Jazz Articles about Various Artists

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Various Artists: 32 Gems from 32 Jazz

by AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003

In marking their third year on the independent label scene, 32 Jazz has put together an impressive three-disc compilation culled from their broad and well-researched library (which now contains the entire Muse/Landmark discography, as well as rare album and television productions by the likes of Judy Garland and Tom Jones). From Nat Adderly to Zoot Sims, this box has it all set! With an educational booklet which lists the catalog history of each selection, Gems includes a number of vocalized ...

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Various Artists: Jazz for...

by AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003

In this ever-burgeoning series of compilations, legendary producer-cum-label boss Joel Dorn leaves an inexpensive but no less luminescent light in the window for those of us who are lost in a sea of moods and music, looking for the right fit. From quiet times to rainy afternoons to top-down trips in the old jalopy (an old jalopy with a CD player, of course!), these practically-packaged chart-toppers pull from 32’s wide and impressive selection of jazz masters to provide a broad ...

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Various Artists: Talkin' Verve Groovy

by AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003

In a departure from the greater part of their popular introductory series “Talkin' Verve," legendary jazz label Verve Records has released this collection of '60s pop covers by some of their greatest jazz legends. Though all 16 tracks have been previously released on the label (proving their contention that “jazz didn't expose pop music in the sixties; it just covered it"), it is odd if not startling to hear some of the pairings reproduced on this collection.

For example, while ...

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Various Artists: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (OST)

by AAJ Staff
January 21, 2003

As a means of telling one of the most infamous stories of Savannah, Georgia, jazz student/director/actor Clint Eastwood has chosen the works of one of themost famous natives of this fabled southern city, Mr. Johnny Mercer. Not only have he and producer Matt Pierson picked some of the most beautiful and beloved selections of the Great American Songbook, but the pair have also enlisted some of the greatest musical talents to perform them. In addition to older masters such as ...

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Various Artists: Pure Jazz Encore

by AAJ Staff
January 17, 2003

Continuing the comprehensive education introduced with Pure Jazz, Verve Records has taken another dip into the cream of their collections for this broad and widely popular second helping. Opening with Nina Simone's haunting and somewhat ironic “Feeling Good," the album also vocalizes through the ages from Billie Holiday ("I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm") to Diana Krall ("Let’s Face the Music and Dance"). Instrumentals include Duke and Coltrane’s “Sentimental Mood" and “Killer Joe" by The Jazztet (featuring Benny ...

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Various Artists: Now This is What We Call The Blues Vol. 420

by C. Michael Bailey
December 26, 2002

...A Big Record Label with a Sense of Humor and a large stable of talented artists.

This disc sports the subtitle "13 Songs That Never Went Near A Chart". That is funny considering its antithetical attitude when compared to the popular NOW (That’s What I Call Music ) series (NOW up to its Volume 11). This is not Telarc Blues’s first compilation. Before NOW (Blues), the label released From Matrimony to Alimony: Blues for Good Love Gone Bad (Telarc Blues ...

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Various Artists: Swingin

by Stephen McGrath
December 13, 2002

Christmas brings us many delights, from holiday feasts to decorating the tree. One such delight is holiday music, a tradition almost every artist has embraced. The result runs the gamut from Nat King Cole's sublime “The Christmas Song”, to the strange, The Singing Dogs' “Jingle Bells”. Every year a new holiday album comes out, and this year is no different. Fortunately, the good people at Bluebird have released Swingin' Christmas Party, a compilation that takes us back to when swing ...