Amazon.com

Though his looks are smart enough for frontman in a mass-marketed boy band, teenaged Peter Cincotti's musical soul seems wise decades beyond his years. The 19-year-old Columbia University sophomore's debut does more than bristle with promise: it delivers both sprightly performances and some unexpectedly sharp songwriting. The album's lean quartet format (bassist David Finck, drummer Kenny Washington, and Scott Kreitzer on tenor sax) is akin to working without a net, but the singer-pianist ambles through this well-chosen slate of songs with confidence to burn. The trio of originals (with lyrics by the musician's mother) range from the smartly swinging "I Changed the Rules" and "Are You the One?" to the weary romance of the ballad "Lovers, Secrets, Lies." But most of the Phil Ramone-produced album's surprises come in its cover choices. Cincotti effortlessly recasts rock-era fare like "Spinning Wheel"(which gets a Monk-influenced instrumental workout) in his own jazzy mold, with his evocative medley of "The Fool on the Hill/Nature Boy" sounding like it's been part of the American jazz repertoire all along. Cincotti's voice occasionally shows its tender years, but his shrewd instincts bridge genres and eras with mature, deceptive effortlessness throughout. --Jerry McCulley ... Read more

Reviews (113)

Better than most of his peers
I first heard the name Peter Cincotti on Marian McPartland's show on my way back from a particularly good gig with my piano trio. Still brimming with the energy that comes after a good show, I flipped over to the jazz station, and what came out kept me in a great mood.
What struck me immediately about Cincotti was the obvious connection he has not only to the music, but to his instrument as well. It is easy to tell what type of talent you have in the jazz world the second someone starts improvising, and Cincotti has something that commands attention. Unlike Norah Jones or Jane Monheit (frequent, if unfortunate comparisons), he has a well-developed and thoughtful interpretation of the standards and can actually improv. His vocal talents aren't as strong as his piano skills (something he has admitted before in interviews), but the two talents blend together, and his vocals are not a detraction - just simply not his strong point.
I'm particularly excited to hear the next album, which from what I've heard will include many more of his own pieces (despite the fact that two of my favorite tracks on the album are covers - Spinning Wheel and The Rainbow Connection). This is definitely a record worth listening to, and is a nice reprieve from the other well-marketed (but less talented) young jazzers to come our way these days.

A Gift For You
I Just listened to this album out of curiousity about all the talk of Cincotti, and for my ongoing search of the seemingly nonexistent young singer who could compare to the great singers of the era of the style of music Peter is doing. Bingo finally (I think). This is more advanced than what I ever thought a young singer could put out. Way beyond the accomplished jazz piano playing are vocal interpretations that, unlike every young singer attempting this music, never ripp off or copy in any manor the phrasing or style of the pros of yesteryear who obviously inspired Peter into this great music. He delivers a lyric believable beyond reason whitch seems to be coming from a place of honesty instead of gimmickry. After hearing this record and recalling some of the other reviews here, I had to laugh at those who said "give the kid a break or a chance - he's young..." He is apparently doing awfully well and while we all need our "chance" it's more like - give yourself a break and a treat. This truly was a surprise and treat for me. I look forward to hearing of Peter Cincotti coming to perform in my home town area.

A Very Bright Beginning For A Talented Young Man
With his self-titled debut album "Peter Cincotti", Peter has quickly established himself as one of jazz's most talented new songwriters and performers. Throughout his freshman effort he showcases the kind of talent that is truly rare by today's standards and gives us a preview of the great music that we can expect to hear from Peter for many years to come. Although his debut album has been out for over a year now, I think the public is just beginning to appreciate this young man's talent fully.

Peter's choice of tunes for this CD is very tasty, mixing standards, originals, and classic rock/pop tunes. This varied assortment of songs gives Peter a broad canvas upon which he can utilize all of his talents and create a series of musical paintings that in turn define where he has been, and more importantly where he is capable of going as an artist. Two of my favorite tracks are Fool On The Hill and Spinning Wheel. Peter casts these classic tunes in a whole new light providing the listener with a very interesting musical experience. The whole album is a delight and I can't wait for his next offering.

If you are in the mood for some bigger, brassier, swingin' versions of tunes from the Great American Songbook, I would also recommend Monte Procopio "Swingin' With Style".

Not quite there~
Peter Cincotti's songs seem rough around the edges. I've just recently heard Michael Buble and can say that this 25 year old is a modern day Frank. Peter Cincotti doesn't have the smoothness that Michael and the legends have. Though Peter's songs are still entertaining to a certain degree, I would try the other albums first. (Listen to the clips and you'll hear what I'm talking about)

You liked this CD??
I do not understand the hype behind this singer. He received glowing reviews in the NY Times and CNN, and frankly, I don't know why. Apparently, he has a great agent...he has an uncredited cameo in Spider-man 2 as the piano player in the Rose Planetarium scene. There was also talk of him appearing on the Spider-man 2 soundtrack. Well, who sings the the Spider-man theme in the new movie...Michael Buble! Now that's a great singer! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Al Jarreau's style bridges Jon Hendricks's vocalese and Bobby McFerrin's incredible flights of fancy. This CD, with Diana Krall's rhythm section--guitarist Anthony Wilson, drummer Peter Erskine, and bassist ChristianMcBride--should please fans of albums like Jarreau's phenomenal 1977 live LP, Look to the Rainbow. Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning to See the Light" is illuminated byLarry Goldings's down-home Hammond organ, while Lionel Hampton's "Midnight Sun" bops with hip-hop-friendly rim shots. Jarreau's tenor tones curve with saxophonic dexterity and pulse with percussive precision, especially on Dizzy Gillespie's "Groovin' High," where he slyly drops in a few words from the old show tune, "Whispering." --Eugene Holley, Jr. ... Read more

Album Description

MCA. 1988. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

The Sunshine of Love
This recording shows Louis Armstrong at his best. He is consummate musical professionalism in the service of tenderness and swing.

The CD begins with the song: 'What a Wonderful World' which was played at both my Father's and Sister's wedding, So there is a deep sentimental connection to my family sacramental history.

The CD ends with the mischievous joy of the sprite like: 'Hellzapoppin'. Here we see that Mr. Armstrong was no stranger to a good time.

Louis' music as been shared by many generations of both listeners and performers alike. Let us hope that many others may share in his unique and irreplaceable spirit.

"What A Wonderful World"
"What A Wonderful World is the greatest song ever written. It is the only memory that I have of my Grandfather who passed away a very very long time ago. I have never met my grandfather before. It is also special because when he was alive, he could sing this song the same exact way Louis Armstrong did and sounded just like him. That was a special gift my grandad had, was his voice and his music.

my first louis armstrong album
I bought this album shortly after "Good Morning Vietnam" came out. I bought it mainly for the title song. However, after listening to the other songs, I began to like the whole album. Louis was one great artist.

Classic Armstrong
while this set isn't nearly long enough Miles Davis said it Best when Summing Up Louis Armstrong:Quote You Can't Play anything He didn't already.The Man not only on Trumpet but also Voice had a way of getting His Signature sound across.He truly Stands out in any Style of Music He was truly a One of a Kind Artist&Musician."What a Wonderful World" is a Must have.

30 minutes of Armstrong's most commercial music
While this record is indeed Louis Armstrong, and therefore better than 98% of the music available out there, it is only of marginal interest when considered within the specific context of Louis Armstrong's incredible and revoluitionary career. The disc is only 31 minutes long, which in the age of CDs is unforgivable. This is a great record for those with a superficial interest in Satchmo, especially those who want to have "It's a Wonderful World" in their collection, but not for anyone interested in exploring Armstrong's unmatched capabilities as a true jazz virtuoso. Most of the tunes here are overproduced and highly orchestrated. Still, it is Louis Armstrong... ... Read more

Album Description

Slow is Ann Hampton Callaway's most emotionally revealing, romantic and pop-inspired CD to date.This deeply personal recording showcases her keen compositional chops and equally impressive lyrical sensibilities.Her superb originals and timeless jazz standards like "Never Let Me Go" illustrate why Callaway has emerged as one of the leading singers of her generation.She has impeccable control of her three-octave contralto which resonates with heartfelt soul.A special highlight on Slow is "Tonight, You're All Mine," which Callaway wrote and recorded with the legendary songwriter Carole King.Also included on the record is a gorgeous cover of King's #1 smash hit "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow." ... Read more

Reviews (27)

Classy small-group music from Vaughan
At this stage of her career Vaughan was often put in front of larger bands; here, however, she's working just with Jimmy Jones's trio plus three horns: tenor saxophonist Paul Quinichette, flautist Herbie Mann & the great trumpeter Clifford Brown. The arrangements are by Ernie Wilkins, though the tracks aren't in fact highly "arranged" in feel.

Sarah Vaughan's voice was of course at its freshest & loveliest at this point, & it's truly mesmerizing no matter what the material. Or perhaps I should say "despite the material": there's an odd mix of classic songs like "September Song", "April in Paris" & "Embraceable You" with material that hardly was up to that calibre. "Lullaby of Birdland" is a great tune, but it's an instrumental: the lyrics superadded to Shearing's melody are truly atrocious, & Vaughan's near-operatic voice can't do much with rhymes like "birdland" and "word-land", or phrases like "magic music we make with our lips when we kiss". "Jim"'s lyrics mine the same kind of helpless pathos one associates with some of Billie Holiday's setpieces, & Vaughan's reading has some noticeable Holiday inflections, but it's not exactly a great tune, with a wretchedly clumsy B section lyric (rhyming "call it quits" with "breaking my heart in bits"....ouch!). -- All that said, Vaughan's superb on the material which actually can sustain some interpretive weight. "April in Paris" & "Embraceable You" are both done at dead-slow tempos & are very lovely; "Lullaby of Birdland", despite the rotten lyrics, also has an excellent bit of scatting on it.

The band is rather mixed. Herbie Mann is pretty undistinguished, tooting away rather vaguely & not showing much ability here as an improvisor. Quinichette was one of the most faithful of Lester Young's imitators--he was often dubbed "the Vice-Prez"--& while he doesn't set a foot wrong here, on the other hand does nothing especially distinctive, with a softness & blandness that compare poorly with the wonderful foggy, misterioso inwardness of his role model's playing. The unquestioned star on the disc is Clifford Brown, whose perfectly focussed & poised solos completely outshine the efforts of his companions except, of course, Vaughan herself.

A very good album, despite its imperfections. It's a pity that the relationship between Vaughan & Brown wasn't sustained beyond this one album. Listeners who want to hear more of Brown's work with singers are directed to his work with Helen Merrill.

A gorgeously restored classic
Sarah Vaughan's self-titled album featuring Clifford Brown has always been a landmark of her recording career; her warm, lush voice was in absolute top form and the musical backing was nothing short of stellar. And whereas most jazz vocalists of the 50's focused mainly on their own singing, this album explains why musicians considered Sarah one of their own; this isn't so much a singer's release as it is a project by a jazz combo that happens to feature a human voice as one of its counterparts. Generous solos are given throughout, and the album has an earthy, jam-session quality. "You're Not the Kind" and "Lullaby of Birdland" show Sarah at the height of her swinging abilities ("Birdland" even boasts what is arguably the best scat of her career) and "I'm Glad There is You," "April in Paris," and "Embraceable You" rank among the most moving and emotional ballads she's ever recorded.

Additionally, this release single-handedly justifies the remastering and reissuing process. This album has been available on CD for years and sounded just fine; the reissue, however, adds a texture to the music (especially noticeable on sax and drums) that is priceless. Amazingly, Sarah's voice sounds even more beautiful and the project as a whole no longer sounds like it was recorded decades ago. For artistic jazz standards of yesteryear and the sound technology of today, you can't find a better release than "Sarah Vaughan."

Come to Mama, come to Mama, do
From the opening intro you know you are in for something accesible and new at the same time with this one. I have listened sporadically to jazz since I was fifteen, I saw aging Gillespie and Basie live, and Ella and Joe Pass. I got hooked on a label that focused on Ella, and never listened to much Sarah Vaughan. I just have to say that this early stuff rocks(or Jazzes, I guess). The aforementioned first cut just cruises along is such a heartstoppingly beautiful way...for me, no music does this to me like Jazz. I listen to a lot of stuff(though I hate when people blow their own horn about how eclectic their musical tastes are...yeah yeah, get over yourself) I can think of no other music that creates these time stopping moments for me like jazz does. The first cut, lullaby of Birdland does this several times...it creates absloutely breathtaking moments, the opening intro, the absolutely spare backup, allowing total support for master vocals....the scatting, and then this great point where Sarah sings in front of a rythmic arrangement...it is magical for me.
Oh yes, there is the rest of the music, which wails and ballads it's way into every nook and cranny of ones romantic soul. When Sarah sings Embraceable You, you want to come to mama(that is a lyric..) (oh that great moment is coming up..........don't you love it)
Gotta figure it out for yourself...but chances are you will want to embrace someone yourself when you listen to it...

or want to go to birdland, or experience Paris

it's an emotional travelogue of the map of the jazzy heart.

One of the best vocal jazz albums ever
It is hard to find information about Jazz in today's world, so it is hard to know what is good, what is bad and what is... well, you know. THIS is better than good. This is Sarah Vaughn, one of the best voices in the history of singing, backed by the best band she ever worked with, featuring trumpeter Clifford Brown. I'd pay the purchase price just for "Lullaby of Birdland", but fortunately there are 8 other awesome tracks here. This is one of those albums you can play all the way through over and over again. No jazz record collection should be without it.

Sarah Vaughan at Her Best
I've had this CD over a year now and every time and every time I listen to Sarah, I swear she sounds better each time. This is one hell of a recording. Clifford Brown stands out for all eternity on trumpet. You have to wonder what a star he would have been. Herbie Mann on flute is decent too. This is great CD during a wonderful time in the 50's before music met effects processing and over production! ... Read more

Reviews (7)

The elegant and dramatic vocal phrasings of Rosemary Clooney
"16 Biggest Hits" is a misnomer as a title because these are not, literally, the 16 biggest hits in the music career of Rosemary Clooney. Two of her Top 10 hits, "Beautiful Brown Eyes" and "The Night Before Christmas Song," are not included, which proves the point. But it is still a solid collection with a couple of tracks you might not have in your music library that would well be worth the adding. My top choice would be the duet "Sisters," the Irving Berlin song from the classical holiday film "White Christmas," which Rosemary sings with her sister Betty Clooney.

These songs are taken from her successful years recording for Columbia in teh 1950s after leaving the Tony Pastor Orchestra (and her sister) but before switching to RCA Victor in 1957. Included on the play list are all four of her Number 1 singles, "Come on-a My House," "Half as Much," "Hey There," and "This Ole House." There is also the Oscar winning song "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," recorded with Harry James and His Orchestra as well as "Sophisticated Lady," done with Duke Ellington and His Orchestra.

The main thing here is that these are all songs that show the strengths of Rosemary Clooney as a lyric interpreter of song. With her it is the phrasing more than the singing. For that reason I have always enjoyed listening to Clooney sing rather than watching her in a film, because the drama was always in the singing and not the way she looked (invariably cool, calm, and collected). This is one of the reasons why, like Frank Sinatra, she could continue to sing effectively for audiences even after her voice started to decline.

Original Rosemary Songs
Great original recordings by the GRAND LADY of the 50's. Highly Recommended.

Great hit collection by a zesty singer
This a GREAT CD for both young people just interested in great American singing and Clooney as well as for Clooney's longtime fans. Anyone who has liked or just discovered that he/she likes Rosemary Clooney will play a lot of it over and over. It is not a mere nostalgia piece. Most of it holds up quite well. In fact, you could call it The Good, the Bad (in the modern sense as "GREAT") and the ugly (as in "UGLY.").

The CD, comprised of 16-pristine 1950s recordings, contains Clooney's biggest commercial hits from Columbia and a few bonuses. It artfully displays not only the commercial Clooney who could take a silly song shoved down her talented throat and turn it into a hit -- but foreshadows the later critically acclaimed Comeback Clooney, whose career was tragically cut short by her death from cancer. Here are a few of the songs that fall into categories such as:

--The GOOD: "This Ole House" still holds up as a lively FUN novelty number. 'Come On-A-My-House'' is the silly 1951 song Clooney balked at recording until Columbia honcho Mitch Miller threatened to fire her. So she recorded it, it was a huge hit and made her a star. She makes it good with her verve and humor punching every silly word.
--The GREAT: 'Mangos', a wonderful, beautiful tune where each word and note is given pizzazz, sensuality and humor. In "Tenderly" and "Hey There" she displayed her respect for lyrics and notes. In "Mambo Italiano' Clooney's zest, turns a zippy song into a throatily erotic and good humored classic worth several listenings. When she ends it with a
"That's-a-nice!" and the all-male chorus gives a final "UHHH!" we agree. In "Sophisticated Lady' With the Duke Ellington orchestra she shows the potential realized in later years. Special treat: a super show-biz sounding version of Cole Porter's
"From This Moment On," previously unreleased in the US -- with a great smash ending.
--The UGLY: No question. " Botch-A-Me'. Clooney is very enthusiastic doing this entry in her best-selling Italian novelty song series forced on her by Columbia's Miller. But the song's truly excruciating lyrics (and tune) make you suspect she's really thinking: "I can't believe I'm singing this
..."

This CD deserves five stars due to its great variety (literally something for everyone), orchestrations, production quality...and ALMOST deserves a star (or two!) taken off for the pain inflicted on listeners by Botch-A-Me...but let's not blame that on Rosey! If you're just discovering Clooney due to news stories about her recent death (and her relation to a certain popular actor) this CD will delight you enough so that you'll want to order her more recent, critically acclaimed CDs.

Never Less Than Five Stars For Rosie
I have yet to come across a Rosemary Clooney LP, single or CD that fails to please. Hers is one of the most distinctive, pleasant voices of the 20th Century.

From 1951 to 1960 she chalked up 28 hit singles as a solo artist or in conjunction with other artists like Guy Mitchell [her first hit in 1951 - You're Just In Love], Marlene Dietrich [Too Old To Cut The Mustard in 1952]; and Gene Autry [The Night Before Chrismas Song in 1952]. Before that she sang with Tony Pastor & His Orchestra. along with her sister Betty, and appeared on several of his big hits.

Although this CD contains several of her hits, including the wonderful You'll Never Know done in 1953 with the late, great Harry James, I bought it for one item: Memories Of You. Billed to The Benny Goodman Trio with Rosemary Clooney, and from the hit movie The Benny Goodman Story, this made it to # 20 early in 1956 and is one of the hardest to find of all her hits. In fact, try and find it anywhere else!

Normally I wouldn't assign 5 stars to any CD without liner notes, nor one that states "16 Biggest Hits" and then includes several songs that failed to chart [In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening, The House Of Singing Bamboo, Sophisticated Lady, and From This Moment On]. But hey, this is Rosie. Besides, the afore-mentioned songs SHOULD have charted, and as far as liner notes go, the track listings inside are comprehensive enough to compensate.

Get it while you can.

The one and only voice
Her voice, smooth as satin or tender as velvet, wow, this lady knows how to sing and I love to listen to her. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Pleasant But Seldom Memorable
The 1950s and 1960s found Capitol Records with a bright roster of recording artists who specialized in pop classics--and in the course of their Capitol careers many of them took a crack at a Cole Porter song or two, with this compilation the result. And although pleasant enough, taken as a whole it is surprisingly innocuous.

Some of the selections are a bit strange. Judy Garland was a truly memorable performer who could work wonders with a Porter song--but "I Happen to Like New York," one of Porter's truly minor works, is not particularly suited to her gifts. Helen O'Connell was a gifted vocalist, but in similar fashion her style is somewhat at odds with the delicate and formal "In The Still of the Night"--a song specifically written with a male vocalist in mind.

Even so, all of the artists, including those whose luster has faded with the passing years, give at least respectable showings--and here and there a diamond pops out at you, as in Peggy Lee's "From Now On," Louis Prima's "I've Got You Under My Skin," and Nancy Wilson's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To." But by and large, this is really Cole Porter reduced to background music for a 1960-ish suburban cocktail party: pleasant, but not remarkable enough to stop conversation.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

A Clarification
I must clarify a point in Mr. Lawrance M. Bernabo's review. When one speaks of Cole Porter's lyrics, one must remember he didn't write all of them. For songs from "Anything Goes" he partnered with the man few people remember as having penned the words to the most concurrent Broadway hits ever back in the beginning of the last century: Jeeves' author P.G. Wodehouse. If you listen to some of those lyrics and then cast your mind to the wacky world of Bertie Wooster, The Drones, et. al., it begins to become evident. And what a wonderful pairing Porter and Wodehouse were!

As for the CD itself, it seems to be wonderful. The only limitation is the "Capitol" label. So many fine versions, which might make an even better collection if mixed in, don't happen to live in their domain.

contrarian view
As a long-time fan of Cole Porter, I found this recording a mishmash of vocalists promoting their own singing style and mangling the purity of the composer's work. What was done to "Begin the Beguine" is beyond description.

Great Series -- Perfect Gift
There are a couple of these series of composer's "songbooks" culled from the archives of various record labels. The Verve series and the "Capitol Sings" are the best of the bunch. The Capitol collections tend to be a bit more pop, while the Verve disc are "jazzier," but with artists like Stan Kenton, Gerry Mulligan, Peggy Lee and Nancy Wilson, Capitol was no slouch in the jazz department, either.

This collection is especially fine, start to finish. It's a nicely diverse selction of Porter tunes performed in a variety of styles, from Broadway to near be-bop. It's impossible, even if you're a fan of the more improvisational stuff, not to love Judy's Garland's weirdly majestic "I Happen to Like New York" or the tender Jo Stafford/Gordon McCrae "Wunderbar." And hooray for Louis and Keely, and Peggy Lee with George Shearing, for giving us fresh treatments of canonical tunes that make them evergreen.

This is a great gift for people who don't know how great the American pop standard can be.

Yeah, Cole Porter's tunes, but man those lyrics!
It is interesting to note that until you get to the last three tracks on "Anything Goes," the Capitol Sings collection of Cole Porter tunes, the songs are arranged in alphabetical order from "All of You" by Annie Ross to "You're the Top" by June Turner. Go figure. The main thing is that these songs harken back to the old days when hearing the words was important to enjoying the song. Certainly Cole Porter's lyrics are even more fun than his melodies. "Anything Goes" features the standard mix of big names such as Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin and Nat King Cole with lesser known talents such as Martha Tilton, June Christie, Jeri Southern, Trudy Richards and Jean Turner. Actually, this album probably has more great songs by the latter group than any other in the Capitol Sings series. The lasting appeal of Porter's songs is represented by having songs covered by both Judy Garland and her daughter Liza Minelli. It is really hard to just pick a few favorites from this one: Gordon MacRae's "Begin the Beguine," Tony Bennett's "Anything Goes" with Count Basie, Louis Prima and Keely Smith ripping through "I've Got You Under My Skin," and Jo Stafford and Gordon MacRae's tender duet of "Wundebar" easily spring to mind. This album also features a couple of previously unreleased tracks: Martha Tilton singing "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" and Chris Connor's cover of "I Get A Kick Out Of You." As always you get a wide mix of musical stylings, from the most up-tempo version of "In the Still of the Night" you will ever hear done by Helen O'Connell to a somewhat slow but still swinging version of "True Love" by Dino. With "Anything Goes" you will hear some quite different versions of your favorite Porter tunes gathered from the Capitol vaults, and virtually every song has those remarkably witty lyrics. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential recording

With characteristic willfulness, Nina Simone plunged into a range of songbooks and styles between 1966 and 1973, when she recorded nine LPs for RCA. This two-disc overview demonstrates just how unpredictable and headstrong the seething songstress was during a period that was tumultuous for Simone personally and for society in general. Top 40 covers ("Mr. Bojangles," "To Love Somebody") mix with rock (Dylan's "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues," George Harrison's "Here Comes the Sun") and pop standards ("Since I Fell for You," "My Man's Gone Now"). An increasingly politicized perspective informed Simone's late-'60s work. Her friends included Black Power firebrands H. Rap Brown and Stokely Carmichael, and she made no attempt to disguise her militancy. "The King of Peace is dead. I ain't about to be nonviolent, honey!" she announces on this collection's "Martin Luther King Suite," which was recorded live one day after the civil rights leader's assassination. While a number of selections included here can also be found on RCA's two volumes of Essentials, this lovingly assembled survey (which includes five previously unreleased recordings) captures the High Priestess of Soul in all her unshackled glory. --Steven Stolder ... Read more

Reviews (16)

2Bold 2 Black
Nina Simone is a Genius Period.Her Material Her comes RIght at you.She is a Grand Talent.She has So Much Power,Passion,Feeling&Soul in her voice.She is The Female Version of Ray CHarles she is able to Wrap so Many Styles into One&then make them her own.You feel the Depths of her words that's Power.she has more FOrce than some -So-Called Hard Rappers.

More than an album, it's a friend of mine
I bought this album only because of the words that Lauryn Hill rapped on the last Fugees-album: "While you imitating Al Capone, I be Nina Simone..." And when I put on the two CD's I only had one problem: not being able to listen to all of my favourites at one time!!! Nina Simone picks songs that tell a story, whether it's being old, sad and alone or young, gifted and black. Her voice shows you emotion whether it's happiness, hope, self-love, heartbreak or pain (aka: the blues). When you're sad she tells you: ooh, child, things are getting a little easier - and best of all: you believe her. Her voice is unique and her piano-playing is breathtaking. It's one of those CD's that I will always cherish.

Patsy Cline is Way Better!
This CD is okay, but I must say I am dissapointed.
Everyone told me how great a vocalist Nina Simone
is. Boy is that a laugh. I can hardly tell if
she is a man or a woman, let alone does she gave
a great vocal style. She is one note all the time.

If you wanna hear great stuff, check out Miss Patsy
Cline. The best damndest singer who ever walked
the face of the earth. Nina's voice is gruff, and
her songs all sound the same. I do think she is
a good arranger/composer, but let's leave it at that.
But when it comes to great female vocals, no one can
compare to Miss Patsy Cline.

Favorite CDs of my collection
This is the set of CDs you want in the car for long rides or on the radio while puttering around the house. Her voice is like warm brandy, something to soothe you after a long day.

A great Artist
Nina Simone's 'I want some sugar in my bowl'is one of the greatest examples of how a song can transcend the musical element and become a political messanger, where the message becomes more thn the sum of its parts. There were better pianists that Nina Simone, and certainly prettier voices, but the selection in this CD show that there is no one with such an artistry. She basically invented what could be called the expressive bleat (with any other singer a major flaw). her cry is so direct, her sound so manly yet tender, this cd is a must. ... Read more

Album Description

UK box-set featuring 99 tracks that highlight the late jazz icon's career between 1935-49. Backed by small All Starbands under Teddy Wilson's & her own leadership & the moreformal studio bands during her Decca days, Billie turnsevery song into poetry. Includes 56 page booklet with rarepictures, discography & story. Four standard jewel cases housed in a box. 2001. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Better appreciated now than in her lifetime
Nobody sings the blues quite like Billie Holiday. This boxed set represents the best value for money, not only for the quantity of music and the extensive liner notes, but also for the sound quality and the fact that this contains music recorded for several different record labels (Brunswick, Vocalion, Commodore, Okeh, Columbia, Capitol, Decca) between 1935 and 1949. Billie continued to record great music in the fifties (for Verve, Clef and Norgran) but that music is not represented here.

Billie had plenty of hits on the American pop charts between 1935 and 1938 (when she was with Teddy Wilson), after which she had just four more hits, none of them reaching the top ten. However, the passage of time has added substantially to her credibility as many blues, jazz and R+B singers cite Billie as one of their influences. Her first hit was What a little moonlight can do, a song I first came across via a Crystal Gayle cover. I didn't realize the song's origin at the time but I've heard several versions since. I love them all but Billie's is the definitive version.

Billie's other classic hits included here are These foolish things, A fine romance, The way you look tonight, I can't give you anything but love, I've got my love to keep you warm, This year's kisses, Carelessly (her only number one hit), How could you, Moaning low. Mean to me, Easy living, Me myself and I, Sailboat in the moonlight, Nice work if you can get it, My man, You go to my head, I'm gonna lock my heart, Strange fruit, God bless the child and Trav'lin' light. Some big hits are omitted including Twenty-four hours a day, Who loves you and Pennies from heaven, but I'm not complaining. Some of the songs that Billie is best remembered for didn't chart at all.

Although the hits became rare after 1938, this was not due to the quality of the music. Listen to Billie's versions of such classic standards as I gotta right to sing the blues, Night and day, Body and soul, Let's do it, All of me, Love me or leave me, It's a sin to tell a lie, As time goes by and You're my thrill (to name a few). And, of course, there's the classic That old devil called love, revived by Alison Moyet in the eighties, when it became a UK number two hit for Alison.

If you only buy one collection of Billie's music, make it this one. You might begin by asking yourself if you really want five hours worth of Billie's music - but eventually, you are likely to ask yourself if it's enough.

Ditto!
Great sound quality, great packaging, great liner notes and booklet. 4 discs, 99 songs, 21 bucks. How can you beat the value?

It sure beats any other "best of" out there. Why save $6 to get one disc with 10 to 20 songs. (And unlike the Ken Burns collection, the songs on this box set sound great).

Most, if not every, Holliday song on every label released between 1935 to 1949. Now you've got the early to mid (and in many people's minds, the best) recording eras of Holliday covered.

Buy it as an introduction to Lady Day. Keep it as a collector.

PROPER does it again...
For the price, this is as good a collection of Billie Holiday's early material (for some, the ONLY Billie) as there is out there. Almost all of the essential recordings are included - Brunswick, Vocalition, Decca, Columbia, and Commodore - and the presentation includes a great booklet with photos and information. Proper is in the process of putting together and releasing some of the best American music - both jazz and other-wise - in stunning compilations with great presentations. Look for more of them.

THE LEGACY IS THERE
Maybe for today's crowd,four cds of BILLIE HOLIDAY in her greatest years can be hard to digest.Don't feel sorry for yourself,because sooner or later,if you have any interest in jazz singing,this PROPER box set will do the trick.Don't listen to this only once,repeating listenings are recommended to have you hooked on BILLIE.The musicians who played on these famous sessions are among the finest of the era.Even if you don't look at the credits,one can easily know when LESTER YOUNG is soloing,his economical solos always hit home.Be aware that this is the thirties and the forties, when conductors were not stars the way they will be in the fifties.Many will find that all the songs sounds the same.While there is some truth to that,you've got to figure out the contect of these recordings to fully appreciate them.Maybe i seem to act like an history teacher reviewing this,if so i am sorry.BILLIE HOLIDAY has inspired countless singers that came after her who often recorded tribute albums.

One of the Best Kept Secrets in Recorded Jazz
If you haven't purchased one of Proper Record Company's extraordinary jazz boxes, you don't know what you're missing; and this release, THE LADY SINGS, is the best of the bunch. For the past few years, Proper has researched and assembled the most critical recordings by leading jazz performers from the first half of the last century, and packaged them in four-disk sets with extensive booklets that actually have something new to say -- all for a super, super budget price. Their remastering is so skillful, recordings such as Billie Holiday's here --stand up to the best remastering efforts of Decca and Sony. The richness and value of this collection -- as with other Proper Boxes from the UK -- are simply extraordinary. From her affecting Brunswick recordings of the early 1950's with Teddy Wilson and his Orchestra to her sides with Decca, Commodore, Columbia and Vocalion, Holliday's accompanists read like a Who's Who of classic jazz. Lester Young. Ben Webster. Roy Eldridge. Kenny Clarke. Benny Goodman. Milt Hinton. And some of her most celebrated material is here. God Bless the Child. My Old Flame. Gimme a Pigfoot. Lover Man. As Time Goes By. I Hear Music. I Can't Get Started. Almost 100 songs, flawlessly restored and a far better value than expensive sets such as the new Sony compilation, Proper's BILLIE HOLIDAY: THE LADY SINGS is simply a pleasure. It's great music to listen to by a roaring fire. Wonderful to play after a long, hard day.
Good anytime you need a lift. Strongly recommended. ... Read more

Amazon.com

With her combination of jazzy cool and kittenish charm, it's probably safeto say that JessicaMolaskey has entered the realm of "phone book singers," i.e., those whoyou'd pay to hear vocalizing anything.As anyone who remembers her "Stars and the Moon" from Jason Robert Brown's Songs for a New World knows, Molaskey made her name in musical theater, and it's those roots she returns to in Make Believe after her previous solo albumscovered the Depression eraand '50s jazz.That includes chestnuts like "All That Jazz," which though familiar and obvious, still sound great, and representations from Broadway's new generation: Adam Guettel duets on Rodgers and Hart's "Glad to Be Unhappy," Brown arranges a frenetic combination of the Lambert Hendricks and Ross favorite "Cloudburst" and Stephen Sondheim's "Getting Married Today," and Ricky Ian Gordon cowrote with Molaskey "Cradle and All."As usual, husband-guitarist John Pizzarelli accompanies and vocalizes on a couple tunes, and Sondheim's gorgeous "So Many People" is another highlight. --David Horiuchi ... Read more

Amazon.com

Mel Gibson may learn What Women Want by listening in on their thoughts, but it doesn't take an eavesdropper to know what moviegoers expect in a romantic-comedy soundtrack. Nancy Meyers, the movie's director and soundtrack album executive producer, has compiled an interesting mix of old and new, borrowed and blue. The emphasis is on the pre-rock age of big-band swing, whether it's performers from that era or others emulating them. Three cuts from Frank Sinatra (arranged and conducted by Nelson Riddle) and entries fromSammy Davis Jr., Nancy Wilson, and Tony Bennett sew up the soulful crooning of the velvet age. Lou Rawls and the Temptations replace their modern soul grooves with lush orchestrations that perfectly fit the mood. Only teeny-dance-bopper Christina Aguilera and alternative rocker Meredith Brooks,who chime in with a couple of recent hits, sound woefully out of place. --Rob O'Connor ... Read more

Reviews (38)

A taste of Sophistication, Romance and Excitement!
The only thought that came to my mind when I watched this movie was "I *have* to get this soundtrack!" I recommend this soundtrack to those who don't even like Jazz... it is the must have for dates, parties, or driving in the car. The movie was fantastic and I truly believe it was because of this soundtrack! It's a great touch of spontaneity for the guys and a great touch of soft and soothing music for the women. It's a great combination of music and a great collection at that! Buy it, listen to it and enjoy it! You won't be disappointed!

Romance, pure and simple!
Great movie, GREAT soundtrack! How can you go wrong with these classics? I couldn't wait to buy the soundtrack after seeing this movie....how nice to have music that will conjure up an image of MEL! Romance, pure and simple!

Wonderful soundtrack
Some of the greatest artist are one this soundtrack. It has a great bluesy, jazzy trend. The only bad points are the two modern artist that disrupt the flow of the albumn. This is a great albumn to have a romantic evening to or just kicking it on a lazy Sunday morning. Just skip the two modern songs.

Don't listen to the bad reviews
I watch the movie and liked it alot. Have no idea why all these bad reviews are being made. My advise, ignore the bad reviews and watch the movie because you might be surprise. It's a simple and nice movie to seat down to watch and have some light hearted fun.

GREAT!
A warm, fun movie that produced a fantastic soundtrack. These songs are classics and this is a perfect cd to break through any dreary day. ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Magic, pure magic--tell me more and then some
I picked up my copy of East/West after attending Jacqui Naylor's sensational performance at the Plush Room (April 2005). So we had the benefit of an up-close in-person treatment of many of the songs in this album--actually a double disc delight. We then took the album with us on a three day trip the next day--so we got a good chance to savor it. Here's what I think.

Quality production, top rank musicians, a singer who is threatening Diana Krall's supremacy in versatility and is head to head with Karrin Allyson in singing the blues. The venues on the East and West coasts are known to jazz people everywhere--great idea to combine them. If you go to jazz shows then you'll know that these rooms bring out the best in the artists. Nevertheless, there is nothing to replace seeing Jacqui and her group in person. Superb.

I grabbed the West disc for my car, my wife grabbed the East disc for her car--what a way to ensure family harmony! Among the many, many songs, you'll realy enjoy "Don't Let the Bastard Get You Down" and "Thank You Baby". The live audience loved Jacqui's introduction when she told about KCSM playing the Bastard song and getting phone calls prtesting the B-word! (In the Bay Area!!)

This talented lady does June Christy one better and that is saying something. After the live show I told her she had an instinct for the blues. Then I heard East/West and there it was! Thanks Jacqui!

Here's an "inside story" which you might enjoy. I emailed Jacqui before her Plush Room show and asked her to sing "Tell Me More, and More, and Then Some" which is on her first album ("Jacqui")and she obliged in the live show. Let me tell you, that brought the house down. AFTER the show I was a block away and people were STILL telling me how they loved the song and the show. So buy "Jacqui" and buy "East/West". In other words, we have a star on our hands, ladies and gents.

only partially convincing
Not long ago, apparently after someone at the label read my review of Madeleine Peyroux's "Careless Love" on amazon.com, Ruby Star Records sent me a promo copy of Jacqui Naylor's double CD "Live East/West Birdland-Yoshi's."Appreciative of this gesture, I was determined to give the album a chance, but after a half dozen spins where my opinion went from mildly pleased (first listen, in the car on the way home from work) to bored and disinterested (sixth listen), I've decided this recording just isn't to my taste.

I don't want to turn Cranky Music Critic here and start picking these performances apart bit by agonizing bit, but there are a few outstanding, just-not-right details that I can't seem to get past.And anyone who's going to wade into the forum of vocal jazz should be prepared for this kind of scrutiny, so here goes.

Typical of jazz (and jazz-wannabe) artists since the sixties, Naylor and her band work hard to reconcile Tin Pan Alley standards with more modern rock and pop songs, as well as a few originals.Arranger Art Khu does pretty well with the jazz-oriented arrangements, but the folkier settings are out of his depth.Except for a couple of self-consciously "jazzy" vocal inflections, I really dig Naylor's cover here of "Me and Mister Jones," mostly because of the backing the band gives her and the smooth way her voice fits into the loose groove.But her take on "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" is superfluous in light of Carole King's version on Tapestry.Covering Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth" for the reason, as she says in a girlish voice in her intro, of injecting some much-needed political awareness, rings absolutely hollow, especially in light of the blandness of the performance that follows.Nina Simone singing "Mississippi Goddam" this ain't.

Naylor's got a pleasant, warm singing voice for the most part, and she's at her best when she sings straight and doesn't try to show off.I have to single out her cover of Gershwin's "But Not For Me," however, for an all-too-revealing misstep in the song's preamble.The couplet "just try it/and I'll start a riot" should be sung with "riot" pronounced in the common manner of "ry-it."Apparently missing the joke completely, Naylor sings it "ry-OT," which blows the rhyme.Have you ever heard anyonepronounce the word that way?

This seemingly minor point lays bare a pervasive disingenuousness that I hear throughout these two discs.Like a lot of vocalists in this area, Jacqui Naylor just doesn't "get it," she lacks humor and seems to be on the outside looking in, dressed in the trappings of a jazz singer but only doing a moderately successful job of pulling off the act.Hopefully in the future she will settle into the sound of her own voice -- which is, again, very appealing when she sings straight -- and not be compelled to apply distracting stylistic flourishes.Technique, after all, should never eclipse feeling.That Vogue calls Jacqui Naylor "the new voice of jazz and pop" demonstrates that Vogue knows much more about image than music.Then again, image and music may be so interchangeable to the modern sensibility that Vogue probably has a point.If you like your "jazz" very light and in the background, you'll find this to be perfectly good music.Those who pay closer attention are directed to Madeleine Peyroux's "Careless Love" CD or just about any jazz vocal recording made before 1960.

Soul-infused jazz/pop:"Acoustic smashing"
If you like jazz but think it's too slow or boring, Jacqui Naylor is the solution.This album combines pop and rock tunes with jazz, and breathes new life into tired old standards.The depth of her voice and tone are warm and soothing, and the melodic background singers add the sweet frosting to the cake.Art Khu's smoking piano solos leave you wondering if there were any piano keys he didn't hit.And John Evans makes the bass come alive; the bassline isn't just background on this record.The 2-CD album has lots of songs (24), with a good balance of originals (both folkish and funky), standards, and "acoustic smashing" tunes combining several elements and styles. Compared to her first 3 albums which were mostly slow sad songs, this one has more happy, fun songs you can tap your foot to.Bravo!

You Rock
I love this CD!I found myself humming "Thank you Baby" all day after listening to the CD.I really enjoy Jacqui's mixture of old and new especially the "compilation" songs (Black Coffee).Jacqui's voice is sweet and pure.Mixed with jazzy tunes and tender notes this is definitely one of my most favorite CD's to listen to.

Blending Many Good Things
Jacqui Naylor's double live CD is an exquisite menu of tunes recorded at a respective pair of the world's foremost jazz venues: Birdland and Yoshi's.As a new listener to Ms. Naylor, the difficulty is making a meal from all the choices.There's a lot to enjoy as she covers many diverse styles.To continue the restaurant metaphor, it'll take many return visits to appreciate the scope of the offering.

Saying that, the song selection is very good throughout.Not many artists can truly pull off personalized versions of classics from Talking Heads to Rogers & Hart to James Taylor to Gamble/Huff/Gilbert to Stephen Stills to Pink Floyd.Ms. Naylor does, and that leads to her sound.

Some vocalists are known for the purity of their voices, such as Ella and Barbra. Others, such as Van Morrison and Sinatra, are best known by their precise phrasing. Others are recognizable for their distinct texture, such as Louis Armstrong and Tom Waits.

Then there are those -- amongst whom I include Ms. Naylor -- who combine bits of many masters.There's nothing particular about her voice that instantly defines her, but stylistically she smartly adapts her formidable range to the mood and meaning of the songs.The results command you to reevaluate songs you think you've know years.

I'll be putting these CDs on for repeated listenings and quite certain each time will rebveal a deeper appreciation for Ms. Naylor. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess (Ella doing all the female parts, Satchmo all the male) was a good idea, but not quite as great as it sounded. Armstrong savors the down-and-dirty Charlestonisms that inspired the cadences of the music and lyrics, and they fit his happy rasp like an old shoe; Fitzgerald, conversely, sounds almost prissy every time she has to sing the word "ain't," though her melodic genius gets Gershwin's bold, supple tunes over. The arrangements are full-throttle Broadway, with a few leaps into Dixieland (including some fine Armstrong trumpet solos), but the disc works best when the vocalists break character and let their jazz side out. --Douglas Wolk ... Read more

Reviews (13)

A Jazz Masterpiece!
No matter what your musical taste, it's hard to imagine that you won't love this combination. Ella & Louis are, of course, the standards by which all other jazz vocalists learn and are judged; the music is Gershwin's great masterpiece (and one of the masterpieces of American music in general); ravishingly orchestrated, lovingly sung, and oh by the way, swingin' like Tiger Woods. Just the best in the biz, that's all. If you're a jazz aficionado or a Gershwin fan, you'll find a wealth to love and appreciate; if you're a casual listener, count on it!...This is music that'll just make you happy. Get it and enjoy it for the rest of your life.

Best Ella c.d. ever!
This is my favorite Ella Fitzgerald cd! While Louis Armstrong's singing is gravelly and rough, Ella is smooth as silk-- they make a perfect combo. Although nearly every song is absolutely gorgeous, Ella's renditions of "Bess, You is My Woman Now", "I Got Plenty o' Nuttin'" and "I Wants to Stay Here" are to die for.

A masterpiece
This is one of the 10 greatest jazz records made. As mentioned in the liner notes, for trumpet music of this style, Louis Armstrong had no peer. The contrast between the gravelly voice of Armstrong and the super sweet voice of Ella wears very well. The production was excellent, and frankly the famous opera stars on other records than often blast out Porgy and Bess don't do much for me. This is by far my favorite version of some really fantastic music by Gershwin, who is one of the greatest American composers.

Young people will find this music as corny as Frank Sinatra, but it really is tremendous music and will stand the test of time.

ELLA AND LOUIS
The chemistry between ELLA and LOUIS was great.It was not evident to do PORGY and BESS with them,but it works splendidly.There is a minor setback for me:ELLA can't do MY MAN's GONE NOW the way SARAH VAUGHAN used to sing it,but the rest of the disc is so enjoyable that one can easily pass that over.I am happy that NORMAN GRANZ the producer succeeded in convincing LOUIS to tackle that project.It is really moving to hear him sing and play his instrument on those tracks,especially I GOT PLENTY OF NOTHIN' and THERE'S A BOAT LEAVING SOON FOR NEW YORK.If you have to choose among the many recordings of PORGY and BESS available,you have to go for that one,even if of course,this is not the complete work.

Ella + Louis + Gershwin? You do the math
They may have been the most unlikely pair of entertainers to sing songs from an operatic production. Ella, while supremely talented, was not operatic in her style. Louis was far from that genre also. However, they took those songs and, as they always had, made them their own. That's why this is a successful musical equation. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Quite good, but...
The music is great and the setting is intimate, but Bobby Short's delivery ocassionally annoys me. He has a tendency to break into an abrupt piercing warble and his phrasing seems choppy to me. It's not enough to ruin the album, but it can be distracting.

Bobby Short at His Best
Owning nearly all of Bobby Short's albums, this is the one I play the most. I love his style! He recorded at an actual preformance which added more intimacy to the of the album.

Agree!
There cannot be a better night of classic American music than a Bobby Short gig at the Carlyle.

SUBLIME!
This is Short at his best. There's no brass section to drown out his voice or his piano, and you can hear the audience at the Cafe Carlyle react to his performance. Short's interpretation, along with Beverly Peer's and Robert Scott's, never gets stale. You can listen to this CD a hundred times and hear new aspects each time. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Even though she only co-writes a few songs per album, Norah Jones's success seems to have re-energized the women's singer-songwriter scene, and this isn't bad thing--there's a lot of great talent out there getting support because of Jones. Italian songwriter Chiara Civello is one of them. Her breathy but versatile voice allows her to do a convincing French café version of Suzanne Vega's "Caramel," a wispy torch ballad "Parole Incerte" (one of three songs sung in Italian), or do a dancing version of the bossa nova tune "Outono." Working through a dozen songs, Civello is supported by an acoustic-based band composed of studio ace Steve Gadd on drums, keyboardist Larry Goldings and a handful of jazz and Latin jazz players. More impressively, she co-wrote "Trouble" with the legendary Burt Bacharach. An auspicious debut from a singer that seems to have already charmed musicians, labels and musical legends, Last Quarter Moon is the tasteful work of a singer-songwriter with global perspective. -- Tad Hendrickson ... Read more

Reviews (6)

I hear more Diana Krall than Norah Jones ...
Chiara is bound to be compared to the mellow, understated sounds of Diana Krall and Norah Jones for good reasons.Chiara has song choices on this cd that are spectacular and mixes a flavorful variety of influences.Her intuitive sense of emotive and rhythmic music is remarkable.

My favorite tracks are "Here is Everything" and the track where she seems most vocally comfortable: "Outono".

The most astonishing aspect of the album is that seven of these strong and fascinating tracks Chiara wrote herself and co-wrote three including "Trouble" with Burt Bacharach (which admittedly is not a favorite song on the album despite his legendary presence - it's too wavering for my taste).

Maybe the reason it all works so seamlessly is the influence by producer Russ Titelman (Eric Clapton, James Taylor, Paul Simon) and the contingent of outstanding musicians like vocalist Daniel Jobim (yes from THAT Jobim family as in Antonio Carlos), Steve Gadd as drummer, Larry Goldings on organ and piano, Mark Stewart on cello, Miguel Zenon on a remarkable saxophoneand Ben Street on a light handed but distinctive bass to name a few.

My only reservation is the wispiness of her voice which is zen enough and pitch lovely enough to put her on par with Diana Krall and Norah Jones but not as profound or animated enough despite the similar less-is-more intensity. Don't read me wrong though - Chiara really has unique and lovely musical qualities nonetheless.

The cd is a keeper and keep an ear or an eye on her - she will be a jazz music presence for a long time.

Stunning, Sultry, Unassuming.....and Oh Yes! A Star!
Last night I went to Blues Alley in Washington D.C. I witnessed a Chiara Civello concert. WOWOWOWOWOW! What does this have to do with "Last Quarter Moon", Chiara's debut c.d? Well, if you want to know whether this is an artist that has staying power, or is she another who must hide behind production gimmicks to sound good.....she gets an 'A' for the former (that would be staying power) and nowhere in the vicinity of her name should the latter ever be mentioned.



What talent.....as a songwriter, she writes songs that bypass your intellect and explode in your heart. As a musician, well....how tasteful do you want your piano playing? With all of that star power (after all, the sign outside did say, "Tonight, Chiara Civello"), she presents herself during the performance as one of the band....but it is so clear from the outset that the audience's eyes are not going anywhere else unless she directs them subtly (which she does quite frequently throughout the performance) to one of the other musicians on the stage.

Her music is languid, salty, sensuous, pure, and lovely....never dumbed down but perfectly accessible....but not the kind of accessible that sounds tired after a couple of listenings....no indeed.....the more you hear, the more you are driven to hear....she takes you in and never lets you go......it has a Brazilian flavor but exudes unapologetically, many worthwhile influences such as Nancy Wilson and Flora Purim, although, like all great artists, what comes out is unmistakeably uniquely Chiara Civello, a one of a kind artist.

Lastly, I cannot imagine how one can improve upon her debut c.d. for arrangements, execution, and production (not to mention musicianship with the likes of Steve Gadd and one song she co-wrote with Burt Bacharach)....and then....that which we all came to see last night....that voice....that beautiful, sultry voice that cuts through the muddle of life and delivers the emotion that wells up inside of you because she writes like she is talking to you or with you....about things we have all felt and lived.....rather poetically but leaving no doubt that she is speaking to the heart of the matter.

There is not one throw away song on this c.d.....Not one! My two particular favorites are 'Everything' (the first cut on the c.d.) and 'Nature Song'. But then again, there is the last cut, 'I Won't Run Away', which she so ingeniously ends on an unresolved chord, leaving one to wonder, will she after all? Having been a fortunate witness to her live performance, I am convinced of this......if she does (run away, that is), she is taking us with her!

I realize I am putting myself way out there on this one. I guess if I were to boil it all down....these are reasons I like her. If they seem like reasons you too might like her, you really ought to do yourself a favor and pick up "Last Quarter Moon"! It will keep on giving back to you! Then, as soon as it is possible, go see her perform live.....you will be as smitten as I.....I guarantee it!

A developing talent
Chiara has a very pleasant and beautiful voice. However, if this review were based only on her voice, I'd probably give her 4 stars. The fifth star is for her songwriting and song selection, which along with her smooth, pleasant voice far surpasses the current crop of superstar female nursery rhyme performers with their mechanical, childish melodies and canned music.
Chiara's music has substance. It's organic. On listening to it, one hears talent--real people with real instruments. There is a sophistication and musical charm that can only be achieved by a talented singer/musician... which Chiara Civello is. I look forward to her next works.

A "Come Away With Me" wannabe
My attention to this album was drawn by the yellow sticker on the plastic, covering the c.d. case:

A STUNNING DEBUT FROM POP/JAZZ SINGER-SONGWRITER CHIARA CIVELLO:

"This record is haunting and she's fantastic.It really doesn't matter what she's singing about because her voice just captivates you.And 'The Wrong Goodbye'-HOLY COW-did she write that?"-Cindy Lauper

"This record is delicious.Chiara is potentially a huge singer-songwriter star...."-Burt Bacharach.

"...The best jazz singer of her generation."-Tony Bennett

With hype like that, I was intrigued.Is it worth all of that?

In a word, hellno.

Don't get me wrong; this is good.Chiara Civello has a strong, pleasant voice.Best jazz singer of her generation, though?Depends on how you define the word "generation", but I wouldn't say that right now she's as good as Norah Jones, Jane Monheit or Peter Cincotti, and all of them would have to be in the same generation.Her voice occasionally cuts out in her upper register, and she doesn't yet have the vibrancy in her lower register that "the best of her generation" should have.Fantastic songwriter?I'd give that label to Lorraine Feather or Rene Marie; but not to Ms. Civello, at least not at this time.

On this album, I'm partial to the tunes done in her native Italian, particularly "Ora" and "In Questi Giorni".And the arrangements are very nice, especially Suzanne Vega's "Caramel."

But ultimately, this album really reminds me of Norah Jones' "Come Away With Me."For this kind of hype, and with Verve's p.r. abilities, it ought to sell a bunch; and like Ms. Jones, Ms. Civello appears to have physical charisma.But both albums are well-done and pleasant, but ultimately fluffy.They both have been relegated to the "gone and almost forgotten" side of my c.d. carousel.

