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Big Band Magic: The Sound of the Fabulous Forties
(more) »rank: 21870by: Various Artists
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Black Ivory Soul
(more) »rank: 28148by: Angelique Kidjo
: :Angélique Kidjo's previous albums have been decidedly patchy affairs, with tracks ranging from the sublime to the abysmal. With Black Ivory Soul, however, Kidjo strikes a lovely and generally consistent note. Exploring the connections between her native Benin and Brazil's Bahia region, she makes beautiful music flavored by two continents on songs such as 'Tumba,' with its crisp but subtle percussion driving a lilting melody, or 'Afrika,' where the cascading notes of the kora help bridge the Atlantic. Co-writing with talents like Carlinhos Brown and Vinícius Cantuária has helped; they've toned down the R&B influence than ran through Oremi and replaced it with ...
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Making Spirits Bright: A Smooth Jazz Christmas
(more) »rank: 45320by: Various Artists
: :The first six tracks of this release could've been subtitled 'A Twist of Christmas,' for they bear the indelible stamp of guitarist-producer Lee Ritenour and his A Twist of Marley. In fact, his Brazilian take on 'Silent Night,' with singer Al Jarreau, sounds like an arrangement worked straight out of Ritenour's A Twist of Jobim sessions. Even with guitarists Joyce Cooling and Marc Antoine, his presence is noticeable. The other half of the album finds most of the artists doing their own thing, the best of which is the funky groove saxophonist Richard Elliot and keyboardist and co-arranger Jeff Lorber lay over 'God ...
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Woody Allen's Movie Music
(more) »rank: 17643by: Various Artists
:Album Description:From the celebrated films of Woody Allen.
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A Love Supreme
(more) »rank: 18352by: John Coltrane
:Album Description:The second in a series of John Coltrane's classic Impulse! albums which are restored, reissued and newly remastered. Digi-Pak packaging is re-creating from the original LP design. essential recording:A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such ...
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Ultimate Demonstration Disc: Chesky Records' Guide to Critical Listening
(more) »rank: 11244by: Various Artists
:Album Description:The second in a series of John Coltrane's classic Impulse! albums which are restored, reissued and newly remastered. Digi-Pak packaging is re-creating from the original LP design. essential recording:A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such ...
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Combustication
(more) »rank: 18040by: Medeski Martin & Wood
: 's Best of 1998:The rather plainly named Medeski Martin & Wood have almost single-handedly returned the spotlight to the more out-there fusion between bop jazz and on-the-one funky rock music. Wheezing and huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, Medeski Martin & Wood plow into their songs with abandon. The drums of Billy Martin push the band out and away rather than gathering them neat and tidy, while bassist Chris Wood delivers the rhythms that somehow manage to keep every musical tidbit strapped to the deck. For his part, keyboardist John Medeski slaps and whacks his keys with inspired malice, all the while ...
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Boogie Woogie Giants
(more) »rank: 13517by: Various Artists
: 's Best of 1998:The rather plainly named Medeski Martin & Wood have almost single-handedly returned the spotlight to the more out-there fusion between bop jazz and on-the-one funky rock music. Wheezing and huffing behind a bank of old-school keyboards, Medeski Martin & Wood plow into their songs with abandon. The drums of Billy Martin push the band out and away rather than gathering them neat and tidy, while bassist Chris Wood delivers the rhythms that somehow manage to keep every musical tidbit strapped to the deck. For his part, keyboardist John Medeski slaps and whacks his keys with inspired malice, all the while ...
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Jazz & '80s: The Coolest and Sexiest Songbook of the Eighties
(more) »rank: 33484by: Various Artists
:Album Description:The coolest and sexiest songbook of the 80's. Import only 12-track collection features smooth and laidback Jazz renditions of some of the biggest hits of the 80's. Highlights include, The Cooltrane Quartet's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' (Clash), Urselle's 'Purple Rain' (Prince), Jamie Lancaster's 'Boys Don't Cry' (Cure), Stella Starlight Trio's 'Don't You (Forget About Me)' (Simple Minds) and many more.
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Bill Evans Trio with Symphony Orchestra
(more) »rank: 60692from: Polygram Records
: :Throughout his career, pianist-composer Bill Evans successfully melded Bud Powell's fiery bop-paced technique with the lyricism and harmonic language of the French impressionists Ravel and Debussy. So it was only natural that he would record a session that combines the jazz and classical traditions.Released in 1965, this date features Evans's trio with drummer Larry Bunker, who, three decades later, guest-starred on Diana Krall's When I Look in Your Eyes, and the sensitive bassist Larry Bunker. They're augmented by the azure-tinged arrangements by the famed conductor Claus Ogerman, who worked his magic with artists from Antonio Carlos Jobim to Frank Sinatra. The result of ...
