This is the one jazz record owned by people who don't listen to jazz, and with good reason. The band itself is extraordinary (proof of Miles Davis's masterful... read more

This is the one jazz record owned by people who don't listen to jazz, and with good reason. The band itself is extraordinary (proof of Miles Davis's masterful casting skills, if not of God's existence), listing John Coltrane and Julian "Cannonball" Adderley on saxophones, Bill Evans (or, on "Freddie Freeloader," Wynton Kelly) on piano, and the crack rhythm unit of Paul Chambers on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Coltrane's astringency on tenor is counterpoised to Adderley's funky self on alto, with Davis moderating between them as Bill Evans conjures up a still lake of sound on which they walk. Meanwhile, the rhythm partnership of Cobb and Chambers is prepared to click off time until eternity. It was the key recording of what became modal jazz, a music free of the fixed harmonies and forms of pop songs. In Davis's men's hands it was a weightless music, but one that refused to fade into the background. In retrospect every note seems perfect, and each piece moves inexorably towards its destiny. --John Szwed (hide)

Bill Frisell is a soulful jazz minimalist with a sophisticated sense of harmony, a daring rhythmic approach, and an instantly recognizable, personal sound--part jazz, part rockabilly, part blues,... read more

Bill Frisell is a soulful jazz minimalist with a sophisticated sense of harmony, a daring rhythmic approach, and an instantly recognizable, personal sound--part jazz, part rockabilly, part blues, part psychedelia--a remarkable melodist who can transmute single notes into sapphire tears. Yet while his fellow improvisors have pursued more and more complex forms, Frisell seems to be reaching back to the simplest folk forms to animate his post-modernist's view of Americana, and Gone, Just Like a Train is a cultural whistle-stop that conveys his land's epic rhythmic dynamism, regional diversity, and backwaters of mystery and quiet wonder. It's as if the Modern Jazz Quartet interpolated Cream, and together with his remarkable collaborators, bassist Viktor Krauss and drummer Jim Keltner, the Bill Frisell Trio successfully plumbs a variety of expressive forms within the raging seas of intellectual complexity that have traditionally defined the domain of modern jazzman. --Chip Stern (hide)

A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on... read more

A Love Supreme is a suite about redemption, a work of pure spirit and song, that encapsulates all the struggles and aspirations of the 1960s. Following hard on the heels of the lyrical, swinging Crescent, A Love Supreme heralded Coltrane's search for spiritual and musical freedom, as expressed through polyrhythms, modalities, and purely vertical forms that seemed strange to some jazz purists, but which captivated more adventurous listeners (and rock fellow travelers such as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream, and the Byrds), while initiating a series of volatile, unruly prayer offerings, including Kulu Su Mama, Ascension, Om, Meditations, Expression, Interstellar Space. From the urgent speech-like timbre of his tenor, to the serpentine textures and earthy groove of Elvin Jones's drumming, Coltrane's suite proceeds with escalating intensity, conveying a hard-fought wisdom and a beckoning serenity in the prayer-like drones of "Psalm," where Jones rolls and rumbles like thunder as Garrison and Tyner toll away suggestively--all the while Coltrane searches for that one climactic note worthy of the love he wants to share. --Chip Stern (hide)

It's no coincidence that Michael Bublé's new album starts with just his voice and some fingersnaps on "The Best Is Yet to Come," a song made famous by... read more

It's no coincidence that Michael Bublé's new album starts with just his voice and some fingersnaps on "The Best Is Yet to Come," a song made famous by Frank Sinatra. The Canadian smoothie looks longingly towards early-'60s Vegas, an impression quickly reinforced when a boisterous horn section makes its grand entrance, about 20 seconds into the track. That Bublé means business is confirmed by the second cut, a fast-paced take on Henry Mancini's "It Had Better Be Tonight," and of course by the CD's very title, another song identified with Sinatra as his cockiest. There are just a few sidesteps from the retro formula that's served Bublé so well so far: a languid duet with Brazilian star Ivan Lins on the bossa "Wonderful Tonight," a gospel choir on "That's Life." Interestingly, Bublé co-wrote the best of those sidesteps, "Everything," a Norah Jones-esque number that alluringly harks back to sunny '70s pop. It's also the only song on the album produced by Bob Rock (best known for his work with Metallica), sending out a strong signal that Bublé should reach out to unlikely collaborators more often. --Elisabeth Vincentelli

More Music from Michael Bublé

It's Time

Michael Bublé

Caught in the Act

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Remastered in 24 bit, this historic 1958 album makes its first appearance on CD featuring 12 tracks including two bonus tracks from the sessions, 'Fair & Warmer' &... read more

Remastered in 24 bit, this historic 1958 album makes its first appearance on CD featuring 12 tracks including two bonus tracks from the sessions, 'Fair & Warmer' & 'Moten Swing'. Roulette Jazz. 2003. (hide)

There's an intuitive branch of chamber jazz that began with Lennie Tristano and continued through to Paul Bley, Keith Jarrett, and the Swedish trio E.S.T. Israeli-born pianist Anat... read more

There's an intuitive branch of chamber jazz that began with Lennie Tristano and continued through to Paul Bley, Keith Jarrett, and the Swedish trio E.S.T. Israeli-born pianist Anat Fort is the latest iteration of an approach that's based in intuitive interplay and an austere, Bauhaus sense of dynamics. Echoes of Keith Jarrett circa the mid 1970s and his band with Charlie Haden, Dewey Redman, and Paul Motian reverberate throughout her ECM debut. The comparison is perhaps more facilely drawn because Motian is her drummer on this session. (He also happened to play with Tristano.) He's joined in his colorfully shaded and fluid rhythms by bassist Ed Schuller, who has a Mississippi-deep sound, anchoring even the freest improvisations on the disc. Most of the tracks consist of this trio, but they're joined by clarinetist Perry Robinson on a few songs like "Chapter Two," and those head for the hinterlands of avant-garde playfulness. Songs like "Just Now, Var. I" have that mix of stateliness and gospel chords that Jarrett employed at the time. On the other hand, "Just Now, Var. II," rendered solo, could have dripped from the pen of Annette Peacock, the early muse and composer for pianist Paul Bley, with whom Fort studied. Fort is a pianist of melodic gifts who can also play the angles of abstract expression as she does on the solo piece, "Chapter One," but she shares Keith Jarrett's gift for deeply integrated ensemble play, which shines on tracks like the freely played "As Two/Something 'bout Camels" and the cloudy moods of "Not the Perfect Storm." This is Anat Fort's second album, and she's quietly establishing herself as a composer of graceful beauty and an improvisor of daring exploration. --John Diliberto (hide)

Clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, this posthumous release comprises the last recordings Michael Brecker made before his untimely death in January 2007. Battling the debilitating effects of... read more

Clocking in at nearly 80 minutes, this posthumous release comprises the last recordings Michael Brecker made before his untimely death in January 2007. Battling the debilitating effects of leukemia, he sought comfort, strength, and transcendence through music. The all-star lineup on Pilgrimage, which includes Herbie Hancock, Brad Mehldau, Pat Metheny, Jack DeJohnette, and John Patitucci, has worked in various combinations over the past four decades. Here, they perform with the compelling group interplay of a longstanding ensemble. Brecker's nine compositions mark the first time he made an album solely of his own material. This is further testament to the creative drive that helped sustain him during his physical decline. From balladry to classic post-bop reveries, Brecker has fashioned one of his finest albums, and certainly his most personal work. The disc closes with the title track, which was also--fittingly--the last number he recorded. Never maudlin, this music and these fine musicians celebrate the power of music to connect human beings to one another, note by note, measure by measure. --David Greenberger (hide)

Perfecting the art of excellence for over six decades, with 105 albums selling over 50 million copies, Tony Bennett has come to represent the essence of elegance, tradition... read more

Perfecting the art of excellence for over six decades, with 105 albums selling over 50 million copies, Tony Bennett has come to represent the essence of elegance, tradition and artistic accomplishments. Tony celebrates his 80th birthday recording Duets of his greatest hits with today's greatest artists: Bono, Michael Bublé, Elvis Costello, Celine Dion, Dixie Chicks, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juanes, Diana Krall, k.d. lang, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Tim McGraw, George Michael, Sting, Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, and Stevie Wonder.

More from Tony Bennett

The Art of Romance	A Wonderful World (with k. d. lang)	Perfectly Frank: An American Classic Celebrates 80
Basie Swings, Bennett Sings (DVD)	The Movie Song Album	The Classic Collection (Box Set)

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Although the music of Norah Jones continues to blend pop, soul, folk, and country with a seasoning of jazz, her third album for Blue Note is the first... read more

Although the music of Norah Jones continues to blend pop, soul, folk, and country with a seasoning of jazz, her third album for Blue Note is the first where she's written (or collaborated on) all the material. Beneath the smooth surface lie darker strains on the album-opening "Wish I Could" (about a boyfriend lost to war), intimations of mortality in "The Sun Doesn't Like You," and the post-election horrors of "My Dear Country." The last seems to channel the inspiration of Brecht/Weill, while the equally bleak "Sinkin' Soon" is set to a jaunty Dixieland rag. Throughout, Jones's vocal intimacy and melodic warmth remain as disarmingly understated as ever. The soulful "Thinking of You," the countryish "Wake Me Up," and the syncopated "Be My Somebody" reflect the captivating style of her previous work. Although too much in the same midtempo mode becomes a dreamy lull, cut by cut, Jones's voice is irresistible. --Don McLeese (hide)

Navigating Van Morrison's extensive catalog since 1993 is a formidable task even diehard fans might not want to attempt. The Irish icon has flirted with blues, jazz, country,... read more

