Tony Bennett - Playin' With My Friends

Tony Bennett's latter-day albums tend to have themes, and this one has two, as indicated by its double-barreled title: It is both a duets album and a blues album. The duet partners include ten singers who range from his recent touring partners Diana Krall and k.d. lang to fellow veterans Ray Charles, B.B. King, and Kay Starr, and younger, but still mature pop stars Stevie Wonder, Bonnie Raitt, and Billy Joel. All sound happy to be sharing a mic with Bennett. Not surprisingly, the singer's conception of the blues does not extend to the Mississippi Delta or the South Side of Chicago; rather, he is interested in the blues as filtered through the sound of the Swing Era, particularly from around Kansas City, and as interpreted by Tin Pan Alley and show tunes. For the former, his true mentor is Count Basie, whose overt influence is heard on six of the 15 tracks. Bennett makes no attempt to hide this, leading off the album with two songs, "Alright, Okay, You Win" (a duet with Krall) and "Everyday (I Have the Blues)" (a duet with Wonder), closely associated with Basie singer Joe Williams. The Broadway and Hollywood blues style is introduced in three selections written by Harold Arlen. On about half the tracks, the Ralph Sharon Quartet is augmented by Harry Allen's saxophone and Mike Melvoin's Hammond organ, but this remains a small, intimate affair that emphasizes the singers. There are missteps -- Sheryl Crow's Billie Holiday impersonation on "Good Morning, Heartache" is unfortunate, and Natalie Cole, as usual, sounds out of her depth on "Stormy Weather." But the trade-offs Bennett enjoys with King and Charles are priceless, and the Joel duet is surprisingly effective. On the whole, this is yet another entry in Bennett's lengthening series of autumnal recorded triumphs. - by William Ruhlmann, AMG

Artist: Tony Bennett
Album: Playin' With My Friends/Bennett Sings the Blues
Year: 2001
Label: Sony/Columbia
Total time: 57:34

Personnel:
Tony Bennett (Vocals)
Ralph Sharon (Piano)
Clayton Cameron (Drums)
Paul Langosch (Double Bass)
Gray Sargent (Guitar)
Harry Allen (Saxophone) - 3,4,6,7,9,15
Mike Melvoin (Hammond B3) - 3,6,7,9,10,15
Diana Krall (Piano and Vocals) - 1
Stevie Wonder (Vocals and Keyboards) - 2
Sheryl Crow (Guitar and Vocals) - 4
B.B. King (Guitar and Vocals) - 5
Ray Charles (Vocals and Piano) - 6
Bonnie Ratt (Vocals and Guitar) - 7
K.D. Lang (Vocals) - 8
Kay Starr (Vocals) - 10
Billy Joel (Vocals) - 11
Nathalie Cole (Vocals) - 14

Tracks:
1. Alright, Okay, You Win - with Diana Krall (Sid Wyche/Mayme Watts) 3:31
2. Everyday (I Have The Blues) - with Stevie Wonder (Peter Chatman) 3:38
3. Don't Cry Baby (Jimmy Johnson/Stella Unger/Saul Bernie) 2:43
4. Good Morning, Heartache - with Sheryl Crow (Dan Fisher/Ervin Drake/Irene Higginbotham) 4:56
5. Let The Good Times Roll - with B.B.King (Sam Theard/Jordan Fleecie Moore) 3:14
6. Evenin' - with Ray Charles (Harry White/Mitchell Parish) 4:14
7. I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues - with Bonnie Raitt (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler) 3:55
8. Keep The Faith, Baby - with k.d. lang (Luchi DeJesus/Mayme Watts/Lila Lerner) 3:51
9. Old Count Basie Is Gone (Old Piney Brown Is Gone) (Joe Turner) 3:24
10. Blue and Sentimental - with Kay Starr (Count Basie/Jerry Livingston/Mack David) 3:20
11. New York State Of Mind - with Billy Joel (Billy Joel) 4:30
12. Undecided Blues (James Rushing) 3:17
13. Blues In The Night (Johnny Mercer/Harold Arlen) 3:33
14. Stormy Weather - with Natalie Cole (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler) 4:34
15. Playin' With My Friends - with Various Duet Artists (Robert Cray) 4:47

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Oregon - Northwest Passage

Oregon's first recording in a while features the three surviving original members (Ralph Towner on guitar and keyboards, bassist Glen Moore, and Paul McCandless, who switches between soprano, English horn, sopranino, oboe and bass clarinet) with either Arto Tuncboyaciyan or Mark Walker on percussion. They perform 14 originals that usually avoid blue notes, making the music sound very folk-oriented. There is plenty of variety in the atmospheres, and the consistently intriguing music should appeal to many listeners, including those who are into mood music, world music or folk songs in addition to jazz. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Oregon
Album: Northwest Passage
Year: 1996
Label: Intuition (1997)
Total time: 56:46

Personnel:
Ralph Towner (Classical Guitar, Keyboards, Piano and 12 String Guitar) - 1,3-14
Paul McCandless (Soprano Saxophone, English Horn, Bass Clarinet and Oboe) - 1,3,5-11,13,14
Glen Moore (Double Bass) - 1-3,5-14
Arto Tuncboyaciyan (Drums and Percussion, Cymbals and Vocals) - 1,2,5,6,8,10
Mark Walker (Drums and Hand Drums) - 3,4,7,9,13,14

Tracks:
1. Take Heart (Ralph Towner) 5:12
2. Don't Knock On My Door (Arto Tuncboyaciyan/Glen Moore) 2:12
3. Lost In The Hours (Paul McCandless) 5:39
4. Over Your Shoulder (Ralph Towner/Mark Walker) 1:42
5. Claridade (Ralph Towner) 6:36
6. Joyful Departure (Ralph Towner) 6:32
7. Nightfall (Ralph Towner) 8:37
8. Under A Dorian Sky (Ralph Towner/Paul McCandless/Glen Moore/Arto Tuncboyaciyan) 1:20
9. Fortune Cookie (Ralph Towner) 4:50
10. Under The Mountain (Ralph Towner/Paul McCandless/Glen Moore/Arto Tuncboyaciyan) 1:52
11. L'Assassino Che Suona (Glen Moore) 3:35
12. Intro (Ralph Towner/Glen Moore) 1:22
13. Yet To Be (Ralph Towner) 4:14
14. Northwest Passage (Ralph Towner/Paul McCandless/Glen Moore/Mark Walker) 2:56

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Marian Varga & Collegium Musicum

Marián Varga was born on 29th January 1947 in Skalica. He was 6 years old when he started to attend a common school of arts, and at the same time took private composition lessons from professor Ján Cikker. Later on, he became a student of the Bratislava School of Music where he studied piano in the class of Roman Berger, and composition in the class of Andrej Ocenás.After three years of study he left the School of Music, and soon afterwards he became a member of Prúdy, the band with which he recorded the legendary album "Jingle, bells" in 1969. But suddenly, just as he left the School of Music, he abandons Prúdy, and founds the first art-rock band in Czechoslovakia, Collegium Musicum. Prevalent in the band's repertory are instrumental compositions, comprising re-interpretations of classical music themes (Haydn, Bartók, Stravinskij ...), and original compositions bearing the first signs of artistic post-modernism (Euphony from the album Convergences), which is the essential principle of his current music. After the dissolution of Collegium Musicum (1979), Varga chose for himself the role of a lonely runner, and as one of the first musicians in the country he followed the concept of absolute improvisation, which means composing music in the real space and time. - from M. Varga's website

Artist: Marian Varga & Collegium Musicum
Album: Marian Varga & Collegium Musicum
Year: 1975
Label: Opus (1995)
Total time: 45:55

Personnel:
Marian Varga (Organ and Piano)
Dusan Hajek (Drums)
Ivan Belak (Bass Guitar)
Jozef Farkas (Guitar)

Tracks:
1. Mikrokozmos (Bela Bartok) 7:25
2. Nech zije clovek (Marian Varga/Dusan Hajek/Ivan Belak/Josef Farkas) 16:31
3. Preludium C dur (2 miniatury) a cast z baletu Romeo a Julia (Sergei Prokofiev) 8:43
4. Hudba k vodometu c.1 (Marian Varga) 10:40
5. Nesmierny smutok hotelovej izby (Marian Varga) 2:36

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Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - The Very Best

Outstanding CD collection featuring 16 of the act's finest Easy Listening/Bossa Nova tracks recorded for A&M records from 1966-71, During the late '60s, Mendes was the most popular Brazilian artist in the U.S., and has remained a musical icon internationally for decades. More than 50 minutes of solid Latin-tinged Lounge nuggets including the top 40 hits 'The Fool On The Hill', 'The Look Of Love' and 'Scarborough Fair/ Night and Day'. Other tracks featured include 'Mas Que Nada', 'With A Little Help From My Friends' and many more. -Product information, A&M.

Artist: Sergio Mende & Brasil '66
Album: The Very Best
Year: 1966-1971
Label: A & M Records (1986)
Total time: 50:40

Tracks:
1. Mas Que Nada (Jorge Ben) 2:41
2. Scarborough Fair (Paul Simon/Art Garfunkel) 3:22
3. With A Little Help From My Friends (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 2:38
4. Like A Lover (Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman/Dorival Caymmi/Nelson Motta) 3:54
5. Look Of Love (Burt Bacharach/Eddie David) 2:45
6. Night And Day (Cole Porter) 3:10
7. Fool On The Hill (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:16
8. Norwegian Wood (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:55
9. Going Out Of My Head (Teddy Randazzo/Bob Weinstein) 3:04
10. Look Around (Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman/Sergio Mendes) 3:05
11. So Many Stars (Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman/) 4:30
12. Daytripper (John Lennon/Paul McCartney) 3:08
13. Pretty World (Antonio Adolfo/Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman/Tiberio Gaspar) 3:19
14. Wave (Antonio Carlos Jobim) 2:17
15. Pais Tropical (Jorge Ben) 2:45
16. Watch What Happens (Michel Legrand/Norman Gimbel) 2:44

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Wes Montgomery - Movin' Wes

Wes Montgomery's debut for Verve, although better from a jazz standpoint than his later A&M releases, is certainly in the same vein. The emphasis is on his tone, his distinctive octaves, and his melody statements. Some of the material (such as "People" and "Matchmaker, Matchmaker") are pop tunes of the era and the brass orchestra (arranged by Johnny Pate) is purely in the background, but there are some worthy performances, chiefly the two-part "Movin' Wes," "Born to Be Blue," and "West Coast Blues." - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Wes Montgomery
Album: Movin' Wes
Year: 1965 (M.G.M.)
Label: Verve (1992)
Total time: 36:06

Personnel:
Wes Montgomery (Guitar)
Jerome Richardson (Woodwinds)
Jimmy Cleveland (Trombone)
Urbie Green (Trombone)
Quentin Jackson (Trombone)
Chauncey Welsch (Trombone)
Ernie Royal (Trumpet)
Clark Terry (Trumpet)
Snookie Young (Trumpet)
Don Butterfield (Tuba)
Bobby Scott (Piano)
Bob Cranshaw (Double Bass)
Grady Tate (Drums)
Willie Bobo (Percussion)

Tracks:
1. Caravan (Duke Ellington/Irving Mills/Juan Tizol) 2:40
2. People (Bob Merrill/Jule Styne) 4:25
3. Movin' Wes-Part I (Wes Montgomery) 3:16
4. Moca Flor (Durval Ferreira/Lula Freire) 3:13
5. Matchmaker, Matchmaker (Jerry Bock/Sheldon Harnick) 2:49
6. Movin' Wes-Part II (Wes Montgomery) 2:37
7. The Phoenix Love Theme (Paoli/Wilder) 3:24
8. Theodora (Creed Taylor) 3:59
9. In And Out (Wes Montgomery) 2:50
10. Born To Be Blue (Mel Tormé/Robert Wells) 3:42
11. West Coast Blues (Wes Montgomery) 3:11

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Sonny Rollins - Worktime

For this LP-length CD reissue, tenor great Sonny Rollins plays five songs (including the unlikely "There's No Business Like Show Business") in a quartet with pianist Ray Bryant, bassist George Morrow, and his then-current employer, drummer Max Roach. Rollins was an original stylist from the start, and in late 1955 he was ready to take his place among the greats. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Sonny Rollins
Album: Worktime
Year: 1955 (Prestige)
Label: OJC (1992)
Total time: 33:12

Personnel:
Sonny Rollins (Tenor Saxophone)
Ray Bryant (Piano)
George Morrow (Double Bass)
Max Roach (Drums)

Tracks:
1. There's No Business Like Show Business (Irving Berlin) 6:23
2. Paradox (Sonny Rollins) 5:02
3. Raincheck (Billy Strayhorn) 6:03
4. There Are Such Things (Stanley Adams/Abel Baer/George W. Meyer) 9:33
5. It's All Right With Me (Cole Porter) 6:08

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John Mayall - Jazz Blues Fusion

This is an outstanding reissue that deserves a listen by all blues fans. Mayall's legacy may well be assembling and recognizing talent long before those individual's move on to become household names. Here however, Mayall keeps the formula simple by adding the trumpet of Blue Mitchel and Sax of Clifford Solomon with the guitar of Freddy Robinson and the precussion of Ron Selico for some fantastic, ahead of its time, Blues with a Jazz flavor. Stand outs are the Trumpet led "Good Times Boogie" and the jam, "Exercise In C Major For Harmonica" If you missed it the first time around on vinyl, be sure and pick it up on CD. Simply outstanding. - by deepbluereview, Amazon.com

Artist: John Mayall
Album: Jazz Blues Fusion (Live)
Year: 1972
Label: Polydor (1996)
Total time: 45:18

Personnel:
John Mayall (Guitar, Harmonica and Vocals)
Blue Mitchell (Trumpet)
Clifford Solomon (Saxophones)
Larry Taylor (Bass Guitar)
Ron Selico (Percussion)
Freddy Robinson (Guitar)

Tracks:
1. Country Road 7:16
2. Mess Around 2:51
3. Good Times Boogie 9:17
4. Change Your Ways 3:45
5. Dry Throat 6:39
6. Exercise In C Major For Harmonica 8:32
7. Got To Be This Way 6:54
All compositions by John Mayall

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Mose Allison - I Don't Worry About a Thing

Mose Allison was already 34 and had recorded nine records as a leader before cutting his debut for Atlantic (which has been reissued on CD by Rhino) but this was his breakthrough date. One of jazz's greatest lyricists, at the time, Allison was making the transition from being a pianist who occasionally sang to becoming a vocalist who also played his own unusual brand of piano. In addition to the original versions of "Your Mind Is on Vacation," "I Don't Worry About a Thing (Because I Know Nothing Will Turn out Right)" and "It Didn't Turn out That Way," he sings bluish versions of two standards ("Meet Me at No Special Place" and "The Song Is Ended") and plays five instrumentals with his trio. There are only 33 1/2 minutes of music on this straight reissue of the orignal LP, but the set is one of Mose Allison's most significant recordings. - by Scott Yanow, AMG

Artist: Mose Allison
Album: I Don't Worry About a Thing
Year: 1962
Label: Atlantic Jazz (1993)
Total time: 32:56

Personnel:
Mose Allison (Vocals and Piano)
Addison Farmer (Double Bass)
Osie Johnson (Drums)

Tracks:
1. I Don't Worry About a Thing 2:19
2. It Didn't Turn Out That Way 2:44
3. Your Mind Is on Vacation 2:37
4. Let Me See 4:12
5. Everything I Have Is Yours 4:08
6. Stand By 3:59
7. Idyll 4:19
8. The Well 3:23
9. Meet Me at No Special Place 2:36
10. The Song Is Ended 2:34
All compositions by Mose Allison

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Sixteen Horsepower - Folklore

Returning after a short leave of absence from the music industry, 16 Horsepower returns with a vengeance on Folklore. Channeling the desperation and depression of the Southern gothic movement better than most artists, they have reached a point where their music has evolved into a series of edgy Western soundscapes. This is fine, as they take traditional country instruments and utilize them to craft Bauhaus-esque doom anthems. "Single Girl" breaks the mold, sounding almost upbeat as singer David Eugene Edwards surrounds himself with layered vocals and a bouncy bass-driven tempo. And "La Robe a Parasol," the final track, is a lilting French waltz that finishes off the album with a last glimmer of hope. But for the most part, this is a bleak journey into the backwoods, an aural equivalent to Clint Eastwood's grizzled Oscar-winning Unforgiven. Like that film, this album has the same depressing resignation to a poor and unrewarding life and rarely attempts to glimpse the bright side of things. And much like that film, the whole of the album also leaves the listener relieved, acting as a cathartic view of rural depression. Although some fans may be disappointed with 16 Horsepower's move away from the frantic drive of the group's older material, this is a landmark in the subgenre of alt-country goth. It's not a new direction for 16 Horsepower, but instead the band has further refined its sound and made it even more brooding and ominous than before. - by Bradley Torreano, AMG

