[.ca] A Hot Night in Paris

From Amazon.com:
Phil Collins is regularly thrashed in the press for playing it safe and churning out predictable dependable music for yuppies. He was once accused of being "a rich superstar whose music only sounded good in a BMW." On A Hot Night in Paris, Collins again jumps into the shallow end of the pool and comes up playing Le Jazz Hot, with a 20-member band including a Count Basie arranger and some old-timers he borrowed from Buddy Rich's band to augment his regular players. To his credit, Collins worked out to a video designed for jazz drummers to get in shape for the project, but his muscular timekeeping lacks the color and subtleties of players born to the art form. Also, there is very little of what he does best: singing. The only vocals on this album are a few grunts and moans during an almost-note-perfect rendering of the Average White Band's funk classic, "Pick up the Pieces," which almost rescues the album from banality. Thrown in for recognition value are instrumental renditions of some of his better known solo chart-toppers, such as "Sussudio," "I Don't Care Anymore," and "Against All Odds." But more surprising, the former Genesis skinbeater threw in four numbers from the rock band's extensive songbook, including a swing version of the eccentric "Los Endos Suite." The only thing missing from this CD, recorded live in Paris and Montreux, is the clinking of cocktail glasses. --Jaan Uhelszki

Thankfully:
Phil Collins has always been a weak singer, good drummer and percussionist and long been a mediocre keyboardist. Thankfully this album does not showcase Phil Collins dry and rangeless voice. Instead its pretty much all instrumental which is its plus. Collins has assembled a strong group of musicians to help him out and came out with a acceptible instrumental jazz album. This album is far better then Phils horrid studio work but suffers the serious flaw of having many of the covers of Phil and Genesis pop songs still come out too poppy though there is a great live version of Los Endos at the end of the album, the best version out there.

Phil's Hot Big Band:
...As a longtime Phil Collins fan for well over two decades now, I've gotten used to the constant idiotic bad reviews of Phil's singing & songwriting abilities that have plagued him since 1985's "No Jacket Required" album, which are stupid enough. But to put down Phil's talent as a *drummer* is absolute bull---t! Phil Collins is without a doubt one of the greatest drummers in the world. NO ONE on God's given Earth plays drums like Phil Collins. He is a master, a pro, and he has a unique drumming sound that's entirely his own. He KNOWS his way around that drumkit. If you can't hear the brilliance of Phil's drumming on "A Hot Night In Paris," or on ANY album that Phil has drummed on throughout his career for that matter, then you are obviously, 100%, frigging DEAF! Now that I've gotten that off my chest....Phil Collins has always had great affection for jazz music, and, in 1999, he did a brief tour with his own jazz band, playing certain jazz classics, as well as jazz arrangements of some of his solo & Genesis material. No singing, just some major kick-butt jazz playing. His big band's stop in Paris is well-documented on "A Hot Night In Paris," as Phil & company put excellent jazz rave-up spins on Phil favorites like "Sussudio," "I Don't Care Anymore," Genesis hits "That's All," "Invisible Touch," and their 1976 prog-rock warhorse, "Los Endos," and a phenomenal, mindblowing, 12-minute blast through the old Average White Band classic, "Pick Up The Pieces." Phil & his big band are simply sensational on this recording---I wish I could've been at the concert myself! If you're a diehard Phil Collins fan, then "A Hot Night In Paris" is a definite must-have. Rock on, Phil!

Phil Collins goes jazzy:
I had no idea that Phil Collins had branched out into the jazz field, until I saw a review of this cd in a magazine. As I happen to love Genesis and Phil Collins' music, and I also love jazz, I couldn't resist buying this album. And I love it. Hearing these jazz renditions of Collins/Genesis songs is truly an experience. Collins of course plays drums on all tracks, and is joined by some great jazz players, including Gerald Albright on alto sax. There is also an Albright composition as well as a great cover of Miles Davis' "Milestones". This is an album that jazz/Genesis fans should not miss. Recommended.

Phil Collins branches out:
The arrangements are awesome, the band powerful. Wonderful treatments of many of Phil Collins' best hits. The driving funk groove behind Gerald Albright's solo on track 1 is reason enough to get this CD. I hope another one is in the works!

"White Fly" ("Mosca Branca"):
ENGLISH: "This album is simply INDISPENSABLE!!! The Phil Collins Big Band was really A BIG BAND! They got mix JAZZ with a LATIN SWING and the musicians are abnormally sensational. PHIL COLLINS is fantastic on DRUMS. GERALD ALBRIGHT put "house on fire" with his ALTO SAX. (This man plays TOO MUCH! part of KENNY G team...) HARRY KIM show us WHAT IS A TRUMPET in his solos... ... ALL METAL PLAYERS ARE WONDERFUL! - Well, if you love the REAL GOOD MUSIC, or you HAVE this album, or you MUST HAVE it..." PORTUGUESE: "Esse album é simplesmente INDISPENSÁVEL!!! A Phill Collins Big Band foi realmente uma GRANDE BANDA! Eles conseguiram mesclar JAZZ com um SWINGUE LATINO e os instrumentistas são "fora do normal". PHIL COLLINS está fantástico na BATERIA. GERALD ALBRIGHT arrebenta com seu SAX ALTO. (Esse cara toca DEMAIS... do time do KENNY G... sabe tudo...) HARRY KIM mostra o que é um PISTÃO nos seus solos... TODA A BANDA DE METAIS ESTÁ MARAVILHOSA! Bom, se você AMA A BOA MÚSICA de verdade, ou você TEM esse album, ou DEVERIA TÊ-LO..."

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