Grand Avenue

Grand Avenue

Track Listings

1. Hard, Cold Ground

2. My Dreams

3. Sing For You

4. To The Woods

5. Me And Miguel

6. For The Young Ones

7. Community

8. Even If

9. Maybe It's OK

10. I Like Watching You

11. Take Me Once

12. Joan's PMS Blues

13. Way Out Of Line

Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Joan Hamilton is a singer/songwriter based in Indianapolis, Indiana. She has been performing her original music in the Midwest for several years. Her music features strong melodic songwriting and intelligent, visual lyrics.

Joan picked up the guitar at age eleven and began writing her own songs. She had been playing piano since she was quite young, studying harmony and theory. Music was her passion then, and remains so today. A prolific and gifted songwriter, Joan describes her music as "contemporary-new-age folk".

Working with engineer/producer/musician Grey Larsen, she has released three recordings - In The Morning Shade (1992), Picture Book (1995), and Grand Avenue (2000).

Joan currently performs around Central Indiana with her band, The Joan Hamilton Group, in venues ranging from coffee houses to concert halls. She has won a local Emmey award for "Best Live Performance" on public television and was selected as the musical spokesperson for Indiana Earth Day 2000.

Tracks:

Oklahoma!
Carousel
State Fair
South Pacific
The King And I
Cinderella Waltz
Flower Drum Song
The Sound Of Music

Customer Reviews:

Irresistible.......2005-07-29

From beginning to end this CD is pure delight. A great recording has great music, a great performance, and great sound; this one scores on all three counts.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's musicals dominated Broadway in the 1940s and 1950s, and American musical theater has produced no more consistently eloquent and durable voice than Richard Rodgers. From his fertile genius flowed a surprising number of memorable songs, many of which have passed into and become an accepted and beloved part of modern American culture.

This well-filled CD (77:36) features symphonic arrangements (all but two by Robert Russell Bennett) of the music from Oklahoma (1943), Carousel (1945), State Fair (1945), South Pacific (1949), The King and I (1951), Flower Drum Song (1958), and The Sound of Music (1959). All the great tunes are here in suites from each musical that average 10-12 minutes in length. The arrangements are expert: rich, varied, and colorful. The performances are polished, idiomatic, and irresistible; Kunzel and this orchestra are thorough masters of this kind of material. And Telarc's sound (recorded 1991) is state-of-the-art (engineer Michael Bishop deserves to take a bow).

In short, there's nothing here to cloud your listening pleasure (the only quibble I can imagine is that some of your favorites may not last long enough), so it's hard for me to envision anyone with ears and a taste for music who wouldn't enjoy this CD. Warmly recommended. Finally, if you like this one as much as I do, you might want to know that the same team has produced a companion volume, the Lerner & Lowe Songbook for Orchestra.

"Some Enchanted Evening" with Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops.......2003-12-26

Erich Kunzel's Rodgers and Hammerstein anthology with the Cincinatti Pops Orchestra is one of the best and most ravishing instrumental Rodgers and Hammerstein albums of all time. With sumptuous arrangements and warm, natural Telarc recording, this glorious 77-minute CD presents sweeping, melodic arrangements of over 60 Rodgers and Hammerstein selections, spanning eight scores, and Kunzel allows the Pops to play with a characterful and polished understanding of the Rodgers and Hammerstein idiom. The disc is enough to cheer you up on a dull day and make you smile, and it might even want to make you feel like a convert to Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals.

This CD has all the scores arranged chronologically. The OKLAHOMA! suite that opens this disc promises a feast for the senses, Kunzel ably evokes the territory's "bright, golden haze" in the way he conducts the various excerpts, until you feel the atmosphere of the country charm of the show, and the love-affair between Curly and Laurey. Then, in CAROUSEL, he ably evokes the pathos of this tragic R&H masterwork, especially in the truncated Waltz, but he leads a wonderfully melodic "June is Bustin' Out All Over" and a devotional "You'll Never Walk Alone." Although this suite does not include Billy's pivotal Soliloquy, it includes "If I Loved You" as an expression of his love for Julie, and within minutes you could be soaked in the ups and downs of the show's mood.

