Oscar In Paris (Live At The Salle Pleyel) - Oscar Peterson

Advantages: Fantastic album, range of pieces
Disadvantages: Perhaps a bit expensive for a 30 year old album

...I only got into jazz very recently myself and I thought I'd use the platform of ciao to try and persuade others who may not have listened to it before to give it a go too. The CD I'm reviewing was chosen by me purely on the basis on the fact that I vaguely knew the name of the pianist from other jazz articles I'd read and the fact that I love jazz music where the piano is the main solo instrument. The CD Oscar Peterson's 'Tracks' is not a new release. In fact it was originally released in 1971. The actual CD I'm reviewing has been digitally remastered and the tracks in no way sound dated; either in quality or in musical style. But this is something I will come on to in more detail later on in this review… I have to say the cover to this CD seems uninspiring. Simply showing a side profile of a face (perhaps Peterson... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Escape from the real world
Disadvantages: The music does not last forever

...If you have seen all those flying warriors in 'Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon', believe me, you'll feel like flying too when you listen to the dreamlike music of this CD. Welcome to the wonderful world of instrumental music! It includes cello, drums, flute... The high tempo of the drum beat in 'Night Fight' makes you want to pick up a sword and fight; the delightful flute music of 'To The South' is so spirit uplifting (remember how the tiny girl smashed up a tea house single-handed?); close your eyes as you listen to 'Though The Bamboo Forest' and you'll see yourself flying; then, the sentimental 'Farewell' has really made me weep. At the end, you'll fall in love with the beautiful song 'A Love Before Time' (this song was competing with Bob Dylan's song for the Best Song Oscar). To escape from the real world, you would play this CD... Read review

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Advantages: Two demi-gods of the pop avant-garde flirt outrageously with accessibility
Disadvantages: There's still probably too much excellence on display for the mass market. Dammit!

...together. The Heads kept going for another three albums (and the quite, quite magnificent live concert movie 'Stop Making Sense'), always excellent but never QUITE as great as they'd been with the benefit of Eno's knob twiddling. Byrne won an Oscar for his contribution to the score of 'The Last Emperor', wrote and directed a movie of his own ('True Stories', whose songs were released as a Talking Heads album) and the Heads finally succumbed to their internal tensions / their singer's desire to do other things in 1991. Stay Hungry Unleashed from any obligations towards bandmates, Byrne launched into an orgy of polymathematics. He formed his own record label, Luaka Bop (initially to release compilations of popular songs from various cultures as he continued to be a leading light in the 'World Music' field, and later signing artists... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful