Customer Reviews

Round Midnight

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

 

 

This is an alblum littered with some of the best jazz
players on the planet. Many of them are dead now mind
you, so you might want to get out and listen to some
of the great live ones while they're still with us.

I think that for an alblum to get a 5 star rating, there
has to be at least one track which is unforgettable. A
lot of folks like "Chan's Song", which has become a jazz
standard. But for my money, I'm wild about Lonettee McKee's
rendition of "How Long Has This Been Going On?" Wow! It's
a shame she didn't give up the big money of being a Hollywood
star for the life of an unappreciated jazz musician because
she's got the heart for it, not to mention the pipes. This
is one of those renditions that tells you a story you actually
can believe instead of just being a pretty voice.

I'm not so keen on jazz music; however, I must say that this album is excellent, probably the second best of its kind after the all-time classic soundtrack for "Ascenseur Pour L'Echauffaud" ("Elevator to the Gallows"), one of the masterpieces by Louis Malle. The music here is certainly high class material: atmospheric, suggestive and wonderfully interpreted. If you're a jazz buff and haven't heard it yet, be sure that you've missed half of your life, so GET IT RIGHT AWAY!

There are alot of marvelous musicians on this record. Herbie Hancock does a wonderful job as music director. It is a real treat to hear John McGloughlin play standard, traditional jazz guitar. No one can doubt his chops, but some if his playing on his Mahavishnu Orchestra is just noise to me.

The movie that serves as the inspiration of this record is good to see and interesting for the story. Dexter's playing is some of his worst. I do not know if the point of the story is to tell the last years of a broken down jazz musician or if not, but that is how he sounds for much of this soundtrack.

If you want this record as souvenir of the movie, so be it. If you want this record to be an example of Dexter Gordon's playing, forget it. I probably have most if not all of the compact discs commercially available of Dexter Gordon's music--both live dates and studio recordings. This is not one of his best performance.

I've never seen the movie and really, I don't have to. I love this album. I thought that it was very nicely done and it is so perfect. But really, it was the song "Round Midnight" with Bobby McFerrin that caught my ear. Listening to him singing that muted trumpet is sooo heavenly. So, I had to find this album if only to hear this song. It was a real treat that I got the other songs as well. "Fair Weather" by Chet Baker is another favorite of mine. I would urge any jazz lover to pick this album up. I guarantee you that you will not be disappointed.

Amazingly good! Whether you're chating, reading your favorite writer, making love or just spending some time for yourself, this music will overwhelm you.

This is an Original Motion Picture Soundtrack CD. The DVD of the movie is available but I would start here first. Maybe because one doesn't need to have the story told to you on wide screen and dolby sound. This CD is "intimate". Like the "Blue Note" it resonates lonesome nights in distant foreign places where the echo of the night is in Dexter Gordon's lingering Sax wail. Then perhaps none of that is important. Perhaps it's the compilation of so many jazz voices all in this one CD. While making this movie, Warner Bro could have bought rights to the Blue Note records as background. But it was important to give a fresh sound to the challenge of making a film about jazz. Warners turned to Herbie Hancock to develop the music background and Dexter Gordon to write compositions for the film. They did so beautifully without loosing the essential flavor or sense of place and time depicted in the film: Paris and the Fifties. If your interest is to develop or explore jazz music from the early 50s, here's your opportunity. Central to the background are musicians of the caliber of Chet Baker, Ron Carter, Billy Higgins, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hucherson, Bobby McFerrin, Lonette McKee, John McLaughlin, Pierre Michelot, Wayne Shorter, Cedar Walton, and Tony Williams. You can rent or buy the DVD. This CD will help you soak up that atmosphere now lost from places like the "Blue Note". In this CD you will hear the echo of the strains of 50s jazz normally heard "back then and round midnight". Listen to "How Long Has This Been Going On?" and "Una Noche Con Francis" and your heart will be lost. ps: I have the original vinyl LP version of "Round Midnight" and somehow, scratches and all, it's almost better heard this way.

I own this one on vinyl and I had the privilege of seeing the movie when it came out. I finally broke down and bought the MP3 version for my iPhone and iPod. Both the movie and the soundtrack rate 5 stars. It's one of the few successful jazz movies of all time and a great sound track with some of the greatest jazz musicians jamming.

a beautiful movie, too! i play the piano, but i love the sound of the sax. there are few specialist on the soundtrack of my life and dexter gordon is certainly one.