America Review

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America ReviewSure, there are inevitable comparisons to Crosby, Stills and Nash. They are unavoidable because anyone playing acoustic guitars and singing harmonies will bring them to mind.
Comparisons aside, this is one great album. Every time I listen to it, it's like another acoustic guitar lesson. The interplay and blending of the guitars is very inspiring. The songs are good and the singing is right on the mark. I didn't realize what a big influence these guys were until I picked this up on CD and started listening to it again on a regular basis.
If you like acoustic guitars this is a must have disc.America OverviewUS only 180 gram audiophile vinyl pressing. In 2008, Friday Music is proud to preserve this classic album as a remastered pristine 180 Gram Audiophile Vinyl release. Complete with the original graphics, poly lined record sleeve, poly album cover sleeve, further enhancing your listening experience. Remastered with all of the sonic resonance that you have come to expect from Friday Music by Joe Reagoso (Deep Purple, David Lee Roth, Johnny Winter, The Doobie Brothers).So sit back, enjoy the tunes, and don't forget to groove to the album cover.Oh! Life is so cool again!--This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

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Buena Vista Social Club (1999) Review

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Buena Vista Social Club (1999) ReviewI could have stayed to watch Buena Vista Social Club all day and all night. The film traces master guitarist Ry Cooder's seemingly endless search for more musical legends to play with, as he takes us to Cuba to meet the masters of "Son" music. The result is a warm, beautiful and touching portrait of the aging "Son" masters emerging from a long hiatus to show us they haven't lost their touch.
Cooder has long sought out masters of "roots" music to learn from and play with. This time he found his way into a diamond mine, and the resulting three albums, "Buena Vista Social Club", "Afro-Cuban All-Stars" and "Introducing Ruben Gonzales" could all have won the 1998 Grammy award, as the former actually did.
The film follows the aging Son musicians around their native Cuba as they prepare for overseas concerts in both Holland and New York City. The city of Havana shows the effects of aging itself, run down and seedy, but, as with the musicians themselves, there is a spirit of unity and inner strength that overrides the worn down facade. That spirit emerges quickly as you see how deeply the Cubans feel their music. You also see a country that preserves the old and makes it work personified in the "antique" automobiles the Cubans use to get around.
Several musicians are featured in the film, but two gain the film's focus, jazz pianist Ruben Gonzales and singer Ibrahim Ferrer, the "Cuban Frank Sinatra". Gonzales no longer has a piano and plays one in a gymnasium reserved for Cuban gymnasts. Ferrer feels the public no longer appreciates his music and is shining shoes to supplement a tiny retirement. Ry Cooder and his son Joachim (sp?), a talented drummer, try to stay as far in the background as possible. Cooder's style is to sit at the feet of the masters to learn and participate. I think the director, Wim Wenders, gives him more face time than he would prefer. No matter, as he is a wonderful musician and facilitator, without whom the original project and the film would not have happened.
Wenders weaves the music and the life of the musicians in a pattern that draws the audience into the lives of the musicians, especially Ferrer. I was very familiar with the music from the three albums and that made my experience with them almost personal. I was excited as I saw the rehearsals draw the musicians closer and tighter. They became young again as the music started flowing from them.
The culmination of the film is the concert at Carnegie Hall. I was fully engaged by then and I had chills when the Son music was playing and when the audience responded with such enthusiasm. I had tears of pleasure as the music flowed over me.
I've recommended this film to many of my friends, and they all have gone out of their way to thank me. I don't think I've seen another film in 1999 that I've liked better. I'll paraphrase what Ry Cooder says to his son in the film, "This is the kind of opportunity that comes once in a lifetime".Buena Vista Social Club (1999) Overview"The Buena Vista Social Club" guitarist Ry Cooder s celebrated album featuring the recently re-discovered talents of Cuba s foremost folk musicians sold millions of copies and earned a Grammy Award. Now Cooder teams up with acclaimed director Wim Wenders (Paris Texas) to reveal the astonishing life stories vibrant personalities and unforgettable music of the brilliantly talented but long-overlooked performers who collaborated on this now-legendary recording. Form the crumbling barrios of their native Havana to their triumphant sold-out concerts in Amsterdam and New York s Carnegie Hall it s an unforgettable deeply emotional journey into the passion pride and humanity of the artists whose music sparked a worldwide musical phenomenon!System Requirements:Starring: Ry Cooder Ibrahim Ferrer Rueben Gonzalez Eliades Ochoa Omara Portuondo and Compay Segundo.Directed By: Wim Wenders.Running Time: 105 mins color. This film is presented in "Standard" format.Copyright: 1999 Artisan Live Entertainment.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre:DRAMA Rating:UPC:012236101765 Manufacturer No:10176

