My Shining Hour

Editorial Reviews
Album Description
This album spotlights his early works from the 1940's (including a rousing duet with Ethel Merman) and clearly displays why he is the most celebrated and sensational performer of all time. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Tracks:

Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home
Come Rain or Come Shine
Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive/Get Happy
It's Only a Paper Moon
Let's Fall in Love [*]
Sleepin' Bee
Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead
Optimistic Voices [*]
Over the Rainbow
Let's Take a Walk Around the Block
Don't Like Goodbyes
Right as the Rain
Out of This World
Man That Got Away/Stormy Weather (Keeps Rainin' All the Time)/Blues in
My Shining Hour

Customer Reviews:

Failed Ideas.......2004-12-09

Maureen McGovern is a national treasure. Her Naughty Baby CD to me is the 2nd coming of Christ. By comparison Out of this World is quite disappointing. Mostly either Harold Arlen or MM's uninspiring interpretations and/or Renzi's arrangements don't seem to suit MM on this CD. The drums and percusion are sometimes schlocky. The screechy sax is always terrible. Also not working for me are the electric keyboard/synthesizer, the electric guitar and the cello. Even Renzi's piano playing is sometimes a let down. Jay Leonhart's great bass work seems to be the only thing that you can depend on here. Did MM do this to herself or is Renzi mainly responsible? Spend your money instead on: Naughty Baby, The Music Never Ends, The Pleasure of his Company and Christmas With MM. All wonderful music.

Simply Exquisite.......2003-12-01

I'd forgotten what a beautiful, supple vocal instrument McGovern has. Here, she sings blues- and jazz-flavored tunes, torchy ballads, and more--all Harold Arlen--including "It's Only a Paper Moon," "Over the Rainbow," "Let's Take a Walk Around the Block," "The Man That Got Away" and "Come Rain or Come Shine." Her "Optimistic Voices" (from The Wizard of Oz) is worth the price of the entire CD. It is simply exquisite, like a fine jewel, polished and gleaming with feeling.

A Quiet Thing; David Daniels & Craig Ogden

Average customer rating:

Star-crossed Crossover
a voice teacher and early music fan
Crossing Over in Dreamy Style....David Daniels Scores Again
Reveries
Food for the Soul

A Quiet Thing; David Daniels & Craig Ogden
David Daniels , Craig Ogden , Alec Wilder , John Harold Kander , Gabriel Faure , Franz Schubert , Johann Sebastian Bach , Leonard Bernstein , Stephen Foster , Harold Arlen , John Dowland , and Vincenzo Bellini
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Folk | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Partsongs | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

David Daniels - Serenade
Handel: Opera Arias; David Daniels
Berlioz: Les Nuits d'Été
Handel: Oratorio Arias
Sento Amor; David Daniels;

ASIN: B0000AC8MR
Release Date: 2003-08-05

Tracks:

A Quiet Thing
Blackberry Winter
So Pretty
My Shining Hour
Pampano Verde
Con Amores, La Mi Madre
A La Caza
Come Again, Sweet Love
Flow, My Tears
Music For A While
Vaga Luna, Che Inargenti
Malinconia, Ninfa Gentile
Ma Rendi Pur Contento
Ave Maria
A Simple Song
Ave Maria
Beautiful Dreamer
Shenandoah
Plaisir D'Amour

Amazon.com

On this record, David Daniels, one of our finest, most sought-after countertenors, adds a wide variety of styles, from Italian bel canto, popular classics, and American art- and folksongs to his signature Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. He appears to be equally at home in all of them, naturally adapting his vocalism, phrasing, diction, and delivery to each idiom, while his uniquely beautiful voice retains its pure, floating quality and intense expressiveness. His astonishing breath control lets him spin and sustain endless phrases; his middle range is dark and warm, his top bright and radiant. (Hearing those ringing E-flats, Es and Fs from a male voice never ceases to surprise.) The program seems aimed at including something for everybody, but reversing the usual route, arrives at the European 15th century by way of the American 20th, opening with John Kander's title song and songs by Alec Wilder, Harold Arlen, and Leonard Bernstein, who is represented by the frighteningly contemporary anti-war protest "So Pretty" and a song from "Mass." Three beautiful Spanish Renaissance songs and three famous English songs by Dowland and Purcell are followed by three luxuriously romantic, intimately caressing ones by Bellini; the program ends with three popular favorites, two American, one French. The only false note is struck by two overly familiar versions of "Ave Maria": Gounod's, a skillful extraction of a fine melody from Bach's C-major Prelude (sung here in D-flat), and Schubert's, a setting of Ellen's prayer from Sir Walter Scott's "Lady of the Lake." Craig Ogden's otherwise excellent guitar arrangements of the original piano and lute accompaniments are less successful here; the texture is too thin to support and sustain the intensity of the music. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews:

Star-crossed Crossover.......2007-03-13

There are many fine ways to hear David Daniels -- the Handel arias CD for instance, or the unique and wonderful performance he delivers on the DVD of Handel's Theodora. This CD, as other reviewers have declared, is half wonderful, half awful. "Innocent" music has to be sung by innocent voices. The Berlin Philharmonic can't play mariachi, Mick Jagger can't sing Danny Boy, and David Daniels shouldn't sing Shenandoah.

a voice teacher and early music fan.......2006-01-29

My problem with this disc has nothing to do with David Daniel's singing; rather it has to do with the line-up of songs. Some of them simply do not suit his voice. I really don't want to hear him singing:"My Shining Hour"-"A Simple Song"-"Beautiful Dreamer" or "Shenandoah"; and I'm not really fond of hearing the "Ave Marias". Not that he didn't do justice to them;he did! But the remainder of the selections were perfect for him and I think the contrast between the 2 genre is hard to take. The great songs on the album are great indeed:the 3 songs by Bellini;the 2 songs by Dowland;2 songs by Purcell and Martini's "Plaisir d'amour". I would still buy the album for these songs alone for they are performed with skill and emotion.

Crossing Over in Dreamy Style....David Daniels Scores Again.......2004-08-05

When I realized Liza Minnelli and Barbra Streisand covered the first two songs on this CD, I had to admit I was a bit worried that "A Quiet Thing" would be one of those crossover albums that famous opera singers need to do to please their management companies. But leave it to countertenor David Daniels to continue venturing into new territory for his rarefied voice type. Although Baroque-loving traditionalists may balk at his choice of repertoire this time, he paints a broad musical canvas along with guitarist Craig Ogden, encompassing American folk, English and Spanish renaissance, Italian bel canto, two versions of "Ave Maria", and even some Tin Pan Alley. This could have been an unwieldy smorgasbord for a lesser singer, but never underestimate Daniels' vocal dexterity, incredible coloratura and superb taste. Daniels and Ogden have really turned this program into a cohesive vision full of simply beautiful music wonderfully realized through voice and guitar - probably the best such coupling I have heard since Kathleen Battle and Christopher Parkening's "Pleasures of Their Company" more than a decade ago.

Standout tracks include Alec Wilder's melancholy "Blackberry Winter", a contemporary piece which ranks right up there with any of Daniels' much-revered Handel arias; John Dowland's "Come Again, Sweet Love", so familiar yet perfect for his voice; the one-two Americana sequence of "Beautiful Dreamer" and "Shenandoah"; and the title track by John Kander, which he sings with a languid quality that adds dimension to its original meaning. Such flights of vocal beauty make one wonder when he will tackle the Sondheim songbook. This is a terrific album, ideal for those who want an introduction to not only the countertenor voice but also the artistry of David Daniels.

Reveries.......2004-04-04

A QUIET THING: Songs for Voice and Guitar is a unique, idiosyncratic, irresistible collection of songs that span from contemporary melodies from Broadway to English lute songs to versions of Ave Maria (Bach/Gounod and Schubert) to American folksongs. And as if this variety of communication weren't enough, these songs are performed by countertenor par excellence David Daniels and the subtle and sensitive guitarist Craig Ogden. Both performers are intensely musical, intuitive interpreters of poetry and melody line and offer popular ballads from the stage of today with as much sincerity as bel canto songs of Bellini and the other-worldly Dowland and Purcell. For those unfamiliar with the countertenor oeuvre then this is a beautiful introduction to that vocal quality. David Daniels is internationally celebrated for his resurrecting the original countertenor roles in Handel operas and his voice has more power on the opera stage in this unfamiliar vocal range than those many regular tenors. Not being a fan of crossover recordings (big opera stars singing Broadway show tunes) I admittedly approached this album with reservation. But listening to these two men changes all that. Here in this aptly titled collection Daniels proves that his soft and quiet range is just as admirable as his 'big role arias'. The collaboration between Daniels and Ogden is clear and pitch perfect and the result is a recital - no, salon - of intimately communicated moments. An album to treasure.

Food for the Soul.......2004-03-02

Having everything from Marylin Manson and The Offspring to Rossini and Offenbach in my CD collection, I'm certainly not a die-hard classical music fan. Driving home one night (stuck in peak-hour traffic) I heard "A Simple Song" (tack 15 from this album) on the radio. It was just so simple, so peaceful and joyous. I had never heard of David Daniels, but I bought the album and have listened to it constantly. It is superb. Even if you think you don't like the counter-tenor (male alto) voice, try this album, you won't regret it.

Average customer rating:

Gourmet Solo Jazz Guitar
Smooth As Silk
The Rest of 'em Can forget it!
World Class Virtuoso Music
SWINGIN'

My Shining Hour
Howard Alden
Manufacturer: Concord Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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Hand-Crafted Swing
In a Mellow Tone
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Keepin' Time
Full Circle

ASIN: B000063ULY
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

My Shining Hour
All Too Soon
Sweet Substitute
Unfaithful Woman
E Is For Emment
Blood Count
I Wrote It For Jo
Girl From Ipanema
Isn't It A Pity?
Gone With The Wind
Soul Eyes
Chega de Saudade=20
Crazy She Calls Me

Customer Reviews:

Gourmet Solo Jazz Guitar.......2007-02-26

Howard performs on both acoustic and electric archtops. What you hear on this record is the greatest living solo jazz guitarist. Joe Pass is gone, Bucky Pizzarelli is in his 80's. Howard, apparently alone, is carrying on the tradition of pick-style solo guitar a la Dick McDonough and Carl Kress. If you know who those two were you'll know this is like the finest wine. "All too Soon" is worth the price alone. Along with Bucky Pizzarelli's solo recordings, and everything Joe Pass ever touched, this is more precious than gold.

Smooth As Silk.......2007-02-02

Having been a guitarist for over 40 years, I know when I hear greatness. This is greatness. I played in a band
for several years, wrote music, studied music and appreciate great talent. From the opening bars of My Shining
Hour you know that you are in for a great treat. This guy can play. The sound that he delivers is pure silk. He
excells on the following tracks, My Shining Hour, All Too Soon, Isn't It A Pity, Soul Eyes, and E is fo Emment.
His rich style of play coupled with his unique phrasing establishes this CD as one of the best Smooth Jazz
CDs on the market. He is only accompanied by hinself, yet the music is full and rich. You only need his guitar.
If you enjoy outstanding ,smooth ,and easy jazz guitar, then this is the CD for you. It truly deserves 5 stars.
It is as smooth as silk.

The Rest of 'em Can forget it!.......2007-01-13

This cat is the best guitar player working today. Maybe the best of all time. No disrespect to Charlie C., Django, Wes, Barney, Herb, Charlie Byrd, George Van eps, Tal Farlow, Johnny Smith, Joe Pass, those guys from the past. I love 'em all. The guys working today, Jimmy Bruno, Bruce Forman, Peter Bernstein: awesome! But Howard is from another planet. Don't even mention Metheny, Scofield, Mike Hearn, Frank Gambale, Kurt Rosenwinkel etc. These electronic gadget freaks don't even deserve a mention amoung the real players. If you don't agree, no problem. I know what I like. You know what you like. email me well discuss it.

World Class Virtuoso Music.......2005-10-14

I dont know what the one star rating of the previous reviewer was thinking, but believe me this one of the el primo jazz recordings you are going to find by one of the truly great jazz players of all time.

A 6 star performance

Buy this one sight unseen if you are passionate about the guitar.

Howard plays just as exquisite performing in person!

He does unbelivable things with the guitar

SWINGIN' .......2005-05-03

Man this Cat really swings in a happenin' way, I mean he really swaps wives!

Average customer rating:

I can't wait til dawn

My Shining Hour
Duane Eubanks
Manufacturer: Tcb Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Bebop General | Bebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

Modern Postbebop | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B00000J8AG
Release Date: 1999-06-01

Tracks:

Blues For Duane
Clairvoyance
Can't Wait Til Dawn
Taylored By Louis
My Shining Hour
Der Old Stockholm
Lonelyism
High Fly
I Love You

Customer Reviews:

I can't wait til dawn.......1999-10-05

This cd is definitely a collectors item, one that I will share with others on many different occasions.

Average customer rating:

Best of Shearing AND Kings Singers

Get Happy

Manufacturer: EMI / Angel Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Lullabies & Berceuse | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Musical Theater | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

English | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Soundtracks | Styles | Music

General | Broadway & Vocalists | Styles | Music

A Cappella | Folk | Styles | Music
ASIN: B000002RS1
Release Date: 1991-08-16

Tracks:

Sweet And Low-Down
The Half-Of-It-Dearie Blues
The Real American Folk Song
Any Place I Hang My Hat
III. Wind
I Got Rhythm
Out Of This World
Over The Rainbow
One For My Baby
Oh, I Can't Sit Down
But Not For Me
It Ain't Neccessarily So
It's A New World
Get Happy
When The Sun Comes Out
My Shining Hour
Lullyaby Of Birdland

Customer Reviews:

Best of Shearing AND Kings Singers.......2002-05-26

This is a fantastic recording. There are interesting arrangements from some of the best popular music arrangers, including Richard Rodney Bennett, Paul Hart and Daryl Runswick, not to mention Shearing's great new 5/4 version of his best-loved song Lullaby of Birdland, which begins with a jazz version of Brahms' Lullaby.

The Kings Singers are in fine form, with their flawless intonation and meticulous attention to creating a great sound.

Each track features just the sextet, Shearing and a double bass (played by Neil Swainson), except for One For My Baby, which adds John Harle on saxophone. That track is one of the three terrific Daryl Runswick arrangements included on the album.

Other stand-outs are:

The-Half-of-It-Dearie Blues, which sounds very similar to their much earlier version of it, i.e. sensitive and sensuous.
Gershwin's The Real American Folk Song (is a rag)
Daryl Runswick's interpretations of I Got Rhythm and Anyplace I Hang My Hat
Over the Rainbow