anarchist Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Guys, My trip to Miami provided the opportunity to select and listen to a few different titles outside my normal listening. By far, I am most thrilled with the sound of Eminem on my KSP400's. I love these speakers. They have never played anything like Eminem and Rap on them but, oh my God. It causes you to become very energetic. The clarity and bass in just outstanding. Ok. On to the music - this guy, despite or in spite of the hype, is truly a lyrical and musical genius. Frankly, I think he brings credibility to Rap. IF you have never listened to him and aren't concerned about profanity, pick up "The Eminem Show." This entire CD just joined my list of "can't do without." I also picked up the soundtrack to Braveheart. It is a monumental departure from listening to Eminem but whatever 'genre' this is, I dig it. It is very emotionally moving and a perfect choice for listening on the Tube amps and Heresies. Fantastic music if you want your emotions pulled rather than Eminem causing you to suddenly be possessed and need to dance. Anyone know other music selections which would be comparable to this soundtrack, genre, whatever it is. Then I lost my mind and decided Jazz must be tried. Picked up a compilation featuring Ella Fitzgerald. I can simply say wow. She is 'the Voice.' Simply unbelievable. Some of the musical selections on it don't do much for me - often the musicians seem disjointed, but her voice is priceless. She does an improv version of Mack the knife which is freaking awesome and shows off her immense skills. I WILL listen to her more on the tube amps. On a general note about Jazz, it seems to me some Jazz can be very boring and then other stuff is awesome, sounds almost completely different but is still Jazz. How do you wade through the pool and figure out which is hot and which, honestly, just sucks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Great to see you enjoy stretching a little. Although I don't own it, I'd agree about Eminem. The kid can write. Also check out The Fugees. Is the version of Mack the Knife the one where she forgets the words? I love that version. You can sense that she's by the seat of her pants on that one. As far as generalizations about jazz, I have found that it is helpful to have some musical knowledge of what the musicians are doing. It is ultimately not necessary, but it greatly enriches my enjoyment to know what's going on theoretically and functionally. The same holds true for any music, I think, but is more important for less "accessible" idioms like jazz and classical. Without some insight into the intent of the composer and/or performer, it is difficult at times to make sense of things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 "On a general note about Jazz, it seems to me some Jazz can be very boring and then other stuff is awesome, sounds almost completely different but is still Jazz. How do you wade through the pool and figure out which is hot and which, honestly, just sucks." What I do is leave the Jazz Channel on the stereo all day and at night when I'm too lazy to change records. When I hear a piece that really catches my attention, I write the name of the artist and album down and find a copy. That way I can listen to modern artists as well as some of the Moldy Oldies. The sound quality isn't the best or the worst, about MP3 quality I imagine but it is better than the news channel or Ellen! Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 I've been away for a while, but dropped in to see things are pretty much the same around here. Heading out to points east in the Airstream (last trip with the old Suburban before the new Dodge gets here in a couple weeks). Great post about getting into the intentions of the performer/composer. I have a neighbor who said to me the other day "I just don't like the kind of jazz where they all play the melody and then take turns making stuff up and then at the end they play the melody again." Fair enough . . . See you all in a month or so . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Have a nice trip Allan. If your in RI stop in. Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-MAN Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 The young Ella is especially fabulous. Unfortunately some of her best is somewhat badly recorded (by todays standard) on mono. It's a shame. This may P-O a few of the Norah Jones fan-club, but how does Norah Jones stack up against early Ella? Can't carry a tune in a bucket (IMO). For us history buffs, there are generations of persons whose accomplishments (albeit most lost to history) have given us, even minimally, the standards to reference when evaluating accomplishments today. Even with bad recordings, Ella had truly one of "the voices" of which comparisons SHOULD be made today. DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radiob Posted July 14, 2004 Share Posted July 14, 2004 Mack the knife? wasent that wrote by Jake and Elwood Blues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anarchist Posted July 14, 2004 Author Share Posted July 14, 2004 Yes D-Man, I initially was less than enthusiastic when the first couple of songs exhibited horrible surface noise - immediately thought man, isn't there a filter to kill that crap, but I played on. Many of the later songs either covered it up well or it was non-existent. That voice is amazing in any case. I think Jewel has an incredible voice, probably better than most today, but she can not match the purity of Ella's. It was the version where she didn't know the lyrics. Just ad libs throughout the song after the verse couple verses. Great. Enjoyed it more than just listening to the 'reg' version. Hey Alan, glad to see you stop in. Any recommendations on good recordings of Ella? Uh, not those super expensive versions you get; stuff for the cheap man testing the waters... oh, and Ella refers to swinging - is that a subgroup of Jazz? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 ---------------- On 7/14/2004 1:04:03 PM Allan Songer wrote: Great post about getting into the intentions of the performer/composer. I have a neighbor who said to me the other day "I just don't like the kind of jazz where they all play the melody and then take turns making stuff up and then at the end they play the melody again." Fair enough . . . See you all in a month or so . . . ---------------- Funny, reminds me of D0N! Thanks for that FW about the club date, BTW. Sorry I didn't reply, just been spending less time online. Have a great trip. How far east you comin'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben. Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 ---------------- On 7/14/2004 2:57:54 PM Anarchist wrote: Yes D-Man, oh, and Ella refers to swinging - is that a subgroup of Jazz? ---------------- While "swing" is often used as a sub-category, it more generally refers to the uneven division of the beat that the majority of jazz music employs. The way she was using the phrase, it's comparable to the modern "that rocks!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seti Posted July 15, 2004 Share Posted July 15, 2004 I think it's great when you find a new genre of music to love. I recently got sucked into old bluegrass and dare I say country music from the 30's hank sr etc. If you like emenem you should listen to the beastie boys if you haven't already "check your head" and their latest album "to the 5 boroughs". I listened to these two albums excessively last night. My poor neighbors they were so sad when they saw me bringing the belle's into the house several months ago : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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