At the Village Gate [Import]

Editorial Reviews
Album Details
24bit Digitally Remastered Japanese Limited Edition in an LP-STYLE Slipcase.

Tracks:

Just In Time
He Was Good To Me
House Of The Rising Sun
Bye Bye Blackbird
Brown Baby
Zungo
If He Changed My Name
Children Go Where I Send You

Amazon.com essential recording

Nina Simone recorded for Columbia Pictures adjunct Colpix records from 1959 through 1964, cutting 10 records for the imprint. Five of her Colpix records were concert recordings, a setting that suits her idiosyncrasies while protecting her from overproduction, and one she's returned to frequently. At the Village Gate captures a particularly intimate 1961 performance and stands as the cream of her live collections. Backed by a trio that includes her favorite sideman, guitarist Al Shackman, Simone ranges from the yearning "He Was Too Good to Me" to a sprightly eight-minute-plus version of "Bye Bye Blackbird" that displays her underrated keyboard skills. This is the kind of album that ages like a fine merlot. --Steven Stolder

Customer Reviews:

Nina Simone at the Village Gate.......2006-02-26

I like the CD. However,I was disappointed that there was a different arrangement of 'Just in Time' on the CD. I was really looking for the arrangement that was used at the end of the movie 'Before Sunset.' As with everything that Nina does, it was otherwise great.

A Signpost of American Music.......2005-10-15

In reviewing Nina Simone's 1982 disc re-released earlier this year, "Fodder On My WIngs", I said that earlier Nina Simone fills the bill better. This disc is one of the ones I'm talking about. It fills the bill compared to anything; it truly is a classic.

Recorded live at The Village Gate in 1961, this album was a harbinger of many things to come, and a showpiece for Nina Simone's versatility and virtuosity.

Consider her versions of "If He Changed My Name" and "House of the Rising Sun", later made more famous by Roberta Flack and Eric Burdon but undeniably inspired by Ms. Simone. She tells the audience that "Sun" is a folk song and she performs it that way, quietly, with the tinge of shame and guilt that the words of the song imply.

Or consider "Brown Baby." Here she sings of self-affirmation and "Black pride"--before the word "Black" was fashionable, and before Martin Luther King, James Meredith, Medger Evers and Bull Connor had wended their ways into national consciousness. She didn't just inspire an artist or two here: she helped to inspire a movement.

Or consider "Bye Bye Blackbird": No vocals here, just piano with the trio of Al Shackman (g), Chris White (b) and Rob Hamilton (d). They turn this standard into a cross between Dixieland, Bach and Thelonious Monk. It confirms that Ms. Simone was one of the best pianist-chanteusses ever.

And then consider the last cut and the album's highlight, "Children Go Where I Send You." At the beginning, Ms. Simone says to the audience, "Y'all ever been to a revival? You don't know what I'm talkin' 'bout, do ya? Well, you in one now!" And so we are. I can't remember ever hearing a tune that compelled me to sing along--in riffing, scatting harmonies--the first time. And the second, third and fourth times, too. This song lifts you out of your seat; you may not want to drive your car while playing this!

My only complaint with the album is that the piano is out of tune. But maybe that's not such a bad thing. I'm sure that when Alan Lomax recorded Leadbelly, Blind Lemon Jefferson and the like, their guitars weren't perfectly in tune, either. But what got put on celluloid was an American classic nevertheless. And so is this one. A signpost of American music and America of the early '60's, this album should be in the Smithsonian--and your c.d. collection as well. RC

The Incomparable Nina Makes Pure Magic!.......2003-07-04

In the intimate ambiance of The Village Gate, Nina Simone made pure magic with her voice and on the keyboard, one Manhattan evening back in 1961. She sang and played with a trio, which featured her favorite guitarist, Al Shackman. We are so fortunate that the moment was captured and recorded. This is by far my favorite collection of Ms. Simone's music.

I can't really categorize Nina's sound or her music and call her "just" a fabulous jazz vocalist. Although, she plays extraordinary jazz with her voice, as in "Just In Time." She has been often called a musical anomaly, because there is no one category for her work. She was trained as a classical pianist, and in cuts like "Bye Bye Blackbird," the complexity of her piano comes through loud and clear. Her folk songs, like the biting "House Of The Rising Sun," and "Zungo" an African work song, place her at the top of a long list of folk singers. Ms. Simone's gospel songs, i.e., "Children Go Where I Send You," can raise the roof and bring down the house, as she did at the Gate in '61. She is a protest singer, "Brown Baby," and an actress, capable of an extraordinary range of emotions.

Nina has the rare ability to dig into her material and bring unexpected meaning to familiar lyrics. She is eclectic with her taste and her repertoire. But whatever touches Nina, and whatever Nina touches, will reach you and evoke an emotional response. Her music is as fresh today, as it was 42 years ago, singing for that Manhattan audience. They could not have loved her more then, than we do now.

"Hear for yourself," said Nina........2002-11-06

I recently read her autobiography, and in reference to this concert at the Village Gate, Nina Simone stated that she owned the crowd that night, and if you don't believe it you can buy the album and hear for yourself. Ms. Simone does not exaggerate: she gave an incredible performance that night.

The album starts with a jazzy standard "Just In Time", then goes onto a ballad. Already having snapped your fingers and bopped your head, then stared wistfully, meaningfully into space while the ballad works its magic, you shift into blues with her breathtaking rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" which she released before the Animals had the hit.

One thing that's great about this album is that it really showcases her skills as a classically trained concert pianist. Though most people, sadly, know her as a vocalist and stylist, she's playing the piano when you hear one in her songs because she never intended to do popular music, but there had not yet been a black woman concert pianist and despite her best efforts and prodigious talent, she did not succeed in being the first. The fourth track on the album is a nice lift from the second and third, more somber tracks.

"Brown Baby" returns to the eerie and hopeful ballad territory. Though she became known for her protest music later in her career, at the time of this recording Nina was still doing a variety of styles. To hear the emotion and strength of conviction in this song is to understand how anyone develops the strength to fight passionately for justice, and to taste the salty tears of rage.

"Zungo" is upbeat and yet another style. Then "If He Changed My Name" turns toward the reflective strength of the spirit, a sparse arrangement with haunting vocals. And "Children Go Where I send You" brings the house down. "You ever been to a revival meeting...? Well, you're in one right now."

I own dozens of Nina Simone albums and have been a fan for years. Until I heard this one, though, I could not appreciate fully the range of her talent from the early days of her career. As much as I love some of her other albums, this would be the one I'd have to take with me to a remote island. No fan should be without this album. And nobody who's reading this should leave the page without giving it a try: it's dang good.

Nina Weaves Her Spell and You're in 1961.......2000-11-16

This CD is not to be missed. Don't be put off by the low song count (8), each song easily tops 5-6 minutes (some clock in at 8 mins)and what's missing in quantity is made up for in quality. The intimacy of Nina's appearance here is captured as she sheds new light on well-worn Broadway standards and unknown songs alike. Her voice was also a bit lighter than it became later on so she hits some high notes easily. As usual her piano-playing is great and she's backed by great sidemen but they never get in the way of her singing. Plop this CD in the player and suddenly you are sitting in the audience watching and listening to Nina in New York's Village, 1961. That's how intimate this CD is.

Average customer rating:

Classic Hard Bop Live

Doin' the Thing (At the Village Gate)
Horace Silver
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Customer Reviews:

Classic Hard Bop Live.......2006-09-24

The band on "Doin the Thing" is one of Horace Silver's best. At that time the music he was playing was closer to hard bop though there are some elements of soul that he would become more influenced by. As a live set, it is excellent, great sound quality especially with the remaster. The extra tracks are classic as well. The in between stage banter is dated but amusing and nostalgic and fits with the disc. Any fan of hard bop or soul jazz will want to pick this one up. Hard bop took away the somewhat sterile sound of bebop and made jazz populist again without selling. Anything from Horace Silver from the 60's is great. This is an especially good album though.

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"Cool" Chris lets loose in this live performance.

