Monthly Archive: November 2016
RESPIGHI: Roman Trilogy – Texas Music Festival Orch./ Franz Anton Krager – HDTT
RESPIGHI: Roman Trilogy – Roman Festivals; The Fountains of Rome; The Pines of Rome / Texas Music Festival Orch./ Franz Anton Krager – 5.0, 24 bit/192k high-res digital with a 2.0 version – DTS-HD MA recorded live in public concert 11 June 2016 in the Moores Opera House, University of Houston by John G. Proffitt – HDTT ***1/2: A fine performance of these familiar works with a stunning surround audiophile production. It’s always nice to get a new recording of these three orchestral showpieces, and getting a fine surround recording is a real plus. This Blu-ray audio disc from the folks at High Definition Tape Transfers is a new recording, from June of 2016. HDTT has made its reputation with remastering of older recordings on prerecorded tape (and lately off actual older vinyls), but they seem to be moving toward adding brand new recordings, and that is to be applauded. The Texas Music Festival Orchestra is in fact a youth orchestra, but don’t let that put you off. They do the Respighi proud. It’s hard to believe this is a non-professional group. And the Respighi can trip up any professional player, especially in some of the horn solos, which are […]
Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral – NoBusiness
Unpredictable, Chicago-styled ensemble improvisation and composition. Jason Roebke Octet – Cinema Spiral [TrackList Follows] – NoBusiness NBCD 86, 52:39 [9/16/16] ****: (Greg Ward – alto saxophone; Keefe Jackson – tenor and sopranino saxophone, contrabass clarinet; Jason Stein – bass clarinet; Josh Berman – trumpet; Jeb Bishop – trombone; Jason Adasiewicz – vibraphone; Jason Roebke – bass; Mike Reed – drums) Listening to Chicago-based bassist Jason Roebke’s sophomore octet album, Cinema Spiral, is like reading an interconnected short story collection (think Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles, for example). That’s because Roebke’s seven linked pieces share commonality, and flow from tune to tune. The film-inclined title is also reflected in the music and track titles, such as the opener, “Looking Directly into the Camera,” “Focusing” and others. Like much of his Chicago jazz compatriots, Roebke pens forward-gazing jazz with a modernist viewpoint. The sizeable line-up plus the intensely dynamic arrangements provide a Mingus-esque style. Roebke wrote his long-form opus with his group in mind, which comprises some of Chicago’s notable jazz artists: alto saxophonist Greg Ward; Keefe Jackson (on tenor and sopranino saxophone, as well as contrabass clarinet); bass clarinetist Jason Stein; trumpeter Josh Berman; trombonist Jeb Bishop; vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz; and drummer […]
Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications
Nick Sanders & Logan Strosahl – Janus – Sunnyside Communications SSC1469, 41:40 ***: An intriguing release. (Nick Sanders – piano; Logan Strosahl – alto & tenor saxophone) You have to give credit to Nick Sanders and Logan Strosahl for getting this album entitled Janus released. Imagine, if you will, the pitch meeting with Sunnyside Communications wherein the duo wanted to record a disc that would feature their interpretations of music from medieval, Baroque and contemporary classics, as well as bebop and modern jazz. Clearly the individuals in charge of the label thought it was worth the risk. Was it ? Both Sanders and Strosahl are first class musicians having graduated from Boston’s New England Conservatory. This is where they first encountered each other and started playing together. Clearly, they are like-minded and highly accomplished collaborators as evidenced by the first track entitled “Sigma”. This original composition by Nick Sanders flits along the jagged edges of classical/free jazz at a confident pace. Diving into jazz’s oblique territory with Thelonious Monk’s “Thelonious,” the duo demonstrates their comfort with the number as they tackle Monk’s stylistic intricacies. Another number that falls into this category is the composition “Be-Bop Tune” by the two principals, […]
Joe Weed – The Vultures – TopMusic
Joe Weed – The Vultures – TopMusic TM-SACD9801.2 stereo-only SACD, 34:33 ****1/2: This is a terrific hi-res release of updated ’50s and ’60s rock/pop instrumentals. (Joe Weed – guitars, mandolin, fiddle; Jim Boggio – accordion; Todd Phillips – bass; Rob Ickles – dobro-, Joe Craven – percussion; Norton Buffalo – harmonica; Steve Pefley – drums; David Grisman – mandolin; Rich Ertelt – guitar) Hold onto your hats, Joe Weed is going to reinvent surf, rock and pop instrumentals in quasi-bluegrass instrumentation. Even better, this session has been re-mastered to SACD in stereo. With an all-star band (Norton Buffalo/harmonica; David Grisman/mandolin; Rob Ickles/dobro; Todd Phillips/bass; Steve Pefley/drums; Jim Boggio/accordion), Weed breezes through these classics with verve and style. And what better way to get the proceedings started than a cover of the 1960 Ventures hit “Pipeline”. Without sacrificing the pulsating rhythm, Weed leads the group in an organic, breezy take. His guitar lead is precise and clear. Rob Ickle picks up the second verse on dobro. The addition of percussion (not just drums) by Joe Craven and accordion by Jim Boggio is flawless. At 3:15, it is still a small gem. “Apache” had been a hit for The Shadows, a British […]
LISZT: Transcendental Etudes – Kirill Gerstein, p. – Myrios Classics
Pianist Kirill Gerstein and producer Stephan Cahen deliver a titanic rendition of the Liszt magnum opus. LISZT: Transcendental Etudes, S. 139 – Kirill Gerstein, p. – Myrios Classics multichannel SACD MYR019, 64:00 (9/9/16) *****: The genesis for Liszt’s Transcendental Etudes extends backwards in time to the composer’s thirteenth year (1824), when he planned to compete with J.S. Bach to conceive cycles of etudes in all the keys of the chromatic scale, major and minor. Liszt returned to the scheme in 1826, but he finally published his set of 12 in 1838. In his review of the 1838 version, Robert Schumann called the études “studies in storm and dread for, at the most, ten or twelve players in the world.” In 1852 Liszt prepared another edition – somewhat toned down in bravura and technical brilliance – and this version bore the title Études d’exécution transcendante. Kirill Gerstein (b. 1979) has recorded (December 2015) the Liszt Etudes with a declared intention of illuminating both their technical and spiritual notions of transcendence. Performing on a Steinway & Sons D-274, Gerstein manages a ravishing and percussive tonal palette. We might proceed directly to his realization of Etude No. 6 Vision, to appreciate what diversity […]
BRAHMS: Piano Trios – Vienna Piano Trio – MD&G; BRAHMS: Rhapsodies; Piano Sonata 3; Ballade – Mortensen, p. – LAWO
BRAHMS: Piano Trios No. 1 – Trio Op. 8 (Version of 1889); Trio Op. 87 ‒ Vienna Piano Trio ‒ MD&G multichannel SACD MDG 942 1962-6 (& 2+2+2); 63:31 (7/8/16) ***1/2: “In Finstrer Mitternach” = BRAHMS: Two Rhapsodies, Op. 74; Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 5; Ballade, Op. 10, No. 1 ‒ Nils Anders Mortensen, p. ‒ LAWO multichannel SACD LWC1084; 58:00 (2/6/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Brahms at midnight and mid-afternoon. I decided to review these recordings together because they started me thinking about the fractious (mostly on one side of the equation) relationship between Brahms and Tchaikovsky. Thanks to Nicolas Slonimsky’s endlessly entertaining Lexicon of Musical Invective, we know that Tchaikovsky was not a fan of Brahms. In a diary entry from 1886, Tchaikovsky noted that he was playing some music by Brahms. His reaction? “What a giftless bastard!” Tchaikovsky did moderate his view when he met Brahms two years later in Leipzig, at the home of violinist Adolph Brodsky. Here, the Russian composer found Brahms a dignified, kindly man and generally had more complementary things to say about his German rival. However, auditing a run-through of Brahms’s new trio—presumably the Trio No. 3, Op. 101—Tchaikovsky was moved […]
Fantasia Andaluza – Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius – Various works for classical and flamenco guitar – Alba Music
Fantasia Andaluza – Petri Kumela & Joonas Widenius – Various works for classical and flamenco guitar [TrackList follows] – Alba Music multichannel SACD ABCD391, 49:00 (7/29/16) ****: A unique disc that offers Spanish guitar with flamenco guitar. Fantasía Andaluza, the guitar duo record of Kumela and Widenius brings something a bit new to the music world. It’s a mixture of flamenco guitar and Classical guitar. As the liner notes point out, the two instruments have travelled through history side by side, at times very close and at others further apart. The two top Finnish guitarists on this disc mirror their instruments one against the other. The repertoire is based on the traditional Spanish guitar music, but the two guitars together make this a unique listening experience. The mixing of a classical and flamenco guitarist gives the music a rather different sound. Some of the works on this disc were written for guitar, others are transcriptions. This SACD 5.1 recording is very good. Each guitar gets its own channel in front, while the rear channels provide a hint of the recording venue, which was a small chapel in Finland. The contrast between the classical and flamenco guitar are quite striking. The […]
Audio News for Tuesday, November 8, 2016
75% of Japanese Want Hacker Protection for Devices – Japanese consumers are very concerned about hacker attacks on the smart electronics in their homes. Most want an automated update service that prevents unauthorized access to data in devices over the Net. Electronica Trend Index 2020 surveyed 7000 consumers in seven countries and the Japanese consumers were the most aware of the data risks associated with smart electronics. But many Japanese also see smart electronics as a way to reduce risk in many areas of their lives. 79% favor alert systems making it safe for older people to stay in their own homes longer. And 74% want a car that autonomously alerts police and reports its location when stolen. New Google Home is a Winner – It competes with Amazon’s Echo and may be a better deal, but the sound from it is terrible. It is a Wi-Fi speaker that reacts to voice commands like Echo, but with shocking accuracy. The vast Net knowledge of the search giant is part of its free Google Assistant app that comes with their Pixel smart phone. It is a personal and customized helper. It’s very small (smaller than the Echo), looking like a futuristic […]
Song Of Lahore – The Sachal Ensemble (2016)
Song Of Lahore – The Sachal Ensemble (2016) A compelling documentary about a Pakistani jazz group! Studio: Broadgreen Pictures 94174630 Directors: Andy Schocken & SharmeenObaid-Chinoy featuring The Sachal Ensemble and guest performers – Wynton Marsalis and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Video 1.78:1 for widescreen 16:9, color Length: 82 minutes Ratings: Audio: **** Video: ***1/2 Overall:***1/2 It’s not often that a musical documentary tackles complicated socio-political issues and provides great music. But Song Of Lahore does exactly that. This is a tale of a Pakistani musical group, older in age, trying to navigate the intrinsic need to reconcile their artistic vision and heritage (with a decidedly American jazz influence) with the overall restrictive cultural limitations of Sharia law. There is a seventies montage that provides the historical context for this complicated narrative. Bitterness doesn’t overtake the life of Nijat Ali as he tries to manage the music group at The Sachal Studios. Following the previously mentioned Sharia law in the seventies, the ties that bind have been breached. The struggle is with reviving this special music and band and extricating them from generational conflicts that serve as a sub-text for the […]
Finding Dory, Blu-ray (3D available) (2016)
A wonderful Pixar animated sequel to the original film of 2003. Finding Dory, Blu-ray (3D available) (2016) Voice-overs: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy Studio: Pixar/ Walt Disney Studios 138050 (11/15/16). 3 discs = Blu-ray, DVD & Extras|Director: Andrew Stanton Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English, DTS-HD MA 7.1, 2.0 descriptive audio, DD 5.1 Spanish & French Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French Extras: (over two hours) Film commentary track, Short: Piper, New mini-short Marine Life Interviews, Deleted Scenes, “Animation & Acting,” “The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar,” “Deep in the Kelp,” “Casual Carpool,” “What Were We Talking About?,” “Creature Features,” “Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer,” “Dory’s Theme,” “Rough Day on the Reef,” Finding Nemo told by emojis, Living Aquariums, Fish Schticks Length: Film: 97 min. Rating: ***** B01FJ4UGF0 Most sequels and re-makes end up being less good than the original and some are really bad (the re-make of Hitchcock’s Psycho, for example), but this one is even better than the first one, Finding Nemo (which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003). It has a complex and interesting story and Dory the blue tang fish (and DeGeneres) are definitely the […]
Frank Kimbrough Trio – Solstice – Pirouet
Frank Kimbrough Trio – Solstice – Pirouet PIT3097, 56:04 (10/7/16) *****: A great piano trio CD from the pianist with the Maria Schneider Orchestra. (Frank Kimbrough; piano / Jay Anderson; bass / Jeff Hirshfield; drums) The first thing I noticed about Frank Kimbrough’s Solstice is that it represents the work of three eminent and distinctive female composers: Annette Peacock (two tunes), Carla Bley, and Maria Schneider, as well as a song from singer Maryanne de Prophetis, long-time collaborator of the pianist. Congruent to the artistic sensibilities of these composers are works by Paul Motian and Andrew Hill and the title track “Solstice” by Mr. Kimbrough himself. Only “Here come the Honey Man” by Gershwin pays tribute to the American Songbook. Knowing Frank to exemplify a thinking-man’s approach to jazz improvisation, I looked forward to his investigations of these disciplined but emotionally potent composers. His trio consists of Jay Anderson and Jeff Hirschfield, both well-known names in the business. The first track is Carla Bley’s “Seven.” The oddly-shaped melody is introduced with simplicity and a feeling of tentativeness by the piano. It seems an inquiry into the strangeness of the world. The bass joins the discussion but the conundrum does not […]
SCHUMANN: Davidsbuendlertaenze; ELIASSON: Disegno 2; CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 2 “Funeral March” – Beth Levin, p. – Navona
Powerful and idiosyncratic, Beth Levin has her own ideas of “Romantic” repertory. SCHUMANN: Davidsbuendlertaenze, Op. 6; ELIASSON: Disegno 2 for Piano; CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in b-flat, Op. 35 “Funeral March” – Beth Levin, p. – Navona NV6016, 63:00 (1/8/16) [Distr. by Parma] ****: Philadelphia-born pianist Beth Levin (b. 1950) continues to perform in a Romantic tradition set by her teachers Milan Filar, Leonard Shure, and Rudolf Serkin. On this Navona disc (rec. 27 July 2015), Levin approaches two arch Romantics, Schumann and Chopin, as well as an unfamiliar, modern contemporary, Anders Eliasson (1947-2013). The major work, the 1837 Dances of the Davids-League of Robert Schumann, allow Levin to project a variety of touches and colors rife with personality and psychic ecstasies. While commentators usually focus on the personal labyrinths involved with Florestan and Eusebius – Schumann’s extrovert and introvert projections of self – I like to characterize these eighteen “tempi of initiation” as a Rosetta Stone for Schumann’s musical syntax, opening as it does with a quote from a Clara Wieck piece – her own key tends to C Major. Davidsbuendlertaenze appear as two sets of nine dances, with occasionally repeated drooping figures and rhetorical associations. As […]
Slavic Soul Party! – Plays Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite – Ropeadope
Ellington as you’ve never heard Ellington: let the party begin. Slavic Soul Party! – Plays Duke Ellington’s Far East Suite [TrackList follows] – Ropeadope RAD-314, 52:14 [9/16/16] ****1/2: (John Carlson, Kenny Warren – trumpet; Peter Hess – saxophone, clarinet; Peter Stan – accordion; Matt Musselman, Tim Vaughn – trombone; Ron Caswell – tuba; Chris Stromquist – snare drum, percussion; Matt Moran – tapan, goč, bubanj) East meets West? Simply going by the title of this ensemble’s name, Slavic Soul Party!, you might assume this is an Eastern European band performing western jazz. Think again. This is actually East Coast meets Far East. The nine-member Slavic Soul Party! [they like to use an exclamation point] is a New York City-based group who put a fresh spin on Duke Ellington’s celebrated Far East Suite, issued 50 years ago in 1966. Percussionist Matt Moran (part of the Claudia Quartet, and who has backed Sufjan Stevens and others) formed Slavic Soul Party! in the late ‘90s, and over the years has presented music bursting with bouncy brass and has melded different musical viewpoints into a beguiling brew. Slavic Soul Party! is nearly all brass: two trumpets, two trombones, sax, clarinet and tuba, along with […]
MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde – Kathleen Ferrier, mezzo/ Set Svanholm, tenor/ NY Philharmonic/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio
Andrew Rose revives Kathleen Ferrier’s American debut, in her first Bruno Walter-led “Symphony of Songs” by GUSTAV MAHLER. MAHLER: Das Lied von der Erde – Kathleen Ferrier, mezzo-soprano/ Set Svanholm, tenor/ New York Philharmonic/ Bruno Walter – Pristine Audio PACO 137, 58:20 (mono) [avail in var. formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: In this, Andrew Rose’s restoration of 18 January 1948 performance of Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde at Carnegie Hall under Bruno Walter, the great Kathleen Ferrier (1912-1953) made her American debut. The tenor solo has Set Svanholm (1904-1964), the Swedish operatic talent who had assumed much of the repertory that was dominated by Lauritz Melchior. Recorded history now has four interpretations of this mighty score with Bruno Walter, who gave the world premiere 20 November 1911. The performance here at Carnegie Hall possesses a decisive urgency, occasionally making Svanholm enter ahead of the beat. What we crave always and forever remain Ferrier’s vocal timbre and lyrical stamina, which appear to gain strength and fervor as this evening’s rendition evolves. The music well-combines the contradictions in Mahler’s character: his cosmopolitanism and complete orchestral mastery and security, even as the otherwise distant, detached nature of the poetry becomes emblazoned in […]
SCHUBERT – Piano Trios Op. 99 & 100 – Harmonia mundi
FRANZ SCHUBERT – Piano Trios Op. 99 & 100 – Staier Trio – Harmonia mundi 902233.34, (2 CDs) 51:38, 45:33 (10/21/16) [Distr. by PIAS] *****: (Andreas Staier – fortepiano/ Daniel Sepec – violin/ Roel Dieltiens – violoncello) Adjusting Schubertian attitudes with help from the fortepiano. The new Harmonia mundi release of Schubert’s late piano trios Op. 99 & 100 played on period instruments, including a copy of a Schubert period fortepiano, is an especially welcome event. It allows me to provoke our great sage, Pandit Singh, whose dislike of fortepianos is well-known. The Arbiter Elegantiarum of the audiophile listening group, rarely fails to find the crux of the matter at such times. “There is problem” he begins as usual, “Schubert’s famous heavenly repetition may be ill served by the plinkity-plonkity sound of the out-of-tune church basement piano.” I object strongly, pointing out that Andreas Staier has steadily risen to the top of a new generation of early music keyboardists who have found an ideal sound for Schubert’s music. Correct in scale but strong in voice, his instruments always astound with their sparkle and clarity, whether harpsichord or, as here, the fortepiano. Surely the Pandit is being rashly dismissive. But he […]
Manatee Commune – Manatee Commune – Bastard Jazz
Manatee Commune – Manatee Commune – Bastard Jazz BJCD14, (9/16/16), *****: Folktronica: Blending properties of traditional acoustic & contemporary electronic soundscapes. Manatee Commune, the musical moniker of Grant Eadie, is a Bellingham, WA raised musician that is pushing the envelope of downtempo music, using some never-before-thought-of techniques, bringing together a uniquely beautiful sound, and all the while he’s sure to get everyone up and moving to his rhythmically-syncopated catchy beats on the dance floor! Manatee Commune is known for blending his field-recorded sounds of nature, electronic synths and production techniques along with a nice dash of live classical instrumentation on viola and his beach-side surfer guitar riffs. In just a short time, releasing the full-length album Brush, and the EP Thistle, he’s gained some strong recognition, especially in the Pacific Northwest where he’s played and headlined festivals like Decibel, Bumbershoot, Beloved Festival, and many others. And now, after these few years, he’s just dropped his second full-length album, self-titled, Manatee Commune, which gifts listeners with his best production yet – a beautiful journey through atmospheric textures which at times pull your ears in through perfected volume control by drawing your focus in by the soft quietness at times, to natural […]
John Lee Hooker – The Modern, Chess & Vee-Jay Singles And Collection 1949-1962 – Acrobat Music (4 CDs)
John Lee Hooker – The Modern, Chess & Vee-Jay Singles And Collection 1949-1962 – Acrobat Music ACQCD7103 (4-CDs) mono box set [10/7/16] ****1/2: This is a seminal anthology of a blues icon. (John Lee Hooker – guitar & vocals) Among the icons of blues, John Lee Hooker stands tall. In classic legendary cult persona, his birthplace is one of two places in Mississippi. But that’s Delta country and Hooker would represent the sub-genre with his own inimitable style. in 1948, he recorded the standard “Boogie Chillen” in Detroit, which was released on Modern Records out of Los Angeles. The single became the biggest “race” record of 1949, launching a memorable career. Throughout his years with various labels including Modern, Chess, Vee-Jay, Atlantic, and Verve (and others), he added songs like “Boom Boom”, “Crawling King Snake” and “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer” to the blues landscape. His early work was renown for its unusual rhythmic structures (which made it difficult for musicians to accompany) and guitar-based boogie music. Due to money (or lack of money issues), Hooker recorded a lot of music under assumed names. Acrobat Music has released a 4-CD box set highlighting Hooker’s catalog with Modern, Chess and […]
GALILEI: The Well-tempered Lute; Tones I – IV – Zak Ozmo – Hyperion
VINCENZO GALILEI: The Well-tempered Lute; Tones I – IV – Zak Ozmo, lute – Hyperion 68017, 63:03 (2/5/16) ****: A long-neglected work of Renaissance musical investigation of equal-temperament as applied to the lute. (Zak Ozmo – lute) In this recording of VIncenzo Galilei’s Libro d’intavolatore di Liuto by Zak Ozmo, we are introduced to a musical work of great historical significance. This Hyperion release is titled The Well-tempered Lute, a weighty invocation indeed. It is, in fact, a theoretical demonstration of the principle of equal-temperament as applied to the lute. It is astonishing to consider that 138 years before Bach it would be possible for such a modest and restricted instrument as the six-course lute to involve itself in such difficult research. The organization of the pieces is intricate, but the basic idea is similar to the WTC. There are Italian dances Passamezzo, Romanesca and Saltarello, the latter in triple-meter played in contrasting modes, (Dorian and Ionian) in each of the key signatures in an orderly progression. Subtitled Tones I-IV, it seems that we have just half of the famous book. Unlike in the Well-Tempered Clavier of Bach, we don’t have clear key signatures, so we don’t really know where we are […]
Ben Allison – Quiet Revolution – Newvelle Records – vinyl
Ben Allison’s drummer-less trio – honors Jim Hall & Jimmy Giuffre… Ben Allison – Quiet Revolution – Newvelle Records NV005LP – audiophile vinyl ****1/2: (Ben Allison – bass; Ted Nash – tenor sax & clarinet; Steve Cardenas – steel-string guitar) The concept of a drummer-less trio is not a new one for jazz. The concept goes back to at least trios with Oscar Peterson, and Nat King Cole. Having the trio not include a pianist is only a bit harder to find, but the trio of Lucky Thompson, Skeeter Best, and Oscar Pettiford come to mind. Among the most noted for utilizing this concept were guitarist Jim Hall and multi-reedist Jimmy Giuffre. Bassist Ben Allison is the latest to record with saxophone and guitar, and in a gorgeous-sounding audiophile vinyl just issued by Newvelle Records for their subscription series, Allison is paired with Ted Nash and Steve Cardenas to honor Giuffre and Hall. In addition to the honorees, Allison and Nash each contribute a composition as well as the inclusion of the “Love Theme from Spartacus.” What is immediately apparent in listening to this marvelous sounding LP is the joy and creative interplay between the trio. Watching a YouTube video […]
