Customer Reviews

Best of Smooth Jazz

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I saw this advertised on Local on the 8's, and while I am not the biggest jazz fan in the world, I thought I would give this a listen. I am so glad I did. This is one of the only albums I own that I can listen to over and over and never get bored. Each song is crafted amazingly well, and the performers give an enchanting performance on each track. My favorite track is Santa Monica Triangle.

I would recommend this album to anyone that enjoys music. You don't have to be fully engulfed into the world of jazz to appreciate this album.

I finally just got this cd and I am very pleased with it.All the tracks are great the only one I don't remember hearing on the weather channel is windows by Chick Corea and I may not have been listening at the right time so I could have missed it.My favorites on this cd are Shakin The Shack by Dave Koz,The Gift by 3rd Force,Ocean View by Peices Of A Dream Holding Hands by Ryan Farish,Mildred's Attraction by Joyce Cooling,Sidewayz by Najee and Santa Montica Triangle by Jeff Lorber.The track list is different order from how amazon has it listed.

1)Shakin The Shack Dav Koz
2)The Gift 3rd Force
3)Ocean View Peices Of A Dream
4)Holding Hands Ryan Farish
5)Windows Chick Corea
6)Mildred's Attraction Joyce Cooling
7)Sidewayz Najee
8)Bad Bad Simba Papirika Soul
9)Wait A Minute Mark Krurnowski
10)Simple Pleasure Jeanne Ricks
11)Viaduct Four 80 East
12)Santa Montica Triangle Jeff Lorber

The sound quality of this cd is pretty good.The little booklet inside the cd jewel box list the above info that amazon has about the history of the weather channel music and other stuff.It also says this is their first cd so there is more coming.The only dissapointment I have is that Dancing In My Heart by Chris Camozzi wasn't included.I use to love hearing it played.I hope it will make the next cd.This music is relaxing pick it up if you love jazz.

Good cd if you're feeling stressed out and need to get away from the world. This has the popular jazz songs they play on your Local on the 8's. The songs are a little longer than the 3 minute music clips you hear on the weather channel, which is a plus! Hope the weather channel makes another CD with more jazz songs!

Thank you Weather Channel for a great jazz compilation! They did a great job of selecting some of the best music from Local on the 8's. Although I like the entire cd, my favorite cut by far is "Mildred's Attraction" from Joyce Cooling's fantastic cd, "Revolving Door". I have that cd and "Mildred" never ceases to get my toes tapping. I will look forward to many more Weather Channel jazz cds. This was a wonderful idea.

I love this album. I have listened for years to the music on the forecast at 8 sections and wished I knew who and what I was hearing. Hope they do more cd's.

Odd as this may sound, I really think the music on this CD sounds better if you are listening to it while reading your local forecast. For some reason that I can't explain, listening to it on its own falls a bit short. I purchased it after reading all of the raving reviews, but after giving it a listen I really suggest getting a top-rated Boney James, Vital Force, or Acoustic Alchemy instead. It's not bad, but I don't consider it five stars by any means.

The songs on this CD are pretty good smooth jazz tracks, but as with all smooth jazz, they can sometimes be a bit formulaic and predictable. A nice collection, especially for a warm day at he beach, a walk in the park, or a drive on a summer's day.
Shakin' The Shack (Chester Thompson)- Groovy song by the guy from Earth Wind and Fire and Genesis, among others. The influences from his previous sould bands shine here.
The Gift(3rd Force's)- Take a chill drumbeat, add some synth bass, and throw in some acoustic guitar.
Ocean View(Pieces of a Dream)- Melancholy song with sax and electric piano. Sounds like Kenny G on valium.
Holding Hands Ryan Farish)Another chill drumbeat, this time with reverb-laden piano.
Windows(Chick Corea)- The classic jazz combo of drums, bass and piano is here, and Chick never fails to disappoint.
Mildred's Attraction(Joyce Cooling)Driving groove with acoustic and electric guitar.
Sidewayz(Najee)-Starst out with Fender Rhodes, a nice groove, and moves into some flute work, which is even nicer.
Bad Bad Simba (Paprika Soul)- Cover of O'Donel Levy's funk-jazz monster. Grooving bass and keys give way to 70's style brass work, with guitar solos building intensity. Great flute solo at the end.
Wait a Minute(Mark Krunowsi)- One of the forgettable songs on this CD. The groove just never quite gets going. Perhaps he should have had the bass play a solid line.
Simple Pleasure(Jeanne Ricks)- Another one of the average tracks on this CD. starts off with a 'Let The Music Play' inspired drumbeat, and some keyboard samples, but once again, the groove is not solid, as the bassline has too many holes in it.
Viaduct(Four 80 East)-Nice Acid-jazz-meets-chill type song. Good keyboards, sax, and a laid-back rhythm.
Santa Monica Triangle(Jeff Lorber)-Brazilian inspired song by the master keyboardist with plenty of analog Rhodes, and some great conga work. Jeff's work is alway exceptional.

Love, love, love this CD. This is what I listen to when I need to destress from a hectic day.

I this this is one of the best group of smooth jazz recordings that I have. The songs are originals (many of them) and they are just perfect for relaxing by the fire or driving in traffic. I have enjoyed them and also gave one to a friend who also feels the same as I do.

I always enjoyed just listening to the music on the Weather Channel and now I have it to listen to whenever I choose!