Al Jarreau - Tenderness

Better Than The Original.....Mas que nada

Sorry, but with all due respect the Sergio Mendes, this version of Mas Que Nada surpasses the original. The sound quality, the arrangement, Al's voice, the musicianship...it IS better. I LOVE music from brazil, and if this song was the only one on the CD, I would STILL gladly buy it. Helping Al "bring home the bacon" here is the brilliant playing of Marcus Miller (bass) Joe Sample (panio) Eric Gale (guitar) and Steve Gadd (drums). Gentleman, your playing on this song is out of this world!!!
Oh yea, the rest of the songs are great too!!! April 21, 2008

"My Gift Is My Song . . . And This One's For You"

It's always nice to listen to a recording from Al Jarreau with his team of creative musicians pulling together their best efforts to make a dozen of performances truly stand out and have a tremendous impact to the ears of the listeners. This is especially true with this remarkable album released in 1994, "Tenderness." All the tracks were recorded in a live setting at Los Angeles studio, with the exception of "My Favorite Things," which was recorded in New York City. This is one of my absolute favorites from my music collection and my second Al Jarreau recording after Breakin' Away. I love its well-chosen material filled with some of the best songs ever written, to name a few, "My Favorite Things," a duet featuring Kathleen Battle who does a Julie Andrews-esque performance, "Try A Little Tenderness," "Summertime," "Your Song," "Wait For The Magic" and "Mas Que Nada."

Thanks to the combined talents of Al Jarreau (vocals), David Sanborn (alto sax), Joe Sample (piano), Michael Brecker (tenor sax), Steve Gadd (drums), Eric Gale (guitar), Paulinho da Costa (percussion), Marcus Miller (producer/keyboard/arranger) and many others involved in this project for making it as one of the best jazz albums ever recorded. Mr. Jarreau, a multi-Grammy awardee who possesses a unique and one of the most recognizable voices in the history of vocal jazz, interprets the material with such "tenderness," dedication, love and respect to the songwriters' art. His remarkable deliveries are some of the best ever interpretations for these timeless songs. One of my top favorites is a popular song by Elton John, "Your Song," which he co-wrote with Bernie Taupin.

"I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world."

If you enjoyed this CD, you will definitely be delighted with Accentuate the Positive, Breakin' Away, Best of Al Jarreau and Givin' It Up, an awesome collaboration with a great guitarist/singer, George Benson. His latest compilation album, Love Songs was released recently. Although I have listened and enjoyed all the songs in the repertoire on separated CDs, I still welcome it and certainly would love to add to my collection.

Happy Listening!

"Perhaps it is precisely the mystery of music's origins, which accounts for the charm of its beauty." ~ Robert Schumann, Romantic Era Classical composer/pianist ~ March 18, 2008

Must have dvd,vhs or laser disc

I've owned this Cd since it's release, And just today viewed the Laser Disc of this performence. It is Al at his old school best!! Better than the Cd because you get to see him and the the band explode with tight licks and vocal gymnastics that IS Al Jarreau. Only the best songs were featured and after watching it,You see what a wonderful job Marcus Miller did in pushing MR Jarreau and the band into recording this classic.

If you what to see the master at work without all the frills of a live concert,Perched in an intimate setting of an recording session while he sings his heart out in front of a few lucky guest and friends. This is a must have for any Fan of Al Jarreau. Marcus Miller,Steve Gadd, Eric Gale,Joe Sample, David Sanbourn and the rest of the crew light up the studio as well. Watching this show will make you appreciate the Cd even more. [...] February 29, 2008

Fantastic

Absolutely fantastic, that's all I can say about the quality of the whole CD. I just wish Al can give a concert like that again. June 15, 2007

Outstanding

I love Al Jarreau. I purchased this some time ago and thought it was damaged and threw it away. I later learned that it was my CD player. I am so glad to find it again. It is one of my favorite Al Jarreau CDs January 9, 2007

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