Various Artists – Silent Night, Jazzy Night (2001)

It´s christmas time again … and I will start with some special recordings, christmas records, of course !

And I have a dream for this christmas, a very old dream, the dream of Martin Luther King:

“Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.

And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.

I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.

I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.

I have a dream today!

I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.

I have a dream today!”

And this ist not an american dream only … I wish all readers of this blog a peaceful December 2013.

And listen carefully to some great Jazz interpretations of all these old christmas songs !

Tracklist:
01. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra: Jingle Bells (alternate version) (1962) (Traditional) 3.19
02. Leon Parker: In A Sentimental Mood (1996) (Ellington) 4.39
03. Nat King Cole: The Christmas Song (Merry Christmas To You) (1986) (Trome/Wells) 3.11
04. Johnnie Ray: As Time Goes By (1954) (Hupfeld) 3.14
05. Mahalia Jackson: Silent Night, Holy Night (1962) (Gruber/Mohr) 5.04
06. Miles Davis & Gil Evans: Blue Xmas (master) (Dorough) 2.40
07. Glenn Miller Orchestra: Moonlight Serenade (1960) (Miller/Parish) 3.39
08. Billie Holiday: God Bless The Child (1941) (Holiday/Herzog) 2.56
09. Grover Washington Jr:. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas (1997) (Martin/Blane) 4.53
10. Chet Baker: I Married An Angel (1954) (Hart/Rodgers) 3.39
11. The Manhattan Transfer: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/ Santa Man (1991)(Gillespie/Coots/Paul) 3.01
12. Aretha Franklin: Winter Wonderland (1964) (Smith/Bernard) 2.12
13. Mel Tormé: Strangers In The Night (1966) (Kaempfert/Snyder/Singleton) 2.41

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Mahavishnu Orchestra – Wien (1975)

Jean-Luc Ponty was gone. His squealing violin substituted by newcomer Stu Goldberg’s equally electrifying synthesizer. The entire horn and string section was also axed. The third lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra was now a quartet. But as a review in AllMusic.com noted of the album they recorded, this was “power-packed music”.

They open with A Love Supreme, with McLaughlin alive and playing like a dervish. The chant of “a love supreme” gets buried in this version. The tempo only comes to a crawl by the third tune, Sanctuary, another one that lets McLaughlin’s guitar shine. There are ample examples of Stu Goldberg’s keyboard skills on the next two lengthy instrumentals. Together with drummer Narada, both players keep the band sounding funky.

This show has McLaughlin run the band through its paces with much of the material from what’s regarded as their best album, Birds Of Fire. The Birds album was one of the more successful meldings of jazz and rock with much prominence given to the guitar as both a jazz and rock instrument. While Chicago and BS&T offered jazz-rock with more than a touch of pop, it was left to Miles Davis and McLaughlin to push the boundaries further into jazz territory.

Yet despite so much instrumental skill on display, punks were already lying in wait for the ambush to return the music to its three-minute single status. Jazz rock never recovered.

Recorded live in Austria, August 29, 1975. Very good soundboard stereo.
This came to us a long time ago and our notes list this as a soundboard recording. Could be FM sourced.

Personnel:
Ralphe Armstrong (bass, vocals)
Stu Goldberg (keyboards, synthesizer)
John McLaughlin (guitar, vocals)
Narada Michael Walden (drums)

Tracklist:
01. A Love Supreme (Coltrane) 11.57
02. Faith/Open Country Joy (McLaughlin) 18.18
03. Sanctuary (McLaughlin) 4.10
04. One Word/All In The Family (McLaughlin) 19.40
05. Hope/Be Happy (McLaughlin) 10.26

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Great White – Great Zeppelin – A Tribute To Led Zeppelin (1997)

Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a cover album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1998, dedicated to songs of Led Zeppelin. It was recorded live in a concert that took place at The Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California, USA, in December 1996.
This collection from Great White is a nice listening alternative for Led Zeppelin fans. (I am one of those fans) It is rumored that when Great White first started out, they cut their teeth on Led Zeppelin songs.

This collection rocks, there are songs performed here that Led Zeppelin very rarely performed live, to the best of my recollection.

Great White performs 14 Zeppelin songs and sticks essentially to the studio versions. No extended jams, just basic rockin Zep. Jack Russell does a great job on vocals, very Robert Plant
like in most cases, on some songs, he is tremendous – In The Light, Ramble On, No Quarter, Going To California, Immigrant Song. The bands’ music is on the mark.

If there wasn’t commentary between songs, play Ramble On, Immigrant Song, Going To California, to Zep fans and see if they can detect the difference, I could not hear a difference from the real thing.

It takes a lot of moxy to perform Stairway, and it is the final song on the album. The songs that I didn’t think hit the mark were D’yer Maker and All My Love. But 12 out of 14 are great recordings. This is the best Zep tribute album I have heard, bar none. Purists may not like this, but this CD is a good addition to your Led Zeppelin collection. There is a Whole Lotta Led here. (by Frank Rocker)

Personnel:
Audie Desbrow (drums)
Mark Kendall (guitar)
Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards)
Sean McNabb (bass)
Jack Russell (vocals)

Tracklist:
01. In The Light (Jones/Page/Plant) 6.06
02. Living Loving Maid (She´s Just A Woman) (Page/Plant) 3.30
03. Ramble On (Page/Plant) 5.11
04. Since I´ve Been Loving You (Jones/Page/Plant) 6.44
05. No Quarter (Jones/Page/Plant) 8.02
06. Tangerine (Page) 3.05
07. Going To California (Page/Plant) 4.13
08. Thank You (Page/Plant) 4.37
09. D´yer Mak´er (Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant) 4.44
10. All My Love (Jones/Plant) 6.12
11. Immigrant Song (Page/Plant) 2.21
12. When The Levee Breaks (Bonham/Jones/Minnie/Page/Plant) 6.51
13. The Rover (Page/Plant) 6.00
14. Stairway To Heaven (Page/Plant) 8.35

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Grinderswitch – Live Tracks From The 70´s (1994)

Southern rock never got any better than you hear it here, unless maybe it was in the hands of the Allman Brothers on a really good night. Fortunately for Grinderswitch fans and the rest of us, leader Dru Lombar saved a ton of live radio broadcast tapes of the group from a ten-year period. These are what comprise Live Tracks, filling in the only real gap in the group’s output, the lack of a concert album. The selection includes a couple of very strong originals by Lombar and Howard, but the real delights are found in their covers of standards by Freddie King (“Hideaway”), Albert King (“You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”), Elmore James (“Pickin’ the Blues”), and Chuck Willis (“Stoop Down Baby”). The sounds are smooth and soaring, a mix of Southern boogie and electric blues at their very best (this is the way one wanted Derek & the Dominoes to sound in concert). Practically every cut here runs ten minutes or more, but the listener hardly knows it, because there’s not a wasted note. A must-own disc, even for non-fans. (by Bruce Eder)

Personnel:
Rick Burnett (drums)
Larry Howard (guitar, vocals)
Du Lombar (guitar, vocals)
Steve Miller (keyboards)
Joe Dan Petty (bass, vocals)

Live 1974

Tracklist:
01. Kiss the Blues Goodbye (Lombar) 10.43
02. You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone (King) 11.27
03. How the West Was Won (Howard) 15.34
04. Pickin’ the Blues/I Ain’t Got the Blues No More (Lombar) 14.09
05. Stoop Down Baby (Willis) 8.35
06. Hide Away (King) 5.47

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Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – Anne-Sophie Mutter – Herbert von Karajan & Berliner Philharmoniker – Violinkonzerte · Violin Concertos No.3 + No.5 (1978)

Grammy Award winning violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter was born in Rheinfelden in Baden (Germany). She embarked on inter¬national career as a soloist in 1976 at the Lucerne Festival and made her first recording for Deutsche Grammophon at the age of 14: Mozart violin concertos with Karajan and Berliner Phil¬harmoniker, with whom she later also recorded the Mendelssohn, Bruch, Brahms and Beethoven.

Mozart’s canonical violin concertos are works of youth. Even though Einstein’s demarcation still stands – there is a qualitative gap between the first two and the final three – all five of them are not dissimilar in their emotional brief. It is a tragedy that K 470 is lost to eternity other than the four bars in Mozart’s Catalogue. Oh, to have heard him in this domain at the floodtide of his powers!

The jungle holds many mysteries. Will we ever understand what prompted Claudio Abbado, the former Principal Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic no less, to go rogue and hobble around with the period practice wolf-pack and all to no vivid end? Was it the onset of senescence or a Lear-like madness? I recently re-listened to his Mozart: The 5 Violin Concertos. Heavens to betsy! When Mozart is being re-promulgated as a Dresden China figurine at a lower pitch or, to use a more modern metaphor, as Mozart Zero with no added sugar or fat – just one calorie, baby – surely the Day of the Locust is upon us. Omega Men, step forward!

It is a blessed relief to turn to this famous recording. Even after all these decades, it continues to astound. The young soloist plays fierily and poetically in turns. My celebrated Herbie soup-o-meter did not beep once for its duration. The Berlin Philharmonic, judiciously scaled down, is galvanised by the endeavour. Oh, listen to the deified double basses of this once-great ensemble as they ruminate expansively at 7’11” ff in the Adagio of K 219 – this is opulence. Indeed, both works momentarily appear to be greater than what they are. The warm analogue recording has been enhanced by the latest remastering.

Considering ASM’s penchant for older men, it is not a bad thing that Eliette von Karajan stood in the wings for these recording sessions, paint-brush in hand. If Abaddon, the Archangel of the Abyss, has a consort, she can be readily imagined . . . .

Longevity has been accrued by this endeavour. I cannot say the same for a certain mangy old wolf in this domain whose ululations will soon be lost to the winds. (by Bernard Michael O’Hanlon)

Personnel:
Anne-Sophie Mutter (violin)
+
Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Herbert von Karajan

Tracklist:

Violin Concerto No.3 In G, K.216:
01. Allegro 10.46
02. Adagio 9.51
03. Rondo (Allegro) 6.40

Violin Concerto No.5 In A, K.219:
04. Allegro aperto 10.50
05. Adagio 10.57
06. Rondeau (Tempo di minuetto) 9.24

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Various Artists – Simply Smooth Jazz – Essentail Smooth Jazz (Disc 04) (2004)

Smooth jazz is a genre of music that grew out of jazz fusion and is influenced by jazz, R&B, funk, rock, and pop music styles (separately, or, in any combination).

Modern derivatives of the genre include the more-recent New Adult Contemporary format of broadcast radio. “Smooth jazz” has been successful as a radio format; however, in 2007, the popularity of the format began to slide. Consequently, it was abandoned by several high-profile radio stations across the U.S.A., perhaps most notably by WQCD (now WFAN-FM) in New York, WJJZ in Philadelphia (now WISX), and KKSF (now KOSF) in San Francisco. Many industry insiders have speculated that the smooth jazz format may die out, particularly with many of industry giant Clear Channel Communications’ stations dropping the genre. Critics of the company, however, blame Clear Channel for the format’s decline, citing too much repetition of a sharply-reduced number of tracks on Clear Channel-owned stations that alienated many listeners. Despite the format’s demise on commercial radio, a growing number of non-commercial stations have taken up the music. In addition, smooth jazz concerts, recording sales—as well as increased smooth jazz offerings on the Internet—continue to show strong fan support for the genre.

And this is just another compilation album full with fine smooth jazz tracks … Lay back and enjoy as I do ! And read the booklets with some very interesting informations about the history of smooth jazz !

Tracklist:
01. Clare Teal: Miss Otis Regrets (1934) (Porter) 4.07
02. Miles Tone: If You Don’t Know Me By Now (1973) (Gamble/Huff) 3.21
03. Michel Simone: What A Difference A Day Makes (1975) (Grever/Adams) 5.11
04. Kymaera: Chuck E’s In Love () (Jones) 3.37
05. Jazz Culture: Take Five (1961) (Desmond) 3.17
06. Jazz Culture: Talking In Your Sleep (1978) (Cook/Wood) 3.07
07. Kymaera: California dreamin’ (2002) (Phillips) 3.12
08. Michel Simone: Closest Thing To Crazy (2004) (Batt) 4.25
09. Miles Tone: Satin Doll (2002) (Ellington/Strayhorn/Mercer) 4.13
10. Nyte Vision: Three Times A Lady (1969) (Richie) 3.32
11. Kymaera: Lowdown (1977) (Scaggs/Paich) 4.30
12. Jazz Culture: I’m Beginning To See The Light (James/Ellington/Hodges/George) 3.44
13. Kymaera: Livin’ On The Fault Line (1977) (Simmons) 4.43
14. Miles Tone: Holding Back The Years (1986) (Hucknall/Moss) 3.53

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Creation – We Are Painterman (1967)

The Creation are an English psychedelic rock band formed in 1966 by Kenny Pickett (born Kenneth George Pickett September 3rd 1947 in Ware, Hertfordshire – died January 10th 1997) on vocals, Eddie Phillips on lead guitar, Mick Thompson on rhythm guitar, Jack Jones (born November 8th, 1944 in Northampton) on drums and Bob Garner on bass. (The first four mentioned had been in Mark Four, accompanied by John Dalton who had left to join The Kinks. Bob Garner had previously been in the Tony Sheridan Band.)
Their style was originally loud pop-art, similar to The Kinks and The Who, but developed into a more typically mid-60s psychedelic/prog sound.
At the end of 1966, Bob Garner left and was replaced by Kim Gardner, and in March 1968, Pickett left and was replaced by Ron Wood (both of these new members had been in The Birds), but Pickett soon returned, replacing both Phillips and Gardner. Shortly afterwards, however, Creation disbanded; but their music will survive … I´m sure … Don´t forgett their message: Our music is red with purple flashes !

Personnel:
Bob Garner (bass)
Jack Jones (drums)
Kenny Pickett (vocals)
Eddie Phillips (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Cool Jerk (Storball) 2.18
02. Making time (Pickett/Phillips) 2.55
03. Through My Eyes (Garner/Phillips) 3.05
04. Like A Rolling Stone (Dylan) 2.57
05. Can I Join Your Band (Pickett) 2.14
06. Tom Tom (Garner/Phillips) 2.54
07. Try And Stop Me (Pickett/Phillips) 2.25
08. If I Stay You Too Long (Garner/Phillips) 3.21
09. Biff, Bang, Pow (Pickett/Phillips) 2.33
10. Nightmares (Pickett/Phillips) 3.11
11. Hey Joe (Roberts) 4.09
12. Painter Man (Pickett/Phillips) 2.51
13. How Does It Feel To Feel (US-Version) (Garner/Phillips) 3.02
14. Sylvette (Garner/Phillips) 2.41
15. I´m The Walker (Pickett/Phillips) 2.45
16. Ostrich Man (Pickett/Phillips) 2.56
17. Sweet Helen (Pickett) 2.59
18. Life Is Just Beginning (alternate take) (Garner/Phillips) 3.21
19. For All That I Am (previously unreleased) (Kahan/Friedland) 3.07
20. Midway Down (previously unreleased) (Wonderling/Shapiro) 3.00
21. Hurt Me If You Will (Lee/Phillips) 2.53
22. I´m Leaving (Pickett/Phillips) 3.31
23. Work All Day (Sleep All Night) (Lee/Phillips) 2.56
24. Going Down Fast (Lee/Phillips) 2.35

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Dick Heckstall-Smith, John Etheridge, Rainer Glas, Joe Nay – Live 1990 (1990)

Saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith had a major role in the British blues boom of the 1960s, playing in the bands of Alexis Korner, Graham Bond, and John Mayall. In all of his work, and particularly in the late-’60s band Colosseum, he ventured into the little-explored territory where blues, jazz, and rock meet.

In addition to doing session work, he’s released some solo recordings.

In the late 80´s he began to work with jazz-guitarplayer John Etheridge:

“Other noteworthy albums during the course of the 1990´s are Dick´s work with The John Etheride Group on Obesession Fees, an eight-track album resulting in a tour of Germany” (Stephanie Lynne Thorburn  in her biography of Dick Heckstall-Smith)
This is their second album, recorded live in Erlangen/Germany and is a real fine example of Dick Heckstall-Smith and his very own, very special style of playing jazz-rock.

