Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Daring reworking of Big Band Era Standards, August 12, 2004
The people who criticize this album definately need to listen AGAIN (or they just hate Chicago's sound). When I first heard this CD I couldn't believe that Chicago pulled it off! These are big band era tunes (40's) that are updated with great vocals, inventive arrangements, and end up sounding like..... well, Chicago. Much better than another power ballad.
Great performances by the guys in the band also. I'm wearing out this CD.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Really Great Stuff, May 12, 2005
I remember seeing the commercials for NIGHT & DAY and thinking, "Ah, jeez, Chicago's dead." I knew CHICAGO 21 hadn't sold well, and I'd heard something about what had transpired with THE STONE OF SISYPHUS. But a big-band album? It seemed to me an act of laziness, as if the fellas couldn't muster up enough creativity to do a REAL album of original tunes. So in my pig-headed way, I avoided listening to NIGHT & DAY for about 8 years.
I'm proud to admit here how dumb I was.
I picked up NIGHT & DAY a year or so ago, and kicked myself for not getting it sooner (the same holds true for the Christmas album). Simply put, it's among the best, most consistent works Chicago has done. Everything, from the singing to the arrangements, is carried off with gusto and flair. And the horns (aided and abetted by Bill Watrous' big band) are front-and-center for the first time in years.
A rousing version of "Chicago," voiced by Robert Lamm, kicks off the set, followed by a ripping version of "Caravan," also voiced by Lamm, and featuring lightning-fast horn arrangements (trombonist James Pankow has said that this album contains some of his best work in years, and he's right). LATE NIGHT WITH LETTERMAN piano man Paul Schaffer guests on "Dream A Little Dream of Me," sung effectively by Jason Scheff. And then things get REALLY good.....
"Goody Goody" features Bill Champlin, and he just sings the spots off the song. The cool keyboards help a lot, too. An upbeat version of "Moonlight Serenade" follows, and then comes the title track. Underscored by an African drumbeat and featuring a gorgeous horn bridge, "Night and Day" is really something special. But just when you think the album has peaked, Champlin strikes again with a blistering version of "Blues in the Night," arguably the best cut on the set; it famously features a wild guitar solo by Aerosmith's Joe Perry.
"Sing Sing Sing" is a bit of a letdown following "Blues"--the arrangement is thin, and the tempo seems forced--but "Sophisticated Lady" more than makes up for it with a lush, mysterious opening, terrific vocals from Scheff, and a haunting guitar solo at the close by Bruce Gaitsch. It's followed by a surprisingly straightforward version of "In the Mood" (with original lyrics by Chicago) and a really bright version of "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" featuring the best horn charts since CHICAGO V. The closer, "Take the 'A' Train," is a worthy retake on the Ellington classic, leaving the listener wanting more.
If you're a Chicago fan and haven't heard NIGHT & DAY yet, take the chance. No, it's not CTA, but this 1995 work creates and sustains a mood all its own.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just Great!, April 19, 2003
This Chicago offering is a terrific blend of the original trademark Chicago style with an excellent choice of standards from the Big Band era. While some critics have criticized the band for "Chicagoizing" these "classics", that's exactly what makes this such a unique and exciting CD.
Most every other artist's foray into the Big Band standards arena has produced recordings that are so true to the original arrangements (e.g. Harry Connick, Linda Rondstadt), they might as well have been recorded in the '40's, this outing by the boys from the Windy City evidences a fresh approach to this timeless material.
Every track shows Chicago exploring the composition from a different angle: whether it is the mystically slow tempo of "Night and Day", the Latin-tinged "Sing, Sing, Sing", or the down-and-dirty blues rock shuffle of "Blues in the Night".
True, the horn charts sound like classic Chicago, and that's the beauty of it. Here, they sound as warm and fat as ever, and trombonist Jimmy Pankow weaves them into the arrangements with his proven skill. Nothing fancy, just melodic and interesting horn charts with the trademark Chicago horns' silky style.
Every track here is a winner. A great CD!
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album Night and Day: Big-Band 
