1 comments about The Complete Improv Recordings (4CD).

1. This compilation covers about the whole range of Bennett. The first disk is the typical NYC big orchestra with too much reverb on Tony faire. None-the-less enjoyable. The bulk of material came from a 1975 album. The 2nd CD is a more intimate NYC studio session with the Ruby Braff/George Barnes Quartet. Very nice. The 3rd CD and the 1st half of the 4th CD is the Bill Evans/Tony - Together Again album. It includes all the original cuts plus a couple of alternates of each cut. Sublime is the best way to describe these CD. The mastering is bit better on this CD than earlier releases. The last half of the 4h CD is sort of strange yet fun date Tony had in Buffalo. Buffalo? Bennett is backed by Marian and Jimmy McPartland and their band. The rhythm section is great (Charlie Byrd on guitar) but the horns sometimes sound like a clown band. I think maybe they were trying to do Dixieland but it sounded more like clown music. Fun nonetheless.
   
   Sort of a weird compilation but I enjoyed it.

3 comments about Season's Greetings: 20th Century Masters/The Millennium Collection.

1. I had expected it to be a little bit better ... but all in all, I guess it is a decent collection to Christmas songs.



2. There are few Christmas albums by single artists that I can listen to straight though. As such I have made more than a dozen Christmas anthology albums of my own from the more than 200 Christmas albums in my collection. On each album I would mix the familiar with the new. This Hip-O collection does the same thing. You get old chestnuts like Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and Brenda Lee's "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" alongside more contemporary performances like Dru Hill's "This Christmas" and Vince Gill's "It Won't Be the Same This Year." For some, the wide range of styles will be turn off. Me? I like the diversity of the music. My only criticism is that this collection would have easily fit on two discs. When I put a CD in the player I don't want to have to change it for at least an hour. If your going to make me pay for three CDs, fill all three CDs. RECOMMENDED



3. Have you longed for a collection with everything in one album...well, here it is...from the early '40s up through the '90s, the who's who in the entertainment field ~ Bryan Adams, Leroy Anderson, Louis Armstrong, Brook Benton, Chuck Berry, Boyz II Men, Bing Crosby, Do Re Mi Children's Chorus, Jimmy Durante, Ella Fitzgerald, Judy Garland, Marvin Gaye, Amy Grant, Vince Gill, Bobby Helms, Dru Hill, Isley Brothers (featuring Ronald Isley), Burl Ives, The Jackson 5, Eartha Kitt, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Brenda Lee, Kathy Mattea, Brian McKnight, Stephanie Mills, Aaron Neville, New Edition, The Platters, Harry Simeone Chorale, The Supremes, The Temptations, Mel Torme, Dinah Washington, The Waitresses and Angela Winbush...each artist with their own distinctive interpretation, making the Holiday Season even more special.

   Universal Music Enterprises, share treasures from the vast vault of labels ~ A&M Records, Decca, Island Def Jam Music, Motown Records and Verve Music is sure to bring back many fond memories of your childhood from yuletide's past!

   This collection reminds me of the old Reader's Digest "Christmas Through The Years" (1984), another 3-CD-Set which is high on my collection list (no longer available)...but this release from Hip-O ~ "Season's Greetings-20th Century Masters-The Millennium Collection", is a compilation of beautiful Christmas songs and best-loved carols that will brighten your Christmastide for years to come...treat yourself, pick this one up, an early Christmas presents...put it on, while your trimming the family Christmas tree!

   Total 3-CD-Set ~ Universal/Hip-O Records 314-556-728-2 ~ (2001)

1 comments about Island in the Sun.

1. I bought this box set because there were no CDs of my favorite albums, "Belafonte," "Mark Twain," "An Evening with Belafonte" "Calypso" & "Harry Belafonte Sings of the Caribbean." I wasn't disappointed. It contains the gorgeous ballads, fun dittys, moving gospel & "jump up" Calypso I remembered with such fondness. The set also includes songs recorded earlier & later than my favorites, serving as bookends of enjoyment. The book focuses on Belafonte's personal life up to and including the making of "Island in the Sun." The only flaws I could find was that the book contains no lyrics and little about the music itself or the artists that helped Belafonte sound so great. It would be wonderful to know something about the soprano who did the lovely duet with Harry on "Mo Mary" or which guitarist accompanies Harry on "Merci Bon Dieu." That said, this box set comes highly recommended for any Belafonte fan.

