Customer Reviews

Samsara

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

don't let this solo release from former squirrel nut zippers frontman fool you - this ain't no swing record! there's swing on it...but it ain't no swing record. it's much much more than that.

delving deep into a treasure trove of styles tom maxwell has created a mature, musical excursion through a multitude of different styles that are all, in one way or another, thematically linked to the buddhist concept of samsara. maxwell's unique ability to find the voice of song and arrange it (using an array of truly outstanding performers) is evident on this recording.

while songs like 'uptown stomp' and 'sixes and sevens' harken back to the zippers giddy, on the edge style they add a deeper more mature element that no zippers record every explored. add to that songs like 'roll them bones' with the tremendous remember vocal quartet, you never heard a song about the passing of a friend fill you with such hope (and booty shake!)

I can't say enough good things about this record and i have a feeling that it's going to be different things to different people. one thing for sure is that Maxwell has thrown off the restrictions that pigeonholed the zippers and created one of the most honest, well crafted and musical albums of the last decade.

This CD is great!! Obviously Tom is willing to put himself out on a limb musically, which is refreshing these days, and let his audience see a true bit of his soul. I think he deserves a lot of credit for putting out a honest and well crafted work. If this is his first effort as a solo artist I think that he has a amazing career ahead of him. Listen to this CD without any preconceptions, it is a classic.

Simply Wonderful - style by style, lyric by lyric, haiku/poetry with a romping fun beat. The title track alone is worth the price of admission to this spectactular of audio joy! Tom - don't worry - be happy! Sam sara...

Tom Maxwell is clearly a fearless, and therefore rare, artist. He has cut himself loose from the confines that record labels impose to instead follow his heart and make an album representative of all that has influenced and moved him in his life. Samsara offers a wide array of musical styles but manages to somehow be incredibly cohesive. Tom is the link that holds each song to the next. He is a master at arranging songs, and choosing strong and versatile performers to carry out his vision. His voice is distinctive and warm. The covers on this album are wonderful, but the originals are what really pull in the listener- each one attaching itself with a unique magnetism that only grows deeper on its second, third, and fourth listen.

I want to keep this short. I bought SNZ's Bedlam Ballroom not knowing there were changes in the group,when I discovered the missing element was Tom Maxwell I bought this cd as well. This is the one I still listen to a year later. PLEASE GIVE US MORE TOM!

I've never had a strict allegiance to any particular musical styles, and the most likely answer you'll get as to what kind of music I like is "Good!". Samsara is one of those albums that may require it's own category... but one genre it definately falls in for me is GOOD! It's probably the most addictive album yet, especially for an amateur eclectic wannabe musician such as myself. It has a dizzying array of styles, almost every song is a kick in the pants and flies in the face of the old saw about "there's no good 'new' music". This album features Tom Maxwell and Ken Mosher, late of SNZ, two other current SNZ members and the awesome Duke Heitger on trumpet, Julius McKee (Dirty Dozen) on Sousaphone, and much more. Holly Harding-Baddour adds a rich vocal on "If I Had You", a song of simple beauty and timeless sentiment. "Uptown Stomp" is probably my favorite song in the world right now and I still can't get enough of it. Samsara will bend your ears many different ways, from classic cry-in-your-beer country to delta blues to Dixieland to Gospel to the utterly indescribable "Caveat Emptor". There's even a spooky pipe organ number and an adaptation of the traditional Chinese. Bring an open mind, open ears, a sense of humor, and prepare to be hooked.

Samsara under the ledearship of previous band member Tom Maxwell of the group Squirrel Nut Zippers has lots of elements that one can expect from genres of jazz such as New Orleans Jazz and Classical Jazz. According to my openion this CD can even beat any SNZ album. I like SNZ very much and thanks to SNZ as I have had come to know Tom Maxwell and other gifted musician of today like Andrew Bird, Katharine Whalen, Kevin O'Donnel when I have collected my first SNZ CD a few years back.

This CD has also introduced to me the melodious voice of Holly Harding Baddour. The pieces "If You Had Me" and "Samsara" shows that she is equally competent to any female jazz vocalist. Tom Maxwell is a musical genious and there is no doubt about that. He can play not only lots of instruments, but also can sing with sheer confidence. His vocal in The "Uptown Stomp", "Don't Give Me Runaround", "No Body Likes Me" just proves that. His solo gitar "Three Fires Blues" is one of the best solo gitar blues that I have heard. This CD is for mature music lover, but it can also be a great introduction for novice who wants to taste the great jazz music of the old days. This CD is extreamly diverse. "Flame in My Heart" sounds like country music and "Some Born Singing" by Holly Harding Baddour reminds me as if I am listining to Radio Peking. It is very Chinise indeed.

I thank every musician who has contributed to this album, especially my coardial thanks again goes to the producer of this CD Mr. Mike Napolitano who previously produced som of the most brilliant albums that I have ever listened and he is still keeping that promise. As a jazz enthusiast, I consider this CD to be a gem in my collection. If I had the oppertunity, than I could give this CD six stars. Buy this CD NOW and I promise you will never regret for that.

(Buy also CDs of the gifted musician Andrew Bird, Kevin O'Donnels, Tom Maxwell, Tom «Jimbo» Mathus, Katharine Whalen and of the group Squirrel Nut Zippers, Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, Kevin O'Donnels Quality Six and other musicians whose name appears on the cover of their CDs. These musicians use to colaborate with each other.)

"Samsara" is one of the ten best albums released in the last five years. The way Maxwell mixes musical styles is exhilarating and invigorating, and the way he writes and arranges songs is equally intriguing. One minute it's an all-out swing romp like Sixes and Sevens to Me, the next it's true beautiful country, like Flame in My Heart, and the next it's a gorgeous and truly inspired musical masterpiece like Roll Them Bones and Samsara. Buy this album if you've ever liked anything.

'Samsara' is a sampler from the mastermind behind such Squirrel Nut Zippers tunes as "Hell", "Put a Lid on It", "Trou Macque" and many others.

The beauty of Chinese opera, hot stompin'jazz, and spooky pipe organ have been meshed together in such a fashion as to create one of the most experimental albums of the year. The honesty behind this album is incredibly humbling and worthy of intense praise. The title track alone wins my favor.

If youre into haunting moods and cartoon-like jest check out Squirrel Nut Zipper's session violinist Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire, as well.

I bought this album last fall and loved it, but wanted to wait a while before posting a review. Hsving listened to it countless times since then...I truly believe this is a masterpiece. The previous reviews are right on the money about how imaginatively eclectic the mix of styles is, and Tom Maxwell does a superb job of fitting the various pieces together into a unified musical statement. It's hard to conceive of an album where, for instance, the deep baritone voices of the Remember When soul singers and the playful high cabaret-style female voices sound at home together, but he makes it work here. Taken as a whole, the CD has a richness reminiscent of an extremely good soundtrack album, like a soundtrack to the best David Lynch or Coen Brothers movie never made. I wholeheartedly look forward to Tom's next release.