Monthly Archive: July 2018
Lionel LOUEKE: Close Your Eyes – Newvelle Records
Lionel LOUEKE: Close Your Eyes – Newvelle Records 015 – 45:46 (June 2018): ****: (Lionel Loueke; guitar, Ruben Rogers;bass, Eric Harland; drums) State of the art vinyl release by Newvelle Records which maintains the high musical standards of its predecessors. Newvelle Records is in its third season of a unique project of producing new music, released on vinyl only, sold by subscription (only six records per year). These 180 gram LPs come handsomely-packaged with the inclusion of specially commissioned art and oblique literary works, which may or may not relate to the music. Their stated goal is to reconnect the jazz fan to the original thrill of the medium. Part of this may be considered the two-month drama of waiting for the next release. There is something special in unwrapping an LP and watching the dual-fold open with its potent suspense. And how much more rewarding it is to find a product pared down to an essential work of art. There is no plastic, no video-tie ins, no photos, bio, dedications, resumes. In short, there are two pieces of art (credited on cover) and an accompanying literary piece of uncertain description and a single disc of transparent vinyl. Apparently, given […]
Music Treasury for 29 July 2018
On Sunday, The Music Treasury is presenting cellist Dmitri Atapine. While Dr Gary Lemco oft-times presents recordings of artists, this week he will have Dmitri Atapine live in the studio at Stanford. More details of Atapine can be found below. The show can be heard between 19:00 and 21:00 PDT on KZSU in the Bay Area, as well as its concurrent streaming at kzsu.stanford.edu. Dmitri Atapine, Cellist We have as our in studio guest this evening, Dmitri Atapine, who appears in this season’s Music@Menlo Festival, now ongoing, as he has during the past six seasons. Mr. Atapine brings with him music of contemporary composers Lowell Leiberman, Aldo Parisot and James Winn along with composers of earlier eras including Louis Spohr. He will also discuss great cellists of the recent past including Mstislav Rostropovich. Dmitri Atapine has been hailed as a performer with “brilliant technical chops” (Gramophone), whose playing is “highly impressive throughout” (The Strad). As an avid soloist and recitalist, he has appeared on some of the world’s foremost stages, including Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Zankel and Weill halls at Carnegie Hall, the National Auditorium of Spain, to cite but a few. His performances have been broadcast on radio […]
Cello Sonatas by CHOPIN; SCHUMANN; GRIEG – Inbal Segev, cello/ Juho Pohjonen, piano – Avie
A truly elegant “hour” of Romantic cello music comes to us via two instrumentalists in spirited kinship. CHOPIN: Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65; SCHUMANN: 3 Fantasiestuecke, Op. 73; GRIEG: Cello Sonata in A minor, Op. 36 – Inbal Segev, cello/ Juho Pohjonen, piano – Avie AV2389, 70:13 (7/20/18) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: This recital (rec. 4-6 October 2017), which represents the debut of cellist Inbal Segev on the Avie label, would seem to extend a career as meaningful as those of contemporaries Natalia Gutman, Sol Gabetta, Alisa Weilerstein, and the great precursor Zara Nelsova. The blazing sonority of Segev’s 1673 Ruggieri instrument, particularly as employed in the stunning Cello Sonata in A minor by Edvard Grieg, will electrify auditors from the outset, especially given the equally alluring keyboard collaboration from the Finnish virtuoso Juho Pohjonen (b. 1981), whose work at the Music@Menlo Festival I have followed with some dedication. Segev and Pohjonen open with Chopin’s 1846 Cello Sonata in G minor, Op. 65, created for the admired August Franchomme (1808-1884). After the piano, Chopin most revered the cello, and of his five concerted works, three are for that instrument. Chopin and Franchomme performed the piece together as […]
Sir Dan Godfrey: A Sesquicentennial Salute – Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra/ Sir Dan Godfrey – Pristine Classical
For Godfrey’s 150th anniversary, Mark Obert-Thorn supplies us a generous bounty of classic recordings, immaculate in their restored sound. Sir Dan Godfrey: A Sesquicentennial Salute = MOZART: Syphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 555 “Jupiter”; HANDEL: Largo from Xerxes; MEYERBEER: Coronation March from Le Prophete; WAGNER: Homage March; GERMAN: Three Dances from Henry VIII: SUPPE: Pique Dame – Overture; AUBER: The Bronze Horse – Overture; OFFENBACH: Orpheus in the Underworld – Overture; ALFORD The Two Imps – W.Byrne and W.W. Bennett, xylophone/ Symphony Orchestra/ Bournemouth Municipal Orchestra/ Sir Dan Godfrey – Pristine Classical PASC 534, 74:38[www.pristineclassical.com ****: Restoration Engineer and Producer Mark Obert-Thorn turns his gifted spotlight upon Sir Dan Godfrey (1868-1939), who ordinarily does not occupy a prominent place in my personal pantheon of “the greats,” but whose 150th anniversary of his birth warrants artistic reconsideration. Obert-Thorn selects a number of significant works recorded 1927-1934 that reveal Godfrey—whom I had long associated with light music and a number of Gilbert & Sullivan moments—as a sensitive and authoritative musician quite capable of the virile showmanship we attribute at once to Arthur Fiedler and Malcolm Sargent. Obert-Thorn speculates that the “Symphony Orchestra” employed in the 4 February 1927 rendition of […]
J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord – Stephen Schultz, Jory Vinikour – Music and Arts
The best performances of these works of the new millenium. J.S. Bach: Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord – Stephen Schultz (flute) Jory Vinikour (Harpsichord) – Music and Arts 1295 55:18, (3/2/18) *****: This writer subscribes to the view that the Sonatas BWV 1017-1023 for violin and harpsichord obbligato by Bach are his finest chamber works. A new recording of these by Rachel Barton Pine and Jory Vinikour were recently and favorably reviewed on these pages. It seems only fitting to acknowledge a 2018 recording of pieces that are nearest rivals to these eminent works, the Sonatas for Flute and Harpsichord, BWV 1030-1032, (featuring, as it happens, the same harpsichordist, Jory Vinikour); They are part of the inspired innovation to realize a trio sonata with two instruments by asking of the obbligato accompaniment a division of hands. The left hand merrily chases around the soloist, now in imitative counterpoint and now in extravagant improvisations, each instrument with its own themes, which converse with each other. The left hand soberly performs the work of the basso continuo, carrying along the swiftly-moving harmonic progressions. From a historical perspective, these sonatas were remarkable for the use of the transverse flute as a solo instrument, […]
Erroll Garner – Nightconcert – Octave Music/Mack Avenue Records
More than five decades later, a live concert of a jazz legend is released. Erroll Garner – Nightconcert – Octave Music/Mack Avenue Records MAC1142LP [7/13/2018] double vinyl, 79:34 *****: (Erroll Garner – piano; Eddie Calhoun – double bass; Kelly Martin – drums) Coming from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, it was understandable that Erroll Garner would be compared to another Steel City legend, Earl “Fatha” Hines. The diminutive Garner (who attended the same high school as Billy Strayhorn and Ahmad Jamal) developed a specific playing style. Utilizing right hand octaves and expanding the stride influences of Fats Waller and James P. Johnson, Garner channeled a frenetic virtuosity combing various cross rhythms and time signatures with melodic improvisations. His three decades of recording (Mercury, Columbia, Blue Note, Verve, London and Savoy) placed an emphasis on swing and bebop-like freneticism. Perhaps more amazing is that he never learned to read music (which became a subject of the documentary No One Can Hear You Read). Many people are aware of Erroll Garner for composing the ultimate ballad standard, “Misty”, or for his numerous appearances on the Tonight Show (Johnny Carson was a huge fan). But his reputation was forged from his electrifying live performances in various […]
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony Nos. 4 & 11 – Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Andris Nelsons – DGG
A Shostakovich cycle of special merit, the Nelsons performances of symphonies 4 and 11 bring the BSO to fever pitch. SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, Op. 43; Symphony No. 11 in G minor, Op. 103 “The Year 1905” – Boston Symphony Orchestra/ Andris Nelsons – DGG B0028595-02 (2 CDs) 64:24; 62:59 (7/6/18) [Distr. by Universal] *****: The history of the Shostakovich Symphony No. 4 involves a tale of great frustration and upheaval in the life of the composer: soon after the Leningrad Philharmonic under Fritz Stiedry began rehearsals of this intricate and darkly apocalyptic work in August 1936, Soviet authorities cancelled the premiere on grounds of “elitist formalism,” that the aesthetic tenor of the work failed to conform to Party strictures about the “People’s art.” Already under a cloud created by Josef Stalin’s rebuke of the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, Shostakovich conceived the Fourth as a kind of aesthetic obstinacy of musical principles. The actual debut of this post-Mahler, mammoth symphonic work came on 30 December 1961, under the direction of Kyrll Kondrashin. Doubtless, the persistent sense of tension and fear that abides in this music corresponds much to the spirit of the times, when a failure […]
Jascha Spivakovsky: Bach to Bloch, Volume VI – Jascha Spivakovsky, piano – Pristine Audio
The sixth volume in the Spivakovsky legacy adds virtuoso color to an already seamless stylistic presence.
The Music Treasury for Sunday evening, 22 July 22 2018 – Henry Swoboda, Conductor
This week, The Music Treasury will be presenting works by Czech conductor Henry Swoboda. An active performer on various stages in Europe and the United States, he was also involved in the recording industry, capturing performances of many musicians now of historic value. Dr Gary Lemco will be hosting the show, airing from 19:00 to 21:00 PDT on KZSU from Stanford University, and concurrently streamed at kzsu.stanford.edu. Henry Swoboda, conductor and musicologist Henry Swoboda (October 29, 1897 – August 13, 1990) was a Czech conductor and musicologist. He made many recordings for the Westminster label, including the first commercially available record of Bruckner’s Sixth Symphony. He worked from 1927 to 1931 for Electrola, Berlin and later as conductor for Radio-Prag. He was a Guest professor at University of Southern California between 1931–1939 and emigrated 1939 to the USA. Swoboda’s pre-war career had involved administration and organization as well as conducting. Post-war he was one of the founder-members of the Westminster recording company in 1949. He recorded prolifically for Westminster in the early 1950s as well as for Concert Hall and its associated Musical Masterpieces Society and La Guilde International du Disque. On one slightly later recording (1959) he accompanied Ruth […]
Johann Sebastian BACH. The sonatas for violin and harpsichord—Rachael Barton Pine, Jory Vinikour —Cedille Records
Johann Sebastian BACH. The sonatas for violin and harpsichord—Rachael Barton Pine (violin), Jory Vinikour (harpsichord)—Cedille Records CDR 900000 177—99:45, **** : While we can’t afford Bach the title as inventor of the sonata for violin and continuo, he did provide us examples of the first concertos for keyboard and orchestra. And in a form that would be continued since his time, he left us six sonatas for keyboard and violin. What makes these different from the scores of sonatas that first appeared in Italy after 1600 is that the keyboard part acts not as a “continuous bass” but as bass and a second voice. The result are pieces written predominately in trio texture, with the right hand and violin often intertwined in harmony or else chasing one another, as Bach is known to do, in counterpoint. Jory Vinikour (harpsichord) and Rachel Barton Pine (violin) take the historical approach in their recoding of the six sonatas (BWV 1014-1019) using period instruments and saving left-handed vibrato for another day. Bach’s structure for the sonatas is unusually consistent, save for the last sonata in G, which survives with alternative pieces, wrought in five instead of four movements. Vinikour and Barton Pine offer us first the […]
Pat Metheny Group – Travels – ECM Records
ECM reissues a brilliant Pat Metheny live concert album on vinyl. Pat Metheny Group – Travels – ECM Records ECM 1252/53 (1983/2018) 180-gram stereo double vinyl (distr. by Universal Music Group), 96:28 ****1/2: (Pat Metheny – guitar, guitar synthesizer; Lyle Mays – piano, synthesizer, organ, autoharp, synclavier; Steve Rodby – acoustic bass, electric bass, bass synthesizer; Dan Gottlieb – drums; Nana Vasconcelos – percussion, voice, berimbau) Jazz takes on another dimension when it is played live. The Pat Metheny Group released Travels in 1983. It was the group’s first live album and won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance. Travels climbed to #3 on the jazz charts and cracked the top 100 in pop. Recorded in Philadelphia, Hartford, Sacramento and Nacogdoches, the setlist is comprised of previously released and unreleased material. The tour was in support of the studio album Offramp and featured Metheny (guitar, guitar synthesizer) Lyle Mays (piano, organ, synclavier, synthesizers), Steve Rodby (bass, bass synthesizer), Dan Gottlieb (drums) and special guest Nana Vasconcelos (percussion, voice). ECM has reissued Travels on 180-gram double vinyl album. As the group initiates the familiar pulse-driven rhythm of “Are You Going With Me?”, the crowd erupts with applause. The low-key […]
SCRIABIN: Preludes, Etudes, Sonatas – Vadym Kholodenko, piano – Harmonia mundi
SCRIABIN: Preludes, Etudes, Sonatas, and other works = 6 Preludes, Op. 13; 5 Preludes, Op. 16; Sonata No. 4, Op. 30; Sonata No. 5, Op. 53; Poeme tragique, Op. 34; Poeme satanique, Op. 36; Eight Etudes, Op. 42; Vers la flamme, Op. 72 – Vadym Kholodenko, piano – Harmonia mundi HMM 902255, 72:01 (7/13/18) [Dist. by PIAS] ****: Vadym Kholodenko (rec. 1 September 2017) celebrates Alexander Scriabin’s “imaginative, fantastic, musical world,” citing his teacher Vera Gornostaeva, with a diverse selection of “poems” which trace the iconoclastic composer’s evolution—via Chopin and Liszt—into a self-proclaimed visionary of light. A master of concision, Scriabin penned for the better part of a decade various series of “poemes,” distilled miniatures —some 34 of them—that, like the paintings of J.W.N. Turner, increasingly become infused with light; if they are indeed poetry, then their obvious kinship lies in William Blake. Scriabin conceived his sets of Preludes, Opp. 13 and 16 (1895), as extensions of his Op. 11 set, meant to complement his appreciation of the Chopin oeuvre, Op. 28. The opening C Major Prelude, Maestoso, from Op. 13 has a Lisztian cast, diatonic in harmony and moving in dotted rhythm as a march. The ensuing Allegro in […]
Rachmaninov: Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33 and Op. 39 – Steven Osborne, piano – Hyperion
Steven Osborne extends his prodigious gifts into the two sets of Etudes-Tableaux of Rachmaninov. Rachmaninov: Etudes-Tableaux, Op. 33 and Op. 39 – Steven Osborne, piano – Hyperion CDA68188, 61:39 (7/27/18) [Distr. Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: When Rachmaninov composed his first set of Etudes-Tableaux in 1911, he still felt the influences of Chopin, Schumann and Liszt, especially in their mastery of small forms that could convey, as Schumann remarked, “the import of whole symphonies.” In his 1930 letter to composer Ottorino Respighi, who intended to orchestrate several of the pieces, Rachmaninov admitted as to having some “program” in mind, but he wished the public to “listen to the music absolutely.” Originally, Rachmaninov composed nine of such tonal-pictures, but he would withdraw three of them: the C Minor would furnish material for his future G Minor Concerto; No. 5 in D Minor would appear posthumously in 1948; the A Minor became transposed to the Op. 39 set of 1917 as No. 6. Even with the forthright opening of No. 1 in F minor, Osborne projects its resolute affect akin to aspects of Chopin, its martial gait and pianistic confidence, marked alternately by diaphanous clouds and Russian bells. The ensuing C Major proffers a […]
The Django Festival AllStars – Attitude Manouche – Resilience Music Alliance
An up to date version of gypsy jazz The Django Festival AllStars – Attitude Manouche – Resilience Music Alliance 54:18****: (Samson Schmitt – lead guitar; Pierre Blanchard – violin, string arrangements; Ludovic Beier – accordion, accordina; Philippe “Doudou”Cuilerier – rhythm guitar, vocals; Antonio Licusati – double bass) In the book Django Reinhardt and the Illustrated History of Gypsy Jazz by Michael Dregni, we learn that Reinhardt was a “Manouche Gypsy” from the Romani gypsy’s of Eastern Europe. During the height of his popularity in the 1930s and 1940s in the jazz world of Paris, gypsy jazz was considered a pariah well outside the mainstream of what was regarded as jazz during that time period. That this style of music has survived and to some extent thrived, is due in no small measure to groups like The Django Festival AllStars and is exemplified by their latest release Attitude Manouche. In this frothy session of gypsy-styled music, ten of the compositions are by band members, with only one from another source and that is John Williams Main Theme from “Schindler’s List”. Their treatment of the number is in keeping with the gravity of the Stephen Spielberg film and is wonderfully evocative with […]
Steve Hobbs – Tribute to Bobby – Challenge
More than just tribute. Steve Hobbs – Tribute to Bobby [TrackList follows] – Challenge CR73433, 65:10 [1/5/18] ****: (Steve Hobbs – marimba, vibes; Adam Kolker – tenor and soprano saxophone; Bill O’Connell – piano; Peter Washington – bass; John Riley – drums) Vibraphonist Steve Hobbs’ 65-minute album Tribute to Bobby did not start out as a homage to Hobbs’ mentor and friend, famed vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson. But the 13-track CD was turned into an accolade when Hutcherson passed away the day before this session was taped. While there are no Hutcherson compositions, listeners can feel Hutcherson’s palpable personality in the music and performances. In other ways, Tribute to Bobby also pays respect to other musicians, some who are still alive (Bob Dylan) and others who are gone (Consuelo Velázquez, Horace Silver, Thelonious Monk). Essentially, Tribute to Bobby honors many aspects of modern music, jazz and otherwise. Hobbs came to prominence in the late 1980s, and has performed with trumpeter Tom Harrell, Jazz Crusaders drummer Stix Hooper and continues to record with artists such as Kenny Barron. Hobbs has issued several solo records. Tribute to Bobby is the third with Hobbs’ current group, which comprises saxophonist Adam Kolker (he’s backed John […]
Life Force – Peter Moore, Trombone – Rubicon
In a brilliantly clean recording featuring trombone and piano, Peter Moore and James Baillieu make beautiful music. Life Force — Peter Moore (trombone), James Baillieu (piano)—Rubicon Classics RCD1028—66:31, ****1/2 : The trombone speaks by amplifying the buzzing of the player’s lips into a small, diminutive cup. Notes are differentiated by either extending the length of tubing through which this vibration travels, or else by traversing the harmonic series, as a bugler does. Tone is changed by limiting the amount of air, or else, by re-directing the direction of the stream of air within the mouthpiece. Hearing a trombone without all the mechanical fuss that’s part of playing, from sloppy movement of the slide to imprecision in the focus of the lips within the mouthpiece, betrays the amateur from the professional. What I admired most about Peter Moore’s recital is his technical perfection and clarity. The recording is pristinely lucid to also capture the depth of feeling from pianist James Baillieu. Coupled here are two expert musicians. Moore made his mark at the age of 12 as the BBC’s Young musician of the year. He now plays for the London Symphony Orchestra, appointed at age 18. The recital is an eclectic […]
The Music Treasury for 15 July 2018 — Tatiana Petrofina Nikolayeva, Pianist
This week, The Music Treasury will present piano music performed by Tatiana Petrofina Nikolayeva. Nikolayeva was raised in a musical family—her father a string player, her mother a professional pianist. Tatiana Nikolayeva was particularly noted for her interpretation of works by Bach; her performance inspired Shostakovich to write his own set of preludes and fugues for her. Dr Gary Lemco hosts this week’s show, airing between 19:00 and 21:00 on 15 July 2018, PDT. It can be heard from its host station KZSU in the SF Bay Area, as well as its live streamed simulcast from kzsu.stanford.edu. Tatiana Petrovna Nikolayeva, pianist, teacher and composer Tatiana Petrovna Nikolayeva, pianist, teacher and composer was born in Bezhitza, Russia 4 May 1924; twice married (one son); and died San Francisco 22 November 1993. It is difficult to imagine anyone forgetting the experience of hearing Tatiana Nikolayeva play. She was one of those rare artists who had the ability to win over an audience before even reaching the keyboard. Rotund, and frequently wearing a rather startlingly bright dress, she would make her way to the front of the piano, give the audience a heartwarmingly big smile, and then settle her ample frame on to […]
SUK: Piano Music – Jonathan Plowright, piano – Hyperion
The neo-Romantic piano music of Josef Suk has an ardent acolyte in Jonathan Plowright. SUK: Spring – Suite, Op. 22a; Summer Impressions, Op. 22b; Piano Pieces, Op. 7; Moods, Op. 10 – Jonathan Plowright, piano – Hyperion CDA68198, 76:38 (6/29/18) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Like most auditors of Czech music after Smetana and Dvorak, I found the music of Josef Suk (1874-1935) via his lovely Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 6, courtesy of a performance at Atlanta’s Fox Theatre by a Taiwanese, youth chamber ensemble under the direction of Helen Quach, a pupil of Nikolai Malko. His keyboard music has until now remained obscure in my experience; but Jonathan Plowright (rec. 6-8 September 2017) of the Royal Academy of Music makes Suk’s essentially lyric, salon style thoroughly accessible in this recording. We begin with the collection of six Pieces, Op. 7, composed 1891-93 and published in 1894. Given their overtly romantic, even courtly, character, they depict emotionally the composer’s affection for Antonin Dvorak’s daughter Otilka, whom Suk married in 1898. The opening Love Song declares itself passionately, the manner more resonant than that of Schumann, more sultry in character than the brief pieces of late Brahms. The […]
Eddie Henderson – Be Cool – Smoke Session Records
