SOUND CHECK.VARIOUS: "We All Love Ennio Morricone" (Sony) - Two stars A far better tribute to revered film composer Morricone -- who'll receive a career achievement award Sunday at the Oscars -- would've been imaginative jazz improvisations on his portentous por·ten·tous adj. 1. Of the nature of or constituting a portent; foreboding: "The present aspect of society is portentous of great change" Edward Bellamy. 2. motif from "Investigation of a Citizen Under Suspicion" and other equally brilliant gems of the lesser-known variety. But nobody would've noticed. Instead, Metallica turns up for a predictably artless rampage through the theme from "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly," Celine Dion dismantles a piece of "Once Upon a Time in America," and a constellation of Andrea Bocelli Andrea Bocelli (born 22 September 1958) is a renowned Italian singer. He is both an operatic tenor and a classical crossover singer. To date, he has recorded six complete operas — La Bohème, Il Trovatore, Werther, Pagliacci, , Chris Botti Christopher Botti or Chris Botti (born October 12, 1962) is a trumpeter and composer; born in Portland, Oregon and raised in Corvallis, and spent two years of his childhood growing up in Italy. and others apply themselves to material best appreciated in its original form. A couple of moments stand out. Pink Floyd's Roger Waters sings "Lost Boys Calling" from "The Legend of 1900" like it's on loan from "Dark Side of the Moon," and Quincy Jones with Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12 1940 in Chicago, Illinois) is an award winning American jazz pianist and composer. Hancock is one of jazz music's most important and influential pianists and composers. add some funky fusion to a spaghetti Western spaghetti Western n. A low-budget Western film made by a European, especially an Italian, film company. spaghetti western Noun a cowboy film made in Europe by an Italian director Noun 1. sauce. Outside of the original film scores, the best tribute to Morricone remains Wall of Voodoo's "Call of the West" in which Stan Ridgway said "We All Love Ennio Morricone" more convincingly than the acts here. -- Fred Shuster VARIOUS: "John Pisano's Guitar Night" (Mel Bay) - Four stars Guitarist Pisano, a frequent associate of the late Joe Pass and a member of and composer for Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass, has done more for the art of jazz guitar in this town than anybody. He's been running his weekly Guitar Night at various clubs for almost 10 years, now at Spazio in Sherman Oaks on Tuesdays, giving jazz six-stringers the space for the kind of interplay that the instrument's masters crave. On this release, local legends -- including the late George Van Eps George Van Eps (7 August 1913 – 29 November 1998) (often called "the Father of the Seven String Guitar") was an American swing and Mainstream jazz guitarist noted both for his recordings as a leader, and for his work as a session musician. and Ted Greene -- show what they were made of. A blues duet between Herb Ellis and Pisano evokes Ellis' own duos with Pass, and some of today's best players -- Anthony Wilson and Peter Bernstein among them -- show that jazz guitar remains in very capable hands. -- Steven Rosenberg PO' GIRL: "Home to You" (Nettwerk) - Three and one half stars This folksier, jazzier offshoot of Canada's Be Good Tanyas really comes into its own on their second album. Despite an easygoing eas·y·go·ing also eas·y-go·ing adj. 1. a. Living without undue worry or concern; calm. b. Lax or negligent; careless. c. , back-porch feel to many of the songs, the lyrics can be as intricate as their eclectic arrangements, which incorporate banjo banjo, stringed musical instrument, with a body resembling a tambourine. The banjo consists of a hoop over which a skin membrane is stretched; it has a long, often fretted neck and four to nine strings, which are plucked with a pick or the fingers. , clarinet, assorted organs and washtub bass into guitar-strummed melodies. Four young women who are having the time of their lives on the road and harmonize about it while maintaining their distinctive voices, these girls are anything but po' at what they do. -- Bob Strauss JOE ZAWINUL: "Brown Street" (Heads Up) - Three and one half stars This fantastic two-disc live set comes from a 2005 concert at Zawinul's club in Vienna, where he teamed up with friends and the 15-piece WDR WDR Westdeutscher Rundfunk (German radio and TV station) WDR World Development Report (World Bank) WDR Wide Dynamic Range (cameras) Big Band for a program of Weather Report classics. Zawinul clearly is having a blast reinterpreting material from his old band, and the new versions -- arranged by Vince Mendoza -- easily hold their own with the originals. Highlights include the sparkling lyricism lyr·i·cism n. 1. a. The character or quality of subjectivity and sensuality of expression, especially in the arts. b. The quality or state of being melodious; melodiousness. 2. of "A Remark You Made" and a beautiful reading of "In a Silent Way." An absolute must for Weather Report fans. In stores Tuesday. -- Glenn Whipp CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1) no caption (Ennio Morricone) (2 -- 5) no caption (CD covers) |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion