Advantages: Beautiful artistic qualities, from both the album cover and the music Disadvantages: None whatsoever
Haunting, enigmatic, artistic, enchanting and truly beautiful. AnjaGarbarek's 3rd (and in my opinion, finest) album is a pleasure and a treasure to own. Ten tracks of pure bliss leaves little surprise that this album won the Spellemannsprisen (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Award) upon it's release in 2001.
Norwegian born singer / songwriter Anja, (daughter of jazz saxophonist - Jan Garbarek) has a very unpredictable approach to her writing, which is largely evident in this particular album. To place it into a 'genre' would be wrong - it really is in a league of it's own. So many people feel the need to label every artist, but to get near I would probably have to say: Art Pop / Avant Garde / European Lounge / Experimental Jazz / Trip-Hop.
Each track is special in it's own way, but I would say the standout's are : Spin ...
Advantages: A beautiful vision of an alluring city Disadvantages: An insubstantial film in many ways
Parisian petty criminal Andre is in big trouble as his many debts are called in by the local kingpin. So he decides to end it all by drowning himself in the Seine. But as he stands on the edge of a bridge, ready to throw himself in he meets another desperate soul. He saves the tall and beautiful Angela after she takes the plunge. To thank him, she determines to help him. But there's something a little strange about this blonde Amazon?
"Leon" director Luc Besson has always said that he would stop directing after his tenth film and "Angel-A" is the movie that brings him into double figures, so this could be his last. I think that would be a shame because he has given birth to some iconic characters and always writes strong female roles. But I suppose it's better to burn out than fade away. "Angel-A" is a less action-oriented, softer ...
afy9mab 22.12.2006
· Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Angel-A (DVD)
Advantages: As sublime and musically adventurous as ever Disadvantages: Value for money?
Following on from his virtuosic performance as saxophone soloist on Giya Kancheli's "Night Prayers" (on the ECM New Series CD Caris Mere), Jan Garbarek continues his interest in Northern European tradition and brings it face-to-face with more conventional jazz patterns in this 2CD set.
There are some fascinating moves here, even by Garbarek standards. The use of a boys' choir on "We Are the Stars" followed by the voice of Jansug Kaknidze accompanied by the Tbilisi Symphony Orchestra on "The Moon Over Mtatsminda" is a remarkable diptych of innocence and experience. Though Garbarek, by his own admission in the booklet notes, does not feature on the latter as writer or player, his justification for including it in an album under his own name is totally sound.
It's not the only high point. Don Cherry's "Malinya" is a great homage ...
![Merlin (Original Television Soundtrack) [Digipak] - Various Artists](http://imagesb.ciao.com/iuk/images/products/small/409/prod_small-7033409.jpg)