The many dimensions of cool explored with elegant style Eddie Henderson – Be Cool – Smoke Session Records SSR-1802 76:56****: (Eddie Henderson – trumpet; Donald Henderson – alto saxophone; Kenny Barron – piano; Essiet Essiet – bass; Mike Clark – drums) The 77-year old trumpeter Eddie Henderson, has a backstory quite unlike most jazz musicians of his generation, or any other generation for that matter. His mother was a dancer at the original Cotton Club in Harlem. His father sang with Billy Williams and The Charioteers, a well-known singing group. Growing up he received an informal trumpet lesson from Louis Armstrong, and later on ( age 17) he played a gig with Miles Davis who was one of his early influences . He graduated from Howard University in 1968 with a medical degree. He continued his medical education as well as starting a general practice in San Francisco from 1975-85 In the early 1970s he was part of Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi band. This musical and life journey continues as Henderson explores the many dimensions of cool in his newest release Be Cool. The band that Henderson has assembled for this adventure is filled with suppleness as exemplified by saxophonist Donald […]
John Abercrombie – Timeless – ECM Records
Vinyl reissue of jazz guitarist landmark ECM debut is terrific! John Abercrombie – Timeless – ECM Records ECM 1047 (1974/2018) 180-gram vinyl (distr. by Universal Music Group) 43:36 ****1/2: (John Abercrombie – guitar; Jan Hammer – organ, synthesizer, piano; Jack DeJohnette – drums) John Abercrombie approached his life as a jazz guitarist like many of his 60’s contemporaries. Initially drawn to the classic 50’s rock and roll sound, he was introduced to jazz, in this case specifically to Barney Kessler. He attended the Berklee School Of Music and aspired to the likes of George Benson, Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall. Abercrombie became a session guitarist, playing with Gil Evans, Gato Barbieri and Barry Miles. He joined the Brecker Brothers in the popular jazz rock group Dreams. Along with his work in the Billy Cobham band, he caught the attention of record labels. One of these was ECM Records, headed by Manfred Eicher. In 1974, he formed a trio with Jan Hammer and Jack DeJohnette (who worked with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew) and recorded his ECM debut, Timeless. Abercrombie maintained a long, productive career with ECM, (nearly four decades) including a pair of trio recordings with Dave Holland and DeJohnette, […]
Franz Josef HAYDN: Piano Sonatas — Anne-Marie McDermott, piano — Bridge
Franz Josef HAYDN: Piano Sonatas, Volume 2 — Anne-Marie McDermott, piano — Bridge 9497, 69:00, (5/27/18) ****1/2: The love comes across in this recital of Haydn sonatas by an experienced artist Anne-Marie McDermott presents four sonatas by Haydn in her second volume of his piano sonatas: numbers 48, 39, 46, and 37. I already knew McDermott for her technical abilities with fleeting fingers alongside her panache for crisp articulation. Despite my personal preference for a period piano and a chamber acoustic, this album presents an honest recital that’s chock full of love for this music by an experienced and capable artist. Haydn would have known the earliest pianos and harpsichords as the keyboard instruments in his time. The modern piano offers a significantly wider dynamic range and more significant sound. The modern performer on the piano has decisions to make: do I limit my playing to limit the dynamic range and volume, or, perhaps, see what the modern instrument can offer the music? McDermott takes the latter approach, employing the full capabilities of Yamaha’s top-tier concert grand to Haydn’s music. A profound example of this approach is the slow movement of the 37th sonata, marked Large e sostenuto. Complete with […]
David Ake – Humanities – Posi-Tone
Jazz with significant subtext. David Ake – Humanities [TrackList follows] – Posi-Tone PR8180, 60:29 [3/16/18] ****: (David Ake – piano; Ralph Alessi – trumpet; Ben Monder – guitar; Drew Gress – bass; Mark Ferber – drums) Humanities are academic disciplines which study aspects of human society and culture. The humanities include ancient and modern languages, literature, philosophy, geography, history, religion, art and musicology. It’s no accident pianist David Ake titled his latest effort Humanities. The 12 tracks (11 originals by Ake and one cover) generate an instrumental landscape which focuses on the context of what it means to be human (including Ake’s personal struggles) as well as the current tragedy and travesty of America’s political and social situation. Humanities also centers on the joy and hopefulness which people can feel or display via mutual trust, respect and openness. This type of philosophical posture fits Ake well as composer, musician and scholar (he is Professor and Chair of the Dept. of Musicology at the Univ. of Miami’s Frost School of Music). David Ake organized quite a quintet for his project. The band comprises trumpeter Ralph Alessi (who has worked with Uri Caine and Jason Moran and released albums on ECM); guitarist […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
