In 1997 Bob Dylan nearly died, and it seems like ever since, he's been out on the road trying to gather as many souls as possible, converting the world one by one with the fervor of a man who's been returned to his path by God himself. For the die-hard, the zealous, the purist, there are "field recordings" of virtually every show the man has done in the past several years … you could commit considerable time and energy sorting through them all, trying to find the best performances, the best setlists, the best sound. But for those of us who value time over money and trust the experts to handle the situation on behalf of everyone concerned, there is Rock of Ages, perhaps the most lovingly assembled and beautifully-packaged bootleg ever made…
Five stars for Ken Burns on this excellent compilation! I really like that Ken Burns was able to capture jazz from all the major periods of jazz from the traditional to fusion. Some say, as one reviewer did here, that bop was "crammed" in and traditional jazz was represented a little healthy in this series.
Video contains Europe 2000 - The Bootleg TV tour, which features around 10 hours of audio/video mostly never seen/heard since the concerts with versions of selected songs and improvs (usually two per night of each) from almost every show. Includes footage and music from 20 performances.
The Dutch composer Leo Smit (1900-1943) was a Holocaust victim, not to be confused with the fine American composer-pianist Leo Smit. This set collects all the surviving music by the Dutch composer, most of which he hid away safely before being shipped with his harpist wife to an extermination camp. Smit's composing personality has a wide range, but his most characteristic style owes much to Ravel (to whom he wrote an homage) and, often, to American jazz. Smit's chamber music has clear textures, firm rhythms, and a great deal of melodic and harmonic interest; his orchestral works are brilliantly scored, usually quite concise and effective.
Motörhead are not the kind of band that can easily be packaged into one neat compilation….
Willie Nile, The Bottom Line Archive 1980-2000, is two disc set, separated by a 20 year gap, and is a great example of Nile's long term staying power, and the loyalty that Bottom Line owner/curator, Allan Pepper (booker, or talent buyer does not suffice) extends to the artists that he really believes in. Exhibit a is this double-disc affair, highlighting two distinct eras in Nile's 35-year career. It is worth noting that one of the primary reasons we can enjoy the temporal contrasts contained in this collection is simply because, when Willie was ready to come back, Allan Pepper was just as ready to welcome him back to The Bottom Line. It was a second home for me, gushes Nile. Allan and the whole vibe of the club was so musician-friendly and warm. It was just the best place to play for that reason.