Manon of the Spring (1986)

Apr 29, 2009 by Mr. Nau Manon is all grown up and bent on revenge in this sequel to Jean de Florette. She’s the daughter of the hunchback driven to an early grave by their neighbors, one of whom falls in love with her this time. A good script and memorable acting anchor an entertaining […]

Sonny Stitt – The Good Life (1980)

Apr 29, 2009 by Mr. Nau Sonny Stitt picks up the tenor saxophone on this fun set of standards. His hard bop playing is magnificent and the intricacy of his solo work shows an obsessed devotion to his own development. Hank Jones, George Duvivier, and Grady Tate (who sings on some tracks) lend rhythm section […]

Barry M. Farber – How to Learn Any Language (2006)

Apr 28, 2009 by Mr. Nau Barry Farber, President of the Language Club of New York, offers a plethora of helpful tips and useful advice for language learners in this quick read. He offers his own method of language learning, which he calls the multi-track system, to help students gain fluency quickly and more completely. […]

Dizzy Gillespie – Dizzy Gillespie Jam: Montreux 77 (1992)

Apr 28, 2009 by Mr. Nau Dizzy Gillespie helms this rare live set from the 1977 Montreux Jazz Festival, sharing the stage with the likes of Jon Faddis and Milt Jackson — not to mention a rhythm section full of legends. The music here is classic bebop, with Diz, Faddis, and Jackson riffing off each […]

Various Artists – Es Vive Ibiza 2007 (2007)

Apr 28, 2009 by Mr. Nau This huge triple CD set from Fierce Panda features three continuously mixes totalling forty delectable house cuts. The first CD, Poolside, warms us up with soulful deep house. Disk 2, Evening, picks up the tempo with smouldering dancefloor anthems. The last, Afterhours, takes us to the afterparty with electro […]

Blue Six – Aquarian Angel (2007)

Apr 27, 2009 by Mr. Nau The sophomore album by Blue Six is a nice, laid-back collection of jazzy house tracks, like Beautiful Tomorrow. This time out, though, there aren’t any big club anthems. Most of the music here pushes into downtempo territory, but it’s all very relaxed and well-crafted by producer, Jay Denes. Grade: […]

The Brother from Another Planet (1984)

Apr 25, 2009 by Mr. Nau In this low budget independent film, an alien drops into Harlem and tries to hide out among the residents. The alien doesn’t speak, but goes around fixing video games and trying to evade a pair of alien bounty hunters. While occasionally cheesy, this picture is hilarious, irreverent, and very […]

Take 6 – The Standard (2008)

Apr 24, 2009 by Mr. Nau Take 6 has owned vocal jazz outright for more than two decades. They approach a set of standards on this album in their unique style and feature special guests to help them out — giants like George Benson, Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks, Ella Fitzgerald, Aaron Neville, Roy Hargrove, and […]

DJ Sake1 – Fania Live 03 (2008)

Apr 24, 2009 by Mr. Nau In this mix set of rereleased Fania Latin soul singles, DJ Sake1 throws down a wonderful set of funky tropical grooves and jazzy soul, full of well-known names. The music here is accompanied by samples of lectures about the origins of Afro-Caribbean music, blended in with great effect. Grade: […]

DJ Rumor – Fania Live 01 (2007)

Apr 23, 2009 by Mr. Nau DJ Rumor mixes up twenty tracks of blistering Latin soul grooves and tropical funk in this wonderful compilation of tracks from the 60s and 70s. With heavyweight names like Tito Puente, Mongo Santamaria, Eddie Palmieri, and Ray Barretto, this jazzy set delivers a very satisfying, and remarkably unique, musical […]

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