Customer Reviews

Legends of Jazz With Ramsey Lewis: Showcase

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I found out about this 2-disk set while watching the "Male Vocalists" episode of the new PBS television series "Legends of Jazz," and after buying it, I find I am really looking forward to seeing all the rest of the actual half-hour TV shows from which these 13 tracks and clips are taken. As for this set, let me say first that the audio and video quality are simply outstanding, among the best I have ever heard, in fact, (which is not surprising considering that the TV series is shot in HDTV and features really outstanding Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound.) Next, as for the performances themselves, they really shine and there is something here for everyone - the set covers everything from latin jazz to be-bop, Brazilian jazz, fusion-type jazz, vocal jazz, and even throws in a bit of the blues, with a great duet by Robert Cray and Keb' Mo'. A really nice mix of artists, older and younger, and a pretty good value for money, considering that you get both a CD and a DVD packaged together in the box. I highly recommend this!

This is a fantastic collection of live performances on both DC and DVD! From the Al Jarreau/Kurt Elling vocal duet version of Brubeck's "Take Five" to David Sanborn and Phil Woods blowing down the house on the classic "Senor Blues", there is not a single bad track in this package. I also loved the solo performances - Chick Corea's mind-blowing display of technique on "Armando's Rhumba" is a particular standout, as is Benny Golson's "Killer Joe" (the track Spielberg used in the Tom Hanks film, "The Terminal".) This would be a good deal just for the audio CD, but the included video versions of the performances on the accompanying DVD are a welcome extra - they're shot beautifully and the Dolby 5.1 Surround really makes you feel as if you are there at the TV taping... For me, though, the best part is that the artist combinations are really well thought-out, and give you the chance to hear some incredible jazz musicians performing together whom you would ordinarily never see on the same stage.

Thank you Ramsey Lewis (and Larry Rosen) for bringing your radio show to the television. More people need to hear what jazz has to offer these days, and this TV show is perfect for people who don't really know what jazz sounds like. It's funny when you ask a person that doesn't listen to jazz at all, to describe what jazz sounds like to them, they will think that every song sounds like big band music, another person thinks that all songs sound like stripper music, or another person thinks that every song has a horn player playing screeching high notes that sounds like gibberish. Well there isn't one definition to qualify jazz music. Jazz music has a huge variety of forms, and the one thing that ties all of the styles together is the art of improvisation.

The DVD - Contains the episodes:

The Golden Horns - Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Chris Botti
The Jazz Singers - Al Jarreau, Kurt Elling
Contemporary Jazz - George Duke, Lee Ritenour, Marcus Miller
The Altos - Phil Woods, David Sanborn

My personal favorite performances are:
Roy Hargrove - Invitation
Al Jarreau & Kurt Elling - Take Five
Phil Woods - Star Eyes
Ramsey Lewis - Theme Song

The video transfer is amazing and in High Definition. The audio sounds excellent and is in 5.1 Dolby Digital.

This is a great series, please do not listen to the other review, just because he had a defective copy, he doesn't have to bring the whole score down with a two-star review......I do own the other Legends of Jazz: Showcase DVD - which is not the complete episodes.

I'd rather have the full episodes, thanks to LRS Media for releasing the whole entire series (even if it is 4 episodes at a time.)

If you want to know the great high definition, buy it !
The performers are first class. Audio = *****.

I caught a few episodes of "Legends of Jazz" before buying this, so I knew I would like it. Some of this has not been shown yet by PBS in my area, so I didn't know if the ones I hadn't caught yet were going to be as good as the earlier ones. Well, it turns out that the remainder of them lived up to my expectations. I really like the Kurt Elling and Al Jarreau version of the classic "Take Five" and the Robert Cray and Keb Mo collaboration on "The 12 Year Old Boy". The only thing I'm disappointed about is that there is no Roy Hargrove on here. Hargrove is my favorite living trumpet player and I really enjoyed his playing on the first episode. Oh well, you can't win 'em all.

Jazz-piano master Ramsey Lewis, the perfect host for this new weekly show, has come up, appropriately, with the perfect format. At half an hour, the program never overstays its welcome and invariably leaves the viewer/listener wanting more. The opening historical footage sets the stage nicely for Lewis' warm and illuminating conversations with jazz's living legends (plus a few young turks)...but the high point is, of course, the performances.

To begin with, the performances look and sound amazing. The picture and audio are pristine, vivid, and crystal-clear. I'm not very tech-savvy, so don't ask me how they do it, but whatever systems and equipment these folks are using, the end result is the closest you'll come to being stageside.

None of which would matter, of course, were the performances themselves subpar. Not to worry: Volume I includes several of the most exciting documentations of jazz musicianship I've had the privilege of witnessing, live or otherwise. High points include horn player Roy Hargrove's virtuosic "Invitation," his peer Chris Botti's lovely reading of "My Funny Valentine," Al Jarreau's gleeful "Cold Duck Time" (sung, as is Jarreau's habit, not just with his mouth and vocal chords but with his whole enthused body), the surprisingly funky contemporary-jazz collab "The Panther," and David Sanborn's & Phil Woods' delicious double-sax rendition of "Senor Blues."

The high point for me, though, is Jarreau's vocal duet with Kurt Elling on Dave Brubeck's classic "Take Five." This is, quite simply, a tour de force, from its a capella opening through its gorgeous harmonies, cool key changes, and exultant choruses -- all the way to its slyly understated ending.

During the interviews, Miles Davis is cited repeatedly as a major influence more often than anyone; many of the younger players also point to the elder statesmen seated right beside them as role models. (Says Sanborn of a visibly delighted Woods: "I was just trying to sound like HIM!") Lewis, an accomplished musician himself, interviews his colleagues as an "insider," which makes for rich conversations that really count. Moreover, the enthusiasm, positivity, and joy that pervade the entire enterprise are contagious: Volume I leaves you not only thoroughly entertained (and a bit educated) but also bouncing on your heels and smiling for hours to come.

So, when do we get Volume II?

These are great---super quality on the DVD and the CD. This is an amazing series and the DVD/CD sets are awesome. I teach Jazz History and Jazz Band and this is the greatest thing I have ever had to show my students in class.

This disc is a must-own if you like Jazz and have a Blu-ray player. The video is outstanding, but the audio will blow you away.

The entire disc is in Dolby TrueHD, so you get 100% lossless audio. It is pristine.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this disc since purchasing it a couple of weeks ago. The picture quality is really nice but 1080p is not available. Also, there is no PCM 5.1 either. This is the only reason that I gave it four instead of five stars.

Beyond that, this really is a neat collection of artists/music. I usually pop this thing in every night for a couple of minutes or end up listening to the entire list. If you have an interest in learning more about jazz and its different genres then give this disc a listen. I am actively pursuing more jazz since purchasing this disc.

This Blu-ray DVD is a great test for your home theater system. It produces a copious amount of sounds to reveal your receiver and speaker system's dynamic range. The video quality is 1080i, but it is clear none the less.