CD-Charts Position 151
Average Rating:

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The Royal Scam

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Steely Dan

Release Date April 24, 2000
That line from The Fez has always struck me as wonderfully cool. As a piece of music its pretty infectious too. 'The Royal Scam' is the fifth chapter in a line of impeccable albums from Steely Dan. I don't care how cynical Becker and Fagen were, how big their egos, or how much their 'bandmates' were pushed to the margins. They packed so much into forty minutes, from rock to funk to reggae influences, with jazz inflections and brass sections. The lyrics too are intriguing, often bizarre. I sometimes wonder if one day I'll get the joke.

Aside of 'The Fez,' the major highlights for me are 'Kid Charlemagne,' pretty obviously about someone who had it all, couched in the aura of a baseball star ('hit it long'), the disturbing, rock-oriented ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 152
Average Rating:

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Plays Count Basie

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Oscar Peterson

Release Date April 29, 2008
That line from The Fez has always struck me as wonderfully cool. As a piece of music its pretty infectious too. 'The Royal Scam' is the fifth chapter in a line of impeccable albums from Steely Dan. I don't care how cynical Becker and Fagen were, how big their egos, or how much their 'bandmates' were pushed to the margins. They packed so much into forty minutes, from rock to funk to reggae influences, with jazz inflections and brass sections. The lyrics too are intriguing, often bizarre. I sometimes wonder if one day I'll get the joke.

Aside of 'The Fez,' the major highlights for me are 'Kid Charlemagne,' pretty obviously about someone who had it all, couched in the aura of a baseball star ('hit it long'), the disturbing, rock-oriented ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 153
Average Rating:

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Amassakoul

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Tinariwen

Release Date February 23, 2004

You know what they say about art being born out of suffering - well, here you are!

From the southern reaches of the Sahara Desert (in Mali), from among the nomadic Tuareg tribes, a band of poets and minstrels have put down their guns and picked up electric guitars. And have poured the anguish and suffering of their people into their poetry and music. The result is Tinariwen.

A few years ago, I saw Tinariwen playing on Jules Holland's show and was dumbstruck! I'm afraid all the other guests on the show were instantly erased from my mind as these wonderful sounds and rythms swept into my ears. As soon as I possibly could, I went to my local music shop to order anything I could find by the group. And when Amassakoul arrived a week later, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 154
Average Rating:

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The Very Best of Smooth Jazz - UCJ

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Various Artists

Release Date June 24, 2002
it's not jazz.
I love every single song on these CDs and yes, as someone else pointed out, they are songs you'd recognise from films and adverts.
If you're a hardcore out and out jazz fan then this CD isn't really for you, but if you like easy listening jazzesque sounds then go for it, this CD is gorgeous.

CD-Charts Position 155
Average Rating:

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The Very Best Of Nina Simone Vol 2

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Nina Simone

Release Date December 04, 2006
Not as interesting as volume one but her voice makes it still worth listening too.

CD-Charts Position 156
Average Rating:

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Sleepless in Seattle Ost

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Original Soundtrack

Release Date January 13, 1997
I was about 15 when I wrote that so apologies are due as I seemed to be lacking in brain cells at that time although I stand by my statement that it's definetely worth dipping into your pockets for, whenever I'm bored of my other cds I put this back in the cd player and become content. The timelessness of most of these classics makes it a joy to listen to among my favourites is nat king coles stardust perfection. I'm also a sucker for joe cockers - bye bye blackbird. 'In the wee small hours of the morning' i do find to be somewhat tiresome and grating at times so possibly skip over that the odd times but other than that it's close to perfection. A fantastic soundtrack to accompany a personal fav film of mine.

CD-Charts Position 157
Average Rating:

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The Glory Of Gershwin

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Various Artists

Release Date June 01, 1998
This album is extremely enjoyable and contains some of the greatest music and best loved songs of the 20th Century. These are fine sensitive performances by well known artists. I can't add anything to the previous reviews except my endorsement - highly recommended, nuff said.

CD-Charts Position 158
Average Rating:

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A Strange Place for Snow

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Esbjörn Svensson Trio

Release Date March 01, 2008
If you're searching for pure trio Jazz, EST may not be what you're looking for. There are no gigantic solo's or battling ego's going on, most of the time it's the great sound of good ensemble-playing and in that there are no passengers in this trio. Dan Berglund is a lyrical, steady bass-player, Magnus Ostrum is a fast and subtle drummer and Esbjorn Svensson seems to mix a classical style of playing with parts of Bill Evans and Chick Corea. And, of course, there's the use of distorting filters, synths and effect pedals.
EST doesn't seem to find the balance here yet between the traditional and 'modern' stuff (their next two cd are just right in that respect), but the melodies and lyricism are there; esp. ïn the wonderful Bound ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 159
Average Rating:

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Indochine [1991]

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
starring: Catherine Deneuve, Vincent Perez, Linh Dan Pham, Jean Yanne, Dominique Blanc
directed by: Régis Wargnier

Release Date July 30, 2001
In its day a casualty of the chaos and confusion surrounding the frequently ridiculous entry qualifications for the Best Foreign Film Oscar - many superior films were ruled ineligible and those it was competing against were scarcely representative of the world's best - Indochine may not be great art, but it is an enjoyable example of the kind of old-fashioned good storytelling that Hollywood rarely produces anymore.

Set against the last days of the French occupation of what was to later become Vietnam, it uses the relationship between Catherine Deneuve's French plantation owner and her adopted Vietnamese daughter (Linh Dan Pham) as a mirror for the relationship between France and Vietnam. Like the American South, for the privileged few, the French IndoChina is a fairy ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 160
Average Rating:

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Blue Train: Rudy Van Gelder Remaster

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: John Coltrane

Release Date August 18, 2003
With BLUE TRAIN, John Coltrane not only firmly established his own voice on the tenor saxophone, but also proved his abilities as a bandleader and composer. The musicians on BLUE TRAIN, hand-picked by Coltrane himself, play superbly not only as individuals, which is to be expected of players of such high caliber, but also as a cohesive unit--a rare occurence in an era where "all-star" bands would come together for one session, then disband just as quickly.Coltrane burns through the opening blues, igniting the rhythm section with rapid flurries of notes and reaffirming his absolute mastery of both sound and medium. At this stage of his career, Trane was still occupied with blowing over increasingly challenging chord changes. His ideas flow, flawlessly executed, logically developed and easily ... Read More: