Jazz Articles about Various Artists

Various Artists: Doom & Gloom. Early Songs Of Angst & Disaster 1927-1945

by Nic Jones
May 27, 2008

We might be living in troubled times but this compilation proves they're not unprecedented. Every misery is covered here, ranging from the wrath of nature to the eclipse of humanity's highest practical achievements, with a side order of war and conflict thrown in for good measure.

The thematic approach means the music straddles the racial divide; what unites the two is the theme of misery. Thus, both Blind Willie Johnson's “God Moved On The Water" and the Cofer Brothers' “The ...

Various Artists: Miles From India

by Jeff Stockton
May 3, 2008

Miles Davis' electric period is his most controversial among critics and most divisive among listeners. Since Sony started reissuing complete session box sets (2001's In a Silent Way, 1998's Bitches Brew, 2003's Jack Johnson), however, reassessment and reconsideration have helped to broaden the respect and enjoyment of the originals. By the time of 2007's Complete On the Corner Sessions, the Davis band's character had become defined by Michael Henderson's non-jazz, steady bottom-heavy bass and psychedelic Hendrix-influenced guitar from Dave Creamer, ...

Various Artists: Brazil Classics at 20: Anti-Aging Solutions Revealed

by Greg Camphire
March 25, 2008

Following the release of its seventh installment, What's Happening in Pernambuco, Luaka Bop's Brazil Classics is celebrating its 20th anniversary with the series-spanning Brazil Classics at 20: Anti-Aging Solutions Revealed. Cherry-picked from previous editions, the tracks feature folkloric street samba alongside rural forró and eclectic, post-rock tropicalia, with pop superstars like Jorge Ben and Gilberto Gil as well as country troubadour Luiz Gonzaga and the uncategorizable experimentalist Tom Zé.

Ben's “Ponta De Lanca Africano (Umbabarauma)" launches the choice selections with ...

Various Artists: People Take Warning! Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs, 1913-1938

by David Rickert
February 20, 2008

Ever since the Titanic sunk we have been fascinated by this disaster, memorializing it in several books, television shows, and movies. But long before Leonardo DiCaprio was born, the earliest pioneers of records were cutting musical eulogies to the passengers of the ship. These balladeers were the tabloid writers of the day, often stretching the truth for dramatic effect, but who cared? What mattered was the emotional content of the song, and if a message about the hubris of man ...

Various Artists: Brazil Classics 7: What's Happening in Pernambuco - New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast

by Greg Camphire
February 9, 2008

Exemplifying a true melting pot aesthetic, Brazilian music has always been comprised of diverse ingredients. From the first Portuguese settlers and their African slaves mixing it up with the Native Americans, through the continual influx of immigrants from around the world, Brazil's musicians have always been adept at expressing omnivorous tastes and integrating every flavor of spice they've encountered. Documenting the turn of the 21st century, Luaka Bop's What's Happening in Pernambuco: New Sounds of the Brazilian Northeast, brings adventurous ...

Various Artists: Christmas With the Jazz Legends, Vol. 2

by Ken Dryden
December 22, 2007

Lone Hill Jazz is best known for their straight reissues of long unavailable, valuable jazz sessions. But this anthology is a messy hodge-podge of holiday songs, ranging from legitimate jazz instrumentals and vocals, to crossover vocals awash in strings and vocalists who are well outside of jazz.

There are some memorable diamonds mixed in with the obvious coal. Billie Holiday's swinging “I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm, not necessarily a piece one thinks of as a ...

Various Artists: The War-Deluxe Edition: Soundtrack and Music From the Second World War

by David Rickert
December 13, 2007

Those who hadn't given up on Ken Burns after watching Jazz may have caught his documentary The War (2007), which chronicled the Greatest Generation's experience in World War II. Of course the related products also hit the stores, and you can purchase related books and CDs, either singly or in deluxe editions.

The soundtrack to The War starts off strongly with a piece of patriotism from Norah Jones. Her intimate piano rendition is perfectly suited to ...