Customer Reviews

Giving Myself to You

5 star:		(6)
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I have a very large jazz collection and out of all of the cd's this is in my opinion the best what makes this cd so good is that not only is the songs are played well with incredible saxophone technique it mixes both smooth jazz and straight-ahead jazz which makes this cd appeal to not only fans of musicians like Boney james, richard elliot, steve cole , and kirk whalum but also to fans straight-ahead jazz and bebop such as cannonball adderley, bobby watson and john coltrane I think anyone who likes jazz should get this cd no matter what style of jazz you like you will like this cd.

Here is something in this modern commerical laden music world that is worth ones time to listen to. Though is is considered modern by all accounts, there is music that says Jazz contained within. Not too much mimicking of pop standards, but music which can stand on it's own two feet, and a joy to listen to.

Alas this is the only full Jazz CD to be recorded by this very talented musician. I do not know why his style which is so very apparent on this CD is only mildly displayed on his later works but this CD "Giving Myself to You" is a good addition to any Jazz collection.

This is my favorite Albright album! Gerald moves a few steps to the left of his "funky" style, with this slightly edgy and more mainstream jazz album. Featuring such greats as Stanley Clarke, George Duke, Harvey Mason, Joe Sample and more, it runs the gambit of styles, from samba, to seven/four, to straight ahead swing, to soulful ballad, to contemporary funky shuffle, to ... well, you just gotta get this disc. It'll make you smile, make you sad, make you want t'dance, make you long to hold someone special, as you listen by candle light.
Gerald is one amazing musician and this is one very good CD!

Could be my mistake that commercial jazz of the past twenty years or so has been in seriously sad shape. And that also goes for new acoustic players so it's not that there was any lack of talented musicians;it was more a lack of creative ideas on all ends. Gerald Albright himself was caught in this uncertain environment with everyone else, in that strange place where he was caught between his ability as a musician and the needs the jazz world were presenting at the time. Thankfully for Albright,at this point out he decided to go for broke and make an album that showcased his ability as a musician as opposed to being agreeable to any kind of audience. And the results show how he made the right decision in that because it resulted in what is likely one of the finest and best rounded albums of his career.

Assembling an exciting team of players-all the best in the field from Joe Sample,Harvey Mason,George Duke,Stanley Clarke,Paulinho Da Cost and Ndugu Chancellor onboard for this set Albright comes up with a set of eleven that showcase him far outside the sound of then contemporary smooth jazz. This isn't exactly what I'd call a fully acoustic setting but is primarily something of a modern soul-jazz recording-showcasing Albright sounding really letting loose on some extremely strong improvisations of very memorable,mostly self written melodies such as "Oo Pah Doo","Made In Chicago","Two Steppin","Lucky 7" and "Mr.Right". On these songs you not only get some very rhythmic and funky nightclub style uptempo soul jazz but also some exciting piano playing from both Sample and Duke as well. This music has the modern production and some of the funky rhythms to satisfy a modern audience but extends on the idea of traditional jazz,if such a style could actually exists to satisfy any Albright detracters.

The album also contains two latin style percussive grooves in "Samba Queen" and "Chips N Salsa" to start off on,which are both enough to get you up and dancing right from the start before near the end we get to a spirited and adventurous take on Yusef Lateef's "Planet Earth" before calming things down for the slower,mildly Conltrane inspired title song. This album stands as an important symbol to me,as it might to others who'll take a cue from the positive reviews posted here that if a jazz musician continues as all the greats have in the past to stick to their own instincts in creating their art as opposed to making music based on the consideration of others with a likely business based agenda than the music has a change to take new flights of fancy as it was for decade after decade in the past. And this stands as an example,especially from an artist sometimes skimped on for selling out (as so many have been) that creativity,imagination and the ability to make them memorable are still alive and well in jazz if handled properly.

Gerald Albright is a terrific artist, and this CD really shows him at his best. It is approachable even to new fans of jazz, yet should be interesting to more sophisticated listeners. The latin numbers are great, and Lucky 7 is something altogether different with its 7/8 meter. One of my favorite CDs.

i purchased this cd at a resale cd shop and could not believe that someone actually gave it up. it contains some of the best music that i have ever heard. it is gerald albright at his best.not the typical smooth jazz that you hear on the radio, but rich ,soothing music.