Customer Reviews

Plays Cool Quiet Bossa Nova

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The perfect ensemble with major Jazz players from westcoast. With support by Laurindo Armeida & Bud Shank, this album gives you a perfect mood leading for a "romantic" night. One of the great "lost" album & shouldn't be neglected.

Did you know that Steve Allen is in the Guinness Book of World Records. He is listed as the most prolific composer of modern times. Steve Allen created over 4,600 numbers. This little album contains 12 of his ballads.

As all us Steve Allen fans know, Steve was not only a comedic giant but a talented musical artist also. His was no slouch with history either.

I remember Steve's old tonight show. He would ask the audience to call out numbers. He would translate the numbers into notes on his piano keyboard and then compose a song on the spot. He was amazing.

Steve played the piano and organ but longed to play a horn. He cheated and got himself a melodica which is a horn like instrument with a miniature keyboard attached. The player blows into the horn-like mouth piece and then fingers the keyboard to get the sounds. Steve used to play it on his evening show in between passing out salamis and kosher bologna. Steve toots his melodica on this album.

In any case, this is a very interesting group of Steve Allen originals. I like to play it in the morning with my coffee. It is pretty, quiet and soothing. Great fun to listen to old Steve playing some of his beautiful creations.

I'm a musician and I have the greatest respect for Steve Allen. His playing is very tasteful and his compositions are very intelligent. Steve was a Renaissance man: comedian, talk show host, author, composer, musician and singer. A wonderful role model. I encourage people to buy this CD and any material by Steve Allen.