[rotation 48] mixtape: the jazz sampler
Friday, July 2, 2010 posted at 6:20 PM
Another mixtape for you, this time jazz-themed. I've meant to a jazz-themed rotation for a long time, and decided to create a two-disc mixtape instead. The first disc consists of instrumental music, and the second, vocal. Further description/review is below. This took a long time to compile and upload, so please comment if taking. - Haruhi ![]() Summary: A collection of jazz songs, ranging from classics from the likes of Duke Ellington to modern bands like PE'Z. This is a highly personal mixtape - by that, I mean that this is not in any way supposed to be a comprehensive sampler of jazz music, but rather songs that I personally like and think would make a good introduction to jazz and could be enjoyed by everyone, and not just serious jazz fans. Tracklist: Disc 1: 01. Akatsuki - PE'Z [PV] Disc 2: 01. Gallop - Pe'zmoku Download: Disc 1: MF [137mb] Disc 2: MF [33mb] Notes: - I'm not sure how the songs are arranged in the .zip file and in what order they will copy into your iTunes (I believe it may be alphabetically by file names), but the tracklist above is the tracklist I intended, for those of you who are picky about stuff like that. - Like I mentioned when I posted my first mixtape here, I don't create/upload .zip files often. If there are any issues, please let me know. Comments: I'm not going to do an in-depth review, but some quick comments about this mixtape for anyone who's interested: PE'Z is not featured four times on this mixtape without reason (five, if you count pe'zmoku, their collaboration with vocalist suzumoku). They are a modern Japanese group who I think, unfortunately, is on an "indefinite hiatus". I would consider them more fusion, they definitely have some rock influences. Their songs are so energetic and catchy; I especially love their piano solos and their pianist has also worked with Shiina Ringo and released some solo material as well. Definitely try them out - even if you don't like jazz. If you like PE'Z, SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS is quite similar in style. They're also a modern Japanese band, and while between the two I still prefer PE'Z, they're amongst my favourites as well. They have the same energy and passion. I find SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS brass players to be stronger. Both amazing bands that, unfortunately, don't get a lot of recognition - I rarely see their music shared or mentioned, which is why I included a substantial number of songs from both these groups in this mixtape. Percolotor by Spyro Gyra (man that's hard to type) is more of a funk chart, I played this in my school's jazz band last year and it was basically the favourite song of the whole group, so I just had to share it. It's catchy and and has some great solos in it. My favourite is probably the sax. Hiromi is a jazz pianist, so Old Castle, by the river, in the middle of a forest (what's with these names?) is a fast-paced composition that, duh, is focused around piano. The fluidity of this song is quite impressive, and I especially love the part at around 5:25 where it slows down and becomes more chordal, really letting the tone of the piano shine rather than just the notes. Beautiful. Metalwood is a Canadian fusion group, I love the way they blend rock and jazz. The growling bassline in Chronic is just fantastic. Although these guys are a fusion group, their jazz is a bit more intellectual than the two Japanese groups I mentioned above, IMO. However that certainly doesn't make their music inaccessible. I don't think Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, or Diana Krall require any introduction. All jazz greats - I tried to pick songs that are pretty mainstream, but we're getting into "real" jazz here, and these songs are all quite a bit older as well, so they might be more of an acquired taste. Joanna Wang's Latin-influenced Tikiville took a while to grow on me, but it did. I actually kind of hated it the first time I listened to it, but a few more listens have changed my mind. I've uploaded a lot by her in the past, so check the tag if you're interested. She's a young Taiwanese jazz singer, but IIRC she also spent some time in New York. Matt Belsante's rendition of Beyond the Sea is sweet, and while I'm not really a huge fan of him, I really liked it. I've heard his voice compared to Michael Buble's, if that helps. There had to be a jazz standard that pretty much everyone knows here, so we have Georgia on my Mind as sung by Khalil Fong ... I believe I've uploaded this in the past already, but oh well. Khalil Fong isn't a jazz singer at all, but I didn't want to upload a standard version of this classic. More: Here's some links to some straightforward biographies about some of these artists, in case you want to find out more about them. Hiromi | PE'Z/pe'zmoku | SOIL&"PIMP" SESSIONS Labels: Count Basie, Diana Krall, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Hiromi, Joanna Wang, Khalil Fong, Matt Belsante, Metalwood, Miles Davis, mixtape, PE'Z, SOIL+"PIMP" SESSIONS, Spyro Gyra, Thelonious Monk rotation 11 [remixes, my picks]
Thursday, May 15, 2008 posted at 7:26 PM
Rotation 11 is slightly smaller than my previous two rotations, but I'm spending a little more time on comments. I was intending to find some images of the artists/albums too, but I decided not to this time. The theme this week is remixes (this also includes different versions of songs), as well as a couple other songs I wanted to upload. I haven't uploaded the originals for most songs, but if you want, I can probably find them. Just leave me an e-mail or a comment somewhere, and I'll be happy to put it up for you. =) Enjoy. -Haruhi REMIXES. La La La (DG YG Remix) - Se7en genre: Pop/Electronica language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I'm usually not a fan of electronica-type remixes of slow songs since I usually find that it takes away from their overall sound, but I have to say that Iike this mix. It's well done and puts a lot of emphasis on the bass, without losing the original essence of it. I actually really like the little eletronic-riff bridge. Probably one of the better remixes I've seen. Yes Forever (Piano Version) - MISIA genre: R&B/Ballad language: Japanese rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I uploaded the original of this song in my last update (not the last rotation, but the update in between). This is the piano version of it, which is just as good. She has a wonderful voice, but I do have to admit that this song can get boring after a while. If you like ballads, definitely try her out. Ashita wa kuru kara - Tohoshinki Ashita wa kuru kara (A capella version) - Tohoshinki genre: Pop/Ballad language: Japanese rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Probably one of my favourite Tohoshinki ballads. I always like their a capella versions, too. It has a sweet but simple piano accompaniment, the same could be said for the melody. The chorus always gets stuck in my head. Their voices are soft but not lacking strength. The a capella version is good, but the piano accompaniment is just a little too loud, in my opinion. But their voices stand out a lot more in the chorus. The harmonizing is well done, their voices blend together nicely. I think I actually like Jae Joong's voice best in these two songs. Together (Night Falls Mix) - Monkey Majik genre: Pop language: Japanese rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I uploaded this single a while ago, but without this remix. It's got a kind of bossa-nova/trance feel to it. It's not as good as the original and although it's well executed, it just doesn't suit the style of the song very well. But if you're fan of Monkey Majik, it's worth a listen. Hit (Remix) - Cho Shin Sung genre: Pop language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I'm usually not a huge boyband fan, but I like these guys. The beginning of this remix is kind of annoying with the guy saying "Run it" over and over, but it's a nice, upbeat track with some pretty dang nice bass beats. Their vocals are good and the first verse of this song reminds me a LOT of Super Junior. I actually thought this was a cover of one of their songs, since they have a song called "Hit" too, but ... it's not. I love the parts where you can hear the glass breaking. Try them out, they're not bad. 너는 어디에 (Remix) - Cho Shin Sung genre: Pop language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Another upbeat Cho Shin Sung song, this song features smooth vocals and a surprisingly melodic chorus. While "Hit" reminded me of Super Junior, this song reminds me of Shinhwa, especially some of their older songs. The transition between the more aggressive verses and then the gentler chorus is well done. Love mode feat. PE'Z and VERBAL (m-flo) (pzq mode) - Clazziquai genre: Jazz language: English rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Clazziquai, PE'Z, AND m-flo - just looking at the artists made me pretty sure this was going to be a good remix, and I wasn't disappointed. I love the drums. And of course, PE'Z is amazing, adding a lovely touch of jazz to this song. The vocals are very relaxing and the lyrics are all in English. It does get kind of repetitive, but I'm recommending this because PE'Z is just awesome. Breakdown (Supreme Mix) - Epik High genre: Hip-Hop language: Korean/English rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Another one of my favourites from Epik High's fifth album, this mix of Breakdown features mostly English lyrics, though some of the rap verses are in Korean. While the accompaniment is pretty repetitive, this song never really gets boring to me. It's very upbeat. Recommended. One (Planet Shiver Remix) - Epik High genre: Hip-Hop language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I loved Epik High's One, but I didn't really like the remix as much. It doesn't keep many of the original elements of the song ... there's not even vocals for most of it, or they're not lyrics from the original song. However, it does go into the chorus of One, kind of - it's recognizable, at least. When "You are the one" is sung it's just beautiful, though. Everything kind of stops before it, and you're just waiting for it. Worth a listen. Color Your Soul (Pinch Remix) - Clazziquai genre: Eletronica language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Starts out with some nice piano chords, then leads into the first verse. It's very unique to Clazziquai's style, and I absolutely love it. Very relaxing. Fly Remix (Hidden Track) - Epik High genre: Hip-Hop language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Loving the drums. It's been a while since I listened to this song, this remix is pretty good ... it doesn't actually sound that much different except for the drums, which make it sound even more upbeat. 거짓말 (Lies) (Remix) - Big Bang genre: Hip-Hop language: Korean rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: This is a slower remix of Lies, with a very simple but lovely piano melody starting it off. It's got more of an acoustic sound than the original mix, and showcases their voices wonderfully. I think it's a live rip, but it's a very good one. The beat does pick up after and it kind of slowly transitions into the original version of the song. Recommended. MY PICKS. Call Me (Appelez Moi) - Blaise Plant genre: Pop language: English & French rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I'm in love with this song. In case you didn't know, this is Blaise Plant of Monkey Majik. The lyrics are very sweet and sad at the same time. Love is all that stands between usThe arrangement just blows me away. Love the drums & piano. Really I love just about everything about this song. Highly, highly recommended. With U - Big Bang genre: Hip-Hop/Pop language: English rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: Their English is getting pretty good. For the most part, it's understandable in this song. With U has got some pretty infectious beats, though it is pretty generic. The first time I listened to it I didn't really think it was that good, but it's starting to grow on me. This is from their upcoming mini-album in Japan. マイネイチャー - 超飛行少年 (Super Flying Boy) genre: Alt-rock language: Japanese rating: ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() comments: I thought this was ONE OK ROCK the first time I heard this song. The intro reminds me of Et cetera. Yeah, their style is pretty similar to ONE OK ROCK's. They're pretty good, try them out. Labels: Big Bang, Blaise Plant, Cho Shin Sung, Clazziquai, Epik High, m-flo, MISIA, Monkey Majik, PE'Z, Se7en, Super Flying Boy, Tohoshinki |