Common Ground

About the Artist
Steve Schiavi's musical repertoire includes guitar, keyboards,flute, drums and percussion. Steve has been recording music since 1966 and has expanded his studio to include production of a current hit, "Native American Meditations", also featured on Amazon.com and distributed by New World Music. He and his wife, Brooke, also his co-producer, currently reside in Oklahoma and are engaged in a variety of projects.

Product Description
Common Ground is an extraordinary musical accomplishment. With its mixture of contemporary and traditional Native American Music it is a rare piece of work that invites the listener into the hearts and minds of Native Americans of all nations. The haunting melodies often combined with a pop/rock background provide a collection of songs that are both enticing and entertaining. The album contains many stand-outs including "Weekend Warrior." By far the most full of rage, the words of this song speak of those people seeking Native American wisdom and spirituality only to turn their backs on the real problems faced by Indians in today's world. One needs only to listen to Mr. Schiavi's tone as he sings his own words to realize how much this type of indifference and ingratitude affect the spirit of such a proud people. Mr. Schiavi has managed to create an entire album that not only provides the listener with entertaining and enjoyable music, but also music that grabs you, tells you a story and shares the dream of one world - one people for all to understand and appreciate. Common Ground is truly an original, valuable and wonderful piece of artistry. Nola Cancel, Contributing Reporter for The Brooklyn Baron

Common Ground,Steve Schiavi

Average customer rating: An album for the ages (really!) music and nature at its best... Ave Maris, Ave Om A BEAUTIFUL, CLASSIC RECORDING The Paul Winter Rosetta Stone

Common Ground Paul Winter Consort Manufacturer: A&M ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | International | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Fusion & World Fusion | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music General | New Age | Styles | Music Meditation | New Age | Styles | Music Similar Items: Icarus Wintersong Missa Gaia/Earth Mass Whales Alive Solstice Live! ASIN: B000002GED Release Date: 1989-10-20

Tracks:

1. Ancient Voices (Nhmamusasa)
2. Eagle
3. Icarus
4. The Promise Of A Fisherman (Lemanja)
5. Ocean Dream
6. Trio
7. Common Ground (Velho Sermao)
8. Lay Down Your Burden
9. Wolf Eyes
10. Duet
11. Midnight (Minuet)
12. Trilogy

Amazon.com essential recording

For the past 30 years, Paul Winter has been the foremost exponent of integrating sounds from nature into environmental-themed music to espouse an optimistic kinship with Planet Earth's myriad creatures. Fusing animal callings with jazz, orchestral, and choral arrangements, folk, and world music, Common Ground is a cohesive concept album with more than its share of beautiful music. Winter's mimicry and accompaniment of wolf and whale on soprano sax is eloquent, though the human vocal passages sometimes verge on a sanctimonious folkiness. His "best of" collection, Wolf Eyes (which features various versions of about half of Common Ground's selections), is a more consistent introduction to Winter's distinctive music. --Richard Price

Customer Reviews:

An album for the ages (really!).......2006-01-23

I have loved this album for almost 30 years. I continue to play it for people unfamiliar with it, and it never fails to knock them out. My particular favorites are Wolf Eyes and Lay Down your Burden. Beautiful, beautiful stuff. And oh yes, Minuet, with the marvelous Susan Osborn. I bought this for my father this past Christmas (he is 84) and he told me it reminded him of why he loved Paul Winter.
I really have nothing in the way of music criticism to say here---not my field! But damn, this is good stuff.

music and nature at its best..........2001-12-30

i've never met nor seen a concert of mr paul winter but i felt that he wrote these songs and music with all his heart..never in my life i've heard man and wildlife play not only such beautiful music but could really truly co-exist..not only a lesson for us but appreciation of "life on earth" as a whole...

Ave Maris, Ave Om.......2001-12-20

For nearly forty years now, Paul Winter has carved a brilliant career from melding music of nature, of culture, of life, blending the various forces together to create a whole so unique and distinct, and creating a soundtrack for Unitarian Universalists around the world in the process. His strong connection to wildlife, his affinity for the earth's creatures and the music they make, is integral to his music, as is his uncanny ability to bring together so many different styles and genres, which at its most brilliant is just breathtaking, and which at its lesser moments, is brilliant just the same. COMMON GROUND is perhaps the greatest fusion of all things Paul Winter, born of a remarkable organic experience in the Summer of 1978, when he gathered several friends and musicians to his summer home and formed "the Village," out of which this album was created. The record is full of African and Brazilian rhythms, jazz stylings of oboist Paul McCandless and drummer Steve Gadd, and a trilogy of creatures-- wolf, whale, and eagle-- this is the true music of Earth.

I first heard this album when I was very, very young, probably two or three years old (I'm 21 now). At various times, the album simply returns to my life, and I'm constantly reawakened to its beauty. It opens with "Ancient Voices," a teriffic song that gradually shifts from African mbira dzavadzimu (sort of an enlargened African marimba) to a mid-tempo shuffle. And the lyrics gently introduce the entire theme of the album ("Ancient voices sing forever, guide me on my way. . . Turning spinning circle ending, Light begins the day"). "Eagle" features McCandless's soaring, sweeping oboe runs echoing the flight and call of an African Fish-Eagle. McCandless is an amazing oboist, as this piece and "Common Ground" highlight-- rare is the occasion when you can say "jazz oboist," but he pulls it off quite nicely. The more Brazilian take on Ralph Towner's "Icarus" (a Winter Consort stable) is quite lovely; this is my particular favorite arrangement, slightly ahead of the original. "The Promise Of A Fisherman (Iemanja)" is teriffic, a slow, majestic chant to the Candomble goddess set against frantic, rhythmic percussion; a very nice juxtaposition. And the song is a brilliant segue into the album's centerpiece, the wondrous "Ocean Dream." This is my favorite song on the album, an ode to the mysterious, beautiful creature, the whale (specifically, the humpback whale, whose call is heard throughout the song). What is so amazing about this song is, the chords and melody are based around the whalesongs, they're singing to the whales, and almost vice versa. The lyrics echo the childlike fascination and wonder Winter seems to hold for these creatures-- "Ocean child, come now home, holy wonder, wholly one; Ancient song, call me home, ave maris, ave om." And the song ends with Winter's soprano sax echoing the whale's calls. Beautiful. "Trio" represents the human side of the whale/eagle/wolf trio, later echoed on the final song, "Trilogy." It's a very subtle conclusion to the first side, and a nice short afterthought following "Ocean Dream."

Side Two opens with the rousing "Common Ground," an uplifting, spiritual piece with some teriffic solos and a thunderous Steve Gadd rhythm. Once again, the oboe solo in the middle of the song is absolutely breathtaking. Calming down a little bit, the next piece is the ethereal, soul-clensing "Lay Down Your Burden." Susan Osborne's voice is so emotional, and the song is so captivating, it draws you in and gently releases you at the song's conclusion. The best line, in my opinion, is "Sing with the choirs that surround you, and dance to the music in your soul; Look into the eyes that really see you; Place all that you have into that bowl." It's a call to one's soul, to be willing to sacrifice all and go with your own spirit. I love that idea. "Wolf Eyes" is a rather sad piece, very intriguing since generally, in pop culture, wolves are regarded as rather fierce, canniving creatures (this was before "Never Cry Wolf" and the incessant early-90's Disney G-rated Alaskan wildlife family adventures of course); here, the wolf is almost pitied, as the poem in the sleeve notes seems to emphasize ("The wolf had amber eyes/That stared out/The back of a station wagon"). And then, the most spine-tingling moment of the album, "Duet," a music duet between wolf and saxophone recorded live in the Village. It's just incredible (and additionally, showcases Winter's remarkable sense of pitch!). A reprise of "Minuit (Midnight)," first heard on the ICARUS album, is almost better, primarily for the addition of Osborne's "Midnight has come, I hear music, and I keep on singing" chant featured at the end of the piece. The album ends with Trilogy, blending the three animal voices together (remarkably, they were all in the same key), with but one organ note. An amazing ending to an amazing album.

This is my favorite Paul Winter album. Others worth hearing, especially if you enjoy this release (and I surely hope you do), include ICARUS, CANYON, and EARTH: VOICES OF A PLANET. All of his works either expand or follow the themes presented on this album, but in my opinion, it was with COMMON GROUND that Winter fused them best. A Must Own.

A BEAUTIFUL, CLASSIC RECORDING.......2001-11-28

Of all of the fine music associated with Paul Winter over his long and illustrious career, this is by far my favorite. Critics can scoff if they like and toss him into the 'New Age' bin -- but there's so much more to his music than most of the recordings you'll find there.

Cutting his teeth in jazz, and combining his seemingly endless talent and imagination with his love of the earth and its inhabitants -- human and animal alike -- Winter has, over the years, consistently produced melodic, interesting albums that are challenging and comfortable at the same time. Always surrounding himself with stellar musicians -- a cast that has changed over the years, always first-rate -- he has continuously managed to transform his vision and emotion into some of the finest music of our age.

The ultimate tool that has allowed him to maintain his integrity is, I believe, his honesty. There is absolutely no element of pretense in his art -- he feels strongly and deeply about what he's doing, and it's present in every note. He combines various styles of ethnic music from around the world -- African, Brazilian, Native American and more -- with elements of jazz and classical music and sounds from nature (the wolf, the eagle, the whale) into a mix that comes together in such a way as to be seamless. It's as if they were made to fit together -- an audio metaphor for how we should live with each other and with the planet.

