5 comments about Respect: A Century of Women in Music.

1. I love this boxed set, but my main mission here is to fill some of you in. Yes, the collection would be better with Joni Mitchell, but if you bothered to read the liner notes, you'd know that SHE is the one who said she would never allow any of her work to be on any collection of strictly women musicians.



2. I bought this and I think I will get it for all my girlfriends this year. The first three CD's are alone worth the price and the box and book inside are also lovely.

   The only thing that bothered me about this collection was the lack of Joni Mitchell, Annie Lennox and the Indigo Girls. I like everything else about it. But these three artist deserve a place amoung these other great women (as much as Paula Cole I don't know why she's on here.)

   The early jazz and blues stuff is great!! CD 4 is good and thank god for Joan Baez!

   All in all a good collection and a nice gift for the woman in your life who has everything, chances are she doesn't have this much great music all in one place...




3. If Amazon had a half-star system, I would have given this (otherwise) fantastic collection a four and a half. Missing Joni is not enough to cost it a star, just half.

   But rather bewildering, considering Joni being one of the most influential women in rock, and considering Rhino's access to her Reprise and Asylum catalogs.

   But really, this is one hell of a box set. Just the first two discs alone are worth the trouble.




4. What a fabulous collection! Some others may feel that there were some glaring omissions from this collection, but I think it's perfect the way it is. I love that a lot of lesser-known artists were included. I'm tired of sets that are totally predictable and love having my musical horizons expanded. That's the best way to explore unfamiliar names without buying a whole disc you may not like. I also like that each disc has a theme so I can hear what I am in the mood for at the time. Best of all, it's not geared to only one genre. I try to be open-minded and give all music styles a chance and this allows me to do just that. Buy this for yourself, or another music-lover, you will not be disappointed!



5. When I received this for Christmas, I was overwhelmed to tears reading all the wonderful talent that I held in my hand. Rhino has once again outdone themselves, working extremely hard to represent a century of women who impacted and reflected the times in which they sang. The music is amazing, I continue to get goosebumps hearing many of the songs. Rhino execs admit that they weren't able to include everyone, and have graciously printed the names of hundreds of women who were musicians in the past century. The liner notes continue to match Rhino's top quality standards. What I appreciate most about this box set is that Rhino admits they chose not to include performers who buyers likely already have in their collection (Indigo Girls, the Mamas and the Papas, Madonna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, ABBA, Helen Reddy, Karen Carpenter, etc.), but worked to expose listeners to undiscovered nuggets, while still satisfying the craving for well known treasures. I defy any 60s fan (any race, any gender) to listen to Disc 3 and not be overwhelmed with joy at the outpouring of passion, fun and love. This just rocks, plain and simple.

2 comments about Ella: Legendary Decca Recordings.

1. Whether one is a fan of Ella before listening to these songs, or not, you will DEFINITELY be one after listening. Her diction, smooth, luscious singing of all of these songs is unique, only a tiny part of the reason that Ella is the Queen of Jazz singing. If you are new to listening to Ella, this compilation of songs is THE way to be introduced to this wonderful songstress. Her sweetness and sincerity glows out of each word and phrase. She truly belongs to the Ages, and as long as ANYone is listening to Jazz singing, there will never be anyone to outshine her! BUY THIS COMPILATION while you can!



2. The 4 disc set "The Legendary Decca Recordings" is a fantastic collection of 80 songs that Ella Fitzgerald recorded while at Decca records. The earliest material dates from 1938 and goes up to 1955. Let me first state that there is not a bad song in this collection. Some of what you'll hear are standards, some will be lesser known or maybe totally unknown songs, but everything is thoroughly enjoyable. The sound quality is incredible; this material is 45-60 years old, but it might as well have been recorded yesterday. I'm not kidding, it's that good.

   Disc one is entitled "The Very Best Of Ella" and contains songs picked as favorites by Milt Gabler, Ella's Decca producer. This disc contains a really wild song called "Stone Cold Dead in the Market" a Calypso-flavored number about a woman who kills her abusive husband. Great song, and chances are you've never heard it before. Disc two is entitled "Ella & Friends," and featured duets with Louis Armstrong, the Ink Spots, Louis Jordan, the Delta Rhythm Boys, and the Mills Brothers. This disc has a good deal of excellent standards. Disc three is entitled "Ella Sings Gershwin & Others" and features works by Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael, Cole Porter, Rodgers & Hammerstein, etc. Disc four is entitled "Ella & The Arrangers," and features works arranged by Gordon Jenkins and Andre Previn, among others and also features many standards.

   All these discs come, fittingly, in a large and sturdy glossy cardboard case, not the usual plastic double-cd holders. You also get a full-sized paperback book with info on the songs and Ella's tenure at Decca. The whole package is artfully done, and was obviously put together with a good deal of work and care. If you love Ella Fitzgerald, jazz, or listening to classic American songs sung by one of the greats, get this set; you'll enjoy every minute of it.

5 comments about The Classic Singles.

1. I agree with many reviewers in that the sound quality of this set is HORRIBLE! I listened to it using highend headphone, which is very revealing, and it is unbearable -- the hiss and static noise is very noticeable and the songs are in mono:-(
   
   DON'T buy this collection!



2. I suppose, for the true audiophile, that a CD produced in this day and age with some background hiss is quite unforgivable, and for that reason I can appreciate some of the negative comments. On the other hand if, like me, that is not an issue (unless the background noise is unbearable), then don't let that stop you from getting a copy of this box set.
   
   Nor should you be dissuaded by the number of "hit singles" omitted. This does not, after all, purport to be his "greatest hit singles" but, rather, "classic singles" - a definition which, I admit, is open to argument and different interpretation. Sweet Lorraine, for example, was a failed single release by The King Cole Trio, and yet today is regarded as one of his classics. Much like, in the Country field, where Hank Williams' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry never charted as the flipside of My Bucket's Got A Hole In It in 1949, and yet, not only would no Hank Williams compilation be complete without it, I daresay it's better remembered than the hit side.
   
   I also have to wonder at the reviewer who says "songs from before extended play records (1949) can't rightly be called singles..." I'm not sure what he is driving at, but extended play (or E.P.) records had nothing to do with single releases. These were 45rpm [rarely, but sometimes, 33 1/3] records with two songs per side - at times three - with picture sleeves, sort of like mini-LPs.
   
   Once in a while a selection from an EP [or even an LP] would enter the singles charts based upon demand for air play. Elvis did this a few times, and where Nat is concerned just one EP cut made the Billboard singles charts. That was Stardust (# 79 Billboard Pop Top 100 in 1957) which formed part of Capitol EP 824 "Love Is The Thing," also containing When Sunny Gets Blue, Maybe It's Because I Love You Too Much, and It's All In The Game.
   
   Aside from such exceptions, true singles were always the one-song-per-side records - whether 78 or 45 rpm. Using the example of Kee-Mo Ky-Mo (The Magic Song), this became a # 10 hit on what then passed for the R&B charts in 1949 b/w Rex Rhumba on Capitol 15240 so, in every respect, this was not only a single, but a hit as well.
   
   For the record, just 18 of the cuts in this 102-song set were not "hit" singles, but in just about every case you could make an argument for them as Nat "King" Cole classics. Such as his renditions of Tenderly, Dreams Can Tell A Lie, and When I Fall In Love.



3. A single, to me, is a collection of 2 songs (usually taken from an album, though in the days when LPs and EPs didn't exist yet I would say a 78RPM that one could buy individually, rather than in an "album" package, would also qualify.) I would EXPECT this set at the least to be a collection of all Cole's BEST singles..at least that is implied by the name. At most, I would expect a comprehensive set of everything singled by the man who built Capitol Records' early success. This set fails miserably by either standard.
   
   WHAT'S MISSING:
   If we're talking about a complete set of all Nat's singles, we're not even close here. Between 1950 and 1966 alone, Nat released 87 singles. We'll be nice and say that singles only mean those promoted as "A" sides..or those that received airplay. By that token, there should be 104 songs on this collection. There are 101..and even then the 101 songs here are not always the A sides...even in cases where it was not the "B" side which was the charter. (Case in point:"Because of Rain" was the B side to "Song of Delilah". Neither charted. Why was "Because" included? Was it the compiler's aesthetic determination that "Because" was a 'better' song?)
   
   Of course, we know that Nat did NOT record only from 1950 on. There are plenty of songs from the Trio years released on single that don't make it onto here.
   
   If we're talking about his "best" singles, explain to me why "Kee Mo Ky Mo" makes it but "Can I Come in for a Second?" doesn't. Nat, never a 'bluesy' vocalist, singing "I Almost Lost my Mind" instead of "Embraceable You"? "Open Up the Doghouse (Two Cats are Comin' On)" is a nice novelty duet with Dean Martin that misses the cut.
   
   Packaging is also a big minus here. The spindles inside the case do not sturdily hold the discs in. Many, many times I open the case and the discs fall to the ground, getting scratched on the floor, or sometimes, they've been rubbing together in the package: another no-no for disc longevity.
   
   BOTTOM LINE:
   There is still no good comprehensive collection of all the material Nat singled during his (too short) lifetime. The best box set overview of his musical legacy remains the 1992 box set Nat King Cole. Get that one instead.



4. First a little background on this set. Beginning with the stereo era in the late 1950's and early '60's, record labels including Capitol began offering most albums in both stereo and monaural, until stereo proved more popular and monaural was phased out altogether in the late 1960's. The same held true for 45 rpm singles, but most teens purchased the mono 45rpm records, since they were cheaper, and closer to what they heard on AM transistor radios. For the monaural releases, most record labels either mixed down the stereo versions into a flat mono track, or simply pulled the right or left stereo channel, and ran it straight on the 45, leaving a much different sounding version that the stereo versions. Capitol did both. Nat King Cole: the Classic Singles, offers us those monaural singles, for the most part as they sounded as 78 and 45 rpm single records. Monaural recordings can sound very good, if done correctly. For the first three discs of this set, that is the case. Some of the mastering on the early to mid 50's singles with Cole and Nelson Riddle, really sparkle. However it's the fourth disc with which I have the problem. The producer, despite his oath in the booklet to find the best source material possible, has chosen to use the mono mixes of all of Cole's material, even tracks that were originally recorded in stereo. There are many reasons why he/she may have done this. Perhaps to stay with the "singles" theme and keep the songs sounding as they did when released on vinyl. If that's the case, why did the producer choose the stereo versions (and bad ones at that) of Let There Be Love, and Dear Lonely Hearts? Judging by the research that went in to the booklet that accompanies this set, I hardly think ignorance played a role in this. I'm sure the producer knew full well that there were stereo mixes of these songs out there. Contrary to what another reviewer said here, the point of purchasing a 70-dollar CD set *IS* to get the best sounding material available. While it's interesting to hear how some of these songs were mixed to mono, those tinny, shallow, flat recordings are not what I want to hear, and not what I expect from a release of this caliber. Some of these songs, When I Fall In Love, and Looking Back for instance, sound completely different than they did on stereo lp or previous CD releases. This set is certainly not alone in that respect. EMI CD releases from England have been substituting Mono masters for Stereo ones on Cole albums for years. Why, I have no idea. Considering Nat Cole recorded prolifically for Capitol for more than 20 years, I find it sad that so little of his work remains in print. In the past 20 years Capitol and EMI have reissued nearly all of Cole's albums on CD at one time or another. But many including "Love", "Ballads Of the Day", "St Louis Blues" "To Whom It May Concern" and "Wild Is Love" were deleted from Capitol's catalog within months of release, and to date nearly all are completely out of print. "Night Lights" released just five years ago, is also out of print. I hope that Collector's Choice Music leases the Cole masters and turns out a complete, album by album release of Cole's monstrous catalog, as they did for Dean Martin recently. That way we won't have to suffer through any more piecemeal releases from Capitol EMI.



5. Along with Bing Crosby & Frank Sinatra,Nat King Cole was,hands down,one of the greatest American singers of the 20th century-I read a very positive review of this anthology in Goldmine magazine & decided to purchase it-This collection starts off with the recordings he made with his King Cole trio-Disc 2 features the songs that made his solo career memorable-Four of the songs on this disc were #1 in Billboard:"I Love You For Sentimental Reasons","Nature Boy","Mona Lisa",& "Too Young"-Some of the other standout tracks include "Walkin My Baby Back Home","Unforgettable","Smile",(written by Charlie Chaplin),"Pretend","Ramblin Rose","That Sunday,That Summer",& that perennial favorite,Mel Torme's "The Christmas Song"-The accompanying booklet has a great essay on Nat's career as well as an extensive discography,listing chart positions,which were taken from the weekly charts of Billboard magazine-For the hard core Nat King Cole devotee,this is definitely the collection to own.

