| Neighborhoods | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 20, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Yves Beauvais | |||
| Olu Dara chronology | ||||
| ||||
Neighborhoods is the second solo album by the jazz cornetist Olu Dara. [1] [2]
| Neighborhoods | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 20, 2001 | |||
| Recorded | 2000–2001 | |||
| Genre | Blues | |||
| Length | 43:42 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer | Yves Beauvais | |||
| Olu Dara chronology | ||||
| ||||
Neighborhoods is the second solo album by the jazz cornetist Olu Dara. [1] [2]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Robert Christgau | B+ [4] |
| (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
A writer for Time stated that Dara "makes music that doesn't just grow on you; it grows around you, locking you in an inescapable embrace, like an oak tree that's knotted around a fence. Once his magical blend of jazz and blues gets hold of the listener, there's no escape — and no wanting to leave." [6]
Geoffrey Himes of The Washington Post wrote: "The spontaneity of [Dara's] approach applies not only to his vocals and guitar work but also to his songwriting, which starts with a simple lyric theme and then improvises riff after riff on that idea. Observers who criticize the looseness of Dara's songwriting are missing the point; that very looseness is what allows the impulsive gestures that make his music sound so unpremeditated, so in the moment." [7]
The A.V. Club's Stephen Thompson called the album "an agreeable trifle, with no narrative momentum and only the most tenuous unifying thread," and commented: "In the World was strong enough to earn Dara a certain amount of slack, but Neighborhoods suggests that he spent decades preparing for that album, using up virtually everything he had to say in the process." [8]
A reviewer for the Orlando Weekly remarked: "Full of quirky narratives, mellow, semijagged riffs and an overall bucolic vibe, Olu Dara's Neighborhoods seems like a slice of life from his Natchez, Miss., roots filtered through New York's East Village... This recording is Olu Dara up front and natural." [9]
Writing for Tinnitist, Darryl Sterdan stated: "With a sound that borders blues, jazz, pop, reggae and just about any other African-based music you can name, Neighborhoods may be world music in its truest form." [10]
In a review for AllMusic, Scott Yanow wrote: "The music is mostly outside of jazz, more in the areas of pop, funk, reggae, and folk music. Unfortunately, the 11 performances... are not at all memorable, his singing is a bit mundane, and a guest spot for Cassandra Wilson... is rather forgettable. The results are disappointing overall." [3]
Jay Hardwig of The Austin Chronicle called the album "a satisfying return to the groove-filled fields of Dara's musical mind," noting that it "serv[es] up Dara's trademark mix of rural groove and lyrical come-what-may, songs about love, cinema, and fruit trees building over a gentle blend of riverine funk and artful improvisation." [11]
Critic Robert Christgau commented: "where 1998's In the World proceeded directly to limbo on the rough-hewn cobblestones of its noble intentions, here he gets somewhere. More direct rhythmically, more considerate melodically, discerningly observed and recalled until it gets all poetic on our ass, this is at least as educational as Maya Angelou, and much more fun." [4]
A writer for Billboard remarked: "Dara inhabits many a milieu here, from the juke joints of the Mississippi Delta and the back alleys of New Orleans' rambunctious French Quarter to the farther-flung ritual of a Congolese tribal dance... Dara revels in a spontaneously joyous musical atmosphere - as if the global village had its own folklore." [12]
Cassandra Wilson is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed with an unmistakable timbre and attack [who has] expanded the playing field" by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. She has won numerous awards, including two Grammys, and was named "America's Best Singer" by Time magazine in 2001.
Olu Dara Jones is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas.
Days Aweigh is the second studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was originally released on the JMT label in 1987 and later rereleased on Winter & Winter.
Mysterious Traveller is the fourth studio album by the jazz and jazz fusion ensemble Weather Report and was released in 1974. This was their final recording with founding bassist Miroslav Vitouš, who left due to creative differences. Vitouš was replaced by Alphonso Johnson. Another addition to the line-up is drummer Ishmael Wilburn. Greg Errico was the drummer for the tour between the previously released Sweetnighter and this album, but declined an invitation to be a permanent member of the band.
In the World: From Natchez to New York is the solo debut album by the jazz cornetist Olu Dara, released in 1998. Dara also sings and plays guitar on the album.
Blue Light 'til Dawn is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. Her first album on the Blue Note label, it was released in 1993. It contains Wilson's interpretations of songs by various blues and rock artists, as well as three original compositions. The album marked a shift in Wilson's recording style, mostly dropping the electric instruments of her earlier albums in favor of acoustic arrangements. A critical and commercial breakthrough, the album was re-released in 2014 with three bonus tracks recorded live somewhere in Europe during the Blue Light 'til Dawn Tour. The eponymous single was nominated for the Grammy Award as Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
New Moon Daughter is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson that was released by Blue Note in 1995. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard magazine jazz album chart and also won the Grammy Award as the Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Traveling Miles is the thirteenth studio album by American jazz vocalist Cassandra Wilson. Released on the Blue Note label in 1999, it is a tribute to Miles Davis, taking many of its cues from Davis' catalog of recordings with Columbia Records. The album was nominated for the Grammy Award as Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
Belly of the Sun is a studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was released on the Blue Note label in 2002.
Fourplay is the debut album by the American smooth jazz group Fourplay released in 1991 on Warner Bros. records. The album went to number 1 on the Contemporary Jazz charts, number 16 on the R&B charts and number 97 on the US Billboard 200. As an album, Fourplay has also been certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.
Ming is an album by David Murray, released in 1980 on the Italian Black Saint label and the first to feature his Octet. It features performances by Murray, Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, George E. Lewis, Anthony Davis, Wilber Morris and Steve McCall.
Home is an album by David Murray, released in 1982 on the Italian Black Saint label and the second to feature his Octet. It features performances by Murray, Henry Threadgill, Olu Dara, Lawrence "Butch" Morris, George E. Lewis, Anthony Davis, Wilbur Morris and Steve McCall.
Jug-A-Lug is an album by David Murray, released on the Japanese DIW label. Recorded in 1994 and released in 1995, the album features performances by Murray with Olu Dara, Robert Irving III, Bobby Broom, Daryl Thompson, Darryl Jones, Toby Williams and Kahil El'Zabar.
Dance to the Drums Again is the seventh studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson, released in 1992 via Columbia label.
She Who Weeps is the fifth studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson. It was released on June 25, 1991.
Are You Glad to Be in America? is an album by American guitarist James Blood Ulmer, recorded in 1980 and released on the Rough Trade label in the UK. It was mixed by Ulmer, Geoff Travis, Roger Trilling, and Mayo Thompson. A remixed version, credited to Ulmer and Bob Blank, with a different running order and new cover art, was released by the Artists House label in the US in 1981. The album was released on CD with a new third mix by Joe Ferla, but the original running order, and with a new cover design featuring a recent photo of Ulmer, on the Japanese DIW label in 1995.
Blue Gardenia is the twenty-fifth studio album by Etta James, released through the record label Private Music. It was produced by John Snyder, who had worked with James on five of her previous studio albums. Blue Gardenia contains thirteen jazz standards from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. All of the standards were arranged by pianist Cedar Walton, with the exception of "Love Letters", which was arranged by Josh Sklair. Between November 2000 and February 2001, Snyder and Walton assembled musicians to record tracks while James was recovering from a flu; her vocals were added following her recovery. In addition to Walton, artists appearing on the album included Red Holloway on tenor saxophone and Dorothy Hawkins, James' mother, who provided vocals on the title track. Hawkins died in May 2002, less than a year after the album's release.
Rendezvous is a collaborative studio album by American jazz singer Cassandra Wilson and jazz pianist Jacky Terrasson. The album was released on 23 September 1997 by Blue Note label. The album includes mostly jazz and pop standards with one track written by Terrasson. The album's title derives from an obscure Herbie Hancock's ballad.
Wildflowers: The New York Loft Jazz Sessions is a series of five albums recorded May 14–23, 1976 at Studio Rivbea, a loft jazz space in New York City, run by Sam Rivers and his wife Bea. The albums include performances by groups led by musicians such as Hamiet Bluiett, Anthony Braxton, Marion Brown, Dave Burrell, Andrew Cyrille, Oliver Lake, Jimmy Lyons, Ken McIntyre, Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre, Roscoe Mitchell, David Murray, Sunny Murray, Sam Rivers, Leo Smith, Henry Threadgill, and Randy Weston. The recordings were originally released in 1977 on the Douglas and Casablanca labels as five separate LPs, and were reissued in 1999 by Knit Classics as a 3-CD set.
Just Like That... is the eighteenth studio album by American singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bonnie Raitt. Released on April 22, 2022, it is her first studio album since 2016's Dig In Deep. The album was nominated for a Grammy award for Best Americana Album in 2023. Its title track won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Best American Roots Song and lead single "Made Up Mind" won Best Americana Performance.