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I'll Play for You Review

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I'll Play for You ReviewIf you are a Seals and Crofts fan, and you know how big they were from 1972, "SUMMER BREEZE" until 1978, "Takin' It Easy", then you have felt a lot of anxiety and frustration over the fact that their CDs have not been available,---"EVER!!!" Yes, the 10 song Greatest Hits is out there and "Summer Breeze" has been available. (We were even lucky enough to have a budget copy of "Diamond Girl" tossed our way a few years back!) But, about nine Seals and Crofts albums have never seen the light of day until this month!!
"I'll Play For You" (1975) was released while Jim and Dash were still hot on the charts and pouring out one great album per year. "Get Closer" followed it up in 1976, then their popularity began to wane. "I'll Play for You" was very poppy but it was also quite diverse. From the emotional "song-writer styled ballad", "Wayland the Rabbit" to the latin grooved "Freak's Fret", Seals and Crofts venture into several different music genres that really work on this album.
"I'll Play For You", a top hit in '75 leads off the CD. My only complaint is that I detected a slight volume drop out at the 2:16 mark of the song and then again a rather bad channel pan and drop out at 2:35. I have a feeling that the original master was not used on this CD. (The quality is pretty good, but it won't blow your socks off.)
"Golden Rainbow" follows which is a beautiful, soft and laid-back song that has a blue mood feeling.
"Castles in the Sand" has the classic Seals and Crofts sound with the signature mandolin and great instrumentation from all the great studio musicians that S and C used in their hey day. This song is also on their GH CD.
"Blue Bonnet Nation" is a strong rock beat song with a nice horn section filling in. There are several changes in the rhythm in this song. The bad news is that I heard another sonic drop-out at the 2:05 mark.
"Ugly City" was the last song on side one on my old 33 and a third record. This is a lonely but beautiful ballad which builds and then leaves you on this note of wonder and hope. This is my favorite on the CD.
"Wayland the Rabbit" starts with a beautiful orchestration and goes into a long and desolate story about poor Wayland. It turns into an acoustic piece with light orchestration.
"Freak's Fret" is the most fun song and it is also an instrumental. Great latin edged beat featuring the acoustic guitar and mandolin.
"Truth is But a Woman" is another medium, laid-back song with great harmonies and a bit of a country flavor added in the guitar solo. This song ends on a classic sounding S and C major 7th chord.
Finally, "Fire and Vengeance" is a rock piece with the great wah wah guitar sound that seemed prevelent in the 70's. The horns are funky as Jimmy and Dash go out in a grooving glory.
"I'll Play for You" isn't my favorite Seals and Crofts album, but it is in my top 3. If you like Jimmy and Dash, try to pick this one up. Hey, even if you just like 70's mellow pop, this one is a real keeper!!
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Swing Guitar Masterpieces 1938-1957 Review

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Swing Guitar Masterpieces 1938-1957 ReviewFirst off, I just want to say that there is way too much talk of Oscar being Djangoesque. To hear some of this stuff you'd think Oscar is just a two-bit Django clone. The truth is that they are quite different from each other. Is one better than the other? Maybe, but I'd be hard-pressed to pick the better one. Sometimes when I'm listening to one of them I end up telling myself that he (Guy #1) is without a doubt the better of the two. Then the next time I listen to Guy #2 I find myself saying I was nuts to think Guy #1 was better. It all comes down to your mood.
Oscar's music (and I don't mean just his playing, I mean his band{s} and repertoire) is more diverse. It covers a wider range of styles and moods than did Django. I rarely agree with or care about liner-notes, but these liner-notes are 100% accurate when they say that Oscar's arrangements are the more interesting of the two men. When Django and Oscar's repertoire overlaps, I almost always find myself preferring Oscar's version of the song.
Another reason I also like this Oscar set is because obviously, at least a fair amount of the time, he was recorded by better engineers than was Django. Take for instance those two 1939 takes of the QHCF (Django) doing Hungaria. Django is on fire but you have to strain to hear him because his guitar is buried in the mix. You can hear his notes but you really don't get a taste of his tone. The year cannot be blamed for these problems in recording quality, nor can the sonic wizards at the JSP label who have released the best sounding QHCF remasters to date. For instance, Lonnie Johnson's earliest Okeh stuff was recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s and his guitar sounds totally rich and full... way bigger than pre-war Django usually sounds, and it isn't Django's fault, it's the original engineers or equipment. Here though Oscar is usually recorded very well so you get a nice big taste of his tone on these recordings. Yet another plus.
I know that history will (and has) indeed remember Django as the better guitarist of the two, and I myself would probably agree with that 55% of the time, but in the big picture I think Oscar was probably the more interesting all-around musician. It's just really tough to overlook his considerable talents as an orchestrator, arranger, player, singer, and composer. Although if "vocal jazz" isn't your thing, don't worry. It's not mine either. There is indeed some singing and scatting on this set, but not very much. Plus, I actually think Oscar, aside from Armstrong, may be the only other scatter that I actually like.Swing Guitar Masterpieces 1938-1957 Overview

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