CD-Charts Position 21
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Ethiopiques Vol. 4 (1969-1974)

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Mulatu Astatke

Release Date January 17, 2000
seriously fantastic.

this is an obscure set of rare groove tracks.

seriously spaced out funk, my bro found it, that's where i heard it from and just bought this cd for the uncompressed quality.

i believe all the others in the set have ethiopian vocals all over them.

if you like rare groove/funk trust me, buy this and you'll be more than happy ;)

CD-Charts Position 22
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Live in Hamburg

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

Release Date November 19, 2007
I wish to second the appreciation of 13 min plus jams.
(1)they allow you to reach a full appreciation of the music whilst simultaneously allowing you sufficient time to qualf a foaming pint of ale without incurring excess wind."Definition of a dog" even allows you that extra half pint.
(2) Long jams discourage the casual ne'er do well's and light-weights - a simple process of sorting the men from the boys. "Delores in a shoestand" has the added bonus of the sort of phasing which usually gets the average jazz buff reaching for their graphic equalizer.
(3) It allows players to chance to compete with their peers on a musical basis thus removing the need to resort to illicit drugs and/or indulge themselves all-night shennanigans. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 23
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The Dude

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Quincy Jones

Release Date
I bought 'The Dude' as an audio tape when it first came out and it travelled the world with me when I went on holiday. Absolutely amazing sounds when chillin' around the pool. If you've ever been in a relationship it's impossible to listen to the words of 'Just Once' and not empathise. I still have the tape (cover faded with the sun) but bought the CD when that came out and continue to get as much pleasure from listening to it as I did in the 80's. If you haven't got it in your collection and you're a lover of perfection then I urge you to buy it!

CD-Charts Position 24
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Countdown To Ecstasy

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Steely Dan

Release Date July 13, 1999
'Countdown To Ecstasy' may rank as the second and last of Steely Dan's best albums, but it seems to me to be the link between the rock of 'Can't Buy A Thrill' and the more diverse approach of later albums. The songs and the music suggest a greater level of ambition. There are no hits of the stature of 'Reelin' In The Years' and I slightly prefer the first album, but there are moments of peerless magnificence here: the aching suspense of 'Boston Rag,' and the fluidity of the ode to Eastern philosophy, 'Bodhisattva,' for instance. The move toward jazz, funk and Latin influences is marked by 'Your Gold Teeth.' Yet it is 'Show Biz Kids' and 'My Old School' that characterise their gifts, the former a biting, starkly original recording, featuring an unnervingly insistent ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 25
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In the Land of Grey and Pink

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Caravan

Release Date February 26, 2001
With 17 of the 21 previous reviewers giving this album the 5 star treatment along with many good, no excellent reasons for owning it, I feel my policy of giving an in depth review of my 5 star albums will be surplus to requirements here. Drat there are so many good things to say.

I can't even focus on a favourite track, everything on this album slots nicely into place, giving a roller coaster ride all the way through, without of course having to turn the disc over at halftime now its on cd. The bonus tracks simply prolong the enjoyment.

I am currently preparing my top ten list of favourite albums, on which this is sitting comfortably at number two, behind Wishbone Ash's Argus, I can't see it slipping below that.

Sorry it's a short ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 26
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Not Too Late

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Norah Jones

Release Date January 29, 2007
If you love these "black" rhythms (soul, blues, country), you will enjoy this cd; this album is very delightful, sensitive, beautiful, introspective... and personal; you can hear this album in a midnight show, with candle lights, with somebody who's in love with you in a romantic place inside and the effect will be magic... Pure "Plastic Soul, Man" (as Paul McCartney said on "Beatles Anthology 2"), I bought this album and I listened it many times without get bored... It's symply marvelous, a wonderful piece of Norah's work.
Enjoy the piano, enjoy the acoustic guitars, enjoy the drums, enjoy Norah's voice...ENJOY ALL!!!

CD-Charts Position 27
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Kind of Blue

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Miles Davis

Release Date April 07, 1997
As a non-aficionado of jazz, I bought this album with mixed feelings. Excitement at the prospect of listening to a true masterpiece, mixed with a certain amount of scepticism...surely it can't be THAT good...can it?

I must admit, I look for a bit more out of my music. Being transported to another plane, however, is something I rarely experience. But then Kind of Blue is not an ordinary album. The skill and inherent ability of the players shines through, but it's so much more than the sum of its parts. It's one of those rare things, in that it's a album you could listen to all day and yet never grow bored.

You can't describe Kind of Blue...you just know you've never really heard anything like it before. You're not likely to forget this album in a hurry either. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 28
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Aja

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Steely Dan

Release Date April 24, 2000
From a band that only seem to release great albums, 'Aja' is well down the list of Steely Dan's best. What I like about their earlier releases is their blend of styles. 'Aja' is dominated by jazz and funk influences, neither of which are my favoured genres, but the music rewards repeated listening and is beautifully constructed. The title track is, for me, the highlight, its innocuous opening soon drifting into subtle, shifting shades of tonal colour and twinkling keyboards, culminating in a striking closing passage. 'Josie' is the obvious hit item, with a great guitar intro and a solid groove. 'Peg' is the other more overtly commercial item, the remaining tracks being more like the title track in approach.' Not the most instant album, and, as usual, lyrically challenging, but great anyway. ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 29
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The Very Best of Nina Simone Vol.1

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Nina Simone

Release Date May 01, 2006
Keeps-you-smiling music! One of the best voices that ever graced the music business. My 17 year old thinks she's as amazing as I do.

CD-Charts Position 30
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Miles From India - A Celebration of the Music of Miles Davis

CD-Charts > Music > Jazz
by: Miles From India

Release Date June 02, 2008
This double CD represents a large project with numerous musicians, in a number of combinations, and playing a number of Davis's more popular compositions from the 60's and 70's. So admittedly it is difficult to take in just in one go. Whilst rating it as "good/3 stars", Miles From India has not instantly become one of my favourite Indo-jazz fusion albums or likely to be. Why: because of a number of petty annoyances it carries with it, neither does it have the degree of integration of two distinct musical styles, and instead the joins show on a number of tracks.

So I offer a number of questions and observations:
a) whilst appreciating cost limitations, does recording at a several locations on the planet and with musicians not in face to face contact, make for rapport? For instance, ... Read More: