Laughing Water [Live]

Amazon.com
Without offense to the often-brilliant lyricist Robert Hunter, it's always the singing and the words that ring hollow when another band tries to replicate the Grateful Dead experience. With all those pesky words out of the way, Jazz Is Dead are free to lay down 62 minutes of sweeping funk fusion. Not merely a pale imitator, this ferocious quintet adds to the creative process by injecting its own adventurous spirit into the Dead's music, not to mention an assortment of masterful chops. Here the group tackles 1973's Wake of the Flood, one of the Dead's most nuanced records, and the musicians themselves seem to delight in the music's subtle twists (check out bassist Alphonso Johnson's cascading lines in "Row Jimmy"). Even the forgotten "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" becomes a joyous, organ-fueled romp thanks to T Lavitz's keyboard work. Guitarist Jimmy Herring handles both the restrained vocal parts and the frenzied leads with aplomb. And besides, any chance to hear one of Bill Monroe's old Blue Grass Boys (fiddler Vassar Clements, who appeared on the original album) soar atop the throbbing bass of a former Weather Report member is worth the price of admission. --Marc Greilsamer

From Jazziz
The Grateful Dead's poly-stylistic body of work has allured such jazz heavyweights as Ornette Coleman and David Murray. Most recently, the Dead's music - a melange of folk, blues, rock, country, and collective improvisation - has inspired a group of fusioneers to pick up the torch and call themselves Jazz Is Dead. The group's second album, Laughing Water, instrumentally recreates Jerry Garcia and company's 1973 classic, wake of the flood. It was recorded live during four nights on a spring 1999 American tour. After former Dead singer Donna Jean Godchaux briefly introduces the proceedings with a ghostly, heavily-reverbed vocal line, the band jumps into "Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo." Here, guitarist Jimmy Herring's sharp tone and use of sustain evoke Garcia's elegiac lyricism without imitating the man's style altogether. On "Eyes of the World" and "Weather Report Suite, Part Two," former Dixie Dreg organist T Lavitz plays with a sense of nostalgia for original Dead keyboardist Ron "Pigpen" McKernan. And where Jazz Is Dead's first disc, Blue Light Rain, was powered by drummer Billy Cobham, here Lavitz's Dregs mate Rod Morgenstein takes over percussion duties with rocking, yet finely nuanced, attention to detail. One of the disc's meatiest sections occurs when the band extends "Here Comes Sunshine" into a wild eight-minute jam with Vassar Clements on violin and Allman Brother Derek Trucks on slide guitar. It's here that the Dead's captivating blend of styles emerges in all its joyous American beauty.

Laughing Water,Jazz Is Dead,Zebra Records (Wea),Jam Bands,Jazz-Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,Rock/Pop

Laughing Water [Live]

Average customer rating:

Bleck!
Voice of an Angel!!
fun cd
Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES!
Enchantment Indeed!

Enchantment
Richard Rodgers , Michel Legrand , Leo Delibes , American Traditional , Erik Satie , British Isles Traditional , Jerome Kern , Johann II Strauss , Lucy Simon , David Foster , Sian Edwards , John Clark , Eric Rigler , Frank Ricotti , John Parricelli , Mark Hammond , Paul Keogh , and Michael Thompson
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Prelude: The Best of Charlotte Church
Voice of an Angel
Charlotte Church
Dream a Dream
Tissues and Issues

ASIN: B00005OWEJ
Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

Tonight
Carrickfergus
Habanera
Bali Ha'i
Papa Can You Hear Me?
The Flower Duet
The Little Horses
From My First Moment
The Water Is Wide
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
The Laughing Song
If I Loved You
A Bit Of Earth
Somewhere
The Prayer

Amazon.com

Of course, we couldn't expect time to freeze its relentless path and forever preserve the Welsh sensation Charlotte Church in a chrysalis of precocious youth. And yet, at 15 and now taking bolder steps into expanding her repertory on Enchantment, the soprano remains a marvel of a prodigy. Here, she scours a wider range of sources than on her previous albums. Church moves with breathtaking ease from classic Broadway (West Side Story, Show Boat, South Pacific) to traditional Celtic, film ballads, and even a couple of high-operatic numbers. Church's straightforward approach to the melody of "La Habanera" may not exactly be what Bizet had in mind for his Carmen, but fans will get double pleasure out of the singer's exquisite duet with herself on the haunting "Flower Duet" from Delibes's Lakmé. What's more, there's a greater freedom of expression and sense of how to shape a phrase in many of these tracks--notice how much there is to savor, for instance, in "The Water Is Wide" and "Carrickfergus." It all adds up to a widely varied course, demonstrating the continued growth of a singularly gifted young artist. --Sarah Chin

Customer Reviews:

Bleck!.......2007-05-30

Charlotte has a producing voice, not quite mature, but it's bearable. I don't really appreciate opera unless your name is Sarah Brightman, Hayley Westenra or Holly Stell. Carrickfergus and Somewhere are decent for her voice, but "The Prayer" and "The Water is Wide" is very damaging to my ears due to the fact, her Italian sucks, her range is not wide enough in "Water".

Voice of an Angel!!.......2007-02-05

I enjoy listening to this cd by Charlotte Church! She has such a lovely voice. I especially love listening to Habañera and The Flower Duet as both are sung beautifully by Ms. Church!!

fun cd.......2006-12-29

I love this cd and have had it quite a while. I was just enjoying it again today and thought I'd write a review because I do enjoy it so much. It's just a fun, enjoyable album. Pretty orchestration, a lovely voice, nice to sing along with. Especially at the top of my lungs in the car (alone when no one can hear me!)
I really don't know why one would NOT enjoy this cd.

Good? Yes. Great? No. Over-rated? HECK YES!.......2006-12-15

I bought this CD when I was still in high school, singing soprano I & II in choir. It's not bad but she does much better than even some older kids attempting soprano. I think due to the popularity she gained this poor girl has endured much harsh criticism. True, we can't cut her slack JUST because she is a little girl but on the other hand for someone to sing opera at that age her work IS superb. Whether she's a prodigy or victim of over-ambitious parents & media, she deserves credit where it's due. At least she DID break out as some-what of a mainstream artist & exposed this type of music to those who stereotyped it as fat ladies w/powder-white make-up belting out notes that would shatter glass. Some say the same for Josh Groban who broke into the scene as a mainstream tenor/baritone vocalist. As far as skills & talent, he not the greatest either but many people adore his music. The same credit should go to Charlotte Church.

As far as feedback on the quality...
It's VERY hard to believe the deliverance of her performance. A 15-year-old (even younger on her debut cd) singing songs about love & being able to see the world seems silly. Cracking voice? Yeah, you can really tell she had a difficult time hitting the high note in The Laughing Song because it got all air-y. Honestly, some trained sopranos over-shoot their high notes too & get extremely SHARP so I didn't mind her air-i-ness. I think she did a great job on The Flower Duet though. It still has the same relaxing quality as some other versions I've heard from various movie soundtracks. But compare this to the likes of professionals - real professionals - she's merely tolerable. Try Sarah Brightman if you want to listen to some nice musical sopranos. She even has some pretty remakes of modern songs.

Enchantment Indeed!.......2006-08-20

This CD is simply amazing! However, I am sick and tired of people pressuring her to be someone that she's not! Trying to fit into today's popular music scene, Charlotte has turned to pop, and her career isn't flying well because of it! Her voice is simply amazing for opera, and I will not hear another insulting word about her!

Anyways, the CD is genius! Tonight from "West Side Story" is beautifully sung. Carrickfergus, Habanera, and Bali Ha'i are sung with a hypnotizing beauty. Papa, Can you Hear Me and The Flower Duet are amazing as well!

However, on The Flower Duet, Church's vocals seem strained a bit. The Little Horses is a decent piece, a remake of the standard English folk song. I prefer it straight instead of a varied beat, so that Church's voice could soar on and on.

From my First Moment is a fairly nice song, but The Water is Wide is simply amazing! Her vocals are soaring and mezmerizing!

Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man is NOT the song for her, because she puts a weird accent on the song, like she's trying to sound like a hoodlum! The Laughing Song is something that SHOULD NOT be tried by children, because the vocals are so strained! If I Loved You is a simple yet wonderful piece!

A Bit of Earth and Somewhere are both beautiful pieces, with excellent work from the orchestra.

Overall, this CD is very beautiful! BUY IT!

Average customer rating:

shame on me!
Alive and Kicking
It's a Good Thing
Grateful Dead Muzak
Best of Both Worlds

Laughing Water
Jazz Is Dead
Manufacturer: Lightyear
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Blue Light Rain
Great Sky River
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Project Z
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ASIN: B00000JLMH
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

Vocal Intro/Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleoo
Let Me Sing Your Blues Away
Row Jimmy
Stella Blue
Vocal Intro/Here Comes The Sunshine/'Sunshine Jam'
Eyes Of The World/Two Sisters
Weather Report Suite, Part 1
Weather Report Suite, Part 2: Let It Grow

Amazon.com

Without offense to the often-brilliant lyricist Robert Hunter, it's always the singing and the words that ring hollow when another band tries to replicate the Grateful Dead experience. With all those pesky words out of the way, Jazz Is Dead are free to lay down 62 minutes of sweeping funk fusion. Not merely a pale imitator, this ferocious quintet adds to the creative process by injecting its own adventurous spirit into the Dead's music, not to mention an assortment of masterful chops. Here the group tackles 1973's Wake of the Flood, one of the Dead's most nuanced records, and the musicians themselves seem to delight in the music's subtle twists (check out bassist Alphonso Johnson's cascading lines in "Row Jimmy"). Even the forgotten "Let Me Sing Your Blues Away" becomes a joyous, organ-fueled romp thanks to T Lavitz's keyboard work. Guitarist Jimmy Herring handles both the restrained vocal parts and the frenzied leads with aplomb. And besides, any chance to hear one of Bill Monroe's old Blue Grass Boys (fiddler Vassar Clements, who appeared on the original album) soar atop the throbbing bass of a former Weather Report member is worth the price of admission. --Marc Greilsamer

Customer Reviews:

shame on me!.......2006-07-21

"Fool me once -shame on you. Fool me twice -shame on me." I purchased "Blue Light Rain" as soon as it was released, ecstatic at the potential of a Grateful Dead inspired jazz band. I was disappointed by the fact that the recording contained no jazz and the instrumental rock was mediocre and bland. That written, I still believed in the potential of Jazz Is Dead based on the project's vision and the otherwise quality musicians. I hoped that these guys would learn from their initial mistakes and redeem themselves the second time around. When "Laughing Water" came out in 1998, I immediately picked it up. Ultimately, this sophomore release is equally mediocre; it just has more focus since it covers "Wake of the Flood." I now hypothesize that the good reviews for "Laughting Water" are a result of circular reporting. Furthermore, this CD came with a big sticker that proudly advertised the participation of Donna Jean Godchaux. This was a big selling point since I've always been one of those few heads who actually appreciated Donna's singing. All the band "gave her" was a 45 second a cappella track to introduce 'Mississippi Half-Step.' That's it. So you thought she was good enough to use as an advertising gimmick, but you didn't think that she deserved the "honor" of actually playing with you?! Cashing in on the true talent of the Grateful Dead, Jazz Is Dead is an undistinguished knock-off.

Alive and Kicking.......2005-04-09

Simply put, this is the best Grateful Dead cover. To me, it's
even better than most Dead recordings. Alphonso Johnsons bass
lines on "Row Jimmy" are woth purchasing this cd.

It's a Good Thing.......2001-11-20

It seems when people cover the Dead they always try to sound to true to the original... that's not what I consider creative. But when a group of hardcore jammers like Jazz is Dead play they put a new spin on things. JiD play tunes with their own interpretations... they know it is futile to try and match the magic that Jerry, Phil, Bobby, et al put forth on stage, so they make the music their own. It's awesome. The hightlights include "Row Jimmy" "Eyes of the World" and a killer "Weather Report Suite"

Grateful Dead Muzak.......2001-06-08

OK, I really, really, really tried to like this. Really. I mean, these guys are gods in the world of improvisational music.

But "Jazz is Dead" is the name of this band, and the music is just that...dead, lifeless, uninspired. It's like these guys never listened to bootlegs; they've just copied studio Dead, and you know what that is like.

Flawless musicianship, great mixing and perfect engineering do not a good album make. If you like the energy of moe. or Uncle Sammy or String Cheese Incident, you'll be disappointed with this album.

Best of Both Worlds.......2001-01-25

If you like jazz, particularly fusion, or if you`re a Deadhead, rabid or casual, this CD is for you. Stunning instrutmental versions of the Dead`s Wake of the Flood album, highlighted by Jimmy Herring`s otherworldly guitar licks, Alphonso Johnson`s bass groove, the keyboards of T.Lavitz and the drums of Rod Morgenstein and Jeff Sipe, create a aural delight.

First off the players, boasting impressive pedigrees, show that these are no hacks doing one off covers. Jimmy Herring`s resume is virtual tour of who`s who in the Jam band world, having been a member of the eclectic Aquarium Rescue Unit with Col.Bruce Hampton, touring with the Allman Brothers Band, and soon to be touring with Phil and Phriends, his playing can at times threaten to change everything you thought you knew about guitar playing. Alphonso Johnson has been involved with Weather Report and Santana, T.Lavitz who was a member of fusion pioneers Dixie Dregs, Widespread Panic and Starship, and Rod Morgenstein, also of the Dregs, and Jeff Sipe, a member of ARU and Leftover Salmon.

There are also guests Vassar Clements violin God, one time Dead back up vocalist Donna Godchaux, guitarist Steve Kimock, who makes an explosive duo with Jimmy, and present ABB member and guitar jedi, Derek Trucks.

Then the music. Taking one of the Dead`s more explorative albums, JID takes it to an even higher level, showing that when take incredible music, add extroadinary musicians, it can create a masterpiece that can warp your mind. This just proves that music is music, and in the right hands even wonderful music can create something equally beautiful.

Tracks:

Tonight [From West Side Story]
Carrickfergus
Haba
Bali Ha'i
Papa Can You Hear Me?
Flower Duet
Little Horses
From My First Moment
Water Is Wide
Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man
Laughing Song
If I Loved You
Bit of Earth
Somewhere
Prayer - Charlotte Church, Josh Groban

Average customer rating:

[2 CDs] The Source (cut out) / Dream
Jimmy Scott , Exodus / On Broadway / Our Day Will Come / I Wish I Knew / Unchained Melody / Day By Day / Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child / This Love Of Mine , and Don't Take Your Love From Me / It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream / I Cried For You / So Long / You Never Miss The Water / It's The Talk Of The Town / I'm Through With Love / Laughing On The Outside / Dream
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000TUZDVC

Average customer rating:

Bread and Water
Steve Lucas
Manufacturer: Laughing Outlaw
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0002UXMEO
Release Date: 2004-08-16

Tracks:

Giving It All Away
Any Other Girl
Like a True Lover Should
Here I Am
Steal Her Heart Away
Over the Mountain
Don't Bite the Hand That Feeds
Madelaines Song
Bread and Water
Trouble With Women

Album Description

Laughing Outlaw. 2004.

Album Details

Recorded in Melbourne in Late 1993, the Largely Acoustic "Bread and Water" Represented Something of a Departure for Steve Lucas, Known Better as the Front Man of Punk Legends X and Heavy Metal Juggernaut Bigger Than Jesus. Lucas Wrote a Fine Batch of Songs for "Bread and Water" and the Recording Benefited from Performances by a Bunch of Melbourne Leading Lights Including Paul Kelly, Chris Wilson and Andrew Pendlebury.