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Posts Tagged Standards

Archive

February 25, 2021 by Simon Sweetman

Willie Nelson: That’s Life

Willie Nelson That’s Life SMG Just last year, Willie Nelson released one of his greatest records in some time. Just lovely. At 87 he didn’t sound a day over 85, the way he’s sounded since at least 1985. And in true love ‘em and leave ‘em style here is, just a few months later, with […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Covers, Evergreens, Frank Sinatra, Jazz, Standards, That's Life, Willie Nelson, Willie Nelson: That's Life, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 16, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Dave Brubeck: Lullabies

Dave Brubeck Lullabies Verve This is Dave Brubeck’s final album – released just now, but recorded a decade ago. It’s a set of charming-enough lullabies, the real weight of them can be measured by the wait I guess – and the timing now of release; early next month it is the jazz legend’s centenary so […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 100, Album Review, Centenary, Covers, Dave Brubeck, Dave Brubeck: Lullabies, Instrumental, Jazz, Lullabies, Lullaby, Originals, Piano, posthumous, Solo, Standards, Verve, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 15, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Fred Hersch: Songs From Home

Fred Hersch Songs From Home Palmetto Records Covid records. There’ll be many more to come. What to do when you can’t play a show – when you can’t get together with the full band, when you can’t do your job but need to try to make some money; more than that need to connect – […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Covers, Covid-19, Fred Hersch, Fred Hersch: Songs From Home, Instrumental, Jazz, Palmetto Records, Piano, Solo, Songs From Home, Standards, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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November 1, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Lauren Henderson: The Songbook Session

Lauren Henderson The Songbook Session Brontosaurus Records Lauren Henderson has been building her brand across a handful of albums and an EP – she’s a great singer of jazz, and she turns her ear to songs that sit just outside of the genre as well as honouring the ‘songbook’ classics; she’s as likely to reach […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged "Singer", Album Review, Allan Mednard, Brontosaurus Records, Covers, Eric Wheeler, Jazz, Lauren Henderson, Lauren Henderson: The Songbook Session, Standards, Sullivan Fortner, The Songbook Session, Vocalist, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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October 4, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Diana Krall: This Dream of You

Diana Krall This Dream of You Verve I was never that big on Diana Krall albums – they were good, all of them, but I didn’t care which one I heard. I just heard them – in shops where I worked, in preparation for reviewing her shows (saw her twice, very good both times) and […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Alan Broadbent, Album Review, Anthony Wilson, Christian McBride, Covers, Diana Krall, Diana Krall: This Dream of You, Jazz, John Clayton Jr., Karriem Riggins, Russell Malone, Standards, This Dream of You, Tommy LiPuma, Tony Garnier, Verve, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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March 16, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Sam Gendel: Satin Doll

Sam Gendel Satin Doll Nonesuch Records Someone said Sam Gendel plays saxophone like he’s trying to erase his instrument. I like that. And can’t improve on it. For this album of jazz standards – tweaked, or even twerked, into new shapes and sounds – you might do well to think of the producer and bassist […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Chillwave, Covers, Jazz, Nonesuch Records, Sam Gendel, Sam Gendel: Satin Doll, Satin Doll, Saxophone, Standards, Tribute, Vaporwave, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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March 12, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Piano Duets

Ella Fitzgerald The Complete Piano Duets Verve Where do you start with Ella Fitzgerald? There are hundreds of albums – including dozens of very good compilations. You could start with her duets with Louis Armstrong – sure. Many people do. And fair enough. There are her songbook albums – where she showcases the work of […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged 2CD, Album Review, Ella Fitzgerald, Ella Fitzgerald Sings Songs From “Let No Man Write My Epitaph”, Ella Fitzgerald: The Complete Piano Duets, Ella Sings Gershwin, Ellis Larkins, Let No Man Write My Epitap”, Paul Smith, Piano, Piano Duets, Reissue, songbook, Songs In A Mellow Mood (, Standards, The Complete Piano Duets, Verve, Vocal, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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March 1, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

James Taylor: American Standard

James Taylor American Standard Fantasy Though James Taylor is no stranger to offering covers, and has even offered themed albums of interpretations before (two Christmas albums) he’s never sounded quite as joyless and muted as he does here on his half-strength run through some musical-theatre showstoppers and other canonical American standards.
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, American Songbook, American Standard, Covers, Fantasy, James Taylor, James Taylor: American Standard, songbook, Standards, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·

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February 13, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 174

Sir Yehudi Menuhin & Stephane Grappelli,  Top Hat (1981) I often talk about – and think about – the Stephane Grappelli concert I was lucky to see back in the late 1990s. One of the very best gigs of my lifetime. And it all started when my mum introduced me to Stephane Grappelli and Yehudin […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 1981, Django Reinhardt, Duo, Gershwin, Instrumental, Jazz, LP, Puttin' On The Ritz, Record, Records, Show Tunes, Standards, Stephane Grappelli, Tea For Two, The Vinyl Countdown, The Vinyl Countdown # 174, Top Hat, Vinyl, Violin, Yehudi Menuhin ·

Archive

January 10, 2020 by Simon Sweetman

The Vinyl Countdown # 189

Bob Dylan, Fallen Angels (2016) Bob Dylan long ago earned the right to do whatever he likes and then in the last few years he tested the shit out of that by released three albums of covers in a row; the third a triple album. I was surprised a little at how much I love […]
Posted in Blog, The Vinyl Countdown · Tagged 2016), Bob Dylan, Covers, Dylan, Evergreens, LP, Shadows In The Night, Standards, That Old Black Magic, The Vinyl Countdown, The Vinyl Countdown # 189, Triplicate, Vinyl ·

Archive

December 18, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Los Lobos: Llego Navidad

Los Lobos Llego Navidad Rhino Records From collections of Disney songs to old rock’n’roll covers if you need a band to deliver the goods – and reflect their own unique skill and flavour all the while then Los Lobos is a safe bet. So it’s no real surprise they’ve released my favourite new Christmas album […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged ¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?, Album Review, Central America, Christmas, Covers, Holiday, Llego Navidad, Los Lobos, Los Lobos: Llego Navidad, South America, Standards, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron, Yuletide ·

Archive

September 9, 2019 by Simon Sweetman

Chrissie Hynde & The Valve Bone Woe Ensemble: Valve Bone Woe

Chrissie Hynde & The Valve Bone Woe Ensemble Valve Bone Woe BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd. Well this is a lovely surprise. And for many reasons. Five years ago Hynde released her debut solo album and I thought it was a stinker – so this one gets a tick just for not being that. But […]
Posted in Blog, Reviews · Tagged Album Review, Chrissie Hynde, Covers, Jazz, Standards, The Pretenders, The Valve Bone Woe Ensemble, Valve Bone Woe, You can support Off The Tracks via PressPatron ·
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