Yearly Archive: 2018
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 […]
Gary Burton/Chick Corea – Crystal Silence – ECM Records
Gary Burton/Chick Corea – Crystal Silence ECM Records 1024 ST (1972/2018) (distr. by Universal Music Group) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 44:23 *****: This vinyl reissue of a Gary Burton/Chick Corea duo recording is stunning! (Gary Burton – vibes; Chick Corea – piano) ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) Records was founded by Manfred Eicher in 1969. At the core of the label is the array of jazz artists including Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Chick Corea,, Charlie Haden, John Abercrombie, Dave Holland, Keith Jarrett, Dave Liebman, Ralph Towner, Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Egberto Gismonti and Terje Rypdal, Although, these are renowned jazz artists, the label provided a creative environment for musical genre-expansion. In addition, ECM is celebrated for groundbreaking releases in Western Classical, Global Music and a variety of film-related projects. The ECM reputation for pristine recording is represented by their motto, “The Most Beautiful Sound Next to Silence”. They have earned Downbeat’s Label Of The Year 10 times. The superior recording technology is evident in both analog and digital formats. Now, ECM is continuing the tradition of prestigious analog recording with 180-gram releases. That includes several re-issues of notable albums. One of these is the unforgettable Gary Burton/Chick Corea collaboration, Crystal Silence. […]
Angela Hewitt—The Beethoven Piano Sonatas, Vol. 7
Angela Hewitt extends her Beethoven cycle with four works of disparate emotional content. BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 17 in D minor, Op. 31, No. 2 “Tempest”; Piano Sonata No. 13 in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1; Piano Sonata No. 25 in G Major, Op. 79; Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 – Angela Hewitt, piano – Hyperion CDA68199, 70:22 (6/1/18) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Recorded 28 November – 1 December 2016, this set of Beethoven sonatas constitutes the seventh volume in Angela Hewitt’s ongoing recorded cycle. Insofar as Beethoven’s piano sonata provide him a kind of experimental laboratory in which to manipulate forms and structures, the 1801 Sonata quasi fantasia in E-flat Major, Op. 27, No. 1, offers some fascinating procedures. The music opens, Andante, with a narrow harmonic range, returning to the tonic E-flat every fourth measure. The first thirty-six bars, in fact, might experiment with a seeming stasis of parallel scales whose third repetition enjoys a songlike character in C Major. Ensuing upon some variants, Beethoven does in fact ground his Allegro in C Major. Jabbing accents and a galloping tempo define this episode, but the gentle, rocking opening returns in the left […]
Editorial for July, 2018
Gregorian Chant from St Peter’s Abbey The Abbey of St Peter in Solesmes, France contributed significantly to the resurgence of Gregorian Chant. This collection provides different views of this music, including an overview sampler of Gregorian Chant and its various musical forms, its history, as well as a re-issue of some of the earliest recordings of Gregorian Chant from the abbey, dating back to the 1930s. The following CDs are included: Vespers and Compline Gregorian Chant Rediscovered Gregorian Chant Sampler Learning About Gregorian Chant Gregorian Chant Anthology This month’s special is brought to you courtesy of Naxos, Audiophile Audition, and Paraclete Recordings. Paraclete Recordings is a classical and sacred music label committed to uncompromising quality and faithful interpretation in recorded sound. A conduit for artists passionate about pursuing beauty and truth through performance authenticity and compelling spirituality in the musical arts, Paraclete Recordings promotes and preserves the best of inspired works from Gregorian Chant into the 21st century. [metaslider id=65448] To enter in the drawing for this collection of Gregorian Chant by the Monastic Choir of St. Peter’s Abbey, Solemes, France—merely fill out the form here: Register to win. AUDIOPHILE AUDITION began as a local program in San […]
The Music Treasury for 8 July 2018 — Pianist Dimitri Bashkirov
Dimitri Bashkirov will be featured in this week presentation of The Music Treasury. Bashkirov received distinguished awards while a student at the Moscow Conservatory, to be followed honors received in his career which includes concerti with internationally renown orchestras, chamber music, and solo recitals. This week show airs between 19:00 and 21:00 PDT on its host station KZSU in the Bay Area, and can be heard concurrently streamed through the ‘Net: kzsu.stanford.edu. Host Gary Lemco met and interviewed Mr. Bashkirov at the 1993 Gilmore Festival in Kalamazoo, MI and will recall a few of their remarks in the evening show. Pianist Dimitri Bashkirov A pianist and piano teacher, Mr. Bashkirov, studied in Tiblisi, Georgia with Anastasia Wirsaladze, and then at the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory with distinguished Russian pedagogue, Professor A. Alexander Goldenweiser. Bashkirov’s name has been known to the public since 1955, when he received the Grand Prix at the Marguerite Long Competition in Paris. Following his Paris success, Mr. Bashkirov has played with numerous distinguished international orchestras including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Wiener Symphoniker, St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, l’Orchestre de Paris and Gewandhausorchester Leipzig under conductors such […]
Dexter Gordon, Woody Shaw, Tokyo Concerts
Newly discovered live concert material from two Jazz masters… Dexter Gordon Quartet – Tokyo 1975 – Elemental Music 5990428 – 63:42 ****: Woody Shaw – Tokyo ’81 – Elemental Music 5990429 – 73:28 ****1/2: Continuing the exciting trend over the last decade of releasing previously unknown live recordings from Europe and the Far East, both Elemental Music and Resonance Records have filled a historical need by honoring jazz masters with presenting their music to an eager audience, who thought with good reason, that the well had gone dry on new material. In the late 1960s through the 1980s, well known American jazz musicians were received with open arms in Europe, while their counterparts in the States had to struggle to earn a decent living. The trend has continued today for musicians outside of New York City’s clubs and recording studios. For a jazz musician with a family there are few benefits for health insurance and retirement savings unless a teaching position at a well funded university can be found. Both Woody Shaw and Dexter Gordon found eager audiences in Europe and Japan. Woody’s tenure in Europe was relatively brief, while Dexter lived in Copenhagen from 1962 to 1976. Gordon played […]
Ray Charles – The Genius After Hours – Atlantic/Speakers Corner
Audiophile re-mastered vinyl showcases instrumental prowess of America’s greatest singer! Ray Charles – The Genius After Hours – Atlantic 1369 (1961)/Speakers Corner (2016) 180-gram mono vinyl, 38:30 ****1/2: (Ray Charles – piano; David “Fathead” Newman – alto saxophone, tenor saxophone; Emmott Bennios – baritone saxophone; Joseph Bridgewater – trumpet; John Hunt – trumpet; Roosevelt Sheffield – double bass; Oscar Pettiford – double bass; Joe Harris – drums; William Peebles – drums) Ray Charles is such an iconic artist that he is simply known as Ray. He was hugely responsible for bringing R & B into the mainstream culture. More importantly, he crossed over to jazz, rock and country and western with spectacular results. Though he downplayed the “genius” moniker, none other than Frank Sinatra referred to him as the only living musical genius. Billy Joel intoned that he was more influential than Elvis Presley (in contrast to most of the rock and roll establishment). He was the anchor at Atlantic Records in the 50’s and early 60’s with hits like “I Got A Woman”. Ray not only headlined shows at African-American theaters like the Apollo, but was able to play at prestigious mainstream nightclubs and concert halls. Charles left […]
R. STRAUSS: Burleske, Oboe Concerto, Duet Concertino & Till Eulenspiegel – RIAS-Symphony Orchestra/ Ferenc Fricsay – Audite
The brunt of the Fricsay legacy in Richard Strauss here makes its debut, 1949-1954.
Bobby Previte – Rhapsody – RareNoise
The journey is as important as the leaving or the arrival. Bobby Previte – Rhapsody [TrackList follows] – RareNoise RNR090, 64:01 [2/23/18] ****: (Nels Cline – acoustic guitar, slide guitar, 12-string guitar; John Medeski – piano; Zeena Parkins – harp; Jen Shyu – voice, erhu, piano; Fabian Rucker – alto saxophone, mixer; Bobby Previte – trap drums, percussion, autoharp, guitar, harmonica, arranger, conductor, producer) There are three components to each journey. There’s getting ready for the journey—finding the desired destination, packing, and then booking transportation; there’s the journey itself—the transit; and finally, there is the arrival. Percussionist/composer Bobby Previte is familiar with all aspects of a journey and has turned his ideas into a musical trilogy. The first constituent of his tri-part series is Terminals Part I: Departures, which premiered as a live 2011 performance with the SO Percussion group plus five soloists. A subsequent recording was issued via Cantaloupe Music in 2014. Previte’s second installment is Rhapsody—subtitled Terminals Part II: In Transit—which debuted April 2017 at New College in Sarasota, Florida. Rhapsody is out now on the RareNoise imprint. Previte is already mapping out Terminals Part III: Arrivals, a work in progress. Rhapsody was released as CD, double LP […]
