Reviews by markjazz

I believe this is Ravi's first release as a band leader and I would say it's an ok release. Nothing great but it has some good tracks. The track Mixed Media was my favorite on here. Really good tempo and a great 8 minutes overall. Steve Coleman produced this album and he appears on a couple tracks too so if you like him then I would recommend this album for sure. To me, this is one of those standard type jazz releases that I wouldn't regret owning if I had bought it but since I borrowed it from the library I probably will not be buying it at all. However, that doesn't mean I won't check out his future releases. Ravi does know how to play!

Picked this little gem up for under $4 and it's well worth it. 'Hammer Smashed Face' is still my favourite track by this group and the two covers are pretty interesting to hear as well. 'Zero the Hero' being a damn good one. It's probably the longest song these guys have done and that's fine with me. The more metal the better. The vocals are also done very well as I can actually hear what is being said, which is a switch. Not that I listen to death metal so I can hear the lyrics but I think for a cover song it's a must.

This was a pretty cheap buy if I remember correctly and I'm surprised I'm the only one on this site that owns it, for now anyway. The recording is pretty average and the song selection is pretty average too, as far as jazz goes. The back cover of this album states "Rare Live Recordings - Only For Collectors" and after that there's a big blurb stating this session is from private tapes and sound quality is not up to par and blah blah blah, but you turn it up loud enough and the music sounds great. Your able to hear all the instruments clearly and there's no crowd chearing accept at the ends of each track so that's ok too.

When you take a look at the track lengths it should come as no surprise that yes, every player in the group gets they're own solo, and a fair sized one. I think this album features the longest version of Take the "A" Train ever! I love longer tracks like this as they remind me of the old JATP sessions back in the 40's. Not that I was ever there but I do own a few of those tracks and they're still my favourite. The style that this quartet plays is pretty much cool jazz with a hit of hard bop at times. There isn't a whole lot to comment on the music, aside from the fact that it is awesome jazz at it's best played. This session was recorded before they became super famous after the 1959 recording of Time Out so it's interesting to hear this band a year before they recorded that classic album. Damn did they sound like the best quartet ever!

Credits/ Notes:
Bass - Eugene Wright
Drums - Joe Morello
Piano - Dave Brubeck
Alto Saxophone - Paul Desmond

Recorded live in Berlin, Germany, February 22, 1958.
Tracks 1 and 4 are previously unissued.
TRT: 75:30

A great DVD showing the Dave Brubeck Quartet live at two concerts. Watching them play live is interesting because you can see each of them feed off each other. It seems ever member of the band is looking in awe at one another during the solo's too. Watching Dave Brubeck at the piano is just amazing. He has a way of making it look so easy and some of his solo's in these tracks are just brilliant. A thing to note is the second version of Take Five track features no drum solo and I must say it doesn't destract anything from the classic track, but it is nice to hear Joe Morello wail away when he can. There is also a 20 page booklet that comes with it the DVD packed with pictures and text.

This is a great concert and it's probably my favourite live performace from Anthony and his group. It has some pretty haunting elements at times and this is the first time I've heard the use of guitar in free jazz, which sounded awesome. There was acoustic and electric guitar during this 1 hour track. Something that also surprised me was the use of noise elements, mostly feedback and reverb, but it was very effective. It wasn't too harsh and at times it made this track sound even scarier. What I like about this track is what noise does to me, it makes me want to listen to it again because I know I missed something on the first listen and it gives this album replay value, which is what I love to hear in free jazz....and noise.

An interesting experimental album for sure. There's some musical elements in here as well but for the most part it's ambient material from Mark Spybey and light noises from Ambre. I haven't heard anything else by Ambre but I'm a hugh fan of Dead Voices on Air so that's the main reason I bought this. There isn't a really boring part for me on this album but it's one of those 'like it or hate it' type albums. You'll either like the noises or you won't. I use the term noise loosely because it's not harsh or anything. Some tracks sound like field recordings mixed with ambient sounds. I like this because it gives the release some replay value. I need to listen to it more than a few times if I want to pick every sound up and remember each track. I would also say that if you a fan of Dead Voices on Air you'll like this a lot. It sounds like a DVOA release in the end.

This is the only album I own by this artist and I must say I don't like it much. Oddly the thing I like most about it is the remixes. Namely tracks #6, #9 and #10. The first three on here are ok but it's not much of an album overall. It sounds dated and sounds like it was released well before 2002. Some tracks run a bit to long too. I do like this artist though and I've heard his remixes he has done himself for other artists, which I like. In short, not a good release but I'm not giving up on him either.

It took me a while to get into this game but once I did I found myself playing it a lot. I love the artwork and the level designs are awesome. The music is ok and there isn't much of a story but the game play sure makes up for it. There's a lot to do with in each level and I like that because it adds to the replay value in a game. I can pass the game and then still enjoy replaying levels when ever I need. I love the fact that you can play each level as a bunch of different characters too and my favorite levels are the boss fights because the game turns into a side scrolling shooter.

One thing you'll notice when you play this is you might invent a few new swear words because some of these levels are a challenge. However, in saying that it's a challenge that can be overcome but just replaying the level over again until you've figure out how to pretty much speed run each one. Overall it's not the best game I've played on the Wii but it sure is a classic in my book.

I want to rate this game higher because it has such a nice look and style about it and overall story is interesting too. It's like a game Tim Burton would have created or something and the level designs are neat too. However, the camera control is bloody aweful and ruins ones overall enjoyment of this game. I own the PSP version of this game and it plays a lot better because the camera is controlled with the L and R buttons, not the damn small + and - buttons on the Wii control. Anyway, I wouldn't recommend this if you own the Wii but if you have a PSP this game is a damn good one!

I finally found out where this drum sample came from!!! It's from the track 'September' on that album 'Revolutions' by Jean Michel Jarre! Anyway, this is the best track from Coldcut imo. Such a sad sounding track with a glimmer of hope in the end. Kind of sums up humanity in a way. I've always loved this song and even all the remixes are pretty good. The video is brilliant too.