American Dreams

American Dreams

ASIN: B00006IWGS

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
In recent years, Charlie Haden has steadily released duo albums (with Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, and others) or worked with the sentimental-sounding Quartet West, which uses lush orchestration to supplement the quartet's sound. Haden has upgraded his quartet here on American Dreams, using the all-star cast of Michael Brecker, Brian Blade, and Brad Mehldau, but again brings in the orchestra for nearly every track. This "Quartet East" takes on a few Haden originals, as well as tunes by past collaborators Keith Jarrett and Ornette Coleman, and mixes them up with popular songs such as the theme from the film Tootsie and even the patriotic "America the Beautiful." Some of the non-jazz tunes are a bit sappy, but they do right by "America" thanks to an outstanding solo by Haden and just the right amount of orchestral support. American Dreams is probably too mainstream and glossy for fans of Haden's challenging early work, but there are a few nice moments amidst the glitter. --Tad Hendrickson

Tracks:

I Love Lucy Theme - Wilbur Hatch
Dragnet - Ray Anthony
The Twilight Zone - Rod Open
Bonanza - Al Caiola & His Orchestra
The Andy Griffith Theme - Earle Hagen
The Ballad Of Jed Clampett - Earl Scruggs
The Addams Family (Main Theme) - Vic Mizzy
Munsters Theme - Jack Marshall
The Ballad Of Gilligan's Isle - Morton Stevens
Green Acres - Eddie Albert
Jeannie - Hugo Montenegro
Batman Theme - Neal Hefti
(Theme From) The Monkees - The Monkees
Star Trek (Main Title & Closing Theme) - The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Mannix - Lalo Schifrin
Hawaii Five-O - Mort Stevens & His Orchestra
Theme From The Brady Bunch - The Brady Bunch
Come On Get Happy - The Partridge Family
Those Were The Days - Carroll O'Connor
And Then There's Maude - Donny Hathaway
Good Times - Jim Gilstrap
Movin' On Up - Oren Waters
The Rockford Files - Mike Post
Them From S.W.A.T. - Rhythm Heritage
Happy Days - Pratt & McClain
Making Our Dreams Come True - Cyndi Grecco
Chico And The Man - Jose Feliciano
Welcome Back - John Sebastian
What's Happening!! - Henry Mancini
Barney Miller - Jack Elliott
Charlie's Angels - Jack Elliott
Love Boat Theme - Jack Jones
Angela (Theme From 'Taxi') - Bob James
It Takes Diff'rent Strokes - Gloria Loring
Theme From Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys) - Waylon
Theme From Magnum, P.I. - Mike Post
The Theme From Hill Street Blues - Mike Post
Theme From Dynasty - Bill Conti
Theme From 'Greatest American Hero' (Believe It Or Not) - Joey Scarbury
Thank You For Being A Friend - Cynthia Fee

Album Description

TV Land brings you 40 of your favorite evening show theme songs. Highlights include 'Happy Days', 'The Greatest American Hero', 'Dukes Of Hazzard (Good Ol' Boys)', 'Laverne & Shirley', 'I Dream Of Jeanie', 'I Love Lucy', 'Welcome Back, Kotter', 'The Love Boat', 'Hawaii Five-O', 'The Golden Girls' and many, many more. 2002. Rhino.

Customer Reviews:

good memories for me and fun "new" songs for my children.......2007-06-27

We had ordered this for "The Dukes of Hazzard" theme song for our 4yr old and our whole family has fallen in love with the cd. It makes me want to share some of the old fun and simple shows with my children. I forgot about some of those shows. It brings back good memories for my husband and me and the songs are new and exciting for our children. It's a nice change from children's cd's, but our children still think it's fun. The sound quality is good and the songs included on the cd are a great mix. I would definately recommend this one.

memories.......2007-02-22

This cd is excellent it has a lot of very good music and true to the original sound, Am getting a lot of enjoyment,highly recomended

TV Theme Songs.......2007-01-13

This is a great CD for people who watch a lot of TV -especially TV LAND and reruns of old shows when shows had actual theme songs. I took the CD to work and everyone loved trying to figure out what show the songs were from.

TV themes.......2006-07-05

Not all what I expected, not all of the tunes are the original recordings you remember as the TV themes.

Deja Vu.......2006-02-17

Listening to these familiar themes as performed by the original artists certainly brings back wonderful memories! I was particularly pleased, not only with the quality of the pieces, but with the actual performances themselves, just as we remembered them!

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Average customer rating:

Wonderfully American
A Gersh-winner
Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter
Gershwin's playing overated
The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!

Gershwin Plays Gershwin: The Piano Rolls

Manufacturer: Nonesuch
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000005J1I
Release Date: 1993-11-09

Tracks:

Sweet And Lowdown
Novelette In Fourths
That Certain Feeling
So Am I
Rhapsody In Blue
Swanee
When You Want 'Em, You Can't Get 'Em...
Kickin' The Clouds Away
Idol Dreams
On My Mind The Whole Night Long
Scandal Walk
An American In Paris

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully American.......2007-05-14

I've had a copy of this CD for years and love it. The power and optimism of the music is really quite remarkable... regardless of who or what is actually playing here. The arrangement of Swanee is light but rich with major chord trains like you just want to go marching around the room. And American In Paris leads you on a swaying, dischordy journey the deeper you go, as the narrative begins to trade delicacy for passion. (and I love renditions where you can hear the MUSIC and the instruments don't get in the way, like four-voice midi versions of Bach which reveal the eloquence).

When I listen to this CD now, and which is most surpring to me, I hear a profound pride in America - back "before." I play it when I have people over and we put burgers on the grill. This CD is the song of sitting in my back yard with the clouds blowing by and for the moment things feel OK.

"Before" - OK, there is no old perfect Amercia; but I'm thinking of the time before we learned to distill petroleum into toxic pollution, before pride meant vanity and thuggery, before hate-filled invective became public amusement, and before presidents went to war because it was good for business.

A Gersh-winner.......2007-01-07

George Gershwin had a long association with the mechanical device known as the player piano. At the age of ten, Gershwin used a neighbor's pianola to teach himself how to play, by very slowly pumping the foot pedal that advanced the hole-punched rolls, and placing his fingers on the depressed keys. His parents were so impressed by his abilities they enrolled the boy in formal piano studies when he turned 13. Thus, an American genius was born.

The existing films of Gershwin (who died of a brain tumor at age 38 in 1937) show him to be a virtuoso at his instrument. His 1924 acoustic recording of Rhapsody In Blue (with the Paul Whiteman orchestra) is further evidence of this. But no film or recording has what is contained within the album GERSHWIN PLAYS GERSHWIN: THE PIANO ROLLS, and that is-- full fidelity range.

The CD comes in a standard jewel case packaged in a heavy paper slipcover. Biographical liner notes are included along with details on the rolls. The earliest performance in this set is from 1916, made when Gershwin was an 18-year-old song plugger. My favorites here are "Swanee," from 1920, and "An American In Paris," from 1933, which is undoubtedly one of the last significant piano rolls ever made.

Gershwin's dynamic performances are not in the least obscured by the few extra notes added to the piano rolls (such practice was standard in those days). Listening to these recordings is like sitting next to this brilliant man, observing his fingers fly over the keys as he plays some of his best work.

TOTAL RUNNING TIME -- 60:36

Interesting... but I think I'd prefer a good Gershwin interpreter.......2006-05-14

Composers are not necessarily the best performers of their own work. A songwriter's songwriter like Jules Shear or Jimmy Webb comes to mind -- surely the best representations of their songs are on other artist's albums.

This album is charming in its own way -- a taste of the music and performance style of a bygone era. Someone complained that these rolls were edited. So what? I'm going to review the final product, now how it was made. Do you eat sausage? Ask not what's in it!

I like to listen to this CD in short bits -- a few songs at a time. For some reason I find it to be fatiguing if I listen for more than 20 minutes or so. I'm not absolutely sure why this is so. Possibly the meter is just a little too metronomic on many of the songs. This lends a "mechanical" quality to the performances.

Additionally, I felt that the dynamic range was restricted. The music does get louder and softer, because of the piano rolls themselves and because of the computer programming used to read the piano rolls -- the dynamics were deliberately adjusted by the record producers in some spots, if I read the liner notes correctly. And yet. And yet. Still these songs do not dynamically "breathe" fully in and out the way they ought to. I find this disappointing, but I think it has something to do with inherent limitations in piano roll recording technique. I'm guessing.

Taken for what it is, it is an interesting concept, and the sound quality is very pleasant. The performances are very good for piano rolls, but fall short of what a good interpreter could do. Take, for example, the Rhapsody in Blue from Woody Allen's Manhattan soundtrack. Listen specifically to the piano part -- the dynamics and variations in rhythm. This is not by any means the best performance of Rhapsody, but it is better than the Gershwin rolls.

Gershwin's playing overated.......2006-04-09

After I heard this cd I bought Gershwin plays Gershwin on the naxos label which arn't piano rolls. Any pianist can tell that many of these rolls are heavily edited and can't be played by a pianists with two hands. On the naxos album that has some of these same songs Gershwin's actual playing doesn't sound very good. Many of Gershwins contempories such as James P. Johnson, Eubie Blake, Luckey Roberts and even Zez Confrey were much better pianists than he was, however they didn't have his melodic gifts as a composer. I would recommend Artis Whodhouse's
transcriptions of Jelly Roll Morton's piano rolls (on the same label) instead because most of those are exactly how he played them and in my opinion Morton was a better musician in every way than Gershwin.

The jazzy Gershwin. What a CD!!!!!!!.......2006-02-23

I got this CD as a gift. I am all for the austrogerman post- romantic music and as imagined Gershwin is not my favourite composer. I know him from his best known works such as the 'Rhapsody", the 'American' and his great songs. This CD is a treasure as mentioned from other reviewers of this site. Gershwin full of passion, his music being jazzy to the very end and that great feeling you get after a great live performance is present all over the length of this 'treasure'. No question about the presence of the music. Not to be missed

Average customer rating:

AMAZING show!!!!
The Greatest Show Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Great Soundtrack!
American Dreams Review
American Dreams rocks

American Dreams
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Manufacturer: Hip-O Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

AMAZING show!!!!.......2006-04-23

I am ashamed to say, I am one of those out there that didn't catch this show while it was on the air. I could just slap myself silly for that! I added this series to my Netflix queue and I am hooked! I can't wait to own it!
I'm only 36 years old but watching this show is like eating comfort food. It makes me think of my grandparents when I see the clothes, the wallpaper, the appliances, the cars, the furniture, the hairstyles and Bandstand! This show deserves so many acclimates for the sets but especially for the actors. They are all superb! Every one of them! Just watching them at the dinner table or watching them in the kitchen brings back so many wonderful memories of what life was like for me as a kid with my grandparents. Here you have Helen (the Mom) in the kitchen cooking while Patty is calling out to her in a typical sibling annoying tattletale voice about Will. The Mom continues to do her thing while talking to her family but still calls out to them to do the right thing. I can't even pick who my favorite characters are because every cast member, including the reoccurring guests like Rachel Boston and Jessica Collins are absolutely brilliant at what they do in this show. Brother and sister JJ and Meg, love them! Love Roxanne! Love Sam, love them all. Wonderful ensemble cast!
It just blows my mind how authentic this show is to families and the early 60's. I feel like I can't get enough of it. Not sure how many seasons there are but I will own all of them.
I apologize to the cast and creators of this show for not tuning in when I should have. I love your show and can't wait to buy each season of it on DVD!
Big props to Gail O' Grady, Tom Verica, Brittany Snow, Will Estes, Sarah Ramos, Ethan Dampf, Vanessa Lengies, Jonathan Adams, Arlen Escarpeta, Keith Robinson, Rachel Boston, Jessica Collins, Joseph Lawrence and of course, Virginia Madsen for giving us such a wonderful show! Thank you to the creators and to Dick Clark for doing such a fabulous job!

