Live at the Smithsonian, Vol. 2 [Live]

Live at the Smithsonian, Vol. 2 [Live]

ASIN: B00006I084

Track Listings

1. Lonesome Road Blues

2. I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow

3. Flem Jones

4. Shout Little Lulie

5. Gloryland

6. Cacklin' Hen

7. Footprints in the Snow

8. Hills of Home

9. Going Up Home (To Live in Green Pastures)

10. I Only Exist

Tracks:

The Times They Are A-Changin'
Spanish Harlem Incident
Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues
To Ramona
Who Killed Davey Moore?
Gates Of Eden
If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Or Else You Got To Stay All Night)
It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)
I Don't Believe You
Mr. Tamborine Man
A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Tracks:

Talkin' World War III Blues
Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll
Mama, You Been On My Mind - with Joan Baez
Silver Dagger - with Joan Baez
With God On Our Side - with Joan Baez
It Ain't Me, Babe - with Joan Baez
All I Really Want To Do

Amazon.com

The brooding Bob Dylan of the 1966 live collection in the Dylan bootleg series gave way to an even more hooded character on the second live bootleg album from 1974. Which makes the jump back to a younger Dylan in this set all the more jarring. Here is Dylan as an eager-to-please 23 year old with nothing between him and his worshippers but a guitar, a harmonica, and, for four songs, his lover, Joan Baez. In marked contrast to the acerbic electric Dylan of the mid-'60s and the tight-lipped living legend of the mid-'70s, here is Dylan as entertainer. Joking and bantering with the crowd, Dylan deals up some favorites ("The Times They Are A-Changin'," "Don't Think Twice, It's All Right"), but is already shedding his earnest folkie persona; imagine another artist a mere two years into his career declining to perform a hit on the scale of "Blowin' in the Wind." But Dylan was moving fast. Having completed the last all-acoustic collection of his early years three months before the Philharmonic concert, he would record the half-electric/half-acoustic Bringing It All Back Home three months later. Three of the four acoustic songs from that album are presented here, as are a handful of then-unreleased songs, including "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues," "If You Gotta Go, Go Now" (which was soon given a rock arrangement), and a protest-period remnant, "Who Killed Davey Moore?" Had Concert at the Philharmonic Hall appeared the year it was recorded, it would been seen as a respite for folk fans to catch their collective breath before Dylan reappeared in his rock & roll Rimbaud guise. Heard for the first time decades later, it's simply a testament of his gifts as a showman and songwriter. --Steven Stolder

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Dissapointed
JAMES and the FLAMES.....PURE DYNAMITE !!
Should have left well-enough alone
Excellent
A Funk Is Born

Live at the Apollo, Vol. II
James Brown
Manufacturer: Polydor / Umgd
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005LKFC
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

Introduction To The James Brown Show - MC Frankie Crocker
Think - James Brown/Marva Whitney
I Wanna Be Around
James Brown (Thanks)
That's Life
Kansas City
Sweet Soul Music - Bobby Byrd
It's A Man's Man's World
Caravan - James Brown/The James Brown Band

Tracks:

Introduction To 'Star Time' - Frankie Crocker/Sad Sam
Money Won't Change You/Out Of Sight
Bring It Up
Try Me
Let Yourself Go
There Was A Time
I Feel All Right
Cold Sweat
Prisoner Of Love
My Girl (Instrumental Interlude)
Maybe The Last Time
I Got You (I Feel Good)
Please, Please, Please
Bring It Up (Finale)

Amazon.com

Thanks to the paradigm-shifting success of his first Live at the Apollo LP from 1963, James Brown and the famed Harlem theater were all but synonymous in the '60s. By the time Brown recorded there again in early summer of 1967, his music had undergone tremendous changes, as revolutionary for R&B as John Coltrane's sheets-of-sound approach was for jazz. This second Live at the Apollo caught Brown giving full stick to both his classic soul-ballad style and the funk his band was developing practically in front of the crowds' ears. Even better than previous issues is this terrifically remastered version. It adds nearly 25 minutes of previously edited tape, most significantly the pivotal "Let Yourself Go"/"There Was a Time"/"I Feel All Right" funk workout and an "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" that extends to a third of an hour here. The revisions add to the you-are-there feel of one of Brown's must-own albums, as do photos and credits that acknowledge everyone from stellar players like Maceo Parker and Clyde Stubblefield to the troupe's hairdresser and Learjet pilot. --Rickey Wright

Customer Reviews:

Dissapointed.......2006-11-06

One of the main reasons I purchased this CD was because of the song "Money Won't Change You." This song is listed as #2 on Disc Two and it is not there! I checked all of the songs on this 2 Disc CD and "Money Won't Change You" is no where to be found. I would appreciate some feedback and an exchange on this CD as it is not what I expected nor paid my hard earned money for.

JAMES and the FLAMES.....PURE DYNAMITE !!.......2006-10-13

THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS EVER RECORDED...dynamic and powerful...It was surpassed only by LIVE AT THE APOLLO, VOLUME ONE That is quite an accomplishment for any group ..yes- but for an R&B group...unprecedented ! And yes, JAMES BROWN AND THE FAMOUS FLAMES are,or at least WERE..a VOCAL GROUP ! There's been a great deal of CONTROVERSY and CONFUSION over the last 40 years as to just who the FAMOUS FLAMES were.Were they a BAND?...or were they a VOCAL GROUP ? Many writers and music historians still DONT KNOW .. To this day they still mistakenly write in article after article that the FLAMES were a BAND..that FRED WESLEY, MACEO PARKER , SINCLAIR PINKNEY..AND OTHER BAND MEMBERS were the FAMOUS FLAMES...WRONG!! IT'S TIME TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT RIGHT NOW ...The FAMOUS FLAMES were originally a combination vocal/instrumental group from Georgia fronted by singer /musician BOBBY BYRD...who actually was the man who discovered JAMES BROWN..while he was still in a Georgia Juvenile Detention Facility..BOBBY's family sponsored his release and James and his FORMER cellmate/friend JOHNNY TERRY joined Bobby's group..this was the group,(the original FLAMES), that originally recorded PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE and several other songs over a two year period in the mid '50's..but that group broke up...around '58 James RE-FORMED THE FLAMES ..this time as a straight VOCAL GROUP ....BACKED by the old JC DAVIS outfit...which became the first incarnation of what would become the JAMES BROWN BAND...But the FLAMES were always a SEPARATE ENTITY from the band ...THEY WERE A SINGING GROUP.After several members came and went over a period of 2-3 years,Original members BOBBY BYRD and JOHNNY TERRY rejoined the group...and new members BOBBY BENNETT and the late LLOYD STALLWORTH were added..TERRY (who was the co writer of PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE along with JAMES} eventually left the group ...and the remaining members- BYRD, STALLWORTH, AND BENNETT became the best known and remembered FAMOUS FLAMES lineup...this is the group on this album and that was featured in two Hollywood motion pictures: SKI PARTY (part of the famed "BEACH PARTY" series of movies featuring FRANKIE AVALON}and the 1964 concert film "THE TAMI SHOW " where they and JAMES stole the show from THE ROLLING STONES ,THE SUPREMES , and everyone else.THE FLAMES also appeared with James on the ED SULLIVAN SHOW TWICE ,dressed differently than the band, and ,sadly,uncredited.JAMES has made it clear in his autobiography and even on the DAVID LETTERMAN show that "the FAMOUS FLAMES are not a band - they're a SINGING GROUP " ...yet many writers and music historians still DONT GET THE MESSAGE.This confusion has persisted to this day... and has cost the FLAMES a possible spot in the ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME along with JAMES.,which they so richly deserve. THE FAMOUS FLAMES are one of the great UNSUNG GROUPS in rock & r&b history .Though they sang with JAMES on such big million selling hits as PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, TRY ME,I'LL GO CRAZY, OH BABY,DON'T YOU WEEP, THINK, BEWILDERED,and others, Their faces never graced a single album cover, and most fans today don't remember that they even existed !! Everyone today only talks about JAMES AND THE BAND. They deserved much better.THE FLAMES were a POWERFUL SINGING GROUP, WITH TIGHT HARMONIES , AND DANCE STEPS THAT WOULD PUT EVEN THE HIGHLY TOUTED TEMPTATIONS TO SHAME !! DON'T BELIEVE IT ? ASK ANYONE WHO'S SEEN THEM WITH JAMES AT THE APOLLO !! In 1964, THE FLAMES stopped recording with JAMES in the studio...but they continued performing on stage with him for another 4-5 years... and their name still appeared on the records ,so most thought people thought the name applied to the band. Although THE FLAMES played an important ,CO STARRING ROLE with JAMES on the the 1st two live albums , LIVE AT THE APOLLO (VOL 1 ) AND PURE DYNAMITE:LIVE AT THE ROYAL, by the time this album appeared ,they were relegated to THIRD BANANA STATUS behind JAMES and the band.On the original album release , KING RECORDS even went so far as to cut their name from the show's original introduction !! At least now , on the EXPANDED CD RELEASE, THE FAMOUS FLAMES' name has been rightfully restored to it's proper place. Hopefully ,one day, THE FLAMES THEMSELVES, BOBBY BYRD, BOBBY BENNETT, LLOYD STALLWORTH, AND JOHNNY TERRY, will be restored to THEIR rightful place in music history.

