The Vince Guaraldi Trio - Jazz Impressions Of Black Orpheus (1962)

Note: the CD I listened to was the 1990 reissue.

Description from the CD's back insert:

That description is slightly misleading. As the album title implies, these aren't really bossa nova versions of the songs. Rather, the trio take the original Jobim bossa tunes from the movie score, mix in some West Coast jazz, and make it all swing. And I dig every track. If someone were looking for an entry point to '60s jazz records, this album would certainly be a good suggestion.

The star of the album, however, isn't the Jobim tunes but the Guaraldi original, Cast Your Fate To The Wind which peaked at #22 on Billboard's pop chart and won Guaraldi a Grammy award in the short-lived category of Best Original Jazz Composition. These days, of course, it's considered a standard and rightfully so. Another favorite is the cover of Since I Fell For You.

Original liner notes by music critic Ralph J. Gleason.

Guaraldi - piano
Monty Budwig - bass
Colin Bailey - drums

Reviews/ratings:

• Music Vendor: "a cleverly swinging, inventively saleable jazz product"
• CashBox: "Once in a great while a jazz version of a film has exceptional merit in its own right."
• Billboard: "a superior outing for the group and its vastly underrated leader."
• DownBeat (★★★½): "Guaraldi is a talented musician with more than one emotional face."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #24

Tracks: see above

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973/2023)
A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
From All Sides (1965)

Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery - The Dynamic Duo (1967)

I first heard of this album through a jazz sampler CD and later wrote that the "Jimmy Smith/Wes Montgomery album is on my radar..." It was easy to find a copy so the CD was at my doorstep within a couple of weeks. As a fan of both musicians, I've been enjoying it ever since. Not only are we treated to the characteristic stylings of Smith on organ and Montgomery on guitar, there are arrangements by Oliver Nelson, the whole thing is produced by inestimable Creed Taylor, and engineered by Rudy Van Gelder at his legendary studio. It's a little thin on material, but this thing swings and grooves. There was a follow-up album, Further Adventures of Jimmy and Wes, recorded during the same sessions and later released in 1968.

Personnel listing plus original liner notes by Holmes "Daddy-O" Daylie.

Reviews/ratings:

• Stereo Review: "All too predictable"
• CashBox: "a tasty brew of jazz sessions."
• The Penguin Guide to Jazz (5th ed., 2000): ★★★½
• The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide (1999): ★★★
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz (1999): ★★★★

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #129
• Billboard Jazz: #1
• Billboard R&B: #10
• Record World Jazz: #1

Tracks: As I alluded to earlier, playing ★★★★, selections ★★.

1. Down By The Riverside - traditional African-American spiritual.
2. Night Train - a twelve-bar blues instrumental standard first recorded in 1951 by its writer, saxophonist Jimmy Forrest. Also the track that got me to buy the album.
3. James And Wes - a Jimmy Smith blues trio original.
4. 13 (Death March) - originally written by Gary McFarland for the 1966 motion picture Eye Of The Devil. When I first heard this album, I could've sworn I already knew this tune, but I can't find it anywhere in my collection so my old mind might be playing tricks on me. Again.
5. Baby It's Cold Outside - Frank Loesser tune from the romantic comedy Neptune's Daughter. The song was awarded an Oscar for Best Original Song in 1950. It has somehow been associated with the Christmas holiday as if we don't have cold weather in months other than December, but there are no lyrics on this album so that misconception is moot.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

Previously revisited for the blog:

---

Jimmy Smith

The Best of Jimmy Smith (1988)	Midnight Special (1961)
Keep On Comin' (1983)	Crazy! Baby (1960)
Back At The Chicken Shack (1963)	Houseparty (1958)
Home Cookin' (1961)	The Sermon! (1958)

---

Wes Montgomery

Classics, Volume 22 (1987)

A Day In The Life (1967)

Bill Nelson - The Love That Whirls (Diary Of A Thinking Heart) (1982)

UK import

Note: this release was originally purchased as a LP, later complimented by a CD.

Abridged album notes taken from Nelson's website:

The Love That Whirls is album that mixes vocal and instrumental pieces recorded between April and November 1981 at Ric Rac Studios, Leeds, England and Rockfield Studios Monmouth, Wales. The album reached No. 28 in the UK charts and represented a change in sound for Nelson's solo work when compared to his most recent previous output, as it featured a brightly polished production and a state of the art drum sound.

"Let me explain the title. It's actually based on a fact, rather than a poetic fantasy. It has two direct connections...the first is to the 'whirling dervishes.' These are Sufi dancers who use the whirling dance as a form of prayer and worship. They are taught to love everything and their whirling dance is an expression of that love and a means of attaining divine ecstasy. Hence 'The Love That Whirls.' The other connection is to avant-garde film maker and occultist Kenneth Anger who, in 1949, made a film titled 'The Love That Whirls.' The film was destroyed by the film processing laboratory who took it upon themselves to judge the film 'obscene.' So, you see, these things are not just random words...they are connected to certain things that interest me and inform the mood of the album."

This album is intense. I didn't listen to it much back in '82 because the arrangements are almost too dense - it's a lot to take in all at once. But when I would sit down and listen, it was similar to my preferred synthpop of the time except when it wasn't. When I was young, I simply didn't understand why a group like Flock of Seagulls saw some chart success while Nelson remained generally unknown in the U.S. Now I realize that Nelson was far more interested in creating lush, synthesized soundscapes that fulfilled his inner musician than in seeking commercial pop success. It's almost like he was caught between pop music and soundtrack work. In any case, I liked this album in 1982 and I still enjoy revisiting it every now and then. And that's not just nostalgia talking; I usually hear something new every time I spin this thing.

Press of the time:

• Smash Hits (7 out of 10): "Far from faultless but worth a listen"
• Trouser Press: "he has created a gossamer world of musical beauty"
• Record Mirror (++++): "one of this year's prime LPs"
• The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave (1998): ★★★

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: My favorites are (and always have been) Flaming Desire and Empire Of The Senses. Other top cuts for me are A Private View (which greatly reminds me of early Thomas Dolby), and Eros Arriving. I like all the instrumental tracks, in particular The Bride Of Christ In Autumn, When Your Dream Of Perfect Beauty Comes True, and Echo In Her Eyes.

For this particular CD release, they added 2 tracks to the playlist, so my memory of 12 tracks must adapt to two new cuts that they stuck in as tracks 7 & 8. Looks like those two track were taken from Nelson's 1982 North American EP, Flaming Desire And Other Passions or in the UK, the Eros Arriving single.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: My buddy Jim introduced me to this album in 1982 by playing Flaming Desire and I was immediately hooked with the sound of the thing despite its almost impenetrable density. Then I eventually moved on to the next new album because that's what 16 year olds do. Then, in 1988, I briefly dated a girl who had a big cardboard box of cassettes and sitting on top of the pile of tapes was this album. I immediately grabbed it and enthusiastically said, "Let's listen to this one!" which was met by a terse "no" and now you can see why that relationship didn't last long. About a decade later after that encounter, I was pleased to find Flaming Desire included in Rhino's Just Can't Get Enough: New Wave Hits of the '80s series, specifically Volume 7.

This album was released in June 1982, around the time I got my drivers license and began subjecting my small town to my "windows-down-volume-up" singing performances. These transportable performances in the Markmobile very possibly included my loud but definitive interpretations of Flaming Desire.

As mentioned in the above advertisement, my LP version included an "additional free album" titled La Belle Et La Bête, which was described on the sleeve as "music composed and played by Bill Nelson for the Yorkshire Actors Company production of Jean Cocteau's Classic Film." Man-oh-man, I would loved to have seen that production. The music is nothing like The Love That Whirls and is often creepy as hell. But I still enjoy the trip every now and then so I give it a spin. And that's why I've kept both the LP version. Maybe one day I'll track down a copy of the CD that contains La Belle Et La Bête.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Quit Dreaming And Get On The Beam (1981)

Bob Mintzer Big Band - Incredible Journey (1985)

An impulse buy from the clearance bin based solely on the fact that it was released on DMP, the same label as Flim & The BB's. It contains eight lengthy big band originals written/arranged by tenor saxophonist Bob Mintzer. In addition to Mintzer, the band has a few familiar names in it including the Brecker Brothers and Peter Erskine. The writing and arranging is first-rate, styles are varied, the performances are outstanding, and the production is so clean you could eat off it. It's a great big band disc and I should love it. However, it would seem that my interest in big band music has waned greatly over the past several decades. Back in the '80s, I was occasionally performing in big bands and doing some rudimentary composing and arranging for such groups. Heck, by 1989 I was directing a high school jazz band. I listened to a lot of contemporary big band stuff at the time, in particular the Dallas Jazz Orchestra and the renowned One O'Clock Lab Band. If I had heard this album back then, I have no doubt it would have been a favorite. So it's a quality release; this stuff just isn't in my wheelhouse any longer.

The CD purchase was an admitted misstep on my part, but it has caused me to adopt a new attitude when perusing the used CD bins. When I pick up a disc these days, I ask myself if I should buy it and the answer, to borrow a phrase from Derek Sivers, has to be an enthusiastic "Hell yeah!" or it's a no. I'm growing older and running out of space, so it's time to be a little more selective in my purchases moving forward. Whether I can stick with such a philosophy remains to be seen. After all, I'm a confessed music junkie.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: Did not chart

Tracks: Track 4, Computer, is a fun little chart with the added attraction of sounding like a Mike Post TV theme from the '80s.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None.

David Bowie - Heathen (2002)

Reuniting with producer Tony Visconti, Bowie wrestles with faith, doubt, aging, and general existential static (just like I do). Plus the album title is hardly subtle. Some fans and critics hailed it as a comeback and/or a return to form. Bowie probably just called it Tuesday. For me, it ranks at about the midpoint of Bowie's studio albums.