No comments about The Complete Coleman Hawkins on Keynote.

No comments about Complete Irving Berlin Songbooks.

1 comments about The Centennial Edition - Highlights From 1927-1973.

1. Music was never a major element of my life. If the radio were on, it was invariably tuned to an all-news station or talk-radio that ranged from the religious to the profane. I did not own a CD player, and my archaic audio cassete player seldom contained anything but "books on tape" or one of Shakespeare's plays. So when a "literary club" that I belong to chose as its 2001 topic "My Favorite Composer," I was at a loss. Shucks! I don't even have a favorite song, let alone a favorite composer!

   Fortunately, the program committee had a list of suggestions, among which loomed the name Duke Ellington. Thus, Edward Kennedy Ellington became-- for this exigency, at least-- "My Favorite Composer."

   I procurred from a friend a CD player and withdrew from the local library the Complete Centennial Edition of Duke Ellington's music-- twenty-four CDs, each containing an hour or more of the most marvelous music I could ever have imagined. I listened to it all: Some of the CDs as many as three times. I had to have this music, and I had to have my own CD player. Trouble is, after buying a combination radio/CD player, there was no way I could afford the Complete Centennial Edition. So I did the next best thing: I bought the "Highlights" edition.

   I have played this three-CD set in its entirety time and again. Everytime I play it, I appreciate it more and "get into it" more. That anyone could create such a myriad of original scores of such a variety is amazing. The "jungle music" of the late 1920s, when Ellington was playing at the infamous Cotton Club in Harlem, is represented by the first cut, "Black and Tan Fantasy." Akin to that genre are "Cotton Club Stomp" and "Jungle Nights in Harlem." Listening to these selections conjured up in my mind's eye nightclub scenes from movies of the 1930s.

   The first CD also contains the legendary "Mood Indigo," with which even I was familiar, and two other instrumentals that I had never heard before, but have come to really enjoy: "Daybreak Express" and "Creole Rhapsody,"( Parts 1 & 2). "Daybreak Express" takes me on a ride on an old steam locomotive, the kind I remember from my youth. It's just fun to listen to. And there is the neatest love song--"My Old Flame"-- which I hum along with and even try to sing the lyrics.

   The other two CDs contain additional old standards such as "Sophisticated Lady," "Take the 'A' Train," "Perdido," and "Caravan"; and, again, several wonderful instrumentals completely new to me. I especially like "Day Dream," "A Lull at Dawn," and "Passion Flower." The latter three are mellow and mellifluous--music for relaxing and, yes, daydreaming.

   The plaintive "Rocks in My Bed" and the somewhat more upbeat "Just Squeeze Me" are two more vocals that I can't help but at least mouth the words to. And for something completely different, the third CD has the blare of "Blue Pepper," a selection that I find can really get me going in the morning (and that's not always easy when one is in his sixties!).It has the feel of Arabia, the hustle and bustle of the bazaar.

   Since becoming familiar with the music of the Maestro, I can truly say that Duke Ellington is "My Favorite Composer" and this boxed set has been instrumental in making that happen. (The pun is intended.)

5 comments about This Is Smooth Jazz: The Box Set.

1. Beethoven: 9 Symphonies
   I don't know if I did this right... I'm supposed to be talking about "This Is Smooth Jazz: The Box Set." I'm really enjoying The "Box Set." Throwing a bunch of Smooth Jazz on my CD changer sets me up for a mellow evening. It's a great way to unwind!
   
   Now it's time to go dig up Beethoven and get wound back up.



2. I found this product disappointing. It was not to the level of other Smooth Jazz CD's I own. The arrangement was mediocre, since within a particular CD everything sounded alike. I would recommend instead "Oasis Smooth Jazz Awards Collection." I wish I could find another one of that caliber. The arrangement on that one is absolutely great. Gret variety, great performers, great pieces. Please keep an eye that I am talking about the Oasis CD, not about This is Smooth Jazz. This is Smooth Jazz is not at all like that. Three CD, triple disappointment. I enjoyed about 3 pieces on the whole set. Buy the Oasis instead.