Navigating Van Morrison's extensive catalog since 1993 is a formidable task even diehard fans might not want to attempt. The Irish icon has flirted with blues, jazz, country, pop, Celtic, and his own style of indescribable into-the-mystic spiritually-oriented poetic folk on his numerous releases, making for quite a thorny culling assignment. So the EMI brass were probably ecstatic when the singer took the job himself. He weeds through a dozen or so albums released since Volume 2's mile-marker, and adds a clutch of previously unavailable mixes, rarities, and live tracks. The result: a nearly two-and-a-half-hour, 31-track double-disc set as sprawling, eclectic, and tenacious as Morrison's vision and discography. From occasionally rambling but spirited duets with veterans Bobby "Blue" Bland, Junior Wells, Georgie Fame, Lonnie Donegan, B.B. King, the Chieftains, Ray Charles, and even Tom Jones to concert versions of hits such as "Moondance" and an impressive take on Sinatra's classic "That's Life," along with hidden gems like "Steal My Heart Away," this is a beautifully assembled and sequenced collection. It presents most of this multitalented auteur's facets and softens his often crusty exterior by showing his appreciation for the journeymen that helped develop the trail that Morrison then blazed in his own distinctive style. --Hal Horowitz (hide)

Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists.... read more

Michael Bublé's assured debut and the tireless year of globe-trotting touring he spent promoting it elevated the 20-something Vancouver native into the first rank of pop crooner revivalists. His sophomore studio follow-up largely turns on the same formula that helped make his considerable vocal prowess so attractive to mainstream audiences, mixing the nigh flawless, if expected Sinatra-channeling ("I've Got You Under My Skin") with more playful and inviting renditions of pop standards like the Gershwin's "A Foggy Day in London Town," "Feeling Good," "Try A Little Tenderness" and Cole Porter's "I've Got You Under My Skin." But it's the eclectic mix of more contemporary material the singer seasons them with -- apt tribute to Bublé hero Bobby Darin -- that keeps him walking the narrow tightrope between artistic intrigue (a blues-tinged vamp of Holland-Dozier-Holland's "How Sweet It Is," Leon Russell's lovely "Song For You," with a guest turn by Chris Botti) and the kitsch-laden abyss ("Quando, Quando, Quando"'s Euro-centric duet with Nelly Furtado, a ring-a-ding-fling with the Beatles' "Can't Buy Me Love" that echoes fellow Canadian crooner/rival Matt Dusk's more successful flirtation with Lennon-McCartney). Arranger/producer Tommy LiPuma offers Bublé a welcome swinging jazz showcase on "The More I See of You," a bracing respite from the rest of producer David Foster's slick, if typically bloodless MOR production. -- Jerry McCulley [Note: A special edition including two bonus tracks--"Dream a Little Dream" and "Mack the Knife"--is also available.]

Michael Bublé and More

Michael Bublé	Come Fly with Me	Totally Bublé
Come Fly with Me (DVD)	Two Shots	Peter Cincotti

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Norah Jones Photos (by Danny Clinch) More from Norah Jones Not Too Late Feels Like Home The Little Willies

Norah Jones Photos (by Danny Clinch)

More from Norah Jones

Not Too Late

Feels Like Home

The Little Willies

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It's been nearly a decade since Loreena McKennitt's last studio album, The Book of Secrets, but An Ancient Muse picks up the caravan exactly where she left off... read more

It's been nearly a decade since Loreena McKennitt's last studio album, The Book of Secrets, but An Ancient Muse picks up the caravan exactly where she left off on her mystical journey through the cultures of the Middle East and northern Sahara. The Canadian singer opens this album the same way as she did her last two recordings: with an incantation, calling out in a wordless voice across an echoing space, cleansing the air and the mind. What follows is a lot like those albums as well, a pan-global excursion centered on Middle Eastern themes and instruments cast into a dramatic exotica. Oud, dumbek, kanoun, hurdy-gurdy, duduk, nyckleharpe (a Swedish-keyed fiddle), and other ancient sounds from the region and beyond ornament her music, though "ornament" might no longer be accurate. With the exception of Hugh Marsh's gypsy violin solos and a handful of other players, it's the Western instruments that serve as ornaments on An Ancient Muse. McKennitt long ago evolved the Celtic sound that launched her career. She's virtually abandoned the harp, which hasn't appeared on her CDs since 1991's The Visit. The lone uillean pipe on "Beneath a Phrygian Sky" sounds like an echo calling from the McKennitt's past. Nevertheless, the Celtic ballad form remains central to her music, and she still draws inspiration from ye olde writers of the British Isles. Lyrics from Sir Walter Scott adorn "The English Ladye and the Knight," recalling "The Lady of Shalott." But despite McKennitt's soaring alto, the tale drags under the dirge-like meter and ponderous arrangement. The epic track of this album is the aforementioned "Beneath a Phrygian Sky," with distorted electric guitar accents and an acoustic guitar melody carrying McKennitt on another journey into her romanticized version of the ancient world. --John Diliberto (hide)