From: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org (basia-digest) To: basia-digest@smoe.org Subject: basia-digest V9 #118 Reply-To: basia@smoe.org Sender: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-basia-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk X-To-Unsubscribe: Send mail to "basia-digest-request@smoe.org" X-To-Unsubscribe: with "unsubscribe" as the body. basia-digest Friday, June 25 2004 Volume 09 : Number 118 Today's Subjects: ----------------- Re: Spanish interview [pineking@gwi.net] Re: Summer hits [Bill Roberts ] My personal Matt's Mood review (long) ["Leslie O." ] Re: Leslie/ Matt's Mood Opinion ["Leslie O." ] re: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) [steve7701@theriver.com] re: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) ["Leslie O." ] Re: Actually--it's a video! ["Leslie O." ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 01:11:59 -0400 From: pineking@gwi.net Subject: Re: Spanish interview Wackier than you? I don't think so.... I await Basia's profile on HM postage, so that I may become a Basiaphilatelic. > > Steve, > > I am SO relieved to know that there is someone wackier than I are!!! > What a relief! > > PhilPhil ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:23:32 -0500 From: Bill Roberts Subject: Re: Summer hits Quoting "Leslie O." : > > What a weird track listing. I do like the cover > but....interesting song choice. > > Reminds me of Simple Pleasures--another oddball cheapo > comp released in the US. I *did* like that track > listing though, from what I remember of seeing it. > > And both have ancient photos. > > --Leslie > > My Basia's "greatest hits" is the box set I bought containg her first three albums. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 11:21:42 -0700 (PDT) From: "Leslie O." Subject: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) How much did I love Matt's Mood? Enough to write a review for Amazon. I realize it's pretty generalist, but I didnt want to bog down casual users with mass geekdom. I've written the occasional bit for computer mags, but I'm hardly a pro! Just someone who wanted to recommend the album to everyone I know and don't know. ;) Old bands rounding up their old members usually spells trouble for all involved. But when you're Mark Reilly and your old mates are Danny White and Basia Trzetrzelewska, it's a freaking great idea, and Matts Mood demonstrates the monster talents of all. Its a fantastic amalgam of pop, jazz, swing, Latin, retro, lounge, spy, in both English and Polish, thrown into a great spin. It wont freak out any fans of either the 86-03 Matt Bianco or of Basias solo work, but at the same time MB changes up the game by going more retro on many tracks, and it works well for them. You can hear snippets of stuff reminding you of anything from Brazil 66 to Manhattan Transfer to soundtracks from swinging movies like Pink Panther, Mission Impossible or the James Bond seriesand all done with love, not with cheap irony. These three tried this twenty years ago on the Whose Side Are You On album and while that was quite good, Matts Mood fulfills the promise that the first album didnt quite deliver. Danny White has morphed into an even bigger piano virtuoso than on his last recording with Basia -- and that says a ton, because his playing on The Sweetest Illusion was first rate. Not only does he deliver gorgeous straight piano work, he also handles the more electric-keyboard and organ sounds with finessein lesser hands, the 60s feel of the music could have been turned into a schlockfest or have gone overly campy. Instead, the arrangements are complex without being overdone, and everything sounds natural even if it comes from electronic equipment. Hes always been underrated and one truly hopes he gets the acclaim hes long deserved from this recording. Basia sounds as if ten years had never passed, and it could be argued that these songs are among her best vocal work to date. She seems to be having a great deal of fun too, particularly on La Luna, and tracks like Say The Words are beautifully done. Her lyrics, while not as confessional as on her solo work, have enough intrigue to add another dimension to her vocals, and true to form she sings a bit in Polish as well, making it sound sexier than French on Wrong Side of the Street. Some of the songs do sound like they could have been from a lost solo album (Ordinary Day, Say The Words), but instead of relying on past glories, Basia changes it up and goes far more jazzy on the majority of the album. When on background vocals, she does a great job translating her signature overdubs into this retro-cool setting. In fact, she fits right into the era-specific feel of songs like Kaleidoscope and Slip and Sliding. Lets hope this brilliant singer at the top of her game doesnt go into hiding again. Hardly the least, Mark Reilly provides the swagger and the 'tude of the group. Kaleidoscope, in his hands, is a swinging bachelor pad anthem, and I Never Meant To is swoonworthy. Its been commented by many Fisher/Reilly-era fans that he gets underutilized on this album, and I dont quite agree, but I would have loved to have heard some more of his sass nonetheless. Its not too often that someone can both compliment and contrast with another voice, but Mark does both, and it really makes the album workespecially on the striking Wrong Side of the Street. His brand of cool is a necessary part of the groups chemistry, and I really hope we get to hear more of it on a future MB project with this lineup. And if all that werent enough, the musicians are absolutely top shelf throughout. Killer flute and sax work comes courtesy of Andrew Ross, and his solos on Matts Mood III are just knockout. Kevin Robinson meanwhile contributes right-on 60s-styled trumpet and flugelhorn arrangements, but then will go completely left field with an offbeat trumpet solo here and there (speaking of solo records, Robinson should put one out). Peter White delivers lovely guitar work that fits right in with his own solo repertoire. Most of these guys have worked with MB or Basia over the years, and on this album it sounds like the best kind of gathering of friends (as well as brothers and partners). Especially great is the incorporation of unreleased baritone sax solos by the late Ronnie Rossabsolutely ace playing. At the same time charmingly retro and freshly current, and both emotive and just plain fun to listen to, Matts Mood is a fantastic album. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up now--even on import, its a bargain. So there you have it. And finally, I truly hope at least some of you checked out that promo .wmv on the official MB site, because no one seems to be mentioning it. Curious, that... - --Leslie Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 15:27:28 -0400 From: "Paxety Pages" Subject: Re: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) Great review, Leslie. I looked at the video on the web site and liked it a lot. It's good to see the three of them as people, moving and interacting, not just still photos or voices. I'm not aware of anyone else doing this - releasing a promotional video only on the website, but it seems to me to be a good idea. Now, if they would just do like Norah Jones and post some live performance clips on the site ...., OK, I'm asking too much. un abrazo, juan ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 22:07:44 +0200 From: Mondony Subject: Leslie/ Matt's Mood Opinion Great Leslie. Need we say more ??? No. Definitively No. Nothing to add. Mondony ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 13:24:39 -0700 (PDT) From: "Leslie O." Subject: Re: Leslie/ Matt's Mood Opinion - --- Mondony wrote: > > Great Leslie. Need we say more ??? No. Definitively > No. Nothing to add. Yeah, I know it was kinda long... Amazon allows 1,000 words so I figured I'd take advantage of that. Comes across as awfully long-winded on a mailing list, though. - --Leslie __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 13:38:26 -0700 (MST) From: steve7701@theriver.com Subject: re: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) Thanks for posting the review, Leslie - sounds great. I've wandered through the Matt Bianco web site pretty thoroughly, other than checking out the video. I just never seem to have the time, and being the last person on earth with dial-up, it's daunting to realize I have a slow download ahead of me. Took me most of an hour the other day to download the "Wonderfalls" music video...so I better figure on 2 hours if the MB promo is 10 minutes long. Steve R. ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 14:43:14 -0700 (PDT) From: "Leslie O." Subject: re: My personal Matt's Mood review (long) > I've wandered through the Matt Bianco web site > pretty thoroughly, other > than checking out the video. I just never seem to > have the time, and > being the last person on earth with dial-up, it's > daunting to realize I > have a slow download ahead of me. It's also a bit buggy--even on my DSL connection. As is the whole MB site... whoever is doing it really needs to finish it. - --Leslie __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 100MB free storage! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 22:41:16 -0500 From: "Kamille" Subject: Re: Actually--it's a video! I know I'm way behind on my Basia e-mails, but I finally watched the aforementioned video. What a treat! Did anyone catch Mark making reference to Kevin Robinson as "Basia's partner and soon-to-be husband" -- to which she blushingly replies, "oops"?!?! A great, personal moment. Kamille - ----- Original Message ----- From: "Leslie O." To: ; Sent: Monday, June 21, 2004 10:05 PM Subject: Actually--it's a video! > > Blame it on my work computer, not on any lack of > observation on my part. Indeed its a video, making it > 10 times cooler then. Essentially a tour through the > album and they talk about the songs and the bits > behind them. There's bits of the Ordinary Day video. > And a nice tribute to Ronnie Ross. > > They all look good. I still say Danny is a young > Patrick Stewart but that may be the shiny head. ;-) > Basia looks not terribly different than on the New Day > compilation-- just older, obviously. Very cute, that > bit about Golden Days by the way. > > Watch it, darn it, > Leslie > > > > __________________________________ > Do you Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Mail Address AutoComplete - You start. We finish. > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 21:07:22 -0700 (PDT) From: "Leslie O." Subject: Re: Actually--it's a video! > Did anyone catch Mark making reference to Kevin > Robinson as "Basia's partner > and soon-to-be husband" -- to which she blushingly > replies, "oops"?!?! A > great, personal moment. My thoughts exactly. - --Leslie (still though, after 13 years? Egads!) __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail - 50x more storage than other providers! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail ------------------------------ End of basia-digest V9 #118 ***************************