Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas

Starring:Sarah Vaughan
Studio: PASSPORT VIDEO
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Imagine Sarah "The Divine One" Vaughan along with her fellow pop-jazz queens, sultry Lena Horne, Ella "The First Lady of Song" Fitzgerald, vibrant Dorothy Dandridge, and Billie "Lady Day" Holiday all on one DVD! Well here they are in vintage live performances, singin' and swingin'. No fan of jazz or pop music should miss out on this amazing collection.

Sarah Vaughan sings: Hot and Cold Running Tears Over the Rainbow The Nearness of You

Ella Fitzgerald sings: Dancing on the Ceiling (with Nat King Cole) Can't We Be Friends

Billie Holiday sings with Count Basie: God Bless the Child Now Baby or Never

Lena Horne sings: The Man I Love But Beautiful From this Moment On

Dorothy Dandridge sings: You Do Something to Me My Heart Belongs to Daddy

Sarah Vaughan sings: 'S Wonderful Experience Unnecessary You're Mine You

Amazon.com essential video

Alfred Hitchcock considered this 1943 thriller to be his personal favorite among his own films, and although it's not as popular as some of Hitchcock's later work, it's certainly worthy of the master's admiration. Scripted by playwright Thornton Wilder and inspired by the actual case of a 1920's serial killer known as "The Merry Widow Murderer," the movie sets a tone of menace and fear by introducing a psychotic killer into the small-town comforts of Santa Rosa, California. That's where young Charlie (Teresa Wright) lives with her parents and two younger siblings, and where murder is little more than a topic of morbid conversation for their mystery-buff neighbor (Hume Cronyn). Charlie was named after her favorite uncle, who has just arrived for an extended visit, and at first Uncle Charlie (Joseph Cotten) gets along famously with his admiring niece. But the film's chilling prologue has already revealed Uncle Charlie's true identity as the notorious Merry Widow Murderer, and the suspense grows almost unbearable when young Charlie's trust gives way to gradual dread and suspicion. Through narrow escapes and a climactic scene aboard a speeding train, this witty thriller strips away the façade of small-town tranquility to reveal evil where it's least expected. And, of course, it's all done in pure Hitchcockian style. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

Shadow of a Doubt.......2007-06-25

Hitchcock shows us how close to home treachery may be found in "Shadow", a subtle yet riveting psychological thriller about a small-town serial killer. The director himself considered this one of his finest achievements. Penned by playwright Thornton Wilder and based on the infamous "Merry Widow Killer" case, "Shadow" maintains a nerve-rattling mood of menace throughout. Highlighted by a chilling performance from Cotten, this film gives diabolical new meaning to the adage, "You can't pick your family."

Norman Rockwell meets Norman Bates.......2007-06-14

In my mind, Alfred Hitchcock was the greatest director in moviedom - bar none - and he considered this to be his favorite film. There are several reasons why this was so. First and foremost is the movie's insidious nature. We are taken to a stereotypical Mid-American town and are presented a scene of idyllic calm - Norman Rockwell brought to the big screen. However, all is not well as the center point of the film, Uncle Charlie, turns out to have a very dark side indeed. His adoring niece comes to slowly realize that things are not what they seem and that her "sainted uncle" is in fact a cold-blooded killer. From there, the suspense builds steadily until the film's climatic end. Norman Rockwell, meet Norman Bates.

The Truth About Charlie,.......2007-04-04

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

"Shadow of a Doubt" (1943), the story of a serial murderer as a loving uncle is the movie which Hitchcock himself had declared as his favorite. This movie is quite a departure from Hitchcock's previous Hollywood productions. For the first half, it is an intimate family dramedy that describes a typical American family in a typical small town, USA which in this film is called Santa Rosa, CA. Hitch said about the movie, "I am extremely anxious to avoid the conventional small-town American scene and the stock figures that have been seen in so many films." Much of the film was shot on location in a real California small town far away from the studio. The director worked closely with the famous writer Thornton Wilder on the screen (Oscar nomination) about a charming attractive young man (Joseph Cotten) who after many years comes to Santa Rosa to visit with the family of his older sister whom he truly loved. He brings into the lives of his relatives, especially his older niece and namesake Charlie (Teresa Wright) excitement and joy. Soon things begin look puzzling and even grim when two undercover detectives from a big city on the East Coast show up in Santa Rosa and reveal to Charlie who by the words of her father, "has brains" and the power of observation that her beloved uncle Charlie may be an infamous "Merry Widows murderer" on the run. The girl does not want to believe the detectives but she can't help noticing her uncle's strange behavior, his sudden and scary mood changes. The inscription on a gorgeous emerald ring he gave her as a gift makes her think of a previous owner of the pricey jewelry. She grows increasingly suspicious of the uncle who loves his niece but he loves his freedom much, much more...Unbearable tension builds up, leading to the series of accidents and to hair-raising climax in the best traditions of Hitchcock's movies.

Roles of a lifetime!!.......2006-12-26

Joseph Cotten and Teresa Wright both play the roles of a lifetime in this Hitchcock classic!!
damn, I'd love to see this on a big screen!!

Shadow Across an Innocent Age.......2006-07-18

A film of subtleties and evil in plain sight, Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt is a slow moving character study of young "Charlie," the namesake niece of elegant but sinister uncle Charles. Formerly of Philadelphia, his visit to a younger sister in California is the kind of long visit by a relative everyone dreads in hindsight. Situated and contrasted by the light and seeming perfect American middle class small town of Petaluma, suave Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotten) is all fine suits and manners of a bachelor gentleman.

Wholesome Theresa Wright is "Young Charlie," an average, and purposeless young woman whose guileless world has bored her by its failure to have meaning, although she is the cause. As a member of a family where everyone talks over one another without heeding, the kids prattle, the wife babbles, and the family's men persist in mindless discussions over how to plot a murder effectively as family dinner conversation. Somehow this oddness is translated as the norm in Hitchcock's translation of small town. A film of many dialogues, only one voice is audible without interruption: Uncle Charles. His dinner table monologue is most menacing as he describes the "useless, fat, women" who he sees as less than human and deserving of death. Until this moment, young Charlie had idolized her uncle until doubt is created by a detective played by MacDonald Cary. One of two detectives on a national hunt for the "Merry Widow" serial murderer, they have tracked the suspicious Uncle Charles across country to his unsuspecting sister's home and family. Once the seeds of doubt are sown, Charlie's dreamlike idealization of her perfect uncle and his world becomes shattered by her suspicion. Charlie no longer can fantasize about her dreamy uncle who she has erotic longings that can never be consummated. Once he realizes his charade is over, Uncle Charles rips away the curtain of sleepwalking in Charlie's perfect world with terrible consequence. The perfect world is not a nice place as Charlie's revelation is made all the more grusome through her uncle's warped eyes. As the evil grows more apparent, Charlie attempts to shield her storybook family by keeping them ignorant of his murderous past, but is it at a cost to her own happiness and life?

Hitchcock acknowledged the film was his personal favorite and it defines the notions of suspense, noir, and thriller without blood or visual carnage. A literate script by Thorton Wilder (Our Town) alludes to violence that is only suggested never seen. Through the physical presence of the brilliant character actor, Joseph Cotton (Citizen Kane, Portrait of Jennie), the menace and diabolic threat to the snow white, virginal Theresa Wright is alluded in eye, body language, and especially his hands. Sophisticated and cerebral, Hitch was playing with audiences creating a masterpiece of normalcy and idealized family values under a looming presence that cast a shadow of a doubt. Classic, for every suspense library.

Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned

Average customer rating:

Review Of The Damned
Incredible double feature
Two classic movies
"You are thinking of a brick wall. You are thinking of a brick wall.."
Alien Brats!

Village of the Damned/Children of the Damned
Starring: George Sanders , Barbara Shelley , Martin Stephens (II) , Michael Gwynn , and Laurence Naismith
Director: Wolf Rilla , and Anton Leader
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
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Village of the Damned
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ASIN: B00027JYMG
Release Date: 2004-08-10

Amazon.com

What's scarier than scary kids? Village of the Damned is the definitive scary-kid classic, a truly unsettling film drawn from John Wyndham's novel The Midwich Cuckoos. The brilliant opening sequence depicts the sudden and temporary paralysis of a small English hamlet, which is followed by the town's women becoming mysteriously pregnant. The spawn of this occurrence are a dozen eerie, blond-headed children, who are either gifted, evil, or "the world's new people." A splendid outing, not least in the way it catches parental anxiety about this small new stranger in one's home. (It was remade by John Carpenter in 1995.)

Children of the Damned follows up with a story about six more creepy kids, brought from all over the globe to huddle in a old church in London. An excellent opening half-hour gets bogged down in the movie's global-political ambitions (it's very much a cold war offering), but it has its share of shivery moments--the sight of the six youngsters striding down a London street as though they controlled the world is a chiller. But where's the blond hair? The two films are different in tone; Village feels like a fifties sci-fi offering, with an old-school star (George Sanders) and classical style; Children is a film of the sixties, with hipper techniques, urban setting, and young actors Ian Hendry and Alan Badel. But both have those damned kids. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Review Of The Damned.......2007-05-13

I saw both movies in a movie theater when I was a kid. I remember loving both. When I saw they were released on one DVD I jumped at the chance to buy it. I was slightly apprehensive about how much I'd enjoy them because I've learned that some movies that I really enjoyed as a kid I don't find very entertaining as an adult.
Yet, I loved both movies again. Very dark stories, well acted, well directed. You should get this DVD if you're thinking of it. You'll be glad you did.

Incredible double feature.......2007-04-24

I first saw the 1995 version of Village of the Damned when it first came back and really enjoyed it. It was just something I had never seen before and I thought that the children were incredibly freaky and that the story was very interesting and one that I wanted to know more about.. like who wrote it and where they got the idea from. After doing a little research on the Internet I discovered that it was based on a book by John Wyndam and that there had been an original version back in the 60's, so of course I jumped at the chance to check both out to see how different they were compared to the '95 movie. I wasn't disappointed!

This DVD features the original 1960 version of Village of the Damned and it's 1963 'sequel' Children of the Damned. Two incredibly classic films that you won't want to miss if you are a fan of original horror and science fiction films. Both are beautifully shot and have an eerie tone to them, especially VotD because of the likeness in the children, their white-blonde hair and glowing eyes. The second movie is the weaker of the two but still worth watching as it puts a new twist on the original story and film. The children are not similar in appearance to each other, but come from all around the world (different nationalities) and come together for a pretty violent showdown in an old abandoned church building where the government is set to destroy them because of the powers they have.

I highly recommend these movies, you won't be disappointed!

Two classic movies.......2007-01-03

Two essential John Wyndham adaptations. Village of the Damned is a good movie, and pays credit to the original story. Children of the Damned is not as much a sequel as it as a new twist to the same story, but in any case is well worth seeing. One should also include the movie Day of the Triffids based on another book by John Wyndham.

"You are thinking of a brick wall. You are thinking of a brick wall..".......2006-12-04

Despite having a name that sounds like a German-Japanese dinosaur movie and a drastically reduced budget after MGM got nervous over the possible reaction from the Catholic Legion of Decency, Wolf Rilla managed to deliver a genuine low-budget classic that makes light of its limitations in Village of the Damned. Surprisingly faithful to the source (The Midwich Cuckoos) despite the many changes, it's another variation on novelist's John Wyndham's big theme, the battle for supremacy between two species - in this case the human race and the intellectually superior children spawned after a mysterious alien intervention that sees a small village rendered unconscious in a memorably staged sequence that combines the mundane with the inexplicable. Rather than exploiting the premise and the dangerous telekinetic abilities of the children for shock effects (although they do demonstrate them in a couple of memorable sequences), for the most part the film is as much concerned with the twin dilemmas of whether the children are a potential boon or a threat to the human race and of finding a way to defeat or destroy an enemy that not only knows what you're thinking but which is still a part of your own family. With an excellent screenplay, tightly constructed and imaginatively directed with a great ending - "You are thinking of a brick wall. You are thinking of a brick wall.." - it holds up remarkably well nearly a half century on.

Children of the Damned is morally and politically more ambitious still, exploring the notion that humans are perhaps far worse than the cuckoos in their midst. Unfortunately it's also very dull, good performances from Alfred Burke and Ian Hendry notwithstanding. There's no real involvement or forward momentum, and it exists in a vacuum - the events in the first film are never even acknowledged. But the saving grace of the Region 1 DVD at least is screenwriter John Briley's audio commentary (neither commentary is included on the foreign issues), dealing with the themes of the movie as well as taking detailed diversions into the effect of the blacklist on Hollywood, the exile of US talent to Britain and the artistic and political freedom that MGM UK's sheep farming activities gave them! (There's also a brief harbinger of things to come with a photo of Gandhi overlooking Indian politicians debating killing the children in the film: Briley would go on to write Attenborough's biopic.)

Alien Brats!.......2006-11-06

I saw "Village of the Damned" for the first time back in 1965 and had nightmares for a while. On this day, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up when the eyes on those little alien brats light up! You know a movie is a classic when it makes such an impression after all those years. When I saw that this DVD has the sequel as well, I just couldn't pass it up! This is a great DVD for classic movie buffs (like myself) out there! Definetely get it!

Average customer rating:

Punchy crime film from 1960
Fascinating Gangster Movie
And You Thought Columbo Was A Nice Guy
Chilling Crime Drama

Murder, Inc.
Starring: Stuart Whitman , May Britt , Henry Morgan , Peter Falk , and David J. Stewart
Director: Burt Balaban , and Stuart Rosenberg
Manufacturer: 20th Century Fox
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ASIN: B000EHSVQY
Release Date: 2006-05-23

Description

Based on the shocking, true story of a criminal gang who terrorized Brooklyn for years, and featuring ?excellent performances? (The Film Daily) by a fine cast ? including Peter Falk in an Oscar®-nominated* early role ? Murder, Inc. delivers its terrifying tale of corruption run amok with riveting intensity!

In the violent burroughs of the 1930s New York, gangs spawned by Prohibition have found new work?as racketeers and contract killers! The most vicious of these is Murder, Inc., the merciless Brownsville, Brooklyn syndicate. As their reign of terror spreads, only one cop (Henry Morgan) has the nerve to methodically track them down, determined to destroy them by any means necessary!

Customer Reviews:

Punchy crime film from 1960.......2007-01-31

This is Peter Falk's movie debut and it's a doozy. He plays Abe Reles, a killer with ice water instead of blood in his veins whose favorite instrument to dispatch his victims is an icepick--appropriately enough. He oozes menace--so much so that you can't take your eyes off him when he's on screen and when he's not on screen, you can't wait for him to show up again, even though he's seriously nasty.

The supporting cast is definitely good, but this is Falk's show, no question. In fact, he was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for this movie. The story is of a contract killer organization, whose name is the movie's title, put together by Louis Lepke in New York in the 1930s. Reles is Murder Inc's top hit man. Made in 1960, this is a tough film that reeks of filmmaking at that time. Although the vintage cars are possibly the only real indicator of the timeframe (since the dialogue doesn't use much, if any, of the slang at that time in vogue), Falk's propulsive acting moves the movie slam-bang from beginning to end.

The aforementioned supporting cast includes Stuart Whitman before he started grating on most moviegoers' nerves, May Britt as his sexy wife, and Simon Oakland (really good) and Henry Morgan as the two cops committed to bringing down Murder Inc, as well as Vincent Gardenia (when he was actually thin!!) as Reles' sleazy lawyer (Gardenia is also very good here).

Hard to believe that the rumpled seemingly confused Columbo got his silver screen start as a really nasty piece of work, but there you go. He's a lot of fun to watch. Kudos as well to Oakland and Gardenia.

Recommended.

Fascinating Gangster Movie .......2006-07-16

Murder Inc. is a fictionalized account of the real-life syndicate killing machine created by Louis "Lepke" Buchalter to tie up loose ends within the organization.

The film, based on a book written by the New York DA who prosecuted the group, is a told in semi-documentary style, and features a fantastic performance by Peter Falk as Abe "Kid Twist" Reles, one of the group's top killer, who, in a fictional subplot, involve a nightclub singer and the singer's dancer/wife in the group's mayhem.

The fictional subplot isn't strong, and doesn't really add to the story, but the great acting by Falk and his co-stars, including May Britt, Stuart Whitman, and Simon Oakland, plus the fact that this is essentially a true story, make Murder, Inc a fascinating look at the innerworkings of the earlier days of the Mafia.

And You Thought Columbo Was A Nice Guy.......2006-06-28

This is an interesting movie due to the casting of Peter Falk as the ice pick wielding Abe Reles.

This is a true story which is based on a book written by the main detective in the movie I guess.

It's a classic case of a nice guy (Joey) who gets involved with a bad crowd. This brings tragedy on not only himself but those he loves.

Reles rapes Joey's wife but then later says to her "If you're not sore I'm not sore."

He also tells them later: "I really like you kids."

Mory Amsterdam gets the ice pick treatment I guess due to the quality of the jokes he was telling in a mob controlled night club.

Some casting agent eventually realized that maybe Peter Falk would be better cast as one of the good guys.

The casting of Falk later as Detective Columbo must certainly be one of the greatest casting decisions in history.

Jeff Marzano

Chilling Crime Drama.......2006-05-27

This film is a gripping account of the crime syndicate that terrorized the nation during the waning days of the Great Depression. Filmed in black-and-white in a cinema verite style this film lays out the methodically brutal methods of the consortium that spread fear to the lawless and law abiding alike. The film focuses on the crime empire of Lepke (David J. Stewart) and how he held his grip on power through his vicious subordinates. None of his cronies was more brutal than Abe Reles, portayed here by Peter Falk in a volcanic film debut. Falk is listed in a supporting role here but his aura elevates an already fine film to another level. If you want to contrast Falk's work here I found it akin to that of Joe Pesci's portrayal of Tommy DeVito in "Goodfellas". Stuart Whitman and May Britt play a young couple ensnared by circumstance as accomplices to Lepke. Whitman and Britt, the film's ostensible stars, are kind of bland but do not detract from the overall power of this film.

Average customer rating:

ABSORBED
Wonderful British drama.

Dandelion Dead
Starring: Michael Kitchen , Sarah Miles , David Thewlis , Lesley Sharp , and Peter Vaughan
Director: Mike Hodges
Manufacturer: Hbo Home Video
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ASIN: B000069HPR
Release Date: 2002-08-27

Customer Reviews:

ABSORBED.......2005-10-03

"Dandelion Dead" is a really riveting presentation. It kind of sneaked up on me. At first, I found myself just enjoying the recreation, on screen, of a very idyllic time (1920) and place (small country town) with the seemingly gentle and harmless character of Major Herbert Armstrong played superbly by Michael Kitchen along with his most irritating wife wonderfully (and surprisingly for me) played by Sarah Miles. The next thing I was aware of, I was completely absorbed in this murder/mystery.

"Dandelion Dead" is NOT a "who done it?" From the very beginning, I was fully aware that the Major had poisoned his harpy of a wife. (in all honesty, to me, if anyone "had it coming" it was she-what a B....!) The "mystery/suspense" is how is the major going to get caught with justice prevailing. At first, it DOES appear that he has gotten away with murder. Believe me, by that time in the film, I WAS HOOKED.

For a very engrossing "murder/mystery", buy this DVD

Wonderful British drama........2002-10-05

The year is 1921--Major Herbert Armstrong is a respected landowner and solictor--respected by everyone except his wife (played by Sarah Miles). Mrs Armstrong seeks every opportunity to humiliate her husband--in public and in private. She clearly despises him. Major Armstrong copes quite nicely with his life by largely ignoring his wife, escaping to the office (where he does as little work as possible), and maintaining an obsession with poisoning every dandelion that dares to rear its head on his property.

Events upset the equilibrium of his unhappy domestic life, and Major Armstrong takes drastic measures to improve his situation.

This is nearly a 3 1/2 hour long DVD--a British television production which is based on a true story. The acting is nothing less than superb. Michael Kitchen plays the weak Major--a man who maintains that "the best years" of his life were during WW1--he spent the entire time whooping it up in Bournemouth. Kitchen is truly incredible to watch.

Customer Reviews:

Best evidence of Sassy Live.......2007-06-02

Since Sassy's death in 1990, it's been obvious that we did not have all that much domestic video evidence of her singing mastery. If she appeared on a U.S. network show, she got to do one song (as on the Perry Como appearances); if she was on a syndicated event, there might be 3 or 4 songs, but those items were almost impossible to find in decent, clear video and audio.
There were a couple of splendid Public TV items in the later years, but nothing really clued you in to what was so special and irreplaceable about this lady.
The release of this Prague 1978 concert makes up for all of that. This has exactly the feel and the pace of one of her late 1970s concerts, and the video and audio are at times shockingly clear for nearly 30 year old material. Thanks to whoever was responsible for cleaning this concert material up visually and aurally and rereleasing it.
It's still appalling that American video sources for Sassy by comparison are meager, and the sound tinny. They just paid more attention to the presentation of all kinds of music on European television, and weren't afraid to give you more than 5 minute bite sized pieces of a performer.
Right now this concert has no competition as a Best of Sassy DVD, or Most Like Sassy Live compendium.

Great Women Singers of the 20th Century - Sarah Vaughan

Average customer rating:

Amazing!!!!

Great Women Singers of the 20th Century - Sarah Vaughan
Starring: Sarah Vaughan
Manufacturer: Kultur Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000A3XZ4A
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

"Sassy" as Sarah Vaughan was lovingly called, is considered, along with Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee, one of the definitive, great women singers of jazz and popular music. She memorably began her career as pianist and vocalist with her lifelong fellow musician and friend Billy Eckstine. Before she died in 1990, she had recorded with many, many jazz greats including Count Basie, Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie, the legendary Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Benny Carter and Quincy Jones who said "…Sassy and Ella were "fire breathing monsters, they saw themselves as horns"

Sarah Vaughan, who was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1924 like Ella Fitzgerald, first came to attention when she won the Apollo Theatre Amateur Night in 1942. By 1950, she became a best selling recording artist with recordings like "Linger Awhile" and "You're Mine You." and a millionaire, a rare achievement for a woman musician at that time. By the mid-1950s, she had million sellers including "Broken Hearted Melody." This concert taped in 1985, offers a rare recorded "in person" performance of Sarah Vaughan. It has never been seen before and gives us a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a happy, relaxed, warmly humorous and vocally supreme presentation by the great singer.Backed by a jazz trio, she sings several of her well known, classic songs including "Poor Butterfly," "East Of The Sun" as well as her two most identified songs "Misty" and Stephen Sondheim's "Send In The Clowns."

