Southern Jazz Music

I am what you would call a lover of great gospel music. I am more of a tradionalist and tend to shy away from the newer contemporary types of gospel music and gravitate towards what is proven music to my ears and inspiration to my soul. Rev. Cleophus Robinson accomplishes this through tradition, "old landmark" style of gospel music sung directly from the soul. If you are looking for songs your grandparents sung and lessons taught that still apply today, get this recording. You will not regret it.

Deacon Perry L. Ashford Clifford Ave Church of God Rochester, NY

As I sit here and listen to "The Days Run Away," the first album by Peter Garland that I've heard, I'm torn on who deserves the accolades; the composer or the performer?

But as the cycles build upon one another to create such a hypnotic texture, I suppose it does not matter. The less spoken/writen about this music the better, since it already heavily speaks for itself.

Peter Garland's "The Days Run Away," an interesting collection of repetitive process-oriented piano works, is a good introduction to his works. These compositions are almost Satie-like in their simplicity and directness, but still retain the ritualistic or ceremonial character that I frequently associate with Garland's music. The occasional extreme use of repetition might give some listeners pause, but the end result is beautiful. My only criticism is that some of the pieces seem a bit on the short side, needing a little extra time to fully develop in the listener's mind. Still highly recommended.

Number 3-Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz It's Christmas" made the album complete. The whole album made the holiday complete.

I play this album over and over in the car, I look forward to the Christmas season so I can bring out this CD and enjoy these songs - esp. New Year's Resolution

The original "Soul Christmas" lp said it all, this reissue not only adds filler that dilutes the original, its missinf Booker T's Jingle Bells, which is an utter disgrace.

Otherwise, pick up this cd, if you don't have the lp. Many classics. Otis Redding's "White Christmas"? He just took that song from Bing Crosby. Badda Bing, badda boom.

Soul Christmas is definitely one of the best Christmas Compilations of all time. My Mom bought this CD a little over 10 years ago and it's been a Christmas tradition in our home ever since. I decided to buy it myself this year and after a LONG hunt, I finally found it (and at a wonderful price too!) on Amazon.com. Listening to Soul Christmas will definitely continue to be a holiday tradition for many more years to come.

Found this at 50% off post xmas and what a find!.....Donny Hathaway's classic "This Christmas" is hard to find on any CD and virtually not played anymore (At least in my region) by the Clear Channel corporate media conglomerate, yet this original version is better than just about all of the covers done by others of the same tune.

"This Christmas" is worth the price of admission (as a forgotten rarity), but this Atlantic collection has other un(der)played gems that won't get pass the focus group review panels that now dominate AM/FM radio content.....listen for yourself to find out what is missing on the air waves?!.....

I can listen to the Atlantic label's stable of artists and relisten to them again and again.

A highly recommended "soulful" collection "Buy It Now"

Number 3-Carla Thomas "Gee Whiz It's Christmas" made the album complete. The whole album made the holiday complete.

I play this album over and over in the car, I look forward to the Christmas season so I can bring out this CD and enjoy these songs - esp. New Year's Resolution

The original "Soul Christmas" lp said it all, this reissue not only adds filler that dilutes the original, its missinf Booker T's Jingle Bells, which is an utter disgrace.

Otherwise, pick up this cd, if you don't have the lp. Many classics. Otis Redding's "White Christmas"? He just took that song from Bing Crosby. Badda Bing, badda boom.

Soul Christmas is definitely one of the best Christmas Compilations of all time. My Mom bought this CD a little over 10 years ago and it's been a Christmas tradition in our home ever since. I decided to buy it myself this year and after a LONG hunt, I finally found it (and at a wonderful price too!) on Amazon.com. Listening to Soul Christmas will definitely continue to be a holiday tradition for many more years to come.

Found this at 50% off post xmas and what a find!.....Donny Hathaway's classic "This Christmas" is hard to find on any CD and virtually not played anymore (At least in my region) by the Clear Channel corporate media conglomerate, yet this original version is better than just about all of the covers done by others of the same tune.

"This Christmas" is worth the price of admission (as a forgotten rarity), but this Atlantic collection has other un(der)played gems that won't get pass the focus group review panels that now dominate AM/FM radio content.....listen for yourself to find out what is missing on the air waves?!.....

I can listen to the Atlantic label's stable of artists and relisten to them again and again.

A highly recommended "soulful" collection "Buy It Now"

The correct track listing for this 1994 remastering, 2 Prestige LP's on 1 CD is 1. DA-DUH-DAH 2. HAVE YOU HEARD 3. WILLOW WEEP FOR ME 4. LITTLE BROTHER SOUL 5. IN A FUNKY GROOVE Rec. 4/60-- 6. SOUL MEETING 7. LAZY SOUL 8. ALL THE WAY 9.JEEP'S BLUES 10. WHAT IS THIS THING CALLED LOVE 11. DO YOU HAVE SOUL NOW Rec. 9/60-- total time 79 min.---- King, in a rare straight jazz groove is joined by Nat Adderley on cornet and rhythm sections led by Wynton Kelly. And don't buy this in conjuction with THE NEW SCENE OF KING CURTIS. Tracks 1-5 are THE NEW SCENE OF KING CURTIS 1 LP on 1 CD. Buy it in conjuction with SOUL BATTLE Oliver Nelson- King Curtis- Jimmy Forrest - more straight ahead blowing,with the horns always soloing back to back to back. Everything else looks like R&B. King never recorded at all for Blue Note or Riverside---- Check out Gene Ammons 2 Lps on 1 CD for Prestige early 60's--UPTIGHT! and ORGAN COMBOS. The latter features Joe Newman or Frank Wess and there is no guitar player on either session.

This CD brings together two LP recordings, THE NEW SCENE OF KING CURTIS and SOUL MEETING, both done for Prestige in 1960. The front line remained the same (Curtis [ts], Nat Adderley [c], Wynton Kelly [p]), with the bass duties being shared by Paul Chambers and Sam Jones, and the drums by Oliver Jackson or Belton Evans. Curtis, the pride of Fort Worth, Texas, came up in various R&B settings, mainly for Atlantic Records (he was Aretha Franklin's bandleader at one time), but he was no slouch when it came to playing on the jazz scene. He loved the blues, of course, and half the sides on this CD are blues, most the way downhome variety. But the opening track, DA-DUH-DAH, a Curtis original, is not the blues, but an up-tempo ballad, with a very attractive and tension-filled three-note stop-time section that explodes into a 4/4 release - a fantastic piece. He plays two slow ballads, WILLOW WEEP FOR ME and ALL THE WAY, and plays with a heavy vibrato absent on all the other tunes, including the slow blues. SOUL MEETING, another Curtis original, is a 6/8 waltz - very attractive. Nat and Wynton are supportive and offer up fine solos, and the rhythm section is solid, no matter which one is playing. "Soul Jazz" hadn't quite come on the scene yet, but King Curtis was laying a foundation down for it, some of which you can hear in this package. Worth checking out!

This is the most incredible mind blowing Music I have. It is the jewel of my collection. The one CD that I would never lend out. This is not just a King Curtis CD it is a Wynton Kelly and Nat Adderly CD also. It will Change Your idea of what music is all about. Everyone I have turned this music on to always asks "Who is this!?" Where can I pick it up? Just listen.

This is a 5 star collection all the way. The song selection, sound and packaging are all first-class, just what you'd expect from Rhino. There have been beacoups soul collections over the years, and I've got a lot of 'em, but few even approach the quality of this collection. If you find it, do not hesitate, it's a winner all the way.

Compilations are tough to pull off. Rhino has made a name for itself by assembling quality selections together with great packaging. This might not satisfy a real soul fanatic, but it's a fine assemblage of songs.

HIGHLIGHTS:
While most of the best tracks here are fairly well-known ("It's All Right" from the Impressions,Brenton Wood's "Gimme Little Sign") some others that might not be are great also. If you've not heard the Marvelows punchy brass workout "I Do" you're in for a treat. People who only know "I'm Your Puppet" will be pleased by James and Bobby Purify's "Let Love Come Between Us". The courtroom drama of "Eight Men,Four Women" is unlikely but O.V. Wright makes you want to believe him. Most youngsters probably had no idea who the Dells were when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them but a listen to "Stay in My Corner" tells you why they're there.

LOWS:
Edwin Starr's "Double O Soul" will no doubt be beloved by some as nostalgia, but the lyric is too silly to sound good these days. I'll stick with "War" and "25 Miles", thank you. Sarah Vaughan's best suit is her jazzy standards. "Smooth Operator" just seemed like an ill fit for her.

SUMMARY:
It's a fairly decent collection with some huge hits in the original artist, original recording versions and some nice tunes you may not be familiar with. It does get docked a bit for not bothering to include the chart positions the songs herein reached. (For the record, I had trouble locating the info as well, but I can tell there are AT LEAST 6 Top 10 R&B hits represented here..."It's All Right" was #1 R&B)

3 1/2 stars

This is a 5 star collection all the way. The song selection, sound and packaging are all first-class, just what you'd expect from Rhino. There have been beacoups soul collections over the years, and I've got a lot of 'em, but few even approach the quality of this collection. If you find it, do not hesitate, it's a winner all the way.

Compilations are tough to pull off. Rhino has made a name for itself by assembling quality selections together with great packaging. This might not satisfy a real soul fanatic, but it's a fine assemblage of songs.

HIGHLIGHTS:
While most of the best tracks here are fairly well-known ("It's All Right" from the Impressions,Brenton Wood's "Gimme Little Sign") some others that might not be are great also. If you've not heard the Marvelows punchy brass workout "I Do" you're in for a treat. People who only know "I'm Your Puppet" will be pleased by James and Bobby Purify's "Let Love Come Between Us". The courtroom drama of "Eight Men,Four Women" is unlikely but O.V. Wright makes you want to believe him. Most youngsters probably had no idea who the Dells were when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them but a listen to "Stay in My Corner" tells you why they're there.

LOWS:
Edwin Starr's "Double O Soul" will no doubt be beloved by some as nostalgia, but the lyric is too silly to sound good these days. I'll stick with "War" and "25 Miles", thank you. Sarah Vaughan's best suit is her jazzy standards. "Smooth Operator" just seemed like an ill fit for her.

SUMMARY:
It's a fairly decent collection with some huge hits in the original artist, original recording versions and some nice tunes you may not be familiar with. It does get docked a bit for not bothering to include the chart positions the songs herein reached. (For the record, I had trouble locating the info as well, but I can tell there are AT LEAST 6 Top 10 R&B hits represented here..."It's All Right" was #1 R&B)

3 1/2 stars