VA – Moulin Rouge!- Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film (2001)

Moulin Rouge!  is a 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama film directed, co-produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It follows a young English poet, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine. The film uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris and is the final part of Luhrmann’s “Red Curtain Trilogy,” following Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). A co-production of Australia and the United States, it stars Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, and Richard Roxburgh feature in supporting roles.

Moulin Rouge! premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival and was released in theaters on 18 May 2001 in North America and on 25 May 2001 in Australia. The film was praised for Luhrmann’s direction, the performances (particularly from Kidman), its soundtrack, costume design, and production values. It was also a commercial success, grossing $179.2 million on a $50 million budget. At the 74th Academy Awards, the film received eight nominations, including Best Picture, and won two (Best Production Design and Best Costume Design). In BBC’s 2016 poll of the 21st century’s 100 greatest films, Moulin Rouge! ranked 53rd.

Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film is the soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!, released on 8 May 2001 by Interscope Records. The album features most of the songs featured in the film. However, some of the songs are alternate versions and there are two or three major songs that are left off. The original film versions and extra songs were featured on the second soundtrack.

The soundtrack consists almost entirely of cover versions—”Come What May”, composed by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, is the only original song on the album. The opening track, “Nature Boy”, is performed by David Bowie, though in the film the song is performed by actor John Leguizamo as the character Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Originally by American singer-songwriter eden ahbez, the song is reprised as the last song on the soundtrack with performances by Bowie and Massive Attack, along with a dialogue by Nicole Kidman.

“Lady Marmalade”, written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, was made famous in the 1970s by the girl group Labelle. The song contains the sexually suggestive lyric “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”, which translates to “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?”[7] Labelle’s version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003.[8] The version for the soundtrack is performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink, with production and additional vocal credits by Missy Elliott. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and earned a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

“Because We Can” is credited to Norman Cook, with performance and production credits given to his stage name Fatboy Slim. The song contains portions of “Zidler’s Rap”, performed in the film by Jim Broadbent as the character Harold Zidler, and has been called the “‘Can Can’ for the next generation”. “Sparkling Diamonds” is performed by Kidman, Broadbent, Caroline O’Connor, Natalie Mendoza and Lara Mulcahy. The song is a medley featuring “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and introduced by Carol Channing in the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), and “Material Girl” by Madonna. “Rhythm of the Night” was made famous in 1985 by the American R&B group DeBarge. The track reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and is said to have “jumpstarted” the career of songwriter Diane Warren. The soundtrack version is performed by Valeria, and includes a dialogue by Kidman.

Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film debuted on the US Billboard 200 at number five on 16 May 2001. Four weeks later, the album reach its peak position at number three. The soundtrack reached number one on the Top Soundtracks chart and number 33 on the Top Pop Catalog chart. On 23 April 2002, it was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In Australia, the soundtrack debuted on the albums chart at number four on 11 May 2001. The following week, it reached number one and remained there for 11 consecutive weeks and upon the albums chart for 58 weeks. It was the highest-selling album of 2001 in Australia and has been certified five-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film also reached number one in New Zealand, where it remained on the albums chart for 16 weeks. The soundtrack reached the top five in Austria, Denmark, France, and Norway. (wikipedia)

At the very least, director Baz Luhrmann has created something different here. His modern-day musical weaves new cover versions of songs from the past three decades into one story about a brothel in turn of the century Paris. Its an odd combination to begin with, and the soundtrack itself bounces back and forth between very hip, modern tracks from artists at the top of their game and big Broadway-style ballads from the cast of the film. Some of the most well-respected names in music signed on for the project, including Beck, Bono, Timbaland, and David Bowie. Fatboy Slim created a “Can Can” for the next generation with “Because We Can,” and Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Pink, and Mya teamed up for a surefire hit with their naughtier version of Patti Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.”

In stark contrast to these edgy tracks, the album spends the rest of its time on love songs from Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. They perform big-voiced, orchestra-backed versions of sentimental favorites like Elton John’s “Your Song.” The “Elephant Love Medley” strings together some of pop’s sappiest hits, including “Up Where We Belong,” “One More Night,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Perhaps to many people’s surprise, Kidman and McGregor can really sing, and maybe in a different environment it would be easier to take these songs seriously, but standing here outside the context of the film and next to Beck covering David Bowie, they seem more comic than creative. (by Brad Kohlenstein)

Personnel:
Many many musicians … too many to mention …

Tracklist:
01. David Bowie: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 3.26
02. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa & Pink: Lady Marmalade (Crewe/Nolan) 4.25
03.  Fatboy Slim: Because We Can (Cook) 3.27
04. Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Caroline O’Connor, Natalie Mendoza & Lara Mulcahy: Sparkling Diamonds 2.52
04.01. Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (Styne/Robin)
04.02. Material Girl (Brown/Rans)
05. Valeria: Rhythm Of The Night (Warren) 3.49
06. Ewan McGregor & Alessandro Safina: Your Song (John/Taupin) 3.39
07. Bono, Gavin Friday & Maurice Seezer: Children Of The Revolution (Bolan) 2.59
08. Nicole Kidman: One Day I’ll Fly Away (Jennings/Sample) 3.19
09. Beck: Diamond Dogs (Bowie) 4.34
10. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor & Jamie Allen: Elephant Love Medley 4.13
10.01. All You Need Is Love (Lennon/McCartney)
10.02. I Was Made For Lovin’ You (Stanley/Child/Poncia)
10.03. One More Night (Collins)
10.04. Pride (In the Name Of Love) (Bono/Clayton/The Edge/Mullen Jr.)
10.05. Don’t Leave Me This Way (Gamble/Huff/Gilbert)
10.06. Silly Love Songs (McCartney)
10.07. Up Where We Belong (Nitzsche/Sainte-Marie/Jennings)
10.08. Heroes (Bowie/Eno)
10.09. I Will Always Love You (Parton)
10.10. Your Song (John/Taupin)
11. Nicole Kidman & Ewan McGregor: Come What May (Baerwald) 4.48
12. Ewan McGregor, José Feliciano & Jacek Koman: El Tango de Roxanne 4.44
12.01. Roxanne (Sting)
12.02. Le Tango du Moulin Rouge (Mores/Luhrmann/Pearce)
13. Rufus Wainwright: Complainte de la Butte (Van Parys/Renoir) 3.07
14. Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo & Alka Yagnik: Hindi Sad Diamonds:
14.10. Chamma Chamma (Sameer)
14.02. Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend (Styne/Robin)
14.03. The Hindi (Sharples)
15. David Bowie & Massive Attack: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 4.24
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16. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa & Pink: Lady Marmalade (Thunderpuss radio mix) (Crewe/Nolan) 4.10

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Eric Clapton – Reptile (2001)

Eric Patrick Clapton CBE (born 30 March 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter, widely regarded as one of the most important and influential guitarists of all time. Clapton ranked second in Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and fourth in Gibson’s “Top 50 Guitarists of All Time”. He was also named number five in Time magazine’s list of “The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players” in 2009.

After playing in a number of different local bands, Clapton joined the Yardbirds in 1963, replacing founding guitarist Top Topham. Dissatisfied with the change of the Yardbirds sound from blues rock to a more radio-friendly pop rock sound, Clapton left in 1965 to play with John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. On leaving Mayall in 1966, after one album, he formed the power trio Cream with drummer Ginger Baker and bassist Jack Bruce, in which Clapton played sustained blues improvisations and “arty, blues-based psychedelic pop”.[6] After Cream broke up in November 1968, he formed the blues rock band Blind Faith with Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech, recording one album and performing on one tour before they broke up. Clapton embarked on a solo career in 1970.

Alongside his solo career, he also performed with Delaney & Bonnie and Derek and the Dominos, with whom he recorded “Layla”, one of his signature songs. He continued to record a number of successful solo albums and songs over the next several decades, including a 1974 cover of Bob Marley’s “I Shot the Sheriff” (which helped reggae reach a mass market),[7] the country-infused Slowhand album (1977) and the pop rock of 1986’s August. Following the death of his son Conor in 1991, Clapton’s grief was expressed in the song “Tears in Heaven”, which appeared on his Unplugged album, and in 1996 he had another top-40 hit with the R&B crossover “Change the World”. In 1998, he released the Grammy award-winning “My Father’s Eyes”. Since 1999, he has recorded a number of traditional blues and blues rock albums and hosted the periodic Crossroads Guitar Festival. His most recent studio album is Happy Xmas (2018).

Clapton has received 18 Grammy Awards as well as the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music.[8][9] In 2004, he was awarded a CBE for services to music.[10] He has received four Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. He is the only three-time inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: once as a solo artist and separately as a member of the Yardbirds and of Cream.

In his solo career, Clapton has sold more than 280 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling musicians of all time. In 1998, Clapton, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, founded the Crossroads Centre on Antigua, a medical facility for recovering substance abusers. (wikipedia)

Reptile is the fourteenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton. The album was produced by Eric Clapton with Simon Climie and is Clapton’s first album to include keyboard work by Billy Preston and background vocals by the Impressions. The album reached the Top 10 in 20 countries, topping the national album charts in three of them. In total, the album sold more than 2.5 million copies and gained several certification awards around the globe. To help promote album sales, music network VH1 streamed the album in full on TV.

In the United States, Reptile peaked at number five on the Billboard 200 top albums chart, gaining a so-called “Hot Shot Debut” recognition by the American magazine, as the album sold a total of 101,500 units in its first week. In addition to its success on the main albums chart, compiled by Billboard, the 2001 release also topped the magazines top Internet albums chart for several weeks. In the first quarter of 2001, Reptile sold more than 215,000 copies in the United States alone. On 8 June, the rock album was certified with a Gold disc by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) to commemorate outstanding sales figures reaching more than 500,000 copies. In total, the album stayed sixteen weeks on the Billboard 200 chart and sold more than 700,000 copies by the end of 2001 in the United States, making it that years 184th most purchased album. In Canada, Clapton’s 2001 release went to number 11 on Billboards top Canadian albums chart in 2001. In Japan, the release was even more successful, reaching position six on Oricons album chart in 2001. In New Zealand, Reptile peaked at number 15. However, in Australia, the Clapton album reached number 20 on the ARIA charts in 2001, and was certified Platinum for sales exceeding 70,000 copies in the country.

Reptile was a big success in Europe, topping three album charts in the continent, reaching the Top 10 in 16 countries and gaining a total of 13 certification awards for outstanding record sales. Overall, the album reached number two on the European albums chart in 2001. (wikipedia)

For a musician known to strive for authenticity, Eric Clapton has always been curiously obsessed with appearances, seemingly as interested in sartorial details and hairstyles as in the perfect guitar lick. It’s hard to find two photographs of him from the 1960s and early ’70s that appear to be the same person, and even after he formally launched his solo career he switched looks frequently. Thus, the album sleeve of his 13th solo studio album of new material, Reptile, its “concept” credited to the recording artist, seems significant. The album cover shows a smiling Clapton as a child, and there are family photographs on the back cover and in the booklet, along with a current photograph of the artist, who turned 56 in the weeks following the album’s release, in an image that does nothing to hide the wrinkles of late middle age. This photograph faces a sleeve note by Clapton that begins with his explanation of the album title: “Where I come from, the word ‘reptile’ is a term of endearment, used in much the same way as ‘toe rag’ or ‘moosh.'” (Thanks, Eric. Now, all listeners have to do is find out what “toe rag” and “moosh” mean!) The note then goes on to dedicate the album warmly to Clapton’s uncle.

All of this might lead you to expect an unusually personal recording from a man who has always spoken most eloquently with his guitar. If so, you’d be disappointed. Reptile seems conceived as an album to address all the disparate audiences Clapton has assembled over the years. His core audience may think of him as the premier blues guitarist of his generation, but especially as a solo artist, he has also sought a broader pop identity, and in the 1990s, with the hits “Tears in Heaven” and “Change the World,” he achieved it. The fans he earned then will recognize the largely acoustic sound of such songs as “Believe in Life,” “Second Nature,” and “Modern Girl.” But those who think of Clapton as the guy who plays “Cocaine” will be pleased with his cover of another J.J. Cale song, “Travelin’ Light,” and by the time the album was in record stores mainstream rock radio had already found “Superman Inside,” which sounds like many of his mid-tempo rock hits of the ’80s.

This diversity is continued on less familiar material, especially the many interesting cover songs. Somebody, perhaps the artist himself, has been busy looking for old chestnuts, since Reptile contains a wide variety of them: the 1930 jazz song “I Want a Little Girl,” recorded by McKinney’s Cotton Pickers among others; John Greer’s 1952 R&B hit “Got You on My Mind”; Ray Charles’ 1955 R&B hit “Come Back Baby”; James Taylor’s 1972 hit “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight”; and Stevie Wonder’s 1980 hit “I Ain’t Gonna Stand for It.” The two earliest of these songs are old and obscure enough that Clapton is able to make them his own, and he recasts the Taylor song enough to re-invent it, but remaking songs by Charles and Wonder means competing with them vocally, and as a singer Clapton isn’t up to the challenge. He is assisted by the current five-man version of the Impressions, who do much to shore up his vocal weaknesses, but he still isn’t a disciplined or thoughtful singer. Of course, when that distinctive electric guitar sound kicks in, all is forgiven. Still, Reptile looks like an album that started out to be more ambitious than it ended up being. There may be a song here for each of the artist’s constituencies (and, more important to its commercial impact, for every major radio format except talk and country), but as a whole the album doesn’t add up to the statement Clapton seems to have been hoping to make. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Doyle Bramhall II (guitar)
Tim Carmon (keyboards, synthesizer)Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals)
Paulinho da Costa (percussion)
Nathan East (bass)
Andy Fairweather Low (guitar)
Steve Gadd (drums)
Joe Sample (piano)
Paul Waller (drum programming)
+
Paul Carrack (keyboards on 01., organ, piano on 10.)
Pino Palladino (bass on 01. + 10.)
Billy Preston (organ on 02., 05. + 13., piano on 06. + 09., harmonica on 14.)
+
The Impressions (background  vocals on 02. –  05., 07. – 13.)

Tracklist:
01. Reptile (Clapton) 3.26
02. Got You On My Mind (Thomas/Briggs) 4.30
03. Travelin’ Light (Cale) 4.17
04. Believe In Life (Clapton) 5.06
05. Come Back Baby (Charles) 3.55
06. Broken Down (Climie/Morgan) 5.25
07. Find Myself (Clapton) 515
08. I Ain’t Gonna Stand For It (Wonder) 4.49
09. I Want A Little Girl (Mencher/Moll) 2.58
10. Second Nature (Clapton/Climie/Morgan) 4.48
11. Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight (Taylor) 4.48
12. Modern Girl (Clapton) 4.49
13. Superman Inside (Clapton/Bramhall II/Melvoin) 5:07
14. Son & Sylvia (Clapton) 4.44
+
15. Losing Hand (Japanese bonus track) (Stone) 4.18

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More from Eric Clapton:

The official website:

Flora Purim – Perpetual Emotion (2001)

Flora Purim (born March 6, 1942) is a Brazilian jazz singer known primarily for her work in the jazz fusion style. She became prominent for her part in Return to Forever with Chick Corea and Stanley Clarke. She has recorded and performed with numerous artists, including Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans, Opa, Stan Getz, George Duke, Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, Santana, Jaco Pastorius, and her husband Airto Moreira.

In 2002, Purim was the recipient of one of Brazil’s highest awards, the 2002 Ordem do Rio Branco for Lifetime Achievement. She has been called “The Queen of Brazilian Jazz”. (wikipedia)

For those who thought that despite recording, Flora Purim’s musical career went out the window with her prison term in the early ’90s, or, worse, at the end of 1970s jazz-world fusion boom, think again. Perpetual Emotion is the strongest recording Ms. Purim’s monumental talent has given us since 1975’s 500 Miles High. Accompanied by life partner and collaborator percussionist Airto Moreira, saxophonist Gary Meek, pianist Christian Jacob, bassist Trey Henry, and acoustic guitarist Oscar Castro Neves, and producer Dom Comardella, Purim has selected material that showcases the ease and flow of a voice that contains within it the passion of Brazil and the airiness of a spring day. Some of those selections, such as Cesar Mariano’s “Saudade,” offer the deep melancholy of looking back to places you can never again visit and reveal within them the sweeter memories they hold. Chris Jacob’s piano leads the way trough the tune and strips it of any false “exotic” artifice. It’s a jazz ballad with a Brazilian melody and rhythm, eased through the gates by Moreira’s easy touch and a flowing bassline by Henry. On “Fotographia” by Antonio Carlos Jobim, Purim takes the tune, which has been recorded literally hundreds of times, to its folksy essence and makes of it a song that is neither jazz nor samba, but a tome of memory and longing. The highlight of the album is the revisiting of Chick Corea’s and Neville Potter’s “Crystal Silence.

While the song had been in Purim’s early repertoire as an improvisation, a wordless melody, because she had not known — even though she had been part of Corea’s Return to Forever — that the tune had words all along. Her feeling for the original is fierce and moving; it flows from her like a river of feeling and motion, it offers the notion of seeing with new eyes that which has been present all along. Her interpretive voice has never sounded stronger, and her band is understated enough to let it come freely through the mix while providing her with musical challenges to rise to. Perpetual Emotion is the album Purim’s been promising to deliver her entire career. Let us hope that this is the first of many like it to come. (by Thom Jurek)

Personnel:
Trey Henry (bass)
Christian Jacob (piano)
Gary Meek (saxophone, bass, clarinet, flute)
Airto Moreira (drums, percussion)
Oscar Castro-Neves (guitar)
Flora Purim (vocals)

Tracklist:
01. San Francisco River (Moreira/Purim) 4.58
02. My Ship (Gershwin/Weill) 4.13
03. Escape  (Purim) 4.12
04. Saudade (Purim) 3.02
05. Crystal Silence (Corea/Potter) 6.18
06. Flora And Airto (Purim) 5.00
07. Fotografia (Gilbert/Jobim) 6.55
08. Journey To Eden (Purim) 5.19
09. Search For Peace (Purim/Tyner) 6.07
10. Airto’s Jazz Dance (Purim) 4.07
11. Carinhoso (Pixinguinha/Purim) 3.50

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Harvey Mandel – Live At Broadway Studios 2001 (2018)

Harvey Mandel (born March 11, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, United States) is an American guitarist known for his innovative approach to electric guitar playing. A professional at twenty, he played with Charlie Musselwhite, Canned Heat, the Rolling Stones, and John Mayall as well as starting a solo career. Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping. (by wikipedia)

Always the innovator, always in demand and a pioneer of electric blues, few guitarists can claim to have played with John Mayall, Canned Heat and the Rolling Stones, performed at Woodstock and at the Grammy Awards with Bob Dylan.

Harvey The Snake Mandel’s career has spanned over 50 years, bridging the gap between the blues, jazz and rock with his two handed fretboard tapping and his creative use of sustain and controlled feedback. Mandel was a major influence on the styles of legendary artists Stanley Jordan, Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai, among others.

Born in Michigan but raised in Chicago, he played with other Second City blues and rock greats like Charlie Musselwhite, Howlin’ Wolf, Mike Bloomfield, Steve Miller, Muddy Waters and Barry Goldberg before moving to San Francisco after being invited to play at the Fillmore by Bill Graham. And the Snake (so named by Barry Goldberg) continues to perform at a high level as hen tours with the Chicago Blues Reunion and the Snake Crew. (Press release)

BLUES GUITARIST? ROCK GUITARIST? JAZZ GUITARIST? HIS OWN MAN ON THE GUITAR.

Mandel has long been known to fans as a “player’s player” when it came to the electric guitar. I first heard him on the “Stand Back!” album (which I still own) by Charlie (Charley) Musselwhite in ’66, and then on a pre-release of Mandel’s first solo album “Cristo Redentor” in ’68. He has released a number of albums under his own name which have been collected into a box set (with an unissued live set from the Matrix Club) which is now pretty expensive.

This (78 + minutes) album, recorded in 2001 in front of a live studio audience, can sit alongside his other albums as another good example of his guitar playing. The band is Mandel-guitar, John Ulen-drums, Joe Devito-bass, and Dave Scott-keyboards. The sound is very immediate, clean, and open, taken from digital soundboard sources, but has a couple of slight, very short sound level problems–but these are of no real concern.

This instrumental set includes versions of well known Mandel tunes like “Before Six”, “Christo Redentor”, and “Wade In The Water”, plus “The Snake”, “Blues Shuffle”, “Experimental Song”, “Midnight Sun” and a couple of others. This album is a showcase for Mandel in a straight quartet setting which accentuates his guitar playing. But his band too are no slouches on their respective instruments–especially Devito’s bass–which is almost a second lead instrument. The majority of the songs are in the 6 + to 8 + minutes range giving Mandel and the band room to expand the music in this stripped down setting playing for a live audience. “Wade In The Water” is 14 minutes long, giving the band a chance to really explore this tune. Included on this set are genres like the blues, rock, jazz, and a nice swinging shuffle, all of which show Mandel’s overall abilities exploring the sonic capabilities on his guitar.

Fans of Mandel will want to give this a close listen. On”Christo Redentor” Mandel uses his guitar in place of the wordless vocals on the original album version. “Blues” is just that–a scorching example of Mandel’s blues chops–in his own inimitable style. But every tune has something that makes it well worth hearing for Mandel fans or fans of the electric guitar. There’s no fancy, intricate or cluttered arrangements–just Mandel in front of a basic band of sympathetic players which is perfect for hearing Mandel do his thing. And he does it.