The Greatest Show Ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......2005-06-21

i am in love with the CD and the DVD.

Great Soundtrack!.......2005-06-05

Fans of this show will enjoy this CD. It mixes remakes of old songs by todays artists with other originals from the era. I loved getting the full length version of the theme song "Generation" by Emerson Hart (lead singer of the group Tonic). I recommend this CD to fans of the show and even people who were fans of the show American Bandstand!

American Dreams Review.......2004-05-10

Will there be a second season soundtrack? This first one is outstanding. L.Boyer

American Dreams rocks.......2004-04-05

this show is great. all the songs are so good to listen to. if you don't have this you need it! The theme song, "Our Generation" is wonderful. This cd makes you feel overall good. All the songs are energetic and the stars of today have really done good reditions of the songs of the 60s. "My Boyfriends Back," is one of my favorites. I love the beat and the song. "My Girl," is also one of my favorites. I really hope they make another American Dreams CD.

Average customer rating:

Marilyn Horne scintillates
One Of The Greatest Voices of All!
Not 100% satisfied with the selections, but what artistry!
Vive Madame Horne !

Just for the Record: The Golden Voice

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000TAYR0
Release Date: 2003-11-11

Tracks:

L'amour Est Un Oiseau Rebelle (Habanera)
Mon Coeur S'ouvre A Ta Voix
Eccomi Al Fine In Babilonia
Cruda Sorte!
Hence, Iris, Hence Away
Dove Sei, Amato Bene?
Che Disse! Che Ascoltai!
Addio, Addio O Miei Sospiri
O Pretres De Baal... O Toi, Qui M'abandonne
Elle Est La! Pres De Lui!
Mura Felici
Tanti Affetti

Tracks:

Superbo Di Me Stesso
Il Segreto Per Esser Felici - London Symphony Chorus
Mi Chiami, O Norma!
Deh! Con Te, Con Te Li Prendi
Mira, O Norma
Si, Fino All'ore Estreme
Soli Or Siamo... Condotta ell'era In Ceppi - Luciano Pavarotti
Non Son Tuo Figlio? - Luciano Pavarotti
Mal Reggendo - Luciano Pavarotti
E Un Anatema! - Renata Tebaldi
Nacht Und Traume, D 827
Abendlied
Traume
Jesus De Nazareth
Shenandoah
I Bought Me A Cat
The Lord's Prayer
Somewhere
At The River (Lowry)
Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair

Customer Reviews:

Marilyn Horne scintillates.......2007-05-20

This 2-CD set includes 32 separate "cuts." Thus, it provides a perspective on the broad range of works that Marilyn Horne mastered. While some pockets of work may be given somewhat short shrift (e.g., Rossini), overall this shows off her skills nicely. Born in Bradford, Pennsylvania (one of the coldest places in the nation during winter), she made her operatic debut in 1954. In liner notes copyrighted in 2003, she notes that: "Can't believe it's time for a 70th birthday celebration. . . ." And neither can I, since I recall hearing her perform at the Met (via the old Texaco opera show), and it does not seem all that long ago!

Some cuts well depict her artistry across a range of genres and composers.

The "Habanera" from Bizet's "Carmen" is, to be sure, an old chestnut by now, but she sings it with a rich and lustrous voice. She sings a seductive aria seductively.

"Eccomi al fine in Babilonia" is from Rossini's "Semiramide" and shows off her skills nicely. This piece shows off the range of her voice well. Her voice is very agile, as it would need to be to do Rossini justice. There are some nice runs; the cabaletta showcases her agility and allows her to display well sung ornamentation.

From Handel's "Semele," we hear "Hence, Iris, Hence Away." This is a sprightly piece that is characteristically well sung by Horne.

Handel's "Rosalinda" features a nice work for mezzos, "Dove sei amato bene?" If I hear correctly, Horne begins this with a trill in piano; there are a number of nicely executed trills in this work. This cut is smoothly and richly sung throughout.

"Addio, addio o miei sospiri" comes from "Orfeo ed Oridice" by Gluck. A sprightly paced work. Horne shows off excellent ornamentation; her coloratura technique is terrific.

From "Norma" (by Bellini) there are 4 cuts (from a longer scene), featuring collaboration with Joan Sutherland. The two singers worked well together in a number of operas, and this set of works illustrates that synergy beautifully. "Mi chiami, o Norma!" starts things off. The two voices meld extremely well together. "Deh! Con te, con te li prendi" features fine work all around. Both singers display good vocal dexterity. Horne hits one high note with a bit of harshness, but not an issue of any moment. "Mira, o Norma" is ravishing; Sutherland's and Horne's duet is absolutely wonderful. Finally, "Si, fino all'ore estreme." This is a fast paced duet, with both singers manifesting considerable vocal agility and sound coloratura technique. When they sing together, their voices almost sound "twinned."

Finally, "Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair." Horne sings this straight, without the ghastly "opera-tizing" that some singers cannot resist. Sung simply and powerfully. Her rich voice produces a very good vocal effect.

And so on.