However, I will say that Chiara Civello has talent.She could become a superstar.I just hope that that happens based on developed talent, rather than on hype.RC

A Star Is Born
Chiara Civello is a new musical force to be reckoned with and her debut CD is a must have for those who want to get on this bandwagon early. Though some reviewers want to compare her to others, the wondrous thing about Chiara is that her voice and her talents are unique. Her songs, most of which she's written herself, are a beautiful mix of jazz and pop with an international flavor that demands serious attention. Her voice is strong, beautiful and her styling lyrical and unpretentious. I have been lucky enough to see her perform in small clubs a couple of times and she is dynamite in person! The best part is that she is only just getting started and you sense that the best is yet to come. Don't miss this CD! ... Read more

Amazon.com

That's her real name and this is her real voice, as fresh and sweet asthe darling buds of May--but never cloying or precious.Fittingly, there's abright, springtime theme running through this record, which includes "ItMight as Well Be Spring," "A Fine Spring Morning," and the CDbonus track "They Say It's Spring."And since Ms. Dearie had recentlyreturned from a few years in France in 1956 when she recorded this, her firstU.S. album, there are also some chansons in zee language of love:"Comment Allez Vous," "Tout Doucement," and theaforementioned "It Might As Well Be Printemps."The only thingmissing is "April in Paris."Dearie accompanies herself on piano,with Ray Brown (bass) and Jo Jones (drums)--and on some tracks a six-voicechorus.If Chet Baker and Betty Boop had a baby, she'd be Blossom Dearie--andthis first-rate album catches her in the springtime of her career. --JimEmerson ... Read more

Reviews (15)

YOU NEVER HEARD OF BLOSSOM DEARIE???
Since the first days of late night talk shows, i.e., The Jack Parr Show, the name of Blossom Dearie has been dear to the hearts of all those who love a great piano, plus a great winning jazzy little voice. Jack Parr used to feature her on his show as often as she was in New York...not trotting around Paris or Australia.

Blossom Dearie used to record, I believe, on her own label and you had to order her records from her. I carried that address around for years and never had the money to order an album. I was in a music store a couple of years ago, and everyone heard me scream, BLOSSOM DEARIE!!! My husband came running to see what all the fuss was about...I had found my first Dearie album in the remainder bin.

We love her voice, the piano (which was how she started out...like Nina Simon...as a child prodigy pianist) is great and oh so original. We listen to this CD, Blossom Dearie Verve, Jazz Masters 51, so often, it's a wonder it isn't worn out. My favorites...Little Jazz Bird, Rhode Island is Famous for You (if you like puns, as I do, this is definitely for you!) and Someone to Watch Over Me. But then, I like all the songs she sings. Blossom makes you want to listen, sing along and dance all at the same time. If you like good music, good jazz and an endearing voice on albums that have chosen the all time favorites, you have to have the Jazz Masters 51 Blossom Dearie.

I can't think of anything else to say...except we have loved her music for about 40 years and are glad that she is being heard and enjoyed by so many new listeners. Blossom Dearie never goes out of style!

A GREAT debut!!!
This is the first in a long line of wonderful albums Blossom Dearie cut for Verve; like many of her later albums it features her on vocals & piano with a swingin' small group (Ray Brown on bass, Jo Jones on drums, and Herb Ellis on guitar); four tracks also add a vocal chorus(which in only on the extra bonus tracks, not on the original LP release). The album is winsome & bright, and is consistantly enjoyable (some of the many highlights are a fine "Lover Man" and a hilarious "A Fine Spring Morning"); an enjoyable sung in French ("Comment Allez Vous", "It Might as Well Be Spring" & "Tout Doucement"), and her pronunciation is exellent: in fact Blossom Dearie's perfect diction is a highlight throughout. Every track a gem. A must buy.

This is a WONDERFUL, album: after you purchase this you might want to also explore another fine Dearie album_Once upon a Summertime_, with its classic readings of "Manhattan" & "Tea for Two".

Come discover this enchanting jazz vocalist
If you're of generation-X, you may already be familiar with Blossom Dearie's whispery, gentle, almost childlike voice from her vocals on SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK (she sang "Unpack Your Adjectives" and "Figure Eight). I encourage you to pick up this album, her first released one, and find out what an incredible talent is, both at the mic and at the piano.

This is my personal favorite of her albums. The standards all swing gently, and Blossom adds a delicate sense of humor to many of the tunes, especially the playful "Everything I've Got." Other up-tempo stand-outs are "'Deed I Do," "I Hear Music," "You for Me," and my favorite from the whole album, the teasing "I Won't Dance." But she also slows it down in a beautiful rendition of "Loverman" and croons gentle on "Fine Spring Morning." She doesn't sing at all on "More Than You Know," but shows off her piano playing skills. On the bonus tracks, she gets sassy with "Blossom's Blues," and lets a six part vocal group tear into the bouncy "Johnny One Note."

This is a great introduction to this singularly talented woman (who still sings today, and still sounds great.) Pick it up, and you'll soon want all her albums.

Dorris Day with a Soul
Doris Day was never cool. She had a "pleasant" voice that could ring sweet, but Blossom Dearie's light touch seduces her listeners without one ounce of saccharine. Her honest, unpretentious phrasing puts a huge grin on my face every time I hear her. She makes me feel as if I can sing freely myself through the imagination and the innocence of a child. I love her. She changes my mood without any drama. She interprets lyrics like a cool mom who knows the importance of fresh cookies and milk. Where have you been hiding Blossom?

The sexiest thing I've ever heard
Blossom Dearie's "It Might as Well be Spring", sung in French, is without doubt the sexiest thing I have ever heard. Misty, romantic, drenched in ennui and melancholy, but a light touch maintained with that clear, pure voice. It makes me go weak at the knees. Like Billie Holliday only optimistic. Blossom can carry a torch, but make it seem like a light burden she might toss away on a whim. Jazz fans, get this. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Including Sinatra's finest recordings from the most consistently accomplished era of his career, The Capitol Years includes three discs and 75 songs worth of swinging standards and bittersweet saloon pop, the music Sinatra made after his career and personal life had crashed and singing was all he had left. His masterful baritone and remarkable phrasing here work in perfect combination with arrangements that swing and swell to the heartbeat of loves lost and found. It is these performances for which Sinatra will be forever remembered, for surely, no one has ever created music more beautiful than this. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (25)

For the Frank fan who owns all the albums
The problem with compilations is that they aim to please two different crowds: 1) the listener who wants a good introduction to the artist, including the big hits, and 2) the listener who owns just about everything the artist recorded, but is still searching for rare takes or unreleased items. This set is better suited to the second of the two. If you're just beginning to get into Sinatra's music, I suggest that you buy the great albums--"Songs for Swingin' Lovers" and "Only the Lonely" are a good start. Some of the songs from those albums are included here, but not always the best ones, and certainly not enough of them. The great singles like "Young at Heart" and "All the Way" are also here. But less essential tunes like "Our Town" and "Don't Like Goodbyes" might turn off a new Frank fan--and that's the last thing we want! There are some great rarities in this set--the first take of "One For My Baby" (with piano only, and probably the best version), "Here Goes" (a real swinger), and "I Couldn't Care Less." This set was released before Capitol got around to re-issuing all of the albums in the "Concepts" box set. So the albums which hadn't been re-released are given more consideration--there are so many tracks from the great "A Swingin' Affair" album, you might as well just buy the whole thing. Unless you're a big-time Sinatra collector, I would buy the original albums, and experience the thrill which people had when they first came out in the '50s.

GREAT INTRO TO THE UNTOUCHABLE MR SINATRA!!!!
First things first.No one can touch the incredible artistry of Mr. Sinatra performing the greatest 20th century popular songs with the greatest arrangers.This 3-CD set is a fine intro,but just that,an intro.Believe it,there is something here for everyone.If you know just a few of Frank's later (late 60's on) recordings,after hearing this compilation,you will get a great music/song education.True a handful here,I don't care for.But..."Young at Heart","Put Your Dreams Away","Only the Lonely",and "One for My Baby (a new version here) are among the most exquisite ballads ever recorded. Even better are "I'm a Fool To Want You","Here's that Rainy Day",and "Angel Eyes",which become even more mind-blowing over the years.(There are many others which are not even on this set!). On the super charged swinging side "I've Got You Under My Skin" (obviously),the original incredible,and to me,only real Frank (or anyone else!) version.The blaring trumpet chorus of "The Song is You" is necessary for late night driving,"Just in Time",and "Come Fly with Me" Ditto!!!Check out "Here Goes",another thunping rouser,never even released before this set was issued! The swing version of "Night and Day","Lonesome Road",and "If I Had You" are also true classics.Given that the Chairman must have at least 500 classic individual recordings over 55 years,to get several dozen in one small collection is a treat.Even more amazing is the phenomenal amount on other Frank albums...Truly,his period between 1953-1967 is his best,and this CD covers some of the best of the 1953-1960 period.One more thing.These songs never get dated!!!

The Capitol Years
Frank Sinatra is one of the finest vocalists of the 20th century. In fact one could put him in a very selct company, e.g., David Gahan, Elvis Presley and possible Pat Boone. The melodies are amazing in theitr complexity and the lyrics are witty and smart; and not meaningless like many song seem as of late. Highly Recommended.

Hard To Be Critical, But ....
In a span of five years [1990-1995] Capitol/EMI chose to honour their most illustrious male singer with not one, but two multi-CD sets. Unfortunately, both of them ]the other is the 2-CD set Sinatra 80th - All The Best] contain essentially the same selections. In fact, not counting the very expensive box set, nothing released by Capitol has contained some 12 bona fide hit singles.

These are: Fairy Tale [the flip of Same Old Saturday Night and a # 13 on its own]; the double-sided 1956 hit Flowers Mean Forgiveness [# 21] and You'll Get Yours [# 67]; Five Hundred Guys [the flip of (How Little It Matters) How Little we Know and a # 73 on its own]; Johnny Concho Theme (Wait For Me) b/o You're Sensational and a # 75 in 1956; Your Love For Me [which backed Can I Steal A Little Love and reached # 60 early in 1957]; the 1957 double-sided hit Crazy Love [# 60] and So Long, My Love [# 74]; You're Cheatin' Yourself (If You're Cheatin' On Me), which reached # 25 in 1957; Mr. Success [# 41 in 1958]; Talk To Me [# 38 in 1959]; River, Stay 'Way From My Door [# 82 in 1960]; and Ol' MacDonald [# 25 in 1960].

