Sage The Gemini Hoop Dreams (feat. Yhung T.o.) Single Aac M4a

Twenty-six home-grown Aussie superstars who have taken American basketball by storm.

A graceful, low-key session from a trumpeter capable of much more aggressive work, Hoop Dreams puts Joe Magnarelli in front of a mellow rhythm section anchored by the reflective pianist Gary Versace, with occasional cool, Joe Pass-style guitar lines by Peter Bernstein. This lineup would tempt many players to turn lackadaisical, but even on the slowest, most relaxed arrangements of these ten tracks (such as the lovely, glacially paced take on the Ben Webster standard "Old Folks"), Magnarelli gooses things along with short, crisply played melodic lines and fleet solos that give Hoop Dreams a pep missing from some similar small-combo lineups. Most interestingly, however, Magnarelli uses this lineup to pay tribute to Thelonious Monk, offering intriguing reinterpretations of "Monk's Mood," "Ask Me Now," and "I Mean You" that turn Monk's familiar spiky melodic lines into unexpectedly pretty ruminations that are a perfect fit with the relaxed, late-night vibe of Hoop Dreams. ~ AllMusic Review by Stewart Mason

This documentary follows two inner-city Chicago residents, Arthur Agee and William Gates, as they follow their dreams of becoming basketball superstars. Beginning at the start of their high school years, and ending almost 5 years later, as they start college, we watch the boys mature into men, still retaining their "Hoop Dreams". Both are recruited into the same elite high school as their idol, former Detroit Piston superstar Isaiah Thomas. Only one survives the first year; the other must return to a high school closer to his home. Along the way, there is much tragedy, some joy, a great wealth of information about inner city life, and the suspense of not knowing what will occur next. This is not a "by-the-numbers" film.