Although this CD does not fully represent her repertoire, it does provide a good sense of the art of Marilyn Horne and it suggests the range of her singing. For those wanting to get a sense of Horne's oeuvre, this is one recording that provides entrée to her body of work.

One Of The Greatest Voices of All!.......2006-01-29

I am not the only one who regards Marilyn Horne's voice as exceptional. During the seventies and eighties she was regarded by The New York Times Music Critic as possessing the greatest voice of our time. One only has to sample this "golden" collection to prove how right he was. Her "mezzo" handles Handel and Rossini like no other. Brava all the way (To say nothing about Dalila's famous aria!) And I must even mention her "Jeannie With the Light Brown Hair". This is a two CD that is a MUST for those who appreciate the glories of the human voice (To say nothing about the warmth and spirit than accompany it.)

Not 100% satisfied with the selections, but what artistry!.......2004-11-03

Decca's release of this career-spanning Marilyn Horne recital contains many "golden" nuggets, but isn't the absolute best representation of her artistry, in my opinion.

There was certainly plenty of material to choose from, as Horne was one of the most recorded mezzos in the twentieth century. As advertised, Madame Horne personally approved the final recital list, and the diva undoubtedly has sentimental attachment to certain selections. Furthermore, a conscious attempt was made to represent the different genres explored during her decades-spanning career. This approach, however, leaves out some truly stunning material that would have made an even stronger case on why she was such an operatic institution.

In summary:

The first disc begins with the Habanera from Carmen. Horne was very proud of her Carmen, noting that it surpassed sales of Callas's Tosca at one point. It deserved to be included, but I don't think she was "THE" Carmen, and besides, the whole opera is so warmed-over by now, it's hard to get anyone excited about it!

From then on, we are treated to a bonanza of wonderful arie and scena. The aria from Samson et Delilah is a real gem. Horne was certainly not the most glamorous singer, but My God, the interpretation is heavenly. This is what the aria sounds like in the hands of a world-class contralto. Eccomi in Babilonia follows, and by anyone's measurement, she is the finest Arsace on record. Blessed with an extraordinary range, she is as fulminating in both the top and bottom registers. What's more, her spirited delivery magnifies the pure genius of Rossini's music. As for Cruda Sorte, "ditto," as Marilyn herself might say.

Next, we are treated to two excellent Handel arias. Iris, Hence Away gives me goosebumps everytime I hear it. This was recorded in the early sixties, for inclusion in the Age of Bel Canto recital she shared with Joan Sutherland and Richard Conrad. Now, if she had recorded this a few years later, she might have drove the coloratura harder. However, at this point, the voice had a somewhat lighter quality, thus the aria isn't sung with that all-purpose "Marilyn Horne" voice we are so used to. Speaking of lightness, Dove Sei, Amato Bene will send shivers down your spine. Again, Marilyn wasn't known for her subtlety, but she proves here that she was more than capable. Just listen to the fluttering trills and fil di voce, and dare to disagree with me! One of my major complaints is it there isn't more Handel on the recital. Sure, a whole recital of Handel arias by Horne is still available, but in this best-of disc, there was room at least for Or La Tromba, the trumpet aria from Rinaldo, and a personal favorite. Also, nothing is included from Vivaldi's Orlando Il Furioso, another travesty.

The pinnacle of the first disc is Addio, I Miei Sospiri, from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice. This is Horne magified to the nth power. Where to start? A scrumptiously sung recitativo, then the aria itself, with Marilyn pulling out all the stops. The bronzed tone, perfect breath control, spectacular coloratura fireworks, superlative diction, evenness and security from top to bottom, and Marilyn's own way of generating excitement will floor you. This is bravura singing at the highest level.

After a few other selections from the French reperetoire, the disc closes with two Rossini warhorses. Again, the "ultimate" Horne best-of would have saved room for more Rossini, on the second disc. But the evidence here is ample enough to proclaim her honorific as the leading interpreter of Rossini in the last century.

The second disc is less satisfactory. The first selection, Superbo Di Me Stesso sounds like it came from an inferior source, and wasn't remastered properly. Il Segreto Per Esser Felici, from Lucrezia Borgia is fine enough, but Marilyn could have ornamented more, and that snare drum is too loud! Then, we have an extended scene from Il Trovatore. Now, Marilyn herself stated that she wasn't perfect in Verdi. As she put it, she sang Verdi by not taking "both feet" out of the bel canto waters, so that she could go on singing the roles that brought her the most fame. This is understandable, but if that's the case, then we didn't need this long scene. Perhaps she wanted to highlight her collaboration with Luciano Pavarotti, and I'm sure Decca saw this as a way to lure the casual listener. For my money, though, they should have just included Stride La Vampa, and called it a day. This would have freed up lots of room for the stuff for which she's better recognized!

Now, another extended scene, from Norma, is completely justified. Equally important to Marilyn's legacy as an individual artist is her legacy as one-half of the Sutherland/Horne duo. I don't need to write more- the music speaks for itself.

The rest of the second disc throws in a bit of verismo (Horne is unrecognizeable in Ponchielli; Simionato she's not), a bit of German lieder, and some patriotic tunes. Along with Leontyne Price, Marilyn Horne was the most conciously patriotic singer out there, and to have left out her American recordings would have been a disgrace. But, again, we are given an ample serving of it, when it could have been scaled back some to make room for her operatic triumphs.

All in all, there is enough glorious material here for any fan of the legendary Marilyn Horne, and also those who want a taste of how a superlative mezzo/contralto sounds like.

Vive Madame Horne !.......2004-01-09

Je suis soufflée, et tout bonnement reconnaissante à Decca pour avoir sorti cette compil qui rend si bien honneur à une des mes interprètes préférées. Voix de velours, aisance dans le grave et médium unique au Monde, Marilyn a été, dans toutes ses incarnations, un pur produit américain, certes, mais quel produit ! Bien évidemment son timbre si particulier, que d'aucuns ont défini androgyne, peut plaire ou non... Ce qui compte c'est l'apport émotionnel qu'elle donne à tout ce qu'elle chante, et sans que cela n'enlève rien à la pure beauté de sa voix à la technique sans faille. Merci Mme Horne, pour nous avoir livré une des plus mémorables leçons de chant de l'histoire, et joyeux 70ème anniversaire (car il n'est pas déplacé que de dire votre âge, étant donné la vitalité qui vous caractérise depuis toujours).

Average customer rating:

Surreal, intriguing, excellent music and recording
Masterpiece
Versatile Composer

Arizona Dream
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Manufacturer: Umvd Import
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Get the Money
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Album Description

Soundtrack to 1993 foreign film starring Johnny Depp & Faye Dunaway. Featuring a score from critically acclaimed Sarajevo born film composer Goran Bregovic ('Queen Margot'), along with four of Bregovic's collaborations with Iggy Pop & one with Depp. A bestseller in France. Mercury. 2002.

Customer Reviews:

Surreal, intriguing, excellent music and recording.......2004-12-27

listening to the music is like enjoying the beautiful surreal movie once again without seeing it. The more I listen, the more I love it - it's the Amercian Dream story, it's the Iggy Pop music, it's the Johnny Depp narrative make it a valuable collectible CD. This is a new version, the recording is excellent.

Masterpiece.......2003-09-02

This is the album that sounds even better without the Movie.
Goran Bregovic mixed traditional european Folk music with more modern styled instrumental and rock music.with this mix and his talent to make a moving and touching songs he created a masterpiece,delightfull voyage to teh darkest and most mysterious places...Goran added sytnhs,bass,delicate guitar (simmilar a bit to mike Oldfield),and a massive wall of drums...Check out "Dreams","Old home movie","Gunpowder","Dreams" and a huge hit "Tv screen" with Iggy pop on vocals.Definitly one of my Desert-island albums,a must have for all instrumental music fans and for everyone as well!!!!

Versatile Composer.......2003-06-30

As most fans of Bregovic know, he is a versatile composer who blends well contemporary music technology with traditional flavors of eastern European gypsy and still manages to remain above the par of the usual techno-studio corporate music that attempts to stamp the "World Music" label on its own concoctions. "Arizona Dream" doesn't disappoint even the hard to please of Bregovic fans.

Average customer rating:

Passable
Swingin' Dreams of Johnny Mercer
"Oh Skylark . . . Have You Seen A Valley Green With Spring?"
A Delightful Discovery... by Accident
WOW!

Dreams of Johnny Mercer
Monica Mancini
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Monica Mancini
Cinema Paradiso
Ultimate Mancini
With My Lover Beside Me
We All Love Ella: Celebrating the First Lady of Song

ASIN: B00004ZDL7
Release Date: 2000-10-10

Tracks:

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate The Positive
Something Tells Me
Skylark
The Weekend Of A Private Secretary
With My Lover Beside Me
When October Goes
On The Atchison, Topeka And The Santa Fe
When The Meadow Was Bloomin'
It Had Better Be Tonight (Meglio Stasera)
Love Is Where You Find It
At Last
Just Remember

Customer Reviews:

Passable.......2007-06-04

This is a fairly good album, if not compared with an album by Nancy Wilson that contain most of the same songs "With My Lover Beside Me", the emotive quality barely makes the grade.

Swingin' Dreams of Johnny Mercer.......2006-09-05

This album is the very best of Johnny Mercer. I bought the album because I like the song "Skylark" but after listening to the CD, every song on the album became my favorite song. From "Accentuate the Positive" to "Remeber" are all great and Monica Mancini is superb. I listen to it all day long at work.

"Oh Skylark . . . Have You Seen A Valley Green With Spring?".......2006-01-04

"I was very fortunate to have known Johnny Mercer from my earliest childhood. He was a sweet and kind man and it was his laugh and smile that I most recall. While making this record, I discovered just how valuable these memories would be." ~ Monica Mancini ~

"I like a guy who writes his way and his way is so high that it starts where the other guys leave off. I've written a few like that." ~ Johnny Mercer ~

Monica Mancini's name is not new to the music world as she is the daughter of Henry Mancini, an Award-winning composer and a dear friend and collaborator of Johnny Mercer as well. The New York Times once described her voice as "the glamorous vocal equivalent to diamonds flashing." Indeed, she sings these Johnny Mercer gems effortlessly with new style, class and elegance so uniquely her own.

This recording is a tribute to Johnny Mercer and a testament that Ms. Mancini can sing even the most obscure songs penned by one of the greatest lyricists of all-time and give justice to the songs as well. This CD features not only some of the best songs by Johnny Mercer but also seven sets of lyrics that Ginger Mercer discovered after the death of the songwriter and handed them over to Barry Manilow who composed the beautiful music and finished the job that Mr. Mercer started.

To me, "Skylark," a collaboration with Hoagy Carmichael, is the créme de la créme from this collection of a dozen of wonderful songs. Her interpretation is simply superb and Michael Lang's piano accompaniment is so beautiful.

"Oh Skylark
Have you seen a valley green with spring?
Where my heart can go a journeying
Over the shadows and the rain
To a blossom covered lane..."

One of my favorites is a remarkable song and its music was composed by Barry Manilow, "Something Tells Me," its arrangement by Randy Waldman has a samba-ish flavor with the back-up of an orchestra conducted by Terry Woodson. The use of English and French horns, harp and violins made this track so endearing to my ears.

Some of the highlights include two of Barry Manilow's musical compositions - "Love Is Where You Find It" and "Just Remember." And likewise, one song which he collaborated with Henry Mancini, "It Had Better Be Tonight" (Meglio Stasera), sung in Italian/English lyrics and arranged by David Torres. The Italian lyric was penned by Franco Migliacci. The addition of maracas, timbales, congas and bongos made it so lively and bubbly.

This is one of the best-ever Johnny Mercer tributes recorded. Very highly recommended.

A Delightful Discovery... by Accident.......2004-06-28

My favorite easy listening station played Monica's "Slow Hot Wind" from her first album and I was so blown away, I bought all 3 of her albums at once. Good grief, what a discovery! Why are we not hearing more about this incredible talent? This album is haunting, unusual, brilliant and dreamy. If I could give it 10 stars I would. I can't be more enthralled with a singer than I am with Monica. Bravo!!

WOW!.......2004-01-27

I had the pleasure of meeting Monica and of purchasing this cd and all I can say is WOW!!! The entire Mancini family is an American treasure. The post office has issued a commemorative Henry Mancini postage stamp and pin, so if you're a collector, grab one. And, if you get the chance to see Monica do her Multi-media show live... TAKE IT! She injects new life into classic songs in a way no other singer could do because of her family and her own special vocal talents. Monica has a way of bringing a pure love back to the classics. It's genuine, it's honest, and it's by birthright. I love this cd because it is music that we all should own. The tunes were composed by Barry Manilow and the lyrics by Mercer, discovered by his widow. Also, the drumming work of Monica's husband Gregg Field is awesome. He's worked with such talent as Streisand and others and he sure knows how to put on a live show with the Henry Mancini Alumni Orchestra from the Henry Mancini Institute through UCLA. He is also the band director and more. You will hear some of this world's greatest young musicians on this tour and you will enjoy the show, there won't be a dry eye in the house!

Average customer rating:

terrible
Ordinary performance from an all star cast
Nap through this one
Simple but elegant...
America's Greatest Bass Player Plays America

American Dreams
Charlie Haden , and Michael Brecker
Manufacturer: Umvd Labels
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Land of the Sun
Pilgrimage
Now Is the Hour
Claus Ogerman Featuring Michael Brecker
Nocturne

ASIN: B00006IWGS
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

American Dreams
Travels
No Lonely Nights
It Might Be You
Prism
America The Beautiful
Nightfall
Ron's Place
Bittersweet
Young And Foolish
Bird Food
Sotto Voce
Love Like Ours

Amazon.com

In recent years, Charlie Haden has steadily released duo albums (with Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, and others) or worked with the sentimental-sounding Quartet West, which uses lush orchestration to supplement the quartet's sound. Haden has upgraded his quartet here on American Dreams, using the all-star cast of Michael Brecker, Brian Blade, and Brad Mehldau, but again brings in the orchestra for nearly every track. This "Quartet East" takes on a few Haden originals, as well as tunes by past collaborators Keith Jarrett and Ornette Coleman, and mixes them up with popular songs such as the theme from the film Tootsie and even the patriotic "America the Beautiful." Some of the non-jazz tunes are a bit sappy, but they do right by "America" thanks to an outstanding solo by Haden and just the right amount of orchestral support. American Dreams is probably too mainstream and glossy for fans of Haden's challenging early work, but there are a few nice moments amidst the glitter. --Tad Hendrickson

Customer Reviews:

terrible.......2006-03-13

This is,i belive,the worst "jazz" album i have heard in a while.Save your money.

Ordinary performance from an all star cast.......2004-10-31

I can't see how Hayden has written such simplistic arrangements for such exceptional musicians. It seems as though this album is more of a yippy yay tribute to America (with virtualy no minor chord progressions and all) as opposed to a great work of musical art, which is what it should have been considering the ensamble. However, there is no disputing that the allstar cast of Brecker and co. have their trademarks plastered all over this album, which is what really gives it some much needed credibility.

Nap through this one.......2004-10-01

Anyone familiar with Charlie Haden's duo or trio work might be dissapointed by American Dream. Haden has always managed to express sentiment without added sweetner but this recording is over the top on production and orchestration. Think of a jazz version of the abysmal Elvis Costello/Bert Bacharach outing.

Some of the best contemporary American jazz musicians, Haden, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, etc. have kept their distance from the easy listening and retro styles that dominate "popular" jazz radio while still creating accessable music, moody, thoughful and often beautiful. They share that ECM avant-garde edge with European counterparts like Tomasz Stanko, Bobo Stenson, Tord Gustavsen and Keitel Bjornstad. Unfortunately, American Dreams is a lot closer to Yanni than to The Liberation Orchestra.

Simple but elegant..........2004-08-27

In short, this CD moves me every time I listen to it. I find it amateurish to call this CD "shallow," assumably because there aren't 1000 occurances of a Dominant7#9b13 chord in every tune, or Michael Brecker's melodic waves don't meander through Phrygian modes every 4 bars.

Negating the beauty of a musical work like this is both ignorant and egocentric; rather, this CD is, at times, nothing short of heavenly. The beautifully sparse chords that Brad plays over "American Dreams," supported by Brian's sustained cymbals and a hauntingly smooth orchestral foundation, keep bringing me back to listen again and again, never growing tired.

It's also refreshing to hear an a capella, jazzy version of "It Had to Be You" as Michael plays his usual melodic lines that slur up to the very high notes, reminescent of, of course, Coletrane. I especially love Brad's solo over "Travels" -- very different than Lyle Mays' solos, with a laid back, bluesy timbre.