4 comments about Four Platters and One Lovely Dish.

1. Very good CD of "The Platters" and "The New Platters".
   The only Platters for me are the first ones, the ones with Tony Williams, "the voice" of the group and one of the best 8 male voices ever in modern music.
   Six CD's would have been enough but I must say that also the last ones, with Sonny replacing Tony are OK even if they don't get close to the ones with Tony. Tony can't be replaced, it becomes just another group. But no fear, 90/254 songs have Tony as lead singer.
   The quality of the remastering is excellent considering the age and a lot is STEREO.
   This is an unique collection that contains an important chapter of the history book of modern music.
   Ciao,
   Franco



2. A Wonderful Treasure of First Class, TOP Quality RE-mixes made in Germany from the ORIGINAL tapes...
   Every time they found more than one track, they re-mixed it in full Stereo, in RICH Hi-Fi (High-Fidelity) sound...
   
   Songs like "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes" - The First and Original version - remixed in stereo with sounds and nuances like you've never heard it before (on a high-quality sound system, of course...)
   
   Priceless jewels like "I'll get by", "What Does It Matter", "Orchids In The Moonlight", "Keep Me In Love", "Every Little Movement", "The Love of a Lifetime", "Love In Bloom", "That Old Feeling", "Heartbreak" that I've never seen listed anywhere on any other CD.
   
   Ever heard "Twilight time" in Spanish, Latin American style?
   I challenge you to decide which version is the best - Unbeatable.
   
   "Ebb Tide" in Stereo? - Delightful.
   
   "Harbour Lights" complete with its WHOLE intro WITHOUT the bells & "toot-toots"? - Refreshing.
   
   A bit expensive but worth every penny.
   
   To complete your collection, get "The Platters: The Complete King Recordings" for the complete Pre-Mercury era (1 CD).
   And for a few jewels of the Post-Mercury (Musicor) era, like "The Wonder Of You" (1968-original version with full orchestra) that was made a huge hit by Elvis Presley in 1970, get "The Platters: 22 Gold".



3. All songs are boring except Michael row the boat ashore on disc 8. What a shame that this song is only collected in a 9 disc box set!!!



4. I have 14 albums of the platters(vinyl) from 1956 to the present, and I did not know that so much other music existed. I do have several c.d.'s, but nothing as comprehensive as this cd. It is great to hear other music by Tony Williams. L.G.

2 comments about Hittin' on All Six.

1. To take on putting the greats of jazz guitar onto only 4 CDs is a daunting, if not ridiculous task. How can anyone choose what to put in and what not to? Thankfully, that didn't stop Proper Box from putting this little gem together. It is a small, very selective but comprehensive collection, bringing you from the start (Lonnie Johnson & Eddie Lang) in 1927 up through the 1940's. I have to say, though, that I am a little disappointed in the remastering because I have several of the earlier stuff on other CDs with a much better sound and speed. Not sure why they decided to go with this level of quality, espcially since their other collections don't have this problem. On the other hand, it is definitely acceptable. The music is still great and the musicians ... from Eddie Lang to Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Freddie Green, Barney Kessel etc. are incomparable. At this price, you really can't do better! And, if you play, it's an invaluable reference.



2. There is an astonishing breadth and depth to this collection. All the styles of jazz guitar, US and European, with complete liner notes and personnel. A wonderful job of production. For the person who wants to listen to good music, this is an excellent purchase. For the person who wants to learn about jazz history and the role of the guitar, it's a must. If you have never heard Al Casey with Fats Waller on Buck Jumpin', do yourself a favor. It alone is worth the bargain price on this CD set.

No comments about The Ertegun's New York Cabaret Music.

No comments about At the Drop of Another Hat.

1 comments about It's Magic.

1. You gotta hand it to Doris Day. Although she sang an occasional poorly written turkey of a song , she sang every song well , and without a single off pitch note. A true , pure voice. Bear Family has released every note Doris ever uttered in pristine sound----along with the other three boxes you will have a gift from an angel.

No comments about The Best Days of My Life.

