Jazz Articles about Various Artists

Ultimate Cool & Sanctified: Two Blue Note Compilations

by Jim Santella
May 12, 2006

These two themed albums from Tower Records' “Exclusive CDs from Blue Note compilation series feature emotions at work. Not the kind of emotions that result in loud or piercing attacks, but the kind that mellow with age. No reason to hurry. No reason to push the music forcefully. Both albums present cool and comforting music from the chilled side of jazz history.

Various Artists Ultimate Cool Blue Note 2006

A fine selection of vocal ...

Blue Bossa Nova & Great Jazz Tenor Saxophone

by Jim Santella
May 5, 2006

Tenor saxophonists and bossa nova go together like coffee and cream. These two albums from Tower Records' “Exclusive CDs from Blue Note compilation series feature some of the best from both worlds in a salute to good jazz and to a highly enjoyable ensemble sound.

Various Artists Blue Bossa Nova Blue Note 2006

Jazz and bossa nova hooked up in the early 1960s to launch a wave that was felt ...

Great Jazz Piano & Great Jazz Organ

by Jim Santella
May 3, 2006

These two albums from Tower Records' “Exclusive CDs from Blue Note compilation series feature several of the greatest jazz pianists and organists at work with small ensemble sessions that include straight-ahead music from the past.

Various Artists Great Jazz Piano Blue Note 2006

As Art Tatum opens this compilation of jazz piano masterpieces with “Willow Weep for Me, we're disarmed by the intricate design of his interpretation. The piano's keys ...

Various Artists: Ziriguiboom: The Now Sound of Brazil 2

by Chris M. Slawecki
May 2, 2006

The music on this compilation is as mysterious, romantic, and fashionable as the continent from which it comes, a roadmap through Ziriguiboom's exotic Brazilian jungle overgrown with cross-pollinated classic and contemporary music; as the packaging says, “from electronic to bossa to samba soul.

Brazil 2 traverses three more or less equal, colorful territories: Traditional acoustic instrument-based vocal ballads presented by Bebel Gilberto, Cibelle, and Celco Fonseca; modern, electronic-based club music by DJ Dolores and the fun-loving Bossacucanova ...

Various Artists: Disney Bossa Nova

by Brad Glanden
April 27, 2006

The marriage of bossa nova--as joyous and life-affirming as music gets--to the catchy, unabashedly cheerful songs of Disney films would seem a logical pairing. Disney Bossa Nova, a compilation featuring an assemblage of Brazil's best known musical exports, still manages to exceed expectations with its tasteful arrangements and refreshingly understated production.

Do not allow the Disney tag to mislead you: this is not a children's recording, though it would be a fine way to familiarize kids with Brazilian music. It ...

Jazz Super Hits & Soul Party

by Jim Santella
April 22, 2006

These two albums from Tower Records' “Exclusive CDs from Blue Note compilation series feature classic jazz in a celebration of good music and how it makes us feel. It's uplifting. Each of these selected gems connects as the feeling goes right through us.

Various Artists Jazz Super Hits Blue Note 2006

John F. Kennedy and his family had us convinced that everything was looking up, so the years just before ...

Various Artists: Hugh Masekela Presents the Chisa Years 1965-76

by AAJ Staff
March 11, 2006

Following his departure from Johannesburg in 1961--around the same time that many other South African musicians put apartheid behind them--Hugh Masekela ensconced himself in New York and settled in to make a heap of recordings over the ensuing decades. Masekela, who first drew attention for his straight-ahead jazz playing, would eventually build an enormous American and international fan base through crossover music, as well as live performances like his appearance at the legendary 1967 Monterey Pop Festival along with Jimi ...