For those seeking a more challenging tune in typical Brad form, you'll enjoy "Prism." And, although "America the Beautiful" is one of those tunes that has historically been played everywhere from a kindergarten play to an A&E documentary, this wonderful arrangement, coupled with Charlie's tear-jerking bass solo and Michael's sad, soulful, melancholy melodies unquestionably reinvent the tune.

Did I mention this CD is a must for every long drive????

America's Greatest Bass Player Plays America.......2004-01-17

Charlie Haden is my favorite Jazz Bass Player, starting out as the youngest member of the 1960ish extreme Avant Guard Jazz group Ornette Coleman, to mellowing out during the 1980's & 1990's with Quartet West intermixing famous jazz ballads with modern production. Lately Charlie Haden as been playing interpret settings with the newest generation of young jazz players, coming full circle where he is the old man of the duet, first with Pat Metheny & then Kenny Barron. This CD with his newest Quartet with Michael Brecker, Brian Blade, & Brad Mehldau, returns to the sound of Quartet West string section but with the freshness of his duets. At times the Jazz will get off the beat & sound rather abstract, but not as wild as Be-Bop. Other times the music gets a little too sugary, specially "America the Beautiful" which I heard twice & plan to skip at next listen. Other than that, this CD is well produced & plays clear & tight.

Average customer rating:

Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg

Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg

Manufacturer: Pearl
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

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Music of Sigmund Romberg
Ah, Sweet Mystery of Life: The Songs of Victor Herbert
A Victor Herbert Showcase: The Greatest Hits of the Father of American Popular Song
The Desert Song / The New Moon
The Student Prince (1952 Studio Cast)

ASIN: B000000X26
Release Date: 1992-06-12

Tracks:

The Desert Song: It
Maytime: Waltz Medley
Girl Of The Golden West: Who Are We To Say?
The New Moon: Introduction - Stout Hearted Men - Lover Come Back To Me - Girl On The Prow - Try Her Out At Dances - Wanting You - Softly As In A Morning Sunrise - One Kiss - Finale
Nina Rosa: The Gaucho March
The Desert Song: Waltz
Viennese Nights: Introduction - I Bring You A Love Song - Here We Are - You Will Remember Vienna - Regimental March
Blossom Time: Song Of Love
My Maryland: Introduction - Dixie - Boys In Grey - Mother - Silver Moon - Your Land Is My Land
Bimbo: In Old Granada
The Desert Song: Introduction - Riff Song - One Flower In Your Garden - Waltz - The Foreign Legion - Romance - One Alone
Maytime: Farewell To Dreams
Nina Rosa: Your Smiles, Your Tears
The New Moon: Marienne
The New Moon: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise
Nina Rosa: My First Love, My Last Love
Viennese Nights: I Bring A Love Song
The Night Is Young: When I Grow Too Old To Dream
The Student Prince: Intorduction - Arrival Of The Prince - Serenade - Deep In My Heart, Dear - Drinking Song - Just We Two - Students' March Song

Customer Reviews:

Great Hits from Sigmund Romberg.......2007-01-04

Excellent audio product, especially considering its age and the state of technology.

Average customer rating:

The Most Beautiful Recorded Tenor Voice?
Very, very truncated.
incomplete pleasure
Finally available on CD!

Babes in Toyland / The Red Mill
Victor Herbert , Kenny Baker , and Eileen Farrell
Manufacturer: Decca Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Desert Song / The New Moon
Roberta & Vagabond King
The Merry Widow/The Student Prince
The Student Prince (1952 Studio Cast)
Victor Herbert: Babes in Toyland; The Red Mill

ASIN: B00006AWG2
Release Date: 2002-07-30

Tracks:

Opening - From Babes in Toyland (Herbert & MacDonough) with Kenny Baker and Karen Kemple
Toyland
Floretta
Never Mind Bo-Peep, We Will Find Your Sheep
March of the Toys
I Can't Do the Sum
Go To Sleep, Slumber Deep
Song of the Poet
The Military Ball
Hail to Christmas
Finale: He Won't Be Happy Till He Gets It and March of the Toys
When You're Pretty and the World Is Fair - From The Red Mill (Blossom & Herbert) with Wilbur Evans, Eileen Farrell, and Felix Knight
Moonbeams
In the Isle of Our Dreams
Because You're You
Every Day is Ladies' Day With me
The Streets of New York

Customer Reviews:

The Most Beautiful Recorded Tenor Voice?.......2005-06-22

Is any recorded, tenor, singing voice as lovely as Kenny Baker's? As a child, I often heard him during the 1930s on the Jack Benny show, but have scarcely thought of him since. Amazon.com offers him on four CDs: BABES IN TOYLAND, LOVE WALKED IN, THE STARLIT HOUR and WEILL FROM BERLIN TO BROADWAY. Over the years, I have heard the recorded voices of many tenors, mostly operatic. Their fine voices were excellently trained, often to a wider range and more difficult music. But note for note, their sound as recorded is not I think as sheerly beautiful as Kenny Baker's. A splendid, unspoiled, unstrained, natural gift, put to disciplined and tasteful use! His enunciation is remarkably clear, and his musical line, perfectly smooth. He makes each song a different story, as in the six pieces here from BABES IN TOYLAND.

My claim is easy to test. This website has CDs with excerpts for listening to the best tenors of the 20th century, including Enrico Caruso, John McCormack, Giovanni Martinelli, Beniamino Gigli, Tito Schipa, Richard Tauber, Richard Crooks, Jussi Bjoerling, Morton Downey, Mario Lanza, Giuseppe di Stefano, Nicolai Gedda, Jan Peerce, Leopold Simoneau, Fritz Wunderlich, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras. Of course, the earlier the career, the greater the damage to the recorded voice from primitive technology. Heard live, who knows which voice was most beautiful? But at least we have what earlier centuries could only imagine: lasting copies of live performances. Listen to Kenny Baker's voice on tracks 2 and 8 of BABES IN TOYLAND, and then compare.

