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Kind of Blue

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Miles Davis

April 07, 1997
It has already been said here that this album is usually found in non-jazz fans' collections alongside Bob Marley's greatest hits and most probably David Gray's entire ouvre. Perhaps it stands sentry there unplayed, just so its spine can be read, head tilted sideways, begging to impress upon whoever it is browsing through their collection some ill-gotten measure of sophistication? Perhaps they did play it once then decided no, they were right about jazz all along?

Modal, understated, and (aaargh!) cool, or tedious, cicuitous and under-cooked? Amongst aficionados, the most fiercely debated issue with the session is whether you are appreciating it at the correct pitch (an issue with the tape playback speed when it was mastered). That ... Read More:

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Birth of The Cool

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Miles Davis

January 08, 2001
I own several of MD's album - my personal favourite being Sketches of Spain. This album, which is rather dull, I made the mistake of buying on the basis of the track Rocker on a compilation. It's dificult to describe, but to me the sound is too undifferenciated to let the melodies and tune speak. It is an ambient album. Pleasant, but doesn't set the blood racing. Instead, buy in A Silent Way, Sketches... or Kind of Blue.....Or better yet by the Best of Blue Note Comp' - not a duff track on it

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Sketches of Spain

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Miles Davis

October 06, 1997
I originally bought this album as a boxed set of three LP's, Kind of Blue, Porgy and Bess were the other two. It tends to be loathed by "true believers" largely, I think, because it was one of the most popular. Therefore: it was a sore trial to the sort of deaf elitists that you find at Jazz and Orchestral music events. (People who clap harder as the music gets worse.)

It does have it's faults, the over use of castanets, which is like adding atmosphere with ketchup. The gushing orchestration which pervades the collection like cheap perfume in dance-hall. Occasional shrieking trumpet - where MD definitely looses the thread.

It's still a great album and well worth a listen. It maybe the weakest of the three albums mentioned. ... Read More:

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Time Out

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Dave Brubeck Quartet

April 07, 1997
Below is the review I recently posted on Amazon.com for the Dave Brubeck Take Five SACD. I really felt I should post the reveiw on Amazon.co.uk also, as there appear to be reviews which relate only to the CD release - same story with US Amazon. Surely there must be others out there that could stand up for this superb SACD album??!!

Although I'm not what I consider to be a great fan of jazz, I have enjoyed Dave Brubeck's music for quite some time. For the last two and a half years or so, I have bought almost only high resolution music (DVD-A or SACD), and was determined to buy this disc soon. For a short while, several years ago, I owned the standard CD version of this album - until I donated it to my father-in-law. For anyone reading this reveiw, ... Read More:

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Getz/Gilberto Vol.1: Remastered

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Stan Getz, Joao Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim

May 25, 1999
Antonio Carlos Jobim goes down with Lennon/McCartney, Gershwin, Amstrong as one of the most influential songwriter/stylists of the 20th century.

To judge the album on its own merits is one thing. Getz turns in small but perfectly formed solos. Astrid Gilberto's voice is ravishing, complementing husband Joao's voice with that incredibly restrained vulnerability that is the essence of Bossa. It is an album of incredible tenderness and instrospection. The studio atmosphere is very intimate with an almost homespun quality. For me its a five star album in its own right.

However, this album has a far larger significance, in the way that Sargeant Pepper did. It changed everything and set off ripples that are still reverberating today.

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The First Four Albums - Easy Like / Kessel Plays Standards / To Swing Or Not To Swing / Music To Listen To Barney Kessel By

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Barney Kessel

February 11, 2008
I love jazz guitar and know that Kessel is rated as one of the best and so bought this album with high expectations, however, the overall feel of these recordings is of bland 50s West Coast jazz. The music never asserts itself, and even though Kessel's technique can't be faulted, to my ears it's just plain boring - safe, unassuming arrangements of (mostly) standards - something that might have accompanied suburban cocktail parties of the time as background music. If you know what you are getting and like this kind of music then this compilation represents good value for money, but I don't suppose that many modern jazz guitar fans will appreciate it.

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The Black Box Of Jazz

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Various Artists

March 18, 2008
This very moderately priced box of extremely interesting and diverse jazz performances doesn't get 5 stars from me only because it is not sufficiently equipped with the recording information...

Otherwise, it's a good buy indeed, with music mixing swing, cool, be-bop, hard-bop and other styles very freely, to suite the tastes of the more liberal jazz fans who love challenges.

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The Best of Chet Baker Sings

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Chet Baker

January 29, 1990
A lovely introduction to Chet. But often with "best of" albums there is a lot of good music all crammed onto 1 cd, but I'm not complaining. I'm happy to have it in my Chet collection.

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Bossa Nova - Jazz Masters 53

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Stan Getz

April 08, 1996
This music album was made in 1963 and it's totally timeless and as fresh in 2008 as when it was first made. I'm 43 and my dad is 70. My 8 year old son and all of us can't get enough of this. Getz's Chega De Saudade (One note samba) is totally the best jazz funk ever and all the other melodies are totally gold as well. You can buy this for yourslef or as a gift for a friend and it's totally priceless - worth a 100 times it's weight in gold. Enjoy!!!!

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The Essential Dave Brubeck

Childrens Toy Shop > Music > Cool and West Coast
by: Dave Brubeck

March 31, 2003
As soon as I pushed in the album into my player, and heard the hugely varied tracks on this album my toes started tapping! There is a huge amount of stuff played by the 'classic quartet', and all is fantastic. With performances from the likes of Jimmy Rushing and Louis Armstrong, there is plenty to enjoy.
But this album isn't faultless, as a lack of octet and trio stuff, recent material(London Symphony Orchestra recordings please!), and there are some tracks that are studio recordings, when Legacy the publishers, could have used at least SOME of the Carniegie hall records. This arises on tracks such as 'Its a Raggy Waltz' and 'Blue Rondo a la Turk'. And surely a better recording of the brilliant 'The Duke' was available?
However these are small quarells with ... Read More: