances that are memorable for their striking beauty. I have my favorites: Shawn Colvin, Trisha Yearwood, Sheryl Crow, Natalie Cole, Bjork and Joni Mitchell (in the order that they appeared onstage). In all there were 10 lovely ladies singing 10 wonderful songs. Now where are you going to find a package like that? Really.

Quite by accident I stumbled upon Bjork singing "Gloomy Sunday" -- a song written in 1933 by Hungarian pianist and composer Rezs Seress.
That was my intro to the concert from 1998. That song, also known as the "Hungarian Suicide Song" has been covered by many famous singers, including Billie Holiday, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan, Lou Rawls, Carmen McRae and Ray Charles. And that's before 1970, well before Sinead O'Connor tackled it in 1992.

What struck me about Bjork's version of the song was the atmosphere created by the backup orchestra conducted by Vince Mendoza, who also arranged it. It's quite a stellar performance and as a bonus Mark Isham is the trumpet soloist.

So now I have listened to the entire program and it truly is awesome. Not "awesome" like the checkout girl says when you tell her you are going to pay in cash. No really awesome. You are awe-struck by what you are hearing.

I plan to listen to this CD often. Geez, I've already lost 16 years.
4110352
So, I meet my roommate at graduate school back in 1978 and we immediately start comparing record collections (both mine and his very extensive).  He has a few very interesting looking releases from a label that was new to me at the time - ECM - one of which was Mountainscapes, with a glossy sleeve that appeared to have a photo of some sort of scratched up and rusted barrel.  (The other two from that label, Three Day Moon - also by Barre Phillips - and Koln Concert, by Keith Jarrett - are similarly remarkable).

A few things hit me right away after my roommate popped this on his turntable.  After admiring the incredibly high recording standard (a constant aspect of ECM recordings), the uniqueness - strangeness, in fact - of the music was just striking.  The song titles indicate that this is actually a suite - each track is essentially another interpretation of the central theme that Phillips & Co had in mind.  Whether the bass was bowed or plucked, the track rhythmic or contemplative, images of storms, sunrise, sunset, loss and wandering all came to mind.  When the final track kicked off with a chugging, repeated bass riff and the drums find the rhythym, the great surprise is the appearance of John Abercrombie playing in a style I've not heard since from him - fast, precise, so effective.

Years later, when I finally found this on CD, it was a wonderful reunion with music that sounds just as fresh to me now as it did back then.  This music creates a mood - it may be such a product of its time that works such as this will never be heard again.

It is expensive, obscure, hard to find...but give it a try and be amazed!
4740928
I've had these speakers for over a year.  They mate well with my retro tube amp and preamp.  I love listening to groups like The Ventures and lots of big band sounds like Glen Miller, Dorsey, Benny Goodman, Cab Galloway and the rest of the mostly instrumental music of the era.  You've not heard anything as sweet as Toni Teniel, Muskrat Love through these very surprising speakers.  I play only vinyl LPs and the sound is so warm and accurate, if I close my eyes, I can reach out and touch the trombones, woods and the piano.  In my younger years, I've owned many over priced "state of the art" speakers but none could better these Pioneer towers at a fraction of the cost.  Who was it that used to say "try it, you'll like it?  If you don't, Amazon will cheerfully accept your return.
4721447
This recording set unplayed for years buried somewhere in my fairly  extensive record collection. I discovered it anew just recently, and at  about one a.m. placed it on my seldom used but not discarded Pioneer  turntable. What I heard placed me in the same state of bliss that I  remembered from years ago when I first hear "If Only We Knew". I  groved on the sound in that early morning hour and vowed that I would get  the CD ASAP. Later on that same day after a little sleep, I went on line  into Columbiahouse's music listing just knowing that it had to be there.  Typing "John Handy" into the little search box I was shocked at  what I found. Not only was Live at the Monterey Jazz Festival not list,  there wasn't a single listing for John Handy. I thought what a ---- shame.  Not only is the recording that I truly want not out there, but Handy's work  has been overlooked altogether. I thought, what is going on? I was deeply  saddened at the prospect of not having this CD and even moreso at the idea  that John Handy, a great jazz man, was overlooked. I thought that I would  just have to wait and hope that Columbia Records or somebody would come to  their senses and release at lease the Monterey performance on CD. For now I  thought, if it wasn't listed by columbiahouse.com, it didn't exist. Well,  having heard of, but never having used Amazon, I did give much thought to  Amazon.com. as a possible source for this recording. Well, I got around to  at least looking and was both surprised and happy to see that they had it!  Alas, somebody did have the good judgement to recognize a great performance  and to memorialize it in a digital format and Amazon was wise enough have  it. Great! I can't wait to add this recording to my CD collection. While I  truly enjoyed the reunion between the record and my old turntable and take  some comfort in just having my old record, enjoying the sounds of this  truly great performance without the occassional pops and skips is a treat  that I'm looking forward to with great anticipation.
2430787
This is a great historical video. i got a chance to see some of my jazz heroes, and what was even better, right here on Amazon i found the actual music video (the sound of Jazz) that provided the background music!!! The video prompted me to investigate some of the early jazz heroes (Lucky Roberts, Rex stewart, Willie the Lion smith)on itunes. I happen to have a Sarah vaughn album from 1956 that features the Ernie Wilkins Band and that thing is smokin!!! All those musicians in New York that did not take it seriously are kicking themselves today. There are not enough stars!