The numbers from THE RED MILL will make you want to hear more. This operetta, also composed by Victor Herbert, was first produced in 1906, three years after BABES IN TOYLAND. "Moonbeams" (well sung by Eileen Farrell) is lovely; "Because You're You" (a duet between Farrell and Felix Knight) is quite simple but surprisingly affecting. The last two are the best: "Every Day Is Ladies' Day with Me," and "In Old New York." They are patter songs, perhaps inspired by, and surely as deft, as the ones that Gilbert and Sullivan were writing two decades earlier. Both are sung by Wilbur Evans, in a rich baritone, with perfect enunciation and marvelous comic flair. Great fun!

The selections on this CD were recorded in 1944 and 1945, then released in 1946 on both 78s and 10" LPs. For this CD, they were remastered from wartime lacquered-glass originals. Baker and Evans emerge in radiant form, surely much closer to live sound than reached our family radio via AM transmission 65 years ago. The orchestral and choral sound is less attractive. Poorly miked?

Very, very truncated........2002-12-09

The scores of Victor Herbert's "Babes in Toyland" and "The Red Mill" are lovely classics, but the incomplete scores represented by this Decca Broadway remastering of its antiquated 78s are not the best reprentation. My advice: wait for the John McGlinn "Babes in Toyland" to be released. As for "The Red Mill", you'd do better to pick up the Ohio Light Opera's double-CD from Albany Records.

incomplete pleasure.......2002-11-09

Two terrible mistakes keep this from 5 stars.. BABES IN TOYLAND is not complete as they are missing the delightful IN THE TOYMAKER'S WORKSHOP. Why? In THE RED MILL they use a butchered take of EVERY DAY IS LADIES DAY WITH ME. Again, why?
John McGlinn will be out with a complete BABES soon - and there is a lot of music in it - so you may want to wait.

Finally available on CD!.......2002-08-01

Decca's 1946 album of selections from Victor Herbert's celebrated musical was a welcome addition to record libraries, covering most of the major songs plus some of the delightful dance music. The album was reissued as a ten-inch Lp in 1949. A later reissue in 1957 dropped 4 songs to fit the score on one side of a twelve-inch Lp backed by six selections from Herbert's THE RED MILL. That pairing is reproduced here but the CD contains the complete BABES IN TOYLAND program! It's nice to have it back too! Nice of Decca to give us this early Christmas present this year. But BABES IN TOYLAND is a score that enchants all year round. How strange that no other complete recording exists.

Tracks:

Symphonic Sketches: Noel
String Quartet, Op.11 Mvt.II: Adagio For Strings
Suite In E Major For String Orchestra, Op.63: Pizzicato A nd Adagietto
Sea Drift
Fantasy On A Hymn Tune
Lullaby
Johnny Appleseed Suite: Prayer & Cathedral Vision

Customer Reviews:

Neglected Classics Remembered.......2003-11-12

I've been reading about Hoagy Carmichael and listening to his songs and music. My research brought me here.

These selections are generally meditative in character, though John Alden Carpenter's "Sea Drift" does contain a bit of flash. Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings", the only workhorse here, receives a loving performance. Thomas Canning's warmth filled "Fantasy on a Hymn Tune of Justin Morgan" is somewhat reminescent of Vaughan Williams' "Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis" and is a gem.

Closing out this program is another gem -- Hoagy Carmichael's suprizingly delightful selection from his "Johnny Appleseed Suite" -- warm, lyrical, rich, hopeful. Why the entire work has not been recorded, here or elsewhere, is a mystery. This six minute selection makes me want to hear the entire twenty minute work. The full score does exist at Indiana University's Hoagy Carmichael Collection.

The performances and sound quality of this recording are top notch. This is the only Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra recording I own and I must say they are fabulous! The ISO and Leppard are to be applauded for recording these neglected American classics. This is a most welcome compilation!

Very Enthusiastic.......1999-12-21

This is a very lovely collection of underplayed and under appreciated American works. I concure with the other reviewers. Leppard leads the Indianapolis Symphony in some sumptuous playing of these tender but emotionally charged works. Especially the Fantasy on a Hymn Tune which is deftly performed. If your are looking for an alternative to Ives and Schuman, this is a great disk to expand your horizons.

Excellent Performances from this smaller American Orchestra.......1999-10-24

This recent release from Decca Records has some of the familiar but also relatively unknown American works. The recorded sound is quite lovely, a very warm string sound, and some charming solo playing, especially coming from the English Horn player in the work by Hoagy Carmichael. In a era when most recordings and artistic attention is awarded to the largest American orchestras, having a chance to hear what some of the smaller and lesser known ensembles in the USA can do is quite amazing and well worth having available. Many of these works have never been recorded before, and they as a collection represent a slice of America that many people having been yearning for and have been missing. HATS OFF TO THE INDIANAPOLIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA FOR THIS PROJECT!

Exquisite.......1999-08-15

American Dreams is a perfect title to this wonderful CD from the Indianapolis Symphony. With the exception of the Barber Adagio for Strings, the CD presents American Romantic masterworks that are rarely played and recorded. Leppard and his orchestra play the sweet melodies with the sincerety characterized by the state with which they are from, America's heartland state of Indiana. The most famous of the pieces recorded, the Barber, is given a new interpretation that does not allow the music's intensity to overwhelm. The most wonderful piece on the CD is Gershwin's Lullaby for strings - called Gershwin's first classical piece - is absolutly breathtaking. If this program were played at their summer venue at Conner Prairy, it would make for one incredible evening of music; therefore, if you are looking for music under the stars of an Indiana Summer from your home, this is the CD to buy.

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