Trying to find them in a quality CD is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. So, with an added six tracks [perhaps some of the B-sides], wouldn't these make a dandy CD under the title "Long Lost Hits Of ...?"

In the meantime, this is the one you want in order to get most of the other Capitol hits, complete with a 68-page booklet containing liner notes by daughter Nancy [The Legacy - 8 pages], Pete Kline [The Capitol Years - 15 pages], and Will Friedwald [The Legend - 4 pages], a complete discography of the contents, a listing of his albums by Nancy, and track-by-track notes by Pete Kline and Ric Ross [12 pages], in addition to numerous photographs.

The AAD sound quality is excellent.

An almost perfect introduction to Sinatra
Although the casual fan may be disappointed to find Sinatra's familiar hits from the 1960s missing from this marvelous set, this actually represents Sinatra at his very best. Although Frank had become a huge popular success in the 1940s, very little of his work from that period remains especially listenable. Although he possessed a marvelous tenor voice, the arrangements and the songs themselves frequently left more than a little to be desired. In the 1950s, however, a number of factors coalesced to bring about a string of the finest popular vocal albums in American history. First, record technology developed to where the LP became the new standard for musical distribution. This allowed the grouping of a number of songs on a single disc, and Sinatra responded with a succession of superb songs grouped loosely around a theme. Second, Sinatra signed with Capitol records where he worked with a number of superb producers, especially Nelson Riddle. Bringing Sinatra's voice fully to the front of the production, the arrangements kept the orchestra completely in the background, supporting and enhancing Sinatra's singing in spectacular fashion. Third, Sinatra finally overcame some serious vocal problems that perhaps could have threatened his singing career. After healing, he lost a bit off the top of his range, but his voice became much darker and more expressive, more of a tenor with baritone overtones instead of a pure tenor. The result was one of the great periods, if not the greatest, that any popular singer has ever known.

Anyone interested in popular music ought to own some portion of these great Capitol recordings. One way--and the best way--is simply to buy every one of the Capitol albums that Sinatra did. They are all superb, but getting them all can become a tad expensive. The other way would be to get this utterly superb excellent anthology of Sinatra's Capitol recordings. It isn't perfect. Some songs are inexplicably missing. For instance, one of my favorite Sinatra songs, his extraordinary version of Cole Porter's "Just One of Those Things" (with one of the best arrangements of the period), somehow didn't make it into this collection. But as a healthy sampling of the period, this set is really hard to beat: enough selections to give you a truly representative overview of Sinatra's greatest period, but not so much as to overwhelm someone who is only wanting to get just one Sinatra album.

The album is also fascinating for being able to track the development in studio technology in the 1950s. By the end of the fifties, sonically recording came up to a level that isn't appreciably behind where it stands today. Any good recording from 1958 sounds pretty much as good as any recording from 2003. But the same wasn't true of 1952, and the earliest songs in this collection aren't quite as sharp and vivid as the later cuts. Also, on some of Sinatra's high notes, some of the treble gets cut out on the earlier recordings. I wasn't alive at the time, but having heard my grandfather's records from the thirties and forties and my father's from the fifties reveals that it had to be an exhilarating period for the lover of recorded music. Sinatra clearly was one of the first to benefit from these dramatic improvements in technology.

In short, this is glorious music produced by the finest vocal stylist the United States has ever produced. I would especially recommend it to anyone who finds Sinatra's Rat Pack and post-Rat Pack years to be somewhat off-putting. By the end of the sixties his voice started losing more and more of its range and timbre, but here we have Sinatra at the top of his vocal prowess working with producers and arrangers perfectly attune to his skills. ... Read more

Amazon.com's Best of 2001

Retro darling of the jazz vocal, Jane Monheitappears with her sophomore effort, Come Dream with Me, followingthe splash of Never Never Land witha long-reaching ripple. At 23, Monheit is remarkably gifted not only ofvoice, but with lyrical interpretation and genuine feel for a song,singing, for example, the oft-recorded "Somewhere over the Rainbow"from inside the song, making it a thing of understated beauty, richpurity, and charming hopefulness. Pianist Kenny Barron reprises hisrole as swing-daddy pianist, while the remainder of the instrumentalensemble is made up of younger though no less able jazzbos. Largelythus far an interpreter of standards, with strong emphasis on theballad (stunningly lovely renditions of "Blame It on My Youth,""Something to Live For," and "I'm Through with Love"), Monheit alsotakes on the syrupy "If" from Bread's catalog, turning it to spuncaramel. And then there's the closer: from the highly favored Blue, a scrumptiousand sensual rendition of Joni Mitchell's "A Case of You." --Paige LaGrone ... Read more

Reviews (116)

Gee, I liked it....
I'm no jazz expert, as some reviewers seem to be, but I really enjoy Jane Monheit's music. She's very easy on the ears, and her tracks enable you to just sit back and listen (and listen and listen). My two Monheit CDs (the other is "Never Never Land") have been played more in the past two months than any CD I've ever owned. They don't get old, and to me that means a lot. I own an Ella Fitzgerald CD and the soundtrack from the PBS series "Jazz," and I can't sit through either one. I guess it's just a matter of taste when it all comes down to it.

I could do without "Over the Rainbow," because frankly, I don't like the song -- never have. I don't care who sings it. I could also do without the tiny track at the end of the CD of her singing "Rainbow" at age two or so, but hey, that's what the skip button is for on the CD player. No album has 100% satisfaction, but this one comes darn close. Most important, though, is that I'll be looking forward to her future releases.

Listen to the samples and make up your own mind.

Base your reviews on whether or not she can sing.
I fail to see why beauty and age should be factors in a review of any singer. Billie Holiday and Carmen Mcrae were not too hard on the eyes either, and they are legends of vocal jazz. Jane has a beautiful and very emotive voice. She has great phrasing and a stellar group of musicians accompanying her. Personally, I like my singers to be a little more bluesy and rough around the edges. Give me Cassandra Wilson (another beautiful woman), the late great Terri Thornton, or even the sweet and sassy relaxed vocals of Shirley Horn anyday. But I have no problem giving my kudos to Jane Monheit. A Case of You is one of my favourite Joni Mitchell songs, and I doff my hat to Jane's rendition. Diana Krall faced the same criticism that she was too young and good looking to be talented. Listen to the cd, if that voice of liquid honey backed by the great Kenny Barron, among others, does not move you , check for a pulse.

Not for people who are jazz fans
Ms. Monheit is a talented singer but one who doesn't understand the first thing about jazz phrasing and improvisation. I'm not a big fan of her singing style, but some may like it. At any rate, she's not a "JAZZ" singer.

A Very young girl with a very young voice
I cannot believe what comes out of Hollywood these days. This girl has NO life experience, and it shows in her singing. There is no depth of feeling -AT ALL - this is simply a young girl who has thought to herself "I can sing like that" but doesn't have the wisdom of years to come through with a truly moving performance. As for her voice, she has one nice quality, her ability to slide between notes. Other than that, her low voice is dimensionless, her high voice is thin, and she does weird things with her voice that restrict her vibrato, probably thinks it's hip or something. Every time she tries to add fullness to her voice on "Something to Live For", she just goes flat. One or two times I actually even heard her slide flat when she was trying to make her voice sound older. The producer needs to give this girl some time in the real world to have a life, number one, and let her voice finish maturing, number two. Then she might have something that would be truly remarkable, in maybe 10 or 15 years.

Awesome Jazz Vocalist
I absolutely love this album and every song on it. This is by far some of her best work. Clean, clear, and crisp vocals throughout every song surround your senses. You can hear and feel the passion in her voice.

A true professional, Ms. Monheit delivers a classic jazz album in only her second try. ... Read more

Album Description

On this album the singer, songwriter embraces the history of Jazz, Gospel, and R&B. Her collaborations with some of the most gifted artists already have this record tagged as one of the most original albums of the year. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Recorded in the spring of 2004, Live: A Fortnight in France presents Barber in ideal conditions, playing to responsive audiences with musicians she's toured with steadily since 2002's Verse. It's a typical Barber program, split between her own songs--there are two new ones here, the opening "Gotcha" and "Whiteworld," with a mordant irony all their own--and covers that add fresh dimension to the familiar, like "Blue Prelude" and the languid "Call Me." There's a riveting presence to Barber's voice, an emotional directness that resonates with the playful creativity of her lyrics--"call me a doctor, or a structural engineer," she sings on "Pieces"; "your edifice is starting to crack and peel," on "Gotcha." As a pianist, Barber fuses with guitarist Neil Alger, bassist Michael Arnapol, and drummer Eric Montzka into a tight-knit band that can stretch from the dissonant "Crash" to the consummate swing of "Witchcraft." --Stuart Broomer ... Read more