After a brief STATE FAIR suite, with sweeping renditions of "It Might As Well Be Spring" and "It's a Grand Night for Singing", we are brought into the disc's showstopping highlights. These highlights are the excerpts from SOUTH PACIFIC, THE KING AND I, and THE SOUND OF MUSIC. But yet Kunzel conducts the rest of the disc until the various suites amount to a series of showstoppers. These three suites present wonderfully-arranged versions of their many familiar classic songs, with well-played solos. The SOUTH PACIFIC suite presents the songs in chronological order, yet preserves the atmosphere of the show at the same time. Kunzel ably brings out the romance in "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Younger than Springtime," and contrasts it with the exotic and dreamlike "Bali Hai'i" and the comic "There is Nothing like a Dame" and "I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outa My Hair". Although the suite ends quietly with a reprise of "Dites-Moi" rather than the reprise of "Some Enchanted Evening," within minutes we are swept into the KING AND I suite. Kunzel ably brings out the Oriental pathos in this score, and he captures the warmth of Anna's rapport with the King's Siamese children in "Getting to Know You", and with the King himself in "Shall We Dance." There is also romance in the love ballads "I Have Dreamed" and "We Kiss in a Shadow." Similarly, in the selection from THE SOUND OF MUSIC, Kunzel conducts this until the orchestra soaks itself in the atmosphere of this Austrian R&H score. This SOUND OF MUSIC suite has more of a feel of the score compared to the bonus track on Sony's reissued version of the Broadway recording. You can almost feel as if you are following the progress of the Trapp family and how it lifts its spirits with the joy of music. Kunzel gives us a soaring version of the title song, and spirited versions of "Do-Re-Mi" and "My Favourite Things." He balances it with the open-air quality of "Edelweiss" and "The Lonely Goatherd." Although this suite could have included "Something Good," the love ballad written for the film, the three recollections of the songs that were cut from the movie only last for a while. And, the towering version of "Climb Every Mountain" crowns this portion of the disc, and this sumptuously-produced recording. But, I should also mention the infectuous FLOWER DRUM SONG medley, where Kunzel turns this underrated score into a work of art, until it convinces you to buy the cast recording. And, don't forget about the brief CINDERELLA WALTZ, too, when Kunzel conducts it magically, until you feel like you are in the company of Cinderella and the Prince. He is able to show how this R&H score marked a comeback for R&H after the failiures of Me and Juliet, and Pipe Dream.

Overall, this glorious Rodgers and Hammerstein recording is guarunteed to make you want to pucker your lips out for a whistle or sing along (to paraphrase another revew for Kunzel's Disney Spectacular disc) - even if this recording is music only, and as long as you know the words to the songs (and you might know a large handful of them already.) There is always a certain magic in this fine CD that makes you feel like you're sitting in the theatre watching these musicals, until it makes you feel like it is truly, to borrow two R&H song titles, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "Something Wonderful" to be in Kunzel's company for this R&H offering. It would certainly be one recording that could make you feel willing to buy the complete cast recordings of the shows. And I guaruntee that it will make you feel willing to pull out your existing copies of the cast recordings to listen to them again. I also guaruntee that it will be a cornerstone in any Rodgers and Hammerstein collection, just as it is in mine. Recommended heartily to any Rodgers and Hammerstein enthusiast and to fans of Erich Kunzel's work. And, you can play it while reading the Richard Rodgers biography, Musical Stages, until Rodgers himself would count this as his favourite disc in the afterlife.

By the way, most of the arrangements for the suites on this CD were done by the veteran R&H orchestrator Robert Russell Bennett, and it surely adds to the appeal of this recording. This itself is enough to amount to the icing on the cake, since Kunzel conducts them well on here, and since this recording still allows the suites to have the original theatrical atmosphere. And, although this recording is like the Mauceri collection of the Rodgers & Hammerstein overtures in compiling orchestral suites of Rodgers & Hammerstein, I think that I like the Kunzel recording even more because Kunzel has more magic in his conducting of these suites.

Excellent!.......2003-04-08

This is one of the best Erich Kunzel/Cincinnati Pops collections we own! A must for Rodgers and Hammerstein fans, too.

Great Arrangments.......2001-09-02

This is a first rate album with great arrangments and orchestrations. If you're a Rodgers and Hammerstein fan, you can't afford to miss this specatacular album

Average customer rating:

excellent collection
A Classic Performance of Schuman!
American Masterpieces - For pleasure or music ed. resource

American Masterpieces

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Samuel Barber / Thomas Schippers

ASIN: B0000029WJ
Release Date: 1997-07-01

Tracks:

Candide: Overture
Variations On 'America'
New England Triptych: Be Glad Then, America
New England Triptych: When Jesus Wept
New England Triptych: Chester
Adagio For Strings, Op. 11
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Customer Reviews:

excellent collection.......2002-06-11

i'm just going to write about my favorite piece on here, which has been heard by all who saw Platoon. that is Barber's Adagio. hearing this piece conducted here by Bernstein sends chills down my spine, especially in the well done section using silence after the climactic rise in notes!

A Classic Performance of Schuman!.......2000-09-17

I must agree with the previous reviewer, that "American Masterpieces" comprises a very thoughtful collection yet suffers slightly from poor interpretation of certain pieces. But the presence alone of the classic performance of William Schuman's "New England Triptych" by Andre Kostelanetz and the New York Philharmonic makes this compilation all worth it. I have looked forward for this particular version of Schuman's work to be released on compact disc for several years, in the meantime not being entirely satisfied with other versions that have circulated, i.e. Howard Hanson/the Eastman-Rochester Orchestra on the Mercury Living Presence label, -very poorly executed with an off-key, off-timed horn in the first movement, or the version on the RCA label by Leonard Slatkin and the St.Louis Symph.Orch. which is very well done, yet to my ear still does not compare to the depth and lively energy with which Kostelanetz and the New York Philharmonic presents this work.

I was disappointed with the manner with which the first two pieces by Berstein and Ives were conducted. The "Candide Orchestra" lacked the sensitivity of the performance by Lukas Foss /Milwaukee SO on the Pro Arte label, while Slatkin does a much better job with the Ives piece for RCA.

But the remainder of colorful material following Schuman on this CD - even with the overdone "Adagio for Strings" by Barber - makes for a very rewarding listening experience, with the only disappointing exception of the third piece ( "A Narrative") curiously missing from Virgil Thomson's "Acadian Songs and Dances", yet present on an old scratchy, mono LP that I have on the Decca label (Thomas Scherman /the Little Orchestra Society). Did Thomson later revise this suite? Or did this CD run out of space? If the latter is true, one can only wish that Barber's overplayed "Adagio" would have been bumped to make room for the entirety of Thomson's superb "Acadian Songs".

American Masterpieces - For pleasure or music ed. resource.......2000-07-28

The American Masterpieces CD is an excellent compilation of music that is uniquely American. Much of the material is based on folk sources, and all of it is thoughtfully selected. The only negative is that some of the music is not the best version available, but I'm sure that's due to the limitations of the Sony label. The "Adagio for Strings," for example, is taken at a slightly fast tempo, lessening the dramatic impact of the build-up. The selections are a music educator's delight. Bernstein's "Candide Overture" is perfection. Ives' "Variations on America" is a wonderful study in the use of a familiar theme in an unusual manner. "When Jesus Wept" can be sung by a chorus and then compared with Schuman's treatment. Gould's "American Salute" is an exciting study in theme and variations on the familiar tune, "When Johnny Comes Marching Home." And, of course, Gershwin's "Promenade" is delightful, and an excellent follow-up for the Fantasia 2000 film. The reason I bought the recording was for the Gottschalk "Grand Walkaround" and "Jamaican Rumba" by Benjamin. Both are based on American folk materials (Sweet Potatoes - Louisiana, and Mango Walk, respectively). The original songs can be sung, compared, performed in an Orff arrangement, and then presented in the orchestral interpretations. The folk songs are both found in the McGraw Hill music series, Share the Music, Grade 5. If you like this CD, try the American Salute CD from Musical Heritage Society.

Average customer rating:

Most evocative Grand Canyon
Vintage all American Fiedler...
Nice Sunday Concert

American Salute

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ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Pops Roundup

ASIN: B000003EQC
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

American Salute
Grand Canyon Suite: Sunrise
Grand Canyon Suite: Painted Desert
Grand Canyon Suite: On The Trail
Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset
Grand Canyon Suite: Cloudburst
El Salon Mexico
Fancy Free: Galop
Fancy Free: Waltz
Fancy Free: Danzon
Cuban Overture
Slaughter On Tenth Avenue

Customer Reviews:

Most evocative Grand Canyon.......2006-04-06

This CD is worth buying just for the historic recording of the Grand Canyon Suite by the Boston Pops under Arthur Fiedler. There have been many recordings of Grof?s Grand Canyon Suite, but I think this is the most evocative of the desert and its moods. For example, the CD with Kunzel and the Cincinatti Pops is worth having for the live thunderstorm - definitely a "demo" disc - but Kunzel's perpetual forward thrust emphasizes the jazz at the expense of the (dare I say) impressionist side of the music. Fiedler on the older recording somehow manages to put you right into the desert.

The opening chirps in seconds from the woodwinds, for example, in the Fiedler recording sound like some exotic bird rather than orchestral instruments, and the "Painted Desert" movement sounds so parched I can see the heat shimmers. "Sunset" is rich and expansive; Fiedler's tempi are generally more relaxed than Kunzel's. This is the definitive Grand Canyon recording for me. BTW, technically it stands up very well against later recordings -- the sound is brilliant and has a broad stereophonic landscape.

The other selections for me are simply a bonus; the Gershwin Cuban Overture is particularly good to have as it is not as often recorded as it deserves.

Vintage all American Fiedler..........2005-04-10

The 4 star rating is primarily due to the attractive compositions
grouped on this one disc, by six great American composers. The remastered recording quality is variable with the "Grand Canyon
Suite" and "Cuban Overture" sounding best. The recording dates range from 1958-1964. On Gould's "American Salute" Fiedler conducts at
break neck speed; I think missing some detail. The "Fancy Free" dances are too brief and are probably included as filler. All in all this recording is dated and their are better versions available of all these pieces. Anyway, at a bargain price this is a nice way to spend seventy minutes relaxing. Subtract 1 star
if recorded sound is all important to you!

Nice Sunday Concert.......2002-12-02

This is a nice Sunday afternoon concert played by a wonderful orchestra with a late, lamented leasder, maestro Fiedler.

Please understand that this is not patriotic music per se, but rather a collection of tunes about America or by prominent American composers--which means the title is a bit misleading, even though Gould's American Salute is the title track.

Tracks:

America - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Evita - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
They're Playing Our Song - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Leap Frog - Houston Symphony Orchestra, Newton Wayland
In the Mood - Houston Symphony Orchestra, Newton Wayland
Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds - John Bayless
Lady Madonna - John Bayless
Rhapsody in Blue - Newton Wayland
American in Paris - Newton Wayland
Strike up the Band - Newton Wayland
Yankee Doodle - Sergiu Comissiona, Houston Symphony Orchestra
76 Trombones - Houston Symphony Orchestra
Typewriter Song - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Bugler's Holiday - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
String of Pearls
Duke Ellington Fantasy - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Gershwin in Hollywood - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Grand Night for Singing - Erich Kunzel,
Slaughter on Tenth Avenue - Erich Kunzel, Rochester Pops Orchestra
Penny Lane - Rochester Pops Orchestra, Newton Wayland
Eleanor Rigby - Rochester Pops Orchestra, Newton Wayland
K-4 Pacific - Houston Symphony Orchestra, Erich Kunzel

Average customer rating:

The Greats Of Classic Country Vol. 1
Sam & Kirk McGee
Manufacturer: Grand Avenue Records
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000DC3PU
Release Date: 1999-04-28

Tracks:

While I'm Away
Too Late To Change Your Mind
Kirk's Waltz
Drunkards Dream
Bound To Go
Blue Night
Dark Clouds
Blues Come On In
The Tramp
Mabel Claire
Gulf Coast Blues
Flat Top Pickin' Sam McGee
Buck Dancer's Choice
Won't Happen Again
Victor Rag
When The Wagon Was New
Uncle Fuller
Railroad Blues
Shut The Door
Sally Long
Cabbage Head
Franklin Blues
Knoxville Blues
Sam's Other Side
Little Texas Waltz
Southern Moon
Waiting For A Letter
The End Of Forever

Album Description

Sam & Kirk McGee were two of the earliest Grand Ole Opry stars. From the 20s and 30s right on up to today, they have influenced so many, and they were truly gifted.

This 28-song collection was recorded by Mr. Sam's and Mr. Kirk's great friend, "Uncle Fuller" Arnold at his MBA Studio in Franklin, Tennessee (and released on MBA Records) in the late 60s and early 70s. Fuller loved these guys a lot and did a nice job in preserving a piece of musical history!

Still Young
Average customer rating:
Still Young
Roy Young
Manufacturer: Grand Avenue Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Blues Rock | Rock | Indie Music | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000DC3PT
Release Date: 2003-07-14

Tracks:

Light My Fire Again
Step Back, I Feel A Heartache Comin'
Shame, Shame
Doctor Of Your Soul
I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)
Still Young
Oh How My Heart Beats Slow
Wrong Time, Right Track
Fast Train
Can't Get Enough Of You
Last Call For Rock And Roll
Strawberry Fields Forever
Still Young (Reprise)

Album Description

Forever known for his keyboard work on the early Beatles recordings with Tony Sheridan, Roy revives those early sounds with an incredible mixture of boogie-woogie, rock and roll and blues. In addition to a remarkable rendition of The Beatles' "Stawberry Fields Forever" performed as a duet with co-producer Dennis Morgan, the CD includes songs written by Morgan, Roy Orbison, the late Willie Dixon, Jonny Lang and members of The Band.

Average customer rating:

All Night Long
Billy Burnette
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Release Date: 1999-08-12

Tracks:

All Night Long
Memphis Blues
Burnin' Up
Ride This Train
Ain't Got The Heart
Good Kind Of Blues
Need Ya Baby
The Mailman
Goes To Show
I Got Busted
Today Is Elvis' Birthday

Album Description

A smokin' rockabilly CD by former Fleetwood Mac frontman, Billy Burnette. Billy gets his talent for rockabilly naturally, as both his father, Dorsey, and uncle, Johnny, were members of the famed Johnny Burnette Trio. All songs are co-written with renowned Nashville songwriter, Dennis Morgan.

Average customer rating:

cheers for this Broadway Baby

Bernstein/Rodgers CLASSICS
Bernstein , Rodgers , Lloyd Weber , Pierce , and Jonas
Manufacturer: Phoenix USA
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Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00006MPSL
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

Candide
La Cage Aux Folles
A Chorus Line Medley
R. Rodgers Waltz Medley
Sound of Music Medley
Cats
On Your Toes
West Side Story Medley

Album Description

The duo piano team of Joshua Pierce and Dorothy Jonas present a program of Leonard Bernstein, Richard Rodgers as well as other Broadway CLASSICS by Jerry Herman, Marvin Hamlisch and Andrew Lloyd Weber. Unique and spectacular original 2 piano arrangements by the brilliant Homer Denison.

Customer Reviews:

cheers for this Broadway Baby.......2002-10-13

I have long been a fan of duo piano teams, and Ihave to say that this team, Pierce and Jonas is just, WOW! especially the way they performed Slaughter on 10th Avenue and Candide (one of my favorite Bernstein musicals.) The other arrangements, well, I can hear vocals when I listen to them. especialy when listening to the "La Cage" medley.