Known predominantly for his easy listening, smooth jazz output back in the late 80's and through the 90's, Drεαming Of Trαins is a whole different kettle of fish entirely for jazz guitarist Ken N. Technical, lush and full of beautiful, ethereal arrangements not unlike some of the best records of the Pat Metheny Group, these are some really gorgeous jams that do much good for contemporary jazz's credibility!
One of the loveliest sounding Third Stream albums ever made by one of the coolest cats around, Claus Ogεrman is considered top rate as far as classical composers and arrangers of the last half century go, particularly in his contributions to the studio work of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Frank Sinatra.
In all honesty though, Claus's own projects and less prominent collaborations are far more interesting to these ears, with Gatε Of Drεams being premier among his own select works. Romantic and enthralling in equal measure, cuts like opening suite 'Time Passed Autumn'are on par in some ways with anything Bill Evans ever did, swelling under the bridge in some darkened town with spacious strings, leading into a nostalgic guitar sequence midway through the game to seal the deal.
Part jazz quartet, part romantic classical, part bossa nova and 100% class, albums like this paved the way and inspired the works of modern composers such as the renowned Joe Hisaishi and Yoko Kanno, and there aren't too many things out there in the vast sea of music that measure up to this when the hour is right.
Hope you all enjoy this essential recording as much as I do!
One of the groovier contemporary jazz releases of the last decade and arguably POAD's best record from start to finish, Lovε's Silhouεttε is blessed in numerous ways: it has a punchy mix that gives an extra edge to the bass and keyboards and hooky songwriting that engages as opposed to not. On top of that, these guys had been together about twenty years or so by the time this record hit stores, and their chemistry is tighter than a fishing knot -- much to the benefit of the songs themselves.
Style-wise, arrangements fall somewhere between the Brazilian flourished Pat Metheny Group and the late 90's output of The Rippingtons as far as atmosphere is concerned. Cuts like the tempestuous 'Turnin' It Up', the nightwalking Bossa Nova groover 'Mystical Perception' and the spacey beat-laden 'Mission Possible' are prime time displays of excellence, about as good as mood music gets in this genre.
Contemporary jazz is a hard genre to get just right, but Lovε's Silhouεttε would be right at home on any decent chillout mix...and stands fairly strong on the whole as a record too.
Few bands in the progressive metal spectrum showed as much promise as Suspyre did when they stormed the world with 2005's The Silvery Image. That particular debut was a brilliant monstrosity, off kilter whilst remaining nigh-classical in its curious contortions and motifs. They drew favorable comparisons with everyone from Dream Theater to Meshuggah, and have since continued to refine and reinvent themselves as an entity beyond that crop of colleagues.
Thus, we come to their self-titled here in 2012, and in doing so have not only shattered expectations, but have gone far, far beyond their peers into places mostly unexplored in a metal subtext, bringing in everything from bossa nova elements to beach pop...hell, even smooth jazz. The riffs dazzle, the keyboards accentuate the instrumental crossfires, and vocalist Clay Barton has evolved into a real wonder over the last seven years, a soaring talent capable of handling everything from radio-friendly melodic material ('Divided Son', the beach-metal 'Cancun') to more challenging blitzkriegs that harken back to the over-technical velocity that turned these boys into a household name in the first place ('Tranquility And Stress', 'The Man Made Of Stone').
All in all, these songs prove to be some of the coolest and catchiest Suspyre have put to posterity as of the present, and the whole album thrills the senses even at its strangest, unmetallish moments. I honestly can't recommend it enough!
Modern contemporary jazz pop classic from Hungary, reposted in higher quality as requested!
This is a sublime little trio project that came out a couple of years ago, an almost Sinatrian take on the exotic cruise-friendly jazz-rock sound that The Rippingtons and Special EFX made famous back in the late 80's/early 90's. Led by the charismatically Brazilian-sounding voice of one Fanni Sarkozy and fleshed out through a variety of instrumentation, Natural Design is a striking array of lush ideas and catchy songwriting: a cool, candy-coated stab toward realms normally privy to the masterful hands of fellows such as Pat Metheny and Michael Franks.
Aficionados of jazz pop, bossa nova and all things chill....welcome home.
Known as "The Man With The Golden Throat" (coined by Herbie Hancock) in all circles smooth, jazzy and soulful, Virgin Islands native Joи Luciεи is one of soul music's untouchable cult classics and the mastermind behind a number of flawless records from the 70's and beyond. Although sonically something of a spiritual contemporary to jazzy folk-mystics like Terry Callier, his musical tapestry incorporated everything from free jazz to folk to bossa nova to Afro-Cuban traditional, all of which is sewn into phantasmagorical ear candy through his soul capturing tenor.
Anyone seeking a spiritual experience should pick this sucker up PRONTO, lest forever hold your peace and miss out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
One of Brazil's top jazz keyboardists and sonic craftsmen of the last couple of decades, Euмiя Dεodατo certainly doesn't have to prove his chops or vision to anyone at this point in his career. Nevertheless, he pulls no stops whatsoever in 2010's Tнε Cяossiиg: everything here is full on 70's chilled out fusion, complete with Fender Rhodes solos, percussion your ears can salivate over and some truly remarkable guitar work to make the picture that much prettier in the grand scheme of things.
Jazz pop and bossa nova crossovers can many a time yield mere mixed results as far as quality or consistency goes, but this smooth collection is about as sumptuous as they come for the night owl that hoots within us all.
Right up there with Roxy Music/Bryan Ferry and Prefab Sprout at the tip-top of that oft-forgotten genre echelon crossbreed of 80's cocaine pop, bossa nova and lounge known as "sophisi-pop", Swing Out Sister are also perhaps the classiest and most soulful of the lot. Jimmy Webb even directs an orchestra in a few spots, but on the whole this is would serve as a pretty decent noir soundtrack for an era so wrapped up in the glory of synthesized soul.
Somewhere in the world, I think, between Corrine Drewery's sumptuous pleas and the immaculate soundscaping prowess of Andy Connell on keyboards/guitar is the image of a strange, yet beautiful place that will never return...and that, my friends, is a tragedy.
There must be something awfully magical over in Scandinavia's water supply, because some of the best melodic-anything in a variety of genres has continually emerged out of Sweden and Norway with almost bewildering consistency. From progressive metal (Pain Of Salvation, Opeth) to AOR (Work Of Art, Treat) and so on and so forth, there's a little something for everyone out there...almost to the point where you'd need half a dozen Twitter feeds just to keep track of it all! That being said, you don't have to be a eclectic guy like me to appreciate the good stuff from that side of the pond. Just ask any Pitchfork-slobbering ponce from the last six years or your local Zooey Deschanel wannabes, cause there's one act that'll pop up again and again no matter where (if at all) you reside in the great Indie-sphere: Kiиgs Of Coиvεиiεиcε, a modern Simon & Garfunkel type who play some of the dardnest pretty folk stuffz you'll ever have the pleasure of hearing. 2004's Rioτ Oи Aи Eмpτy Strεετ finds guitar/vocal duo Erlend Øye and EirikBøe plucking and harmonizing away (and occasionally bolstered behind via strings, drums, etc.) in a contemporary homage to everyone from America to *insert singer/songwriter here* who's taken a leaf out of the playbook of Antonio Carlos Jobim. Although the more singles-oriented out there probably know this record from dancier tracks like 'I'd Rather Dance With You' and 'Love Is No Big Truth', a smarter listener will delve in beyond those two and find the real gold therein. Tracks like 'Surprise Ice' and the heart-wincing melody driven 'Cayman Islands' could have been recorded at any time over the last forty years and still come out as blindsidingly gorgeous.
Great autumnal albums don't come 'round too often my friends, so take a gander and have your hearts be cured of sleeping miseries. Try It Buy It
The progenitor of smooth as the top of his game: this particular record is often referred to as Brazil's equivalent to Kind Of Blue. Lavish praise? Yes. Hyperbole? Not at all.
Welcome to the antithesis of stress, weariness and the endless drama that assaults you every day of your mundane lives.
Sitting lonesome in your mind's eye of paradise, where the palm trees grow tall in Belize against the beating heart of the sun, a place where the salt drenched winds scurry through you from the distant blue ahead...somewhere in that dream, you might wonder where the hell this has been all your life.
