Joshua Bell - At Home with Friends - Music & Performance - CD

My daughter and I have become very interested in more instrumentals since she started band and we absolutely LOVED this CD. And with so many friends playing and singing on the CD as well makes it even more fun. Perfect for just curling up in the chair on a fall day and enjoying the fabulous music. Joshua plays makes the violin sound elegant and engaging. We will definitely be listening to this CD over and over again.

Joshua Bell's, “At Home With Friends is so easy going. The sounds on it are amazing I have loved being able to put it on and just sitting back and relaxing.

After listening to At Home with Friends with Joshua Bell, I found myself envious of all Bell's friends. The album features renowned violinist Joshua Bell performing duets with various musical friends: Josh Groban, Marvin Hamlisch, even Sting. There is a variety of music styles presented, but the overall feel of the album is relaxing. My favorite is probably "My Funny Valentine" with Kristin Chenoweth. "Left Hand Song" with Regina Spektor struck me as very odd/"out there" the first few times, but it's growing on me the more I listen. It's a neat side of Sting to hear him perform the classical "Come Again." All in all, quite a musical treat!

Wow!I was not familiar with Joshua Bell.Only heard the name.I was so curious to get is and listen.Wow!I listened the CD probably 30th times!What a talent!What a musician!I love also the other artist on this CD-Sting, Josh Groban and Regina Spektor.In particular Josh Groban is an excellent companion for this instrument and of course Tiempo Libre who bring such verve to this albumn with unexpected Latin flare."Come Again" with Sting seems to have a Celtic feel . The misic is so soothing and relaxing and help ease the stresses of day-to-day life.When I am leastening the misic I feel At home with the friends ".This cd felt to me like Joshua Bell and friends were inviting us just to take a seat,relax and enjoy the beauty of the misic.I was very lucky to received this album as a promotion from the One2One Network. I highly recommend Joshua Bell: At Home with Friends. Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by): I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet Come Again featuring Sting, vocals Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance) Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano Left Hand featuring Regina Spektor, vocals

This is a cd that you will gladly share with good friends over a good bottle of wine. You get lost with each crosstroke of the bow. You get pulled in with the selection of performers, such as Frank Moreno. He does a very good job of singing on "Elenor Rigby". You just would not associate his normal genre with this compilation, but it works. This is a worthwhile cd to have in your collection and to refer to time and time again. It is timeless with timeless works that only age better with time.

The concept of At Home With Friends was inspired by Joshua Bell’s long-time practice of holding "musical soirees" at his New York residence, eclectic gatherings of musicians, actors, comics, literary figures and others who convene for the sheer joy of sharing their art in an informal setting. With this in mind, Bell has spent the past four years designing and building his home in Manhattan to accommodate the ideal "stay-at-home" venue. On this recording, friends performing with Joshua Bell include Chris Botti, Sting, Carel Kraayenhof, Josh Groban, Edgar Meyer, Frankie Moreno, Nathan Gunn, Regina Spektor, Chris Thile, Anoushka Shankar, Marvin Hamlisch and even Sergei Rachmaninov by way of Zenph Re-performance technology. The covers that Bell selected for At Home With Friends are as varied as its performers, beginning with a tender rendition of “I Loves You Porgy.” The sweet strings of Bell’s violin blend beautifully with the lonely jazz of Botti’s trumpet on the Porgy and Bess ballad. Sting lends his voice to the sixteenth century love song “Come Again,” a version of which appeared on Sting’s The Journey & The Labyrinth. I preferred the simpler lute rendition on Sting’s album, but Bell’s arrangement is also very pretty. Josh Groban’s voice makes a good companion for Bell’s violin in the theme from “Cinema Paradiso.” However, it’s my Cuban boys Tiempo Libre who steal the show with “Para Ti.” The song alternates between peppy brass coupled with rhythmic Latin percussion and soft orchestral interludes.

"At Home with Friends," (which I received a promotional copy of from the One2One network), features a variety songs with his "friends" (celebrity guest singers). Each track is different which makes the album very enjoyable. It is the perfect album to relax to!

I was sent this CD to review by One2One Network and I absolutely LOVED it. Being a musician myself, I am often very critical of the things I listen to. This album goes above and beyond what one usually expects to find in a mostly instrumental album-- I found it to be a very intimate recording. Seductive and intruiging as I experienced everything from spanish and italian undertones, to jazz and classical influences. Each song was different from the rest, and yet, it all works together! I will be listening to this CD for a long time. It fits every mood and is so engaging for the mind. Thank you, Joshua Bell!

I was fortunate enough to have been given this CD, and although it's not my normal genre of music, I fell in love with it immediately. Not only is the violin soothing and wonderful to listen to after a long day at work, the recognition that comes immediately from knowing the compositions really was great. I, like some other reviewers, LOVED Eleanor Rigby, being a big Beatles fan. The Violin is just haunting at times, and so expressive. I recommend this CD to anyone, who, like me, can use an oasis of calm and beauty in their days.

Joshua Bells new album at Home With Friends.Was a pleasant surprise to be .I am not a big Classical music fan .So when I started listening to the cd.I was happy.The album features some well known artists like Sting and Josh Groban .I do believe if you pick up this CD you too will be pleasantly surprised at how much you enjoyed it.