THE JAZZ CONNECTION

I was never much into jazz music. Jazz music sounds to me a continuous displace of musical sound that goes all over the place but never really ends up anywhere. I know I may be insulting real jazz enthusiasms and lover of the gene but that's just me. I can accept modified jazz like Kenny G but real bona file jazz, sorry., it's just not for me. Anyway recently I've still managed to get my hand on a few jazzy Cds.


THE BLUES AND JAZZ COLLECTION ( 3 CD SET ) : I got this Cd unexpectedly and in the most ridiculous of situation. I saw this Cd but decided on a Michael Jackson's "This Is It" Cd which cost $15.00. While paying, the seller told me a Cd will cost $15.00 but if I were to choose another one, it'll cost only $10.00, so I choose this. I would never have bought it at the normal price 'cos I'll probably dozed off before I get to the third track.  All the three Cd have 16 tracks. CD 1 includes songs at diverse as Ray Charles ' What I Said', 'She Acts Like A Woman Should' by Marilyn Monroe, 'Fly Me To The Moon' by Frank Sinatra and 'Black And Blue' by Louis Armstrong. There's also' This Masquerade', titled here as ' Masquerade 'by Carman Mcrae. This song, however, belongs to The Carpenters whose version can never be beat. Still, it's nice to hear another version to the overly familiar one. CD 2 have 'Hit The Road, Jack' by Ray Charles, 'Sunshine Of My Life' by Carman Mcrae which was actually the Stevie Wonder classic. Elsewhere there are ' Mack The Knife' by Bobby Darin, 'Till The End Of Time' by Doris Day. 'Alfie' by Sarah Vaughan and 'A Man And A Woman' by Ella Fitzgerald. However it was Louis Armstrong's La Vie En Rose' that sealed the deal for me. I first came across this song on a pirate Cd and now I have it legitimately. It's one of those songs that even though you've heard it for the first time, you'll feel you've known it all your life. CD 3 have 'Straighten Up And Fly Right' by Nat King Cole, a rather strange version of 'Cabarat' by Louis Armstrong, 'Your Cheating Heart' by Ray Charles and ' Misty' sung unbelievably boring by Sarah Vaughan. There's even a number by Quincy Jones called 'Take Five.' which is possibly the best track on this disc.Given the diversity and various artists featured here, this would indeed be a jazzy heaven  for any jazz lovers but for me, it's draggingly deary. I can safety say that it won't be sitting on my Cd player for a while except for the Louis Armstrong classic ' La Vie En Rose' which to me is worth the price of the three Cd.  DOP : 28th July 2013.


POP CHILL 2 : This too I got at a ridiculously low price but this was a jazz album with a different. There are not original jazz music but actually disco classics reinterpreted in a jazzy lounge style. What was once raging dance music that makes you want to rock the floor are not transformed into easy listening elevator music. I don't know about jazz enthusiasms but it doesn't really work for me. What it managed to do is to transformed some of my favourite songs into uninspired so called jazz music. 'Hot Stuff', 'Lady Marmalade' , Le Freak' and even 'That's The Way I Like It' are all being tamed here. 'Oh Mammy Blue' is one of my all time favourite song and I can't forgive the way Trombo Combo or whoever it is murdered this song. It's almost unrecognisable. 'Killing Me Softly' so far is the only song that fits like glove into the genre, while 'Funky Town' is not too bad either. Somehow, the slower song works better in jazz as was 'Hooked On A Feeling.'  Surprisingly I quite enjoy 'Never Can Say Goodbye' the original of which I was never too fond of.  CD 2 have yet another nice version of ' I Will Survive' The other tracks that I like are 'Love To Love You, Baby' and ' I Can't Stand The Rain.' The rest of the tracks just doesn't work for me I'm afraid. DOP : 20th April 2013.