2 comments about Kwanza.

1. This is a reissue of a collection of late sixties tracks. Great stuff indeed except if you already own "The way ahead". Two of the tracks "New Africa" and "Bakai" are the bonus tracks added at the end of 1998 reissue of "The way ahead". Don't waste your money for an expensive reissue of 3 songs (less than 20 minutes of music) unless you are a big fan of Shepp.



2. "Kwanza" offers a nice collection of tracks recorded by Shepp in 1968 and 1969 for Impulse!, where the saxophonist is accompanied by a large assortment of performers. This album is a thematic exploration of Africa, with Shepp expressing his compositional ability with characteristic cultural and artistic feeling. The creative combination of artsy vocal arrangements and instrumental improvisation come together to produce one of Shepp's more theatrical releases, behind only 1972's "Attica Blues".
   
   Trumpeter Woody Shaw helped to breathe brand new life into the old tune "Bakai", and the roll of musicians appearing on these tracks is exhaustive. The standout players seem to be Woody Shaw (t), Cedar Walton (p), Joe Chambers (d) and James Spaulding (as). There are many more, but these are the more notable members of Shepp's big band. A recording that encompasses free improvisation with a bit of infused funk, "Kwanza" will certainly please fans of Shepp's 1966 "Mama Too Tight" and 1972 "Attica Blues".

5 comments about One Family: A Christmas Album.

1. Let me start by saying that I love Kelly Price's voice and music. Unfortunately, this CD was full of one lackluster performance after another. I'm sure that she enjoyed putting these works together. The CD lacks the professional polish that it should have, however. The thing that really put it over the top as a CD that I will not keep was her performance of "Ave Maria". I simply cannot overlook the repeated and overtly mispronounced words in the song. I also don't feel that there are many songs on the CD that use all of the great qualities of her voice to it's best advantage. If you're a big Kelly Price fan, buy it used and keep it on the shelf.



2. Clearly the worse she has ever came out with! Only one good song on entire CD....



3. Kelly Price, with this Christmas album, showed once again that she can sing over any track given to her. Unfortunately, the same CANNOT be said for her guest stars. Though Mary Mary and Winona Judd turn in great performances on "Mary's Song" and "In Love At Christmas" respectively, her family on the title track show that they aren't the best singers in the world. This is especially true when Kelly's kids sing on "If I Lose Christmas", which made me lose my appetite. A rule of thumb: If your kids can't really sing, don't put them on the album!

   But I still can't front on the great performances that Kelly turns in, and as with most R&B singers, she sounds better singing gospel like on "Christmas Medley", "Go Tell It on the Mountain" and "Ave Maria". If you love Kelly's voice and can't stand her singing about people not accepting her weight size or about heartache, then this album is a good escape from her usual fare.




4. This is a CD that I feel will be worth playing for more Christmases to come. Every song is touching and very moving. The soul stirring Silent Night all the way to Ave Maria. Wonderful Kelly keep singing and you will always get my money.



5. This CD is absolutely Amazing! I purchased the CD a few years ago and have enjoyed every track, especially Ava Maria. I played my CD constantly and finally it just skipped Xmas 07...so here I am buying another one for Xmas 08! In short - I love this CD!!!

No comments about Music for a Rockin Christmas.

No comments about Music of the King's Consort: Albinoni.

No comments about Drew's Famous 30 Greatest Halloween: Songs and Stories.

2 comments about Merry Christmas.

1. This is one of my favorite Christmas recordings. Featuring the Dallas Brass Ensemble and the Texas Boys Choir, it has just the "wright" combination of piano, brass and voice. The closing track, "Gaelic Blessing," alone is worth the price of the CD!



2. I agree with the previous reviewer. This is my favorite Christmas Album and my favorite Danny Write album---period, and I own 16 of his. I can't say enough great things aout it.

No comments about Christmas in Old Austria.

5 comments about Handel: Messiah.

1. I was really surprised with the new that the Messiah's New World premiere was held at Trinity Church in October 1770, twenty-eight years after it was written. This fact only will make one proud in having this CD among his collection.

   Anyhow, this is nothing more than a historic detail and would not count if this recording had not an outstanding first-rate ensemble of singers. Without doubt there is no definitive version of Messiah. Each one has its own distinctive touch and feeling and exploring it is always a pleasant journey through imagination.

   As stated by the conductor: "we must concede that performing Messiah with twenty singers and an appropriately balanced instrumental ensemble represents, at best, an imperfect comprimise", it will be easy to understand that this recording does not stand among the greatest and will probably carry some imperfections. I will mention two that kind of disppointed me a little bit. The Overture and the Chorus Worthy is the Lamb, for some reason misses the habitual vigor and strenght. Everything else is great and this is definitely a worth buying.




2. I was more interested in "The Messiah" for the religious content than as a music critic, but this was too much. The strings are tinny. The orchestra is plodding. The soloists and choir are thankfully very good and seem to understand the meaning of the words. It is a shame the sound mix is uneven. The male parts come across loud and clear, but the poor women. For instance, No. 9 Oh thou that tellest..., the soloist sounded like she was singing in an echo chamber far from the mike. This is one of the most disappointing versions of "The Messiah" I have heard in a long time.



3. There are so many performances of the Messiah out there that it is very difficult to point to a difinative one, but I'd put this in the catagory of the "very good" ones. As other reviewers have said, every performance is different and has its own character. Each has stronger and weaker points. Here the conductor and musicians have made good, solid musical choices. There is an amazing attention to detail which is not so obvious the first listen through but which makes the piece shine. The tempos seem to be right on, and there is no frivolous over-embellishment by the soloists. There is no attempt to be showey. The dramatic dynamics in the first section of the overture are interesting, but seem to work after you hear it a few times. This performance also includes sections which are often omitted (Second half of "He shall feed his flock," "Thou art gone up on high," "Great was the company of the preachers," and "Death where is thy sting"). I prefer the more intimate quality of a small ensemble of musicians to the mega-performances by the London Philharmonic, Vienna State Opera Orchestra, etc.. As with this performance, the smaller group lends a clarity to the music, where the larger ensembles can get a little "muddy" at times. Just my personal preference. Overall, this is a very good performance, and certainly the low price (being on the Naxos lable) makes this a clear choice.



4. I've hunted a thrilling performance of The Messiah through 240 versions so far. This is the best I've found. Some are self-conscious, dutifully singing as instructed. Some are almost childish in their lilt. Some are overblown with so much bombast that you can barely hear the heart of the music. Some are concentrated on faithfulness to the original instruments. If you want a performance that will make you shiver with the power and joy of the music, this is the one. The singers are singing about GLORY. They sound as if they are ecstatic. The musicians are at one with the music and they create a virtual cathedral wherever this CD is played, just close your eyes. Or, let your own imagery, be it celestial, or of great oceans...carry you away.



5. I do not pretend to be any sort of an expert when it comes to the different CD versions of Messiah. I have many of them, because I enjoy the music.
   
   There is something about this CD though. A purity of notes. An unaffected singing. Whatever it is, I have enjoyed listening, very very much. It is as if the music is all new again. I am delighted.

No comments about Christmas Concert.

No comments about Christmas Hymns.