There’s no booklet–just a single cover sheet with a short essay on the back. Too bad there’s spelling and grammatical errors–someone wasn’t paying attention. But in the end it’s the music that’s important–and this live set delivers on all counts. This is another example of what Mandel fans have known for some time–with all the albums he’s released–that he’s perhaps the best living relatively still unknown electric guitarist today. Just listen to “Midnight Sun”, with it’s distorted tone full of sustain and controlled feedback and fret board tapping. Ahh…yes. (Stuart Jefferson)

Recorded before an enthusiastic audience at Broadway Studios in San Francisco,
on June 21, 2001.

Personnel:
Joe Devito (bass)
Harvey Mandel (guitar)
Dave Scott (keyboards)
John Ulen (drums)

Alternate frontcovers:

Tracklist:
01. Before Six (Fraiser) 8.46
02. Blues Shuffle (unknown) 7.31
03. Blues (unknown) 8.32
04. Christo Redentor (Pearson) 7.51
05. Emerald Triangle (Mandel) 5.34
06. Experimental Song (Mandel) 4.59
07. Midnight Sun (Mandel) 7.31
08. The Bad Monster (Mandel) 6.13
09. The Snake (Mandel/Taylor) 7.17
10. Wade In The Water (Traditional) 14.00

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More from Harvey Mandel:

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Jordi Savall & Hespèrion XXI – Ostinato (2001)

Jordi Savall i Bernadet (born August 1, 1941) is a Spanish conductor and viol player. He has been one of the major figures in the field of Western early music since the 1970s, largely responsible for popularizing the viol family of instruments (notably the viola da gamba) in contemporary performance and recording. As a historian of early music his repertoire features everything from medieval, Renaissance and Baroque through to the Classical and Romantic periods. He has incorporated non-western musical traditions in his work; including African vernacular music in Les Routes De L’Eslavage or The Routes of Slavery (2017).

His musical training started at age six in the school choir of his native Igualada (1947–55). After graduating from the Barcelona’s Conservatory of Music (where he studied from 1959 to 1965) he specialized in early music, collaborating with Ars Musicae de Barcelona under Enric Gispert, studying with August Wenzinger at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis in Basel, Switzerland (1968–70) and eventually succeeding Wenzinger in 1974 as professor of viola da gamba at the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.

In 1974 he formed the ensemble Hespèrion XX (known since 2000 as Hespèrion XXI), together with his wife soprano Montserrat Figueras, Lorenzo Alpert and Hopkinson Smith. Hespèrion XX favored a style of interpretation characterized simultaneously by great musical vitality and maximum historical accuracy.

In 1987 he returned to Barcelona to found La Capella Reial de Catalunya, a vocal ensemble devoted to pre-eighteenth-century music.

In 1989 he founded Le Concert des Nations, an orchestra generally emphasizing Baroque period, but sometimes also Classical and even Romantic music such as, for example, Sinfonía [por] Grande Orquesta by Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga) (1806-1826).

More recently Savall has performed with family members. The family ensemble has included his wife Montserrat Figueras (who died in 2011) and their two children, Arianna and Ferran. Arianna plays the harp and sings, like her mother; Ferran plays the theorbo (bass lute) and sings, not only with his family but also in Barcelona jazz clubs.

Savall’s discography includes more than 100 recordings. Originally recording with EMI Classics, and then from 1975 on Michel Bernstein’s Astrée label, since 1998 he has recorded on his own label, Alia Vox. (by wikipedia)

I’ve been a fan of Jordi Savall and Hesperion XXI for a while. However it must be said that occasionally albums of the ‘early music’ era can be somewhat austere and dry, simply because the compositions may tend that way. This is not one of those recordings. This is fresh, lively, and exquisite music making, absolutely beautifully recorded by masterful musicians.

There is space and air in the sound, a nicely varied palette of different instruments, and the ensembles are small and very well placed to hear each instrument. A lute is a very soft-voiced instrument and typically recorded so that it gets lost competing with a viola da gamba and a harpsichord, but the balance here is exceptional. For instance, on ‘Greensleeves to a Ground’, the two lutes of high and middle registers are clearly placed either side of the gamba with the harpsichord discreetly chiming in when called upon in the background. You can hear every note. Tracks with more bowed strings are likewise beautifully enunciated.

Numbers like the Canarios are sometimes familiar yet fresh. And we’ve all heard the Kanon & Gigue umpteen times and probably have our notions of what it ought to go like and tempos etc. Well there’s certainly no harm in a quick tempoed toss-off as lithely and freshly played as this one. Might even make you forget that plodding interminable version played by an out of tune string quartet at that last wedding you went to.

Much of this is sparkling brisk dance music, yet the graceful introspection of the Marini Passacaglio and the other few mild-tempo numbers are well posed and give the tapping toes a not unwelcome rest.

But this is mostly a vivacious collection that can take you back in time to when the original music makers were not only alive and talented, they were young. (Count Orloff)

Personnel:
Michael Behringer (organ)
Sergi Casademunt (violone)
Bruno Cocset (violoncello)
Xavier Díaz (guitar, theorbo, vihuela)
Pedro Estevan (percussion)
Luca Guglielmi (organ)
Manfredo Kraemer (violin)
Eliseo Parra (percussion)
David Plantier (violin)
Arianna Savall (harp)
Jordi Savall (viola da gamba)
Pablo Valetti (violin)

Tracklist:
01. Gallarda Napolitana (Valente)
02. Passamezzo Antico: Zarabanda (Recercada V) (Ortiz)
03. Passacalle (Falconiero)
04. Passamezzo Moderno (Recercada II) (Ortiz)
05. Ciaccona (Falconiero)
06. Ruggiero (Quinta Pars IX) (Ortiz)
07. Romanesca (Recercada VII) (Ortiz)
08. Sopra L’Aria Di Ruggiero (Rossi)
09. Passacalio (Marini)
10. Canarios (unknown)
11. Ruggiero (Merula)
12. Tres Glosas Sobre Todo El Mundo En General (de Auroxo)
13. Ciaccona (Merula)
14. Sonata A 2 (Purcell)
15. 3 Parts Upon A Ground (Purcell)
16. Kanon und Gigue (Pachelbel)
17. Greensleeves To A Ground (Anonymous)

*
**

Tony Bennett – Playin’ With My Friends – Bennett Sings The Blues (2001)

Playin’ with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues is a 2001 album by Tony Bennett featuring duets with notable vocalists.

Tony Bennett’s latter-day albums tend to have themes, and this one has two, as indicated by its double-barreled title: It is both a duets album and a blues album. The duet partners include ten singers who range from his recent touring partners Diana Krall and k.d. lang to fellow veterans Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Kay Starr, and younger, but still mature pop stars Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and Billy Joel. All sound happy to be sharing a mic with Bennett. Not surprisingly, the singer’s conception of the blues does not extend to the Mississippi Delta or the South Side of Chicago; rather, he is interested in the blues as filtered through the sound of the Swing Era, particularly from around Kansas City, and as interpreted by Tin Pan Alley and show tunes. For the former, his true mentor is Count Basie, whose overt influence is heard on six of the 15 tracks.

Bennett makes no attempt to hide this, leading off the album with two songs, “Alright, Okay, You Win” (a duet with Krall) and “Everyday (I Have the Blues)” (a duet with Wonder), closely associated with Basie singer Joe Williams. The Broadway and Hollywood blues style is introduced in three selections written by Harold Arlen. On about half the tracks, the Ralph Sharon Quartet is augmented by Harry Allen’s saxophone and Mike Melvoin’s Hammond organ, but this remains a small, intimate affair that emphasizes the singers. There are missteps — Sheryl Crow’s Billie Holiday impersonation on “Good Morning, Heartache” is unfortunate, and Natalie Cole, as usual, sounds out of her depth on “Stormy Weather.” But the trade-offs Bennett enjoys with King and Charles are priceless, and the Joel duet is surprisingly effective. On the whole, this is yet another entry in Bennett’s lengthening series of autumnal recorded triumphs. (by William Ruhlmann)

Personnel:
Harry Allen (saxophone)
Tony Bennett (vocals)
Clayton Cameron (drums)
Paul Langosch (bass)
Mike Melvoin (organ)
Gray Sargent (guitar)
Ralph Sharon (piano)
+
Ray Charles – Natalie Cole – Sheryl Crow – Billy Joel – B.B. King – Diana Krall – K.D.Lang -Bonnie Raitt – Kay Starr – Stevie Wonder – Judy Garland

Tracklist:
01. Alright, Okay, You Win (with Diana Krall) (Watts/Wyche) 3.31
02. Everyday (I Have the Blues) (with Stevie Wonder) (Chatman) 3.39
03. Don’t Cry Baby (Bernie/Johnson/Unger) 2.43
04. Good Morning Heartache (with Sheryl Crow) (Drake/Fisher/Higginbotham) 4.56
05. Let The Good Times Roll (with B.B. King) (Moore/Theard) 3.14
06. Evenin’ (with Ray Charles) (Parish/White) 4.15
07. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues (with Bonnie Raitt) (Arlen/Koehler) 3.55
08. Keep The Faith, Baby (with K.D. Lang) (de Jesus/Lerner/Watts) 3.52
09. Old Count Basie Is Gone (Old Piney Brown Is Gone) (Turner) 3.25
10. Blue And Sentimental (with Kay Starr) (Basie/David/Livingston) 3.21
11. New York State Of Mind (with Billy Joel) (Joel) 4.31
12. Undecided Blues (Rushing) 3.18
13. Blues In The Night (Arlen/Mercer) 3.34
14. Stormy Weather (with Natalie Cole) (Arlen/Koehler) 4.34
15. Playin’ With My Friends (Cray/Walker) 4.50
+
16. I Left My Heart In San Francisco (with Judy Garland) (Cory/Cross) 3.08

*
**

 

Kim Pensyl – At The Moment (2001)

A fine pop-jazz keyboardist, trumpeter, and popular attraction on the “contemporary jazz” circuit, Kim Pensyl has recorded a long string of best-selling sets for such labels as Optimism, GRP, and Shanachie. Early on he played a variety of instruments, including trumpet, from age 12 and electric bass in a rock group before settling on keyboards. Pensyl attended Ohio State University, playing with the OSU jazz band. After earning a degree from the Eastman School of Music and attending Cal State Northridge, Pensyl worked in the Los Angeles area with a wide variety of bands including those led by Al Hirt, Don Ellis, Hubert Laws, Gerald Wilson, and Louie Bellson; he even played trumpet with Guy Lombardo. After a few years of studio work, in 1988 (when he began his solo career and recorded his first set as a leader) Pensyl had his style together, playing what could be called atmospheric lite jazz.

Released in 1988, 1989, and 1990, Pensyl Sketches, Vol. 1, Vol. 2, and Vol. 3 all sold quite well; the former two sets were recorded with Pensyl as the only musician. During the remainder of the ‘90s and into the new millennium, Pensyl began throwing a few curve balls at his listeners, including 1993’s piano-synth holiday outing A Kim Pensyl Christmas; 1996’s Under the Influence, with Pensyl interpreting some of his pop and R&B favorites; 1998’s Quiet Cafe, which brought his trumpet playing more to the fore; and 2001’s At the Moment, which found Pensyl taking on the mantle of trumpeter even more strongly, in a hard bop setting. Released in 2008, When Katie Smiles featured Pensyl at the Steinway for a set of smooth jazz-influenced originals.

Kim Pensyl is best known as a jazz-pop keyboardist, one who recorded popular crossover sets for Optimism, GRP, and Shanachie. However, At the Moment is quite a bit different, for on this set Pensyl is cast in the role of a hard bop trumpeter! Pensyl actually began playing trumpet when he was 12, but on his own previous recordings had not really stretched out on trumpet, so it is a surprise to hear him interacting quite comfortably on this fairly advanced straight-ahead jazz set with tenor saxophonist Bob Shepard, pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Chuck Bergeron, drummer Adam Nussbaum, and (on three numbers) trombonist John Fedchock. Influenced most by Miles Davis of the 1950s (particularly when muted), Freddie Hubbard, and Woody Shaw, Pensyl holds his own with the other notable players on 11 of his originals. The music is often driving (Shepard eats up the chord changes), Joey Calderazzo is a major asset, and the performances display plenty of heat. The individual songs are not overly memorable but the playing on a whole is of high quality, there are plenty of mood and tempo variations, and it is a happy surprise to realize that Kim Pensyl is such an excellent trumpeter. (by Scott Yanow)

Personnel:
Chuck Bergeron (bass)
Joey Calderazzo (piano)
Adam Nussbaum (drums)
Kim Pensyl (trumpet)
Bob Shepard (saxophone)
+
John Fedchock (trombone on 04., 07. + 10.)

Tracklist:
01. Crossed Up 6.00
02. Frosted Lemons 6.48
03. No One But You 6.36
04. Stolen Encounter 4.26
05. Miles’ Lament 6.41
06. Rulers 5.52
07. The Hubster 5.36
08. Petals 9.27
09. Once Before 6.09
10. Blues For Monk 7.54
11. Linda Theresa 6.23

Music composed by Kim Pensyl

*
**

Various Artists – Abba (A Heavy Metal) Tribute (2001)

A Tribute to ABBA is a tribute album of ABBA songs played by a variety of heavy metal and hard rock bands, released on 2 April 2001 by German record label Nuclear Blast. The compilation was also released in Japan under the title ABBAMetal: A Tribute To ABBA.

Well, this is a must hear for any Metal fans, especially those into novelty album. If you own Pat Boone’s In A Metal Mood or The Bluegrass Tribute To AC/DC then here’s another to add to your nutty collection, a bunch of Power Metal bands tributing ABBA!

Actually, novelties aside this is really well done. I was expecting it to sound all silly and goofy but after I listened to this it made me realise how much ABBA needed a tribute. Ok, some of it is silly and goofy, like that electronic-influenced version of Take A Chance On Me which isn’t even far from the original anyway (what can you expect from a band called Rough Silk?) and the last track is pretty bad, it sounds nothing like the rest, with an electronic-beat chorus and dumb indie-rock verses and a very annoying vocalist.

The rest, however, is brilliant! We open with a cool version of Summernight City by Therion, complete with violins and such, and then Metalium throw out an AWESOME speedy take of Thank You For The Music! Voulez-Vous sounds quite cool, and Paradox’s S.O.S. is pretty fucking insane, especially in the chorus. Thrashiest song on here. Then we go to Eagle, which is the best song ABBA ever did, and Sargant Fury do a fun version (Rob Rock did it better though, on Rage Of Creation). One Of Us sounds pretty damn beautiful too.

The only think that disappointed me is that The Winner Takes It All wasn’t included (and Does Your Mother Know for that matter) but besides that this is a fun little album to own. (by Muloc7253)

And you have the chance to discover a lot of totally unknown Heavy Metal Bands !

Tracklist:
01. Therion: Summer Night City (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.58
02. Metalium: Thank You For The Music (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 3.24
03. Sinergy: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.22
04. At Vance: Money, Money, Money (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 3.09
05. Morgana Lefay: Voulez-Vous (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.27
06. Paradox: SOS (Andersson/Ulvaeus/Anderson) 2.36
07. Rough Silk: Take A Chance On Me” (with Anke Hansen) (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.49
08. Spiral Tower: Chiquitita (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 5.35
09. Sargant Fury: Eagle (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.51
10. Flowing Tears: One Of Us (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 5.05
11. Nation: Waterloo (Andersson/Ulvaeus/Anderson) 3.18
12. Custard: Super Trouper (Andersson/Ulvaeus) 4.18
13. Tad Morose: Knowing Me, Knowing You (Andersson/Ulvaeus/Anderson) 3.27
14. Glow: Dancing Queen (Andersson/Ulvaeus/Anderson) 2.30

*
**

Blackmore’s Night – Fires At Midnight (2001)

Fires at Midnight is the third studio album by the group Blackmore’s Night, released July 10, 2001 through SPV/Steamhammer. In comparison to their previous two releases, there are more electric guitar parts on this album, whilst maintaining a folk rock direction. The album was a Top Ten record in Germany.

On December 2001, Fires At Midnight was a finalist on the New Age Voice award for the best vocal album of the year. In 2004 the album went Gold in the Czech Republic.

The album was one of the 10 international bestsellers in Russia during the Autumn of 2001. The single “Times They Are A Changin” stayed in the Russian top 20 Hits for over 9 weeks.

It featured the singles “The Times They Are a Changin'”, “Home Again” and “All Because of You”. (by wikipedia)

One of hard rock’s most influential guitarists has opted for the cultural upheaval and regality of the Renaissance era, as Ritchie Blackmore and vocalist Candice Night spearhead a band who abides by a hearty cross-pollination of English folk, 16th century melodies, and progressive rock. Here, Blackmore injects tasteful electric lead lines into a mix consisting of buoyantly executed rhythmic structures and Ms. Knight’s whispery, and at times, satiny vocalizations. Thus, Blackmore’s Night proclaims a festive atmosphere throughout these 16 pieces, while the band’s charming rendition of Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are a Changin'” might represent the lone deviation from the grand scheme of things to coincide with this ensemble’s altogether cheery demeanor and novel approach. Moreover, for those expecting to hear Blackmore ravage his electric with his now-infamous high-octane, blues-drenched power chords and doomsday chops, forget it. With this release, subtly, finesse, and nuance reign supreme amid a series of persuasive works that cover quite a bit of fertile terrain. (by Glenn Astarita)

Personnel:
Ritchie Blackmore (guitar, hurdy-gurdy, mandolin, renaissance drums, tambourine)
Robert “Sir Robert of Normandie” Curiano (bass, background vocals)
Chris Devine (violin, viola, recorders, flute)
Carmine Giglio (keyboards)
Candice Night (vocals, pennywhistle, shawms, harp, recorder, electronic bagpipes)
Pat Regan (keyboards)
Mike Sorrentino (drums)
+
John Passanante (trombone)
Richard Wiederman (trumpet)
+
Albert Dannemann (bagpipes on 11.)

Tracklist:
01. Written In The Stars (Blackmore/Night) 4.47
02. The Times They Are A-Changin’ (Dylan) 3.33
03. I Still Remember (Traditional) 5.42
04. Home Again (Blackmore/Night) 5.28
05. Crowning Of The King (Traditional) 4.32
06. Fayre Thee Well (Blackmore)  2:05
07. Fires At Midnight (Traditional) 7.36
08. Hanging Tree (Blackmore/Night) 3.47
09. The Storm (Blackmore/Night) 6.12
10. Mid Winter’s Night (Traditional) 4.30
11. All Because Of You (Blackmore/Night) 3.37)
12. Waiting Just For You (Traditional) 3.17
13. Praetorius (Courante) (Praetorius) 1.57
14. Benzai-Ten (Blackmore/Night) 3.52
15. Sake Of Song (B-side to the European Single “The Times They Are a Changin’ ) (Blackmore/Night) 3.13
16. Village On The Sand (Blackmore/Night) 4.57
16. Again Someday (Blackmore/Night) 1.49

*
**

 

Eric Clapton – One More Car, One More Rider (2002)

One More Car, One More Rider is the eighth live album by Eric Clapton, released on 5 November 2002 on Duck / Reprise Records. It is also the third double live album. The album contains songs performed during Clapton’s 2001 world tour. The recordings on this album are from two nights at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, 18 & 19 August 2001.Accompanying Clapton on this album are Andy Fairweather-Low, Steve Gadd, Nathan East, Billy Preston, Greg Phillinganes, and David Sancious. Eric Clapton himself said that this would be his last world tour, making this album initially more valuable. However he since has toured the world several times both on his own and with others, including Steve Winwood, Mark Knopfler, and his four Crossroads Guitar Festivals with his own chosen high-profilehouse band; different from his usual band. (by wikipedia)

The inconsistent double live album One More Car, One More Rider strives to represent the harder and softer sides of Eric Clapton. Sometimes, on warhorses such as “Hootchie Coochie Man” and “Have You Ever Loved a Woman,” he transports listeners to the Delta or Chicago’s South Side, where a titan of the blues is throwing down bitter wisdom.

But then there are those times when old Slowhand goes to his mushy place, singing nondescript odes such as “My Father’s Eyes” as though he’s chasing Sting for some sensitive-man prize. Clapton still possesses one of the most arresting guitar sounds on the planet, a laserlike beam of pure tone. But he rarely uses it to roar, and when he does — on a rearranged “Badge,” complete with dramatic pauses, or on the coda of the rocking “Layla” that contains some of the most adventuresome improvisation he’s recorded in years — it only becomes painfully clear just how often this car is riding on cruise control. (by Tom Moon)

Personnel:
Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals)
Nathan East (bass, background vocals)
Andy Fairweather-Low (guitar, background vocals)
Steve Gadd – drums
Billy Preston (keyboards, background vocals)
David Sancious (keyboards, melodica, guitar, background vocals)

Tracklist:

CD 1:
01. Key To The Highway (Broonzy/Segar) 3.38
02. Reptile (Clapton) 5.44
03. Got You On My Mind (Biggs/Thomas) 4.06
04. Tears In Heaven (Clapton/Jennings) 4.27
05. Bell Bottom Blues (Clapton) 4.57
06. Change The World (Kennedy/Kirkpatrick/Sims) 6.23
07. My Father’s Eyes (Clapton) 8.35
08. River Of Tears (Clapton/Climie) 8.54
09. Going Down Slow (Oden) 5.37
10. She’s Gone (Clapton/Climie) 6.57

CD 2:
11. I Want A Little Girl (Mencher/Moll) 4.25
12. Badge (Clapton/Harrison) 6.03
13. Hoochie Coochie Man (Dixon) 4.30
14. Have You Ever Loved A Woman (Myles) 7.51
15. Cocaine (Cale) 4.22
16. Wonderful Tonight (Clapton) 6.42
17. Layla (Clapton/Gordon) 11.12
18. Sunshine Of Your Love (Brown/Bruce/Clapton) 6.40
19. Over The Rainbow (Arlen/Harburg) 10.01

*
**