Album Description

Voice Lessons To Go! Volume 1Vocalize and Breath

Voice Lessons To Go!is a great way to get going on your singing voice.Whether just beginning or as an addition to the work you have done.Now there is no excuse not to practice and improve because this CD makes it so convenient and easy.

Vocalize and Breath is the first CD of the Voice Lessons To Go! series.It consists of a half hour of vocal warms ups, then fantastic breathing exercises, and finally excellent advice on posture and training.You will be guided through the exercises with vocal examples and piano accompaniment by Ariella Vaccarino an excellent experienced voice teacher and professional singer fromLos Angeles.Ariella's explanations are clear and easy to follow.

Developing your singing voice no longer has to be just for people trying to make a career with their voice, or those with disposable income who can afford private lessons.The weekly price for voice lessons averages $45-150 an hour depending on your city.

Who is this CD for?

Singers, Actors, Dancers-This is an inexpensive way for the struggling artist to get and keep their voices in shape.

Teenagers - Whether you are watching American Idol with pangs of desire to be on there,sing loudly along with your favorite pop stars, are trying out for the school musical, or dreaming of singing at the MET some day.

People who struggling singing- There are those out there who feel, (it could be true or not) that they can't sing and are embarassed when they have to be heard by others.This is an excellent private way to improve your singing with out having to deal with embarassment or shyness.This CD will increase your abilities and confidence.

Adults- Always singing in your car, shower,or doing Karaoke? -but just are not willing or able to shower yourself with private lessons yet. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

As good as they claim to be!
I read an article about these cds in the Beverly Press and bought them right up. They are both great. She explains everything very clearly- all of a sudden I was singing a voice lesson just like the professionals do. I am auditioning for my church choir this fall as a result of my new confidence!

Excellent, well done.
As a choral teacher I was apprehensive to approve these CDs since it is so hard to learn with out a live teacher. But they are great. Ariella Vaccarino knows what she is doing. She keeps the exercises and ranges general enough so that everyone can learn. I really love her second volume. It teaches some excellent musicianship skills.

a budget saver for me!
Excellent, excellent! I have both volumes. I am an actress who needs to sing at auditions every once in a while. I have a good voice naturally and needed a way to keep it in shape. Yey! This saves me so much money in private voice lessons!

I was apprehensive at first....
I thought, yeah, I am going to learn to sing from a CD. Well, a friend bought this this for me, p[artially as a joke because she knows my fear of singing. I didn't think anything of it. Then I was in traffic one day and bored out of my mind. So out I took this from the wrapper and glove compartment. All I have to say is that I am singing now everyday in the car. And I find my self humming all the time. I just bought the second volume, can't wait to get it.

My 14 year old daughter loves this
So my daughter Karen watches American Idol, and begs to go to every musical out there. We have a young broadway singer on our hands. I heard about these CDs off another site a while back and bought both of them for her birthday. She loves them, sings to them all the time. I'm happy to see them on here! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A Dance teachers opinion
Because the Waltz and the Fox Trot are the most popular of the standard ballroom dances I think this CD hits it right on the nose by featuring just these two. I've competed in ballroom dancing and am now teaching a beginning level class. The beats are easy to follow and pick-up on. The tempos are just right. The songs make it easy to get lost in your own little dancing world. I prefer to dance these two dances with songs that have lyrics (not just insturmental) and this CD provides that feature. Charming, and practical this CD is an excellant choice for your ballroom dancing CD collection.

I really like this CD! It's great for listening or dancing.
I just started dancing Smooth/Standard and this collection of songs were familiar favorites of mine from "easy listening" radio stations. The music is well-done and presents a nice mix of speeds for novice or expert dancers. I particularly enjoy the waltes.

Excellent for practicing Fox Trots and Waltzes
This CD is divided by dance. The first 9 pieces are Fox Trots and the next 6 are Waltzes. This set up allows for continuous practice of each of the two dances. The music and songs are performed by well known artists and are delightful to listen to. A must for your ballroom dance CD collection, regardless of your dancing ability.

A great collection of 8 Fox Trots, 7 Waltzes
A great collection to practice your steps and dance to. The CD is arranged with the first 8 songs as Fox Trots (most are slow, 30 bpm), including There Will Never be Another You (Andy Williams). The next 7 are Waltzes, including Charade (Andy Williams), and others from Englbert Humperdink and Henry Mancini. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Got me up and running
I'm an intermediate level bass player backing up a praise band at church and a company sponsored big band, but I'd never soloed or played a melody till I took a jazz class that used this book.

Melody lines in the tunes are very readable, even though I did not know most of the songs, and had never played any of them. Tempos are moderate for a productive learning experience--our jazz band performs "Impressions" a lot faster than Aebersold teaches it. And his improv technique got me up and playing pretty quickly. Now I know what in improv solo is and how to get there. It improved my backup skills as well, and overall improved my confidence to step out more even in the backup role. Had a great time, and I'm headed back for another class with another Aebersold book.

A First Class Learning Aid
This is a terrific purchase for intermediate level players. The selections are in relatively slow tempos and there is a wealth of information if you are a multi-instrumentalist. The CD recording is good and allows you to mute either the bass or piano acoompaniment as they are recorded on separate channels. There is a recommended discography for each track. My only criticism is that it would be better to have the tracks recorded twice, once with just piano,bass and drums (what you get now) and recorded again with a lead instrument playing the notated themes in the supplied booklet.

FABULOUS-
Professional backup for you to solo in whatever key- c, bflat, eflat, your instrument is in. really fun to improvise and learn the "art" of jazz. This is a must for anyone wanting to learn how jazz musicans improvise. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Worthless Calls
I bought this CD expecting to use it at my square dance club, but it was worthless. There is no explanation of the calls. I asked an experienced caller to listen to it and he could make no sense of it. The first 6 tracks do provide background music if you're satisfied with that, which I am not. I recommend you tell shoppers this CD can't be used for Western Square Dancing.

Not Western Square Dance
The music without calls (tracks 1 through 6) is good if you want background music for patter calling. The 7 through 12 tracks that have calling are not modern western square dancing calls. The calls are eastern square dance (barn dance) and not well suited to using the CD for modern Mainstream demonstration dancing in the absence of a caller. I find the first 6 music tracks useful (no calls), but have no use for the last 6 tracks.

You'll need a book!
This is a fun CD with calls on about half of the songs, but if you're not familiar with square dancing you'll need to supplement the CD with some kind of instruction book. The calls are more complicated than a novice (like me!) can easily figure out.

DISAPPOINTED
THE SELECTIONS FROM 1 - 7 WERE GOOD BUT THERE THE ONES WITHOUT CALLS. THE LAST SELECTIONS HAD CALLS BUT THE MUSIC IS SLOW AND DRAGING. I WISH THERE WERE CALLS ON SELECTIONS 1 - 7. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

For parties only.
Will be very good for parties where persons attending have little or no square dance training since movements are very limited and can be leart quickly. Not a CD for serious square dance beginners since not all the calls are those specified by Callerlab.

Good Square Dance Party Music
Calls were clear and easy to follow. Very good for private parties or professional square dancers alike.

Good for a Family (Beginner) Square Dance
Our homeschool group just had a successful Family Square Dance (beginners only) for all ages (school-age & adult) using only this CD and some in-person instructions taken pretty much directly off the CD insert. I played the "facilitator" (Slim does the actual "calling" and the music is fun)by introducing the song, reading some instructions from the insert and occassionally using our mike to voice over "more instructions" when things seemed to bog down - but for the most part we had a great time and couldn't have done it without this very inexpensive CD. Professional callers can be big bucks but if your group is beginner and you just want some good family fun this is your ticket! :-)

"No more tears" square dancing - introductory for K-5
What a relief this cd was in teaching square dance skills to kindergarten and first graders. Unlike other "easy" square dance albums for kids, it starts simple but zippy. I could get everyone to participate and beg for more! It was such a success, someone "borrowed" my cd, so I am ordering another. In fact, I'm ordering 3 to share with my colleagues. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

"Mr. Super Hip" is makes the whole CD worth it
Suffice it to say that this is an excellent tool for beginning improvisers. More experienced players who have a fondness for the seventies rock/Fender Rhodes sound will LOVE Mr. Super Hip. It's just cheesy enough to be cool, and this sus chord thing at the end of the form was so juicy it just about made me bang my head into a wall. Highly recommended for all beginners and anyone like me with an open mind toward the retro thing....

