Customer Reviews

Star Wars: Cocktails In The Cantina

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When I first listened to the previews of this CD on this site, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. It was Star Wars, but it was definitely different. I've always been a Jazz fan as well as a John Williams/Star Wars fan, so the two combined made me quite happy. I love all the songs, especially the Imperial March and the Asteroid Field, both of which are pretty fast moving and still retain alot of the feeling that you get when you listen to the real soundtracks. I highly recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys a good laugh, or is just a Jazz nut!

Sheesh... first disco, then jazz, then techno-dance, and now this. The musical score of the 'Star Wars' trilogy has been re-worked into so many different musical genres it's ridiculous. 'Cocktails In The Cantina' features the umpteenth 'update' of John Williams' watermark scores, this time in the genre of big-band/swing cocktail lounge tracks. Still, if ever there was a good way for a Gen-X Star Wars fanboy to find a common ground with granny & gramps, this collection of soundtrack conversions just might be the thing you need to help bridge that pesky generation gap! Of course, you might wanna hide the liner notes featuring pics of porn queen Jasmin St. Claire, especially if you wish to avoid explaining her 'day job', should they start askin' too many questiions...

But, back to the subject. I found 'Cocktails' to be a surprisingly enjoyable listen. The Evil Genius Orchestra's renditions sounded like they'd fit right in as part of the atmosphere in those classic 40s & 50s detective flick scenes that take place at the local mob-front nightclub! One listen to the revamped 'Darth Vader's Theme' or the 'Throne Room' & 'End Title', and I was gettin' ready to cut a rug with the best of 'em! There're also a few laid-back tunes to slow-dance or just plain mellow out to, including an amazingly downbeat 'Cantina Band' number, and the gentle 'Yoda's Theme'. All in all, this collection is a beautifully balanced combo of fast and slow tunes, which can be enjoyed by both 'Star Wars' fans and cocktail tune aficionados alike!

'Late

This is definately a tongue-in-cheek CD. I am a long time fan of John Williams and have some of his soundtracks from the early 60's. Some of these arrangements sound like they could fit in in those scores. He did after all start out as a jazz pianist and wrote early scores that were jazz/lounge in flavor. As a composer he is not a snob about his own music and I think he would enjoy this cd. All you have to do is remember some of his Boston Pops shows. Some of the music he arranged for the show was very tongue-in-cheek just like on this cd. Have fun with this one!

Got my copy today, and I must say it's, er, interesting...

Some of it is..., well.... Bits of this CD are reminiscent of James Bond, Mary Tyler Moore, and Austin Powers...

It's worth buying for Yoda's theme alone. The last 2 tracks are pretty darn good, as well.

If you know any hard-core Star Wars fans who deserve a really good scare, this CD is for you! If you are a Star Wars fan, this CD is the equivalent of sticking your brain in the blender. Have fun! Don't say I didn't warn you...

This is a FUN record. Our friend "A music fan from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada" has taken this way too seriously. Buy it and enjoy it for what it is - FUN!

Now that I look at the page for this album, I have to wonder what I was thinking when I decided to buy it. But now that I have it, WOW!!!

I couldn't imagine that I would have listened to it more than once but this disk has come to the top of my stack of most frequently listened to albums!

It is campy, trashy and it reminds me of Bill Murray's classic lounge signer act where he wrote words to the sondtrack. "Star Wars, Nothing but Star Wars, Dum, Dum, Dum, Dahh."

If you have already found this page, you are probably just the kind of person who would enjoy this CD.

Before John Williams moved to California and became a hugely famous composer of film scores, he gigged in numerous New York jazz clubs, performed on Henry Mancinni's recording of the Peter Gunn theme, and served as band leader and arranger for crooner Frankie Laine.

He was known then as "Johnny" Williams.

And it's to Johnny and this era that Carvin Knowles and the Evil Genius Orchestra dedicate this album of Star Wars covers, Cocktails in the Cantina, clever arrangements for big band orchestra circa the late 50's in styles ranging from jazz and mambo to bossa nova performed by some of southern California's best studio musicians.

Knowles is himself a resident of Los Angles and composer for film, the most well known of his projects being music for the adolescent comedy, American Pie. Apparently rich in curiosity and all things musical, he has composed, produced and arranged in a number of genres, from big band to jazz to blues, from funk to club. His most recent project is a world beat recording called Hamsa.

Despite the obvious appearance, Cocktails in the Cantina is not a commercial knock-off, but a project that shows some musical wit. The Imperial March starts off with pounding tympanis followed by tenor sax and trombones playing the theme down low, with the trumpets coming in a bar later on the high end in a hilarious mambo swing. The well-worn Cantina Band number is slowed down to about half the original speed, a hypnotic lullaby led by xylophone and joined by a torpid tenor sax and scatting chorus. The hipster main title features a rhythm section of snapping fingers over which a muted trumpet plays the theme, accented by a number of sound effects, including mouth harp and what sounds like a theremin (though that instrument is not listed in the credits). Princess Leia's Theme is given a bossa nova shuffle, with flute playing the melody over acoustic guitar chords accented with xylophone fills, and The Throne Room climax is played like a Peter Gun theme, with trumpets calling out the fanfare, and then playing the lead melody over B3 organ and a swinging drum kit.

Simply put, this album is a lot of fun. If you're a purist look for symphonic renditions of the Star Wars score, you'd be better off sticking to the original recordings. But for those who enjoy a bit of the unexpected in their music, this album will not disappoint.

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I actually ordered this CD and got it sent to my nephew living in the US, but it got "lost", so I actually re-bought it on iTunes.

Anyway, if you are a Star Wars fan, and like Bossa Nova, Jazz, lounge, Big Band Jazz, this is a fun album to have.
Some of the tracks are nice and corny, very smooth jazz.
Good arrangement and interpretation on some tracks.
Other tracks are so-so.

Chill out with this album in your lava-lamp-laden den as you sip some galactic funk, cool cats!

The Cd is a fun re-inventing of music from Star Wars, in lounge music style.

Purists will object, but these people are too fixated on the films.

Star Wars, & the music from those films, are for *fun*!

This CD *is* fun.

The Hipster gives it a Big Thumbs UP!

This is the best CD to have if you like Star Wars. Listening to this I couldn't stop laughing. I almost wanted to use it for wedding music. hehe
But really is a lot of fun.