3. This cd displays great work from some of acid jazz's top performers, who have taken a little edge off on some of these tunes to make it more smooth jazz friendly. I would highly recommend this cd for anyone who is exploring and tired of the same old headline smooth jazz names i.e. Gerald Albright, Kenny G, Najee, etc. I think these bands try harder and are truer to their music and play for love and not fame! I started collecting acid jazz by listening to compilations and then getting cd's of the bands whose sounds I like. You will have people asking you "who is that?", when you put this baby in!



4. A very good mix of different moods and feelings in this album.
   I recommend this album for the one who searches for more than just soft jazz. Some of the music puts you in a soft mood and some perks you up. I f you can play a guitar, try to play along to the songs, i do.



5. I bought this box set for my mom for her birthday and she absolutely loves it. I'm not a smooth jazz fan myself, but she certainly is! She loved the fact that each CD had a different "theme"... one for morning, noon and night.
   Anyway, I just wanted to share that with any of you who are considering buying this for yourself, or for your mom!!!

5 comments about The Complete Columbia Studio Sessions, 1965-68.

1. This 4 CD Set contains 6 complete albums:
   
   1:Workin'
   2:Steamin'
   3:Relaxin'
   4:Cookin'
   5:Miles "The New Miles Davis Quintet"
   6:'Round about Midnight
   
   The 6 albums are not in any order, but still complete.
   Plus 2 bonus tracks, "Brass Ensemble of the Jazz-Classical Music Society"
   CD 4 >>
   8:Three Little Feelings 10:49 (Previously not Released)(Miles Davis, tp)
   9:Poem For Brass 9:53 (Previously not Released)(Miles Davis, tp)
   
   This is a good value way to start collecting Miles, or fill in some gaps.



2. Miles Davis' mid-1960s quintet with Wayne Shorter on tenor saxophone, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass and Tony Williams on drums was not a typical leader-and-sidemen ensemble but a cooperative grouping of some of the most gifted and important musicians in all of postwar jazz. Sharing compositional duties, solo space, ambience and ideas, these five men crafted one of modern music's most distinctive and impressive bodies of work - sounds at once fully realized and ceaselessly probing, classic and cutting edge. By the end of their four-year association, they had reached a plateau of unified creative thought where few of their peers would ever join them, in the process doing as much as any other group or individual to forge a recognizable stylistic link between post-bop and fusion while somehow never quite slipping into either realm.
   This six-disc set, covering the quintet's entire studio output, is noteworthy in that it can - unlike many of Columbia's other "complete" Miles packages - be recommended even to relatively casual fans. Almost nothing here is superfluous, including the handful of alternate takes, some stunning rehearsal nuggets and a couple of long-lost gems which were truly worth finding. Everything fits and makes sense.
   Whether you've come to Miles via KIND OF BLUE and BIRTH OF THE COOL and are now looking to move forward, or along the other well-worn path leading back in time from BITCHES BREW and ON THE CORNER, THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA STUDIO SESSIONS 1965-68 is something you'll never regret adding to your collection. Modern jazz is as much about the music contained in this package as it is about that contained in any other; jump on in and hear it for yourself!



3. By 1965, the world of jazz had changed almost unrecognizably from just five years ago, and Miles Davis was in danger of being left behind. After the triumphs of his first few years with Columbia, it seems Davis had had enough. His past few records and his live performances found him falling back on old habits, exploring standards and hard bop pieces that he'd been playing for the past several years. Meanwhile, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor and Albert Ayler shook the foundations of jazz and John Coltrane in December of 1964 had just aligned himself with them by recording his masterpiece "A Love Supreme". All this time, Davis had been standing still, but he'd assembled a new quintet, completed by plucking his crown jewel and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter from Art Blakey's band to add to his working band of pianist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and drum prodigee Tony Williams. And while his band dutifully played the hard bop he was paying them for, they wanted to stretch out, to build on the innovations of Coleman, Taylor, Ayler and Coltrane, and remarkably, they inspired Davis to do so as well. In January of 1965, they went into the studio to record their first album together-- "E.S.P", and it was clear that, to steal an Ayler song title, change has come.
   
   Now granted, the music here isn't quite free jazz, but it's certainly a lot more adventerous than anything Davis had done since "Sketches of Spain". Davis by and large let his sidemen stretch their wings. Eschewing the previous use of standards and compositions by contemporaries, virtually all the material by the quintet came from within the quintet (in fact of the 45 or so compositions on this set, only two come from outside the quintet). Early on, Shorter carried the lion's share of composition with Davis taking this role later (as he began experimenting with electric instruments, his began composing more), but everyone contributes. By and large, they're extraordinarily adventerous hard bop tunes-- similar in vein to the kind of work Dolphy was doing, or perhaps even a less detailed Mingus (who tended to use larger ensembles). The performances are fierce and inventive, with fiery interaction between the members of the band and the rhythm section stealing the performances from the soloists at times. It's interesting to track the band's evolution-- the earliest material is loose and exciting (recorded in January of 1965 and October of 1966), the middle material (from the spring and summer of 1967) seems to pick up a denseness and an almost claustrophobic quality, and the later material, where Davis was driving composition and experimenting with electric instruments, becomes loose again. One thing is sure-- it's pretty much all essential material.
   
   Sonically, the set is nothing short of superb, as all the Columbia reissues of Davis' catalog have been. An extensive booklet with biographical details, a history of the group, and a song-by-song analysis is provided as well, although it's rather hard to read in this box.
   
   A set like this is a substantial investment, but it would serve most well who are interested to pick up the set. Try "Miles Smiles" for a taste of the quintet's material, but everything on here is essential. Highly recommended.



4. All of these recordings were worth producing, as throughout they feature the most important and lastingly satisfying five-man group in jazz (I am not being sexist here - there is no female group to compare). Occasionally of course five-man groups have played that were as good, as happened at times in the case of Charley Parker and Dizzy Gillespie (e.g. at Massey Hall) - but not in as organised, abundantly brilliant and sustained a fashion as this. Miles Davis was as good, all in all, as at any time in his career, and the range of his expressive powers is astounding: from the delicately subtle to the searingly soaring. The choice of tracks was amazingly varied and rewarding throughout. Coltrane was still maturing, but played nevertheless with a fire and intensity of invention that noone on tenor has matched either before him or after. And the rhythm section was also extraordinarily good. The whole package is very much worth having, and not least because it is NOT monotonous, ever - the artists were too richly imaginative for that, and constantly played meaningful, profound, varied and deeply rewarding music. An accompaniment for and to one's life, and an original expression OF life, that of the artists and us all, so that we can all share in what these musicians so generously offered. - Joost Daalder



5. "Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-1968" features nothing less than some of Miles' best music. This box set showcases many of Davis' most innovative albums including "E.S.P.," "Miles Smiles," "Sorcerer," "Nefertiti" and "Miles in the Sky." While the music leans towards psychedelia and the impending fusion movement, this is still jazz by any stretch of the imagination. The mood is cool, intelligent and laid back. While the box set documents the inevitable introduction of electric instruments, it is a gentle preamble. The electric piano is a mere suggestion and the plugged in guitar seems light years away from squealing Jimi Hendrix type power chords. While [...] Brew would eventually pass the point of no return, these six discs suggest mind expansion, but never cross the line. If you've always wanted Miles' 'light trip' music in one place, the "Miles Davis Quintet, 1965-1968" is the perfect box set.
   
   Around $30.00 can be saved by purchasing the 2004 reissue of this 1998 box set. The reissue has the same music and also comes with a handsome full-color booklet.

1 comments about Lady Day: The Complete Columbia Golden Years.

1. The Spanish label "Definitive Records" collected 233 songs, including all the studio material recorded between 1933 and 1942 for Columbia. All the alternates are included (at the end of every cd: good choice) and there are some great live sessions. The 10 cd box is very cheap and has a nice design. There's a 100 pages booklet with all the lyrics, the liner notes and a short essay about the issue. The 24-bit remasterization, in my opinion, cleaned the sound and made the instruments more "present", even if a background noise is recognizable in many songs. I think the result is remarkable, and I suggest this box not only to Billie Holiday's fans but also to all music lovers.

No comments about The V-Disc Recordings.