Search - Richie Cole :: Pure Imagination

The King of the Alto Sax!

M. V. Vooren | USA | 07/27/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, what can I say? If you love the alto saxophone, and if you want to hear the very best, get all of Richie Cole's CDs, because he is the king!

Also, you can see sessions with his band(s) on google and on his own website, it is worth watching him!"

Another Delightful Album by Richie Cole

Mark K. Mcdonough | Reston, VA USA | 07/06/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I can tell Ben Webster from Charlie Parker, but compared to your average jazz buff, I'm a complete idiot. That said, I love Richie Cole. His music combines great chops, wonderful arrangements, and a sense of humor and lightness that you don't often get in jazz unless you go back to the years before bop. The version of "Going Down to Rio" on this disc is a perfect example -- absolutely irresistibly fun. Every time I put it on the stereo, I get a "who is that?" reaction from anyone within earshot.



I wish more of Cole's fairly vast discography was in print. I've pretty much bought up all the ones that are affordable, and I enjoy them all, but this one and "Hollywood Madness" are special favorites."

Pure Class

D. G. Wickenden | England | 10/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Alto saxophonist Richie Cole's classic album Pure Imagination is a rich blend of old and new, jazzy and bluesy, with the title track ballad (from the brilliant 1970s film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) being a sublime duet between jazz guitar and Cole's in-the-pocket solo work on alto.



The recording opens with a fast take on The White Cliffs of Dover, totally different from its status as an anthem (sung by Vera Lynn) for my home country, Britain, during the Second World War. Come Fly With Me is equally upbeat and jolly, whilst Concord Blues is a Cole original and similarly constructed to his Punishment Blues (not on this album) showing he is as at home in a blues setting as he is in ballad land.



Highly Recommended."