Ships wth Tattooed Sails

Jewels and Binoculars | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 22, 2007)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Upshot Records
• ASIN: B000R7I7A6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #563,277 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Honoring the Simple Magic of Bob Dylan, June 29, 2007

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Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ships With Tattooed Sails (Audio CD)

Bob Dylan is a unique talent, an apparently simple man who writes and sings folksongs and tunes with a much deeper meaning in the lyrics than is at first apparent. A troubadour, if you will, whose influence is being felt among all manner of composers, be they classical, folk, or jazz. Dylan the poet is the man who will always be remembered and it is the poet in Dylan's output that this very impressive CD honors.

'Jewels and Binoculars' is the strange moniker of the trio interpreting Dylan's music on this classy and fascinating album. Comprised of Lindsey Horner, bass, Michael Vatcher, drums and percussion, and Michael Moore, alto sax, clarinet, and melodica, this trio has been playing together since 2000 and this recording of Bob Dylan's music played in their interpretation is the third one to be released. How they manage to take Dylan's very simple tunes and use them as the basis for riffs and improvisational flights and still manage to retain the power retrospect brings to Dylan's poetic words is what makes this group extraordinary. That, and the fact that each of these accomplished jazz musicians are among the finest now performing.

Included in this selection are 'If you see her, say hello', 'Jack-a-Roe', 'I believe in you', 'Father of Night', 'It's all over now, Baby Blue', `It's alright Ma (I'm only bleeding)' - twelve songs in all. And you don't need to have a copy of the lyrics of these jazz improvisations to recall the messages of the songs: it is all in the depth of feeling of the playing. This is a jazz album with its roots firmly planted in terra firma and should be a welcome discovery for lovers of Dylan and lovers of jazz. Grady Harp, June 07

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Even better than their first?, June 8, 2008

By 

Jan P. Dennis "Longboard jazzer" (Monument, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ships With Tattooed Sails (Audio CD)

I haven't heard Floater, the second disc by this spectacular band (although if the inimitable Jay Collins, himself a jazzer of considerable note, is to be believed, it is something special), but on the evidence of the first and this one, their third, Jewels and Binoculars, a Bob Dylan-jazz tribute band, is among the most interesting groups out there today.

Before I get into what makes this band so compelling, let me set the record straight. There has been some false information floating about that this band is either a Michael Moore (the Amsterdam-based American expat reed maestro) project--a misperception I inadvertently bruited about through my otherwise (imho) excellent review of the first Jewels and binoculars--or a Lindsey Horner (the brilliant NY-based bassist of this and many other projects) project. I don't know how the latter got going, but neither is accurate: This band is a true collaborative effort, with equal billing and equal conceptual thrust from each member.

Indeed, that may be one of the things that makes this group so special: The band is a true democracy of intent and execution, with reedsman Moore, bassist Horner, and drummer/percussionist Michael Vatcher equally contributing, equally shaping, equally manipulating this astounding soundscape.

What has immediately struck me, and continues to, upon each successive listen, is the magical way this group manages to evoke and retain the soul of Dylan's remarkable vision even as they group-improvise, collectively plumb the depths, and uncover new facets of this surprisingly rich though deceptively simple music.

The vibe herein is, remarkably, both looser and more in-the-pocket than their first offering. With the Dylan tunes becoming increasingly obscure with successive discs (excepting "It's Alright Ma," "Gates of Eden," and "It's All Over Now Baby Blue"), one might expect a diminution of effect. But that's not the case. The group seems to have increasingly not only nailed the concept but upped the ante with each new iteration. The addition of Bill Frisell on nos. 2, 6, and 9 adds a new and intriguing dimension, so much so, that one might almost wish he become a permanent member, although he's such a strong personality as to perhaps swamp the fragile gloriousness of this astounding enterprise.

In any case, this disc continues some of the most beguiling sounds of the new century. Absolute highest recommendation.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Visions of Johana Coltrane, September 21, 2009

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K. G. Spurgeon (Kansas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ships With Tattooed Sails (Audio CD)

Highly enjoyable jazz readings of Dylan standards. Put this recording on during a party or social gathering where jazz would be appropriate. See how long it takes for someone to recognize a melody or phrasing. At first listen the songs may not avail themselves to jazz interpretations as would standrards from Gershwin, Porter, or Mercer but part of this (for me anyway)is my own engrained presumptions for the songs. Once my predispositions were suspended, the the jazz artistry stood out in and of its own right. Go ahead and listen. It's alright man, you're only digging to Dylan.