Chasin' The Gypsy - James Carter (Jazz)

Advantages: Great jazz tunes from the Golden Age
Disadvantages: None

...-performed and fluid love song. Sadly the female singer with the honey-dripping tones is not credited on this CD. There's Harry James and his Orchestra with a waltz time piece called Carnival of Vencie, with some trumpet playing that is straight out of the trumpet section of a classical orchestra. There's Moonlight in Vermont sung by Ella Fitzgerald. If you haven't heard her sing, hear this song and you'll know why Ella Fitzgerald is so well-loved to this day by people from all over the year. Prisoner of Love by Teddy Wilson is good, solid jazz fare. A simple rhythm, slightly muted trumpet and lilting piano. Eventually, the music is joined by a female singer with a voice that is slightly reminiscent of Mae West. Closing Hour Blues by Meade Lux Lewis is a blues jazz cross-over. Somehow the crackles from the original master recording just add... Read review

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Advantages: Amazing Jazz improvisation, great sound and beautiful harmony
Disadvantages: None.

...Jazz in Africa is an excellent example of complex swing rhythms and fruitful harmony combined with witty and playful melodies. Instruments of a classic Jazz setup with a drumkit, double bass, piano, Saxophone and Trumpet. This Album is a personal favourite with some really special tracks on it. Track 2 Yardbird Suite is a great introduction to jazz, its full of life with a controlled expressive saxophone solo. Track 12 Gafsa Gypsies, a piano solo is a brilliant piece showing the piano in its more dreamy side. I think the questions when buying music in particular are: How tight is the music? How good is the sound quality? and is it really an positive experience into another culture? I think with Jazz in Africa Volume One I can really vouch for this album. Fair enough some of it may sound like a bit wild, wandering off the point... Read review

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Advantages: Fast, lively, talented, rare sounds
Disadvantages: None that I can think of except it might be difficult to understand lyrics

...Firstly a little bit about the band as I notice there is a distinct lack of reviews about them. Taraf de Haidouks are the Buena Vista Social Club of Europe, they're unbelievably talented musicians from a small village in Romania. The band line-up changes and they are forever willing to experiment with other musicians. Having been to a few live concerts of them myself, I can say that they are very open, friendly, talented and create a vigour and excitement about the crowd that can rarely be compared. Now on to the album - Band of Gypsies was recorded in Bucharest in the year 2000, it was the 4th album put out by Taraf De Haidouks, looking to integrate other Balkan styles they invited Kocani Orkestar (from Macedonia), Filip Simeonov a clarinet player from Bulgaria and percussionist Tarik Tuysuzoglu from Turkey to play alongside them... Read review

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