Paris Jam Session - Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers

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

...This is real jazz, from the real Golden Age of Jazz. It's got the pace, the rhythm, the fluid trumpet playing, the relentlessly enthusiastic, rolling piano playing and the clear diction of some excellent singing of vocalists who could not only hold a tune, but who could capture your heart and soul, too… There's musicians with such great names as Muggsy Spanier, Meade Lux Lewis, King Oliver and Sidney Bechet. You do not get musicians called Muggsy nowadays. I wonder why? As well as straight out jazz such as the Dippermouth blues, there's also the dreamy and melodic April in Paris from Charlie Parker. Some jazz aficionados reckon that Charlie Parker eventually sold out. Well, perhaps he did. But some of his earlier work still stands the test of time. Jack Teagarden is on this CD, with So Many Times, a rather nice, well... Read review

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Advantages: Original, exciting
Disadvantages: None

...Phil collins, former member of Genisis and former solo artist, formed what came to be known as the phil collins big band. The Cd, titled a hot night in Paris, portrays the phil collins big band as an up beat big band. Recorded in Paris in 1999, the 20 piece big band, made up of fine musicians from around the globe, recorded this fantastic album. The tracks include: 1. Sussudio 2. That's All 3. Invisible Touch 4. Hold On My Heart 5. Chips & Salsa 6. I Don't Care Anymore 7. Milestones 8. Against All Odds 9. Pick Up The Pieces 10. Los Endos Suite You dont have to be a jazz fanatic to enjoy this CD as it appeals to everyone. The drumming, laid down by Phil Collins, is tight and precise, producing an overall fantastic sound. The CD is quite hard to get hold of but it is worth getting if you can find it. A great CD and passion for Jazz. I... Read review

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Advantages: Lou Reed on top form, Wonderfully varied styles
Disadvantages: Nico ruins some of the tracks by singing on them

..."We fly to the cozy brown snow of the east" mumbles Lou Reed on the epic "Black Angel's Death Song" - This basically states the album's modus operandi. The Velvet Underground were renouned drug enthusiasts and as this album was created in the height of Andy Warhol's "Pop Art" phenomenon, the Velvets found themselves deeply emersed in the culture (their cover art was designed by Mr. Warhol, who also produced the album itsself!!) The result is a hypnotic and distorted masterpiece, plucking from different styles such as pop, blues, jazz, psychadelica and even pre-empting punk! The first track, "Sunday Morning" is a pleasing and beautiful song describing the wonders of the sabbath, rather sinple in structure (as with much of the rest of the album) yet not without that evil, yet irresistable underbelly of sex, drugs and the seemingly... Read review

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