A Good Start
This CD provides a good start for people at the beginning of the journey that is jazz. It is a tool that is able to be used at both beginners level with the option of putting more complex scales over the top at a later stage. A very useful teaching aid and good to have a blow over when you find the time. A must get for all jazz teachers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Essential Took When It Comes To Learning To Hang...
Remember when you walked into your first Jam session (or perhaps you're still yet to) and you were simply baffled how the cats knew just about (if not every) tune thrown at them... and in any key called... and you were thinking, "Jeez, how the heck did they do that ?" Well, this book attempts to answer that question. The answer in a nutshell is that tunes tend to follow forms... certain changes, certain bridges, and tunes with the same changes as other tunes... if you know those forms, and someone calls a tune you don't know, you lean over, and the cat next to you says, "Oh, its just * * changes..." - - The leader counts, and everyone is amazed how you were able to play it on the spot.

If you're already to the point where you understand how to play tunes - - you know your II V progressions, can play Blues, Rhythm Changes, handle a fake book, or are well on your way to it, but find yourself struggling when tunes are called, this book is might be what you need. It will break you free of simply reading chords from the book, and get you seeing where things are going - - at which point, rather than learning one tune at a time, every tune you learn will be like learning a 100 others (of course, if you hang out at the same session long enough, you'll find out that everybody calls the (...) same dozen or so tunes week after week... so maybe you don't have to memorize the basic 100 or so anyway...)

Whatever the case, if you've ever found yourself sweating on a gig or at a session, this book might be just what the doctor ordered - - and even if you're like me, and have the memory retention of a pet rock... it'll still make it easier to follow the written changes when they're thrown at you... definitely an essential learning resource for the aspiring student of Jazz ! ... Read more

Album Description

A-Z of Opera is a 762-page, illustrated book, accompanied by two-and-a-half hours of opera's most glorious and moving moments on two CDs, and reflects the ever-growing Naxos catalog of recordings ranging from Monteverdi to the contemporary.A-Z of Opera provides a wide range of information on operas and their composers, from Handel's Rinaldo to Mozart's Die Zauberflote, and beyond.It features plot synopses, background details and cast lists for hundreds of operas including well-known standards as well as opera rarities.In addition, there is a wealth of information about all the great composers and a glossary of key musical and operatic terms. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

AN OPERA OPUS THAT'S A MUST!
Oh, such letter-perfect perfection! This marvel features a two-hour-plus showcase of well-known arias from "Cosi Fan Tuti," "Aida," "Carmen," "Madame Butterfly" and "The Barber of Seville." It also comes with a book --- 762 pages of remarkable facts, figures and illustrations.Encore!

The Best
This is, by far, the best introduction to opera on the market. It also contains some gem performances for anyone who already has a serious opera collection. Several tracks on this collection of mostly Eastern European singers rival those of their Western counterparts. This is a collection for EVERYONE - from the opera novice to the person who has long collected all the major Western stars. At this price, it's the best opera bargain in the world. GET IT NOW!!! Thank you, Naxos! I hope that some of these Eastern European singers at last get the attention they deserve.

Superb Modestly Priced Favorite Arias Collection!!!
I received this as my 20th birthday gift from my bestfriend and I was amazed at the quality and the content of this CD. Some of the arias which I am immensely fond of are included, i.e. "Habanera" from Bizet's "Carmen." And who would have guessed that the soprano on track 10 performing Queen of the Night's Aria from Mozart's "Die Zauberflote" was none other than Hellen Kwon? Amazing!

I really love this gift from my bestfriend for it was thoughtful and well, what can I say that this makes an excellant gift for opera neophytes (though I am not an opera neophyte).

The highlight of this CD is track 13, Rossini's "Largo al Factotum" from "The Barber of Seville." When I first heard this, I was contemplating to myself as to where have I heard this before. Then it hit me: Michigan J. Frog's signature tune! (In case people are wondering who on earth is Michigan J. Frog is, he is the Warner Brother's frog; the frog can be seen on WB network channel). I love this track! Buy this for yourself if not this makes a perfect gift for your opera neophyte friend(s)! This track brings joy and smiles on my face everytime I hear this piece!

Wonderful introduction to opera
More than just a promotional sampler, the Naxos (8.555037-38) contains not only 2 CDs crammed with 39 excerpts from that company's seemingly bottomless catalogue, but also a 762 page book. The text offers plot summaries of almost every important opera and many of far lesser renown (Delius' "The Magic Fountain," Mascagni's "Iris," for example), a brief biography of the composers, a glossary, and finally a discography. The recorded examples are in chronological order from Monteverdi to Korngold. The entries in the book, however, are in alphabetical order--so be careful to look for "Zauberflote," not "Magic Flute," and so on.

