Into the Blu

I can’t say that I am all that familiar with the Sheryl Crow catalog and have never seen her live in concert. However, what I have heard on record, a little as it has been, I have liked, from her debut hit All I Wanna Do (has it really been 17 years, Holy Cow Batman!) to the other hit I am familiar with, Strong Enough. So, when I got the chance to get a copy of her latest concert release on Blu-ray, I figured I would give it a look to check out more of her music and her live chops. Continue Reading

One of the often far too overlooked aspects of the Blu-ray disc format is the audio. The video is great and all with those beautiful 1080p images but the audio is just as good, giving us the opportunity to experience at home, audio that is bit for bit identical to the studio master. While that is great for films, it is probably even better for music lovers, as it provides a way to get audio in the home that is identical to the studio tape for the first time. As a life long audiophile, I find that fantastic. While there are very few if any strictly audio Blu-ray releases around, there are quite a few Blu-ray concert discs available. Continue Reading

When I think of the very top tier in regards to audio and video quality on Blu-ray, I can’t say that shows produced for television come to mind. However, the subject of this review is a made for television production and a tribute show to boot. However, unlike most TV productions I have seen, it features video, audio, production and performances that are nearly perfect. The video is superb, the audio sublime and the performances exceptional. The subject of this review is Sondheim! The Birthday Concert produced my WNET in New York for PBS.

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History has a funny way of repeating itself, especially when it comes to battles over the popular music of the day. When I was a kid, I remember my parents would complain about the music we were listening too, how it paled in comparison to the music of their youth, namely Count Basie, Benny Goodman and Duke Ellington just to name a few. They did have a point as that music, now referred to as American Classical music, has surely stood the test of time and has a prominent place in my music collection.

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Well, it is October so it must be time for the release of new Christmas Music. After all, why wait until after Thanksgiving when you can get all the Christmas stuff into the stores now. The first of the new Christmas music releases is in and it is Michael McDonald This Christmas Live in Chicago. I missed this show when it ran on PBS’ Soundstage last year and as a fan of his music, I thought I would give it a spin. I am glad I did. Continue Reading

I guess I am dating myself a bit here by admitting that the Rolling Stones were the hottest thing when I was in high school. It was back in the early to mid 70′s when the band was at its best live, earning the moniker, “The Best Rock n’ roll band in the world”. I guess it was fitting to take a look at this release which features the Stones right in the midst of their heyday, 1972, during their tour of the US to promote their recent LP release, Exile On Main Street? Were they as good as many remember? Continue Reading

When I heard Hamlet was coming to Blu-ray, I was immediately asking myself whether it’d be Kenneth Branagh’s version or Mel Gibson’s… or perhaps Ethan Hawke’s modern telling. I was surprised to find that the first Hamlet to get the Blu-ray treatment was none of the above, but rather a screen adaptation of a recent stage version starring David Tennant and Patrick Stewart. How does this modern retelling of the classic Shakespeare play hold up to previous incarnations?

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When I first saw the new artwork for the Blu-ray of Near Dark it was reminiscent of a certain vampire romance saga that is currently sweeping the nation… I was immediately taken back, I began questioning my memory. When I first saw Near Dark all those years ago, it wasn’t some sappy romantic vampire film… It was a dark and awesome. Continue Reading

The Montreux Jazz Festival is arguably the finest music festival in the world. It has always been a dream of mine to attend the festival and hopefully, one day, I will be able to do so. However, with Blu-ray, with its high definition picture and lossless multichannel audio capabilities, we now have the technology that can transport us to a concert venue without us ever having to leave the couch. How successful this experience is in our home depends, in part, on the quality of the video and audio on a given disc, which can vary widely from release to release. The question to be answered today is how successful Eagle Vision’s Carlos Santana Presents Blues at Montreux 2004 is in being able to transport us to Montreux. The short answer, pretty darn good. Continue Reading

There is no doubt that Quincy Jones is a giant in the world of music, from his early days as a jazz musician and bandleader to his latter career as a record producer. In addition to many decades, his career in music spans all musical genres from jazz to pop, soul, R&B, classical and the blues. His signature is almost everywhere including being the producer of Michael Jackson’s greatest solo recordings, including the Thriller album, which in this writer’s opinion is the very best sounding pop album ever produced, due, in large measure, to Quincy Jones efforts. As he approached his 75th birthday, it was appropriate that a concert be scheduled to celebrate his long and distinguished musical career. I can think of no better place for that concert to occur than Montreux, Switzerland, home of the universally renowned, Montreux Jazz Festival. Continue Reading

I must say, it is a great time to be a music lover. While the recording industry overall is in the doldrums, especially CD sales, the advent of high definition and the lossless audio codecs supported by Blu-ray really provide for the first time, the ability to bring the complete live concert experience into the home via the home theater. Fortunately, we are seeing more and more classic artists taking advantage of all the benefits that the Blu-ray disc format brings to the table both visually and sonically. The latest example is the John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Friends Blu-ray release featuring Eric Clapton, Mick Taylor and Chris Barber from Eagle Rock Entertainment, which is a real crowd pleaser. Continue Reading

Reviews of concert discs are a funny creature.  Music is much easier to be pre-judgmental about than a certain film genre.  For instance, someone who isn’t crazy about dramas is still more likely to watch a drama than someone who dislikes classical music would be to watch an Andre Rieu concert.  Make sense?  Good.  Moving onward, I am more than happy to review the Blu-ray of my favorite music artist, Dave Matthews, and a good friend of his, guitarist extraordinaire, Tim Reynolds.  Continue Reading