Customer Reviews

Nitelife

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Martin Taylor has been around on the British jazz circuit for a number of years. He's run through a number of different projects with various size bands. The move to a major label means that he has to look to retain his present audience whilst establishing a new wider base of fans. So there are the nods to the past with "Hymne L'amour"( the Edith Piaf favourite) and "I get along without you very well". At the same time there's the introduction of an element of programming which works particularly well on "Doctor Spin" and "Green Lady". The other innovation is the presence on Kirk Whalum on two tracks "Nitelife" and "Beboptimism" which pushes Taylor into the direction that he's probably going to be fleshing out more fully with the next album. There's also one track " Across the pond" which pitches him in with a rather larger than usual horn section. This is a satisfying move forward album, which has several tracks that commend themselves for rotation on smooth jazz stations.One for warm summer nites and highly recommended.

Martin Taylor strikes again. This cd is his best by far. It stretches his musical talents beyond the limit. If he never has another release, which I know he will, "Nitelife" will last forever. Look out Jonathan Butler and Doc Powell, you've got company!

What jazz does for people in this world...is the instrument in being able to bear everyday life, the ups and downs, getting away from it all...this latest release on the Sony/Columbia label is a good example ~ "Nitelife", featuring Martin Taylor ~ from of all places Scotland (jazz has no boundaries).

Listen to his style and approach in each selection, shades of Joe Pass comes to mind...tones are of so refined, only capped-off by his technique...check out this arrangement on "HYMNE A L'AMOUR", the trademark tune by Edit Piaf, blends the reminiscent sound of the late Django Reinhardt, exceptional counterpoints with acoustic guitar...if you enjoy guitarist such as Jim Hall and Charlie Byrd, you'll appreciate what this young artist has to offer...looking forward to his next venture into the realm of what we "jazz-buffs" call ~ stress-free therapy, and what the doctor ordered...good wholesome JAZZ!

Total Time: 58:03 on 10 Tracks ~ Sony/Columbia CK-85909 ~ (2001)

Jazz Times New York named one of my favorite jazz guitarists, Martin Taylor, as "Europe's finest guitarist." And in 2002, he became a "Member of the Order of the British Empire" (MBE) for his outstanding services to music and received the prestigious award from the Queen herself at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace.

"Nitelife" is one of the two albums that he recorded with Sony Music, the other is "Kiss And Tell." Both albums were warmly welcomed and enthusiastically embraced by music fans, myself included, who truly appreciate and enjoy great guitar music.

In this recording, he has the backing of a crew of seasoned musicians namely saxophonists Kirk Whalum, Jim Reid and Jim Horn, vocalist Michelle Anne Williams, keyboardists John Stoddard and Brian Siewert, guitarists Steve Buckingham and Mike Durham, bassists Victor Krauss and David Hungate, drummer Chester Thompson, violinists David Angel and David Davidson, and viola player Minisa Angell.

My personal favorites from this set include a French standard, "Hymne A L'Amour," a classic from Great American Songbook, "I Get Along Without You Very Well," a Dionne Warwick staple, "Déjà Vu," and one of the biggest hits from Earth, Wind And Fire, "That's The Way of The World."

In my book of jazz, Martin Taylor is definitely one of the finest guitarists that I enjoy listening to every so often. He is also one of the most-decorated-musicians in terms of honors, awards and recognitions, which include "Award for Excellence" given by the Music Retailers Association; "Gold Badge of Merit" awarded by the British Academy of Composers and Songwriters; "Honorary Doctor" conferred by the University of Paisley in Scotland, from among many others. And not to mention that he has been consistently awarded the "Best Guitarist" by British Jazz Awards. Not bad for a true-blue guitarist, a fine one at that!

Wholeheartedly recommended!

Exceptional recording!

Having listened to many guitarist over the years, I was pleasantly suprise to stumble upon this particular Martin Taylor release. It's exceptionally well recorded and performed, in addition to being both artistically and musically superb. Audiophiles should also appreciate its high-quality recording.

I bought this CD in August 2001 after listening at a CD shop during a vacation in Houston. I had never heard of him, and as far as I can tell he is not that well know in Europe. The reason I give this CD 5 stars is because since I bought it I have listened to it at least once and usually more times a week. Any CD that makes me do that is good in my book.

I had heard many good things about Martin Taylor and therefore had high expectations. Songs number 5 & 10 are truly gems. The rest is a potpourri of smooth jazz style drivel and frankly some bizarre noises. The first cut is a highly produced piece that is clearly targeted for the smooth-jazz airplay and is a pleasant song if you don't want to get too deep. There is unintelligible talking at the end of the first cut that hints at stranger things to come. The tinny slide guitar drone in the second song is so out of context I can't stand listening to it. Then I have to skip the next track due to more bizarre - well, noise. Yet another cut makes such poor use of echo that it reminds me of B-grade reggae bands with their overuse of electronics. Cut number 5 is a superb fingerstyle piece. Track 6 is again in the smooth-jazz style and makes it through all the way to the end without any annoyance - until the end. It stops so abruptly I wondered if my CD player broke. Track 10 is also a jewel in fingerstyle playing that is masterfully executed. Tracks 5 & 10 are almost worth the price of this CD, if you can mentally handle skipping over 6 to 8 other songs that you paid good money for. This is a very uneven collection.

Martin taylor does what no man (or woman for that matter) can do:Namely, give him a plank of wood and six strings and he will make you sing, dance or any old thing. The jazz purists ,I know ,won't and don't acknowledge this album but...what he makes of old Isaac Hayes numbers and Django type material just makes you glad to be alive. Martin can also be seen on a great website:geocities.com/johnmedd.