Search - Various Artists, Various :: Woody's Winners (OST)

Have a listen at Woody's impressive record collection!

MilesAndTrane | Chicago, Il USA | 07/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Whether out of interest in Woody Allen movies, or perhaps a desire to listen to some supposed cinematic jazz, you'd be hard-pressed to ignore the fact that Woody Allen has great taste in music. This is quite a diversified sampler of the big-band (and not so big-band) jazz and swing music from the 1930's and early 1940's that Woody has intimately incorporated into his films over the past 30 years. What sets this apart from other big-band jazz/swing compilations is knowing this is not just a greatest hits compilation but rather a journey through someone's personal record collection. Nearly half of the music is (obviously) cued from "Radio Days", but there are also songs from the films "Stardust Memories", "The Purple Rose Of Cairo", "Manhattan Murder Mystery", "Celebrity", and "Sweet & Lowdown".There are many other Woody Allen jazz compilations of similar quality, but with 20 songs clocking in at 70 minutes, this album is clearly the most generous. It showcases the clean and busy work of the famous orchestras of Glenn Miller, Artie Shaw, and Benny Goodman. There are gentle vocal efforts as well; Fred Astaire sounding lighter-than-air on "Cheek To Cheek", a young Frank Sinatra swoons and croons "If You Are But A Dream", and Billie Holiday coos through "Did I Remember?" The wacky but clever instrumentals "Big Noise From Winnetka" and "Sing, Sing, Sing" also appear, as do some absolutely sweet & sublime guitar playing from Django Reinhardt on "Body And Soul", which pairs him alongside an angelic string quintet. The notable omission is, of course, Glenn Miller's classic "Moonlight Serenade", a song worthy of including in a 20th century time capsule. None of the tunes here come off as the loud, brash variety - shrill but blazing horn sections, basically - that you may be accustomed to hearing elsewhere.The music on this compilation seems paradoxical. These songs are timeless in their craft & charm, and yet they can transport you to an era you may have never experienced but suddenly feel very comfortable with. Every song sounds so sophisticated, lively & tasteful, and yet it's all so mellow and easy-to-swallow. This music will work both for dancing on Saturday night and for coffee & toast on Sunday morning. If you'd like to examine Woody's equally appetizing sense of classical music, I suggest "Woody Allen Classics", which offers healthy samples of Bach, Schubert, Mendelssohn, Puccini, Gershwin, and Prokofiev."

Perfect except for ONE PIECE!

Laura A. Atiyeh | Berkeley, CA United States | 06/08/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is absolute perfection, but WHERE, oh, WHERE is the Dick Hyman recording of "Easy to Love" played at the end of "Stardust Memories"???? It's achingly beautiful and the one Dick Hyman recording I have of it isn't the slow, sensual version of it. PLEASE someone, let me know! (Woody, are you listening?)"

Woody's winners are THE winning ticket !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 03/19/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD offers some of the very best songs and instrumentals that Woody Allen used as musical backdrops in several of his movies. We get excellent tracks from Radio Days, Stardust Memories, The Purple Rose Of Cairo and other Woody Allen films as well. The quality of the sound is excellent even on my portable CD player; and Woody's music reflects his exceptionally good taste in distinguished musical standards.



The CD opens with "Frenesi" by Artie Shaw & His Orchestra. The strings and horn carry most of the melody and whet your appetite for more. "Stardust" by Louis Armstrong & His Orchestra follows; and Louis and his musicians bat this one right out of the ballpark! This was recorded in 1931 which gives us a chance to hear a younger Louis Armstrong; his voice sure was gravelly even then! SMILE



Other great standards not to be missed are Duke Ellington's "Take The 'A' Train" with a magnificent musical arrangement that really swings hard; "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You" by Tommy Dorsey & His Orchestra from the movie Radio Days and Glenn Miller & His Orchestra perform a heavenly "The White Cliffs Of Dover (There'll Be Blue Birds Over)."



Fred Astaire sings "Cheek To Cheek" with great sensitivity and panache both at the same time; Leo Reisman & His Orchestra provide the musical accompaniment for this number. "I've Heard That Song Before" by Harry James & His Orchestra shines brightly on this album; this song is especially elegant with its wistful, sweet sentimentality and a flawless musical arrangement. Helen Forrest sings the vocals with flair and a certain grace that I rarely hear. Moreover, "After You've Gone" gets a somewhat bluesy feel for its intro but it sparkles as brilliantly as it ever did. The horn is great and Jack Teagarden sings this ballad without a single superfluous note.



The CD ends fittingly with "Goodbye" performed by Benny Goodman & His Orchestra; this bluesy number clandestinely sneaks into your heart as it captivates you with its beauty.



The liner notes include the song credits and the cover art work has a great rendering of Woody's face on the front. There is also a brief essay about the musical performances in Woody Allen's movies.



One reviewer notes that the final musical piece from Stardust Memories cannot be found on this album. Unfortunately, even a CD chock full of winners like this one just can't hold all of the great music Woody used in his movies. This is why I recommend other Woody Allen film music two CD sets including the set simply entitled Film Music and the two CD set entitled Woody Allen music from his movies.



I highly recommend this CD for Woody Allen film buffs; and people who enjoy the standards with that unforgettable big band sound will cherish this CD for quite some while to come. May you get this CD and enjoy it as much as I did! Enjoy!

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