This is an "ENCORE" concert that offers the great singer in a perfect wedding of a visual and song performance that was rarely captured during the unforgettable Sarah Vaughan's musical lifetime.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing!!!!.......2007-02-10

This is Sassy at a time in her life where she has reached legendary status. This performance in Conneticut was very well done!!! As always she has her trio and they are magnifiscent! She really gives a SHOW!! She plays with the audience and gives them everything they ask for! She makes the viewer feel the sense of seeing excellence, I feel that every Sass fan should own this DVD as well as the Chaka Khan concert with this series (Great Women Singers of the 20th Century). The song selection is superb! She opens with a scat medley with the base line of Marvin Gayes Inner City Blues-make me wanna Holla who else could do this and do it so well but the legendary Sarah Vaughan. This is a beautiful DVD, OWN IT!!!

Average customer rating:

BILLIE IS BEYOND!
Buy It For Sarah-Watch it for Billie....

Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
Starring: Sarah Vaughan
Manufacturer: PASSPORT VIDEO
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ASIN: B0007L86JE
Release Date: 2005-04-12

Description

Imagine Sarah "The Divine One" Vaughan along with her fellow pop-jazz queens, sultry Lena Horne, Ella "The First Lady of Song" Fitzgerald, vibrant Dorothy Dandridge, and Billie "Lady Day" Holiday all on one DVD! Well here they are in vintage live performances, singin' and swingin'. No fan of jazz or pop music should miss out on this amazing collection.

Sarah Vaughan sings: Hot and Cold Running Tears Over the Rainbow The Nearness of You

Ella Fitzgerald sings: Dancing on the Ceiling (with Nat King Cole) Can't We Be Friends

Billie Holiday sings with Count Basie: God Bless the Child Now Baby or Never

Lena Horne sings: The Man I Love But Beautiful From this Moment On

Dorothy Dandridge sings: You Do Something to Me My Heart Belongs to Daddy

Sarah Vaughan sings: 'S Wonderful Experience Unnecessary You're Mine You

Bonus Song: Image Medley

Customer Reviews:

BILLIE IS BEYOND!.......2005-05-09

I haven't purchased this DVD yet, so I can't give you a report
on the quality or all the performances. What I can tell you,
if you're a Billie Holiday fan, is that the two performances
included here are the BEST video footage of Lady I have ever
seen. I have them on an old VHS compilation called "Swing".
Billie sings "God Bless The Child" and "Now Or Never" with
Count Basie's Orchestra. She sounds great and looks STUNNING.
This was recorded, I believe in the late 40's, and was a first-
class "Movie Quality" short. If the only video clips you've
ever seen of Billie are from the end of her career ("Fine And
Mellow" etc) you must see this, an artist at the peak of her
powers. She is just dazzling!

Buy It For Sarah-Watch it for Billie...........2005-05-07

Two cuts stand out from this well recorded DVD. There is one of Sarah singing "Over The Rainbow" in which she plays a piano solo (I love to hear her play piano). The other, and the most outstanding on the DVD is Billie Holiday singing a blues entitled "Now, Baby or Never". Billie is about 35 years old in the 8 minute performance and I have never heard her sound better. She swings like nobody's business and is superbly accompanied by the Count Basie Big Band. Sarah start off the program with 3 selections "Hot and Cold Runnig Tears", Somewhere Over the Rainbow", and " The Nearness of You". Ella Fitgerald comes next with two duets, "Dancing on the Ceiling" with Nat Cole and Why Can't We Be Friends" with Frank Sinatra. Then Billie Holiday with "God Bless the Child" and " Now, Baby or Never". Lena Horne sings "The Man I Love" and "From This Moment On" . Dorothy Dandridge sings "You Do Something To Me" and "My Heart Belongs to Daddy". Then Sarah retuns with "S'Wonderful", Experience Unecessary", and "You're Mine You.. Most of the material is from a 'pop variety' approach, seemingly taped for mainstream television or movies, except for Billie with Count Basie and maybe two of Sarah's ( Over the Rainbow and The Nearness of You). They don't stretch any of the numbers out and Sarah's piano solo is the only instrumental solo on the disk. Still it is well filmed for the time and an excellent representation of the artists that were included.

Monterey Jazz Festival: 40 Legendary Years

Average customer rating:

Slim on performance
Dissapointing
Be warned by these reviews .......
If I could give zero stars I would
What a ripp off !!!

Monterey Jazz Festival: 40 Legendary Years
Starring: Joe Williams , Dave Brubeck , Sarah Vaughan , Thelonious Monk , and Joshua Redman
Director: William Harper (II)
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

Documentary | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Eastwood After Hours (Live at Carnegie Hall)
Bird
Jazz 10 Movie Pack
Duke Ellington Swinging at His Best
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas

ASIN: 0790737388
Release Date: 1999-08-31

Description

Monterey Jazz Festival - Place Miles first on the bill. He wants those "fresh ears." And how about the time Jon Hendricks stepped on stage still jotting down the composition he was to perform? "Aren't you ready" musical director John Lewis asked. "Never" Hendricks laughed. Yet the result was perfection in progress: the legendary debut of Evolution of the Blues. And what about Ella, Louis, Dizzy, Sarah, Dave, Monk, Clark Terry, even Lady Day? They're also part of the lore that one weekend every year makes Monterey synonymous with jazz. Hosted by contemporary favorites Joshua Redman and Patrice Rushen and featuring archival performance footage plus on-camera commentary from notables (including lifetime jazz buff Clint Eastwood), this compendium of the Monterey Jazz Festival sings, swings and syncopates with joy. Like eggs and bacon and romance and roses, some things just go together. Things like Monterey and jazz, going together now for 40 magical, musical years. Year: 1998 Director: William Harper - Starring: Joshua Redman, Patrice Rushen

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Music Video
Production Notes

Customer Reviews:

Slim on performance.......2007-01-09

An interesting history lesson, but just not enough on the performance side, which is really too bad. Unless one is a MJF freak I'd spend my money elsewhere.

Dissapointing.......2006-11-03

Looks and sounds more like a tourist information campaign than a thorough review of the legendary musical material that was presented and performed all those years.

Be warned by these reviews ..............2006-05-09

I only acquired this as a Patrice Rushen completist.

This DVD is an absolute waste to time, effort and your money .... leave well alone

If I could give zero stars I would.......2005-08-28

I am a long-time listener/viewer/collector of all things jazz. This is, by far , the worst jazz video out there. I am not going to waste my time even giving you the details on this why I think this way. I was suckered in on this video -hoping for the best. Don't make the same mistake that I did. DO NOT BUY THIS!!!!

What a ripp off !!!.......2005-01-07

Just conversation about the Monterey Jazz Festival. Absolutely no music. Absolutely deceitful. What a ripp off. Shame on the producer(s) and all who took part in this joke on music / jazz lover. Your karma sucks!

LSmith

Average customer rating:

Music from a great era.
pretty good
Homage To Basie
"It's Awfully Different Without You . . . Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
Musician's Perspective

Count Basie at Carnegie Hall
Starring: Count Basie , Sarah Vaughan , Tony Bennett , Joe Williams , and George Benson
Manufacturer: White Star
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Musicals & Performing Arts | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000094Q1L
Release Date: 2003-05-13

Description

Count Basie delivers a spectacular show live from Carnegie Hall on March 20, 1981 celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of his illustrious career. This all-star tribute celebrates also features Sarah Vaughn, Tony Bennett, George Benson, and Joe Williams.

Customer Reviews:

Music from a great era........2007-07-06

I watch this DVD at least once a week and can't get enough of it. I am a bit
biased, I suppose, since I am a musician who worked in Vegas for 16 years and knew many of the stars personally. Kenny Hing, the featured tenor man, was on our band for 5 years. Anyone who loved the big band era will love this one.

pretty good.......2007-05-21

watched this concert for the first time in many years and it was nice for it's setting but it was very predictable. alot of polish vibe going on,but not much that really stood out. count Basie still was a Great band leader and he dropped some tight Piano Licks and His Band was well rehearsed,but the other performances were hit and Miss. I'm a fan of all the special guests,btu aside from Joe Williams I wasn't blown away. Tony Bennett was aight. Sarah Vaughan was aight as well. George Benson played decently,but he seemed to be mainly going through the motions. Carnegie Hall is very conservative and it fit the way the format and vibe went down.

Homage To Basie.......2007-01-11

Great to see/hear Basie, even in his last days, even in a wheel-chair. And Joe Williams, Sarah Vaughn, and Tony Bennett were fine--Vaughn's "Send in The Clowns" was sensational--although I wish Bennett had sung Basie, "Littl' Darlin'" etc., instead of Ellington--it was awful to see Basie put aside by Vaughn and Bennett's piano players--How could they! Did they think that Basie didn't know their tunes!--and Benson was irrelevant. Good introduction of historic Basie photographs and informal before-the-show interviews. Standard, well-done, video recording of concert: Low-key, nothing fancy, no calling attention to itself. Carnegie Hall wasn't a topic. Basie was beautiful!

"It's Awfully Different Without You . . . Don't Get Around Much Anymore" .......2006-11-28

"The real royal blood is a real small amount. We've got three royal cats: the Duke, the Earl and the Count. And their sound never stops and they play anything, but in swing, one is tops and that's Count. He is king." ~ Jon Hendricks ~

This Count Basie concert at the Carnegie Hall on March 20, 1981 is one of the most remarkable jazz concerts of all-time with the special appearances of his guest artists - Sarah Vaughan, George Benson, Joe Williams and Tony Bennett. It was nominated for a Cable "Ace" award for excellence and it was a tribute to the Count's 50th anniversary of his musical career.

This DVD, which runs 120 minutes, starts off with a biographical film tribute to the King of Swing, Count Basie, who was born in 1904 as an only child. By 1936 in Chicago, John Hammond, who wrote about jazz on a publication in England and the one who was responsible for the careers of Benny Goodman, Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Aretha Franklin, discovered Count Basie while he was sitting in his car and listening to a radio station playing "One O'Clock Jump" by Count Basie and his Orchestra. And the rest is history.

Count Basie, whose greatest influence was Fats Waller, formed his 15-man orchestra that played in New York in the early 1930's. The greatness of his band was attributed to his being meticulous about picking his musicians and treated them with respect, warmth, love and affection. He had the world's greatest rhythm section back then.

The concert kicks off with an instrumental performance of "Sweet Georgia Brown" by Count Basie and his Orchestra and ends with his signature tune, "One O'Clock Jump."

To me, the most enjoyable performances are as follow:

"April In Paris" - vocals by George Benson who declared that Count Basie was his "musical father." He presents his awesome singing style and his talent in scatting.

"Moody's Mood for Love" - a beautiful duet by Sarah Vaughan and George Benson.

"Sophisticated Lady," "It Don't Mean A Thing" and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" - by Tony Bennett whom Count Basie introduced as "one of the nicest guy I know, the wonderful Tony Bennett."

"I've been invited on dates
I might have gone but what for?
It's awfully different without you
Don't get around much anymore."
~ "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" ~ Words & Music by Duke Ellington & Bob Russell

"Indian Summer," "Send In The Clowns" and "Fascinating Rhythm" - marvelously performed by Sarah Vaughan with her trademark of effortless singing and clever scatting. Count Basie introduced her as the Divine One.

"One O'Clock Jump" - features George Benson as he plays the guitar and scats.

"Well, All Right, Okay, You Win" - great vocals by Joe Williams, whom I always remember for his remarkable song "Heart And Soul" with George Shearing accompanying him on piano (Lullabies of Birdland: A Musical Autobiography).

"There Will Never Be Another You" - instrumental by Count Basie and his Orchestra

I strongly recommend this DVD not only to the fans of Count Basie but also to anyone who appreciate the big band sound and since this is one of the few televised performances recorded for CBS Cable Premiere Jazz Program, this DVD is a worthy addition to your collection of legendary jazz icons of all-time.

Musician's Perspective.......2005-07-22

The band is great! It's especially nice to hear the man himself play his very tasteful and underrated piano licks. The Joe Williams segment is outstanding! Good instrumental solos. However, speaking as a musician, there's a little too much "show biz" glitz with the other performers, who are fine in their own right, but definitely not in the same class as the Basie band.

Average customer rating:

sarahy vaughan swig era
Sarah is fantastic

Swing Era - Sarah Vaughan
Starring: Sarah Vaughan , and Sarah Vaughan
Manufacturer: Swing Era
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Traditional Pop | Oldies | Pop | Styles | Music

General | Music Video & Concerts | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sarah Vaughan - The Divine One (Masters of American Music)
Great Women Singers of the 20th Century - Sarah Vaughan
Swing Era, Dinah Washington & Friends
Sarah Vaughan & Other Jazz Divas
Ella Fitzgerald - Live at Montreux 1969

ASIN: B0001DMU86
Release Date: 2004-04-13

Product Description

SARAH VAUGHAN & FRIENDS - SWING ERA (VAUGHAN,SARAH)

Customer Reviews:

sarahy vaughan swig era.......2005-07-20

sarah vaughan is one of the best at any time ,the only low spot on this otherwise interesting collection is the very poor production of the bessie smith clip it is so bad they look like singing blobs,so dissapointing when the rest of the dvd is so good, I still gave it five stars

Sarah is fantastic.......2004-03-09

This DVD is such a delight. The musicians on it are totally incredible. The DVD can be watched forever because the perfection of these artists will definitely be difficult to beat.

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