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Various Artists: Swedish Songbirds
by Mark Sabbatini
Full-price sampler albums tend to be unsatisfying, sort of like paying for a catalogue. Too many labels sell them at deep discounts, give them away with other CDs, and/or offer comparable collections on the web. The song selection is also usually less than spectacular, designed to appeal to as many potential customers--and offend as few--as possible. ...
Various Artists: BBC Jazz Awards 2006
by Chris May
As a boy, I was told that wedding reports in our local newspaper generally concluded with the remark that the nuptial gifts were “both numerous and costly." A similarly de rigueur riff accompanies the publication of lists of awards nominations today, with “both varied and of a very high standard" the preferred epithet. Sometimes the claim ...
Various Artists: Downbeat The Ruler: Killer Instrumentals from Studio One
by Norman Weinstein
If a reggae instrumental compilation seems rather out of place in the context of a jazz site, rest assured that many of the players on these eighteen selections were or are major Jamaican jazz players. In a just world, their fame would be taken for granted in both jazz and reggae contexts. In our imperfect world, ...
Various Artists: The Rough Guide To Planet Rock
by AAJ Staff
Here's an interesting first: after a long string of successful compilations in the Rough Guide world music series, one that actually falls flat. The subject matter could not be broader--there is probably no single international genre as enormous and diverse as rock. So what went wrong? Johannes Heretsch, the veteran DJ and Berlin radio host who ...
Various Artists: Atlas Jazz Explosion
by David Rickert
Rhythm & blues was a powerful musical force in the '50s, influencing the direction that many jazz musicians followed and paving the way for rock and roll. There was quite a market for R&B 45s, and small labels featuring eager young unknowns were able to carve out a niche in at least some jukeboxes. Many of ...
Various Artists: Freedom of the City 2005
by Francis Lo Kee
As stated in the liner notes to the first set with this title, “The Freedom of the City festival was set up as an annual event [starting in 2001], in order to showcase the phenomenal London improvised music scene. Though this recording was made in just one day (May 1, 2005), it contains ...
Blues In The Pocket & Blue Funk
by Jim Santella
These two albums from Tower Records' “Exclusive CDs from Blue Note compilation series feature the kind of blues feeling that should not be overlooked by any generation. The music world has many creative artists who approach a performance as a daring feat that requires the technique of a wizard and a similar degree of stamina to ...
Various Artists: The Royal Dan: A Tribute
by John Kelman
Donald Fagen and Walter Becker--better known as Steely Dan--have an uncanny ability to adopt a perfectionist approach and yet create deeply resonant music, despite the hundreds of hours spent honing it. Filled with memorable melodies, infectious grooves and no shortage of jazz harmonies, Dan is the perfect crossover band. Over the years it's provided grist for ...
Ultimate Cool & Sanctified: Two Blue Note Compilations
by Jim Santella
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 ...
Blue Bossa Nova & Great Jazz Tenor Saxophone
by Jim Santella
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 ...