At the Village Gate
Chris Connor
Manufacturer: Blue Note Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Tracks:

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Anyplace I Hang My Hat Is Home
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Something's Coming
You Came A Long Way From St. Louis
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Only The Lonely
Ten Cents A Dance

Customer Reviews:

"Cool" Chris lets loose in this live performance........2007-05-20

Always regarded as a "cool," somewhat distanced singer, in the tradition of June Christy and Anita O'Day, Chris Connor found her real audience when she decided to leave big band concerts for the more intimate jazz clubs where she spent most of her later years. In this live performance (1963) at the Village Gate, Connor is anything but "cool." Freed from audience expectations, she is loose, uninhibited, and spontaneous, creating moods through innovative timing and phrasing, and drama far more intense than what one hears in her studio recordings.

Backed by her trio of Ronnie Ball (piano), Richard Davis (bass), and Ed Shaughnessy (drums), along with famed jazz guitarist Mundell Lowe as guest, Connor sings two "shows"--bright, jazzy songs in the "Early Show," with much darker, meditations on lost love in the "Late Show." The two "shows" allow Connor to do it all!

Throughout the CD, Connor changes timing and phrasing, using her great diction to enable her to sing some lyrics at lightning pace before slowing down and becoming moody. In the "Early Show," "Something's Coming" starts out fast, with express-train excitement, before Connor and the band pause for six or seven seconds, then switch moods, as Connor contemplates the uncertainty about what might be coming and when. In "You've Come A Long Way from St. Louis," Connor uses unique phrasing, grouping words in a staccato tempo during which she barely takes a breath. From the beginning of "Anyplace I Hang My Hat is Home," she makes interpretive variations, her husky contralto playing with the melody and tempo until she is wailing.

Standouts in "The Late Show" include "Goodbye," a meditative, bluesy song which Connor sings slower than most other singers, and when she sings "It's time we parted...So kiss me as you go" she displays a powerful sense of drama and heartbreak. In "Only the Lonely," she remains almost totally within herself, singing quietly in a minor key (perhaps with her eyes closed) and creating personal variations that leave the listener exhausted. "Ten Cents a Dance" comes alive here as she tells the story of a dance hall dancer who deals with "rough guys who tear my gown" and "customers who crush my bones," and as she continues, she increases the volume till at the end she is wailing. An unforgettable live jazz album by one of the all-time great ladies of jazz. n Mary Whipple

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Live at the Village Gate
Dick Gregory
Manufacturer: Collectables
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Binding: Audio CD

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Average customer rating:

A phenomenal jazz flute album
Arguably the best of the best jazz recordings ever
Wish it was remastered
voodoo jazz
Hmmm nice!

At the Village Gate
Herbie Mann
Manufacturer: Atlantic / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000002I5C
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Comin' Home Baby
Summertime
It Ain't Necessarily So

Customer Reviews:

A phenomenal jazz flute album.......2007-07-15

The sound quality is not great, but not terrible. A treasure of jazz flute and of Herbie Mann. A snapshot of live and intimate jazz club music.

Arguably the best of the best jazz recordings ever.......2007-05-03

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is widely regarded as the best jazz album ever recorded. Herbie Mann's At the Village Gate may well be the category of best, too. Every track on here is wonderful and different and creative. For instance, Comin' Home Baby starts with this somewhat long opening session of the bass soon accompanied by drums. Then, in comes this playful, flirting flute, not trying to make a splash, just swinging, restrained, cool. The flute quickly moves to the front and establishes a memorable, foot-tapping theme. A little later still arrives the xylophone in the background. So beautifully and subtly executed. And oh, much later, near the middle-end, you have this breath-taking and intricate bass solo. Wow. They were taking no prisoners. Summertime opens with xylophones then moves to a rhythmic and cool theme. With congas, it has an almost breezy, Latin-jazz feel. It Ain't Necessarily So starts with the tambourines and a more passionate, yet still restrained 60s protest-, psychedelic- sound. (The album was recorded in 1964.) The most interesting thing about this last track, aside from the lovely theme, is its length--nearly 20 minutes. What makes this album unique and perhaps surpassing Kind of Blue is it was recorded before a live audience. Davis said somewhere that he had (finally) settled on Kind of Blue on the day the Davis quartet created it for studio performance. It was as close as he could get to improvisational which Davis did not like necessarily for that reason. It wasn't improv-enough. At the Village Gate, however, you hear people talking, responding, and humming in the background. This "noise" adds an extra dimension of realness, of being front-row in the swing, which is jazz at its best.

Wish it was remastered.......2007-04-15

One of the very best swinging jazz albums of all time - too bad it was never remastered for the CD format. Lots of tape hiss at high volume levels of play.

voodoo jazz.......2006-01-27

this really is one of the coolest jazz albums i've ever heard. very deep, hypnotic and atmospheric. the vibe reminds me of some of the best stuff by the modern jazz quartet, but with a million times more soul. there are fantastic solos here too, but they never feel forced and the intensity remains strong throughout. dripping with funk, the album transports you to that quintessential smoky jazz club in the sky. go there!

Hmmm nice!.......2005-10-19

I especially like the solos on It Ain't Necessarily So.
The energy comes through-- definitely so!

Average customer rating:

At the Village Gate
The highest of the highest
Shlomo Carlebach
One of Carlebach's best
What a great find!

At the Village Gate
Shlomo Carlebach
Manufacturer: Vanguard Records
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Customer Reviews:

At the Village Gate .......2006-06-27

This is an upgrade from a vinyl LP to a CD. The record is warp and scratchy so buying this CD and hearing the music without distortion was wonderful. This has been a favorite for a very long time, the songs old friends. I bought a record player last year so that I could listen to my LP but there's nothing like a CD. I like to get up in the morning and start my day with a spiritual twist. I sing along and know the songs well since I have been enjoying Village Gate for a long time. My very favorite track is #8, V'Zocher because I feel the soul of Shlomo's voice. I like the voice range of this song and the tambourine sounds. Sholmo is happy and bouncy, if I'm allowed to say a Lubavitch Rebbi can be bouncy. Yeah! he definitely has kavanah and his music makes it possible for me to start the day in a joyous frame of mind. The music on this CD is happy, fun and spiritual.

The highest of the highest .......2006-06-04

Shlomo has become the heart and soul of Jewish music, even in the synagogue. His melodies are now 'davvaned' in places which once cursed him.
He was without question a musical genius whose depth of soul is reflected in every note and word he sings. In this early music one can already hear that longing, that love which so touches the listener. His voice is not great, but the feeling it conveys goes well beyond what is ordinarily given in most singing. He has the holy in him, the nearness to and longing for G-d. And he conveys that to us, so sweetly, so beautifully.
Oy heilegen Shlomo what would we do without your music?

Shlomo Carlebach.......2005-09-30

I like this cd very much. Songs are simple but very beautiful.
Athmospehere is emotional and real. Songs come from singers heart, really.

One of Carlebach's best.......2000-03-01

I highly recommend this CD to Carlebach fans, or those who want to hear what he was about (musically, at any rate). There are no stories on this album, which is actually OK with me because I only like to hear a story once or twice, whereas good music I'll replay over and over. This is also one of his earliest recordings, made when his voice was in much better shape than it was toward the end. But there are two reasons I strongly recommend this album, along with his other Vanguard recording "In the Palace of the King" over many others. One, is they are the only Carlebach recordings I've heard, having sampled about a dozen, that are recorded in first rate high fidelity. On a good system, he's practically in the room. Second, neither is plagued by the poor musical arrangements and wedding-band-quality studio players that spoil some of his later discs. The In the Palace disc is with full orchestra, perhaps a bit to lush and complex for the folky songs, but at least well executed. The present disc is mostly accoustic guitars and handclapping along with plenty of 1960s Village Gate ambiance that had me singing and stomping right along (thankfully no one else was home).

What a great find!.......2000-01-21

I literally wore out my old 33 1/3 record album of this live concert, and was delighted to find it re-issued on CD. This is early Shlomo at his exhuberant best, in the days when he was just beginning to reach out to alienated Jews back in the mid-60's. Granted, it lacks the polish of his later concerts in the 80's and 90's when he was being booked for more mainstream gigs in suburban synagogues -- but if you want to experience how it all started, then buy this CD!