Customer Reviews

52nd Street Themes

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First off...I am NOT a JAZZ historian/expert..just a lover of great music. I have appreciated Lovanos playing with others (Scofield) but have yet to get a release by the man himself that i haven't traded in. I do not know why I even bought this ..because it looked like it might be an over the top blowing session and I am more interested in melody and swing. AM I GLAD i took the chance..this is a WONDERFUL collection.

The arrangements as stated by the Amazon reviewer are absolutely swingin and classy...never cluttered. Lovanos playing seems more emotional and less concerned with virtuosity than on previous outings. A great recording gets better with repeated listenings and this certainly qualifies...This will STAY in my collection with my Monk , Mingus and Miles.

I couldn't disagree more with the official Amazon review. This is very much a museum piece. Right down to the retro recording technique - live to analog two-track. Even the arrangements have a historical feel. Oh it's fine jazz and it's a fine museum piece. It looks back lovingly and never looses focus. But something is missing. This music is stale. Because it is so focused on the past, the musicians are at ease. They are so much at home there is no sense of excitement, no edge. No fun. No challenge to the listener. It is sure to sell millions. Compare almost _anything_ in similar setting: e.g.Clark Terry ("Having Fun" even has Lewis Nash on drums) or similar bop vein: Steve Swallow ("Real Book" or "Always Pack Your Uniform On Top") The past should propel the music, not hold it captive.

I am of the opinion that Joe Lovano and Michael Brecker ( not on this CD ) are the best sax men in jazz today. Two years ago I would have placed Kenny Garrett at the top but in light of the direction he has gone lately I have changed my view. Joe has done an album in a somewhat traditional vein with a big band flavor but stays cutting edge enough to satisfy people who like their jazz progressive. Fans of bop will really get into this. Actually , any jazz fan will like this recording. A killer CD.

I know that it's not a good idea to put new wine in old wineskins, however, old wine in new wine skins is often grand. So it is with this disc. Joe Lovano has taken themes which over the years have taken on a life of their own, along with a few of his own originals, and has given them fresh new skins to wear. The stelar cast assembled for this date, obviously loves the material. You can almost see the smiles on their faces as they play. Lovano's production also deserves special note here. It is crisp and clean and really makes for a pleasent listening experience. Tadd Dameron's tunes in particular seem to shine. This is a disc that I absolutly recommend, if for nothing else, for the simple joy of it all.

Joe Lovano delivers his best album so far, and that says a lot! This time Lovano focuses on the music of the forties and fifties, but as usual interprets it in his own way, along with a band that sounds so great you just end up playing the record over and over. Lovano, whose playing is rooted in the bebop tradition, here pays homage to his roots, and with so much heart and beauty and wit!

This is easily going to be among the absolute top jazz albums of the year!

If you're looking for beauty, classic elegance, lush arrangements, swing, cool phrasing, great songs and originality, look no further. Lovano is the man, and this is the album.

I couldn't disagree more with the official Amazon review. Not only is this a museum piece, it's a museum piece par excellence. Right down to the "live to analog two-track" recording. All heads are turned to look back and re-create some fine jazz from the past. And they succeed. It is good jazz. And it's a good museum piece. If you like your jazz in a museum.

Compare it to almost anything you can think of in the same traditional jazz vein. (Clark Terry's similar efforts for example -- try "Having Fun" which also has Lewis Nash on drums) or a more forward looking example (Steve Swallow's "Always Pack Your Uniform On Top"). Something vital is missing here, a spark, an edge, some sense of challenge, of looking ahead. Even a sense of enjoying the music. This one will sell millions and we'll all hear it in department stores and on elevators for a long time.

Hey, I love and admire the Tadd Dameron, Miles and the gang, but their music is still available and generally of better quality on their original recordings. Great line-up of musicians but my collection just doesn't need another re-work of say, "Tadd's Delight." So you want to hear "If You Could See Me Now" pick up "Send in the Clowns" by Sarah Vaughn and Count Basie - it'll blow your mind. Beyond that, Joe just doesn't cut it here artistically. His sound is off and he just seems to have nothing new to add. This one got old real fast for me.

An enjoyable album from beginning to end. Great ensemble players. Swings for sure. Wonderful (if familiar) tunes. Well recorded. Lovano's one of the best saxmen today.

As others have noted, nothing terribly new or innovative here. But so what? It's still a very fine, emotionally engaging CD.