Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but it could have been great.
Review: 5 stars for the group but only 4 for the DVD. It suffers from uneven sound - especially Miles' crucial riffing on the Flamoco Loco track. The newer tunes from AART sound a bit weak without the brass section. I strongly suggest catching the group live in their current lineup - they can really rock out as well as cruise. The guitars are still stars but the sax makes all the difference by providing another timbre - the sound is bigger now and with more variety. If they had recorded this DVD with the current lineup, it would have been superb. Go ahead - buy it if you like them, just dont expect a polished, seamless, faultless, production. You would buy the stunning new James Taylor DVD for that.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best music DVDs you'll ever watch!
Review: Acoustic Alchemy fans, or smooth jazz jans for that matter, will throughly enjoy this new music DVD just released. This group has kept music fans spellbound for nearly 15 years, and this 2002 concert disk certainly won't disappoint. The songs are great - some classic Alchemy, others newer. Greg Carmichael is his usually superb guitarist, and Frank Felix plays the bass guitar like no other jazz performer. The concert was recorded live, and it brings back memories of past shows the boys have done in the U.S. The cameras get nice closeups of the group as it weaves its way through one song after another. It's definitely the gem of my DVD collection!
Rating:
Summary: Great music from great musicians, an almost perfect DVD
Review: As a longtime AA fan I was waiting for years for a DVD to be published, and the result definitely lives up to my expectations.
Excellent selection of tracks creates a mix of classics from the Nick Webb period (e.g. Cool as a Rule, Lazeez) and selections from the band's recent albums (Beautiful Game and AArt).
Most song performances are excellent, only track I would skip is the Jazz-fusion interpretation of 'The Panama Cat' which can hardly be regarded 'acoustic'. The players are all superb: Greg is always at his best, and Gilderdale is versatile and brings his own personality into the tunes - even the classic ones. His use of electric guitar is limited enough such that it does not break the 'acoustic' brand yet still adds color in couple of tracks. Sound quality is excellent even though Gilderdale's steel string guitar seems faded at times. The minimum lineup (5 in total) manages to give a rich musical spectrum - mainly due to keyboardist Tony White and despite the fact that an additional percussionist and sax/trumpet player would have contributed a lot of color to the overall sound.
Only reason this is a 4 star ranking is due to the long and sometimes embarrassing verbal intermissions between the songs. These come out very annoying and cut the song sequence such that you want to 'skip' to the next track using your DVD remote control. AA is pure music and if you want to hear them talk there is a good interview bonus section added to the DVD. Apart from that - it's great music from great musicians.
AA are still one of the best musical forms you can hear time and again and find new layers and depths each time.
Rating: 
Summary: No need for the TV after the first viewing...
Review: Great music, great performance, but bland visuals. I was very excited to get my hands on this dvd. My only gripe with this dvd is what you see on the screen. The setting where this concert takes place is not the most interesting thing to watch. The camera work isn't the best, and the video quality isn't either. It is an enjoyable video, but I feel that I've been ripped in the video department. Now the music, as you'd come to expect from Acousic Alchemy is top notch. I have nothing but good things to say about the music and the audio quality. The DTS soundtrack is superb. I would probably reccommend the CD over the DVD unless you haven't seen them live before or are a longtime fan. Otherwise you might find yourself playing only the audio of this disc and giving the TV a rest.
Rating:
Summary: No need for the TV after the first viewing...
Review: Great music, great performance, but bland visuals. I was very excited to get my hands on this dvd. My only gripe with this dvd is what you see on the screen. The setting where this concert takes place is not the most interesting thing to watch. The camera work isn't the best, and the video quality isn't either. It is an enjoyable video, but I feel that I've been ripped in the video department. Now the music, as you'd come to expect from Acousic Alchemy is top notch. I have nothing but good things to say about the music and the audio quality. The DTS soundtrack is superb. I would probably reccommend the CD over the DVD unless you haven't seen them live before or are a longtime fan. Otherwise you might find yourself playing only the audio of this disc and giving the TV a rest.
Rating:
Summary: Great way to see a band that's hard to see
Review: I was actually intending to buy the cd version and not the dvd which I ordered by mistake. Upon watching the performance I compared it to the other AA performances that I have seen in the past. There seems to be something missing here performance wise...I dont know if the band, knowing that they were being filmed seemed a bit wooden and slightly awakward but I have seen them more lively at smaller more intimate venues. One element that I feel was missing...A view of the fan base for this group that is quite eclectic and very sophisticated. Musically they turn in a nice performance. I have always admired the arranging talents of this group and credit them for being quite innovative with regard to their sound. However...Substituting the keyboard synthisizer for the horns are a bit awakward sounding for the true fan. All in all a nice meld of the studio polish and performance licks to bring one a enjoyable evening on the couch seeing a band the all too often is quite difficult to see live as they seemed to be booked predominately at festivals (catalina island) and wineries in California and out of the way blues clubs on a Wednesday night in the middle of the busiest week of ones life. I would like to stress that if you do get to see them live, especially where they are the only act (avoid Catalina Island, it is a tremendous waste of time and money (sorry Art) By all means do...The band normally sits around afterwards greets the fans and in my case allowed me to jam with them a time or two. Give it a buy!
Rating:
Summary: Great way to see a band that's hard to see
Review: I was actually intending to buy the cd version and not the dvd which I ordered by mistake. Upon watching the performance I compared it to the other AA performances that I have seen in the past. There seems to be something missing here performance wise...I dont know if the band, knowing that they were being filmed seemed a bit wooden and slightly awakward but I have seen them more lively at smaller more intimate venues. One element that I feel was missing...A view of the fan base for this group that is quite eclectic and very sophisticated. Musically they turn in a nice performance. I have always admired the arranging talents of this group and credit them for being quite innovative with regard to their sound. However...Substituting the keyboard synthisizer for the horns are a bit awakward sounding for the true fan. All in all a nice meld of the studio polish and performance licks to bring one a enjoyable evening on the couch seeing a band the all too often is quite difficult to see live as they seemed to be booked predominately at festivals (catalina island) and wineries in California and out of the way blues clubs on a Wednesday night in the middle of the busiest week of ones life. I would like to stress that if you do get to see them live, especially where they are the only act (avoid Catalina Island, it is a tremendous waste of time and money (sorry Art) By all means do...The band normally sits around afterwards greets the fans and in my case allowed me to jam with them a time or two. Give it a buy!
Rating:
Summary: A great DVD Performance
Review: OK Lets get the bad stuff out of the way...
The stage set looks like it was borrowed off Sesame Street (OK, it is the Jamaican Islands and they Do paint houses that colorful). It just looks bad on video and is rather distracting during the long shots. Between cuts they try to banter with the crowd and well, it's a bit lame for the first half of the show. Video Quality is good. BUT LETS GET TO THE MUSIC!!
The mixing on this DVD was excellent! It's a first class quality surround sound track and the performance is Acoustic Alchemy at it's best!!
The first of 14 cuts is; "Catalina Kiss" as their warm-up, which leads into a tight and solid "Playing For Time". Next, is; "Angel of the South", followed by; "The Beautiful Game". Next up is "Trail Blazer" with Greg Carmichael showing off some of his impressive playing style. Tony White really tears up the keyboard on "ViVa Che" and "Flamoco Loco" Rocks the House!!
The performance continues with other well know Acoustic Alchemy cuts including a Greg Carmichael's beautiful solo on "Winds of Change" is spell-binding. The last chord can really work a sound system with a good subwoofer. Also worthy of note is a very impressive performance by bass player Frank Felix on "Panama Cat". This cut has to be enjoyed by cranking up the levels a tad. The video close-ups of his fingering couldn't be better.
Miles Gilderdale shows off his versatility throughout the performance by playing both Acoustic Steel, and Electric guitars in a wonderful compliment to Greg's wandering melodic lead melodies. And finally Richard Brooks on drums keeps everything moving smartly. If you enjoy Acoustic Alchemy, this performance is a must have!!!
Rating:
Summary: Uk's Best Guitar Duo...good music but poorly presented
Review: The musical content of this DVD is excellent!! The group is Fantastic! But there is one camera angle that I found very annoying..where the microphone & stand is covering Greg Carmichael's face most of the time, the same camera angle which the lighting is too bright to view the band..it destroys the mood of the song.
But Overall...this DVD is not Bad...Highly recommended to all Acoustic Alchemy Fan.
Rating:
Summary: Very Acoustic
Review: the sound quality of this DVD is excellent. The lighting quality could have been better. A must have for all smooth Jazz collectors.
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