Peak on the US Billboard Top 200 chart: #14

Tracks: For me, it's a collection of "just okay" tracks, with the exceptions of Slow Burn, Afraid, A Better Future, and Everyone Says 'Hi' plus the covers of Cactus and I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship. 

My copy is an Enhanced CD with "a free multimedia portion."

Let's slip this thing into the ol' external DVD drive and see what happens. (...) The following screen pops up:

From left to right, a help button (no longer supported), a button that starts to play the CD, a star button to go to a now-defunct website where one can "get ConnecteD," and a quit button. Clicking on the words "David Bowie" takes you to the now-defunct Bowie website at Columbia Records (wallpapers! AOL IM icons!). Clicking on the Columbia logo takes you to their website. So the multimedia part is a dud but it was fun to revisit those turn-of-the-century websites for a nostalgic flashback.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: None

Previously revisited for the blog:

★ (2016)	Changesbowie (1990)
The Next Day (2013)	Fame 90 (1990)
Zeit! 77-79 (2013)	Sound + Vision: CD Press Release (1989)
Reality (2003)	Tonight (1984)
Black Tie White Noise (1993)	Let's Dance (1983)

Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings And Food (1978)

EU import

This album was included in the 2005 book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, with the line "David Byrne and Brian Eno were a match made in art-school heaven." And that's an understatement if I've ever heard one. Eno took the quartet from a nervy art-school curiosity and got them sounding like a fully operational band that nervously locks in and really grooves (mainly thanks to Tina and Chris). David Byrne sings like he's having a panic attack, delivering lyrics that somewhat cover the topics of buildings and food, but they're really about the various systems we have to deal with in our lives.

Definitely no sophomore slump here, but the best was yet to come.

Press of the time:

• Billboard: "superbly produced collection of 11 songs."
  
• CashBox: "The charm and humor of this minor classic are in giddy abundance."
• Record World: "should appeal to those outside of new wave circles as well as those from within."
• Rolling Stone: "so much humor and energy"
• Trouser Press: "very good"
• Roadrunner: "An extremely stimulating record"
• Robert Christgau (A): "Every one of these eleven songs is a positive pleasure"
• Record Mirror (+++++): "listen, and listen at length and with maximum attention. Here are the borders of pop music."
• Stereo Review: Recording of Special Merit

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #29
• CashBox: #70
• Rolling Stone: #33

The album was voted the year's fifth best album in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll for 1978. The album has consistently been listed in Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time, #382 in 2003, #383 in 2012, and #364 in 2020 & 2023.

Tracks: I'm a big fan of the group's cover of Al Green's Take Me To The River (#26 pop), but of the originals here I've always been partial to Found A Job. Other favorites include Thank You For Sending Me An Angel, The Girls Want To Be With The Girls, and Artists Only.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: When I visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in October 2007, one of my favorite installations was the original Polaroid mosaic of the cover of this album. After seeing it for years as a 12" square, it was a pleasant surprise to see it as about a 6 foot square where I could get close and see each individual Polaroid. According to the exhibit, the mosaic sat above David Byrne's couch then the Polaroids were put in a shoe box for about 20 years before they made their way to Cleveland where the mosaic was reconstructed.

Previously revisited for the blog:

The Best Of (2004)	The Name Of This Band Is Talking Heads (1982)
Little Creatures (1985)	Remain In Light (1980)
Stop Making Sense (1984)	Fear Of Music (1979)
Speaking In Tongues (1983)	Talking Heads: 77 (1977)

Toni Braxton (1993)

Note: this release was originally purchased as a cassette tape, later replaced by a CD.

So it's part Anita Baker and part Janet Jackson, mashed together by '90s R&B titans Antonio "L.A." Reid and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds. Toni didn't try to copy Mariah Carey; there’s no oversinging, just a steady, calm voice fully in control. The recipe worked because this album was a veritable hit machine for years. I liked it in the '90s, I still like it in the '20s.

Press of the time:

• CashBox: "She has established herself as a female balladeer to be reckoned with"
• Billboard: "R&B/pop siren's debut album delivers"
• Rolling Stone (★★½): "Braxton has got chops and spunk"

Grammy Awards:

• Won - Best New Artist (1994)
• Won - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1994): Another Sad Love Song
• Won - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1995): Breathe Again
• Nominated - Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (1996): I Belong To You
• Nominated - Best R&B Song (1995): You Mean The World To Me

Album chart peaks:

• US Billboard 200: #1
• Billboard R&B: #1

Tracks:

Track	Song	Hot 100	R&B	AC
7	Love Shoulda Brought You Home	33	4
1	Another Sad Love Song	7	2	8
2	Breathe Again	3	4	4
3	Seven Whole Days		*
10	You Mean The World To Me	7	3	4
8/9	I Belong to You b/w How Many Ways	28	6

*peaked at #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart.

The race for my favorite track has ended in a draw between Seven Whole Days and You Mean The World To Me.

Personal Memory Associated with this CD: I can't even remember if I bought the cassette in '93 or '94. I do remember, however, that this was one album about which neither my wife nor I complained when it was in the car stereo.

Previously revisited for the blog:
Un-break My Heart (1996)