Search - Various Artists, Uri Caine :: The Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley

The Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley
Various Artists, Uri Caine
The Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley
Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Pop, Broadway & Vocalists
 
  •  Track Listings (27) - Disc #1

The lineup here might make you think this was a night of improv; Dave Douglas, Don Byron, Uri Caine, and Mark Feldman are all better known for their experimental jazz forays than for performing standards. But on The Sidewa...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists, Uri Caine
Title: The Sidewalks Of New York: Tin Pan Alley
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Winter & Winter
Original Release Date: 8/10/1999
Release Date: 8/10/1999
Genres: Jazz, Special Interest, Pop, Broadway & Vocalists
Styles: Avant Garde & Free Jazz, Nostalgia, Oldies, Traditional Vocal Pop
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 025091003822

Synopsis

Amazon.com
The lineup here might make you think this was a night of improv; Dave Douglas, Don Byron, Uri Caine, and Mark Feldman are all better known for their experimental jazz forays than for performing standards. But on The Sidewalks of New York, these top downtown NYC players and a handful of crackerjack vocalists cover the tunes that made Tin Pan Alley famous. It's a trip, literally--right back to the turn of the 20th century. From Irving Berlin's "Cohen Owes Me Ninety Seven Dollars" to Bert Williams's "Nobody," these are (mostly) forgotten gems, played as traditionally as possible, but with a ton of energy and sonic cues--the found sounds of a horse carriage on cobblestones, the applause of the audience, and even the chugging of a train--that'll have you wondering what decade this was recorded in. The highlight? A couple of rousing versions of Shelton Brooks's bluesy "Some of These Days" performed by Barbara Walker, first as an extended "rehearsal" then with a full band and crowd. As on the rest of this "audio film," you feel like one very lucky fly on the wall of a studio in which a great session is taking place. As with the majority of the discs on German label Winter & Winter, the packaging and sonics are awesome. You can practically close your eyes and you're there--the only thing missing is the smell of cheap perfume. --Jason Verlinde

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CD Reviews

A Great Walk Down Tin Pan Alley
12/27/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a delightful set of recordings against the effective tapestry of ambient tavern noises; applause, low lever chatter, the clinking of glasses, and importantly: laughter. All of these noises enhance this recording. There is a wide selection of music; early Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Geo. M. Cohan, Eubie Blake among other songs common to our inherited musical heritage from grandparents, or older! It is enriched with mixure of both vocal and instrumental numbers. I recommend for listeners who enjoy popular turn of the century music; those with an interest in the spirit of John Sloan and Robert Henri's Ash Can New York will find the CD engaging, warm with laughter and easy to listen to. It is artfully packaged with photographs from the period and only misses with no informative text about the history of the songs or their writers. Forgive this oversight though! It is a must for listeners who love to sing and may be wistful to hear the noises of 100 years ago."
Amusing Nostalgia
George Grella | 12/17/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)

"This recording presents distinguished songs from 1892-1915, by a group of stellar jazz musicians. One third of the music is instrumental, with the rest sung by a variety of capable vocalists. If you enjoyed Butch Thompson's Joplin tribute, you might like this."
Sweet and wonderful
George Grella | Brooklyn | 08/14/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)

"A truly warm record. Not just a great collection of wonderful, charming songs from the beginning of Tin Pan Alley [this material goes back to the turn of the 20th century], but a conscious effort to place them in the context of nostalgia and memory. There are non-musical audio portions of the CD that place one firmly in the firmament of Manhattan, and a lot of the music is either peformed in front of a boisterous tavern audience or made to sound that way. It's a modern trick that doesn't always work - the quality of the crowd is definitely turn of the 21st century on occassion! - but it does add a rich context to the music and the listening experience. It's not jazz, but it's jazzy and great for anyone who loves good American song-writing."