Bette Midler - Bette Midler Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook

Size: 73,1 MB
Time: 30:57
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2003
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. You'll Never Know (1:44)
02. This Ole House (3:02)
03. On A Slow Boat To China (Duet With Barry Manilow) (2:31)
04. Hey There (3:30)
05. Tenderly (3:11)
06. Come On-A My House (1:50)
07. Mambo Italiano (2:50)
08. Sisters (Duet With Linda Ronstadt) (2:53)
09. Memories Of You (3:20)
10. In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening (2:44)
11. White Christmas (3:16)

Cabaret icon Bette Midler reunites with her old piano partner Barry Manilow for the first time in over 30 years to toast one of their mutual idols on Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook. Clooney was one of the top jazz/pop vocalists of the '50s whose clear, bright tone, impeccable melodicism, and smiling, girl-next-door image came together to make classics out of tunes like "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" and "Hey There" -- both covered here. In that tradition, Midler's plucky blonde persona and genre-crossing style and Manilow's modern day blend of Mercer and Porter make this album work -- most of the time. Mostly what you get is the Divine Miss M and "Mister Manila," as Midler affectionately refers to Manilow, returning to their '70s New York roots on "On a Slow Boat to China," a solid and classy version of "Sisters" with Linda Ronstadt taking the Betty Clooney role, and a very Dixie Chicks-esque contemporary bluegrass reworking of "This Ole House." Least of all, you get limp, hip-hop-lite arrangements of "Come On-A My House" and "Mambo Italiano," which only serve to drain the songs of any swing and makes the twee-period lyrics all the more cloying. Nonetheless, Midler -- who can carry a tune on personality alone -- sounds elegant and alive here and Manilow's classy orchestral arrangements frame the proceedings with the urbane glow of nostalgia for a time -- be it the '50s or the '70s -- when a big band, a great song, and blonde with a nice voice were all you needed for a good time. ~by Matt Collar

Sings The Rosemary Clooney Songbook

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Diane Schuur - Midnight

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:30
Size: 111,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Meet Me, Midnight
(4:49)  2. When October Goes
(3:49)  3. Stay Away From Bill
(4:18)  4. I'll Be There
(4:12)  5. Consider The Point From Both Ends
(3:31)  6. What Is Love?
(4:06)  7. He Loved Me
(2:39)  8. Southwind
(3:31)  9. Our Love Will Always Be There
(3:32) 10. No Heartache Tonight
(3:58) 11. Good-bye My Love
(4:02) 12. Life Is Good
(2:59) 13. Anytime

Diane Schuur has been singing for an adoring public since the age of nine. Those who have praised and supported her talent include Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie, B.B. King, Stan Getz and Leonard Feather. She has been nominated five times for Grammy Awards and has received two, for Timeless in 1986 and Diane Schuur with the Count Basie Orchestra in 1987.  Midnight is a video-enhanced CD, Schuur’s third release for Concord Records and her first under the tutelage of Barry Manilow and his co-producer, co-writer and arranger, Eddie Arkin. Over the course of a year, Manilow, Arkin and their lyricists Marty Panzer, Bruce Sussman and Adrienne Anderson composed thirteen songs for Schuur; two of the selections feature lyrics by Johnny Mercer.

The attempt to create and maintain a smoky, after-hours ambience is generally successful, with good variety, order and pacing; Dan Higgins’ alto sax solos are especially poignant and communicative. The chemistry between Manilow and Schuur seems felicitous; the CD is produced and polished to a slick sheen, with big-name jazz and soul soloists, well-harmonized arrangements, and an orchestra of glistening strings conducted by Jorge Calandrelli. Schuur’s vocal instrument is in its usual fine form, with good rhythmic and harmonic sensibilities, three-plus octave range, and impeccable intonation (although her emotional intensity sometimes causes her to over-sing and her vibrato to become tremulous). The guest appearances by Allyson, McKnight and Manilow each fit their respective selections and arrangements to a tee. Those who like their music lush, polished, dramatic and emotional are apt to find this CD to their liking. Those who like an edge to their jazz, a spirit of adventure and unpredictability, would probably do well to look elsewhere. ~ J.Robert Bragonier  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/midnight-diane-schuur-concord-music-group-review-by-j-robert-bragonier.php

Personnel: Diane Schuur (vocals, piano); Phillip Ingram, Yvonne Williams (vocals, background vocals); Karrin Allyson, Barry Manilow, Brian McKnight (vocals); Eddie Arkin, Oscar Castro-Neves, Anthony Wilson (guitar); Gayle Levant (harp); Dan Higgins (flute, alto saxophone); Tommy Morgan (harmonica); Bill Liston (clarinet, saxophone, tenor saxophone); Warren Luening (trumpet, flugelhorn); Andy Martin (trombone); Alan Broadbent, Randy Kerber (piano); Alan Estes (vibraphone, percussion); Harvey Mason, Sr. , Peter Erskine (drums); Paulinho Da Costa (percussion).

Midnight

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Barry Manilow - Singing With The Big Bands

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 52:05
Size: 119.3 MB
Styles: Adult Contemporary
Year: 1994
Art: Front

[2:26] 1. Singin' With The Big Bands
[3:18] 2. Les Brown & His Band Of Renown - Sentimental Journey
[3:01] 3. And The Angels Sing
[3:18] 4. Jimmy Dorsey & His Orchestra - Green Eyes
[3:00] 5. I Should Care
[2:57] 6. Duke Ellington & His Orchestra - Don't Get Around Much Anymore
[4:27] 7. I Can't Get Started
[3:22] 8. The Glenn Miller Orchestra - Chattanooga Choo Choo
[4:48] 9. Moonlight Serenade
[3:24] 10. Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - On The Sunny Side Of The Street
[3:01] 11. All Or Nothing At All
[3:05] 12. Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra - I'll Never Smile Again
[3:25] 13. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
[2:50] 14. The Glenn Miller Orchestra - Don't Sit Under The Apple Tree (With Anyone Else But Me)
[2:29] 15. I'll Be With You In Apple Blossom Time
[3:07] 16. Where Does The Time Go

Like Neil Diamond, Barry Manilow embarked on a transition during the 1990s from being a contemporary pop singer/songwriter to being an interpretive singer on the model of Tony Bennett, who achieved a career resurgence around the same time with a series of thematic albums. Manilow followed 1991's Showstoppers, an album of songs from Broadway shows, with Singin' with the Big Bands, which found him covering swing-era standards, in some cases accompanied by the ghost bands of Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey, Duke Ellington, Harry James, and Glenn Miller. Les Brown & His Band of Renown were still active, and he backed Manilow on a rendition of his hit "Sentimental Journey." For the most part, the songs covered were known more for their instrumental power than for the vocals of people like Bob Eberly and Ray Eberle, and Manilow matched them, while soloists re-created the signature sounds of the big band musicians and the arrangements were subtly updated. So, for example, when Manilow sang Benny Goodman's "And the Angels Sing," he equaled Martha Tilton's vocal, and Warren Leuning aped Ziggy Elman's famous trumpet solo. Manilow got in more trouble with songs like "Sentimental Journey," originally sung by Doris Day with a marked sultriness he didn't even try to evoke, and with Frank Sinatra trademarks like "All or Nothing at All" and "I'll Never Smile Again." Born just after World War II, Manilow seemed to respond to the effervescence of the sweet swing sound, but to have no grasp whatsoever of the underlying longing and pain that went with and informed these songs of wartime separation. ~William Ruhlmann

Singing With The Big Bands

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Barry Manilow - 2:00 AM Paradise Café

Styles: Vocal And Piano Jazz
Year: 1984
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:04
Size: 112,9 MB
Art: Front

