Various Artist – Hits Of The 70’s – Volume One (1992)

Not only for the music of the Sixties were there many low budget samplers, the same is true for the musicians of the Seventies.

And here is such an example. A 4 CD box called “Hits Of The 70´s”.

And it is another example of how music history is robbed, because here too we do not hear the original recordings, but cheap copies, recorded by some unknown studio musicians.

I didn’t know most of the songs. That has to do with the fact that the songs here mostly come from the Bubblegum, Pop Rock, Soft Rock, Ballad, Disco, Soul genre.
And this was and is not the music that appeals to me.

Alternate frontcover:

But this kind of music marketing is also part of music history, a sad part.
And that’s why this music also has a place – now and then – in this blog.

That’s all I can think of to say about this entry.

Tracklist:
01. Disco Tex & The Sex-O-Lettes: Get Dancing (Nolan/Crewe) 3.50
02. Grass Roots: She’s A Fool (Barkan/Raleigh) 4:00
03. Clarence Carter: Patches (Dunbar/Johnson) 2:57
04. The Glitter Band: Angel Face (Shephard/Rossall) 3:00
05. Christie: Yellow River (Christie) 2:50
06. George McCrae: I Can’t Leave You Alone (Casey/Finch)  3:01
07. Bad Finger: Come And Get It (McCartney) 2:10
08. Mungo Jerry: In The Summertime (Dorset) 3:25
09. The New Seekers: Never Ending Song Of Love (Bramlett) 3:07
10. Climax: Precious & Few (Nims) 2:46
11. Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes: Satisfaction Guaranteed (Huff/Gamble) 3:11
12. The Rubettes: Foe-Dee-O-Dee (Bickerton/Waddington) 3:00
13. Daniel Boone: Beautiful Sunday (Boone/McQueen) 2:58
14. R Dean Taylor: Indiana Wants Me (Taylor) 2:42
15. The Equals: Black Is Black (Wadey/Grainger/Hayes) 2:50
16. The Tams: Hey Girl Don’t Bother Me (Whitley)  2:29
17. The Fortunes: Freedom Come, Freedom Go (Hammond/Hazlewood/Greenaway/Cook) 3:06
18. Andrea True: More More More (Diamond) 2:22
19. John Travolta: Sandy (Louis/Simon) 2:33
20. Lobo: Me & You & A Dog Named Boo (LaVoie) 3:03
21. Mungo Jerry: You Don’t Have To Be In The Army To Fight In The War (Dorset)  3:23
22. Billy Ocean: Love Really Hurts Without You (Findon/Charles) 3:09
23. Jimmy Castor: Troglodyte (Cave Man) (Castor/Jensen/Gibson/Manigault) 3:26
24. Rufus Thomas: Do The Funky Chicken (Thomas) 3:23
25. Blues Image: Ride Captain Ride (Pinera/Konte)  3:30

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Various Artists – A Classic Rock Salute To The Doors – Light My Fire (2014)

Southern California-based Purple Pyramid Records and producer, instrumentalist Billy Sherwood raised the bar with this tribute to The Doors by convening a star-studded cast, featuring classic rockers performing with progressive rock luminaries. And the jazz contingent is onboard, evidenced by jazz guitar great Larry Coryell appearing with Focus keyboardist Thijs Van Leer on “Love Me Two Times.”

When I first broke the seal on this recording and perused the personnel listing I was delighted yet partly suspicious, fearing this would be an unbalanced project and/or a riffing contest framed on The Doors songbook. Such is not the case. Thus, Todd Rundgren performing alongside Captain Beeheart Magic Band guitarist Zoot Horn Rollo and Yes keyboardist Geoff Downes signify one of many rather unlikely, yet markedly productive and enticing state of affairs. It’s a varied set, where all the vocalists retain their signature chops and modus operandi. Although one unremitting factor is centered on their penchant for extracting the force-field of The Doors’ vocalist Jim Morrison’s commanding delivery.

The production’s stunning sound quality yields additional bonus points and should warm the hearts of audiophiles. Ultimately, each rendition of The Doors’ songbook is imbued with the musicians’ idiosyncratic niceties amid a plethora of shrewdly placed dynamics, layered keys and guitar shadings. They inject distinct characteristics but don’t sacrifice The Doors’ core song-forms. Hence, disparate musical personalities uncannily attain an accord on many fronts by imparting a sense of ownership and camaraderie, whether or not they were recording tracks in the same studio at the same time.

It’s easy to discern that Sherwood and associates maximized the talents and style of each artist’s strengths, juxtaposed by strong soloing spots and the obligatory personal touches that many of us would anticipate. Van Leer helps give “Love Me Two Times ” a modern uplift by instilling some good old Hammond-B3 organ style boogie rock, abetted by Coryell’s Texas blues patterns and hard rock phrasings. Moreover, guitar hero Leslie West (Mountain) does what he does best via his emphatically thick vocals, coupled with sinuous slide guitar leads atop Rod Piazza’s harmonica notes, as they punch it out on this husky finger-snapping spin on “Roadhouse Blues.”

