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Songs of Joy & Peace
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Customer reviews
- Songs of Joy & Peace
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- Customer reviews
Top positive review
No Dark, Sullen Winter Here!
October 16, 2008
These days anthologies of a given leading musician with assorted guests are commonplace, and we have seen them in rock, jazz, blues, and even country. But Yo-Yo Ma is a classical musician who ventures far into other realms, from his Silk Road Project to Bossa Nova and Tango. Here is a stunning winter holiday album (not all strictly Christmas songs) where Ma makes music with major artists from around the world in unusual instrumental combinations. This album has excellent sound quality, as you would expect, but it is also an unusual 79 minutes long. The great jazz and Latin clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera appears on three tracks. Ma is joined with fiddle and bagpipes in support of an Alison Krauss vocal. Another Celtic combination, French Canadian, includes harp, piano, drums, and Natalie Macmaster on fiddle. Dave Brubeck and his cello-playing son Matt Brubeck appear; that is correct, two cellos. Cello and saxophone combine care of Joshua Redman, and how about cello and ukulele via Jake Shimabukuro! A work composed by Osvaldo Golijov brings together a sheng, santur, tabla, ney, kamancheh, shakuhachi, pipa, and Western strings of cello, violin, violas. Four different improvisations on Dona Nobis Pacem are interspersed among the tracks to help unite the recordings. And the jazz, Celtic, classical, rock, Latin, and pop tunes are all remarkably infused with holiday joy and Ma's sweet and sonorous cello. These fine and mellow pieces are not for dance parties but for enjoying the coziness, warmth, and peace of sitting with friends, viewing a fireplace or holiday lights, and tasting special food and drink. When you finish listening to this CD, expect to find a smile on your face and happiness in your heart.
165 people found this helpful
Top critical review
Some wonderful tracks, but overall it won't be a favorite.
December 3, 2019
I gave this three out of five stars because I only liked half of the tracks. The ones I liked, I liked a lot, but the ones I did not like, I detested. Some might think people who can't sing, or instruments played off-pitch, are cool, or edgy, but that's not my style. It made me wish for an edit feature so I could delete them. Honestly, I only bought this because I saw a "making of" video on YouTube a few days ago, of Allison Krauss singing the Wexford Carol, which was exquisite.
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October 16, 2008
These days anthologies of a given leading musician with assorted guests are commonplace, and we have seen them in rock, jazz, blues, and even country. But Yo-Yo Ma is a classical musician who ventures far into other realms, from his Silk Road Project to Bossa Nova and Tango. Here is a stunning winter holiday album (not all strictly Christmas songs) where Ma makes music with major artists from around the world in unusual instrumental combinations. This album has excellent sound quality, as you would expect, but it is also an unusual 79 minutes long. The great jazz and Latin clarinetist Paquito D'Rivera appears on three tracks. Ma is joined with fiddle and bagpipes in support of an Alison Krauss vocal. Another Celtic combination, French Canadian, includes harp, piano, drums, and Natalie Macmaster on fiddle. Dave Brubeck and his cello-playing son Matt Brubeck appear; that is correct, two cellos. Cello and saxophone combine care of Joshua Redman, and how about cello and ukulele via Jake Shimabukuro! A work composed by Osvaldo Golijov brings together a sheng, santur, tabla, ney, kamancheh, shakuhachi, pipa, and Western strings of cello, violin, violas. Four different improvisations on Dona Nobis Pacem are interspersed among the tracks to help unite the recordings. And the jazz, Celtic, classical, rock, Latin, and pop tunes are all remarkably infused with holiday joy and Ma's sweet and sonorous cello. These fine and mellow pieces are not for dance parties but for enjoying the coziness, warmth, and peace of sitting with friends, viewing a fireplace or holiday lights, and tasting special food and drink. When you finish listening to this CD, expect to find a smile on your face and happiness in your heart.
September 10, 2019
There's enough reviews here already so I won't go into length. First, as an audiofile, I'd say this is a very well produced CD. It sounds incredible with a good pair of headphones on. Those that reviewed otherwise may have received an illegal copy. It truly sounds wonderful.
The talent is amazing and everything is played magically. Dave Brubeck gives a great performance on two songs (he will be missed). Allison Krauss sends shivers up the spine with her incredible voice. Sergio Assad has the magic touch on the guitar. Evwryone does a tremend job.
Yo-Yo Ma isn't famous because he has a catchy name, he's famous because he is very gifted.
Even if you hate Jesus you'll love this album. It's timeless style will be with you always.
The talent is amazing and everything is played magically. Dave Brubeck gives a great performance on two songs (he will be missed). Allison Krauss sends shivers up the spine with her incredible voice. Sergio Assad has the magic touch on the guitar. Evwryone does a tremend job.
Yo-Yo Ma isn't famous because he has a catchy name, he's famous because he is very gifted.
Even if you hate Jesus you'll love this album. It's timeless style will be with you always.
September 13, 2009
Sometimes, when a classical artist decides to branch out into other forms of music, the result is laughable -- perfect chops but no soul. Yo-Yo Ma has managed to beat that result several times, and this disc is one of them. He is the sort of musician who notes artistic worth even if the player didn't graduate from Julliard, and chose a great mix from his acquaintances outside the concert-hall world. Who else would even know Jake Shimabukuro, a uke player who takes his tiny instrument waaay beyond beach-party noodling? If you're sick of the pathetic carnival of modern Christmas, play the Wexford Carol some December evening when you're alone. Light a candle and let Alison Krauss remind you what Christmas meant before it was ravaged. And sometime in the middle of July, play the Natalie MacMaster cut on the car stereo, top volume, windows down. You don't need sub-bass for music to transport you away from your cares. This is a fabulous album that you will enjoy all year, and treasure in December.
December 25, 2008
I aproached this CD apprehensively.
Was it another all-star holiday CD? A banal collection of forgettable music that would disappear on the shelf after one or two playings?
Hardly.
Yo-Yo Ma has assembled an all-star cast of musical titans who have managed to create a collection of timeless, harmonious, and utterly original soundings arrangements of beautiful music.
Playing it for friends and family this holiday season has elicited many queries as to who is palying; "what IS that CD?" A wonderful amalgam of classical, popular, new age, jazzy, and new world music, Songs of Joy and Peace never devolves into cliched sentiment or ephemeral new age music. Instead, it is classic and timeless.
With his many classical recordings, Silk Road ensemble, and collaborative works such as this, Yo-Yo Ma has become a national treasure.
If only all of our musicans musically aged as gracefully.
I urge you to purchase this fine disc. You will not be disappointed!
Was it another all-star holiday CD? A banal collection of forgettable music that would disappear on the shelf after one or two playings?
Hardly.
Yo-Yo Ma has assembled an all-star cast of musical titans who have managed to create a collection of timeless, harmonious, and utterly original soundings arrangements of beautiful music.
Playing it for friends and family this holiday season has elicited many queries as to who is palying; "what IS that CD?" A wonderful amalgam of classical, popular, new age, jazzy, and new world music, Songs of Joy and Peace never devolves into cliched sentiment or ephemeral new age music. Instead, it is classic and timeless.
With his many classical recordings, Silk Road ensemble, and collaborative works such as this, Yo-Yo Ma has become a national treasure.
If only all of our musicans musically aged as gracefully.
I urge you to purchase this fine disc. You will not be disappointed!
February 26, 2014
And my story's seldom told. I have this terrible tendency to put musicians into a box. Marsalis should play nothing but Baroque. And Yo-Yo should play nothing but classical. I bot this largely as an exercise in listening to one of my favorites do something ELSE that he enjoyed. It took a couple of listenings, but I enjoy this. Growth is good. Better than stagnation or sliding back into the fetid pools of We've Always Done It This Way. This album took only a slight bit more effort that Ray Charles Duets, which took none.
January 6, 2009
I have always found Yo Yo Ma a consumate artist with taste and charm both personally and musically. Yet, I come to this album with a little trepidation with the various styles and approaches. I was prepared to be happily surprised but cautious in that usually such albums are cuts of half hearted material devlivered just as half heartedly. However, the mix of artists is quite wonderful and each work is a little treasure and a delight to the ear. The video is wonderful to see although a bit contrived. There are wonderful jazzy numbers but also some interesting and quite novel combinations of instruments. So, this was not the disappointment that I had feared. It is new, bright and something wonderful to the ear. You can easy listen but you will be brought to pick up the album package quite often and fulfill the want to know exactly who the guest artist is and find out more about them. Quite a nice surprise.
December 26, 2008
Yo-Yo Ma's album "Songs of Joy and Peace" brings together a fairly wide range of genres and musical backgrounds into an exploration of musical joyousness. There's a compelling unity here above and beyond the cellist's influence on each track, and, considering how diverse the tracks are, I think that's quite an accomplishment in itself. The virtuosity of every individual performer is striking, and in combination with Yo-Yo Ma and others the result of their playing is often breathtaking. If you're looking for something fresh in the way of holiday music, choosing this beautifully performed and recorded CD is a sure bet.
November 1, 2013
I bought this CD a few years ago and it is still one of my favorite Holiday CDs. I almost never give 5 stars to anything but this is so enjoyable and the "friends" who participated in this recording are so widely diversified that it appeals to almost everyone. My "Holiday Ipod Loop" of about 100 songs includes 5 of the tracks from this CD & I own over 40 holiday CDs. This is a very non-traditional Holiday CD, some of the songs which I play during other seasons as well.
November 21, 2019
Excellent performances and sound quality. I enjoy hearing this any time of the year.
December 17, 2008
While I enjoy all of the songs on this wonderfully composed album two stick out for me that in addition to Christmas also point to the Solstice and the return of the light
"This Little Light of Mine" is a wonderful blend of Bourbon Street, Caribbean, and Classical themes (also probably some other layers I have failed to recognize). The simplicity of the layers makes this a brilliant composition that thrills me each time I hear it.
James Taylor's "Here Comes the Sun" is another artful composition. These two songs add wonderful breath not often found in a Christmas Album.
"This Little Light of Mine" is a wonderful blend of Bourbon Street, Caribbean, and Classical themes (also probably some other layers I have failed to recognize). The simplicity of the layers makes this a brilliant composition that thrills me each time I hear it.
James Taylor's "Here Comes the Sun" is another artful composition. These two songs add wonderful breath not often found in a Christmas Album.
