K eeping in the vein of jazz music, I'd like to take a minute to visit this wonderful offering from a name as synonymous to modern jazz recordings as is the Shure SM58 to unbreakable microphones.. by the way, have you checked out my jazz CD Raw Jazz? It's available at HMV stores in Hong Kong and Singapore... I digress.
 Quiet Nights - Diana Krall
Quiet nights, a sensuous trip down the coasts of Rio. Corcovado sheaths the footpath to a warm wooden
cottage by the sea. The new wave ushers in the midnight calm. Bossa nova never quite sounded so serene.
I've not heard nearly enough recordings from this
wonderful piano-playing songbird from the West, the
pride and joy of Canada, torch bearer of popular Jazz music in an age where
most listeners ditch live music venues for a pair of in-ear headphones or
computer speakers that connect to devices promising the whole-world-wideweb
of musical download options at their fingertips, within the click of a mouse.
This is her 12th album, she is Diana Krall.
I've always enjoyed listening to ladies on the keys. No disrespect to the great
men who constantly pave the way to greatness in the mind-boggling craft of
musical creation and expression. I simply feel an affinity to the delicacy and
pretty choice of notes in female piano players that keep me coming back for
more.
Mrs Costello's piano playing on this recording is soft and subtle. No more hunks
of chords or buoyant solos. Just the tender kisses of a woman's fingers on
wooden keys and the eloquent whispers her effortless voice.
This recording is so easy on the ears.
What's impressive to me is the amount of sophisticated content built within
this extremely intimate product. I may be biased but I have to state once more
for the record - Al Schmitt is truly the master of space and depth in the stereo
realm.
Kudos are due to another master in session - Claus Ogerman. The orchestral
arrangements are simply, for lack of a better adjective, beautiful. I could go on
for hours on the genius of his chord substitutions and the deceptively simple
lines that caress Diana's quartet through each song (ok, maybe just a couple of
minutes, I'm not exactly THAT knowledgeable).
I personally enjoyed "Walk on By" very much.
The absence of the horn reply in the first chorus got me wondering for a
second but when it did come in on the repeat chorus... gorgeous, beautiful,
heavenly.
 Try! - John Mayer Trio
Another musical hero, come at the nick of time to
breathe life into this mp3 popping era of musical
audiences, is John Mayer. To me, he is a blessing long
overdue.
I remember getting hooked to "City Love" off his debut
album. I remember having it on repeat on my tiny hi-fi
set in my tiny bedroom in Tokyo during a work trip. His solo guitar rendition of
"Neon" on David Letterman had me bewildered for the longest time.
And then this- the John Mayer Trio, Pino Palladino on bass guitar. Steve Jordan
on drums. John Mayer on vocals and the electric guitar. I remember searching
all over the internet to catch snippets of their live performances on TV, charity
shows, talk shows and sketchy digi-cam footage of their gigs. I was feeling truly
grateful.
I had become some kind of a fan. I don't know the words to most of his songs
so I guess that disqualifies me from membership as a true blue fan, but I must
admit I am a great admirer of his musicianship.
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I've always been crazy about three piece bands. It's absolutely magical to see
and hear a guitar-bass-drums-setup coming together to groove so hard, your
heart stops.
Cream- Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and Eric Clapton, got me going crazy with
their insane virtuosity and mastery of blues rock. There might have been stories
of their super star egos not getting along too well but the recordings were just
OH-MY-GOD. The Red Hot Chilli Peppers was another mind blowing trip for me,
I mean I love their songs and bought all their records. But it was that one time I
saw them live, when Anthony Keidis went off-stage for a quick break and the rest
of the band got into a three minute jam, that I got so excited and choked up that
I found my self holding my breath at the tail end of John Frusciante's feedback
not long after the last chord was through.
This JMT CD was a gush of nostalgia, a wake up call for me... I soon found
myself going through old Led Zepplin and ACDC videos.This guy is doing these
amazing things on his guitar while singing so steadily on top of it. He's got such
a heavy rhythm section behind him. To top it off, it's a live CD.
His tributes to the late great Jimi Hendrix got me going "damn". HE takes them
on like seasoned blues cat. The real deal. This CD also turned me on to "gravity"
and "daughters". Such beautiful songs. His recent live DVD is definitely a step up
to this recording. If you're new to John Mayer's recordings, allow me to suggest
you start here and move on up. John Mayer is surely a musical icon in the
making; if not one already.
 No Line On The Horizon - U2
And now for the motherload. How wrong can you go
with one of the most decorated Rock and Roll bands
in the world, a multi-million dollar album budget, a line-up
of production heavy weights from likes of Brian Eno and
Danny Lanois to Steve Lilywhite and John Davis.
Allow me to save you the redundancy of reading about
the details of an album that you might already own or could easily read up on in
just about any publication with a review section. Rather, I'd like to take a moment
to share with you the gravity of this band's music on my musical life and career.
I confess, I'm a U2 nut., so lock me up and throw away the key. It was after my Alevels,
waiting for enlistment into the Army. It was the living room couch. Remote
in hand. I pushed play after inserting the "Rattle and Hum" video cassette into
the player. I could not watch more than three songs at a go without needing
to pause to catch my breath. It was helter skelter. It was silver and gold. It was
Exit. It was in God's country. It was where the streets have no name. It was
unbelievable.
Three instruments and a voice hit me through the TV speakers like a speeding
18 wheeler straight out of hell. (and some synthesizers as well, but back then it
wasn't that evident. Bono's guitar was not quite audible either so let's just keep
it as that)
Everytime, without fail, by the third song, I'd have a knot in my chest. I'd have to
go down to the kitchen to get a drink before returning for another emotional
pounding in the form of the next three songs.
It changed the way I thought about music making. It was such a rush, it made
me want to be able to provide a similar experience to another person. It was
where I believe this little career in this little corner of the globe might have
begun.
Since then, I'd pick up just about any recording or DVD with "U2" on it. I hereby
disqualify myself from any further form of commentary on this rock and roll
album.
A little bit about Hanjin
Hanjin is a "Jack of all trades", and there are only a few in Asia. He is an award-winning record producer and songwriter, a trend-setting arranger and mixer, as well as an acclaimed singer who happens to be a show-stealer.
On March 20, 2009, Hanjin released "Raw Jazz", his debut Solo Jazz Vocal Album. In this back-to-basics Jazz album, he sings 11 Jazz standards with a three-piece band, Jason Cheng (piano), Paul Candelaria (bass) and Skip Moy (guitar). "All songs were recorded in one-take, in the format of live recording sessions," says Hanjin, "to make it raw."
Hanjin currently serves as an ambassador for Diesel:U:Music founded by renowned fashion brand Diesel.
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