No comments about Hymne a l'Amour.

3 comments about Emergency Ward!.

1. It wan't more than 6 months ago that I realized I could buy this music on a new CD, and when it came this morning and I put it on, there it was; the old vinyl, pristine, with its gritty LIVE sound. I hadn't heard it for more than forty years, and didn't think I would ever hear it again. But now, I'm back in the great presence. It's the fillmore; its summer concerts in Central Park. Its Be-Ins and Peace Ralleys. It's the time of Hope.

   Nina Simone had always been singing around. Hers and Richie Havens' voices were the great voices of the early rock era when American POP was threatened by the trivialization of hi-bucks production and Euro-Cute. They reminded everybody that the roots of ROCK are at the very least anchored in the Blues and the old African Church. It is curious and overpoweringly ironic that George Harrison, the most spiritual of the Beatles, managed to take that little "inevitable" riff which was everywhere in those days, and in HE'S SO FINE too, and combine it or overlay it with the Hare Krishna chant and make MY SWEET LORD. Miracles always seem easy, even inevitable, when they're done. The miracle is that even after his trial for plagerism -- that sordid business -- this music and the vision that animates it, remain his, forever.

   And so, here, Nina Simone, on the piano, as always, with a live chorus backing, and rhythm section, delivers it like the great spiritual anthem of yearning for Love and Peace and an end to stupid neo-colonial warfare, that the '60's were all about. It is the essence of George Harrison. It is the essence of Nina Simone. Its all Call and Response. Pristine. It still radiates a healing, redemptive musical power. There is nothing, anywhere on earth like it.




2. The two main songs off the album are covers of George Harrison Classics, Isn't it a Pity and My Sweet Lord mixed with Today is a Killer, ~ The Last Poets. The songs are done with the help of mission gospel choir, which gives it tremendous energy, and with Dr. Nina Simone on lead you can expect the unexpected.

   Anyone who has an appreciation of gospel or the heavier songs of Nine Simone (Sinnerman, Sea Line Women, Blackbird, Aint Got No) should take the time to listen to this album. Its not a smooth-jazz-ish album that I think people may come to exspect from her. However in my eyes it is her absolute best.

   "I never dreamed, I certainly never hoped, that one day I'd be screaming, for something my mother told me, i needed, in the begining." ~ My Sweet Lord




3. I am a big Nina Simone fan, but this is not one of my favorites. Try "It Is Finished" instead. Currently, both of them, and "Black Gold", are available in a two disc set titled "Emergency Ward". Nina's rendition of "Obeah Woman" (from "It Is Finished") IS an essential recording!

1 comments about Jane Birkin Serge Gainsbourg.

1. Yes the king serge, and his queen Jane... This has to be one of the greatest albums of all time... Easily one of the top Serge releases. Needless to say what you have here is sophisticated "orchestral" pop on a level seldom touched by mere mortals outside of the beatles or possibly the zombies. This record isn't as funk heavy as his later releases (melody nelson pour example) or as wacked out as "the man with a cabbage head" .. this is more of a cerebral adult kind of pop music. But still packs some amazing bass riffs and killer drums (namely annee erotique)... Serges vocals are so high in the mix you can almost hear the beard stubble on the mic, and Birkin sounds like she's ready to cry on about every track... amazing and essential...

No comments about Lady Sings the Blues, Vol. 2: After Hours.

No comments about Billie Holiday - Greatest Hits (Gold Edition).

No comments about Quinn Lemley Is Rita Hayworth: The Heat Is On!.

5 comments about Heart to Heart.

1. Thank you so much. My CD arrived in record time and in pristine condition. I would purchase from you again.



2. Betty Buckley was not a name I remembered well when I went to New York City to see "Sunset Boulevard." I'd forgotten her television work as a young television actress. But I was thrilled with her performance on Broadway and with her charm in meeting fans after the show. She then came to our university town for a performance and again I was enchanted with her warmth and style. I bought her recent album "Heart to Heart" at the end of that evening and immediately put it in my CD alarm clock in my room. There is nothing more pleasant than to listen to her singing at night or in the morning. Her lovely voice and personality have made "Heart to Heart" one of my all time favorite recordings.



3. Buckle down for some serious singing ... courtesy of Betty Buckley, former substance abuser, "Eight is Enough" TV star and Broadway's greatest diva. (Sorry, Bernadette.) On this, the debut release on her own label (KO = Knockout), Buckley strips away affectation and goes right to the heart and soul of each song, her unadulterated sparse phrasing and passionate vibrato underscored by Kenny Werner piano accompaniment. (Guitarist Blaise James joins her for two cuts.) Knock out indeed.



4. After many years exploring music (mostly through the piano) in a deeply, almost religious way, I get more and more surprised and fascinated with every note Mr. Werner plays on the keyboard. The intention behind each harmonic and melodic movement is so lyrically intense and new that I feel Mr. Werner evoking things that my life-long guru (Keith Jarrett- pianist) hasn't explored yet (How can this be?).
   It was through KWerner that I discovered this heavenly voice.



5. Betty's vocals on this album are wonderful, and the selection of songs is great, but she needs a new arranger. The sometimes discordant and free-floating keyboard meanderings are distracting and annoying. A case in point, Anyone Can Whistle - a brilliant song that needs no piano re-interpretation. It was ruined in spite of Betty's gorgeous vocal. Betty has an amazing voice, and she is at her best with unpretentious arrangements which allow her voice to soar and don't distract the listener.

No comments about 20 Chansons d'Or.

2 comments about These Foolish Things.

1. A real joy, relaxing in English and German, ala Dietrich. Don't let the youthful cover picture dissuade your decision. Keller has style and emotion. Her later concert recordings are worth checking out as well.



2. Almost reminiscent of Marlene Dietrich, Miss Keller has an accent, which is rather charming when singing standards like "These Foolish Things," Definately a sophistocated and stylish singer, her art was it it's hieght during the art deco 30's era when these songs were recorded. Not for everybody but definately elegant.

1 comments about Young Man of Manhattan.

1. He's wrapped up a collection of interesting, witty, touching songs and released them in this CD called, "Young Man of Manhattan," with a Manhattan mood from a more golden era, when young men in dinner clothes strolled home, jacket over the shoulder, after dancing until dawn. Sort of Fred Astaire or Cary Grant.

   The CD is arranged meticulously. Hip, nostalgic, with some songs as familiar as the Empire State Building and some forgotten or unknown, all presented with a energetic jazz piano input, and a direct vocal approach. He includes a song of his own, "It's After Hours," a jazzy melody that builds nicely, with a strong beat, John Loerke on bass and Scott Napoli on drums. But Comstock also includes numbers like "S'Wonderful," and "About a Quarter to Nine,"

   Comstock's strongest point may be his own talent in choosing the right material, arranging them with understanding and charm, and bringing in the best accompanists. He's comfortable with his choices, and should be, since he did most of these arrangements. With a warm vocal approach to his songs coupled with a limber, versatile piano, and his variety of material, Eric Comstock shows what he can do in this first recording.

   -Elizabeth Ahlfors