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ECM
CARLA BLEY & Her Remarkable Big Band/Appearing Nightly: It’s not a retrospective or a best of, but Bley spiritually takes a look at her back pages recreating the noir jazz of the smoky clubs she played at coming up in the 50s and tempers it with some of the chronotransduction she gave us after hitting us with some liberation music. Certainly jazz for an unmade Hitchcock movie, Bley gives us a left of center history of jazz as filtered though her jazz journey. As always, it’s must hearing for the adventurous listener that isn’t afraid of some zigs, zags, twists and turns as navigated by one of the true avatars of modern jazz.
SAVINA YANNATOU/Songs of Another: In which we find a left of center journey through world beat as this set finds the singer taking on songs of a lot of lands and cultures but giving them a unifying thread that makes it seem like they all sprang from the same vine. After all is said and done, this is a delightfully mysterious recording that enchants, teases and takes you on the kind of sonic voyage you’d want an audio Tinkerbelle to lead you on. A dead solid vocalist with a like minded crew bringing up the rear, this is an example of true listening listening that works throughout.
MARK PUCCI MEDIA
WILL CALLERY/Rider Coming In: Hey remember Bill Callery that recorded and wrote for Willie Nelson and hung with the rest of the outlaw gang? A few tough miles later, he’s back as Will, and he still knows how to write some authentic western soul that reaches out and touches you. His first new collection in a million years finds old compadres like Jerry Jeff Walker dropping by for a reprise. A highly solid set that doesn’t weep for outlaw days gone by, just uses them as a reference point. This very solid songwriter still has a lot on the ball so why don’t you find out what Norah Jones already knew. Check it out.
(Feats)
RHINO
GRAHAM NASH/Songs for Beginners: Nearly 40 years later, the one that was perceived as the underachiever in CSN owns the solo record of the group that has stood the test of time as well as turned himself into the one that’s the keeper of the CSN legacy. That wily Brit popstar. It also turns out that this was his finest solo turn, even if the record is propelled by tracks that should be hopelessly dated (“Chicago”) but manage to keep the faith, baby. Available on cd since 1990, the remastering and dvd-a version of this set are well deserved and well worth hearing by any fan of the old days. Another odd facet of this set is Nash rounded up the usual suspects for albums that sound today like a good excuse for coke parties, but someone kept their hand on the wheel here and delivered the goods. Maybe his roots as an English pop star served him well when nobody was looking. This set seriously deserves to be dusted off and accorded status as a rock classic.
PARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO
GODFATHER-The Coppola Restoration: First off: YES! Second off: I think a lot of people are going to pick up on my bitching that there really needs to be an upgraded version of “Saga” out there. Anyway. YES! Some of the greatest movies of all time and they don’t get watched that much because the transfers have been shit. One of the more disappointing releases was the laser disc of “Godfather I” that looked like sandpaper had been digitized. Coppola was very sensitive to the look of these pics when he was making them and that’s why the tapes and discs have been things you bought but didn’t really watch like you do “Goodfellas“. That has changed now. Your eyes don’t get tired watching these and they don’t have a historical feel that makes you feel like you’re watching something you should be watching as opposed to something you want to be watching. Bringing the original look back in focus and augmenting it with modern technology, this is a dead solid perfect collection. There are some geek worthy extras but the real attraction is the new look. Looking better than ever, every last whack is as much fun as it was the first time around (for old times sake). Check this out with fresh eyes and see if you actually don’t feel different about “III” this time around (but you’ll still want to fast forward through all the opera singing stuff). This is a masterpiece shown as it deserves to be presented. Now if we can just get them to do this for “Saga” and add back all the deleted scenes in sequence…
WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO
SCHOOLHOSUE ROCK-Election Collection: Do kids today buy into boomer nostalgia? Well, they are listening to Pink Floyd, but that’s easier to get high to than Bob Dorough telling you about how he’s just a bill working his way through Congress. Released just in time for, uh, don’t tell me…, the young ‘uns can get a dose of political reality without having to listen to real candidates evade the real issues, and that might just give them the impetus to care about the democratic process. It was fun then and it’s fun now. These Saturday morning goodies might have been looked as rip and run when they were made 30 years ago, but the really are timeless kid classics, for kids of all ages.
Volume 31/Number 323
September 18, 2008
MIDWEST RECORD
830 W. Route 22 #144
Lake Zurich, IL., 60047
CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher
©2008 Midwest Record
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