Various Artists

Black Lives: People Of Earth

by Glenn Astarita
June 4, 2024

Black Lives is not just a band; it is a movement. Comprised of globally recognized artists across generations and genres, their mission transcends mere musical performance. They aim for a utopia, especially in these turbulent times where words of hate and racism proliferate faster than cat videos on the internet. Now more than ever, their cause is vital. The album does not veer away from its intentions: to raise awareness, inspire change, and celebrate unity. Musicians from the ...

Various Artists: Live at the M/Darbnīca Vol.1

by Vitalijus Gailius
January 5, 2024

In 2017 a boom happened in Latvian and Baltic jazz history with the coming of Jersika Records, an independent jazz and improvised music record label. Since then, the Riga-based label has been delivering top-notch music records each year. Focusing mainly on Latvian musicians and bands with occasionally occurring exceptions such as Estonia-based American trumpeter Jason Hunter or Lithuanian saxophone virtuoso Liudas Mockūnas. Jersika Records has become a warm place for Baltic jazz. In 2023, Jersika Records released its ...

Various Artists: Hip Holland Hip

by Chris May
June 21, 2023

This carefully curated disc is subtitled Modern Jazz Classics 1950-1970 and is a collection of tracks recorded by Dutch musicians and released in the Netherlands mostly in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Few of the musicians other than a sprinkling of American guest artists such as Herbie Mann and Art Farmer will be known to most listeners in 2023, including, one suspects, many in the Netherlands itself. An exception is Han Bennink, who is heard on ...

Various Artists: Black Lives - From Generation to Generation

by Glenn Astarita
May 19, 2022

Indeed, African Americans are the architects of several musical formations, hearkening back to Scott Joplin's development of 'ragged' rhythms i.e., Ragtime, along with blues, funk, jazz, and other genres, often evolving into various tangents and offshoots. And on this comprehensively entertaining set produced by Belgian Stefany Calembert with assistance from her husband and acclaimed bassist Reggie Washington, they righteously bestow Black Music as a “source of moral truth and potent weapon against racism." Numerous stars such as saxophonist ...

Various Artists: Putumayo Presents Jazz Christmas

by Jim Trageser
December 14, 2021

The Putumayo World Music compilations have achieved an enviable brand status with their wide-ranging stylistic variety and the distinctively cheerful covers by artist Lisa Gonzalez. The latest entry, Putumayo Presents Jazz Christmas joins previous entrants Putumayo Presents New Orleans Christmas (2007) and Putumayo Presents A Jazz & Blues Christmas (2008) in offering collections of holiday-themed entrants in a jazz vein. As with all of its jazz releases, Putumayo founder and curator Dan Storper's taste in jazz ...

Various artists: Changüí - The Sound of Guantánamo

by Jim Trageser
August 8, 2021

In much of our supposedly modern world, there is a distinct demarcation between the creators of music, and those who listen. Musician and audience, the former expecting to earn a living by performing for the latter. More and more, Western society's division of labor is stripping away the idea of communal music, Except, apparently, in Cuba. Or at the very least, Guantánamo province. What brings this to mind is the splendid new three-disc collection ...

Various Artists: Modern Love

by Geno Thackara
July 4, 2021

Strangely, but perhaps inevitably, the strength of Modern Love is also the thing which makes it suited to niche appreciation more than widespread appeal. Mostly leaning away from the obvious pop and rock of David Bowie's catalogue, this tribute from the BBE Music label focuses on his cuts rooted in soul, R&B, jazz and blues (and often deep cuts at that). Likewise, the intent is for the artists involved not to play it safe but to take each piece somewhere ...

UrbanWorld Records Presents "Global Bass Vol. 3" on September 17

Source: Press Junkie PR
September 17, 2012

Get your visas - you're bound for a global party. We live in an exciting time for music. For the first time in history, artists from all over the globe can share their music virtually anywhere on the planet. Beatmakers from all corners can collaborate on music projects instantly, without requiring big investments or structures backing them up. This means a flood of songs pouring in from thousands and thousands of computers. More specifically, this means entire genres, which were ...
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Various Artists - Music Inside: A Collaboration Dedicated to Waylon Jennings (2011)

Source: Something Else!
August 5, 2011

By Fred Phillips Ah, the tribute album. It started out as a good idea—current artists getting together to salute a classic artist that had a major influence on them. But, then, it spiraled out of control. All of a sudden, everyone had a tribute. In the metal and hard rock world, small record labels sprang up that released nothing but tribute albums, often to bands that had only released a record or two. I remember once stumbling across a tribute ...
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Various Artists - Essential Chicago Blues (Not Now Music, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
March 8, 2011

European labels have long used their generous copyright laws to anthologize American music in a way their counterparts in the States find difficult. This compilation draws from a number of record labels including Chess and Vee-Jay, skimming some of the cream of the crop of American blues during the period 1951-1959. The electric blues boom during this period coincided with a social phenomenon known as the great migration, which brought many African-Americans north looking for better working conditions and more ...
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Various Artists - Andrew Vachss' Safe House (Relativity, 1998)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
December 22, 2010

Author and attorney Andrew Vachss has spent years fighting the good fight against child abuse and neglect, both in the courtroom (representing only minors) and writing his famous Burke series of dark crime novels. Reading the books, you learn that Burke (and Vachss himself) are deep fans of the blues. This compilation CD, with all of the tracks picked by the author is something of a soundtrack to the books, the music that Burke would listen to while cruising the ...
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Various Artists - CTI: The Cool Revolution (Sony, 2010)

Source: Music and More by Tim Niland
December 2, 2010

After helping to form the Verve and Impulse! labels, jazz producer Creed Taylor struck out on his own, lending his initials to his new label, and signing some of the most commercially viable jazz talent of the day. This four disc retrospective mostly covers CTI's years as an independent company during the 1970's. CTI was well known at the time for heavily produced music often employing extra percussion and string arrangements to make it more palatable to the general public. ...
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CD Review: Various Artists, "Crazy Heart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack"

Source: Pop Dose
February 2, 2010

Before we get too far into this, lets address the main question right up front: can Jeff Bridges sing? The answer is yes, but he sings like an actor.

The film Crazy Heart centers around Bridges character Bad Blake, a washed-up country music star now resigned to the bottle and the backwater bumpkin circuit. At this stage in his life there doesn't seem to be much hope for a second chance, yet that's just what appears to be heading his ...
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Verve Unmixed 4 | Various Artists | Album

Source: All About Jazz
May 14, 2008

Tracks 1. Cry Me A River 2. Gimme Some 3. There Was A Time 4. California Soul 5. Take Care Of Business 6. Bim Bom 7. Tenderly 8. Tea For Two 9. Dilo Como Yo 10. Evil Ways 11. Everybody Loves The Sunshine 12. I Get A Kick Out Of You
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Verve Remixed 4 | Various Artists | Album

Source: All About Jazz
May 8, 2008

Tracks 1. Cry Me A River (Truth & Soul Remix) 2. Gimme Some (Mike Mangini Remix) 3. There Was A Time (Kenny Dope Remix) 4. California Soul (Diplo/Mad Decent Remix) 5. Take Care Of Business (Pilooski Remix) 6. Bim Bom (Psapp Remix) 7. Tenderly (Mocky Remix) 8. Tea For Two (Chris Shaw Remix) 9. Dilo Como Yo (Antibalas ...
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