1 comments about Marlene Dietrich Album: Live at the Cafe de Paris.

1. Of course I am a "Marlene" fan but this is a most enjoyable collection of her songs and also the introduction by Noel Coward is so well spoken.It is interesting to note her later change in style when working with Burt Bacharach.This is a great CD.

5 comments about The Very Thought of You: Decca Recordings 1951-57.

1. Jeri Southern's era, the 40's and 50's, is not usually to my tase. I have few fond memories of the fifties. But once I discovered this album on Rhapsody, I couldn't get her voice out of my head. She has a sophisticated technique, a wonderful jazz voice and sings with absolute sincerity--the art that conceals art. The prior reviews on Amazon say it all. Get this CD!



2. When first I was introduced to the voice of Jeri Southern she had long since retired; and that introduction came via an album produced by Rod McKuen in the mid-1970s, a reissue of some Decca recordings called You Better Go Now. That led to seeking her original albums in old Record shops. It was something akin to an archeological excavation, coming upon some of those tattered albums with marvellous period covers. Scratchy, occasionally warped, but it mattered not a bit: Jeri Southern had become something of a cult just then. That smoky voice( reminiscent of Nat Cole, it seemed then) was utterly captivating.

   To be perfectly honest, it never occured to me that Jeri Southern's music would find a new audience on Compact Disc, nor indeed that any recording company would bother with a singer so apparently obscure. So it was a most pleasant surprise to discover this compilation of the Decca Years. It was produced by Kathryn King, who is Jeri Southern's daughter and who contributed to the liner notes with a fascinating memoir of her mother. Essays by Orrin Keepnews and Gene Lees enrich one's understanding of this distinctive singer.
   The songs are indeed the best of the best, so if there is just one Jeri Southern album to take to that desert island, this is it.




3. She insinuates. Very vulnerable singer who has keyboard chops. Demands repeat and more repeat. Peggy Lee loved her, and so do I.



4. This is one of the few items that my family doesn't mind when I play it in the car. (My taste seems to be too old for them. My mother has even ask for a copy.)
   Jeri is one of the best kept secrets in music of the twentieth century. Am I overrating her? No. She is magnificent. Listen to her version of "When I Fall in Love", and you'll see the hidden talent that I am talking about. She has a soft vulnerable voice, that is completely hers. She also wonderfully defies this image with "An Occassional Man." As well, she is a fine songwriter "I Don't Know Where to Turn", seems like it was written by a professional. Overall 5 out of 5.



5. When I bought this, my first Jeri Southern album, I wasn't sure what to expect and started to play it as background music. By less than half way through, I had given up what I was doing to give Jeri my full attention, already knowing that I was listening to a very special singer. Now I have studied several of her CD's and I rate Jeri as the finest torch singer I have ever heard (and I've heard a few great ones).

   Unlike Peggy Lee and others to whom she is often compared, Jeri could not do the uptempo stuff and did not try, but that's fine by me. Jeri made up for that by recording the best version of any love song she chose to record. Just listen to Jeri's versions of When I fall in love, I remember you and Smoke gets in your eyes, all on this collection. I have heard many excellent versions of these songs, including those by some of my favorite singers of Jeri's generation (such as Doris Day, Margaret Whiting and Jo Stafford, all of whom I have spent many happy hours listening to), but to my ears Jeri was the best of the lot when it came to this type of song.

   So what made Jeri so special? The answer was simple - it was her warm, intimate style. On these recordings, Jeri sang and played the piano with the very minimum support from other musicians, so allowing her small but lovely, romantic voice to grab the listener's attention. For those candle-lit dinners, there is no finer music than that made by Jeri.

   Later in her career, record companies added a bit more musical backing (thankfully not too much), thinking this would improve her music. It didn't - her early music on Decca (from which this CD is compiled) is the best, although her later Capitol recordings are well worth a listen, once you've sampled her Decca music.

5 comments about The Fabulous Josephine Baker.

1. There is not another one who could touch her for sheer talent and heart! "La Baker" moves me deeply on this stereo recording. The orchestra is great! This is a treasure in my collection!



2. The manner in which the great Josephine Baker evolved as an artist is extraordinary, while as a vocalist, she aged like fine wine. Up until the late 1940s Baker's voice was light and twittering, and at times maybe even a little shrill - a fine example of the 'pop' female singing voice in vogue during the 1920s and 30s. By the early 1950s one finds that her voice had transformed into a marvelous mezzo instrument, and by the time she recorded the chanons avaialbe on this album her voice had evolved even more - it was the inctrument a true master, grand and opulent as the city of Paris. Her technique was perfect and her pitch impeccably controlled and rich, with quick and precise vibrato. It is really is astounding to think that the same woman who sang "J'ai Deux Amours", "Haiti", or "C'est lui" is the vocalist on this album.
   
   Unfortunately when most people outside of Europe think of La Baker, it is not of the 'Diva magnifique' she became after WWII, but rather of the little black girl from St. Louis dancing topless in a banana skirt, singing in broken french, and living in a castle (or, even worse, of Lynn Whitfield in that awful 1990 bio-pic "The Josephine Baker Story", which, by the way, didn't even use Baker's real vocals). Most recordings that are easily available on disc are primarily of Baker's recordings from circa 1926-1940, and are essential interpretations of the french chanson, inspite of the fact that Baker has an incredibly think accent and murders of the french language at every turn. In spite of all of this, a study of the vintage french chanson is impossible without Baker's early recordings.
   
   But Baker didn't sing that way forever. As her singing abilities grew, her voice deepened, and she mastered the french language. This era appropriately coincided with the next transformation in her career that occured after WWII - from the Folies Bergere dancer to 'La Diva magnifique'. Her interpretations became, musically, primarily of South American influence in the mid-20th century modern style, and her voice was better than ever. This recording, a very appropriately titled re-release of the 1963 RCA compilation LP "The Fabulous Josephine Baker", is available for all to marvel at La Baker during this era.
   
   The album's liner notes give no information about the history of the songs included, the recording sessions, or anything else of real use, with the commentary included in the liner notes being taken from the original release of 1963. For some reason the back cover states that the album includes Baker singing "...the Jazz Age's favorite songs", a rather inaccurate statement, as these many of these numbers were either written especially for Baker long after the so-called "Jazz Age" came to an end, or are her own interpretations of popular french chansonettes (it is significant to state that Baker was NEVER a jazz singer or musician; but rather the poster girl for the Harlem renaissance and the Jazz age. Her "occupation", if you will, is almost always incorrectly credited - although she was a much celebrated dancer in her early career, she spent the majority of her career as a singer).
   
   Six of the songs offered here are taken from Baker's 1959 show "Paris mes amours", which she took to the USA in the 1963 as "The Fabulous Josephine Baker". This was Baker's "comeback" revue after she "retired" in 1955. Her desperate financial situation forced her to return to the stage, and were it not for this fact the wonderful recordings of her later years might never have been made. From 1959-1960 Baker made several superb recordings with her husband Jo Bouillon's orchestra, most of which are included on this disc. Missing from this disc are "Terre seche", which was recently covered by the french pop singer LamieLa; the divine "Clopin-Clopant" (which has nothing to do with the popular version recorded by Streisand); and Baker's interpretations of Maurice Chevalier's "Fleur de Paris" and Charles Trenet's "Romance de Paris". "Clopin-Clopant", "Romance de Paris", "Fleur de Paris" and the instrumental numbers were not released on disc until 1993, when RCA put out the CD "My Greatest Songs: Josephine Baker" in the out-of-print "My Greatest Songs" CD series. The wonderful "Terre seche" has yet to be released on disc. Seven songs from "Paris mes amours" were originally sold in 2 volumes on 45 inch LP at the Olympia Theatre when the show opened in 1959, and were never sold again. In 1962 RCA released the LP "The Fabulous Josephine Baker" in order to commemorate Baker's American tour of the same name, and in 1963 they released a new version of the album as part of their 'Living-Stereo' series, this time including more chansons Baker recorded during the 1959-1960 recording sessions. Throughout the 1960s RCA released an incredible number of compilation albums that featured different combinations of songs taken from Baker's 1959-1960 recording sessions (8 by my last count). In 1995 the original Living-Stereo LP was issued onto the CD release reviewed here.
   
   The original LP release of "The Fabulous Josephine Baker" included a large yellow label that rightly announced that the album included " ... superb orchestral backing ... ". Indeed, on these recordings Baker is accompanied by some wonderfully orchestrated music (another reviewer on this page calls the arrangements corny, which is shamefully inaccurate). The orchestrations are primarily the work of Jo Boyer (uncredited in the liner notes), the french trumpet player and big band leader. In the more up-tempo numbers Baker's husband Jo Bouillon does the honors with regards to arrangements, and his early classical training certainly shows. In the ballads the manner of orchestration is reminiscent of Ray Ellis, and is lovely in every respect - one finds uses for distant operatic vocalizations, large choirs, lush strings, and colorful percussion. In the up-tempo numbers the scoring is in the typical mid 20th century South American style often heard in the halls of the 'Grand cabaret', where one heared an entertaining mixed-bag of many influences - big band, exotica, samba, classical, tropicalismo, and spanish. The conducting is more than appropriate for such music, recorded under the skilled direction of Bouillon, as well as Jean Claudric (for tracks 10 and 13).
   
   The album starts off with "Paris Mes Amours", the opening chanson from the show of the same name, which has Baker's voice at its most grandiose and powerful, with giddy accompniment very much in the style of the old music-hall. "Le Marchand de Bonheur" is a typical latin-influenced selection from the revues La Baker put on in the 1950s and 60s, complete with scantily clad back-up singers and dancers singing "La La La..." at the top of their lungs. "Moi 'io'" is a beautiful, easy number in a bal-musette style, and includes an instrumental break that can make anyone long for the city of Paris. "J'Attendrai" is wonderful - a march with back-up from bass clarinet and triangle (Baker often taught her audience how to do the 'twist' to the opening bars of this chanson). In "J'Attendrai" she sings in a rather deep contralto style that can amaze anyone who has ever heard her early recordings. Next is the wonderful "Avec", with its samba rhythm and maraca accompaniment, along with some rather complex arrangement for brass. Baker usually included this song as the first number after the overture in the shows of her later years and usually in a slow-tempo arrangement straight out of the Cuban Tropicana (the album "En La Habana" includes a far superior version of this song). "Donnez-Moi la Main" is a spanish-virtuoso number sung in french, in which La Baker takes on the role of a Gypsy telling someones fortune. Baker included this number in many of her shows wearing a wonderful gypsy costume. "Je Voudrais" is a delicate chanson with more intimate vocals from Baker, and "La Seine", set to a waltz with touches from accordian and a distant operetic vocalist, has Baker singing of the famous River in both french and english. "Sonny Boy" is taken from the old musical "The Singing Fool", and is 1 of only 2 tracks sung entirely in english. Baker's cover of Edith Piaf's chanson "Sous Les Toits de Paris" is another easy number with gorgeous vocals and arrangement, and "La Ballade des Rues de Paris" is yet another ode to Paris. "Mon P'tit Bonhomme" is a sparkling waltz in the Viennese style, with colorful accompaniment from glockenspeil, celeste and sweeping strings. "En Avril A Paris", which Baker also sung as "April in Paris", is a sweet sentimental hymn to the city of lights, sung in both french and english. "Sag Beim Abschied Leise Servus", sung in german, is another lovely ballad with a superb backing from a large choir. "Don't Touch My Tomatoes" is a charming number that is something of a cross between a 1950s pop hit and a song worthy of Carmen Miranda.
   
   "The Fabulous Josephine Baker'" is one of only two albums one can easily obtain on disc of La Baker in her later, best years. The other is "En La Habana", recorded in Havana, Cuba in 1966 when Baker was invited by Fidel Castro to perform at the Teatro Musical de la Habana. This recording includes Baker's "Dans Mon Village", as well as great renditions of "Quando Quando" and "Esto es Felicidad". Also included on "En La Habana" is a knock-out performance of "Avec", with Baker singing at her absolute best with the seductive Cuban orchestra. Another album with some essential recordings of Baker from circa 1950-1970 is "C'est vous", which includes many of the latin-styled selections Baker favoured in the 1950s. There are two essential live albums that have recently been re-released onto CD in Europe - "Josephine Baker in Tivoli", which was recorded during Baker's 1963 show at the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, Denmark. This recording was only available on an out-of-print LP for many years (a decent copy of the original LP can go for $100). Baker's last show, the spectacular "Josephine a Bobino 1975" has been re-released on disc 3 times, and is currently not in print, though one can obtain the original 2 LP release through online markets. Hopefully the 1973 recording "Josephine Baker Recorded Live at Carnegie Hall" gets a re-release as well (it was released onto CD in France in 1995, but it is not in print). Although this recording was unfortunately made while Baker was terribly hoarse, her wonderful audience interaction and the fact that they lovingly applaude her every move more than make up for it. There are also two recordings Baker made in the 1960s which have yet to turn up on disc - "Chante l'amour" is divine in every respect, while "Chante Paris" includes some wonderful french chansons that will remind anyone of Paris.
   
   The cover photograph of "The Fabulous Josephine Baker" by Levene is a great visual representation of who Baker was in the latter part of her career - wearing a magnificent glittering form-fitting gown, all topped off with an eleborate head-dress straight out of the Folies Bergere that even puts Bob Mackie to shame, looking radiantly beautiful, with her big, trade-mark smile. If only this album could give one the astounding visual of the great Josephine Baker live on stage descending down a staircase with her grandiose costumes, surrounded by her sexy back up dancers and singers, hitting her amazing high notes with her rich, smooth, mobile voice and chanting to the world of the glories of Paris. She was truely a Diva of Divas, and the greatest modern pop stage performer the world has yet seen.



3. THis CD, The Fabulous Josephine Baker, is an excellent example of what she had that made her perhaps the top female performer and singer in France for more than thirty years.
   
   If we think of her as an Ameican singer who happened to live and work in France, we won't get it. What Josephine was, was an expatriate singer from the United States who became in a short time one of th best, certainly, and even possibly the very best, French - Parisian POP singer of all time. She was a French singer, therefore, and because American Xenophobia doesn't allow for any other people at any time or from any country to possibly compete with and surpass American performers -- basebqll teams that win the world series are "world champions" though they never play internationally; heavyweight boxers, when they win the title, become "World champions" though mostly they only fight other american boxers -- Josephine Baker is not, and could not be considered more than a novelty in the USA. Her vocal production was usually called "reedy" and affected. But, to the French, her voice was, in its way, as French as Piaf's or de Lisle's or Mistinguettes, or any of the other singers of the time, because to sing in French, well, you must produce a sound that is compatible with the consolants and vowels of the language. That's why virtually all French singers (of both sexes and all disciplines) sound the way they do. They sing for a descriminating French audience.
   
   Piaf the Tragedienne, is most familiar to Ameicans mostly because of her distinctive nasal burr. Americans don't like Tragic songs, except in the Country/Western context, but accept it in Piaf because Piaf is almost all they know of French POP music. Jo Baker they seldom heard, and only with Jim Crow shame. But Baker personifies an aspect of French culture that is unique in the world; she is the spirit of Paris; the fun, the excitement, the joie de vivre that one feels just being there. She stands on the Eifel Tower the way an angel stands on the tip of the Christmaqs tree, waving her arms and legs, smiling that huge smile of hers and hitting those amazing high notes, welcoming everybody around the world, to the City of Light, to Paris.
   
   I strongly recommend her En Avril a Paris: check out her English-language choruses and riffs. In Moi, she appears as Shirley Bassey's mom; so hot! So brassy! So big Nightclub! Paris mes amours is wonderfully giddy and gay; something right out of a Follies production, with a chorus of half-dressed boys and girls singing their hearts out; all buttocks, thighs and navels. My particular favorite is, I think, Avec; a Brazilian Samba, with chorus. It's fun to listen to. So's the whole album. The woman had such range. Her voice is by far, the most athletic, flexible and pitch perfect and secure of any of her generation, and certainly of ours. The babe had pipes.



4. Impossible for any Josephine Baker collection of songs to be anything but 5 star! Buy, listen,and enjoy.



5. Giddy Can-Can type chansonettes, soulful ballads, Edit Piaf-esque hymns to Paris, Josephine Baker, at the peak of her vocal powers, delivers them all with consummate mastery and apparent ease. Her rich, creamy mezzo and rapid even vibrato are the perfect vehicle for these chansons, and her timing and dynamic expression are impeccable. Far from the twittery interpretations of her early recordings, these songs are the works of a mature master.

   Sure, some of the orchestrations and arrangements are corny, but that's the style of the period, and it's great fun. One or two times of listening to this, and you'll be humming happily along.

   To those who have never heard Josephine's later recordings, she may at moments be reminiscent of a more fluid, powerful and infinitely happier and more mellow Edith Piaf.

   The recoding engineers have done an admirable job of transferring this early stereo work to compact disc. While this recording does not offer the sonic depth of a contemporary recording, it nevertheless delivers everything with great clarity and negligible distortion.

5 comments about Captured Live at Carnegie Hall.

1. Musicians include Peter Allen, Michael Braun, Mark Berger, Louis Cortelezzi, Larry Saltzman, Miguel Fuentes, Dian Sorel, Nikki Gregoroff... Recorded live at Carnegie Hall September 1984



2. Sometimes consumers get exactly what they deserve. The big record companies are greedy individuals who would love nothing more than to charge all you Peter Allen fans $21.98 for ALL 82+ minutes of this two LP set. So a record company compromises the best way they can to give you ALL the music and SOME of the banter between songs and you all still complain.
   
   The BIG labels did not even want to deal with this release so give Buddha credit and thanks for releasing it in the first place. Next, who in the world told you all to get rid of every LP or cassette that you owned. If you dumped all of them you quite likely got rid of some music that will never come out on CD. Listen to those if you want the entire thing.
   
   The banter was excised so that YOU, the consumers, could get this worthy performance and ALL the original MUSIC at a fair price, like Amazon's 10.98. Despite the fact that Peter Allen is one of the few performers whose banter even mattered you have the essence of the performance. So enough with what is not there. Be thankful for what is there and buy it now before it disapperas forever.



3. I had this cassette, but lost it and have been looking everywhere for a replacement. I ordered the CD and, although I agree with a previous reviewer that too much banter with the audience had been cut, the music is still so wonderful. It's hard to believe that he's gone. What an entertainer. His ballads are his specialty. I am so happy to once again have this in my collection.



4. When this recording was first released in the 1980s, it was a stupendous example of Peter Allen's skills as a songwriter and a performer. Unfortunately, this re-release is something of a hatchet job. Several sections of Peter Allen talking to the audience, explaining songs or just demonstrating his charming personality, have been mysteriously deleted. The songs are brilliant and deserve a good listen, because Peter Allen remains a sorely underrated musician. But the omission of Peter's interplay with the audience is a real disservice both to Peter Allen and his fans.



5. I first met Peter at the Colonial Tavern in Toronto on my 18th birthday ( I was legal in Ontario .) I'd first heard him on Riener Swartz's TVO show in March of 1975 and was very impressed at the jazzy/ broadway/ camp quality of his work soooo, I ventured down with a buddy of mine for a few drinks and some tunes. Paul Drake, the pianoman at the hotel Peter was staying & a long time, well respected jazzman was there and INSISTED on singing along. I insisted that he be quiet as I could hear him ANY time and Peter was only here for the week. I met Peter that night - we had a few jars, he sang 'Happy Birthday ' to me and we became friends - something you can't have enough of in this life! It was Wonderful! Peter was and is something that MUST be experienced live! He was new, fresh and exciting! His show, his presentation and his tunes were " new, deft little tunes that are both interesting and happy." Live at Carnagie Hall delivers some of what you would have seen. A performer at his best - live, up close and personal.To anyone that might consider purchasing this album - I strongly suggest that you do! Sadly, the Colonial is gone and so is Peter but they will both be remembered by those of us who had the pleasure of seeing him and knowing him.

No comments about Originals.

5 comments about Michael & George (Feinstein Sings Gershwin).

1. "Many other writers were deeply envious of him, wishing they too had that magic spark endowing his creations with an evergreen energy even now still combustible. George is one hundred and his music is ageless. His songs are sung, re-sung and reinterpreted in every conceivable genre, and they thrive. His concert works are beloved. Surely, as long as we care, Gershwin is here to stay." ~ Michael Feinstein, Liner Notes, 1998 ~
   
   Michael Feinstein recorded this great centennial tribute to George Gershwin in 1998. This is one of the best-ever Gershwin tributes of all-time. Thanks to the innovative talents of Michael Feinstein, Bruce Roberts and David Tobocman, who wrote the incredibly beautiful, smooth jazzy arrangements of these timeless songs from the Gershwins. It's so nice to listen to these chestnuts with new arrangements and styles.
   
   I have always cherished all Michael Feinstein CDs from my collection. They're absolutely gorgeous and worthy of repeat listenings every now and then. He's truly one of the greatest interpreters of the Great American Songbook and he's one of the best things that ever happened in the history of popular music. Additionally, all of his Liner Notes are self-written and so informative. You'll learn a lot about the origins of each song in the repertoire.
   
   The best tracks for me include "Embraceable You" so uniquely rendered with its beautiful arrangement, which incorporates an overlapping instrumental background of the songs "Fascinating Rhythm," "Somebody Loves Me," "Someone To Watch Over Me" and "Rhapsody In Blue" and Gary Foster bridges it with his superb alto sax solo. It's one of my favorite versions of this gem.
   
   Of course my perennial favorite "Love Is Here To Stay" is also a beguiling version sung with the intro verse, which was written by Ira shortly after George's death. It goes . . .
   
   "The more I read the papers
   The less I comprehend
   The world and all its capers
   And how it all will end
   
   Nothing seems to be lasting
   But that isn't our affair
   We've got something permanent
   I mean, in the way we care."
   
   Listen closely to two more remarkable tracks, "Do It Again" and "Love Walked In." They have similar arrangements and I think they are the best arrangements I've ever heard for these songs. "Love Walked In" has background vocals. All I can say is wow!
   
   Join Michael Feinstein as he takes you to a sentimental journey to the world of George and Ira Gershwin.



2. If Michael is singing - I want to hear it! His Gershwin is always superb. Alongside all the previous Gershwin releases - this earns a treasured spot. To hear the neglected verses or intros to the songs as well as his illuminating notes is a much welcomed pleasure. This is some of the best Gershwin of our time! This singer always delivers the goods and here more so.



3. Feinstein is probably the best contemporary interpreter of the music of the Gershwins, however this partiuclar CD is a bit too somber. Yes, Ira and George could be somber and brooding, but this offering has too much of that for this man's taste.



4. I've a confession....before actually purchasing this wonderful cd I had been a 'closeted' Michael Feinstein fan for many years. But, at last, it's time to come out and express my deep rooted admiration for this amazing artist! For years I have respected the work of Micheal Feinstein and upon the release of "Michael & George" thought I might enjoy this as well. Much to my surprise my then "current girlfriend" who generally disliked anything to do with Broadway musicals, actually liked it so much she ended up keeping the copy I eventually purchased before we parted ways. Mmmm...typical! So, seeing how I was beginning to miss having this cd around (which,I'll confess, may be more than I actually missed having HER around!) I quickly bought another copy to add to my collection.

   This cd was a slight change of departure for Michael (for convienience sake we'll keep this on a first name basis). While he had previously released two cd's featuring the music of George and Ira Gershwin he had never, up to this point, put out a collection of their songs using a slightly more contemporary approach. And, at the risk of losing any 'street creed' among fellow readers, I applaud him for this inventive approach! If nothing else his choice of using more modern charts actually,for me, enhances my enjoyment of these classic pieces. Michael approaches this cd in a singing style that is subtle, hushed yet also, dare I say,very intimate. His voice has always had such a warm texture and he sings these songs with a certain "playfulness" that is generally missing when performing Gershwin. If there is one problem that I constantly come across when listening to other singers attempt these wonderful tunes it is simply that in many instances they are being "overly sung" by the artist. I'm simply not a fan of "vocal gymnastics! It isn't easy to do but Michael is able to convey more in a quiet, almost imperceptible whisper( see " Embraceable You") than most singers do when 'tackling' a song and beating it to death ( see Celine Dion). The vast majority of these songs were written for musicals and should be sung with a certain,how to say,"Joie De Vivre" but how I wish more singers subscribed to the "less is more" theory when it comes to approaching a piece of music. I think we may all agree that Gerswn's songs are truly strong enough to under go a slight moderation...every now and than. C'mon, these are only songs...not the Ten Commandments!

   Overall, I simply adore this cd. Although I know it's a cliche but when he performs "Funny Face", "Embraceable You" and "Lonely Boy" I swear I am hearing these songs for the first time. And when it comes to "Do It Again"...well, let's not go there! This is a wonderful package and if you've been a Gershwin fan as long as I have please give Michael's "Michael & George" a listen. Just promise to listen with an open mind! It's a disc that is at once warm, intimate and oh so sexy. Mmmm....now I wonder what happened to that ex-girlfriend of mine!

   Four and One-Half Stars!!




5. This award-winning album of Gershwin songs is not your standard Feinstein balladeering. He is a master at interpreting these wonderful, old standards. If only he had included my favorite Gershwin, BUT NOT FOR ME; that would have capped it off and made it the most special.

3 comments about The Carlyle Set.

1. Christine Andreas is a world famous Cabaret performer and Broadway diva(Scarlet Pimpernel, On Your Toes) and while her CD "Here's To The Ladies" focused mostly on Broadway music, this CD is more centered on jazz and the elements of Cabaret. In particularly fine voice throughout, she shines especially in "What if We Went to Italy?" "Alfie" and "In A Sentimental Mood" where her voice glows like no other. Any fan of Andreas and Cabaret will want to add this CD to their collection for the pure vocal quality and passion. Also included are beautiful liner notes(by Rex Reed) and pictures of the Carlyle- you will feel as if you are at the cabaret, in a small room, as Andreas sings just for you!



2. I was expecting a recording of a live performance. However, for now this would probably do. Among the currrent solo records of christine andreas, I consider this the best one. Here's to the Ladies is an nice CD, most of her renditions are good, except for Some People and Dont Rain on My Parade (you really cannot dissociate these songs with the characters and the original singers). Also, her rendition there, though enjoyable, could be quite predictable. This CD released by fynsworthalley is eclectic. A good mix of new and old songs. I particularly like mary chapin carpenter's What if we went to Italy, Show Me, Alfie, and At the Ballet. I hope she would record other jazz songs like Bluessette, or probably an acoustic version of Driftin, Dreaming. Come On, Come On would also be nice to hear with Christine Andreas' vocals. I hope for a live recording in the future.



3. Christine Andreas has done it again. Having just released the triumphant "Here's to the Ladies" last year, the classy cabaret singer and Broadway star has recorded a collection of breezy tunes that is sure to stun many fans who haven't seen her cabaret act. While on "Here's to the Ladies" Andreas played safe and selected well-known songs from familiar Broadway shows, on this recording Andreas blends old and new, familiar and obscure. Her voice, as always, is in top form, clear, consistent, powerful, emotional, and never strained, but it is the way she uses it on this album that will surprise many. This is a jazzier, sexier, more soulful Christine. She isn't playing her usual leading lady roles here amid huge audiences and in giant theaters. The setting is intimate, the tone often playful, sometimes serious, and always emotional. The result is phenomenal. Of particular excellence is a medley of "How Insensitive" and "I'm a Fool to Want You." Beautifully arranged, as is the entire album, and perfectly executed with just the right amount of gauzy pain. Andreas also hits two homeruns with her up-tempo swing versions of two show tunes, "My Fair Lady's 'Show Me,'" and "On Your Toes' 'It's Got to be Love." This Grammy-worthy album shines in every way, and is a welcome addition to Christine Andreas' fast-expanding collection of solo albums.

2 comments about U-Topia.

1. I only went to Utopia to listen to Pam Bricker sing. Her voice was not only soulful but reminiscent of the greats -- She was one of them. She is missed and I feel very fortunate to have known her, now all we have is her music.



2. I've been to several live Pam Bricker performances in the Washington, DC area and was always captivated by her voice and her talent. I bought my copy of this album directly from Pam and have listened to it dozens of times. It's a combination of jazz standards and sparsely known "fun" tunes. I especially like "Lover Come Back." I was shocked and saddened to read of her untimely death. Pam's remarkable voice comes through in full fidelity in this collection and should be a pleasure to any one who enjoys the female jazz vocalists.

2 comments about Club Verboten.

1. Everyone's bound to have quibbles with a collection such as this one. I would much prefer to have Mabel Mercer's version of "Ballad of the Sad Young Men," for instance (although Rod McKuen's is lovely), and I regret the absence of certain gay "standards" such as Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" and Dusty Springfield's "Quiet, Please, There's a Lady on Stage." But it's all fun, not mention educational, and I'm grateful to Marshall Blonstein and Richard Oliver for a magnificent effort, which is destined to take its place next to classics of the literature such as William J. Mann's "Behind the Screen" and "The Gay and Lesbian Literary Heritage"--not to mention the collected works of Barbara Streisand! To underscore their sense of history, the producers have included a near-100 page booklet with the 4-disc set that even features a bibliography of recommended reading and viewing. There are also generous notes on the songs and songsters, period essays, and some great photos. There are, as well, a few miscalculations, including a numerical listing of the songs in the booklet that doesn't correspond to the list on the box. The recording dates for some of the songs are given as "unknown" (where did these transfers come from?), and the dating itself (a "Cabaret" medley from the `20s?) is eccentric. But these are minor, well, quibbles, and I admire Blonstein and Oliver their daring in attempting such a project. If I may, I'd like to suggest that these gentlemen do a 4-CD set every year or so (how about an exerpt from Diamanda Galas' "Plague Mass" for the classical disc?), if only to demonstrate how un-Verboten gay music by gay musicians has become.



2. starting out with a scratchy ditty from the roaring twenties, this excellent historical collection manages to span a variety of musical genres, from rousing broadway musical to intimate diva-wrung blues to classical orchestra. some may carp about choices, and some are obvious, there are rarities here among the cliches. this is an invaluable historical document as well as an entertaining collection of tunes.

3 comments about Wall: Live in Berlin.

1. so this is a fairly good concert, i would rate the actual performance about a 4 out of 5 but the surround sound mix for this SACD is just poor. The left and right channels get most of the sound while the rear channels get the shouting of the audiance and not much else. The second problem was that the bass is just missing. usually i have to turn my active 150 watt subwoofer only to about 4/5 to listen to SACDs, because they usually have lower bass than normal CDs but now i had to turn it all the way up, and it still sounded shallow, meaning no deep bass. I would have tried the normal stereo CD layer....if there was one. All my other SACDs have STEREO and SACD layers (HYBRID SACDS). They are: Dark Side of the Moon - perfect mix by the way, Brothers in Arms, and Slowhand. So I would have prefered this to be a Hybrd but, now it mostly gathers dust. Makes me sad to see how it just sits there. Still, a good concert.



2. The music content of this SACD is excellent. However, the audio although very good, is presented essentially in concert mode. I would therefore suggest that viewing the concert on DVD (if available) would probably be a greater experience than just listening to the cd. That does not detract from the 'listenability' of this quality SACD.



3. I like this concert. I think Roger Waters did a really good job of getting a good support group for this show. It's a shame that he couldn't get the support group that belongs in this concert - the other members of Pink Floyd. It's interesting that the two Germanies could unite, but Pink Floyd couldn't.
   As I said, I liked the people that he did get. The Scorpions for In the Flesh, Sinead O' Conner for Mother and others. It is interesting that Roger Waters sounded old for this concert and not for In The Flesh.
   I am happy they released this one in SACD. Now if they would release the others.