Tony Kaye (Yes) uses a synth emulated electric piano sound during “Riders On The Storm” and Keith Emerson (Emerson, Lake & Palmer) preludes “People Are Strange” with stride piano clusters and synths alongside time-honored session ace, guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter’s deft acoustic guitar work. Yet rockabilly vocalist Robert Gordon croons through “Touch Me” with the resonance and machismo of Morrison, complemented by pumping rhythms and Nik Turner’s (Hawkwind) swirling sax notes and prog rock keyboard great Jordan Rudess’ spiraling notes. Whereas, Rundgren tenders a pop-ish and clement outlook on The Doors’ swaggering and bluesy torch piece “Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar).

Highlights are thriving components, especially when infamous Yes alumni, guitarist Steve Howe and keyboardist Rick Wakeman delve into an extended call and response motif, spanning rock, jazz and classical nuances in the bridge section of “Light My Fire.” Here, Ian Gillan provides the antithesis of what we’d expect, considering his high-impact vocals with Deep Purple, as he counterbalances the soloists with a care-free and straightforward rendering of the familiar choruses. Indeed, this tribute endeavor covers all the bases and then some. It’s not to be overlooked. Kudos to the production team for bestowing their rather enlightening plan of attack as it’s quite apparent that a lot of thought prefaced the onset of this astonishing alignment of rock’s past and present rock stars. (by Glen Astarita)

First off readers let me say that I do not like cover bands, cover albums, tribute albums and compilation albums. I have always felt they should be considered a separate genre and that they usually do a disservice to the original composers and bands. After listening to “A Classic Rock Salute To The Doors” though I am rethinking those thoughts. It is hard to cover every song here, there are 16 of their greatest hits, so I will try to give an over view of what I think is important. I will leave the final decision up to you as to how good it really is after you listen to it.

I was fortunate enough to see ‘The Doors’, 3 times, once at Cobo Hall in Detroit. They were a very unassuming band with almost no equipment. They used no special effects, fireworks, light shows or anything other than themselves, a few instruments and only a couple amps and speakers. The stage was pretty empty even by the standards of the 1960’s. What they lacked in equipment they made up by how tight and cohesive they were as a group when they were all in sync with each other and halfway sober. Jim Morrison usually took all eyes off the other 3 members but make no mistake that without them Jim Morrison would probably have become another undiscovered rock star.

Several of the guests on this album most likely knew ‘The Doors’ back in the day and are by all rights are ‘Superstars’ themselves. More than 42 of rock’s greatest classic ‘Superstars’ showed up to play on this album. That’s a lot of “tribute” to any person or group and shows the love and respect they all had for ‘The Doors’ and their music. By my count there are at least 7 tribute albums out there for ‘The Doors’ but from where I sit this is probably the only one that should matter.

The album starts off with one of my favorites, ‘LA Woman’. From their 6th, album released in 1971, ‘LA Woman’. Jami Jamison, Ted Turner and Patrick Moraz do an admirable job of covering this tune. The guitar work, Ted Turner I am assuming, gives an old favorite a different twist.

I could go into much more detail on more songs off this album but since space is limited I will just give some observations here. This is certainly an album to help introduce anyone who has never heard ‘The Doors’ before to their greatness. After listening to it I guarantee they will hunger for the original music just to hear who these 4 guys, who cut out a slice of rock history for themselves, really were.

The guitar work on every song is clean, precise and shredded, something that Robby Kriegers “fingerstyle” guitar playing did not allow him to do. Not that Robby Krieger wasn’t great, he was just not as technical since “fingerstyle“ playing is better suited to Flamenco and Folk Music. It’s probably the most notable difference in all of the tunes here.

Conspicuous by its absence here though is ‘The Unknown Soldier’ which could have easily replaced the version of ‘People Are Strange’ with David Johansen and Billy Sherwood. This is the only song I really felt did not belong among the 16 cuts on this album.

The closing song is my all time favorite and appropriately is, ‘The End’, featuring Pat Travers and Jimmy Greenspoon. Listening to this version gave me goose bumps and almost brought tears to my eyes. The depth is so different but not nearly as dark as the original. I think you’ll find yourself listening to it over and over again! (Mike Langford)

One of the finest tribute albums ever !

Personnel:

Jimi Jamison: vocals (1); Patrick Moraz: keyboards (1); Ted Turner: guitars (1); Scott Connor: drums (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 16); Billy Sherwood: bass (all tracks), guitar, piano, synths (8), drums, keyboards (12); Lou Gramm: vocals (2); Thijs Van Leer: keyboards (2); Larry Coryell: guitar (2); Leslie West: guitar, vocals (3); Brian Augur: Hammond B-3 organ (3); Rod Piazza: harmonica (3); Mark Stein: vocals, Hammond B-3 organ (4); Mick Box: guitar (4); Joe Lynn Turner: vocals (5); Tony Kaye: Hammond B-3 organ (5); Steve Cropper: guitar (5); Edgar Winter: vocals (6); Chris Spedding: guitar (6); Keith Emerson: acoustic 7 ft. grand piano and original Moog, modular synthesizer (7); Jeff “Skunk” Baxter: acoustic guitar (7); Joel Druckman: acoustic upright bass (7); David Johansen: vocals (8); Robert Gordon: vocals (9); Jordan Rudess: keyboards (9); Steve Morse: guitar (9); Nik Turner: saxophone (9); Adam Hamilton: drums (9); Graham Bonnet: vocals (10); Christopher North: Hammond organ & Leslie (10); Steve Hillage: guitar (10); Ken Hensley: vocals, Hammond B-3 organ (11); Roye Albrighton: guitar (11); Eric Martin: vocals (12); Elliot Easton: lead and Spanish guitars (12); Todd Rundgren: vocals (13); Geoff Downes: keyboards (13); Zoot Horn Rollo: guitars (13); Mark Farner: vocals, guitar (14); Chick Churchill: keyboards (14); Glenn Grossman: drums (14); Ian Gillian: vocal (15); Rick Wakeman: keyboards (15); Steve Howe: guitar (15); Ricky Joyce: drums (15); Pat Travers: vocals, guitar (16); Jimmy Greenspan: keyboards (16).

For details see booklet

Tracklist:
01. Jimi Jamison, Ted Turner, Patrick Moraz: L.A. Woman 7.28
02. Lou Gramm, Thijs van Leer, Larry Coryell: Love Me Two Times 3.21
03. Leslie West, Brian Auger, Rod Piazza: Roadhouse Blues 4.06
04. Mark Stein, Mick Box: Love Her Madly 3.26
05. Joe Lynn Turner, Tony Kaye, Steve Cropper: Riders On The Storm 6.19
06. Edgar Winter, Chris Spedding: The Crystal Ship 2.44
07. Keith Emerson, Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter, Joel Druckman: Intro (People Are Strange) 3.58
08. David Johansen, Billy Sherwood: People Are Strange 2.21
09. Robert Gordon, Jordan Rudess, Steve Morse, Nik Turner: Touch Me 3.49
10. Graham Bonnet, Christopher North, Steve Hillage: The Soft Parade 8.04
11. Ken Hensley, Roye Albrighton: Hello, I Love You 2.39
12. Eric Martin, Elliot Easton: Spanish Caravan 2.54
13. Todd Rundgren, Geoff Downes, Wake: Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar) 3.26
14. Mark Farner, Chick Churchill: Break On Through (To the Other Side) 2.51
15. Ian Gillan, Rick Wakeman, Steve Howe: Light My Fire 7.00
16. Pat Travers, Jimmy Greenspoon: The End 11.23

All songs written by Jim Morrison – John Densmore – Ray Manzarek – Robby Krieger
except:
06.: written by Jim Morrison &
13.: written by Kurt Weil – Bertolt Brecht

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Various Artists – A Coltrane Serenade (1991)

The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra is probably too big and bulky to be considered a tight unit but all the players are individually of distinction. Mainly their program is to highlight and celebrate the giants of jazz from yesteryear. They have performed and recorded music by Ellington, big band swing and numerous others.

To celebrate John Coltrane, the “house band” of Todd Williams, Wynton Marsalis, Marcus Roberts, Christian McBride, Billy Higgins and Wes Andersen are supplemented by guests Joe Henderson, McCoy Tyner and Roy Haynes.

This is a very comfortable way to get into Coltrane as the music here are among his most accessible. Dear Lord is taken at a lounge-y pace, with enough soloing to make this jazz. Coltrane’s explosive, experiential side is gently avoided. The final track Mr Symes is a sweet ballad.

Almost 40 years after his passing, John Coltrane’s best work remains A Love Supreme which hopefully any self-respecting jazz fan has in his collection. (Professor Red)

What a great celebration for Mr. John Coltrane !

Jazz At Lincoln Centre, Alice Tully Hall, New York, August 9, 1991
Excellent braodcast recording

Personnel:

Tracks 01. – 03.
Wes Andersen (saxophone)
Billy Higgins (drums)
Wynton Marsalis (trumpet)
Christian McBride (bass)
Marcus Roberts (piano)
Todd Williams (saxophone)

Tracks 04. – 05.
Christian McBride (bass)
Roy Haynes (drums)
Joe Henderson (saxophone)
Charles McPherson (saxophone)
McCoy Tyner (piano)
+
Reginald Veal (bass on 05.)

Tracklist:
01. Mr. Day 8.23
02. Miles Mode 8.32
03. Tunji  8.06
04. Dear Lord  7.50
05. Mr Symes/Dahomey Dance  24.37

Music composed by John Coltrane

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Various Artists – Chooglin’ – A Tribute To The Songs Of John Fogerty (2002)

One of the most instantly recognizable voices in music is that of John Fogerty. A dirty and rough sound, filled with aggression, passion and loneliness, lit up by its sheer sense of force and stained beauty, Fogerty’s unique vocals lifted the profile of Creedence Clearwater Revival in the ‘60s with songs capturing the struggles at the time for peace, the fallibility of man, and the nature of imagination and individuality.

His music has since become stuff of legend, and any look back in history, be it on television or film, and even in our own minds, sees Creedence there somewhere waiting to pounce, to remind us of eras forgotten. Like him or not, Fogerty remains a pervading force in music, with songs like “Bad Moon Rising”, “Lookin’ out My Back Door” and “Run through the Jungle” still featuring prominently on radio playlists and on movie soundtracks. It’s a force impossible to escape, so much so that Fogerty and his successful, and at times troubled, little group to this day are as heralded as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when it comes to shaping a generation through sound.

It’s no surprise, then, that someone, somewhere should decide to pay tribute to Fogerty and his music. Dren Records’ Chooglin’: A Tribute to the Songs of John Fogerty does just that, bringing together a range of predominantly unknown artists to churn out their own interpretations of some of the biggest Creedence hits mixed with a couple of lesser known tracks.

“Who’ll Stop the Rain”—as seen through the eyes of Mark McKay and Scott Murawski—is a marvelous way to open the tribute. McKay and Murawski, turning the song into a duet, each stick close to the boundaries of the original song. Their rendition is a perfect example of how the album should be, a couple of guys with their guitars doing what is essentially a note-for-note cover.

Similarly, Frog Holler’s take on “Have You Ever Seen the Rain?” is just as gorgeous, featuring a strong but soft lead vocal and backed by the subtle twang of a banjo, the essence of Fogerty’s ode to contained chaos is captured effortlessly.

The Ray Mason Band’s “Don’t Look Now (It Ain’t You or Me)” and Scott McKnight’s lush version of “It’s Just a Thought” are just as stunning. Mason takes “Don’t” on a compelling ride, jumping about with brilliant energy, while McKnight’s cover is classic down-home country.

Former session guitarist for Bob Dylan, John Jorgensen funks up “Lookin’ out My Back Door” while retaining the calamitous clatter of the original. The Good Sons do the same thing to “Someday Never Comes” sticking to the original sound of the song, with Michael Weston King’s sleek vocals twisting it ever so slightly into something calm and wistful, becoming a comforting companion to Fogerty’s more pleading original version.

Adding further life to these old tunes is Gringoman’s “Run through the Jungle” and Star City’s “Penthouse Pauper”. “Jungle” is flooded with lush haunting drums, and features perhaps the most faithful Creedence licks, while “Pauper” feels fresher than ever with its demanding vocal style and non-too-busy guitars. Both Gringoman singer Eric Ambel and Star City’s Jason Lewis adopting all the right elements Fogerty’s trademark voice to enhance their renditions with screaming presence.

The Weisstronauts

The Calico Band’s version of “Lodi” is the album’s highlight. The band retains the silky sound of the song, with singer Melinda McPeek’s gorgeous vocals adding sumptuous effect. The version carries all the lonesome spirit of the original, so much so it’s like Fogerty himself is sitting in somewhere, making sure all goes smoothly. He needn’t worry though, the Calico Band don’t put a foot wrong.

Some of the bands on the album, however, aren’t as successful.

The Damn Lovelys’ version of “Hey Tonight” is a grating few minutes, draining all the ferocity of the original with annoying Hole-sounding vocals, especially on the “Johnny’s gonna find religion”-hook. Gingersol’s “Up Around the Bend” is too soft and hardly comes close to reliving the aggression of the original. This is a song that needs to be screamed out, foot pounding on the floor, hand slamming the air, yet Gingersol’s interpretation misses the mark, becoming frustrating to listen to when the vocals refuse to heat up. Bellwether’s “As Long as I Can See the Light” has a similar problem, while Fogerty’s vocals on the original are already toned down, singer Eric Luoma slows them down even further creating a depressing, unadventurous song.

Frog Holler

The only time such slowing down of the songs works is on the Mary Janes’ “Bad Moon Rising”, forcing in the mind images of a campfire on the Louisiana bayou, the players often looking at each other and smiling. The song, usually a driving rock tune, one that is quite probably playing somewhere in the world at any given moment, is already affecting, but singers Janas Hoyt and Glenn Hicks manage to make it even more so never rising above maudlin monotone throughout their rendition.

For the most part, Chooglin’ is a wonderful updating of Fogerty’s style and talent. Many of the bands do what, for me anyway, a good tribute album should—they don’t change the songs so that they become unrecognizable, after all the songs are loved for what they are, not for what they never were, and they don’t work when badly modernised, as they represent an era—one in which they should remain.

On the whole, though, the album fulfils its intention, with most of the bands following the Mary Janes’ lead adding their own sound to one already perfected. Only rarely do the musicians fail, but then, like any tribute album, no one song will appeal to all listeners. Fogerty purists, however, are sure to get a kick out of much of what’s on offer.(by Nikki Tranter)

Ray Mason Band

Tracklist:
01. Mark McKay & Scott Murawski: Who’ll Stop the Rain 3.59
02. The Damn Lovelys / Meredith Ochs: Hey Tonight 3-31
03. Big Silver: Wrote a Song for Everyone 4.10
04. Frog Holler: Have You Ever Seen the Rain? 3.55
05. Ray Mason Band: Don’t Look Now 2.02
06. Gingersol: Up Around the Bend 3.20
07. Western Electric: Keep on Chooglin’ 2.49
08. Scott McKnight: It’s Just A Thought 3.35
09. Calico Bind: Lodi 4.01
10. John Jorgenson: Lookin’ Out My Back Door 2.15
11. The Good Sons: Someday Never Comes 4.23
12. Weisstronauts: Born On The Bayou 5.00
13. Fight Fire: Backpack 3.12
14. Gringoman: Run Through The Jungle 3.16
15. The Mary Janes: Bad Moon Rising 3.42
16. Bellwether: Long As I Can See The Light 4.08
17. Star City: Penthouse Pauper 4.51

All songs written by John Fogerty

John Fogerty in 1970

 

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Various Artists – Cadillac Records (OST) (2008)

Cadillac Records is a 2008 musical biopic written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and a few of the musicians who recorded for Chess Records.

The film stars Adrien Brody as Leonard Chess, Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon, Mos Def as Chuck Berry, Columbus Short as Little Walter, Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf, and Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. The film was released in North America on December 5, 2008 by TriStar Pictures.

Leonard Chess, a Polish immigrant of Jewish descent, starts the record label Chess Records in Chicago in 1950. It opens its doors for black musicians and attracts people such as Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Little Walter and Etta James.

Leonard Chess was the co-founder of the 1950s American record label Chess Records, located in Chicago, Illinois. He ran the legendary company with his brother, Phil, through the 1950s and ’60s. The label started selling records from the back of Chess’ Cadillac, and launched the careers of legendary musical personalities such as blues singers and harmonica and guitar players Little Walter and Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, soul legend Etta James and guitarist singer-songwriters Chuck Berry and Willie Dixon.

Originally, Matt Dillon was slated to play the role of Chess, but the role was ultimately given to Academy Award-winner Adrien Brody due to scheduling conflicts with Dillon. Early announcements of the cast also included Columbus Short as Little Walter, Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters, and multi-Grammy Award winner Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James. According to director Martin, the role of James was written with Knowles in mind.

As production increased, the roster grew to include Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui as Revetta Chess, Tammy Blanchard as Isabelle Allen, English actor Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf, and comedian Cedric the Entertainer as Willie Dixon. Final line ups of the cast also grew to include rapper Mos Def as Chuck Berry, and Gabrielle Union in the role of Geneva Wade, Muddy Waters’ common law wife.

The American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer Steve Jordan produced the soundtrack to the film. He also picked a group of blues musicians, including Billy Flynn (guitar), Larry Taylor (bass), Eddie Taylor Jr. (guitar), Barrelhouse Chuck (piano), Kim Wilson (harmonica), Danny Kortchmar (guitar), Hubert Sumlin (guitar), and Bill Sims (guitar) who, along with Jordan on drums, recorded all of the blues songs used in the film.

Knowles recorded five songs for the soundtrack, including a cover version of Etta James’ “At Last” which was released on December 2, 2008 as its lead single. Mos Def, Jeffrey Wright, Columbus Short, and Eamonn Walker recorded songs for the soundtrack, and Raphael Saadiq, Knowles’ sister Solange, Mary Mary, Nas, Buddy Guy, and Elvis Presley also appear on the album. The soundtrack was released in single and double-disc editions.

The soundtrack spent 48 weeks at number one of the Top Blues Albums.

The soundtrack was nominated for three 2010 Grammy Awards in the following categories: ‘Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media’, Beyoncé’s “Once in a Lifetime” for ‘Best Song Written For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media’ and Beyoncé’s “At Last” for ‘Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance’.

The film received mostly positive reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gives a score of 68% based on reviews from 120 critics. Its consensus state that “What Cadillac Records may lack in originality, it more than makes up for in strong performances and soul-stirring music.” Another review aggretator, Metacritic, gave the film a 65% approval rating based on 30 reviews classifying that the film has “generally favorable reviews”.

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film 3 stars and stated in his review that “The film is a fascinating record of the evolution of a black musical style, and the tangled motives of the white men who had an instinct for it.” Elizabeth Weitzman of the Daily News awarded the film with 3 stars and wrote in her review, “Writer-director Darnell Martin clearly respects the fact that the history of Chess Records is a worthy subject.”[20] Most critics praised the film for its music, but complained about its script. Jim Harrington of the San Jose Mercury News praised Knowles’ vocal performance and wrote in his review that, “Beyoncé Knowles’ captivating voice and the film’s other pluses can’t outweigh the glaring omissions from the story line for this critic” and “Chess Records deserves, and will hopefully someday get, a better spin than the one delivered by Cadillac Records.”

Personnel:
Barrelhouse Chuck (piano)
Billy Flynn (guitar)
Steve Jordan (drums)
Danny Kortchmar (guitar)
Eddie Taylor Jr. (guitar)
Bill Sims (guitar)
Hubert Sumlin (guitar)
Larry Taylor (bass)
Kim Wilson (harmonica)
+
Mos Def as Chuck Berry (vocals)
Beyoncé Knowles as Etta James (vocals)
Columbus Short as Little Walter (vocals)
Eamonn Walker as Howlin’ Wolf (vocals)
Jeffrey Wright as Muddy Waters (vocals)
+
songs by:
Raphael Saadiq – Solange – Mary Mary – Little Walter – Nas Featuring Olu Dara – Buddy Guy – Elvis Presley – Terence Blanchard

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Jeffrey Wright: I’m A Man (McDaniel) 3.51
02. Beyoncé: At Last (Warren/Gordon) 3.01
03. Mos Def: No Particular Place To Go (Berry) 2.47
04. Jeffrey Wright: I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) 3.54
05. Beyoncé: Once In A Lifetime (Knowles/Ghost/McFarnon/Dench/Dring/Street) 4.00
06. Raphael Saadiq: Let’s Take A Walk (Saadiq) 2.29
07. Solange: 6 O’Clock Blues (Knowles/Dozier/Ronson/Mann/Sugarman/Steinweiss/Brenneck)  3.37
08. Mos Def: Nadine (Berry) 2.51
09. Mary Mary: The Sound (W.Campbell/T.Campbell/E.Campbell) 3.30
10. Little Walter: Last Night (Jacobs) 2.53
11. Beyoncé: I’d Rather Go Blind (Foster/Jordan) 3.10
12. Columbus Short: My Babe (Dixon) 2.58
13. Nas Featuring Olu Dara: Bridging The Gap (Jones/Dara/Gibbs)     4.01

CD 2:
01. Mos Def: Maybelline (Berry) 2.31
02. Buddy Guy: Forty Days And Forty Nights (Roth) 2.48
03. Beyoncé: Trust In Me (Ager/Schwartz/Weaver) 3.44
04. Soul 7 Featuring Kim Wilson: Juke (Jacobs) 2.49
05. Eamonn Walker: Smokestack Lightnin’ (Burnett) 3.04
06. Mos Def: Promised Land (Berry) 2.31
07. Beyoncé: All I Could Do Is Cry (B.Gordy/Davis/Fuqua) 3.10
08. Elvis Presley: My Babe (Dixon) 2.10
09. Jeffrey Wright: I Can’t Be Satisfied (Morganfield) 2.19
10. Mos Def: Come On (Berry) 2.34
11. Jeffrey Wright & Bill Simms Jr.: Country Blues (Johnson/Morganfield) 3.42
12. Q-Tip Featuring Al Kapone: Evolution Of A Man (McDaniel/Bailey/Jordan) 3.07
13: Terence Blanchard: Radio Station (Blanchard) 2.07

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Various Artists – Magic Moments 6 – In The Spirit Of Jazz (2013)

Some Informations about the legendary ACT Label from Germany:

“After nearly twenty years as a top executive for Warner International, I finally decided to realise my biggest ambition of all – to form my own record company recording the kind of music I loved – jazz!” With this statement, Siggi Loch ended his high-flying career as an executive within the international music business, and started again as boss of an independent record label. At the age of fifty it was a major mid-life career change, but with the launch of the ACT label it was the realisation of a dream that had taken him into the music business in the first place.

The establishment of ACT took place at a time when the internet was beginning to take-off. In the subsequent decades the international music business would be eroded by CD burning and later illegal downloading, and the market would shrink by half. In contrast to this trend, ACT has become one the most ”most critically acclaimed and internationally respected independents of the current era“ (Jazzwise).

More than twenty years later, the project that started in 1992 is a huge success story: “Music for people with open ears and an open mind,” says Siggi Loch and with this guiding principle in place, he set off on his chosen path. The beginning was a truly an adventure, as working with innovative and unconventional music is always a challenge and of course a big financial risk. But it is only when artists and listeners are open to new sounds that ‘magic moments’ are born, of which there are many in the twenty years of ACT history with artists like Nguyên Lê, Esbjörn Svensson, Nils Landgren, Michael Wollny, Viktoria Tolstoy, Lars Danielsson, Wolfgang Haffner and Youn Sun Nah inspiring and changing the music world. Twenty years of magic musical moments across more than 350 releases. Twenty years in which European jazz became a major force in the world of music, with the ACT label playing a major part in this process. And twenty years in which ACT also became one of the most popular European jazz labels, which the people’s choice award for Jazz Label Of The Year at the German ECHO Award in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 proves. (Sigi Loch, ACT Records)

 

Manu Katché + Sigi Loch, 2014

The 6. edition of the popular Magic Moments series by Germany’s jazz label of the year 2010-2012 (ECHO award). In 2013 again under the motto “In the Spirit of Jazz”:Music far from fixed styles. Sometimes more, sometimes less jazzy. Between the genres, whether classical music, rock or pop. On the pulse of time and beyond. With established ACT stars and promising newcomers. Music for open ears, for the mind and soul. And for everyone who loves good music.

Tracklist:
01. Bugge Wesseltoft & Henning Kraggerud: Margit Hjukse (Traditional) 3.19
02. Jacob Karlzon: Fool´s Gold (Karlzon) 3.44
03. Youn Sun Nah: Lament (Nah) 3.39
04. Wolfgang Haffner: Melodia Del Viento (Haffner) 4.11
05. Vincent Peirani, Michael Wollny & Michel Benita: Waltz For Jb (Mehldau) 5.33
06. Adam Baldych & The Baltic Gang: The Room of Imagination (Baldych) 6.28
07. Torsten Goods: Someone Like You (Adkins) 5.04
08. Dieter Ilg, Rainer Böhm & Patrice Heral: Glocken (Wagner) 3.49
09. Christian Muthspiel: Tears of Love (Muthspiel) 4.10
10. Céline Bonacina: Bayrum (Bonacina) 4.08
11. Cæcilie Norby: Stepping Stone (Booker/Duffy) 3.30
12. Klaus Paier & Asja Valcic: Troubadour (Paier) 3.36
13. Arne Jansen: The Great He Goat (Jansen) 2.52
14. Morten Qvenild: Birch Song (Qvenild) 4.41
15. Iiro Rantala & Leszek Mozdzer: Suffering (Danielsson) 6.32
16. Radio String Quartet: Volcano for Hire (Zawinul) 5.16

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Various Artists (Andrzej Trzaskowski) – Jazz Workshop Ost-West Bochum (1965)

This is a very rare and fantastic example of European Jazz in the 60´s of the last century. What a line-up: Michal Urbaniak, Ronnie Ross, Rolf Kühn and the legendary polish jazz musician Andrzej Trzaskowski as the leader of this All – Star – emsemble.
Andrzej Trzaskowski (23 March 1933—16 September 1998) was a Polish jazz composer and musicologist. Between 1959 and 1990, he composed the music and/or conducted the score for some thirty films.

A native of Kraków, Trzaskowski learned to play the piano as a child and, in 1951, at the age of eighteen, helped to form Melomani, one of the first Polish swing and bop groups. Between 1952 and 1957 he studied musicology at the city’s Jagiellonian University, took private lessons in composition and contemporary music theory and was active at the experimental studio of Polish radio.[citation needed]

In 1958 he played and recorded with the Jazz Believers, a quintet which included Wojciech Karolak and Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, and worked with another quintet, led by Jerzy Matuszkiewicz. The following year he formed his own hard bop group, the Wreckers, with which he toured the United States in 1962. As the leader of small groups, he performed and recorded with American musicians visiting Poland, such as Stan Getz in 1960 and Ted Curson in 1965-66. Many leading Polish musicians, including Zbigniew Namysłowski, Tomasz Stanko and Michał Urbaniak, played with his groups early in their careers.

Starting in 1964, Trzaskowski began to incorporate avant-garde techniques in his work. In the late 1960s he worked regularly in West Germany for the Hamburg-based public radio and television broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk, writing more than 20 compositions and participating in workshops. From 1975 onward, he led an orchestra for Polish radio and television.

Although an acclaimed pianist, he decided, from the early 1970s, to concentrate more on composition. One of his early third-stream works, Nihil novi, was performed by Don Ellis at the 1962 International Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw. He subsequently wrote music for two jazz ballets and for numerous theater pieces and films, including Jerzy Kawalerowicz’s Pociąg (The Train a/k/a Night Train) (1959), Mieczysław Waśkowski’s Jeszcze słychać śpiew i rżenie koni… (Singing Still Heard, and the Neighing of Horses…) (1971), Andrzej Kotkowski’s 1978 made-for-TV movie Gra o wszystko (A Gamble for Everything), Wojciech Marczewski’s Dreszcze (Shivers) (1981), Janusz Kidawa’s Bardzo spokojna wieś (A Very Peaceful Village) (1983) and Krzysztof Magowski’s controversial 1990 TV miniseries Świnka (Piggy), which was not broadcast until 1994. He was also one of many musical celebrities making a cameo appearance in Andrzej Wajda’s 1960 film Niewinni Czarodzieje (Innocent Sorcerers). (by wikipedia)

Listen and enjoy ! What a great concert ! (thanks to onxidlib for this fantastic album !)

Recorded live at the Ruhrlandhalle, Bochum, Germany, January 30 1965

Personnel:
Rune Carlsson (drums)
Roman Dylag (bass)
Jaromir Hnilicka (trumpet)
Richard Kubernat (trumpet)
Rolf Kühn (clarinet)
Ronnie Ross (saxophone)
Idrees Sulieman (trumpet)
Andrez Trzaskowski (piano)
Michal Urbaniak (saxophone, flute)
Leo Wright (saxophone, flute)

Tracklist:
01. Five Degrees EAST – Five Degrees WEST (Kühn) 5.30
02. Bluebeard (Trzaskowski) 5.42
03. Subbasement Blues (Ross) 6.41
04. Majo Taj (Urbaniak) 6.19
05. Beneath The Surface (Hnilicka) 6.54
06. Midnight In Berlin (Wright) 5.12
07. The Hip Blues (Kühn) 8.26

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Various Artists – Bali Chillout (2008)

“Bali Chillout” –  a finest collection of asian lounge music !

Tha main reason for visting Bali is to discover a very rich and still vibrant culture. Ceremonies and other religious festivals are very frequent an the Balinese spontaneously invite foreigners to join in.

The dance, music and puppet shows are a must for those that like something more refinded.
Traditional Balinese music, played by a percussion ensemble, called a “gamelan”, is very sophisticated.

This is a rare sampler full of music of Bali … and on this sampler you can hear a unique mixture between old melodies and modern rhythms … enjoy it !

Tracklist:
01. Mano A Mano: Joliba 7.28
02. Tim Sedan: Movie Of The Mind 6.35
03. DJ Ray: Freedom Train 3.30
04. Emmanuel Darc: Grains Of Sand 5.34
05. Neve Thorne: Sense  5.56
06. Whirlwind: Opaline 6.21
07. The Rain Closet:  Moebius 6,24
08. Primorse Path: Wisdom 7 3.42
09. Asian Syndicate: Dehlirium 5.28
10. Critical Mass: Cedar Flame 5.24
11. Fibonati: Mistery Time 5.50
12. Circadian Rhythms:  Sculpture 5.11
13. Warp Sublime:  Round Objects  5.23

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Various Artists – The Art Of Belly Dance (1999)

Belly dance or bellydance is a Western-coined name for “solo, improvised dances based on torso articulation” originating from the Middle East, especially raqs sharqi . Other names which are sometimes used for the dance in English speaking countries include Oriental Dance, Egyptian Dance, Arabic dance or Middle Eastern dance.

Belly dance takes many different forms depending on the country and region, both in costume and dance style, and new styles have evolved in the West as its popularity has spread globally.

The term “belly dance” is a translation of the French term “danse du ventre”, which was applied to the dance in the Victorian era, and originally referred to the Ouled Nail dancers of Algeria, whose dance used more abdominal movements than the dances described today as “belly dance”. It is something of a misnomer, as every part of the body is involved in the dance; the most featured body part is usually the hips. (by wikipedia)

And if you are interested to hear the music of belly dance … check it out!

Tracklist:
01. Ashraf Zakaria: Darb Al Habaib (Zakaria) 9.27
02. Brian Keane & Omar Faruk Tekbilek: A Passage East (Tekbilek) 3.08
03. Muhammad Sultan: Nabila (Sultan) 6.07
04. Mezdeke: Amar Amar (Mezdeke) 3.57
05. Anne Dudley & Jaz Coleman: Endless Festival (Dudley/Coleman) 3.58
06. Ashraf Zakaria: Tammerhenna Tabla Solo (Zakaria) 7.23
07. Muhammad Sultan: Dina (Sultan) 12.33
08. Brian Keane & Omar Faruk Tekbilek: Fire Dance (Tekbilek) 5.30
09. Anne Dudley & Jaz Coleman: Minerats And Memories (Dudley/Coleman) 3.24
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Various Artists – The Introduction To Living Country Blues (2008)

In 1980 two young German blues enthusiasts, Axel Küstner and Siegfried Christmann, came to America with the idea to document the remaining country blues tradition. With their station wagon and portable recording equipment they hit the dusty road spending a couple of months documenting blues, gospel, field hollers and work songs throughout the South. As the notes proclaim: “Traveling 10,000 miles by car in 2 1/2 months, they used 180,000 feet of tape and took hundreds of photographs to document various aspects of Country Blues, as well as work songs, fife and drum band music, field hollers and rural Gospel music, performed by 35 artists, some of whom appear on record for the first time.” The prep work for the project was done in 1978 when Küstner came over alone for a six month survey of the blues scene and made some final arrangements in June 1980 before hooking up with Christmann three months later. If this project reminds you of the recording trips of John and Alan Lomax, that’s exactly what the duo had in mind. Where the Lomax’s had the Library of Congress to back them, Küstner and Christmann had the backing of Horst Lippman who had just started the L+R label with Fritz Rau (the same duo who were responsible for the American Folk Blues Festivals). The project was called Living Country Blues as Alligator had just issued their acclaimed Living Chicago Blues series. As for the sound quality, don’t let the field recording aspect scare you, the sound is exceptional, recorded with a ten-channel mixer and reel-to reel tape. (by Jeff from the Big Road Blues blog)

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Guitar Frank:  Lonesome Road Blues (Franklin) 5.27
02. Memphis Piano Red: The Train Is Comin’ (Williams) 4.26
03. Flora Molton & The Truth Band: What’s The Matter Now (Molton) 3.13
04. Lottie Murrell: Trouble Late Last Night (Murrell) 4.12
05. Sam Chatmon: Sittin’ On Top Of The World (Vinson/Chatmon) 3.00
06. Cleveland Jones & James “Son” Thomas: Rock Me, Mama (Crudup) 2.08
07. Hammie Nixon: Corinna, Corinna (Traditional) 1.53
08. Ola Mae Bell & Cora Fluker: Talkin’ ‘Bout Jesus (Fluker) 10.48
09. Walter Brown: So Hard To See (Brown) 2.49
10. Archie Edwards: Bear Cat Mama Blues (Jefferson) 3.00

CD 2:
01. Cephas & Wiggins: Reno Factory (Traditional) 4.45
02. Lonnie Pitchford: My Babe (Dixon) 4.03
03. Sam “Stretch” Shields: Bluebird Blues (Williamson) 2.49
04. Flora Molton & The Truth Band: The Titanic (Traditional) 3.46
05. Joe Savage: Mean Ol’ Frisco (Crudup) 1.25
06. Arzo Youngblood: I Can’t Be Successful (Hopkins) 3.04
07. CeDell Davis: I Don’t Know Why (Davis) 2.40
08. Rising Star Fife & Drum Band & Othar Turner: Tango Twist (Turner) 3.20
09. Guitar Slim: Come On In My Kitchen (Johnson) 3.19
10. Guitar Slim: Lula’s Back in Town (Stephens) 4.59
11. Boyd Rivers: You Got To Move (McDowell/Davis) 3.19
12. Bill “Boogie Bill” Webb: Big Road Blues (Johnson) 2.32

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