Average Rating:

.

Kind of Blue

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Miles Davis

April 07, 1997
Miles Davis and his band ( and what a band ) explore modes in this record beggining a new era in jazz improvisation previously based in chord changes.
That was quite a big step .First , it gave greater freedom.Second, you must knew what to do with the freedom to avoid a musical disaster.
The truth is that this is one of this exceptional albums that you can listen to 1000 times and discover new layers and rewarding musical moments.
I mean , if you want to understand Jazz after 1950 buy this and if you want to listen to exceptional music buy it too.

Average Rating:

.

Blake

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Blake

November 05, 2007
What a stunning album! I requested it for Christmas after seeing Blake at the Festival of Remembrance, and what a delight the album was... my only criticisms are first - a few naff tracks (God only knows - Beachboys did it better) and too many female sopranos in some (Swing low). If I buy a CD for men singing harmony, I don't want screeching women!
I do hope that a second album (and a website??) will soon be available.

Average Rating:

.

e.s.t. Leucocyte (Esbjorn Svensson Trio)

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: e s t

September 01, 2008
Sometimes it is necessary for musicians to push the boat out as on this album. Its radically different from anything est have done before and unfortunately and sadly will never be doing again. However, what a legacy. To me its a mixture of jazz and heavy rock with some abstract electronica throuwn in. The rhythms are powerful, dark and foreboding, yet the piano soars above the nocturnal bass and drums whether creating passages of melody or simple repetitive intonations. There are extraordinarily beautiful moments coupled with downright uncomfortable edgy passages. The overall effect is stunning and mindblowing but its not going to be to everyone's taste. People who like MoR jazz or pop are not going to dig this. But hey, without musicians willing ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Call Me Irresponsible Tour Edition

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Michael Buble

October 08, 2007
This is my favourite play at the moment, I guess that I am a little late in trying Mr Buble's music, but I am a convert. Think of a nicely warmed, quality single malt, good crystal glass, this is that smooth, just slides down, leaving a pleasant glow behind. Good in the car, great on the MP3 player, nice in the background during dinner with friends. This album has a great selection of tracks, well known classics of the genre, and others, new to me at least. Just try it!

Average Rating:

.

Monkey: Journey to the West

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Damon Albarn

August 18, 2008
I have been a keen advoate of all things Damon Albarn post-Graham Coxon (i.e., Blur's `Think Tank` and beyond) so was understandably quite excited by the album release of `Monkey, Journey to the West`. I had not seen the Chinese opera-spectacular which this album scores but I didn't let that dissuade me from pre-ordering this one from Amazon. What I hadn't realised was that this 22-song collection largely comprises incidental compositions from the opera and doesn't stand up as an album in its own right. Unless you have seen the opera - in which case this might make a compelling souvenir - I feel duty-bound to warn you not to expect something on the scale of other Albarn side-projects such as Gorillaz' `Demon Days`, `Mali Music` or `The Good, the Bad and ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Knee Deep in the North Sea

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Portico Quartet

November 05, 2007
Portico Quartet are a really great band playing music with real passion. I've also seen them live at a couple of gigs supporting Tom Baxter and they blew the audiences away. They really deserve the Mercury nomination!

Average Rating:

.

It's Time

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Michael Buble

October 24, 2005
This is the second main album from Canadian Virgo, Mr Michael Bublé.
It lasts 49 minutes 17 seconds, doesn't come with song words and contains 13 songs:

1. FEELING GOOD - 3:57. A slow song - 10/10.
2. A FOGGY DAY (IN LONDON TOWN) 2:32. A fast, big band number with a fabulous ending! - 9/10.
3. YOU DONT KNOW ME - 4:14. A slow song - 9/10.
4. QUANDO, QUANDO, QUANDO - 4:45. A duet with Ms Nelly Furtado - 10/10.
5. HOME - 3:45. Bublé's own composition, a great driving song - 9/10.
6. CANT BUY ME LOVE - 3:15. A song with lots of tempo changes - 8.5/10.
7. THE MORE I SEE YOU - 3:48. A long intro, but it's worth it! 10/10.
8. SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR ME - 3:39. Up-tempo! 10/10.
9. TRY ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Gold - All Her Greatest Hits

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Ella Fitzgerald

February 03, 2003
If you want just one or two of Ella's CDs ... then it should be this "Gold - All her Greatest Hits" and "Ella and Louis Together" (and if you can have the third, please make it "Ella in Berlin [Live] - Mack The Knife")

I have most of her CDs, and I can tell that the person who assembled "Gold - All her Greatest Hits" and "Ella and Louis Together" loves Ella so deeply. The songs he picked and the song order are of the absolute perfection. If you are after compilation CDs of Ella, look no further.

This "Gold - All Her Greatest Hits" is a wonderful CD if you want music that has full of passion, elegance and serenity at the same time. Specially. her 'Manhattan' is the best of all (naturally). I have heard this song by many other singers, ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Infiniment: 40 Chansons (remastered - high definition)

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Jacques Brel

October 20, 2003
Jacques Brel remains an integral and hugely influential singer/songwriter in the scheme of twentieth-century music; with his gloomy and orchestral tales of whores, sailors, tramps and harlots influencing everyone from Scott Walker, Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Shane MacGowan and Nick Cave, to bands like Jack, the Divine Comedy and Pulp. Like those acts, Brel's music is literate and theatrical, unfolding in a bleak world populated by lost love, loneliness, angst, melancholy and despair, but with the darkness softened by witty arrangements, satirical motifs and moments of dark comedy. The atmosphere of the songs is rich and evocative throughout... so, like the work of his contemporary Serge Gainsbourg; the songs practically reek of cheap booze and cigarette smoke, with ... Read More:

Average Rating:

.

Frank

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Jazz
by: Amy Winehouse

October 20, 2003
I was introduced to Amy Winehouse when I finally purchased Back to Black months after the CD had been released. After hearing "You Know I'm No Good" and "Rehab", I still didn't know what to expect from the entire CD, so I decided to wait until a friend of mine finally convinced me to buy it. The CD had an old school feel to it and my favorite tracks ended up being "Back To Black", "Tears Dry On Their Own", "Me & Mrs. Jones", "Love Is A Losing Game" and "Rehab". I was seacrhing for music one day on amazon and I found out that she was
re-relasing a CD that she had previously released overseas in 2003 entitled "Frank".

The CD gets off to a nice start with the track "Stronger Than Me". Amy speaks about a courtship where while she is 7 years younger, ... Read More: