Dixieland Music

Had been looking for Al Hirt's "Java" artist/song title for a while and finally found it great cd.

The product I recieved was in good conditon and it came in a reasonable amount of time considering the holidays. I would most defintely order something again.

This CD has most of the hottest hits from Al Hirt. The performances are his best and the audio quality is awesome. I recommend this to anyone who loves jazz, dixieland or trumpet music.

Al Hirt's virtuosity stands alone in the long line of trumpet greats.This CD proves that... many times over... especially with the YET to be equalled "I can't get started with you" of Bunny Berigan fame.Al's power and technical ability just bowls over even the most advanced listeners/players who can appreciate his talent and expertise.Al's real talent came from showmanship and his likeable style and light to catchy pop and dixieland themes."Fly Me to the Moon" and "Out of Nowhere" exhibit the melding of raw trumpet power and sweet memorable renditions of wonderful melodies of the past, but"Bourbon Street Parade" shows how really great Al and his talented band was in the live arena.This CD provides all the moods and variations of Mr Hirt's unbelievable mastery of the trumpet.He is missed by many and this CD is a tribute to that great talent.

To hear Al Hirt's music again gives me pleasure all over again. Haven't had a decent turntable in years, and I'm now beginning to replace old lp's with cd's. Talk about a throw back - but, that's how it is with us old music loving geezers. This album is tops! Slow ballads or Dixie - Al Hirt is a master!

Al Hirt is the greatest Jazz trumpet player who has ever lived and he pioneered the honey in the horn sound not found on this album! If you want his best then get His Honey In the Horn Album! He is good at Dixieland, but his most beautiful and comforting music is not on this album. This CD is Dixieland all the way and do not judge Al the King Hirt strictly by this greatest hits album because it is misleading.

If you're looking for an album containing the 18 hit singles he had for RCA Victor from 1964 to 1969 - keep looking! This one, despite the title of "Greatest Hits," contains exactly one - and it also happens to be his first. Java, on RCA Victor 8280, made it to # 1 Adult Contemporary (AC) and # 4 Billboard Pop Hot 100 early in 1964 - right in the midst of the opening rounds of the British Invasion - b/w I Can't Get Started.

But not only is that B-side missing here, so is every other one that backed his other 17 hits, not to mention the hit sides themselves. I would surely like to know how producer Steven Gates figures these other 17 tracks constitute his "greatest hits."

For the record, Al put 9 on the Hot 100, including the hard-to-find Christmas tune, Hooray For Santa Claus (# 6 Billboard Christmas charts in 1964 b/w White Christmas), all of which (except Hooray For Santa Claus) also made the AC charts. Another nine scored only as AC hits, including five that also made the Hot 100 "Bubble Under" listings: The Arena (# 28 AC/# 129 b/w Yesterday in February 1966); Music To Watch Girls By (# 31 AC/# 119 b/w His Girl in February 1967); Puppet On A String (# 18 AC/# 129 b/w Big Honey in June 1967); We Can Fly/Up Up And Away (# 23 AC/# 129 in The Glory Of Love in May 1968); and If (# 16 AC/# 116 b/w Penny Arcade in February 1969, and his final hit single).

While all 17 AC charters made it into the Top 40 there, including five Top 10's, his best on the Hot 100 was Java, followed by Cotton Candy (# 15 in May 1964 as well as # 3 AC b/w Walkin' (a # 103 "Bubble Under") and Sugar Lips (# 30 as well as # 3 AC b/w Poupée Brisée (Broken Doll).

Not a bad collection of some of his many album cuts, but in no way do they fit the generally-accepted definition of "greatest hits." The sound quality is excellent, and with the insert is a re-listing of the tracks showing recording dates (but nothing in the way of the albums they came out on, and when. There is also a single page of background notes written by Emily King which does nothing to explain the misnomer when it comes to the album's title.

"JAVA" made a big hit in the same way in Japan. Al Hirt is popular in not only U.S.A. but also Japan.
I like "Fly me to the moon", "The girl from Ipanema", "If you go away", "When the saints go marching in" in this album in particular.
His musicality and technique are splendid.
This is a good album.

My favourites are Java, I'm Movin' On and Girl from Ipanema. There are some other nice ones not included such as Pink Confetti, Cotton Candy etc. but overall a good album to "test the waters".

While it must have seemed an odd pairing at the time--and today still divides listeners--trumpter extraordinaire Al Hirt and sex-kitten Ann-Margret team up admirably on "Beauty and the Beard" (nifty title!), which is represented fully on this collection of Al Hirt's best (and his best truly ranks up there with the finest moments in jazz music). Al and A-M trade off vocals, and they both seem a bit tentative, tongue-in-cheek and sweetly shy. The album wasn't one of Hirt's better sellers and elicited no hit singles (and RCA kept it on the shelf for over a year!) but it's a dandy recording, with Al's vocals in particular charming, if self-conscious. "Personality", "Mutual Admiration Society" and "The Best Man" are stand-outs, and A-M's sexy, teasing purr will definitely make you smile. They seem amiably enamored with eachother, and the results, while not high-voltage, are extremely pleasant and warm.

Ann Margaret's out of style vocals detract heavily from the Beautiful trumpet mastery of Al Hirt. Al also tries to sing here and it distracts from the magic of his trumpet. This is only for the collector who wants all Al's music. Get the more recent new releases of Honey In the Horn and Sugar Lips cd's first!

The musical arrangements feature Al's horn at its best. The songs show his diversity, exceptional range, clear tones and why he was called the greatest trumpeter in the world. His singing adds to the appeal of this CD.

The sounds of the song Java are electrifying, soothing and come from the strong stylings of a great player. We listen to this album everytime we go up to the cottage and the island dances to his beat when we play it!! No one is better than Al Hirt to conjur the sounds of Old Style New Orleans.

Al Hirt is the greatest Jazz trumpet player who has ever lived and he pioneered the honey in the horn sound not found on this album! If you want his best then get His Honey In the Horn Album! He is good at Dixieland, but his most beautiful and comforting music is not on this album. This CD is Dixieland all the way and do not judge Al the King Hirt strictly by this greatest hits album because it is misleading.