Jazz Articles about Various Artists

Various Artists: Chicago in Mind

by Ed Kopp
December 1, 2000

Chicago is best known for the electric blues style that arose there during the 1940s and continues to thrive today. Less celebrated is an earlier form of Chicago blues that originated in the 1920s. This acoustic style achieved great popularity during the Depression years when Southern blacks flocked to Chicago seeking jobs in the city’s factories, stockyards and slaughterhouses. (Chicago’s slaughterhouses have long been alluded to in blues songs. Think of how frequently you’ve heard the term “killing floor" in ...

Various Artists: Ambient Landscapes

by AAJ Staff
December 1, 2000

So far, 2000 has been an exceptional year for ambient music. The new releases that have come across my listening device have been filled with interesting sounds and evocative sonic passages. This compilation from Stephen Philips' “Dark Duck" label is an example of the high class of 2000.

Remember, new readers and listeners, that “ambient" can't be judged by the standards you use for either popular or classical music. Someone used to “mainstream" music will say, “Ambient DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE!" ...

Various Artists: Weightless, Effortless

by John W. Patterson
November 1, 2000

This is one of the better collections of electronic ambient, atmospherica, and mood-altering pieces. Nine morphs offer glimpses into the creative woodshedding by the likes of Keller, Johnson, DeBenedictus, Ma Ja Le, Modell, Fulton, Nerell, Fraser, and Steve ‘the legend” Roach. (Roach is everywhere anything ambient goes down! Ever notice that?)Ambience tripping herein doth vary from bizarre excursions into unsettling dimensions next door to peaceful drool-worthy dronings that decimate all conscious thought. Otherworldly, manipulated noise, wordless digital vox, ...

Various Artists: David X. Young's Jazz Loft

by David Adler
November 1, 2000

From 1954 to 1965, David X. Young, a painter and jazz aficionado who is still very much alive, turned his studio in New York’s flower district into an oasis for some of the greatest jazz players of the era. The space became known to history as the “Jazz Loft," where countless jam sessions transpired and a very special scene took root. This two-disc package from Jazz Magnet Records unearths some of the music that went down at Young’s place. The ...

Various Artists: The Ambient Eclipse

by Michael Askounes
October 1, 2000

After listening to a few ambient recordings and reviewing them, I’ve noticed one glaring problem with the whole ambient genre. It’s not that the music isn’t relaxing – on the contrary, the feeling I have after listening to The Ambient Eclipse is one that I imagine would be akin to taking a bath in a pool of Novocain. This music is so soothing that it could probably calm down Bill Clinton at an intern convention. So as far as having ...

Various Artists: Whole Lotta Blues: Songs of Led Zeppelin

by Ronan Abayawickrema
October 1, 2000

Sporting a truly hideous cover, Whole Lotta Blues: Songs of Led Zeppelin is a compilation of songs written or popularized by the British rock band performed by contemporary bluesmen. It's an intriguing concept that should hold particular interest for the many rock fans, including me, who discovered the blues through Led Zeppelin (you know the sort of thing: 'What? Zep didn't write “Whole Lotta Love"? Well, who did?') In fact, the album includes four of the classic blues tunes that ...

Various Artists: Select Riverside and Contemporary 20-Bit Reissues

by C. Andrew Hovan
October 1, 2000

To compliment their other series of 20-bit remasters, namely the 50th Anniversary collection and titles from the Creedance Clearwater Revival catalog, Fantasy has just added a new set of recordings done in similar limited edition fashion and selected from the Riverside and Contemporary catalogs. Pressed in quantities of 10,000, these titles have been mastered under the supervision of JVC Studio’s Tamaki Beck and they utilize the 20-bit K2 Super Coding System. Unlike a parallel series in Japan utilizing this process ...