Customer Reviews

Blue Eyes

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I love this CD. It really cooks - with style. These well known standards shine with the youthful vitality Birelli brings to the music. His style is melodic, swinging, traditional and modern - and all his own. His singing on several cuts hints of Frank and is a joy. Bryan Stern

...I really like this CD. The guitar playing is superb. Actually, all of the playing on this CD is great. That is one thing I especially like about this CD; it really is ensemble playing. Lagrene does not hog the whole show. He plays as part of the ensemble and makes his contributions throughout, even if it is in a supporting role (his rhythm / background work is also terrific). I think it is that ensemble playing that gives this CD so much power. The other musicians are also very talented

(piano, bass, drums) and they work very well together. There is a real power and presence to this album. And, the recording quality is indeed terrific. Although Lagrene comes at the few vocals in the same spirit that he approaches his guitar playing, it's not his strong suit. I had the sense that the music moved him enough to sing; so there is a genuiness to it that makes it work. But, it's the instrumentals that really shine. This was my first Lagrene CD. I was so impressed with it that I set out to get the others that also got great reviews. I managed to get his first CD, "Routes to Django" (a live recording) from another source and I also got "Standards" from AmazonUK. They're both very good CDs. Lagrene is a very impressive guitarist. Really unique with a discernable spirit...

I had never heard of this artist until this disc was listed in Sound and Vision magazine as suggested listening for evaluating your sound system. Bireli plays in the style of Django Rhinehart, Charlie Christian and Barney Kessel. This disc is a tribute to Sinatra songs and is mostly instrumental except for the odd verse by Bireli who is an enitrely passable/listenable singer. What really makes this a great disc is the recording itself and the fact that you cannot listen without bobbing your head and tappin' those toes. It invloves you the listener and with a properly voiced or voweled system, puts you and Bireli in the center and all the supporting musicians and instruments, left and right. If you like light (hollow body) guitar oriented jazz combo's, you will not be disappointed in this disc.

Bireli's playing is absolutely marvelous. He's playing an arch top guitar, so he's got a better sound than he did on the "Standards" album (where he used a solid body). The whole band is really cookin! The recording and production are also top notch. Bireli sings on Chicago, Luck Be A Lady, You Make Me Feel So Young, and he does a scat on The Lady Is A Tramp. His voice is surprisingly good. He has good tonal quality, good pitch and he sings with plenty of feeling. The vocals don't last long, and the majority of time is given to the playing. I am a major fan of his playing, and I have most of his recordings and all of his DVD's (which I highly recommend). I hesitated to buy this release, as it had some vocals on it. I'm glad I got it, though. On the whole, it's a wonderful addition to Bireli's recordings.

i have owned this CD for over 6 months now and it just keeps getting better...the beautiful arrangements and order of classic standards is well thought out. i think Bireli does a great job singing and it breaks up the CD nicely. he's careful not to sing too much...and his guitar just shines on every song. a must have for Jazz listeners. one of the best jazz guitarists i've heard in a while. this has become my favorite jazz CD!!!

To appreciate this record, if you dig jazz guitar, just sit back and listen. Bireli's technical mastery is amazing, his intrepretive skills and homage to Frank are incredible. Opposed to some other reviews here, I really liked Bireli's singing because (IMO) he was doing it to honor Sinatra, as opposed the POV that Bireli was being self-indulgent. Plus he can sing. The rest of the band is extremely talented and tight and the improvising excellent and in line with each songs' intent. This CD is one of my top 5 jazz guitar CD's and I have about 1000 CD's (many of them from Amazon btw, many thanks!). Hope you like it!

Sinatra swing style. Lively jazz with killer arrangements and excellent sound. LaGrene's among the best. Vocals could, let's say, use a 'little reverb'. Still, the instrumentals are as good as it gets in the genre. Listen to the intro to Witchcraft'. Wow.

Superb playing throughout this CD by all involved. It swings hard, even on ballads like I've Got You Under My Skin. Very tasteful and melodic playing by everyone, a lot of fun to listen to. Bireli sings on some cuts, and he does an admirable job, but he cuts to the instrumental aspect quickly on the songs he sings. Excellent quality recording as well, if you like swinging grooves this CD delivers.

If it wasn't enough that Bireli Lagrene is arguably the greatest living guitarist, (not to mention that he also plays electric bass nearly as well as his idol Jaco Pastorius), we find out in this album that he sings well enough to nail Sinatra's style to a tee. Apparently Frank Sinatra is held in very high esteem by the manouche, and "Blue Eyes" is a fantastic tribute. The guitar work is beyond impressive driven by Lagrene's fluid bebop lines, and he delivers four very impressive vocals including "Luck be a Lady" certainly not one of the easiest of the Sinatra catalogue to duplicate. The rhythm section of Chris Minh Doky, and Andre Ceccarelli is just superb, as is pianist Maurice Vander. If you dig Sinatra and bebop guitar, you'll love this album

I currently have three Bireli cd's-and this one's my favorite.I think his singing is a real plus-and I just got a copy for my sister-in-lawwhose father died in Chicago and told her to listen to 'My Kind Of Town' which is where I register my only complaint;it's the shortest tune on the cd.