There is a comfort and serenity to this music -- and there is joy and rhythm and life. It's almost like a celebratory prayer -- a prayer of thanks for what we've been given in the form of the natural world and its peoples, and a prayer of hope that we don't throw it all away. It's a breathtakingly beautiful, stunning document.

The Paul Winter Rosetta Stone.......2000-11-23

Paul Winter is an artist who successfully reinvents himself each time he finds new and fresh talent to bring to his Consort or his Earth Band. (His most recent discovery, Arto Tuncboyaciyan, an Anatolian vocalist and percussionist, can be heard to great effect on two new Living Music albums, "Journey With The Sun" and "Every Day is a New Life." These new releases serve to document Winter's long-standing commitment to original, high-quality "world" music, which, in large part, began with "Common Ground.")

"Common Ground" is a transitional album, made in 1977 after the original Paul Winter Consort, due to "artistic differences," split into Oregon (Paul McCandless, Collin Walcott, Ralph Towner and Glenn Moore) and the later Paul Winter Consort that was to begin with his "Callings" album in 1980. Produced over a full summer's worth of creative activity, it features artists from both the old group (McCandless, David Darling, Janet Johnson) and the Consort of the "future" (Susan Osborn, Oscar Castro-Neves, Jim Scott, Steve Gadd and others). It is the Rosetta Stone, the "connective tissue," if you like, to these two rather disparate groups.

A few of the pieces here ("Icarus," "Minuit") are Paul Winter Consort cornerstones that have stood the test of time and transmogrification, still as fresh today as they were more than 25 years ago. The opening track, "Ancient Voices," is a collaboration with Paul Berliner, based on the latter's "Nhmamusasa" that appears on his "Zimbabwe: The Soul of Mbira" album, an early foray of Winter's into world music that continues to this day with Arto Tunchoyaciyan. There are a few tracks ("Eagle," "Common Ground") where Paul McCandless soars on oboe as only he can. His riffs on "Common Ground" simply have to be heard to be believed. "The Promise of a Fisherman" ("Iemanja"), an Afro-Brazilian chant, which was to later find a very comfortable home in Winter's "Missa Gaia" (Earth Mass), features lyrics by Ivan Lins, one of the early founders (with Castro-Neves and Winter) of the Bossa Nova movement.

But there is one overriding, compelling reason for my writing about this album, and that is the introduction of Susan Osborn as a vocalist to be reckoned with. Susan's "Lay Down Your Burden" (with Castro-Neves on Rodgers touring organ) is a blues/gospel classic. On this track, Oscar lays down his own blues chords which, quite frankly, are some of the best I've ever heard. And Susan's voice simply knocked me sideways.

I expect that Susan will have the same effect on you. Now, isn't that reason enough for you to get this classic album?

Bob Zeidler

Average customer rating: Where do we get more like this?? Uncommon music An eclectic intro to Irish music A primer for modern irish music Sharon Shannon

Common Ground: Voices of Modern Irish Music Various , Bono , and Sinead O'Connor Manufacturer: Capitol ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music New Wave | New Wave & Post-Punk | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music Indie Rock | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music British Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Irish Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Celtic Folk | Traditional British & Celtic Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Compilations | Folk | Styles | Music Bulgaria | Eastern Europe | Europe | International | Styles | Music General | International | Styles | Music British Isles | Europe | Compilations | International | Styles | Music General | Celtic | International | Styles | Music Singer-Songwriters | Pop | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music 1990s | By Decade | Pop | Styles | Music General | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music Adult Alternative | Pop | Styles | Music Folk Rock | Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music 1990-1999 | Decades | Compilations | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Celtic Tides Long Journey Home (1998 Television Mini-series) The Rising of the Moon: Irish Songs of Rebellion Sean-Nos Nua Lisa ASIN: B000002U4V Release Date: 1996-06-11

Tracks:

1. O' Bhean A'Ti - Maire Brennan
2. Mary Of The South Seas - Tim and Neil Finn
3. Tomorrow - Bono And Adam Clayton
4. Cavan Potholes - Sharon Shannon
5. Help Me To Believe - Paul Brady
6. On Reglan Road - Sinead O'Connor
7. As I Roved Out - Brian Kennedy
8. The Night Before Larry Was Stretched - Elvis Costello
9. Mna' Na H-eireann - Kate Bush
10. Whistling Low/Errigal - Davy Spillane And Donal Lunny
11. My Heart's Tonight In Ireland - Andy Irvine
12. Cathain - Liam O Maonlai
13. Bogie's Bonnie Bell - Christy Moore

Customer Reviews:

Where do we get more like this??.......2003-11-08

My husband and I both just love this CD ~ something in it's rich and varied musical geography is guaranteed to touch a chord in you! The music varies from primal to modern, alternating styles from frolicking folk songs to yearning love ballads. I can't imagine not owning this CD!!

Uncommon music.......2002-09-24

I listen to this CD at work all the time. It is different, uplifting, and never boring. In addition to a few familiar voices, this collection of modern Irish music has many songs that I humm to myself throughout the day.

An eclectic intro to Irish music.......2000-08-26

This is a great collection, both for afficianados of Irish music and those who are just beginning to build their collection. It features recordings by some of the brightest stars of Irish pop and traditional music. There are well-known names here, including Bono, Kate Bush, Elvis Costello, and Sinead O'Connor, but the best part of the CD comes with the lesser known Irish artists, like Maire Brennan (lead singer of Clannad), Paul Brady, Davy Spillane, Christy Moore, and Sharon Shannon. There's no way this CD could ever be complete - there are too many wonderful Irish artists to fit on one CD. But this is a pretty good start. They should release a sequel, though, and include some of the newer Irish artists, like Sinead Lohan and the Corrs.

A primer for modern irish music.......2000-02-08

This is probably the best album out there for people interested in the rich music culture that is Ireland. It provides a mix of modern talent, with traditional songs. And its the one irish compilation album that doesn't have the great Chieftans or Tommy Makem. (not that there is any thing wrong with those legends)

Sharon Shannon.......1999-11-23

Track 4 on this album is amazing. Sharon Shannon's talent is quite remarkable. If you can't get tickets to see her in person, this is a great substitute. The rest, well it's well worth the purchase

Average customer rating:

Common Ground Tom Chapin Manufacturer: Gadfly ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Styles | Music Educational | Children's Music | Styles | Music General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music Children's Educational | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Folk | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Let Me Back into Your Life Join the Jubilee Some Assembly Required This Pretty Planet Just for Kids ASIN: B000056NZS Release Date: 2001-02-13

Tracks:

1. Common Ground
2. Not Tired Of Love
3. Love Me Tonight
4. Story Of A Life
5. Bob Marley's Orphan Son
6. My Electronic Vacation
7. The Singer Is The Song
8. 12 String Ramble
9. Uncle Wally's Tale
10. Martha & Oprah
11. A Jangle In The Air
12. Roll On Your Way

Average customer rating: Accidents are great Io

Io Micronaut Manufacturer: Positron ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Alternative Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Electronica | Dance & DJ | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Europa Ganymede ASIN: B00004ZDQI Release Date: 2003-06-03

Tracks:

1. Fifty Feet
2. Infrared
3. Hi Gain
4. Ioncannon
5. 5 x 5
6. Cold Water
7. Go No Go
8. Dig This
9. Fly By
10. Northern Style Kung Fu [drunken master remix]

Album Description

Io, the second release from Micronaut, finds the common ground between breakbeat and trance with a generous dose of NASA thrown in for good measure.

Customer Reviews:

Accidents are great.......2001-01-07

I too stumbled onto this group while messing around with.... and I love their music. It is great techno and the beats are great. Pick up any of these albums, they've got me hooked. Quick phat beats, great for when you are partying too.

Io.......2000-12-31

I found this band by accident but am glad that I did. A very interesting combination of sounds that I haven't tired of yet. Not like some of the other techno stuff that all seems to run together after awhile, very interesting use of tape loops from NASA.

Average customer rating: Even though C.D. cover damaged - the 2nd free C.D. did the trick. Must have Jazz CD Just wounderful it's great! I was never a Jazz fan until I listened to this CD. I am now

Common Ground Everette Harp Manufacturer: Blue Note Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Jazz | Styles | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Pop | Styles | Music Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music General | R&B | Styles | Music Blue Note Records | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music Smooth Jazz | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music General | R&B | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Better Days For the Love What's Going On Everette Harp All for You ASIN: B000005HE3 Release Date: 1994-07-12

Tracks:

1. Strutt - Sheila E.
2. Feel So Right
3. Jeri's Song - Jeffrey Osbourne
4. You Make Me Feel Brand New
5. Stay With Me
6. I'm Sorry
7. Sending My Love
8. Love You To The Letter
9. Perfect Day
10. Where Do We Go
11. Coming Home
12. Common Ground - Branford Marsalis
13. Song For Toots

Customer Reviews:

Even though C.D. cover damaged - the 2nd free C.D. did the trick........2007-05-17

Otherwise impressed with the service.

Must have Jazz CD.......2006-05-14

For all you guys out there who are not into Jazz buy this CD and you will forever remain hooked. This is one of the best Jazz CD i have ever had tracks like Jeri's Song and the one with Jeffrey Osborne are mind blowing. I don't think anyone would regret buying this CD.

Just wounderful.......2003-04-22

This cd by Everette Harp is one of the best I have heard by any Jazz Fusion artist, it is truely Everette Harp at his best.

it's great!.......2001-09-03

I've had this CD for several years now and love it. Esp. the song Strut, and the song I'm Sorry. The whole CD is fantastic.

I was never a Jazz fan until I listened to this CD. I am now.......1998-11-22

Everette Harp is excellent. After listening to this album, I bought his other three. All are great. I never listened to Jazz before listening to his CD. I now listen all the time!!

Steve.

Average customer rating: TASTEFUL TRIO

Common Ground Mike LeDonne Manufacturer: Criss Cross ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Hard Bop | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music Bebop & Post-Bop | Compilations | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B0000020MI Release Date: 1994-04-06

Tracks:

1. Jingles
2. Tonight I Shall Sleep
3. Doujie
4. Sir Rah
5. Gee Baby Ain't I Good To You
6. Machado
7. The Rev
8. A Change Of Heart
9. Told You So

Customer Reviews:

TASTEFUL TRIO.......2002-10-08

MIKE LeDONNE WAS MILT JACKSON'S PIANIST FOR MANY YEARS, AND THERE IS A SENSITIVE SWING TO HIS PLAYING. HE HAS RECORDED WITH BASSIST DENNIS ERWIN AND DRUMMER KENNY WASHINGTON SEVERAL TIMES FOR CRISS CROSS, AND THE THREE MUSICIANS WORK WELL TOGETHER. A RELAXED, SWINGING SESSION, WELL PLAYED.

Average customer rating: "The Most Extraordinary Encounters and Events"

Gernot Wolfgang: Common Ground Manufacturer: Albany Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000GW8RSO Release Date: 2006-08-22

Customer Reviews:

"The Most Extraordinary Encounters and Events".......2006-08-30

George Balanchine used the phrase 'the most extraordinary encounters and events' to describe his dances, and that phrase came to mind again and again as I listened (again and again) to this CD of chamber music by a composer previously unknown to me, the Austro-American Gernot Wolfgang (b.1957 in Bad Gastein). Wolfgang is himself a jazz guitarist -- but there is no guitar among the instruments featured here -- whose background is clearly discernible in his music, largely because so much of the music is, in his words, 'groove-based.' Using ostinato jazz-tinged rhythms (which, however, he varies and extends to create interest and surprise) Wolfgang creates polytonal, polyphonic music of the highest degree of unpredictability even though with close listening one can pick out melodic and harmonic patterns that are not immediately obvious or ever merely mundane. He frequently uses synthetic scales, as well as the usual major/minor and chromatic/diatonic scales; harmonies and melodies are thus often not immediately predictable or conventionally beautiful. Throughout one has the sense that the music is dancing. It has a logic and beauty all its own with closer listening and I found myself utterly beguiled.

'Metamorphosis' for violin, viola and piano is based on an initial violin figure which is then taken through continuous variations in a fresh harmonic and rhythmic style that partakes of such things as polytonalism, Hindemithian counterpoint, bop, and free improvisation.

'Common Ground' for bassoon and cello (probably my favorite of all the works here) is in three movements. 'Blues Upside Down' presents an upbeat blues figure which is then, midway, turned upside down and given a different character. 'Trading Places' is essentially a two-part invention where the bassoon and cello, midway, trade their lines; it is not quite as simple as that but that's the general idea. 'Igor, at Last' is so named because after a funky main section the piece ends with a Stravinskyan passage reminiscent of his Concerto in D for Strings.

'Jazz & Cocktails' for piano trio attempts to reproduce in music the assymetric chatter one hears at a cocktail party. There are passages of utter banality alternating with the confusing competition of other nearby more interesting conversations. There are reminiscences of Ravel cheek-by-jowl with bop.

'Dual Identity' is for solo bassoon -- played brilliantly by the composer's wife, Judith Farmer -- in that most difficult of forms, an unaccompanied solo work for melody instrument. It is by turns or simultaneously contrapuntal, atmospheric, humorous, lyrical, poignant. There is humorous use of multiphonics.

'Thin Air' for string trio recalls a trip to the Sierras that Wolfgang and his wife took. The three sections are 'Mountain Goat' (suitably athletic and with some hints of bluegrass), 'Twilight' (atmospheric, calm), and 'Paws' (the latter written after the composer had taken a fall on the trip and had to recuperate in bed for a few days after they got back home, giving him time to watch the couple's two cats).

'Night Shift' for solo piano is a jazz-tinged lullaby (one can hear Bill Evans in the background) that merges every so gently into a series of dreamscapes. A very effective piece.

The musicians involved in this project are mostly Southern Californian, some of whom work in the movie industry or in local orchestras or universities. They are universally superb and deserve to be named here. They are Margaret Batjer and Tereza Stanislav, violin; Brian Dembow, viola; Stephen Erdody, Armen Ksajikian and Cécilia Tsan, cello; Judith Farmer, bassoon; Delores Stevens and Robert Edward Thiel, piano. Recorded sound is absolutely first-rate.

This one gets an enthusiastic recommendation.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating: HOT & COOKIN' SOPHISTICATION!!! Burrell is an icon More Gold from Verve's Vaults not my kind of blues

Blues -- The Common Ground Kenny Burrell Manufacturer: Umvd Labels ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo | Jazz | Styles | Music Similar Items: Bluesy Burrell Blue Bash Moten Swing! Blue Lights, Vols. 1-2 Introducing Kenny Burrell: The First Blue Note Sessions ASIN: B00005N6SZ Release Date: 2001-10-09

Tracks:

1. Everydays
2. Every Day (I Have The Blues)
3. The Preacher
4. Angel Eyes
5. The Common Ground
6. Were You There?
7. Burning Spear
8. Wonder Why
9. Soulful Brothers
10. See See Rider
11. Sausilito NIghts

Amazon.com

The reissue of Kenny Burrell's 1968 Blues: The Common Ground on CD is most welcome, for it is one of the supremely dependable guitarist's finest albums. Backed for the most part by an all-star orchestra reveling in Don Sebesky's imaginative arrangements, Burrell fashions a series of outstanding performances as accessible as they are penetrating, thus fully bearing out the record's titular claim. Particular felicities include "Everydays", "Burning Spear," and the title track. Also here are two superb quartet cuts with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Grady Tate and an exquisite solo exploration of "Were You There?". No extra tracks or takes were discovered, but the album is richly rewarding from start to finish, its varied and durable pleasures belying the modest playing time. Now Verve should reissue the equally distinguished Night Song that Burrell made shortly afterward. --Richard Palmer

Customer Reviews:

HOT & COOKIN' SOPHISTICATION!!!.......2006-09-04

Kenny Burrell is truly a jazz legend whose career spans (count them) 6 decades. And he is still recording! As one of the inspirations and predecessors to many guitar greats, he brings depth, soul, and sophistication to all of his songs. This cd is a collection of his blues interpretations. Nothing in his career will ever be the same after this venture! Yes, it IS that awesome, Kenny fans!

Recorded in 1968, this is perfection from a mature artist at his peak. "Everydays" is gorgeous and so cool! Kenny breaks into a swingin' frenzy! "Angel Eyes" is a beauty! Nobody instrumentally has put such finesse on this cut. "The Common Ground" swings as one of the sounds from the 60's. Kenny's guitar on "Wonder Why" is perfectly beautiful and the orchestrations add depth and pathos. "Soulful Brothers" has a texture that is rich but yet the sound is funky. "See See Rider" has mature 60's orchestrations backing up Kenny's loose rendition. "Sausalito Nights" is a masterpiece.

Accompanied by other legends in jazz, Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter, it doesn't get any better than this! Backed up by a wide range of instruments: trombone, trumpet, tuba, various woodwinds, and reeds, and more makes the sound complete. Keeping Kenny out in front, it is the perfect instrumental backup.

Kenny Burrell has a rich, soulful history with his guitar. This cd is just one of many places that he proved that he is an artist for all instrumental jazz lovers who appreciate the finer sounds. Never boring, Kenny can do it all!

Burrell is an icon.......2006-05-18

Burrell plays with the most assured soulful style - not hard to see why he was the sideman of choice in the 50's and 60's. This is one of his fine outings for verve.. playing with a larger band brings out a lot of fire from kenny. This is essential listening especially for aspiring guitarists (like myself)..
Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and Joe Pass are the 3 guitarists of the 60's that I most admire... Jim Hall too...

More Gold from Verve's Vaults.......2001-12-30

Start with that glorious "Midnight Blue" guitar of Kenny Burrell. Then throw in this rhythm section: Herbie Hancock on piano; Ron Carter on bass; Grady Tate on drums. A jazz all-star line-up.

But wait--toss in six trumpets (including Thad Jones), six trombones (including Jimmy Cleveland and Al Watrous), two tubas, and Jerome Richardson on woodwinds and reeds.

What do you have? Operatic overload? A musical mish-mash? No--what you have is one astonishing cd. The common ground, of course, is the blues--and somehow all these musicians, all these disparate instruments, meet successfully on this common ground.

Burrell's guitar is never overshadowed by all the instrumentation. And all those accompaniests know precisely how to contribute to this boundary-stretching set. Never heard the blues this way? Well, that doesn't mean it's not the blues. The boys in the band moan, swing, rise through the registers, and Burrell's guitar floats and burns through it all.

Arranger Don Sebesky's charts are always under control but wildly innovative. From track to track, you just don't know what to expect. But expect the kind of surprises that make you want to replay each cut before you move on to the next.

This is an in-car cd. Or someplace where you won't allow anything to divert your attention. There's so much to hear, so much to amaze, so much to remind you that the blues is not this instrument or that instrument, not this player or that player, not always mean and lowdown.The blues is a state of mind, a state of heart. You can get to the blues from all sorts of different directions. The players here do just that. They get to the blues, create the blues, and find that common ground.

F.Y.I.--this cd lists at $ and weighs in at only about 35 minutes. It's a straight set--no alternate takes, no false starts. So, a lot of your dollars per minute. That ratio stopped me from buying the cd the first couple of times I found it on-line or in music stores. Now, my only regret is that I didn't pick it up the first time I saw it. This is what jazz is supposed to be--new, exploratory, a different direction. Abstract? Not at all--this is as solid as the red clay of Georgia. Where else can you get all of that for $?

not my kind of blues.......2001-10-26

after buying kenny burrells midnight blue and blue bash and his playing on jimmy smith "six views of the blues" i thought this was a sure hit. i should have read the credits because i'am not a big fan of horns (trombones,reeds, etc) and this was not the bluesy laid back blues i was expecting. saying that, i was still marveled at this mans guitar playing. i like him more on the trio combos with the b-3.

Average customer rating: Please enter a title for your review Holy Cr*p Drowing in circles. Uncommon Sound gets better with each listen

Common Ground Sunset Black Manufacturer: Mca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Alternative Metal | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music General | Hard Rock & Metal | Styles | Music Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Epidemic Beginnings Headspace 27 Days Is This Room Getting Smaller ASIN: B00006GFBU Release Date: 2002-08-27

Tracks:

1. Standing
2. The Wait
3. Timing Is Reason
4. Next In Line
5. This Place
6. Drowning
7. Silent Regrets
8. You're Beraking
9. You Pretend
10. Empty Promises
11. What I Do
12. Last Song

Customer Reviews:

Please enter a title for your review.......2006-03-27

This is like a cross between Creed and Hopesfall. The vocals are the typical overly masculine radio rock croon, which I'm really not into, but I like this album despite it. This really is a unique, unprecedented blend of emo and post-grunge alt-rock, which on paper sounds like a bad idea, and in light of bands like Story Of The Year has proven to be, but these guys' understanding that rhythm is just important as melody gives their songwriting a vital spark that most bands in both the post-grunge alt-rock and power-pop emo scenes are lacking.

Holy Cr*p.......2005-10-22

This has got to be the best and coolest sounding band I have heard in forever. All I can say is "when is the next album comeing out" because I can't get enough of this stuff. If you like the Nu-Metal sound, but are longing for something a little more unique and different, this is the band for you. It's both dark and omminous and energetic at the same time. The rythyms, hooks and beats are infectious. You cant just listen to this thing once in a while. This is a mainstay in the player and I have just about burned mine out. We all long for something that is a little different but not weird or too extreme. This is the ticket. It is lyrically relatable and hits a cord with the common person. Its well arranged to maintain a consistet mood or vibe throughout the recording and is mixed well so that you can understand the singer. The rythym guitars are very unique in sound and tone, setting an atmosphere that keeps your ear interested on every track. All around, these guys are very accomplished for a new band on the scene. They have a great career ahead of them if they keep with this style. I always hate it when a band tries to change their sound to keep up with the current style of the times or just to be different than their last effort. If you find a sound that works right for you the first time....STICK WITH IT PLEASE!!!! New bands have soured me in the past on their second album by doing this. My favorite songs are Standing which comes out swinging right off the bat and Your Breaking. Hell, they're all good. This is one of those few albums you can listen to without skipping a track because it's Ho-Hum or changes the mood of the album right in the middle of things. I never rated an album before because I have so much music and no time to pass the word. Let me tell you this. I have turned some friends on to this band and the reaction has always been "Holy Crap, Who Are These Guys". This stuff is kickin'.

Drowing in circles........2004-08-09

I have to give a huge Kudos to my friend Aaron in Thornton, CO for hooking me up on these guys. This band is one of those word-of-mouth bands that seems to have that old axiom "word-of-mouth is the best advertisement" working very well in their favor. I can't really call these guys punk although they have some of that flair in their sound. It's just very minute, which I can handle because I am not a fan of punk.

No offense to you punk fans out there, I respect it, I just don't prefer it.

These air raids that are the guitar walls of this band just drilled me to the core. I was extremely impressed and am still awaiting the second release due out sometime this year I think.

