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Aaron Copland Archive

Owen Broder – Heritage: The American Roots Project – ArtistShare 

Owen Broder – Heritage: The American Roots Project – ArtistShare 

by | Mar 8, 2018 | Jazz CD Reviews

Deeply comforting Americana roots blend… Owen Broder – Heritage: The American Roots Project – ArtistShare  #A50158 – 62:23 – ****1/2 (Owen Broder – leader, woodwinds; Sara Caswell – violin; Scott Wendholt – trumpet, flugelhorn; Nick Finzer – trombone; James Shipp – vibraphone, percussion; Frank Kimbrough – piano; Jay Anderson – bass; Matt Wilson – drums; Wendy Gilles, Kate McGarry, Vuyo Sotashe – vocals) Owen Broder has hit the musical jackpot with his exploration of American roots genres blending bluegrass, blues, folk, and spiritual idioms with a jazz swing feel that both warms the heart and provides a feeling of comfort and elation. It is much easier to experience than to describe. For lovers of Aaron Copland, Mark O’Connor, and Maria Schneider (and there are many of us), this is music to crave in these turbulent times. A brass fanfare, a soaring violin jig, and an ensemble blend are some of the features that weave in and out of both the original compositions, as well as the staple roots tracks (“Jambalaya,” “Cripple Creek,” “Wayfaring Stranger”), among the nine numbers on this CD. This is obviously a labor of love from Broder, and he is blessed by the contributions from some of […]

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Song and Pieces for Piano, Violin, Cello – Aaron COPLAND, Leo Smit (p.) / Ivor Karman, Jacques Gordon, Louis Kaufman (vln.) / David Freed (c.) / Ethel Luening (sop.) – Parnassus

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Song and Pieces for Piano, Violin, Cello – Aaron COPLAND, Leo Smit (p.) / Ivor Karman, Jacques Gordon, Louis Kaufman (vln.) / David Freed (c.) / Ethel Luening (sop.) – Parnassus

by | Jun 4, 2017 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Copland Before the LP (1928-1949) = Le chat et la souris; Piano Variations; Vitebsk; Two Pieces for Violin and Piano; Vocalise; Danzon Cubano; Sonata for Violin and Piano; Two Pieces for Violin and Piano; Four Piano Blues – Aaron Copland, piano/ Leo Smit, piano/ Ivor Karman, violin/ David Freed, cello/ Jacques Gordon, violin/ Ethel Luening, soprano/ Louis Kaufman, violin – Parnassus PACD 96057, 76:29 (6/20/17) [Distr. by Alliance] ****: Composer Aaron Copland reveals his equally potent gifts at the keyboard in these rare restorations from Parnassus. Executive Producer Leslie Gerber, in association with Restoration Engineer Mark Obert-Thorn issues some rare documents from the legacy of American classical composer Aaron Copland, each of which testifies to Copland’s strong, even imposing, keyboard technique. The earliest of these sound documents, an Ampico piano roll (1928) of a Scherzo humoristique of 1920, not only benefits from a remarkably quiet restoration, but it certifies the influence of the Parisian, Nadia Boulanger influence at work in Copland’s sensibility. The mood changes abruptly for Copland’s rendition of Piano Variations, a work set in his “craggy, granite period” (rec. 2 April 1935). This “severe” and “bleak” piece based on four notes still rattles listeners, its theme and twenty […]