Eva Cassidy's performance at the Blues Alley jazz club has become musical history. Twenty years on, experience for the first time every song recorded on the night of the 3rd January 1996. Nightbird is Eva Cassidy’s ultimate tour-de-force - 31 songs recorded in one night at the Blues Alley jazz club in Georgetown, DC. Encompassing the full spectrum of Eva’s gospel, blues, jazz and folk roots, Nightbird showcases the breadth and depth of one of the world’s finest singers. The recordings have been remixed and remastered from the original tapes resulting in the most sonically engaging Eva Cassidy release to date. Of the 31 songs, 12 are previously unreleased including the title track Nightbird as well as the jazz standards It Don’t Mean A Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing) and Fever. Of the 12 unreleased tracks, 8 are previously unheard songs. These include Son Of A Preacher Man, Route 66, Late in The Evening, Baby I Love You and Caravan. The DVD features 12 performances: 1. Cheek to Cheek 2. Nightbird 3. Honeysuckle Rose 4. Autumn Leaves 5. People Get Ready 6. Stormy Monday 7. Tall Trees in Georgia 8. Take Me To The River 9. Bridge Over Troubled Water 10. Time After Time 11. Over The Rainbow 12. You’ve Changed The concert footage has undergone painstaking restoration resulting in a mesmerising viewer experience. DVD specs are as follows: Format: PAL Region: 0 Total run time: 56 minutes
P**E
Simply astonishing!
This is live, raw and brilliant! It is rocking, sensuous and beautiful. Music at it’s very, very emotive best.Eva was an exceptional talent who was taken from us far too soon. Her musicianship, guitar playing, vocal range and dexterity are simply astonishing. If you have never experienced Eva Cassidy before I strongly urge you to with this album.Along with the other talented musicians in her band this double album is not a compilation, but a remastered recording from her already well-known Blues Alley performance of January 1996. Complete with all the previously unreleased material from the performance which truly reflects the full range of, and love for, the music she performs.This is definitely an album which needs to be listened to and not just heard. The way Eva interprets well-known ‘standards’ from various genres and other of her favourites is truly astonishing. It’s live, but that doesn’t detract from the quality of the sound.Oh to have been there in ‘96. With an accompanying DVD from parts of the performance, it is now the closest we will ever get to witnessing this wonderful performer. So, turn the lights down low, check the beers are sufficiently cold, wind up the volume and simply immerse yourself in Eva Cassidy at Blues Alley 1996. If this doesn’t rip your heartstrings apart . . . . !
H**R
Stunning... A performance for the ages!
I just got Nightbird in the mail, and the first thing I did was put the DVD in my son's XBOX gaming system here in the US. I'm so glad it played fine. It did not play on an older BlueRay player.From the very start, with the standard Cheek to Cheek, this whole performance is stunning. Pitch perfect vocals, great range, great enunciation, great interpretations, soulful and rocking to go on top of it. I believe every song is a cover, but almost every one I like better than the original including Bridge Over Troubled Water, Time After Time, and Over the Rainbow. Interestingly, for a number of songs I could understand the words when Eva sings them, where I could not understand the words in the originals. The only negative I can even drum up is that the video production isn't quite up to modern standards, but it is more than good enough.Lest I forget to mention, the band behind Eva sounds almost as good as she does.Be prepared to shed a tear, and if you are on rocky ground with your partner, don't listen to the last song, You've Changed. That could be the end of your relationship.
M**R
Tears in my eyes....
How this sat unissued in the vaults all these years is beyond me. I hope there is more material even half as good waiting to see the light of day. Her personal tragic story aside, for my money, this is the vocal release of 2015 for pathos. Adele won't miss my first place vote and has the edge in terms of original material, but Eva's covers go straight to my core. I live in the US where this DVD set will not be released in NTSC format. I have to settle for watching the DVD in PAL on my computer so to my friends in Europe, I am envious. Vocally, too many highlights to list. Not a dud among the 31 songs presented. A common fantasy exercise is to imagine where would one choose to go with a time machine. I can tell you where I would go on January 3, 1996!!! The really sad part is my office is/was a walk away from Blues Alley and I didn't know about her then...
W**N
Has a few gems in it
I love Eva's Fields of Gold. So, I had to buy this album. I find that I prefer the slow songs. Many of them were kinda loud and jazzy, which were not quite what I like. Hv to programme and play a select few songs.
D**J
A rare talent sadly lost
Having already got and loved Live at Blues Alley (which unfortunately I can’t find on vinyl) I bought this. What an amazing album and a reminder of what a talent the music world lost at such a young age. Her vocals are incredible - the range and power - and band is really tight and sound fabulous. The sound quality is excellent on vinyl (note it is a quadruple album so each side is quite short) with a full bass and clear a crisp highs - incredible to think this is a single take of the entire gig with no post production over-dubbing. It’s a real gem and anyone who enjoys blues and jazz should listen to this - in fact anyone who loves or plays live music needs to listen to hear how it should be done!
B**T
Fantastic package
This is pure class, by a sadly missed artiste who's life was cut tragicly short,I found this by accident whilst looking for another cd of hers. I have always admired her voice, powerful & also very tender, the dvd is marvellous very basic & not the best quality, but my oh my!! what a band behind her its the fastest 56mins Ive watched in a long time.I honestly wish some of today's so called "singers" would sit down & watch this small gig concert, they might learn a thing or two.I love most kinds of music my favourite is 1950's rock & roll, boogie woogie, funny enough but Eva for me is/was one of the best.What a great package for the price!!
R**N
Eva Cassidy's breakthrough session - all of it, and it's all good
"Live at Blues Alley" has always long been one of my favourite albums: 13 tracks of jazz, blues and ballads performed immaculately by the much-missed Eva Cassidy. Here on "Nightbird" we have all 33 songs performed by her at the Blues Alley session, pus a DVD with 12 of them on it. There is not a weak track here, and the story behind it allis crazy: unable to get a recording contract, Eva Cassidy blew her savings to hire the venue and a recording rig for two nights. The first night's work was all lost due to technical faults, so she sang all of this on the second night. And it's stunning.Out of this, her success and fame were launched ... in the year she died; so sad.Two great CDs, a DVD that is surprisingly good - for £6.00? That's pretty good.
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