3 comments about Cry.

1. Bear Family of Germany certainly doesn't skimp when it comes to liner notes provided with their releases, in this case a 24-page booklet that includes twelve pages of detailed background information written in February 1990 by freelance writer/musician Peter Grendysa, numerous photos of Ray as he dramatically records in the studio. and a complete discography of the contents by Richard Weize.
   
   But Bear also has this habit of filling out their volumes with a mix of the songs most remember for the artist concerned couple with selections that few, if any, even knew had been recorded. This one is no exception. In addition, the tracks are arranged in a haphazard manner with no bearing on their time of recording/release.
   
   The first track, for example, is his spring 1957 hit Yes Tonight Josephine which, with the backing of Ray Conniff & His Orchestra & Chorus, went to # 12 Billboard Pop Top 100 b/w No Wedding Today - and that's at track 11! Then comes Just Walking In The Rain which, again with Conniff backing, peaked at # 2 in the fall of 1956 b/w In The Candlelight, but that's omitted. Track 3 was a 1955 non-hit, while Johnnie's Comin' Home, with Paul Weston & His Orchestra, jst made the Top 100 at # 100 in November 1955. b/w Love, Love, Love (also not here).
   
   At track 5 is Look Homeward Angel which, as a B-side, made it to # 36 in early 1957, while the A-side, You Don't Owe Me A Thing, went to # 10 and is at track 10. Both had the backing of the Conniff orchestra and chorus. Tracks 6 and 7, both duets with Frankie Laine, went nowhere, track 8 is a faster version of a 1958 hit, Up Until Now. which peaked at # 81 in September 1958 and is at track 20. The B-side, No Regrets, is not here. How Long Blues at track 9 was another miss, while Build Your Love (On A Strong Foundation) topped out at # 58 in late summer 1957 b/w Street Of Memories (track 13), both with the Conniff band.
   
   Tracks 14 to 19 are obscure (even for the most ardent of Johnnie Ray fans) non-hits, and so here we are, more than half-way through the album and we still haven't heard his first monster hit from late 1951/early 1952, Cry, which surfaces at track 27 while its flipside, The Little White Cloud That Cried, is at track 26. Billed to Johnnie Ray & The Four Lads, and with the backing of the Hutch Davie orchestra, the A-side went to # 1 Pop, where it stayed for ELEVEN weeks, and # 1 R&B, while the flip got to # 2 Pop/# 6 R&B.
   
   And, while providing tracks 21 to 25, which are five more cuts that are not among his best, they ignore his next seven hits after Cry/Little White Cloud, a couple of them huge ones indeed, as Please Mr. Sun made it to # 6 in early 1952, and its B-side, Here Am I - Broken-Hearted, peaked at # 8, What's The Use? settled at # 13 in May (all three with The Four Lads and the Jimmy Carroll orchestra) and, in June 1952, Walkin' My Baby Back Home got to # 4. The late 1952 hits they do provide, A Full-Time Job b/w May Says, Pa Says, both duets with Doris Day, were relatively minor by comparison, reaching # 20 and 23 respectively.
   
   They then ignore the next seven charters, including Somebody Stole My Gal, which reached # 8 in spring 1953, and include the April 1954 # 10 Such A Night and the June 1954 # 14 Hernando's Hideaway.
   
   In the final analysis, a pretty decent release, all things considered, but with so many obscure cuts and equally so many recognizable tunes missing, not quite 5 stars.



2. Although this collection has since been eclypsed by the two boxed sets chronicling Johnnie Ray's extensive range, this is an impressive offering. It has examples of the many sides of Mr. Ray although it is heavy on the novelty tunes with not enough of what I think made his style so memorable. I would have liked to have seen a little more blues and jazz numbers. Nobody could deliver a soulful lyric like Johnnie Ray. However, as a collection it is still worth while if the collector does not cheat themselves out of witnessing what made this performer so great, his passionate delivery of heartfelt blues and jazz. Don't let this be the only Ray Cd in your collection, but search out the others that are more representative of his unique style. Dispite the reservations due to the subsequent boxed sets available, this is an excellent CD and well worth having.



3. a sometimes forgotten step on the way to rock and roll,cool stuff,you should offer more titles.