Should have left well-enough alone.......2005-10-13

Get the original version of this album, rather than the remastered version. The first is tight and powerful; the second adds a bloated, interminable version of "It's a Man's Man's World" and some tepid instrumentals for his back-up dancers. If you buy the remastered version, you'll be hitting the skip button more often than you should on a live James Brown album.

Excellent.......2005-04-20

If you were to get one live album in your life, make it this one. It just blows volume I out of the water.

Highlights include "It's a Man's World", "Sweet Soul Music", "Kansas City", "Let Yourself Go", "Bring It Up", "I Feel All Right", "Cold Sweat", "Prisoner of Love" (except the orchestra and the backup vocals), and the Best Song Ever, "There Was a Time".

However, there are a couple overly-orchestrated tunes, such as "I Wanna Be Around". Don't ask me why. But you should still just get the album. Every song is at least listenable, and there are many gems.

A Funk Is Born.......2005-01-16

James Brown has made four albums at Harlem's Apollo, the first in 1963 introducing the James Brown Show to a whole new audience and staying in the top selling lists for well over a year. By the time of this second album, selected mainly from the second of two shows recorded during a record-breaking 10-day run in June 1967, he had played there a further 200 times and claimed to know the stage so well he would recognize it blindfold from the sound of the fans in the balcony.
The concerts caught the James Brown Band at an important transitional phase. The previous month Pee Wee Ellis had taken as over musical director and with Maceo Parker recently restored to the line-up on tenor sax the music had taken a new, more funky direction (at a time when funk didn't exist), as demonstrated on the first groundbreaking piece they had recorded together that same month, Cold Sweat. James Brown did not waste the opportunity to bring his audience up to date with his sound, performing new titles such as Cold Sweat and Let Yourself Go, the current single.
However, less than two minutes into the latter song the Band go into an extended locked groove jam called There Was A Time, with both Clyde Stubblefield and Jabo Starks whacking out the tempo on twin drum kits, plus bongos by Ronald Selicoe, and this soon developed a life of its own when an edit of the performance appeared as the B-side of the next single, I Can't Stand Myself (When You Touch Me). It did better in the R&B charts than the A-side, reaching number 3, and boosted sales of this legendary live album. The liner notes claim that this track "may well be the single most riveting Brown performance on record."
However, James Brown was off to Las Vegas the following month and also had an eye for the mainstream, so as well there are violin-filled renditions of standards like That's Life and I Wanna Be Around, which owes as much to Tony Bennett as it does to Dinah Washington.
This two CD set reconstructs the original set-list as far as is possible, restoring material edited from the original 1968 double-album because of running-time constraints, including in their entirety Sweet Soul Music from Bobby Byrd's set and the James Brown Band's revival of Duke Ellington's Caravan, and edits removed from longer pieces such as It's A Man's Man's Man's World, There Was A Time, I Feel All Right and Cold Sweat, with its Maceo Parker sax solos, all taken from the four-track remote recording master tape

Average customer rating:

