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Rating: Eclectic figure of American entertainment, as well as the producer of the best-seller "Thriller" by Michael Jackson and composer of soundtracks, Quincy Jones created in '89 what he defines as "the project of a lifetime," namely to make a record with an extraordinary cast that includes great jazz stars like Joe Zawinul, Herbie Hancock, George Benson, Miles Davis, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald and many more.
The album is a pleasant crossover between jazz interventions, smooth Motown-style melodies, rap parts, and funky arrangements. The result is a very enjoyable, very catchy, and "black" album that brings together the old with the new, including trends born in the second half of the Eighties, like hip-hop and synth-pop.
And on this note, a point that might be considered a drawback from a certain perspective: the instrumental setup, although rich and well-crafted, is highly focused on the use of Eighties-style electronics. However, it is a very refined sound; the keyboard interventions are never "plasticky," and the entire album is permeated by a synth bass so powerful and "groovy" that it would make even the dead jump. The voices of the various performers are well balanced and rich with "black" nuances, and the melodic structure is solid, especially in the ballads. Particularly lively is the instrumental interpretation of "Birdland" by Weather Report.
In conclusion, without examining the 14 (!) tracks comprising the album, a very delightful album, very pop and smooth, crafted by old foxes of modern music, to be listened to even in the car to feel immersed in an American TV show from the Eighties...
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
09 Birdland (05:33)
Five thousand lightyears from Birdland
But I'm still preachin' the rythym
Long gone uptight years from Birdland
And I'm still teachin' it with 'em
Years from the land of the Bird
And I am still feelin' the spirit
Five thousand lightyears from Birdland
But I know people can hear it
Bird named it, Bird made it
Bird heard it, Then played it
Well stated
Birdland
It happened down in Birdland
In the middle of that hub
I remember one jazz club
Where we went to pat feet
Down on 52nd Street
Everybody heard that word
That they named it after Bird
Where the rythym swooped and swirled
The jazz corner of the world
And the cats they giged in there
Were beyond compare
Birdland, I'm singing Birdland
Birdland, Old swingin' Birdland
Hey man, the music really turns you on (ya turn me on)
Really? Ya turn me around
And turn me on
Down them stairs, Lose them cares
Where? Down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king there
Down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Where? Down in Birdland
Miles came through, Trane came too there
Down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakie too
Where? Down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall there
Down in Birdland, Yeah
There will never be nothin' such as that
No more, skoo be wah, no more
Down in Birdland, That's where it was at
I know, ah ah ah ah ah, I know
Back in them days bop was ridin' high
Hello, heh heh heh heh heh, Goodbye!
(Yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo yo...)
How well those cats remember their first Birdland gig
To play in Birdland is an honor we still dig
Yeah, That club was like in another world
Sure enough, Yeah baby
All those cats were cookin' on
People just sat and they were steady lookin' on
Then Bird, He came and spread the word
(Birdland)
Yes indeed he did
Yes indeed he did
Yes indeed he did, Yes he did Parker played in Birdland
Yes he really did
Yes indeed he really did told the truth way down in Birdland
Yes indeed he did, Yardbird Parker played in Birdland
Yes indeed he really did, Charlie Parker played in Birdland
Bird named it, Bird made it
Bird heard it, Then played it
Well stated
Birdland
It happened down in Birdland
Everybody dug that beat
Everybody stomped their feet
Everybody digs be bop
And they'll never stop
Down them stairs, Lose them cares
Yeah, Down in Birdland
Total swing, Bop was king
Yeah, Down in Birdland
Bird would cook, Max would look
Yeah, Down in Birdland
Miles came through, Trane came too
Yeah, Down in Birdland
Basie blew, Blakie too
Yeah, Down in Birdland
Cannonball played that hall
Yeah, Down in Birdland
(repeat under the following solo till fade)
Come in pairs, Down them stairs, Lose your cares
Him that cares gets it
Play the gate, Don't be late, It's a date
What d'ya know
Is it me, Is it you, It's a clue
Come in twos, Pay your dues, What can you lose?
Just your blues, So lose them!
(ad libbing till the end)
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