Baby Loves Jazz: Go Baby Go!

The Baby Loves Jazz Band

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 1, 2006)
• Original Release Date: August 1, 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Verve
• ASIN: B000G759FI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #57,117 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Baby may not love jazz just yet, but boy is (s)he about to: This disc, the first in a series cooked up for Verve by Andy Blackman Hurwitz--who just happens to be the guy behind those nationwide "Baby Loves Disco" parties that allowed parents to shake their groove things in the name of musical education--amounts to a musical motherlode for the roots- and rock-dominated kids' category. It's not just the artists these 17 thoroughly considered tracks trot out (though with Sharon Jones of Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Steven Bernstein of Sex Mob, and John Medeski of Medeski, Martin and Wood on board, droppable names abound), it's the attitude. Jazz may be known for its cool cats and smoky sophistication, but here it's pure, fizzy fun. And with depth. "Old MacDonald" becomes a bandleader--one who can bring it--ticking off his players; "Banana Boat Song" sails off somewhere both adults and kids will want to go; and "The Wheels on the Bus" do some funky maneuvering here. Stops in between to highlight individual instruments are smart enough to seem straight out of "Sesame Street," which is to say they're masterful. So is the rest of this disc, down to the red-hot closing sax riff. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're a jazz fan and a parent, why don't you have this album?, October 7, 2006

By	Melanie Wilson "vegetarianbabydotcom" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Everyone has a friend who has a collection. Maybe she collects ceramic cows or Tupperware or Elvis dolls. This fascination borders on fanaticism and it's ever so costly, but it makes finding gifts for your friend very simple.

If you happen to have such a friend with a jazz CD fetish, I mean, collection, here's your next gift for them: Baby Loves Jazz.

The original intention of the Baby Loves albums was to introduce children to different musical forms without making the music sound like a take-off of Best of Smurfs. Baby Loves Jazz is a delightful introduction to jazz for children, but it won't make adult jazz buffs cringe.

The winning combination of this CD is the educational component and the familiarity of the songs. Children will recognize the traditional tunes, like "Old MaCDonald" and "Wheels on the Bus", so they'll be able to sing along with them right off the bat. Then they'll really get the jazz flavor. These songs are superbly spiced up and colorful. Old MaCDonald is a bandleader, for example, and in the song "Ten Little Monkeys," the doctor comes in at one point and declares, "What are y'all doing in this bedroom?"

Musical instrument profiles are peppered around the CD, so kids get exposed to the specific sounds of instruments used in jazz: drums, bass, piano, saxophone, trumpet. The CD pulls off jazz sophistication with children's verse and learning.

Baby Loves Jazz was performed by some very popular names in jazz including Sharon Jones (The Dap Kings), John Medeski (Medeski, Martin, and Wood), and Steven Bernstein (Sex Mob). It was released along side a new series of books of the same name.

If you're a jazz fan and a parent, why don't you have this album? If you're a friend of a jazz-loving parent, this is a winning gift. - Caity McCardell

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice change from the usual kids' songs, October 31, 2006

By	minnemom (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

My kids love the traditional "kids sing" music, but all the songs seem to sound the same after a while. I bought Baby Loves Jazz before a long car trip, mostly to save my sanity by having something a little different. And my kids (ages 5, 3, and 2) love it! I also like that they're learning a new genre of music. My 3-year-old's favorite is "Scat Song," the 2-year-old prefers the ABC song, and I'm a fan of the Banana Boat song. I'm hoping that in time I'll be able to slip in my Norah Jones or Michael Buble CD's without them noticing...

I'm hoping for more CD's from these musicians in the future. They'll be on my to-buy list right away.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 16 month old loves it!, January 14, 2007

By	Kirsten Mitchell (Pasadena, MD. USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My 16 month old son loves to dance and listen to music, this is perfect for him.