Of course, Big Names do not appear on many Naxos opera sets; but this set is an introduction to that vast area of culture and is meant to be an educational (and of course a promotional ) device. Nevertheless, many of the selections on the CDs are beautifully sung, a very few lack characterization (the arias from"Don Giovanni" and "Nozze di Figaro" for two). But at this incredibly low budget price, who can complain?

As soon as I saw what this set had to offer, I immediately ordered a copy as a seasonal gift for a friend who wants to "get into" opera. I could think of no better gift.

There is a sister set titled (8.555319-20) that uses the same format. There are 2 CDs with 36 selections from Gregorian Chant to Glass. The 562-page book gives us the major facts about "the Great Composers and Their Greatest Works, " a glossary, and a 45-page list of classical music heard in films. The discography is included in the composers section. Again, the value of this set as an educational tool is enormous and well worth the extremely low price Naxos is asking. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent learning tool - - Essential Jazz Form
As both a musician and a teacher, I've found myself going through two stages in life - - one getting annoyed with students who've spent a little too much time in those Aebersold play-a-longs and another, annoyed with musicians who *need* to get their hands on some of them and learn some Jazz essentials.

From a gigging perspective, beyond mastering the II V I progression there are three major Jazz forms that are essential to know before you hit the bandstand... major blues, minor blues and rhythm changes - - If you don't know how to play them by now, this book is an excellent starting point.

One of the great things about the minor blues is that there are so many ways of altering them and stretching them out... you can use substitute chords, passing chords, experiment with interesting colors and voicings... and eventually apply what you know to other tunes in minor keys. Fans of hard bop BETTER have them down solid... They also provide a great opportunity to practise your half diminished scales too... so if you need some schooling on the minor blues, this is definitely a nice place to start ! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Good, basic Spanish tutorial
I bought this CD so that I could brush up on my (limited) Spanish skills before a trip to Latin America. I listened to the CD while driving in my car, typically on my commute to work.

This CD was just what I needed and does a good job of getting through the basic Spanish vocabulary. It is on the "travelers" level...don't expect to become a fluent translator based on this CD....but that is not what the CD is about.

For absolute beginners only
If you have any knowledge of Spanish vocabulary, do not buy this CD. This is VERY VERY basic, with greetings (ola, como esta, buenos dias, etc), very simple phrases, very simple words. For someone who knows NO Spanish, this might be helpful, but not to anyone else. In addition, the CD is very short, and more than half of my CD skips, making it shorter still. I was very disappointed and feel I wasted my money.

Great for beginners
The CD starts out with just words, then it works into phrases by the end of the disk. The format is the following: English word/phrase, followed by the spanish translation, then a pause for you to repeat the spanish, then the spanish is repeated again for you to compare to.

I listen to this in the car, and usually learn a couple new phrases every day.

Awsome learning aid, great format, clearly spoken.
This CD travels with me from car to home to work. I enjoy the format and timing. I hope they followup with a quiz CD that says the word in spanish and allows you responce time, then immediately says the same spanish word and the english word and it is catagorized like this CD is. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Great trail songs.
This is a fun cd to listen to while travelling the Lewis and Clark trail. The songs really set the mood and make you feel like its 1804. I love the fiddlin tunes and Keith Bear as always is awesome ...

Corps of Discovery
This CD has music that sounds very much like the music that was played in early 1800's. Listening to this CD is like being on the expedition with Lewis & Clark. It has a large variety of music, from classical to Indian drums/singing, also fiddle like the one on the trail. This is my favorite music related to Lewis & Clark. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Sound Body, Sound Mind is a phenomenal experience. Dr. Andrew Weil, trailblazing pioneer in the field of integrative medicine and a bestselling author, teams with Anna Wise, a leading authority on brain waves and healing. Together with producer-composer Joshua Leeds, they collaborate on a peerless sound and healing experience. Utilizing psychoacoustics, the trio has created an hour of music chosen to enhance the listener's well-being and sense of health by specifically addressing brain waves. On disc 1 Dr. Weil guides the listener through a meditation followed by music based on the themes of Bach, Brahms, Mahler, and Mozart. Combined with healing sound frequencies, the overall effect facilitates the listener's experience of "the deep," an encounter of complete safety and harmony. The second disc is a fascinating discussion by the aforementioned trio on psychoacoustics and the making of the music. --Paige La Grone ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Peacefull sleep and a sense of how the body heals!
With pillows surrounding my body and my headphones on, I relaxed as my body drifted into an incredibly deep sleep. Never have I woken and felt quite so healed or refreshed. It was as if my spirit was vibrating at a new level within my body. It is hard to explain unless you have experienced this place of peace. I am an avid promoter of massage and natural healing. This to me is similar to a massage - but is a massage for the soul. As a child my mother often played classical music for me and swears by its calming effect. At college I often attended many concerts and always enjoyed the classical music the most. I recommend the CD version since Dr. Weil speaks for a few minutes and you may not want to listen to this each time. It is easier to forward to the music. Sometimes I do listen to his voice since it is so calming and you cannot learn everything just listening once. I highly recommend this CD if you need physical or emotional healing. He is onto something and I know you will benefit from this relaxing retreat.