Gregory Lewis – Organ Monk Blue
More Monk via the Organ Monk. Gregory Lewis – Organ Monk Blue [TrackList follows] – Self-released, 50:13 [1/5/18] ****: (Gregory Lewis – Hammond B-3 organ, producer; Marc Ribot – guitar; Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons – drums) Organist Gregory Lewis—AKA “Organ Monk”—continues his Thelonious Monk appreciation on Organ Monk Blue. This album is Lewis’ fifth as a leader and third to concentrate on Monk. Previous projects comprise 2017’s The Breathe Suite (which focused largely on African-American victims of violence); 2013’s American Standard (a collection of Great American Songbook tunes that were performed by Monk); 2012’s Uwo in the Black (which coalesced Monk compositions with Lewis originals); and 2010’s Organ Monk (which had 15 Monk adaptations). Lewis has come full circle with Organ Monk Blue: it has eight well-known and obscure Monk compositions. For this new effort Lewis pared down to a core trio with guitarist Marc Ribot—who participated in The Breathe Suite sessions—and drummer Jeremy ‘Bean’ Clemons. This is the third time Clemons has joined Lewis in the studio. Ribot is a versatile guitarist who has collaborated with Tom Waits, Elvis Costello and John Zorn; and was a member of John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards from 1984 to 1989. Ribot is no stranger […]
DEBUSSY: Images, Books I-II; Children’s Corner; Suite bergamasque; L’Isle joyeuse – Seong-Jin Cho, piano – DGG
Seong-Jin Cho’s Debussy recital for DGG confirms his place in the Debussy tradition set by Gieseking and Michelangeli. DEBUSSY: Images, Books I-II; Children’s Corner; Suite bergamasque; L’Isle joyeuse – Seong-Jin Cho, piano – DGG 479 8308, 72:47 (11/17/17) [Distr. by Universal] *****: South Korean pianist Seong-Jin Cho (b. 1994) recently appeared for the Steinway Society in the Bay Area, a concert which I attended, so I can well attest to his predilection for the music of Claude Debussy, a product of Cho’s studies at the Paris Conservatory with Michel Beroff. Debussy’s fascination with light has often borne comparison with the paintings of his admired J.M.W. Turner, the master of gradations of visual hues. So, too, the first set of Images (1905) declares its independence from traditional diatonic harmony and embraces modal and whole-tone scales and sonorities of the East, particularly of the gamelan orchestra of Bali and Indonesia. Debussy relishes the blurring of phrase lengths, and he often eschews resolved chords based on tonal harmony. Cho emphasizes the perfect fifth in the bass chords of Reflets dans l’eau, set in D-flat Major, the opening of which suggests a disturbance in standing water whose ripple effects we follow as they undulate […]
BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy; Violin Concerto – Academy of St Martin in the Fields/ Joshua Bell, violin and conductor – Sony
Joshua Bell’s new traversal of Max Bruch two mighty violin scores has sinew and tenderness, as required. BRUCH: Scottish Fantasy, Op. 46; Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26 – Academy of St Martin in the Fields/ Joshua Bell, violin and conductor – Sony 19075 84200 2, 55:40 (6/22/18) ****: Max Bruch (1838-1920) follows both Haydn and Beethoven in his appreciation of Scottish folk song, and his 1880 Fantasy for Violin and Harp on Scottish Folk Tunes features the harp as a means of invoking the bardic element into his setting of several tunes of romantic and martial character. Bruch had been working on a dramatic cantata, Das Feuerkreuz (The Cross of Fire) based on Walter Scott’s The Lady of the Lake. Joshua Bell and his ensemble (rec. 8-9 September 2017) open the highland proceedings in E-flat minor, intoning the warm sentiments of “Thro’ the Wood, Laddie.” The harp solo (Bryn Lewis) brings the “glorious times of old” motif, presented in the context—similar to what Smetana does in “The High Castle”—of contemplating an old ruin of a castle that has known glory and renown. Bell invokes a haunted atmosphere of olden times in a leisurely unfolding of his […]
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy – NBC Symphony Orchestra/ Leopold Stokowski – Pristine Audio
Leopold Stokowski leads two 1944 NBC Symphony concerts in music of Tchaikovsky, brilliantly and passionately executed.
Bob Mintzer Big Band, New York Voices – Meeting Of Minds – MCG JAZZ
A session that is continuously changing through richness and structure Bob Mintzer Big Band, New York Voices – Meeting Of Minds – MCG JAZZ MCGJ1045 61:03****: (Bob Mintzer Big Band – Bob Mintzer – leader, tenor saxophone, flute; New York Voices – Kim Nazarian; Lauren Kinhan; Darmon Meader; Peter Eldridge) Meeting Of Minds is a re-imagining of some of the more notable compositions of the Great American Songbook of the 1930s and 1940s through the lens of the cracking big band of Bob Mintzer combined with the slick harmonization of the New York Voices. The result is an album filled with memorable and stylishly shaped music. It is no small feat combining the intricate four-part harmony of the NYV as envisioned by Damon Meader, with the multi-layered charts of the big band mostly created by Bob Mintzer. But as the opening instrumental bars of “Autumn Leaves” gradually gives way to the integration of the NYV, it is clear that something special was underway. Cole Porter wrote many compositions associated with this era such as “I Concentrate On You” which he penned for the film Broadway Melody Of 1940. With a slight Latin lilt, the number begins with lead vocalist Peter […]
The Romantic Piano Concerto 76 = Concertos of RHEINBERGER; SCHOLZ – Simon Callaghan – Hyperion
The combination of Rheinberger and Scholz offers some rare but effective keyboard repertory from an era rife with talent. The Romantic Piano Concerto 76 = RHEINBERGER: Piano Concerto in A-flat Major, Op. 94; SCHOLZ: Piano Concerto in B Major, Op. 57; Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 35 – Simon Callaghan/ BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra/ Ben Gernon – Hyperion CDA68225, 71:16 (6/29/18) [Distr. Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: The continuing series devoted to rare, Romantic piano concertos finds strange bedfellows: Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839-1901) and Bernhard Scholz (1835-1916). Rheinberger enjoyed a distinguished career as both composer and pedagogue. Besides having written many organ compositions—in fact, a significant body of work that continues Mendelssohn’s legacy to the instrument—Rheinberger taught musical composition to a distinguished list of American and European students, among whom Horatio Parker, George Whitefield Chadwick, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Wilhelm Furtwaengler count but a few. In terms of musical influences, Rheinberger’s style combines strong contrapuntal procedures derived from his intense study of Bach, with a lyrical effusiveness we find in his contemporaries Schumann and Brahms. In the manner of the Beethoven “Emperor” Concerto, an abrupt call to attention ushers in the piano solo, Moderato, whose double notes and parallel octaves leave no […]
The Music Treasury for 1 July 2018 — Violinist Michael Rabin, Part 2
The Music Treasury for 1 July 2018 — Violinist Michael Rabin, Part 2 This week’s show can be heard between 19:00 and 21:00 PDT from its host station KZSU at Stanford University in the Bay Area on 1 July 2018, concurrently streamed at kzsu.stanford.edu. As always, Dr Gary Lemco host the show. Michael Rabin, American Violinist We continue our tribute to Michael Rabin (1935-1972), whose stellar career became marred by bouts of mental illness (anxiety disorder) and possible drug abuse. His return to the active stage and concert work lasted only seven years, 1965-1972. From public broadcasts and various tour appearances, we present some of the rare moments in his performance history not exemplified by his commercial recordings. Program: Paganini: Caprice No. 17 in E-flat (NBC, Voohees, 1950) Paganini: Caprice No. 9 (NYC 1970, WQXR) Wieniawski: Polonaise Brillante in D Major, Op. 4 (Sydney, 1952) Ravel: Tzigane (Sydney, 1952) Faure: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A Major, Op. 13 (Berlin, 1961) Falla (arr. Kreisler): Danse espagnole from La vida breve (BTH, Voorhees) Sarasate: Zigeunerweisen, Op. 20, No. 1 (1952, BTH, Voorhees) Massenet: Elegie (w/B. Sullivan, 1955) Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major, K. 218 (w/S. Caston, Denver Sarasate: […]
Hendrik Meurkens/Bill Cunliffe – Cabin In The Sky – Height Advantage
A harmonica/piano performance that reflects the participants virtuosity Hendrik Meurkens/Bill Cunliffe – Cabin In The Sky – Height Advantage 002 56:35***: ( Hendrick Meurkens – harmonica; Bill Cunliffe – piano) Hendrik Meurkens and Bill Cunliffe are two widely respected musicians on their instruments. They have come together for the first time to display their creativity on a wide-ranging selection of material from both jazz and popular culture on their new album Cabin In The Sky. The well-spring of this collaboration might have been the 1979 pairing of Bill Evans and Toots Thielemans for their release Affinity. Regardless of the provenance, this effort stands entirely on its own merits and no comparison is required. The title track “Cabin In The Sky” was written by Vernon Duke and John Latouche in 1940 for the Broadway musical by the same name. With a jaunty tempo, the duo explore the easily accessible number in a decisive fashion. In 1967 Wayne Shorter recorded the album Schizophrenia containing the number “Miyako” which he wrote for his daughter. A lovely ballad it is filled with shifting textures that allow both players to flex their musical muscles. That old standby “Invitation” is given new life with staccato phrasing […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
Pure Pleasure / Speakers Corner
Cedille
