Monthly Archive: October 2005
MOZART: Requiem in D Minor, K. 626 (Robert D. Levin Edition) – Christine Brewer, soprano/ Ruxandra Donose, mezzo-soprano/ John Tessier, tenor/ Eric Owens, bass/ Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus/ Donald Runnicles – Telarc
New working version of Mozart’s unfinished Requiem to conform more closely to musical practice of the period
Ruby Braff Trio & Quintet – You Brought a New Kind of Love – Arbors Records
Last recording of the great Swing trumpet/cornetist
Chris Walden – Home of my Heart (Band members include: Pete Christlieb, tenor; Wayne Bergeron, Carl Saunders & Bobby Shew, tp; Bob McChesney, tb; Alan Steinberger, p.; Dave Carpenter, dr.) – Origin
A Mainstream Big Band Knockout
Dave Peck Trio – Good Road (Dave Peck, Piano; Jeff Johnson, Bass; Joe La Barbera, Drums) – Let’s Play Stella Records
Introspective piano trio in audiophile-level sonics
Dave Liebman, sax/Phil Markowitz, piano – Manhattan Dialogues – Zoho
A cerebral chamber-music sort of musical conversation between two pros
XENAKIS: Electronic Music I, “La Légende d’Eer” (2005)
Slide show of multimedia piece is accompanied by 5.1 channel electroacoustic soundtrack
HAYDN: Symphony No. 88 in G Major; Symphony No. 99 in E-flat Major; BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 1 in C Major – Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (Haydn)/ BBC Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven)/ Sir Colin Davis – PentaTone
Four-channel RQR recodings from the 70s resurrected to excellent effect
John Cage – From Zero (The Films of Frank Scheffer, Vol. 1)
Four short very avant films on John Cage employing Cage’s own chance techniques
Peter Bernstein Trio, Live at Smoke (2005)
B3 trio in a rather small club with rather small sound
BRAHMS: Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34/DVORAK: Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 – Clifford Curzon, piano/Budapest String Quartet – Naxos
Early 50s discings from the Library of Congress series
The Big Lebowski (1998)
Collector’s Edition of the cult Coen brothers hit
Progressions – 100 Years of Jazz Guitar (Compilation of 4 CDs in boxed set with 148-page booklet; featuring 78 guitar legends from 33 different labels) – Columbia Legacy
A magnificent musical and historical anthology of vital interest to any fan of jazz guitar
Audio News for October 28, 2005
Both Pioneer and NEC in Trouble; DVDs, Music and Home Electronics High on Holiday Shopping Lists;
Dolby Delivers Largest Sale of Loudness Meters
Alfred Hitchcock Presents – Season 1 (1955-1956)
39 great episodes from the popular mid-50s TV series
J. S. BACH: The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo, BWV 1001-1006 – Gidon Kremer – ECM New Series
A dynamic new interpretation of the six unaccompanied works in superb sonics
Tim Ries, saxophones & arrangements – “The Rolling Stones Project” (Big band & guests including Bill Charlap, Sheryl Crow, Bill Frisell, Larry Goldings, Norah Jones, John Patitucci, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts & others) Concord Records
About time for a beautifully-arranged jazz treatment of Stones tunes!
Jon Balke & Magnetic North Orchestra – Diverted Travels (Octet with Balke on keyboards) – ECM
Spare, Northerly-sounding “pulsating chamber music” from keyboardist-composer Balke
BEETHOVEN: Violin Concerto in D Major /MOZART: Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat for Violin, Viola and Orchestra – Yehudi Menuhin, violin and conductor (Mozart)/ David Oistrakh, viola and conductor (Beethoven/Mozart)/ Igor Oistrakh, violin – BBC Legends
A remarkable l963 concert featuring Menuhin and both Oistrakhs in Mozart and Beethoven concertos
BRAHMS: Academic Festival Overture, Op. 80; Alto Rhapsody, Op. 53; Haydn Variations, Op. 56a – Yvonne Naef, alto/ Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra/Hans Vonk – PentaTone
A musical memorial to the noted Dutch conductor who died last year
THELONIOUS MONK QUARTET: Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall. (Thelonious Monk, piano; John Coltrane, saxophone; Ahmed Abdul-Malik, bass; Shadow Wilson, drums) – Blue Note
An amazing and stellar discovery – tapes nobody had been aware of, from a 1957 concert
The Soul of Nina Simone – CD compilation + same tracks on DVD in PCM stereo plus videos – RCA/Legacy DualDisc
Nine never-before-issued video performances by Nina highlight this survey of the queen of hauteur
The Red Hot Ray Brown Trio – (Ray Brown, bass; Gene Harris, piano; Mickey Roker, drums) – Concord Jazz/Groove Note
1985 live club recording shines in its best sonics yet
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
