Customer Reviews

Standard Time, Vol.5: The Midnight Blues

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

 

 

I am a 14 year old aspiring trumpet player and I sit first in my middle school band. My band director told me I needed to "search for a sound-listen to the greats and work to be as magnificent." Well I think I have found the greatest. Wynton Marsalis has inspired me to become the best trumpet player I can be. I love his sound, and I'm going to work to achieve it. If you are like me and are on a "sound search," or maybe if you just have a passion for listening to the greatest instrument of all time, Wynton Marsalis is for you.

Don't let the "quietness" and "laid back" nature of this music fool you; there's a lot going on here. Wynton's playing here is blues based jazz at its best, and the supporting cast here is simply terrific. Production value is top notch, and the song selection is clever and the arrangements challenging.

This is wonderfully accessible music that is clearly played by highly practiced and intelligent people, and its mood reflects the space artists can reach when they have done all of the necessary preparation. A feast for the ears and other senses, this is intelligent mood music (and I mean that in its very best sense) that can be appreciated in a practically unlimited number of ways.

The selections on this CD will definitely put you in the mood...for love or just true relaxation. I love the strings. They provide a special touch of pure romance. The musicians involved in this project are true masters of their art and Wynton...well he's Wynton...simply wonderful. This is one that you'll want to listen to over and over again-right around MIDNIGHT. I do...every night.....SWEET DREAMS!

Wynton Marsalis is able to play the trumpet in a way that no one who ever lived has been able too. His tone is pure and true and his style is all his own. This is a very sweet sounding album; the instrumentation includes a small combo backed by a string orchestra. If you want to know what a trumpet is supposed to sound like, this is the album for you.

I can't heap enough praise on this 5th installation in the Standard Time series: The Midnight Blues. The title had me anticipating something emotional and a little rougher hewn than the normally smooth selections turned out by Mr. Marsalis, and I was by no means disappointed.

Wynton is by turns somber, playful and seductive on this CD. On "Baby Won't You Please Come Home" his trumpet emits an absolutely plaintive wail. This is the CD I play when I want to relax.

This album has the wonderful musical thought of the good and bad of modern romance set up with the combination of a string orchestra and a Marsalis jazz quartet. Well-thought and emotional playing from Mr. Marsalis, as well as other contributions from the musicians, makes this album very pleasing and enjoyable to the ear. Marsalis can even rival the jazz ballad artistry of the legendary trumpeter-saxhornist(flugel horn) Miles Davis of the 1950's and the early 1960's. An album worth listening to again and again!

This is one of the most beautiful jazz albums, or any album, I've ever listened to. I listen to it often (I've had it for years), when I'm lying down to sleep or just relaxing, and every note sounds like Wynton's singing through that amazing horn of his ... it's like he's talking, caressing, holding and tickling the most gorgeous, love-thirsty woman and making her feel loved, making her feel desirable, making love with every note. His tone is full and round and warm; his technical command of the trumpet and his brilliant use of effects that sound effortless, are astounding and downright shake-you-head stunning. I am in awe of his virtuosity, and am stilled to a silent closed-eyed reverence when I hear the rendentions of the ballads on this album. If you stop and relax, put down the daily movements of the world, and listen to the beauty and power of this work, it will grab you with a soft hand and cover you like a warm blanket. And if you're in the mood for love, put this record on in the background, turn down the lights and spread those candles, and invite your lover into the sound of this world....

I'm just a beginner in terms of jazz, but I've bought this CD and I said to myself: "UAU! "" The music is marvellous crafted, the trumpet rules with passion and technic, the orchestra is greatly arranged. I didn't get bored in any of the songs (and I'm a big heavy metal fan!) The only thing for me to do now is to buy more Marsalis' records!

The melodic and lyrical flow of these songs will place you gently in a space of complete contentment. Your ears are all you'll ever want or need after listening to this collection.

Wynton's choices of songs guides you through this cd masterfully. The opening, The Party's Over, may, if you are not careful, bring you to recall a moarnful moment when you didn't want something wonderful to end. Marcus Roberts' delicate touch on the piano is nothing less than sweet.

It's hard to say, but this is my favorite Wynton Marsalis. Until we meet again, let's have another listen...

When you are able to play directly form your thoughts , with no instrument interference , you can realy make people hear your ideas. Mr. Marsalis is being able to speak through his horn. Don't miss this one.