Jazz Articles about Van Morrison

Van Morrison: The Essential Van Morrison

by Nenad Georgievski
September 19, 2015

Here is a compilation that truly lives up to its name--a generous collection of 37 singer Van Morrison's classic gems, covering a period of several decades of immense creativity and musical journey, from his earliest classics with the band Them up until songs from his later recordings like Magic Time and Pay the Devil. Blessed with an electrifying soulful and booming voice, deep, introspective and stream of consciousness sort of lyrics, Morrison is a living testament to a career wrought ...

Van Morrison at The Limerick Jazz Festival

by Ian Patterson
October 5, 2014

Van Morrison Limerick Jazz Festival University Concert Hall Limerick, Ireland September 25, 2014 Who would have thought that Van Morrison commands a following as loyal and dedicated as fans of the Grateful Dead? The tickets for the singer's concert in Limerick had sold out in an hour and a half, which must have been particularly satisfying for the organizers of the third Limerick Jazz Festival, but more remarkable were the pilgrimages people had ...

Van Morrison: Moondance Expanded

by Doug Collette
November 30, 2013

Described as classic by the artist himself, Van Morrison's Moondance is one of those albums that is nothing but a sublime pleasure to rediscover it via the expanded edition. In its remastered version, the polished perfection of the original ten collection of tracks heightens a delicate density that's further illuminated by hearing the outtakes, alternate versions and rehearsal sessions from which the beloved album was condensed. The relative simplicity of the material and its arrangement may be the ...

Van Morrison: Born to Sing: No Plan B

by Doug Collette
November 12, 2012

A propitious return to Blue Note Records, Born to Sing: No Plan B is one of the most inspired and accessible albums of singer/songwriter Van Morrison's storied career. It would not be appropriate or accurate to draw direct comparisons to Moondance (Warner Bros., 1970), His Band & The Street Choir (Warner Bros., 1970) or Tupelo Honey (Warner Bros., 1971), but it is fair to say this is comparable work, albeit in a more mature musical and emotional context.In ...

Van Morrison: Born to Sing - No Plan B

by C. Michael Bailey
October 30, 2012

When Ray Charles died in 2004, he left only one artist (two if you count Willie Nelson) with a comparable musical vision and depth and breadth of creative reach: Van Morrison. For 40 years, Morrison has surveyed the spectrum of American music, just as Charles had. Morrison passed blues, soul, R&B, rock, country, jazz and folk of the New World through an emerald prism that imparted each with his personal Irish quintessence. On Born to Sing--No Plan B, Morrison's 39th ...

Van Morrison Live At The Civic Theater

by Robert Bush
October 16, 2010

Van MorrisonCivic Theater San Diego, CA October 6, 2010 Talk about excitement in the air: after skipping San Diego for 37 years, Van Morrison staged a triumphant return on Wednesday night. The concert at the Civic Theater sold out almost instantly months ago. On the long walk into the venue, four or five different individuals made pleading queries of “extra ticket?" to no avail. The gathering audience were mostly in the “fifty-something" category--and ready ...

Van Morrison: Astral Weeks Live At The Hollywood Bowl

by Mike Perciaccante
February 24, 2009

Forty years after the release of his seminal work, Astral Weeks (Warner Brothers, 1968), Van Morrison decided that the time was right to play the entire album live. To recreate the record acknowledged by many critics as one of the best of all time, Morrison enlisted guitarist Jay Berliner (who played on the original album), many musicians he had worked with previously, and a full string section.

Recorded in early November, 2008, almost forty years to the date ...