Personnel:
John Etheridge (guitar)
Rainer Glass (bass)
Dick Heckstall-Smith (saxophone)
Joe Nay (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Venerable Bede (Etheridge)8.58
02. Woza Nasu (Heckstall-Smith) 18.41
03. Moongoose (Heckstall-Smith) 13.42
04. Baiere (Etheridge) 9.24

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Mulo Francel & Evelyn Huber – Aventure For Saxophone And Harp (2005)

Saxophone and harp – two characters that seem so adverse fuse to unexpected sound worlds: ballads and Bossa Nova, Tango and Valse, improvisations and melodies of the old Europe. Mulo Francel from Quadro Nuevo and the virtuoso world music harpist Evelyn Huber go on a magical journey.

Taken from the original liner notes:
“Aventure was a promising word in medieval times. It developed into the contemporary word adventure. You can experience an adventure on just an afternnon or in just one night. But a real adventure means much more: A journey full of wondrous enccounters that leads the hero through foreign lands and to enchanted places. The traveller will grow with the many tasks and cahllenges he has to pass. This adventurous trip can take days, weeks, years. In this spirit, we also understand the more then ten years of coaction of our instruments harp and saxophone as aventure.”

Personnel:
Mulo Francel (saxophone, clarinet)
Evelyn Huber (harp)

Tracklist:
01. Angelo Del Gatto (Francel) 4.37
02. Canzone Della Strada (Francel) 3.58
03. Aventure (Francel) 7.18
04. Nordic Summer Song (Traditional) 4.35
05. Dillasdie (Huber) 3.55
06. Felicias Valse (Francel) 3.49
07. Wenn der Sommer wieder einzieht – A Little On The Lonely Side (Cavanaugh/Robertson/Welden) 3.55
08. Liebesleid (Kreisler) 4.33
09. Miserlou (Traditional) 4.49
10. Forest Of Fairytales (Huber) 4.48
11. In die Ferne (Francel) 2.46
12. Tristano (Traditional) 4.42
13. Sohnesherz (Francel) 6.12

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Electric Sun – Fire Wind (1981)

The same conflict of extremes that had blemished Uli Jon Roth’s debut with Electric Sun — mind-blowing guitar work marred by painfully ineffective vocals — were reprised with increasingly dire consequences on the power trio’s sophomore outing, 1980’s Fire Wind. At least on Earthquake, large doses of hard rock akin to that of his former employers, the Scorpions, had helped soften the blow by keeping Roth’s outmoded hippie ramblings in check, but on Fire Wind the guitarist was even less disciplined, his songs trippier, and his Hendrix fixation crossing the line from honest inspiration to poor man’s imitation. To the latter point, “I’ll Be Loving You Always” lifted melodies from both “The Wind Cries Mary” and “Angel,” while the nearly 11-minute “Hiroshima” — spine-tingling as it was as a guitar-playing showcase — essentially represented the German guitarist’s personal take on Hendrix’s “Machine Gun.” And in broader terms, the heartfelt messages parlayed by Roth’s flower-power lyrics were generally stripped of significance when sung in a style reminiscent of Frank Zappa’s comedy routines — an inevitable byproduct of his deficient vocal talents. Even so, the album had at least one undeniable highlight in energetic opening rocker “Cast Away Your Chains,” which overwhelmed any vocal failings with a solo and extended coda that’s as good as guitar shredding has ever been. Notwithstanding this one track, though, only guitar freaks and Roth completists will likely want to venture into Fire Wind’s sonic vortex. (by Eduardo Rivadavia)

Personnel:
Sidhatta Gautama (drums)
Ule Ritgen (bass)
Uli Roth (guitar, vocals)

Tracklist:
01. Cast Away Your Chains 3.56
02. Indian Dawn 5.16
03. I’ll Be Loving You Always 5.00
04. Fire Wind 5.03
05. Prelude In Space Minor 1.22
06. Just Another Rainbow 3.54
07. Children Of The Sea 3.23
08. Chaplin And I 5.45
09. Enola Gay (Hiroshima Today?) 10:37
a) Enola Gay
b) Tune Of Japan
c) Attack
d) Lament

All songs written by Uli Roth
(this rip was taken from the 3 CD compilation “From Here To Eternity”)

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