Live at the Kennedy Center: Vol. 2
Mulgrew Miller
Manufacturer: Max Jazz Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Kids: Duets Live at Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola
Night & the Music

ASIN: B000P46QAO
Release Date: 2007-05-22

Tracks:

Song for Darnell
Grew's Tune
Farewell to Dogma
Old Folks
Eleventh Hour

Album Description

In the fall of 2002, the prestigious John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington, D.C.) opened an intimate venue, The KC Jazz Club, on the roof level of its facility. The Club celebrated its opening with two weekends of selected MAXJAZZ artists. The highly acclaimed pianist, Mulgrew Miller, and his trio featuring Derrick Hodge (b) and Rodney Green (d) were the featured performers on the Club's opening night, Thursday, September 5, 2002. MAXJAZZ is proud to present the second of two sets from that magical evening recorded by the late David Baker.

Volume Two begins with Miller's intro on his composition Song For Darnell, written for his son. It doesn't take long for the trio to pick up where they left off in the first set. The trio moves through the composition with great energy highlighted by the sparkle of Miller's playing and Hodge's impressive solo. Grew's Tune by Miller is a hard-swinging song that contains intricate runs by Miller squeezed in between some robust chords and phrases that have his signature stamp. Green's steady ride keeps the group moving forward with great drive. Miller's intro on his composition Farewell To Dogma slows the pace. He and Hodge then offer compelling solos on this intricate piece. The standard Old Folks by Hill and Robison showcases a wonderful intro by Miller on this exquisite version of the classic ballad. The evening comes to a close with Miller's composition Eleventh Hour. The first five minutes feature Miller playing a soulful blues solo before the trio joins in and burns to an exciting finish.

Maynard Ferguson's Horn, Vol. 6: Live at Ronnie's
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Maynard Ferguson's Horn, Vol. 6: Live at Ronnie's
Maynard Ferguson
Manufacturer: Bcd Music Group
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Wow! The Formative Years

On a High Note: Best of the Concord Jazz Recordings

ASIN: B000FTAVU0
Release Date: 2006-12-26

Tracks:

Blue Birdland
The Girl From Ipanema
Frame For the Blues
But Beautiful
Milestones
I m Old Fashioned
Blues From Around Here
MF Hit Medley
Blue Birdland

Product Description

Maynard Ferguson Music, USA Inc. announces the release of their new album, MF Horn VI: Live at Ronnie's. Recorded in the summer of 2005 at the legendary Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, England, this album features exciting new arrangements of classic jazz standards done in the colorful Ferguson way, as well as a few quintessential Ferguson chart toppers.

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Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 16
Hank Jones
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000006KM
Release Date: 1992-02-25

Tracks:

Introductory Announcement
I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan
It's The Talk Of The Town
The Very Thought Of You
The Night We Called It A Day
Bluesette
A Child Is Born
What Is This Thing Called Love
Oh! What A Beautiful Mornin'
Six And Four
I Cover The Waterfront
Memories Of You
Spoken Introduction
Blue Monk
'Round Midnight
Spoken Introduction
Oh, Look At Me Now

Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 3: Music of 1937

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Live at Maybeck Recital Hall, Vol. 3: Music of 1937
Dick Hyman
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000006IK
Release Date: 1990-06-27

Tracks:

Spoken Introduction
Where Or When
A Foggy Day (In London Town)
Bob White (Whatcha Gonna Swing Tonight)
Some Day My Prince Will Come
The Folks Who Live On The Hill
Bei Mir Bist Du Schon
Loch Lomond
Thanks For The Memory
In The Still Of The Night
My Funny Valentine
Caravan

Good to Me: Live at the Whiskey a Go Go, Vol. 2

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Good to Me: Live at the Whiskey a Go Go, Vol. 2
Otis Redding
Manufacturer: Stax
ProductGroup: Music
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ASIN: B000000ZLT
Release Date: 1993-01-25

Tracks:

Introduction
I'm Depending On You
Your One And Only Man
Good To Me
Chained And Bound
Ol' Man Trouble
Pain In My Heart
These Arms Of Mine
I Can't Turn You Loose
I've Been Loving You Too Long
Security
A Hard Day's Night

The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2: Live at the Village Vanguard

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notes on a controversy
Fine piano trio music
The guy is really good, so take a chance on him...
Today's Most Challenging and Refreshing Jazz Trio.
Major, major jazz

The Art of the Trio, Vol. 2: Live at the Village Vanguard
Brad Mehldau
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000062VD
Release Date: 1998-03-10

Tracks:

It's Alright With Me
Young And Foolish
Monk's Dream
The Way You Look Tonight
Moon River
Countdown

Amazon.com

This live set, recorded at New York's Village Vanguard in the summer of 1997, presents pianist Brad Mehldau with bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jorge Rossy, the same personnel as on The Art of the Trio, Volume One. This is hardcore jazz, with tunes by Cole Porter, Thelonious Monk, Jerome Kern, Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer, and John Coltrane. Mehldau hasn't yet earned a place in the highest rank of the jazz pantheon, but if he keeps making recordings of this caliber, he'll blow away a lot of the opposition. He doesn't wear his influences on his sleeve but, with the support of Grenadier and Rossy, executes harmonic reconstructions of standard texts. --Stanley Booth

Customer Reviews:

notes on a controversy.......2005-01-18

Sorry, this isn't really a review of this album. It's a few thoughts on the "controversy" over comparing Mehldau to Bill Evans (see, e.g., the "Major, major jazz" review on this page). Mehldau himself has disavowed the comparison on several occasions, most notably in the liner notes to Art of the Trio Vol. 4, in which he says he only listened to Evans "a little, when I was 13 or 14 years old"--and then goes on to provide a detailed analysis of how his trio functions in a different way than Evans's. If you take this at face value . . . (After I read Mehldau's liner notes, I was hoping someone would get him a copy of Harold Bloom's _The Anxiety of Influence_ for his birthday.)

Some of Mehldau's points (e.g., racial troping and the role of the bassist) are repeated in a well-written review on this page. I'd like to respond to a few of those points--because methinks it has gotten to the point where Mehldau (and some of his fans) doth protest too much.

Let me grant three points immediately: 1) Mehldau is a unique and gigantic talent. His personal expression is not in any way invalidated by similarities or differences with Bill Evans or any other pianist. 2) Harmonically, Mehldau is not an impressionist the way Evans was. 3) Collective improvisation is not the key to the Mehldau Trio as it was to Evans's best trios.

But!

The comparisons to Evans did not come out of the blue, and racial troping (or "profiling") seems to me something of a red herring. I mean, if it were that simple, why isn't Mehldau also frequently compared with George Shearing, Dave Brubeck, Vince Guaraldi, and Chick Corea?

Beyond the obvious facts of performing in a trio and playing in a Romantic, introspective manner, Mehldau is frequently compared to Evans, I believe, mainly because of his choice of repertoire. On his very first album, for instance, Mehldau recorded two Richard Rodgers classics--"It Might as Well Be Spring" and "My Romance"--that had long been associated with Evans. In fact, Evans recorded "My Romance" many times, starting with *his* first album. And on this album (AotT2), Mehldau plays "Young and Foolish," which Evans recorded several times.

Beyond such specific examples, there is a general similarity in what they play, a mix of high-quality standards (Rodgers, Porter, Gershwin, etc.), originals, and unexpected works by contemporaries. That might sound generic enough to be true of nearly any jazz performer--but if you look carefully at what Mehldau plays, you will see it resembles the things Evans recorded much more than it resembles what most other jazz performers, pianists or otherwise, play. Keep in mind, too, that using the "great American songbook" as the basis for major league jazz improvisations (and writing pieces in a similar vein) was quite unusual and not exactly fashionable during Evans's peak years, which coincided with the free jazz and fusion movements. It's less unusual now, after the Keith Jarrett and Wynton Marsalis standards collections, but there is no question that Evans is an important link between pre-bop and contemporary performance of standards material.

Mehldau and Evans also resemble each other in the things they play that are off the beaten path (for the jazz world). Mehldau has covered material by such elder statesmen of the rock establishment as Paul McCartney and Paul Simon--which is still a little unusual for a jazz performer. But the Paul Simon song he recently covered, "Still Crazy After All These Years," comes from the same album that the Simon song Evans liked to cover ("I Do It for Your Love") does. Also, Mehldau has gotten a lot of attention for covering tunes by Nick Drake and Radiohead--just as Evans received attention for covering Johnny Mandel's Theme from M*A*S*H and songs by Burt Bacharach (before he was considered one of the "old masters"). In both cases, they saw the lyrical value of material that others wouldn't might not have thought to convert into jazz.

So the claim that there are "no similarities" between Evans and Mehldau just doesn't ring true. In addition to their similar choice of repertoire--which suggests a great amount of temperamental affinity if not necessarily direct influence--both are classically trained pianists, and you can easily hear that (although I don't think Mehldau's touch is quite as refined as Evans's was).

Also, the claim that Mehldau has "a fire that Evans never envinced [sic]" doesn't wash with me. Miles Davis said he hired Evans specifically because he wanted Evans's "quiet fire." And that fire wasn't always all that quiet, as anyone who has heard Evans's early recordings with George Russell (e.g., "Concerto for Billy the Kid" and "All About Rosie") well knows. Evans was perfectly capable of barnstorming when he wanted to. This was a man who played Beethoven's Third Concerto at his senior recital and who liked to play Rachmaninoff's Third Concerto for his own private enjoyment. If you think you can play those virtuoso masterpieces without fire in your belly, guess again.

Okay, those are my points. I just think the pendulum has tended to swing too much from uncritical comparisons to (blindly following Mehldau's own not disinterested lead) uncritical disavowals of all affinities. Hey, it's a massive compliment to be compared to Evans. And it shouldn't mean that Mehldau isn't his own man, because he most definitely is. It's just that given what he's playing (esp. in a jazz piano trio format), Evans is the obvious point of reference and will remain so, just as Verdi would be an obvious point of comparison for Puccini. Sure, let's be aware of the crucial differences between them. Let's look for and celebrate everything that's distinctive in Mehldau's playing (because there's plenty of that). But when we look through the musical universe, to whom are we likely to compare Mehldau? Verdi? Madonna? Bill Monroe? Stuff Smith? No one picked Evans's name out of a hat.

P.S. If you love piano jazz, get all of Mehldau's albums, including this one (well, maybe except Largo). You see, he's this great contemporary jazz pianist, a little like Bill Evans, only different . . .

Fine piano trio music.......2004-03-28

As a serious fan of Bill Evans, but with little knowledge of the jazz world, I picked up the first four volumes of Mehldau's Art of the Trio recordings following a recommendation from a friend.

Volumes 1 and 3 are studio recordings; volumes 2 and 4 are live (I don't have volume 5, yet, another live volume, this one on 2 CDs). I think Mehldau is great, and I especially like the studio recordings. They are lyrical and melodic, whereas the live recordings tend more toward pyrotechnics and displays of virtuosity.

If you like the kind of music Bill Evans played, you'll certainly like volumes 1 and 3. You may prefer the live ones, especially if you're into Keith Jarrett (at least Mehldau doesn't grunt and squeal all the time). In any case, this is great music, well played and the trio has a great rapport.

The guy is really good, so take a chance on him..........2003-08-16

This is my first Mehldau CD, and I like it a lot. A piano trio live at the Village Vanguard? How can that NOT remind jazz lovers of the two famous Bill Evans' albums recorded live there 36 years earlier? Brad is not quite in that league perhaps, but he's a lot closer than I would have guessed. Of course, he does not want to be known as "almost as good as Bill Evans." He wants to see reviews of other respected young pianists described as "almost as wonderful as Mehldau." If you like piano jazz with an edge, this is for you. He plays standards, but with his own twist and a '90's sensibility. They are recognizable and pretty, but taken in some new directions as well. Kind of like Monk did, and Evans did, and that's great company. On this disc, the trio tackles a Monk original, and a Coltrane original, and a Mancini original, plus Cole Porter and Jerome Kern. The '30's and the '50's and the 60's in only six tunes. Even the few moments of these 73 minutes I don't love are still interesting. Check it out!

Today's Most Challenging and Refreshing Jazz Trio........2001-11-20

This album is the 2nd volume of the trio's production entitled: "The Art Of the Trio". It is also the first of the live recordings of the pianist Brad Mehldau with his partners Larry Grenadier (bass) and Jorge Rosy (drums) at the Village Vanguard in NYC, this time during a summer appearance in 1997.

The album is definitely a highlight of the Trio's material and it brings Mehldau's outstanding musical virtues as a pianist directly into the audience. One of the best way to evaluate the musician is live, in direct with no studio cosmetics or second chances. Mehladau not only passes the test -or any test you wish to give him- but also exceeds any expectations you may have weather you are a Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett or Corea follower. Critics impose a heavy stigma on Mehldau when they compare him to Bill Evans and claim that he is the next successor to the throne. I never buy or reject any artist's music because of his influences, similarities, or differences, but rather on his own capabilities. Within the piano jazz trio format, Mehldau is extremely creative, very sharp, takes risks, very moving, a virtuoso when it comes o technique, and takes jazz into music boundaries where very few artists can go. Without getting into the similarities or differences with the other piano masters, having heard all of the Evans, Jarrett, Corea, and Hancock albums I recommend you that if you appreciate free format jazz piano trios, include this CD in your collection. It will either be one of your best and favorites ones throughout time of the most challenging one if you are an extremely conservative listener. I celebrate that modern jazz has a young pianist with such talent and capacity.

The repertoire is composed of six "covers" and does not including any of Mehldau compositions -as he did in the Trios Vol IV: Back at the Village Vanguard-. During the CD's one hour twenty minutes, the tunes range from "Monk's Dream" (T. Monk) and "Countdown" (J. Coltrane) to classic standards like "Moon River" (Mercer-Mancini) or "It's Alright with Me" (C. Porter) allowing Mehldau to expand his creativity to the max.

Lastly, try not to get to involved with Mehldaus' very extensive comments and reflections that appear in the inside of the CD's cover, like some reviewers who have rejected and criticized Mehldau's thoughts as if the item offered were a book instead of a jazz piano CD. Believe me, Mehldau's language is the piano and his thoughts make a lot of sense when he plays "his jazz" into our souls. Keep speaking Mr. Mehldau, your playing came just in time as jazz piano was getting monotonous.

Major, major jazz.......2001-09-19

It's easy to evaluate a jazz musician's career in retrospect, usually when they're in middle age, and declaring greatness over a large body of work and years of concerts. It's never so easy when faced with a still growing body of work from a contemporary artist. Bard Mehldau is one such artist, and even though he has made fewer than 10 discs, one can say without hesitation that he is a great jazz musician. The proof is in the playing, and this CD is one of many great doorways into that playing.

As a pianist, Mehldau is a virtuoso, secure in both hands and with an effortless variety of articulations at any speed. But he's no Oscar Peterson, he has plenty to say. Plenty.

To his own frustrated bemusement, Mehldau has often been compared to Bill Evans [even among the professional editorials on Amazon] yet that is a shallow case of racial-profiling. Other than being a white piano player, there are no real similarities. Mehldau is lyrical and introspective in the Evansian sense only in the manner with which jazz musicians call ideas from out of themselves. He has a fire that Evans never envinced and a style that is unique and refreshing. Like a lot of modern jazz artists, he has gone to the classical repertoire to expand his harmonic range and his improvisational sense, but where for most jazz players, the classical touchstones are Stravinsky, Bartok and Debussy, Mehldau has turned back to the 19th century, especially the piano music of Robert Schumann. So instead of expanding jazz harmonics by extending tonalities, he uses the more subtle but richer approach of placing simpler chords in an overall harmonic structure that is more complex; basic inversions that give a sense of false cadence, diatonic harmonies over extended pedals to create ambigiuous key relationships, etc. These are all composers' concerns, and that is what Mehldau often does, his improvisations are re-compositions. He frequently takes apart the structure of a tune, examining it from many angles, and does so with tremendous vitality and swing. The approach is more like Sonny Rollins, with the advantage of the harmonies a piano provides. And it's tremendously gripping and exciting, rich in detail and imagination. There is the sense in listening to him that you are discovering what he is right along with him.

Also unlike Bill Evans, this is definitely a soloist-accompanist trio, not a collective. Grenadier and Rossy could not be more solid or sympathetic with the leaders approach, and they are vital in maintaining the ideas and energy. Pervious criticism is cloth-eared and unwarranted. Mehldau is fast becoming an essential part of the music, don't let him get away without you.

Live at Athenaeum Jazz, Vol. 2
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Live at Athenaeum Jazz, Vol. 2
Holly Hofmann & Mike Wofford
Manufacturer: Capri Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music
General | Live Albums | Jazz | Styles | Music
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Not Too Late

ASIN: B000MEYJEW
Release Date: 2007-03-20

Tracks:

More Than You Know [Alto Flute]
Floof
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No Mercy
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Great Music By an Underrated Musician
Enchanted Evening
Another gem

Live At Yoshi's, Vol. 1
Jessica Williams
Manufacturer: Max Jazz Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Live at Yoshi's, Vol. 2
In the Key of Monk
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ASIN: B0002IQCCA
Release Date: 2004-07-20

Tracks:

I'm Confessin' That I Love You
Say It Over And Over Again
You Say You Care
Tutu's Promise
Heather
Alone Together
Poem In G Minor
I Want To Talk About You
Mysterioso

Album Description

Williams opens the CD with an entrancing solo on "I'm Confessin' That I Love You." She sways gently on "Say It Over and Over Again" by Frank Loesser and Jimmy McHugh and then picks up the pace on "You Say You Care" by Jules Styne and Leo Robin. Both Williams and Drummond pluck their instrument's strings to create a slinky, funk effect on Williams' original, "Tutu's Promise." Then Williams draws out the emotion of Billy Cobham's "Heather" beautifully before reconstructing the standard, "Alone Together." Her thoughtful, expressive "Poem in G Minor" follows. On "I Want To Talk About You" by Billy Eckstine and Anne-Rachel, Williams makes the listener feel like the song is being sung to him. Williams closes with "Mysterioso" by one of her favorite composers and strongest influences, Thelonious Monk.

Customer Reviews:

Great Music By an Underrated Musician.......2007-06-18

Jessica Williams is a very gifted pianist who combines great technical proficiency with profound musicality. By turns dramatic, lyrical, and meditative, her playing contains echoes of such predecessors as Waller, Garner, Garland, Monk, and Evans (to name just a few), yet her sound is distinctively her own and decidedly fresh and modern. As an improviser she is boundlessly creative and never seems less than fully engaged and "in the moment"; not only does she seem to be able to play anything that occurs to her, but what occurs to her is always interesting and often arrestingly beautiful. The two volumes of "Live at Yoshi's" present her at her best, and in the company of two skillful collaborators whose style complements hers quite effectively. The song selection strikes a nice balance, with a good mix of standards, works by other jazz musicians, and Williams's own lovely and inventive compositions. The sound is also exceptionally good; while the piano is perhaps a shade brighter than would be ideal, the recording captures the subtleties of the performances with impressive clarity and detail. Either volume would be a fine introduction to a musician who deserves to be much better known than she is.

Enchanted Evening.......2005-07-29

I was not in the audience on the night this recording was made at Yoshi's in Oakland, California, but I wish I had been, as it must have been one enchanted evening. Williams is at her best with Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis; the three of them play as one. Williams is the shining star, playing with a purity rarely heard on such live recordings. She has an amazing gift, and in front of a live audience she plays the piano as if she is offering the music rather than showing it off as so many performers do. The sound quality and engineering is superior compared to most live recordings, with no obstrusive background noise, just the enthusiastic applause at the end of each cut from an audience who knew they were hearing something special.

As with all of Williams' recordings, you will find something new here each time you listen, and you will go to places you never imagined music could take you.

Another gem.......2004-09-08

The second recording for Jessica Williams with the
amazing team of Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis for MazJazz,
this one live in Oakland, CA. The interplay between these
three is tightly knit and the emotions that she puts into
her compositions and performance of them just are so equally
shared by the rest of the band. Listen to "Poem in G Minor",
the way she works on a theme or styling, then expands on it,
then comes back to it, so beautifully. Truly one of the
modern masters of jazz piano.

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