Customer Reviews

Amparo

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(25)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

In this album jazz players Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin are joined by various musical guests. These include singer James Taylor, jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, and a couple of friends from western classical art music, the violinist Joshua Bell, with Renee Fleming adding her own special touches.

At first uneasy glance, this disc looks like one of those cross-over repertoire efforts, geared up by the marketing department as much as by the musicians involved. But wait, do not dismiss the slightly odd mix out of hand.

Inspired by western classical art music, Ritenour-Grusin-and-company offer up their takes on famous melodies most listeners who go to classical concerts will probably recognize. Faure's Pavane gets turned into a floating melismatic vocalise - think Villa Lobos Bachianas Brasilieras maybe? - with Renee Fleming deftly avoiding the temptations to make it too operatic or too arch. You may or may not be all that vocally convinced by Ms. Fleming's oblique momentary slides into something closer to Ella Fitzgerald than to Renata Tebaldi. Then later Ms Fleming reappears, all gussied up in something way closer to a baroque duet with Chris Botti on trumpet. But hey, it is really all in good fun. The western classical composers in France were actually more musically interested in jazz than not. (You have already checked out Ravel, Gershwin, Copland?) So when a Satie Gymopedie pops up later in the disc, the listener is not going to be all surprised. And even from the earliest polyphonists, folk and popular musical influences were cross-fertilizing western art music, else why would Pierre de la Rue, Josquin Desprez, and Okeghem have all weaved L'homme arme into their masses?

The fusion of James Taylor's folk-country homespun directness at first note sounds outlandish, a stretch too far, but by the end of the cut, the superficial shock is gone, and all that lingers in the air is a surprising amount of suprisingly unhackneyed musical enjoyment. Yes, fun, plus. Renee Flemings jazzily set baroque duo has similar impact - at first outlandish, then all too quickly settled and transformed into music artfully less than solemn art.

Textures vary quite a bit, now leaning towards more elaborate larger ensemble settings with a halo of strings at least suggestive of western classical orchestral origins, now dropping back to something like a jazz quintet augmented or not in passing, with plenty of flexible open space for the guests to breathe a bit.

Is this disc an example of path-breaking jazz to turn the jazz planet all topsy-turvy? I think not. Yet many listeneres will still hear something way more than the simplest, blandest background musical soundtrack to a mellow evening, I am willing to bet.

Cuddle up with somebody you like, even if that is only yourself at the moment. Open a special bottle of this or that or the other thing. Sips, not gulps. You have been taking yourself or somebody else or some problem of life or work, way too seriously of late, no? This album may gently help you let go of all those silly attitudes, silly pressures, silly solemnities. Just ease out of being so strictly self-important.

The title "Amparo," sums this whole album up for me. Not because of its meaning ("shelter" or "protection" in Spanish), but because it has nothing to do with the music. I think they picked a pretty-sounding Spanish word because there was some Spanish influence, but in the process lost the meaning of a very meaningful word. The music here is similar: technically proficient, but lacking meaning. Its like advanced elevator music.

The album has no discernible direction. There is a lot of classical, with somewhat jazzy piano, and a hint of latin influence through some very nice spanish guitar. But, some of the tracks don't really fit in at all. It's no good for listening to while you work (too distracting), or to relax (too uptempo), or just for listening (too boring). Maybe good for driving music.

The artists are still outstanding. However, you can find better work from all of them. I hoped matching Ritenour and Grusin would be something special - not so much. This is a big missed opportunity because, I think, it was more about production than substance. In the legal context, that's the exact opposite of an amparo - an action designed to protect substantive rights from bad process.

As more of a casual music lover than a die hard critic I prefer to rip CDs and play them in the background as a large play list rather than analyze them like a critic you'd see on the show Frasier. That said, I am nowhere near qualified to critique X octaves used in Y song akin to artist Z as opposed to artist A who did it back in the day. To me, music is meant to sooth the savage beast either during the hard day or after it; as a graduate student slowly progressing on my thesis, I like any easy listening that caresses the senses but not putting me to sleep.

I obtained this mix believing a nice jazz or classical ensemble might help me pour the midnight oil and increase productivity. After integrating this CD into my easy listening play list and working I am fairly satisfied with my acquisition of this mix.

The instrumental mixes such as track 1-3 and "English Folk Song Suite" (track 5) were especially nice relaxation pieces although they differ greatly in terms of style. 1-3 were more jazz and (dare I say) seemingly tango mixes that would be better suited for a jazz club or cocktail party rather than a concert hall. Nonetheless, they made it into my final mix. Meanwhile, "Pavane, Op. 50" (track 4) was an opera mix that seemed too... it reminded me of the opera scene from The Fifth Element in terms of pitch and musical accompaniment. It's not bad but the opera voice seemed too distracting to be adequate background noise.

James Taylor has a good voice but track 6 seemed to be the tolken vocal track (aside from the two opera tracks), creating an inconsistency in the flow of the CD. The opera singers are talented, but it didn't seem to fit well with the other 80% of the CD. Furthermore, track 12 seems to be missing from my copy so I cannot comment on that one.

All in all, this mix is a potpourri of different style from classical, opera, jazz and folk music. It's a novel idea, but the style contrast so differently to make it nearly impossible to classify the genre of the CD other than "instrumental" when there are two opera tracks and one vocal. This also makes it impossible to be a mix for one particular mood as you have to mix and match the songs to match each setting. While I backed up the entire CD, only a handful made it into my easy listening mix due to the sharp contrasts in style.

All in all, this is a worthy investment but it should be dissected into different play lists given the diverse nature of the mix.

As a film score for daily life, Amparo is more than serviceable. The musicians are top-notch and their performances are recorded and mixed with the kind of clarity that sounds natural despite being wholly unnatural. The compositions themselves strike a balance between being easily ignored and rewarding closer listening that give them staying power past that first spin in the CD player. In short, superb "shopping music".

So perhaps it's no surprise that my favorite track is "Since First I Saw Your Face", which features pop singer James Taylor. His beautiful, yet under-trained, voice gives the performance a human quality lacking on the rest of the album. Who knew Taylor had such potential as a secular John Michael Talbot?

"Amparo" is an album full of slick, film-studio style orchestral arrangements of light classical pieces ( Handel, Faure, etc ) along with a few Latin-tinged original numbers, integrated with reverberant piano accompaniment (Dave Grusin) and minimalistic nylon-string guitar punctuations (Lee Ritenour).

Listening a few times to these not all together unpleasant lollipops, one gets the firm impression that this project ( a follow-up to "Two Worlds" ) was borne primarily of marketing considerations, with the ever-predictable roster of guest artists ( in this case: James Taylor, Renee Fleming, et al ) lending their names as well as their talents to the proceedings. As full disclosure I should mention my distaste for this kind of record; among other things, its selective focus on ( and isolation of ) particular musical moods is just not my cup of tea. However, "Amparo" was certainly never intended to make any big artistic statement; the musicians are good and the result will be satisfying to those who want to end a stressful work day with music that won't tax their system. It should also function well as a more elevated type of "shopping background" in certain retail locations.

While I was listening to this cd my husband was reading the paper. Suddenly he turned to me and said "Will you please take the cd player off shuffle play? It is driving me nuts".

That sums up this recording. The transitions are jarring and it feels overproduced. The music lurches from the sort of thing you hear when shopping at an upscale mall to full blown opera then to Renaissance fair music and the intensity changes too quickly. I kept feeling like I needed to adjust the volume on the player.

I must own a dozen CDs and DVDs by Renee Fleming and this music did not do her justice. If you hear her (and see her) for example in La Traviata you will notice her voice has a depth that is not captured on this album. Here she often sounds reedy and shrill.

I did enjoy Track 10 "Adagio in G Minor" with Chris Botti, although this would not be my favorite rendition of the piece.

Some of the pieces individually would make great background music for home produced videos (when you want something in the background to tie things together but not so stirring that it overshadows the video).

With the people they had to work with I expected more. Perhaps they simply tried to cover too many bases.

AMPARO is a collaborative project that includes smooth jazz legends Dave Grusin, Chris Botti, Lee Rittenour as well as folk-rock great James Taylor, and violin prodigy Joshua Bell. The musical styles represented here are an ecclectic variety ranging from jazz to classical with hints of latin influences as well.

This is a very relaxing CD good for moments of quiet reflection and inspiration. If you are open to musical textures and styles that are a bit different from the previous work of these fine artists, you will enjoy it. Highly recommended!

When I read the description of this cd and saw it was a mix of Classical music with South American traditions by two musicians known for their work in Jazz I figured it would be either very bad or very good. Thankfully I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have played this cd frequently and will continue to do so.

The first three selections, Tango en Parque Central, Danzon de Etiqueta and Joropo Peligroso are lively pieces that combine classical music with a Latin flavor and are perfect for dancing as well as listening. At times I have found Latin dance music difficult to listen to when I am just relaxing. I listened to this while having dinner and found it set the mood perfectly.

The fourth selection Pavane, Op. 50, surprised me because I am not a fan of opera but I thoroughly enjoyed the selection. Renee Flemming has a great voice and Joshua Bell's violin playing is amazing. This piece is not as lively as the first three but just as enjoyable.

I believe the fifth selection, My Bonny Boy, is taken from the English folk song of the same name. The song is great without any vocals and goes well with the sixth selection, Since First I saw Your Face. Sung by the Great James Taylor, Since I First Saw Your Face is an English song composed in the 1600's. It is perfect for James Taylor. I am a James Taylor fan and it is always great to hear him sing something I have not heard before.

The seventh and eight selections Olha Maria "Amparo" and Ma Mere L'Oye seem more Classical than Latin to me though both are enjoyable.

The ninth selection Echoes is one of my favorites. It is truly a combination of classical, Jazz and Latin music. The piano playing on it is amazing.

The tenth and eleventh selections, Adagio for Organ and Strings in G minor featuring Chris Botti and Dueto: Scherzando sul tuo volto featuring Renee Fleming & Chris Botti, seem more classical to me. Renee Fleming's voice in great in Dueto and thanks to her I am starting to wonder if would like opera.

This cd is unique in the way it brings together three distinct types of music. I am a fan of Classical, South American/Latin and Jazz music and this is the first time I heard all three on an album. While Classical and South American/Latin predominate there is a Jazz element throughout.

I will continue to listen to this cd. It is pleasing to my ears as well as my soul.

An interesting listen. I have respected the two main musicians on this release for years : Lee Ritenour and Dave Grusin. Both men are extremely talented musicians and composers , adept in many writing / playing styles. And I think that may be what holds this release back a little for me. It is a little too different within itself. I can picture myself listening to individual tracks , or a select group of tracks , or possibly reprogramming the sequence a little. The unifying fact here is the talent of the musicians involved , not in the unity / cohesion of the album. It isn't that any of the compositions aren't good , they all are , it is just that they don't exactly flow together.

This is the type of music that musicians will love. This music is complex, involving key changes, regular tempo changes, and changes to time signatures. For the most part, this is not music "you can dance to", although it has its moments. It's sophisticated music that is very classical in composition, with an occasional South American flair. I'd compare it to baroque. The notes are very staccato, and as a result, the music is very 'bright'. Although there are some somber moments, the album has a very up-beat feel.

There is no percussion in this music -- it consists of mainly piano, strings, guitars, and the occasional horn (tracks 10 and 11). The songs average about five minutes each, but honestly you will not find yourself checking the progress bar. This music has a timeless quality: whether you put it on solely for background entertainment or for critical listening, it entertains you enough that you do not care how long each track is. You won't hit "skip". The music is visual: I can definitely envision dancers, oceans, and beaches as I listen to this music.

From an engineering perspective, the recordings are very clear and very clean. Balance between each instrument is superb, and although the music lacks bass-producing percussive instruments, lower-octave notes from the piano and other instruments come through clearly. Everything is on-key, on-pitch, and I did not detect any performance errors.

What keeps this album from being great are distractions from its lack of cohesion. For the most part, it has a classical feel, but there are several tracks (#4, #6, #11) that introduce vocals that just seem out-of-place. Female vocals on track #4 (Pavane) are ethereal, while on track #11 they are clearly operatic. Then, there's track #6 -- which features male vocals (James Taylor), but the composition is clearly bard-like, and less classical but more folksy. Tracks #5 and #6 are the most inconsistent on the CD, as compared to the other tracks. Remove them, and you would have a mostly cohesive collection of classical compositions.

This is music that I enjoy, and I will be listening to it again and again as background music, usually while I perform other tasks. It's good after a day at work, playing it while you prepare dinner, eat, and then relax afterwards. If it weren't for a few misplaced tracks, I would consider this an excellent album.