Pick it up, you'll see what I'm waiting on.

Uncommon Sound.......2003-11-11

A quick preview of this disc leaves you with the impression that Sunset Black is another garage-based punkish band that listened to a lot of Bad Religion. Further listens really open up a catchy disc that really shows more maturity than most contemporary punk these days.

I use the term punk loosely when referring to this disc. Instead of punk rock, Sunset Black could be considered more of a rock-punk band, calling forth hints of the Goo Goo Dolls, Husker Dü, and Smashing Pumpkins. The one thing that all of those bands share, of course, is the ability to craft songs rather that mindlessly bash out power chords. Sunset Black is of the same mind.

Another band from the Midwest-and there certainly seems to be a slew of them emerging in the last few years (i.e. Slipknot, Disturbed, Taproot, blah, blah, blah)-Sunset Black sheds the shtick that goes with the coastal music communities, delivering a more honest, perhaps more heartfelt and sincere album. They are like the Garrison Keillor of rock and roll, spitting out big hooks and honest lyrics from the outskirts of Lake Wobegon.

While Florida nu-meddlers, Nonpoint, have openly proclaimed their support and appreciation of Sunset Black and taken them out on tour, they just don't fit in with that crowd. In fact, there have been handful of newer bands like Trapt, Pressure 4-5, Alien Ant Farm, Papa Roach in a pinch, that Sunset Black would be better suited to tour with.

Does it bowl you over at first listen? No. Second listen? Maybe not even then. But what these guys offer, that seems to be missing from much corporate rock, is something new to be discovered on each listen. Mature beyond their debut years, these lads. I would like to say that Sunset Black will bust out with their next album, but sadly, I don't think it will happen. This band is on the verge of being radio friendly, but not quite enough and that has been the kiss of death for many a band, because when you're hard to define, you become easier to dismiss.

I like 'em. In an effort to support indie rock, so should you.

gets better with each listen.......2003-05-18

When I first picked this CD up, it was mostly based on word of mouth, because I hadn't actually heard this band. Normally I tend to make a habit of listening to at least a few songs before I lay down well-earned cash for it, but I felt something different with Sunset Black.

After hearing the first track, "Standing," I was intrigued. Their sound has an appealing mainstream-accessible edge, but not to the point of unabashed aim for the most airtime on the radio. These guys are clearly in it for the music, as their lyrics strongly proclaim.

"Next In Line" is probably my favorite few minutes on this release, with its great hook and emotionally-driven chorus. "This Place" is an interesting aggro-ballad, while "Silent Regrets" and "You Pretend" will win the hearts of emo-rock enthusiasts. But, this isn't stereotyped emo-kid pop; these lyrics about self-development and keeping the things in your life that matter most suggest a much more worldly view.

The beautiful "You're Breaking," the heartfelt "What I Do," and the mini-epic "Last Song" round out the disc into a mature, emotional, hard-rocking debut album from a band whose potential is limitless.

Average customer rating: Common Ground Blueridge does bluegrass right!

Common Ground Blueridge Manufacturer: Sugarhill [Country] ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Country | Styles | Music General | Traditional Country | Country | Styles | Music General | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Contemporary | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music Traditional | Bluegrass | Country | Styles | Music General | Contemporary Folk | Folk | Styles | Music Traditional Folk | Folk | Styles | Music General | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Bluegrass | Country | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Side by Side Come Along with Me In the Blue Room Back to the MAC Lefty's Old Guitar ASIN: B00000J80F Release Date: 1999-06-22

Tracks:

1. Katie's Winter Love
2. Shoot The Moon
3. No Sad Goodbyes
4. Talk It Out
5. It's So Cold
6. Rosa Lee
7. Appalachian Queen
8. Every Dog Must Have Its Day
9. I Don't Know Why
10. Sugar Coated Love
11. New Road
12. Highway Bound

Customer Reviews:

Common Ground.......2000-04-05

If you like wicked banjo playing,and killer mandolin work, you will like this recording. Terry Baucom is really laying down some great banjo, and Alan Bibey plays some unbeliveable mandolin. I recommend this CD to you if you like good hard driving Bluegrass.

Blueridge does bluegrass right!.......1999-10-18

This is a great album by a great artist! Terry Baccum is the best on the banjo! Alan Bibery is also my favorite on the mandolin, and Randy Graham and Wanye Winkel are both good vocalist. The music on this album seems to just jump out of the speakers. Every song is good and hard driving. Terry's rockin' banjo drives the album from the first song to the last. This is the first time I have ever heard of Wayne Winkle, and he doesn't disappoint. His voice is smooth and contemp. This is hard core contemporary bluegrass that only Blueridge can do!

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