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“Dragon” – Works for alto sax & sax quartet – Albany / DANIEL SMITH: Jazz Suite for Bassoon – Summit

“Dragon” – Works for alto sax & sax quartet – Albany / DANIEL SMITH: Jazz Suite for Bassoon – Summit

by | Oct 20, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

A nice classical-jazz couple of CDs featuring bassoon & sax. “Dragon” – Works for alto sax & sax quartet [TrackList follows] – William Perconti, alto sax/ Alloy Sax Quartet – Albany TROY1440, 49:25 ****:  DANIEL SMITH: “Jazz Suite for Bassoon” [TrackList follows] – Daniel Smith, bassoon/ Bruce Boardman & Steve Grey, p./others/ The Caravaggio Ensemble – Summit DCD 656, 40:37 ****: These works represent traditional Western classical music combined with jazz, pop, folk music, and even Asian and African music. The Alloy Saxophone Quartet was formed in order to explore contemporary music, Perconti is a graduate of Bowling Green State University, Baldwin Wallace Conservatory and the U. of Iowa. He is currently on the faculty of Lewis-Clark State College in Idaho. There are eight separate works on the disc, by composers such as Rzewski, Joan Tower, Allen Blank, Hilary Tann and Joseph Martin Waters. Four works by Frederic Rzewski are performed: They consist of his various Spots.  The Allan Blank work is titled Contrasts, and consists of give separate numbered movements. The combination of sax and sax quartet seems to be much more to the point than that of sax and piano. Smith is allegedly the most-recorded bassoonist in the […]

Ayreheart – Barley Moon – Sono Luminus Blu-ray & CD

Ayreheart – Barley Moon – Sono Luminus Blu-ray & CD

by | Jul 15, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Ayreheart – Barley Moon – Sono Luminous DSL-92201 (Blu-ray audio + CD) [Distr. by Naxos], 59:55 ****1/2: Traditional folk music with a hi-res boost! (Brian Kay – lute, komuz, vocals; Ronn McFarlane – lute; Willard Morris – colascione; Mattias Rucht – percussion) The origins of folk music are vast and wildly diverse. There are connections to classical music, (Corelli, Haydn, Beethoven), traditional English poets (John Dowling), Finnish, Celtic, American roots and many countries from both hemispheres. At different times in the culture, there have been resurrections of these genres (the Seegers, Woody Guthrie in America and bands like Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span and The Chieftans in Europe). The musicians distill the essence of the songs in a modern socio-political context. There is also a profound desire to capture the aesthetic purity as traditional instrumentation graces the arrangements. Like American blues, listeners are re-introduced to folk music, and the festival circuit continues to thrive. A group by the name of Ayreheart has released a compelling audiophile recording of this material, Barley Moon. In keeping with authenticity, the album is framed by a pair of lutes with Irish tenor vocals. The opening track is one of the most “popularized” folk songs […]

Cikada, “Live at HCMF” = Works of LIM & NESS – LAWO

Cikada, “Live at HCMF” = Works of LIM & NESS – LAWO

by | Feb 11, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Cikada, “Live at HCMF” = LIZA LIM: Winding Bodies: Three Knots; The Heart’s Ear; JON ǾIVIND NESS: Gimilen – Cicada ens. – LAWO Classics LWC1086, 47:24 [Distr. by Naxos] (2/05/16) **1/2: Great performances it seems of these pretty tough works. I have heard the very talented and dedicated Cikada ensemble many times before and never been disappointed in their skill and artistry. That remains true and, frankly, most of what they do is pretty complicated and cerebral stuff that places many demands on the players as well as the audience. This live concert is no exception. Recorded live at the 2014 Huddersfield (England) Contemporary Music Festival, we get three pretty thorny and abstract works by Australian Liza Lim and Norwegian Jon Ǿivind Ness. I was unfamiliar with either until now. The first of the works by Lim is Winding Bodies: Three Knots, a three movement work that depicts or pays homage to an odd Nordic legend of sailors trying to buy favorable winds from some sorcerers. Each “knot” is intended to portray a type of wind condition that old time sailors would contend with. The work features some neat flute lines but also a ‘hardanger fiddle’ – an instrument indigenous […]