Artist: Sixteen Horsepower
Album: Folklore
Year: 2002
Label: Pias France
Total time: 37:16

Personnel:
David Eugene Edwards (Vocals, Guitar , Banjo, Violin, Accordion and Keyboards)
Pascal Humbert (Bass Guitar)
Jean -Yves Tola (Drums)

Tracks:
1. Hutterite Mile (David Eugene Edwards/Pascal Humbert/Jean-Yves Tola) 4:04
2. Outlaw Song (Hungarian traditional) 4:29
3. Blessed Persistence (David Eugene Edwards/Pascal Humbert/Jean-Yves Tola) 4:06
4. Alone And Forsaken (Hank Williams) 2:49
5. Single Girl (Carter Family) 2:35
6. Beyond The Pale (David Eugene Edwards/Pascal Humbert/Jean-Yves Tola) 3:45
7. Horse Head Fiddle (Tuvan traditional) 4:50
8. Sinnerman (American traditional) 4:15
9. Flutter (David Eugene Edwards/Pascal Humbert/Jean-Yves Tola) 4:04
10. La Robe A Parasol (Traditional old time Mazurka) 2:13

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Chet Baker - It Could Happen to You

The ultra-hip and sophisticated "cool jazz" that Chet Baker (trumpet/vocals) helped define in the early '50s matured rapidly under the tutelage of producer Dick Bock. This can be traced to Baker's earliest sides on Bock's L.A.-based Pacific Jazz label. This album is the result of Baker's first sessions for the independent Riverside label. The Chet Baker Quartet featured on Chet Baker Sings It Could Happen to You includes Kenny Drew (piano), Sam Jones (bass), and Philly Joe Jones (drums). (Performances by bassist George Morrow and drummer Dannie Richmond are featured on a few cuts.) This results in the successful combination of Baker's fluid and nonchalant West Coast delivery with the tight swinging accuracy of drummer Jones and pianist Drew. Nowhere is this balance better displayed than the opening and closing sides on the original album, "Do It the Hard Way" and "Old Devil Moon," respectively. One immediate distinction between these vocal sides and those recorded earlier in the decade for Pacific Jazz is the lissome quality of Baker's playing and, most notably, his increased capacity as a vocalist. The brilliant song selection certainly doesn't hurt either. - by Lindsay Plenner, AMG

Artist: Chet Baker
Album: It Could Happen to You (Chet Baker Sings)
Year: 1958 (riverside)
Label: OJC (20 Bit Remastered, 1991)
Total time: 43:54

Personnel:
Chet Baker (Trumpet and Vocals)
Kenny Drew (Piano)
George Morrow (Double Bass) - 1,2,5,7
Sam Jones (Double Bass) - 3,4,6,9
Philly Joe Jones (Drums) - 1,2,5,7
Danny Richmond (Drums) - 3,4,6,9

Tracks:
1. Do It The Hard Way (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 3:03
2. I'm Old Fashioned (Jerome Kern/Johnny Merce) 5:07
3. You're Driving Me Crazy (Walter Donaldson) 2:57
4. It Could Happen To You (Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen) 2:53
5. My Heart Stood Still (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 3:28
6. The More I See You (Mack Gordon/Harry Warren) 3:06
7. Everything Happens To Me (Tom Adair/Matt Dennis) 5:05
8. Dancing On the Ceiling (Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers) 3:09
9. How Long Has This Been Going On (George Gershwin/Ira Gershwin) 4:11
10. Old Devil Moon (E.Y. "Yip" Harburg/Burton Lane) 2:58
11. While My Lady Sleeps (Take 10) (Gus Kahn/Bronislaw Kaper) 4:19
12. You Make Me Feel So Young (Take 5) (Mack Gordon/Josef Myrow) 3:38

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