“O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts
Millenium-old music from Hildegard von Bingen, visionary, mystic and polymath, sung by an inspired choir, Vajra Voices. “O Eterne Deus” – Music of HILDEGARD VON BINGEN – Vajra Voices/ Karen Clark – Music & Arts 1291, 50:20 (5/13/16) *****: As a man, I feel it may be inappropriate for me to review this all-female endeavour. But I very much enjoyed the full CD of music by Hildegard von Bingen, and the story behind it. Hildegard was the tenth child of a noble family, born in 1098 near present-day Frankfurt, Germany. From an early age she had spiritual visions, possibly one reason why her parents offered her to the nearby Benedictine monastery. She took her vows at age 14, and entered a stone cell (or “tomb”) under the tutelage of Jutta von Spanheim, six years older and also from a noble family. Jutta instructed Hildegard in Latin and religious practices, and the student learned much, and well. In one of her visions, Hildegard received a divine directive to write down all she experienced. A visiting monk-priest, Volmar, helped her with this, as well as teaching her music notation and performance on the ten-stringed psaltery. Other visitors spread the word of Hildegard’s […]
Eberhard Weber – The Jubilee Concert (2016)
Weber – The Jubilee Concert (2016) A heartfelt tribute to a pioneer of European jazz! Performers: Eberhard Weber, Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Jan Garbarek, Paul McCandless, SWR Big Band Studio: WDR/Jazz Haus (Distr. by Naxos Germany) Director: Thorsten Hubruch Video: 16:9 Color Audio: PCM stereo (24-bit/48K) Length: 90 min. TrackList: Resume; Touch; Tubingen; Maurizius; Street Scenes; Hommage; Killer Joe; Notes After An Evening Ratings: Audio: *** Video: *** Overall: ***1/2 Eberhard Weber is best known as a double-bassist and jazz composer from Germany. He became renowned as a vital recording artist for ECM Records. In addition to solo projects, he collaborated with various ECM stars including Gary Burton, Ralph Townes and Pat Metheny. He became an icon to European jazz. One of his innovations was a five-string acoustic bass guitar (the additional string tuned to C), and he became an early proponent for the solid-body electric doublebass. His musical stylings ranged from traditional jazz to avant-garde fusion, minimalism, ambient music and chamber jazz. The dozen or so ECM releases were hailed for their versatility and unique utilization of ostinato. Unfortunately, his career was cut short by a serious illness in 2007. As a tribute to this […]
Audio News for November 4, 2016
Classical Music Can Be Your Best Friend in This Political Turmoil – Research suggests that classical music could be just the thing to calm you down. Sort of like Vivaldi replacing Valium. Recent Research in Bochum, Germany had 120 participants in which half lay down in silence while the other half listened to classical music. When vital signs were taken afterwards, all had lower heart rates and other benefits, but the benefits were greatest in those who had listened to the classics. iPhones Not the Only Apple Products Dropping the Optical Out Jack for Headphones – The old MacBook Pro had an optical audio output but it is gone with the new 13-inch model, and not likely on higher-end models either. The port is described by Apple as a 3.5mm headphone jack with support for audio line out (digital/analog). There is no listing for S/PDIF optical digital audio output. Apple says “plenty of USB-C zero-latency professional peripherals are available now, or coming very soon.” Whether the MacBooks are provided with an adaptor for headphones like the new iPones is unknown. New Inexpensive LG 3D Blu-ray Deck – The PB556 is only about $166, plays Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs, has Wi-Fi […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