(5:22)  1. Paradise Cafe
(4:33)  2. Where Have You Gone
(4:05)  3. Say No More
(4:18)  4. Blue (with Sarah Vaughan)
(3:58)  5. When October Goes
(3:15)  6. What Am I Doin' Here
(4:24)  7. Good-Bye My Love
(4:13)  8. Big City Blues (with Mel Torme)
(4:16)  9. When Love Is Gone
(4:25) 10. I've Never Been So Low On Love
(6:10) 11. Night Song

In the liner notes to 2:00 AM Paradise Café, Barry Manilow confessed that the record's concept came to him in a dream and that it's the album for which he'd most like to be remembered. That's some top-shelf comment about an album that seems like a pretty calculated move toward long-term success as a vocal talent, like Mel Tormé or Sarah Vaughan, both of whom duet with him on 2:00 AM. That said, the album does lay down a dusty, late-night groove. Vocally, Manilow is able to sell the concept that this is all taking place in the wee hours inside a half-empty basement cabaret. The shuffling percussion of Shelly Manne is spot on, as are the cool tones of baritone sax man Gerry Mulligan you can just picture the blinking neon from the hotel across the street reflecting in the gold of his horn. Mundell Lowe's electric guitar adds a burst of attitude to the otherwise straightforward "Big City Blues," and Manilow and Bill Mays' piano playing is solid throughout. There's a bit of a problem though, since most every arrangement sounds essentially the same. After about half the record, it begins to seem like it's all happening in slow motion, or at least someone's just going through them. It's refreshing to hear stripped-down arrangements and Manilow experimenting a bit with his delivery to suggest he's singing after the streets have rolled up. All of this means that, while 2:00 AM Paradise Café is as pleasant as a nightcap, it's not the fine wine Manilow's dreams told him it would be. ~ Johnny Loftus  http://www.allmusic.com/album/200-am-paradise-caf%C3%A9-mw0000190888

Personnel: Barry Manilow (vocals, piano); Mundell Lowe (guitar); Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone); Billy Mays (piano, Fender Rhodes); George Duviver (bass); Shelly Manne (drums).

2:00 AM Paradise Café

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Barry Manilow - My Dream Duets

Size: 84,9 MB
Time: 36:12
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2014
Styles: Pop
Art: Front

01. The Song's Gotta Come From The Heart (With Jimmy Durante) (2:06)
02. Goody Goody (With Frankie Lymon) (2:12)
03. Dream A Little Dream Of Me (With Mama Cass) (3:07)
04. I Believe In You And Me (With Whitney Houston) (3:53)
05. Sunshine On My Shoulders (With John Denver) (4:33)
06. Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart (With Judy Garland) (3:17)
07. Moon River (With Andy Williams) (3:33)
08. The Look Of Love (With Dusty Springfield) (4:10)
09. The Candy Man (With Sammy Davis Jr.) (3:04)
10. I Wanna Be Loved By You (With Marilyn Monroe) (2:14)
11. What A Wonderful World/What A Wonderful Life (With Louis Armstrong) (3:59)

At 71 years old, Barry Manilow has reached the age when he can do anything he pleases, and what pleases him is singing along with old records by dead singers. That's all My Dream Duets is: Manilow brushing off his old cabaret routine so it can spruce up vintage records by Jimmy Durante and Judy Garland. He's not the only new element on these electronically rejiggered duets -- instrumentation, usually synthetic, sometimes as incessant as the drum loop that runs underneath "The Candyman," has been added -- but he's the notable addition, crooning full verses in addition to sliding in some corny asides. For all his showboating, he doesn't do much to distract from his idols. Time and time again, the singer who stands out on My Dream Duets is the original vocalist, the one who cut the track originally and stamped it indelibly with his or her own personality. Manilow recedes out of deference but also practicality: he's not duetting with a living singer; he's singing over an existing track and tailoring his performance to suit established contours. Consequently, there's not much dynamism here, but it's also not stiff because Manilow is so over the top. Perhaps that's Barry's natural response because there's nothing left for him to do but ham it up on the margins but, ultimately, that means My Dream Duets isn't much more than an exceedingly odd curiosity. ~Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine

My Dream Duets

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