Fite approaches music-making with little more than his four favorite chords, a love of Woody Guthrie and Public Enemy, and a stack of other people's sadly forgotten records. The emerging sound is like no other: natural, unique and teeming with fresh blood. While Fite is by no means a virtuosic instrumentalist, he knows how to build a compelling song. His primary talent lies in his knack for finding, stealing, and transforming other people's music into his own, utilizing his resonant voice to lend a disquieting emotional sincerity to the mix. "Gone Ain't Gone", a wry, anachronistic, copyright-defying, country/hip-hop collage, was made mostly from CDs rescued from dollar bins of Australian bar bands, DC garage-punks, and demos from up-and-never-coming rock bands. It's all sampled, looped and laid down as the blueprint for his intriguing avant-folk vision of musical crime and resuscitation.
Gone Ain't Gone,Tim Fite,Anti,Alternative Pop/Rock,Indie Rock,Pop,Rock,Rock/Pop
Gone Ain't Gone
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Porgy & Bess
Ella Fitzgerald , and Louis Armstrong Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B0000046Z5 Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Overture
- Summertime
- I Wants To Stay Here
- My Man's Gone Now
- I Got Plenty O'Nuttin'
- Buzzard Song
- Bess, You Is My Woman Now
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- What You Want Wild Bess?
- A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
- Oh, Doctor Jesus
- Medley: Here Come De Honey Man/Crab Man/Oh, Deh's So Fresh And Fine (Strawberry Woman)
- There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
- Bess, Oh Where's My Bess
- Oh Lawd, I'm On My Way
Amazon.com
Getting the two most personable voices in jazz to sing an hour's worth of George Gershwin's opera Porgy & Bess (Ella doing all the female parts, Satchmo all the male) was a good idea, but not quite as great as it sounded. Armstrong savors the down-and-dirty Charlestonisms that inspired the cadences of the music and lyrics, and they fit his happy rasp like an old shoe; Fitzgerald, conversely, sounds almost prissy every time she has to sing the word "ain't," though her melodic genius gets Gershwin's bold, supple tunes over. The arrangements are full-throttle Broadway, with a few leaps into Dixieland (including some fine Armstrong trumpet solos), but the disc works best when the vocalists break character and let their jazz side out. --Douglas WolkCustomer Reviews:
Absolutely peerless.......2006-11-17
Gershwin and Gershwin must be among the top composers of the last century and this opera showcases their talents more than anything I've heard. Ella and Louis are peerless as a vocal duo and though I doubt the West End performance will capture the magic in the same way they did, I still remain very keen to go see it. Is it opera or is it a jazz performance? I don't really know. I just know that I love it. And strongly recommend it.
once-in-a-lifetime greatness.......2006-10-06
But after its premiere in 1935, no less than Duke Ellington said, "It has grand music and a swell play, but the two didn't go together. It does not use the Negro musical idiom --- the times are here to debunk Gershwin's lampblack Negroisms."
A quarter of a century later, the producers of the film version had trouble assembling a cast. Harry Belafonte rejected their offer to play Porgy. Sidney Poitier took the part --- and wished he hadn't. Poitier later wrote that the movie insulted black people; when he chose clips of his best performances for his tribute at the American Film Institute, he picked nothing from "Porgy and Bess."
And in 1985, when Grace Bumbry was a sensation as Bess in a Metropolitan Opera production, she slammed the opera: "I thought it beneath me, I felt I had worked far too hard, that we had come far too far to have to retrogress to 1935."
All that may be. All I know is that I have, in a long life, rarely been confronted with more genius than in the Fitzgerald/Armstrong recording of "Porgy & Bess." Set aside the achievement of George and Ira Gershwin in transforming DuBose Heyward's novel into a folk opera. Let's just focus on Armstrong and Fitzgerald, who were at the peak of their popularity when this record was made in 1957.
"Summertime" --- the first song --- sets the tone. A baleful horn figure, then violins. And then Armstrong's trumpet: slow, steady, dignified. But wait --- here comes a slurred note. And a cool little improvisation. Just enough of each. Very tasty.
Fitzgerald sings a verse. She is cool and formal. A lady. Not to be taken lightly. Now it's Armstrong's turn. Tender, but let's not kid ourselves --- this is not singing as others define it. This is melodic speech: rough, gutteral. And thus he is ideally cast: His Porgy may have his charms, but he'll have to stretch to keep Bess.
And so it goes throughout the CD. Trumpet mastery --- Armstrong has dazzling control. His tone is bright, but never shrill; there's a warmth in his playing no one else could produce. And Fitzgerald is just a study in inevitability; to hear her is to wonder how anyone could sing these songs any other way.
"I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'." "Bess, You Is My Woman Now." "A Woman Is a Sometime Thing." "There's a Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon for New York." "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess?" "Oh Lawd, I'm on My Way."
All brilliantly conceived, orchestrated and recorded.
The greatest trumpet player in this history of jazz.
The father of scat singing.
The queen of the jazz vocal.
There are no-brainers, and then there is this Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong collaboration --- music that imprints on your soul.
We love this album.......2006-08-22
Simply great.......2006-03-04
A must have for everyone!
Porgy and Bess.......2005-10-14
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Renée Fleming - I Want Magic! ~ American Opera Arias
George Gershwin , Carlisle Floyd , Leonard Bernstein , Douglas S. Moore , Bernard Herrmann , Gian Carlo Menotti , Igor Stravinsky , Samuel Barber , André Previn , Metropolitan Opera Orchestra , James Levine , and Renée Fleming Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00000AFR4 Release Date: 1998-09-15 |
Tracks:
- Wuthering Heights: I Have Dreamt
- The Ballad Of Baby Doe: The Letter Song
- The Medium: Monica's Waltz
- Porgy And Bess: Summertime
- Porgy And Bess: My Man's Gone Now
- Candide: Glitter And Be Gay
- Susannah: Ain't It A Pretty Night
- Susannah: The Trees on the Mountains
- The Rake's Progress: No Word From Tom ... I Go, I Go To Him
- VANESSA: He Has Come, He Has Come
- A Streetcar Named Desire: I Want Magic!
Amazon.com
Like Dawn Upshaw's The World So Wide on Nonesuch, this program is such an inviting cross section of American opera of the last 50 years, you wonder why more of it hasn't been recorded. Composers include Carlisle Floyd, Douglas Moore, Samuel Barber, and Gian Carlo Menotti, whose childlike "Monica's Waltz" from the otherwise lurid opera The Medium is a highlight. Old favorites are here, such as Gershwin's "Summertime." And new favorites, too: Andre Previn's forthcoming "A Streetcar Named Desire" graciously offers Straussian lushness and bitonal wind-instrument details suggesting Blanche DuBois's mind departing from reality, all sounding remarkably true to Previn's pre-World War II upbringing in Berlin. This dramatically alert arioso isn't so melodically memorable but makes all necessary dramatic points eloquently. Though she performs vividly throughout, Fleming often lets her vocal tone overwhelm articulation of the words--a middling drawback. And comedy is not her thing: Bernstein's "Glitter and Be Gay" is way too hammy. --David Patrick StearnsCustomer Reviews:
All-American Fun.......2007-01-01
This CD starts out very strong with a gorgeous aria "I have dreamt" from "Wuthering Heights". I've never seen this opera nor heard of this opera. If the opera is half as good as the aria, I would love to see it. Renee cruises through "The Letter Song" from "The Ballad of Baby Doe" with heartfelt interpretation. "Monica's Waltz" is not one of my favorite arias in the world, but Ms. Fleming sings it beautifully.
Here's where we depart, and the reason I gave this CD only 4 stars. First, Renee sings two arias from "Porgy and Bess": "Summertime" and "My Man's Gone Now". Renee's voice is way too rich and lush for these arias. Listen to Renee sing it, then listen to the gold standard, Leontyne Price. You'll see what I mean. Renee's rendition of "My Man's Gone Now" was just way too pretty. The score calls for some extended glissandos, which are supposed to be wails of grief. Renee sang the glissandos beautifully, but no grief was in sight. Her next choice "Glitter and Be Gay" from "Candide" is just not a good choice for her. I think even Renee would tell you that a voice like hers is just not right for Cunegonde. This aria (and role) calls for a smaller voice. [...].
Then Renee reminds me of why I love her in the first place, by returning to two arias from "Susannah", a signature role for her. Her performances of "Ain't it a pretty night!" and "The trees on the mountains" are too good for words. She completely understands this role, and communicates the mood in these arias right through your speakers. Just imagine how good it must be live!
Renee closes with "No word from Tom" (The Rake's Progress), "He has come, he has come!" (Vanessa), and "I want magic! (A Streetcar Named Desire). I wish more opera companies would produce "The Rake's Progress". This is a wonderful opera by an "adopted" American composer, Igor Stravinsky. The aria from "Streetcar" is kind of an odd choice to close this CD, but Renee did premiere the role of Blanche in this Previn piece with the SF Opera. So maybe it's not so strange after all.
Highly recommended for fans of Renee Fleming, and those who need to add some good old American opera to round out their Puccini collections. This is a nice performance record by a woman surely destined to be one of the greatest lyric sopranos in history.
A great listening pleasure. Better than some other selections.......2006-04-05
The theme of all the pieces is that they are arias from American operas, all in English. And, I get a lot more from this selection than I do from, for example, her recording of Shubert Lieder. One thing I learn is how totally typical is Leonard Bernstein's piece from 'Candide', which sounds like it stepped right out of a production of 'The Fantasticks'. Gershwin's two great songs, on the other hand, are icons of American music and even Herrmann's movie song from Wuthering Heights makes Bernstein's song sound ordinary.
But, the album is really all about Fleming's realization of these songs, which is simply nothing less than spectacular. While I tend to prefer hearing works 'in situ', Fleming's talent is so great that hearing her do eleven pieces out of context is worth it. The album is also more interesting than the average collection of Lieder in that it has the backing of a major American dramatic orchestra.
Better than average Fleming choice.
I wish I could give more than 5 stars.......2005-09-30
This music needs a lot less diva.......2005-09-18
Which means that her CD recitals are hit-and-miss. Glitter and Be Gay is a disaster here because she tries to be funny and winds up being self-conscious and embarrassing. But the big aria form Susannah, a role Fleming sings at the Met, is perfect. I expected a lot more adventurousness from this American collection, since Felming is, after all, an American singer. But it's mostly overplayed, like Puccini in English, sobs and all. I enjoyed the voice, but after a while the mannerisms became tiresome.
Bringing American opera to the forefront.......2005-01-20
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Gone Ain't Gone
Tim Fite Manufacturer: Anti ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000AMJD56 Release Date: 2005-09-13 |
Tracks:
- I Hope Yer There
- Toasted Rye
- No Good Here
- Eating At The Grocery Store
- Forty Five Remedies
- I've Kept Singing
- Not A Hit Song
- Took A Wife
- Shook
- If I Had A Cop Show
- Flowers Bloom
- A Little Bit
- Disgrace
- Mascara Lies
- Time Comes Around
- Away From The Snakes
- The More You Do
Album Description
Fite approaches music-making with little more than his four favorite chords, a love of Woody Guthrie and Public Enemy, and a stack of other people's sadly forgotten records. The emerging sound is like no other: natural, unique and teeming with fresh blood. While Fite is by no means a virtuosic instrumentalist, he knows how to build a compelling song. His primary talent lies in his knack for finding, stealing, and transforming other people's music into his own, utilizing his resonant voice to lend a disquieting emotional sincerity to the mix. "Gone Ain't Gone", a wry, anachronistic, copyright-defying, country/hip-hop collage, was made mostly from CDs rescued from dollar bins of Australian bar bands, DC garage-punks, and demos from up-and-never-coming rock bands. It's all sampled, looped and laid down as the blueprint for his intriguing avant-folk vision of musical crime and resuscitation.Customer Reviews:
fun cd.......2006-03-27
I can't figure out where I have heard the song "Away from the Snakes" before, but I know it is from somewhere. Anyone?
An oddly talented one.......2005-11-07
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Black And Blue: A Musical Revue (1989 Original Broadway Cast)
Manufacturer: Drg ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000000PIF Release Date: 1992-04-10 |
Tracks:
- Blues: I'm A Woman
- Royal Garden Blues
- St. Louis Blues
- After You've Gone
- If I Can't Sell It, I'll Keep Sittin' On It
- I Want A Big Butter And Egg Man
- Stompin' At The Savoy
- I've Got A Right To Sing The Blues
- Black And Tan Fantasy
- T'Ain't Nobody's Bizness If I Do
- Call It Stormy Monday/I'm Getting 'Long Alright
- Body And Soul
- I'm Confessing
- Am I Blue
- I Can't Give You Anything But Love
- In A Sentimental Mood
- Black And Blue
Customer Reviews:
Diverse offering full of laughter, love and the blues!!.......1998-12-24
I love it!! I believe you will, too.
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George Gershwin: Porgy and Bess [Highlights]
Manufacturer: RCA ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003ENS Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Introduction; Summertime
- A Woman Is A Something Thing
- Gone, Gone, Gone
- My Man's Gone Now
- I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
- Bess, You Is My Woman
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- What You Want Wid Bess?
- I Loves You, Porgy
- There's A Boat Dat's Leavin' Soon For New York
- Oh, Bess, Oh, Where's My Bess
- Oh, Lawd, I'm On My Way
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Tango Song & Dance
Anne-Sophie Mutter , Previn , Brahms , and Faure Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00007KMOV Release Date: 2003-04-08 |
Tracks:
- Tango. Passionately - Andre Previn
- Song. Simply - Andre Previn
- Dance. Jazz Feeling - Andre Previn
- No. 1 In G Minor. Allegro Molto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- No. 6 In B Flat Major. Vivace - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- No. 7 In A Major. Allegretto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- Summertime - Andre Previn
- It Ain't Necessarily So - Andre Previn
- Bess, You Is My Woman Now - Andre Previn
- My Man's Gone Now - Andre Previn
- Schon Rosmarin - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- Caprice Viennois Op. 2 - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- Liebesleid - Chagrin D'Amour - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- 1. Allegro Molto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- 2. Andante - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- 3. Allegro Vivo - Anne-Sophie Mutter
- Allegro Quasi Presto - Anne-Sophie Mutter
Amazon.com
In this album's photographs, Anne-Sophie Mutter, now married to André Previn, looks not only radiantly beautiful, as always, but radiantly happy, and that state of mind is reflected in this light-hearted program. Except for the A-major Fauré Sonata and Previn's new work, which gives the disc its name, it consists of short bravura pieces, more than half of them transcriptions, all without much musical substance, but with plenty of opportunity for technical and tonal display. The disc's highlights are the Fauré, played with stunning brilliance and a soaring, shimmering tone, and Previn's piece, written for Mutter and premiered by her. The first movement sounds like a boogie-woogie parody of a waltz, the second is a calm, simple melody, the third is a ferocious, rhythmically irregular, jazzy run-around. The piece is tailor-made for Mutter's virtuosity, gorgeous tone and unlimited palette of colors, and she obviously enjoys every minute of it. However, playing jazz is clearly a new departure for her; four numbers from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in the Heifetz transcription sound manufactured and unspontaneous, and the style with its vocal inflections seems alien to her. The contrast with Previn's natural stylistic mastery, as he partners her here and in his own piece, is almost embarrassing. (Lambert Orkis plays the rest of the program.) Strangely enough, Mutter also shows little affinity for the gypsy idiom in Brahms' Hungarian Dances, which sound aggressive and exaggerated, or the Viennese lilt of three Kreisler favorites, where she substitutes manipulation for charm. And the excessive use of color becomes a mannerism, such as turning her vibrato on with full, throbbing intensity or completely off for a "white," eerie sound, without transition, and often without discernible reason. However, the record certainly offers some glorious fiddling. --Edith EislerCustomer Reviews:
Another triumph.......2003-04-22
Previn also collaborates with Mutter in the Gershwin pieces from Porgy and Bess. Again the two capture the style perfectly. Mutter's sensuous tone is perfect for "Summertime."
Lambert Orkis, Mutter's longtime pianist, performs in the Brahms Hungarian Dances, the Kreisler pieces, and the Faure A Major Sonata--all three are live performances. (Mutter frequently records live--check out her Brahms Concerto with Masur and NY Phil.) As usual, Orkis stays right with Mutter through all the tempo fluctuations and nuances. His opening of the Faure Sonata does not draw attention to the difficulty of it but rather delicately highlights the gorgeous theme. Mutter's intonation wavers slightly in the Brahms Hungarian Dances, which were recorded live and is therefore all the more impressive considering the fierce virtuosity in these Joachim transcriptions. The sound quality of the album is superb. A required purchase for any Mutter fan and anyone curious about the Previn.
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Gershwin: Porgy And Bess/Blue Monday
Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD ASIN: B000007OMA Release Date: 1998-05-26 |
Tracks:
- Introduction
- 'Summertime'
- 'A Woman Is A Sometime Thing'
- 'Gone, Gone, Gone'
- Overflow
- 'My Man's Gone Now'
- Leavin' For The Promise Lan'
- 'I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
- 'Bess, You Is My Woman Now'
- 'Oh, I Can't Sit Down'
- 'I Ain't Got No Shame'
- 'It Ain't Necessarily So'
- 'I Loves You, Porgy'
- Opening Scene
- Lonely Boy
- 'Oh Bess, O Where's My Bess'
- 'Oh, Lawd, I'm On My Way'
- Blue Monday - CENTRAL STATE UNIVERSITY CHORUS
Customer Reviews:
Magnificent.......2002-02-21
Angela, who has one of the most powerful voices in the industry (she recently covered AIDA at the Met for an all of a sudden slightly nervous and miraculously recovered from illness [upon hearing Angela warm up on stage] Debra Voigt), sings PORGY's "My Man's Gone Now" about as well as I've ever heard her--which is by definition (trust me) better than most of the sopranos of the last century, BAR NONE...the master Greg Baker, who has done Amonasaro and John The Baptist at the Met to incredibly deserved acclaim, performs excerpts from his signatue role Crown and Porgy at the top of his game...the rich tones of Marquita Lister, whose debut as Bess in the Goetz Friedrich production of PORGY in the Theatre Des Westens of Berlin in 1993 was a shot to all established divas heard 'round the world (now singing with her on that stage at that time was FUN, let me tell you), sounds like a ringy, milk chocolate/black velvet version of the milky, white velvet Rene Fleming...Diva Harolyn Blackwell, not to be outdone, rings and soars in everything she does...
This CD would be a treat even without the introduction of BLUE MONDAY, the DNA of PORGY AND BESS work that gives us a window into the creative mind of George Gershwin, and the embryonic existence of PORGY AND BESS itself. BLUE MONDAY gives us much of the thematic material and revolutionary artistic ideas that led to Gershwin triumphantly blurring the lines separating grand Musical Theatre in the tradition of Jerome Kern (think SHOWBOAT) from the high art of Wagnerian/Verdian/Russian Opera with PORGY; influencing everyone from Richard Rogers to Leonard Bernstein to Stephen Sondheim in American composition thereafter. BLUE MONDAY, in its simple, deceptive beauty (with parts sung immaculately by Angela and Marquita) gives you the clue to just how powerfully Gershwin planned to shake up the world with the debut of PORGY and BESS in 1935--and did.
And can you even imagine how it feels to hear the voice of Cab Calloway, linking every conceivable strand of High African-American music, American musical theatre, American opera and Jazz of the 20th century together with every word he says? Could there have been a better Sportin' Life? (Gershwin actually wrote the part of Sportin' Life in PORGY both for and based on the personality and artistry of Calloway--the friend of Ellington and biggest influence on the music and personality of Dizzy Gillespie--while he played in Harlem's Cotton Club in the 1930's.)
But this CD is not a Museum piece made for music academics or an excuse for me and others in the business to party with singer friends (I don't need this good an excuse for that!). This is absolutely beautiful music that will sweeten your home and soul on the first hearing.
This could easily be like Miles Davis' KIND OF BLUE for all enthusiasts of good music who (smartly) don't lay claim to liking, being an "expert" of or sticking to one particular style. Just as anyone who kind of likes any of the jazz they've heard loves KIND OF BLUE, if you have ever heard strong American music sung with powerful American voices over a tight orchestra, but had too much fun listening to it to call it "opera", you will love this CD.
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Jamaica/ Porgy and Bess
Lena and Belafonte, Harry Horne Manufacturer: Collectables ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B00007JGTM Release Date: 2003-01-21 |
Tracks:
- Savannah - Ricardo Mantalban
- Savannah's Wedding - Adelaide Hall
- Pretty To Walk With
- Push The Button
- Incompatibility - Ricardo Mantalban
- Little Biscuit - Ossie Davis
- Cocanut Sweet
- Pity The Sunset
- Take It Slow, Joe
- Yankee Dollar - Josephine Premice
- Monkey In The Mango Tree - Ricardo Montalban
- Ain't It The Truth
- What Good Does It Do - Ricardo Montalban
- Leave The Atom Alone - Josephine Premice
- Napoleon
- For Every Fish - Adelaide Hall
- I Don't Think I'll End It All Today
- Savannah - Finale
Tracks:
- A Woman Is A Sometime Thing - Harry Belafonte
- Summertime
- Oh, I Got Plenty Of Nothin - Harry Belafonte
- I Wants To Stay Here
- Bess, You Is My Woman
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- Street Calls: Strawberry Woman/The Honey Man/Crab Man - Harry Belafonte
- My Man's Gone Now
- Bess, Oh Where Is My Bess - Harry Belafonte
- There's A Boat That's Leavin Soon For New York
Album Description
These original RCA recordings also feature Harry Belafonte, Ricardo Montalban and Ossie Davis. The Original Broadway Cast album Jamaica is from 1957, Porgy & Bess is from 1959. 28 tracks. Collectables. 2003.Customer Reviews:
Classic PORGY & BESS but JAMAICA is missing something!.......2004-05-24
JAMAICA, on the other hand, is a true original cast recording. The 1957 musical was originally written for Belafonte, but when he left the project Ricardo Montalban took on the role and the show was re-written to showcase Lena Horne.
RCA Victor's original cast recording has had a curious history. It was made just as the labels were transitioning from mono to stereo recording. At that time it was not possible to fit as much material on a stereo 12-inch LP as on its mono counterpart. RCA Victor issued JAMAICA in mono as LOC 1036 containing all the show's songs but leaving out the Overture and editing out the introductions to "Savannah's Wedding Day" and "What Good Does it Do?" A few months late a Living Stereo release came out as LSO 1036 and including the Overture but dropping 4 songs ("Pity the Sunset", "What Good Does it Do?", "For Every Fish" and "Savannah (Finale)") These issues were deleted in 1961. In 1965 RCA Victor re-released JAMAICA in mono and stereo as LOC/LSO 1103. Now, LOC 1103 was a direct reissue of LOC 1036. BUT...are you following all this? ... LSO 1103 had all the songs, includng the extended versions of "Savannah's Wedding Day" and "What Good Does it Do?" but like its mono counterpart, left off the Overture. The 1995 RCA Victor CD release had the complete song program and the Overture. That CD, sadly is now in cut-out limbo. THIS edition (paired with PORGY AND BESS) reissues the program as heard on the 1965 stereo LP edition (LSO 1103) and is missing the Overture.
With or without the Overture, the score of JAMAICA is quite enjoyable, even more so on disc where you don't have to deal with the show's book! This is one case where the songs work better out of context. Mostly, the numbers offer a chance for Lena to take the spotlight and belt out the great Harold Arlen numbers: "Pretty to Walk With", "Push De Button", "Cocoanut Sweet", "Napoleon" and especially "Ain't it de Truth." The last song was originally written for Lena to sing in the film version of CABIN IN THE SKY. It was cut from the final release prints of the film (Censors objected to the number being staged so that she sang it in a bubble bath!) so Arlen recycled it into JAMAICA. THAT'S the kind of patchwork show JAMAICA was and although it was a minor hit (557 performances) it will never be revived and you don't hear fans of the score clamouring for a revival. It was all about Lena Horne.
Great music, average recording quality.......2003-11-20
The second CD, Jamaica, was new to me. The CD length is 51:49. Six songs are sung by Lena, three songs are sung by Ricardo Montelban, 3 songs are duets with both Lena and Ricardo. The remainder of the songs are sung by Adelaide Hall, Josephine Premice, Ossie Davis and Augustine Rios. Some of these songs are duets. Lena, as usual, is wonderful. I particularly enjoyed "For Every Fish", sung by Adelaide Hall.
I thoroughly enjoyed both of these cd's. At listening volumes, the cd quality is very acceptable. If I turned up the volume a little louder than normal, I could hear a very tiny buzz. Still, I highly recommend these CDs to any fan of Lena Horne, Porgy & Bess, Harry Belafonte, show tunes...
2 cast albums for the price of 1!.......2003-09-12
In JAMAICA, one of the lovelier Broadway shows of the late 50s, Lena Horne stars as Savannah, and sings a gorgeous score written especially for her by Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg. The cast also includes Ricardo Montalban, Adelaide Hall, Josephine Premice and Ossie Davis.
I have absolutely fallen in love with this score, which features many beguiling numbers like "Cocoanut Sweet", "Pretty to Walk With", "Take it Slow, Joe", "Ain't it the Truth" (originally written for CABIN IN THE SKY), "Napoleon" and "Pity the Sunset".
PORGY AND BESS pairs Lena Horne with Harry Belafonte under the musical direction of Horne's husband Lennie Hayton. Horne is well-suited to the colorful score, and sings superb treatments of "I Wants to Stay Here" and "My Man's Gone Now". Harry Belafonte is wonderful singing "Oh, I Got Plenty of Nothin'" and "Bess, You is My Woman".
2 fabulous, long out-of-print cast albums, back and better than ever! Highly-recommended.
At Last!!!.......2003-02-16
I have not listened to "Jamaica" yet,as I am so into listening to this "old friend" I found so many years ago.So this review is based only on "P&B." I will say that the audio quality is perfect,though.And if you love Lena and Ricardo,I'm sure you won't go wrong.
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Empire Brass: Bernstein, Gershwin, Michael Tilson-Thomas
Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000003CUN Release Date: 1990-10-25 |
Tracks:
- Highlights From West Side Story: America
- Highlights From West Side Story: Something's Coming
- Highlights From West Side Story: Maria
- Highlights From West Side Story: Tonight
- Highlights From West Side Story: Somewhere
- Selections From Porgy And Bess: I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'
- Selections From Porgy And Bess: Summertime
- Selections From Porgy And Bess: My Man's Gone Now
- Selections From Porgy And Bess: Bess, You Is My Woman
- Selections From Porgy And Bess: It Ain't Necessarily So
- Selections From Mass: In Nomine Patris - De Profundis
- Selections From Mass: Simple Song
- Selections From Mass: Sanctus
- Street Song
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Virtuoso Violin Encores
Manufacturer: Vox (Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Similar Items:
ASIN: B000001KBA Release Date: 1996-03-12 |
Tracks:
- Summertime
- A Woman Is A Sometime Thing
- My Man's Gone Now
- It Ain't Necessarily So
- Bess, You Is My Woman Now
- Tempo Di Blues
- Jeanie With The Light Brown Hair
- Valse Noble Et Sentimentale
- Beau Soir
- La Oracion Del Torero
- Tango
- Estrita
- Ao Pe Da Fogueira
- Nocturne, Op. 55, No. 2
- Sweet Remembrance
- Hora Staccato
- Contemplation
- Alt Wien
- Sabre Dance
- Melody, Op. 21, No. 9
- Fairy Tale, Op. 20, No. 1
- Serenade (From The Piano Suite)
- March (From The Love For Three Oranges, Op. 33a)
- It's Peaceful Here, Op. 21, No. 7
Customer Reviews:
This CD swings!.......1999-12-05
Rap Music:
- Graceland [Enhanced]
- Hello: The Very Best of Lee Michaels
- Here Are the Sonics
- Hittin' the Note
- How Will the Wolf Survive?
- If We Can't Trust the Doctors
- Innocent Eyes [Import]
- It Takes a Lot of Balls
- KCRW: Sounds Eclectic
- Klaus Nomi - The Essential [Import]
Recommended Music:
Music: Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 9 "Great"
Lennon Legend-Very Best of [Import]