Customer Reviews

Dan Zanes & Friends - All Around the Kitchen! Crazy Videos & Concert Songs!

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

This is an excellent DVD. Dan Zanes and Friends, inlcuding Barbara Brousal, Colin Brooks, Cynthia Hopkins, and "Father Goose" have created a merry and tuneful set of videos. There are several that should appeal to the really young set -- animated and staged in a studio. A few others are just neat -- "Jump Up" takes place on the front stoop of a Brooklyn brownstone, and "Wandering" shows a lot of "on the road" scenes of the band. My 3 year old loves that video, even though it is geared toward adults -- I think, because it further humanizes the band.

Then there is a series of concert videos with astonishingly high sound quality. All of the songs are wonderful, but you may be surprised at how much adults enjoy songs like the "Father Goose" compilation -- it really rocks!!

My son is much more interested in music after watching these -- we had to buy him a harmonica, and now he wants a guitar. We all love watching these, and I think my son gets something out of it, and so it's a big winner.

Very highly recommended!!

I can only review the concert part of the DVD as that's the only part my 2.5 year-old Henry will let us watch/listen to. But, this is great stuff and worth the price alone. Zane's fine band is loose and having fun at NYCs Knitting Factory and their fun is contagious. More imprtantly, they survey some great old songs here that are much better than most kid's fare.

I think the live version's are generally better than on Dan's studio efforts too. Highlight's are "Pay Me My Money Down" (much better than the version on Springsteen's new CD), "Father Goose" (our favorite dance song) and "Sidewalks of New York". But, there are no duds on the set, and next week "Malki" and "Strike the Bell" will be back on top...

Don't expect any fancy effects or zany stage antics here -- just great musicians enjoying playing music for young and old.

Now that Dan is getting mainstream attention I hope he doesn't forget his roots. Henry will be unhappy and so will his dad.

... pop in this DVD. My 18 mo old asks for this every day. She has learned the hand movements to "Strike the Bell," she's learned "Hola!" from "Hello, hello, hello," and she wiggles & dances to "All Around the Kitchen." It's a wonderful, fun, completely adult-friendly DVD.

The songs are great and not just for kids. My only problem is how the DVD is set up. Rather than have a Play All choice, you choose either to play the concert footage section or the videos section. Since there are only a few songs in each section, it is pretty hard to navigate when playing on a car's dvd player (unless it is a very quick trip, you have to stop the car and then navigate over menu to the other section - no easy way of doing this at all).

And what a fun video it is! She isn't quite 2 and she already requests Dan Zanes and this video! We all love the music and the homegrown feel of the concert. Father Goose is just great. When they walk outside singing "The Sidewalks of New York" I always get goosebumps - what a great way to end the show. It's hard not to have respect for someone who takes kids this seriously. And if you've seen the videos, then you know you'll love those, too. Around here, "All Around the Kitchen" is the favorite, but they're all wonderful.

My three year old loves this DVD. He asks for Dan to be put on all the time and then dances around the room like a spring chicken (but not as coordinated). It is seriously fun.

We saw Dan Zanes & Friends in St. Paul and couldn't wait for this dvd to come out. The live footage is a reminder of how great the show was. Our 2 year old is constantly asking to watch this dvd. My husband and I enjoy their music just as much as he does. Just recently, we were visiting family and put the dvd in to get our son to wind down and go to bed. By the second song the room was full of family members, mostly adults, in disbelief at how good the "kids' band" was. We ended up watching it several times because people kept wanting to see certain songs again. My 62-year old father was on the computer that night ordering it for the rest of the grandkids and was inspired to break out the guitar and search the internet for old "sea songs" that he could play/sing for my son. My 80-year old, ex-yodeler, grandmother's face lit up as she sang along to "The Sidewalks of New York" and other old songs that she recognized. My son spent the rest of the trip trying to play the guitar and refering to Dan Zanes.
The video has two parts- the live footage and then the videos (which include the videos that they aired on Noggin). Like the other reviewer, I wish that they would have included a few more live songs (such as "All around the Kitchen" and "House Party Time". Even though the video versions are included, it would have been fun to see them live also because the kids (& parents) go absolutely crazy when they play those songs live). I also wish that it would have included some interview footage of the band (as an extra). I do like that it isn't overdone and how the live stuff has a homemade recording and small venue feel to it. I also like the documentary-style video ("wanderin" I think?) of the band.
This is a great video and I recommend it to everyone (along with the cds). I don't see how anyone could not enjoy this band. I'm so glad that my son (finally!) has some good music to listen to!

This DVD retains all the hipness of the CD's, it's done very artfully and cool for a child's DVD, which may explain why Zane's music appeals so much to parents as children. The concert half of the DVD is taped in an intimate party setting at the Knitting Factory in NY. I only wish more live songs were included on this part of the DVD, but I guess we are also dealing with Children's attention spans here. The videos are cool enough to rival any MTV production and are, in some instances, better! All the videos are great and especially the one about being on the road touring (one for the parents, perhaps?). My 2 year old instantly loved this as he knows the songs and can now put the music to real people playing it. This is a must buy Children's Music fans!

Wow, what a great DVD. It's the taping of a live performance. It doesn't play to kids necessarily like the Laurie Berkner DVD. It has some music history and some great twists on kids nursery rhymes with "Father Goose." Our whole family (2 and 5 year olds) love this DVD. It's fun to sing and dance too and makes you want more of their music on CDs. Even my 11 year old niece enjoyed it when we brought it along on vacation. We've given it as a gift and always get good reviews.

I purchased this video for my daughter to watch on our long flight to California. We both love it! I might even love it more than she does. It is a great break from watching children's dvd's that get annoying after watching them again and again. I highly recommend this dvd!