Tuesday, August 21, 2007

Patricia Barber - Montreal Jazz Festivals - 1999 - 2001


Jazz singer and pianist - Chicago based player - Patricia Barber performing live at the Montreal Jazz Festivals 1999 and 2001 Jazz Festivals. In her more exploring way of expressing jazz music. Patricia's inventiveness in exploring jazz can sometimes be a little heavy for jazz beginners, but for true lovers of her music. You will fall in-love with this concert. This dvd is one of her best jazz concerts ever made.
Her lyrics are some of the most absorbing I have heard on record in a long time. She writes in part from experience, often metaphorically, and takes on some familiar subjects by casting an entirely new light on them. But most impressive is her sheer power of language. She puts words and phrases into songs the likes of which have rarely been heard, and at a more poetic level than some of the best folkies. She is also not without a sense of dry wit, whom she credits Mose Allison for inspiring.
From commercial pop music to jazz. Patricia sings with a certain degree of elegance and have captured the attention of jazz music fans. Her stlyle of playing the piano is more or less by definition, a singer rather than a songwriter. This is especially true in jazz, where the performance, improvisation and interpretation are the keys. Material consists of familiar great selected songs that came from her cd's between the year of 1999 and 2001. This dvd lasted an hour of pure breed jazz.

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Diana Krall - Live at Bell Centre - 25th Montreal Jazz Festival - Canada - 2004


Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival features Diana Krall on vocals and piano along with her band of Anthony Wilson on guitar, Peter Erskine on drums, and Robert Hurst on bass. Most of the songs performed here are culled from Krall’s Verve release, The Girl in the Other Room. The album, which has been certified Gold in the US and double Platinum in Krall’s native Canada, marked a change in that it showcased for the first time Krall’s skills as a songwriter. Many of the album’s songs were penned by Krall and her husband, Elvis Costello. Some of the Krall/Costello compositions featured on Live at the Montreal Jazz Festival are “Abandoned Masquerade,” “Departure Bay,” and “Narrow Daylight.” The DVD also features Krall’s concert opener, the original instrumental “Sometimes I Just Freak Out,”


Krall also interpreted songs from a wide range of artists for The Girl in the Other Room, including Tom Waits (“Temptation”), Mose Allison (“Stop This World”), and Joni Mitchell (“Black Crow”). GRAMMY®-winner Krall revisits some classic favorites from her earlier Verve and Impulse! recordings on this DVD as well. During this performance, she included “All or Nothing at All” from her album Love Scenes and “East of the Sun (West of the Moon)” and “Devil May Care” from When I Look in Your Eyes. The DVD concert is 1:28:28 long.


Sunday, August 12, 2007

Acoustic Alchemy - Sounds of St. Lucia - 2006


British smooth jazz group Acoustic Alchemy climbed to the top of the charts with lively grooves and infectious melodies, capturing three Grammy nominations. Beginning as an acoustic guitar duo, these longtime radio favorites have welcomed additional instrumentalists into their line-up. Their intricate, mesmerizing sound has continued to grow and evolve through the years, absorbing many different musical influences and continuing to surprise and delight fans and critics around the world.

Songs:

Catalina Kiss, Playing for Time, Angel of the South, The Beautiful Game, Trailblazer, Viva Che, Cool as a Rool, Flamenco Loco, The Wind of Change, Augustrasse 18, Panama Cat, Lazeez, Red Dust, Casino. 1 hour of cool jazzin!



The Jazz Crusaders - Germany -1987

Boss Mainstream jazz of the highest quality. Outstanding performances by Wayne Henderson - sax, Joe Sample -Piano, James Earl -Bass, Scott Peaker - drums, Eddie Davis- Trumpet, David T. Walker -guitar, Reichii Guillory - vocals . With Special guest appearances of Airto Moreira on percussion and Kenny G. on clarinet.





Tracks: Mischievous Ways, Chain Reaction, Sunrise, Carmel, The way it goes, Street Life, Put it where you want it and Covert action. This concert was held in Germany 1987 Another classic edition from a veteran jazz group - JAZZ CRUSADERS!

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Tony Bennett -Duets - The Making Of An American Classic - 2007 release


When I first saw and heard this DVD -Nobody can really replace Tony Bennetts very cool smooth voice. His expressiveness is incomparable and he is truly a class act. To see him going strong at eighty years old genuinely warms my heart. What makes this show so special is the intimate look it takes at the process that Bennett and his singing partners went through to put the album together. We hear songs like "Swing On, You Sinners," and "For Once In My Life" in the distinctive crooning and spontaneous style that Bennett has made famous. There really is no duplicating the kind of confidence and spirit that emerges from these sessions.
After decades of recording and performing, Tony Bennett can still belt it out with the best of 'em. So it's only fitting that after 50 years of hits the stars would align and beat down Tony Bennett's door for a chance to be on a duet with him. Tony still wallops an enthusiastic and inspired vocal punch that some of these youngsters could takes notes from.

This dvd includes seven videos with behind-the-scenes vignettes. Which runs about 21 minutes, shows film clips on recording sessions and interviews featuring producer Phil Ramone, Tony Bennett with Bono, Dixie Chicks, Michael Bublé, Elton John, John Legend and also cameo appearances of Paul McCartney, James Taylor, Elvis Costello and Diana Krall. Perfecting the art of excellence for over six decades, with 105 albums selling over 50 million copies, Tony Bennett has come to represent the essence of elegance, tradition and artistic accomplishments. Tony celebrates his 80th birthday recording duets of his greatest hits with today's greatest artists: Bono, Michael Bublé, Elvis Costello, Celine Dion, Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juanes, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, George Michael, Sting, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor and Stevie Wonder. An hour of full Jazz melodies from a master of jazz music- Tony Bennett!