Healing sounds and music for a troubled time
I bought this CD in an effort to deal with my generalized anxiety. It is very effective at taking me into a deep state of relaxation that eludes me most of the time. As another reader stated, I, too, sleep really well on the nights I have used this tape a couple hours before bedtime. If you are someone who is searching for relief in these troubled times, this 1 hour of relaxation will prove invaluable to you. We all need to work on achieving peace in our individual lives, a revolution of calmness. It's not a cure for the world's troubles but rather it is a positive personal step at alleviating some of the stress we all feel.

Fantastic healing recording
I have tried several meditation recordings but this one has been almost scary(in a good way) how it has affected me. For the first time in my meditations, I have seen colors while my eyes were closed while listening to this. I have to calm myself down in my meditative state because it is so beautiful. I have only had this CD a week and my cancer induced neuropathy has diminished significantly. I was only hoping to feel better mentally but I feel better physically in a significant way. I believe there is some form of healing taking place at least for me. All of this is accomplished with what sounds like ordinary classical music. Give this CD a try. I don't think you will be disappointed

Blissful, stress-free meditation
I had a difficult time allowing myself time to play this CD. I have only played Side One , 66 minutes long. It is the best thing that I have done for inner peace and physical alertness in a long time. I use it twice a week, once by lying on the couch on a weekend--turning off the telephone and the answering machine. The other time I play it just after I awaken in the morning, again on the weekend. I am astonished what I think about, what my subconscious brings forth, and how much better I feel.

A tool for healing
I started using this CD about 1 month prior to my surgery, in the hospital (ICU) and at home post-surgery. The music consistently helped me to relax and to trust that my body was capable of healing itself. The CD made a HUGE difference in the quality of my experience post -surgery. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

You Better Git To This ! ! !
Different towns have different Jam Session standards that you're sort of expected to be able to handle (or get off the bandstand.) In my home town OLEO, (an uptempo Rhythm Changes usually in Bb) is definitely one of them. What I like about this volume is that it actually has the hipper chromatic style Rhythm Changes, not just the I VI II V turn back ad infinim.

The inclusion of two different blues and funky Rollins style tunes like Airgin and St. Thomas obviously make this a good work out... and I do say funky... because its a pretty cookin' rhythm section that should offer either delightful accompaniment or a nice challenge featuring Dan Haerle on Piano, Rufus Reid on Bass and Johnathan Higgins on drums. - - One tip for players of all instruments I'd offer incidentally is to listen to Rufus Reid's basslines... he's playing some hip changes - - if you have any means, regardless of your instrument try to slow it down and transcribe it then key in on Haerle's comping... they're playing hipper changes that you're not necessarily going to get from the book - - if you can understand them, you'll really find yourself taking off.

Final word : If you are tempted to use these CDs on a bandstand instead of hiring real musicians, you're probably the type of person who likes to break wind in the bathtub and pop the bubbles for fun. Knock it off... 'K ? .... and tell everyone else to as well... ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great Resource for Aspiring Jazz Students...
The Aebersold Play-A-Longs are a great and safe part to beging to put all that "theory" to practise.

If you've reached the point where you're ready to start applying all those scales, chords and patterns, want tunes that are fun to play, hip enough to add to your reprotoire, but not discouragingly difficult, this volume is on the money.

In addition to the melody and the chords, the play-a-long book also has the scales that go with the chords, and additional information on how to tackle the tunes. - - The only criticism I have of the Aebersold method is that it puts too much emphasis on modes and scales and not enough on linear harmony (deriving melodies directly from chords, and approaching the notes through the changes), however, this is the trend of modern Jazz education.

If you still need to learn the rudiments, earlier volumes of this series offer help, and I highly reccomend books such as Jimmy Amadea's Harmonic Foundations for Jazz and Pop, and Marc Levine's Jazz Theory and Jazz Piano books. ... Read more