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Results for "Mark Sabbatini"
John Dworkin: Short Story
by Mark Sabbatini
Listening to guitarist John Dworkin's debut album stirs feelings similar to how a teacher must feel reading a term paper by an honors student: a genuine appreciation for their craft, with a hint of regret knowing they'll be outdone by the valedictorian. Short Story mixes Montgomery/Metheny/Marsalis straight-ahead styles with a persistent touch of ...
Frank Sinatra: The Frank Sinatra Christmas Collection
by Mark Sabbatini
This album almost captures Frank Sinatra's career and Christmas day for many too well: a promising start sustains for a while before sagging and eventually collapsing as disappointing reality fails to meet anticipation. The Frank Sinatra Christmas Collection features 18 classic songs recorded between 1957 and 1991 for Reprise (a different set than his ...
Miles Electric: A Different Kind Of Blue
by Mark Sabbatini
Miles Davis Miles Electric: A Different Kind of Blue Eagle Rock Entertainment 83 minutes 2004 I hated Bitches Brew. A bunch of lengthy, rambling, ear-assailing nonsense by a legend too strung out to play well and was therefore suckering audiences with a so-called “new thing."
Ella & Basie '79: The Perfect Match
by Mark Sabbatini
Norman Granz' Jazz in Montreux Ella & Basie '79: The Perfect Match Eagle Rock Entertainment 64 minutes 2004 This disc is lucky to emerge from the flames of failed expectations and end up merely average. Ella & Basie '79: The Perfect Match is ...
The Claudia Quintet: I, Claudia
by Mark Sabbatini
Here's something I don't hear a lot of: avant-garde for people who appreciate music. There's a glut of albums with new concepts, daring or just flat-out madness, but 2004's I, Claudia by the Claudia Quintet is a rare disc where something more insightful is happening at the assembly line. Snippets of classical, world beats, ...
Ron Levy: Best of B-3 Organic Grooves
by Mark Sabbatini
Here's a tip: When offering newbies something pretty good, don't mess things up by highlighting what they're missing. To a newcomer to longtime organist Ron Levy, his Wild Kingdom's Best Of B-3 Organic Grooves comes across as a quality collection of funk/blues from four previous releases. But I found this part of its promotional text at ...
Jason Miles: Cozmopolitan
by Mark Sabbatini
An easy first impression upon listening to Cozmopolitan is that keyboardist Jason Miles is amazingly authentic in getting an impressive roster of players to relive their youth. Examining the linear notes reveals why--it was recorded 25 years ago. Miles recorded his first project as a leader in 1979 with musicians he continued playing with, ...
Mixtaper.com
by Mark Sabbatini
Sometimes it's a great thing getting a reminder of one's ignorance. Stumbling upon these user-created collections of free music downloads, usually compiled from different sites and grouped into virtual “albums," exposes an entirely new genre of site foreign to me despite years of scouring the Net for files. Maybe it's just associating the “mix" ...
Boy-Girl Band: Drop Your Leotards!
by Mark Sabbatini
This is one of those albums where one of the worst things to be said about it is it makes lousy background music. Boy-Girl Band is a Colorado-based quartet (two men, two women) whose name suggests they're part of some raging teeny-bopper trip-hop scene. It's actually a group of accomplished musicians whose debut album, ...
Grand Central: A Beautiful Friendship
by Mark Sabbatini
Wise beyond their years. It's a cliché and, egad, part of their PR for this album. But, hey, it's accurate. Grand Central's debut album A Beautiful Friendship features a young acoustic quartet playing “the essence of jazz" on a diverse set of originals and standards with a cohesion suggesting they've been at it for ...
