musicians Archive
Oded TZUR – Like a Great River – Enja
Oded TZUR – Like a Great River – Enja 7754, 39:37 (9/4/16) ****: (Oded Tzur; alto saxophone/ Petros Klampanis; bass/ Shai Maestro; piano/ Ziv Ravitz; drums) An innovative Israeli saxophonist working on a concept inspired by the Indian Classical bansuri master Hariprasad Chaurasia. Israel has been profligate in its production and export of jazz musicians. The new generation tends to fall into two categories; either they have stupendous technical gifts (Gilad Hekselman, Avishai Cohen), or they have an original concept/stylistic affiliation (Oran Etkin with his Malian collaborators, Anat Cohen with her chorinho trio). Yet another Tel Aviv expat, alto saxophonist Oded Tzur, falls into the second category. In his liner notes, he cites just one influence, the supreme master of the classical Indian bansuri, Hariprasad Chaurasia. This is quite a name to conjure with, as it represents the acme of an improvisational art form, older and deeper than jazz. One wonders what kind of connection could be made, given that the Indian system of raga is based on melodic and rhythmic organization rather than harmony. As it turns out, Tzur has found a grand inspiration in this music and translated it persuasively into a fresh jazz style. First, what he […]
SHOSTAKOVICH: Sym. No. 10; encores – Texas Music Fest. Orch./ Mei-Ann Chen – HDTT
Written just after the death of Stalin, the composer stated that this symphony is about the Stalinist era, but others disagree. SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 10; AN-LUN HUANG:: Sebei Dance No. 2 “Lantern Festival”; RACHMANINOFF: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini; CHOPIN: Etude Op. 27/7 – Texas Music Festival Orch./ Mei-Ann Chen; (Extras:) Moores School Sym. Orch./Franz Anton Krager/ Kenneth Broburg, p. – HDTT multichannel Pure Audio Blu-ray (5.0 or 2.0) 24/96 (Rec. 2013 & 2014) ****: Although Shostakovich said his Tenth Symphony clearly is about the Stalinst era in the Soviet Union, critics disagree and say it was an example of Shostakovich’s synthesis of allusions to the symphonic tradition on the one hand, and encoded references to his own particular time and place on the other. It was premiered under Mravinsky in December of 1953. The first movement is in a rough sonata form. The short scherzo movement is the second, full of syncopated rhythms and furious sixteenth note passages. The third movement is a moderate dance-like suite which the composer called a nocturne. It uses two musical codes: the DSCH which represents the composer, and the Elmira Theme – representing a student of Shostakovich’s with whom he fell in […]
FOSS: “Piece’s of Genius” – three chamber works – var. soloists – Albany
FOSS: “Piece’s of Genius” – three chamber works – NY New Music Ensemble / Jean Kopperud, clar./ Stephen Gosling, p./ Linda Quan & Deborah Wang, violins/ Lois Martin, viola/ Christopher Finckel, cello – Albany Troy CD 1644, 62:17 (10/1/16) ***1/2: A fine survey of Foss chamber music covering a quarter century of composition. It was sad when Lukas Foss passed in 2009. He was a creative maelstrom of ideas, and while never truly mainstream, he was influential in the musical world, and he has left us a rich collection of music. Foss was an advocate of and became fascinated by the possibilities offered by aleatoric or “chance” music, and set up an improvisation ensemble. He was well-known as a conductor as well as a composer, and in life he was controversial, being praised and attacked by fellow musicians. This CD features the renowned New York Music Ensemble performing three of Foss’s chamber works. This collection is presented in reverse chronological order of composition. The recording opens with Tashi (1986), working its way backwards through Solo Observed (1982), and concludes with Echoi (1961-63). This is music that is challenging to listen to, and difficult to play. The NYME excels at these […]
RICHARD SUSSMAN: Evolution Suite – Richard Sussman – p., electronics, & others – Zoho
RICHARD SUSSMAN: Evolution Suite – Richard Sussman – p., electronics, Scott Wendholt – trumpet, Flugel horn, Rich Perry – tenor sax, Mike Richmond – acoustic & elec. bass, Anthony Poinciotti – drums/ The Sirius Quartet, With special guest: Zach Broc – elec. violin – Zoho CD ZM 201614, 71:00 (10/7/16) [Distr. by Allegro] *** 1/2: An important classical/jazz work but hurt a bit by the lack of a great recording. Richard Sussman’s ground-breaking The Evolution Suite for Jazz Quintet, String Quartet, and Electronics is the culmination of almost a decade of development. This five-movement, hour-long composition was funded by a Chamber Music America New Jazz Works Grant, and premiered and recorded on December 20, 2015, at the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space in New York City. The work is a fusion of jazz and classical music. Composer Richard Sussman said it best: “”By combining jazz improvisation and many diverse rhythms and instrumental textures from throughout the world with contemporary classical music, I feel we can more truly reflect and more strongly connect with a wider cross-section of the multi-cultural society in which we live.” The disc includes another work, called Prevolution, a 10-minute track Sussman considers a ‘prequel’ to […]
Andrew Downing, cello & group – Otterville
Andrew Downing – Otterville – Self-Produced 2 CDs, 69:01 (Avail. as an MP3 download on Amazon) ***: A questionable premise delivers questionable results. (Andrew Downing – cello; Tara Davidson – alto saxophone; Michael Davidson – vibraphone; Christine Bougie – lap steel guitar; Paul Mathew – bass guitar; Nick Fraser – drums; Guests: Rebecca Hennessy – trumpet; William Carn – trombone) One has to wonder why young musicians, who in today’s competitive music environment, put themselves and their questionable ideas on the line to gain an audience. This is especially relevant, where the concept is well beyond the mainstream. Composer/cellist Andrew Dowling, has done just that with his newest self-produced release entitled Otterville. In this 2 CD set, with three exceptions, all of the compositions are by Andrew Dowling. The construct or conceit if you will, is that each piece contains a small excerpt from a jazz standard or the Great American Songbook, from which a unique new composition is built. In Mission Impossible terms, the challenge for you dear reader/listener, if you chose to accept it, is to find this snippet and determine how it fits within the new frame that Downing has built. “This Year’s Fancies” which opens CD […]
Jim HALL (guitar) & Red MITCHELL (bass) – Valse Hot: Live at the Sweet Basil 1978 – ArtistsShare
Jim HALL (guitar) & Red MITCHELL (bass) – Valse Hot: Live at the Sweet Basil 1978 [TrackList follows] – ArtistsShare 0148, 50:00 (10/7/16) ****½: Unreleased recordings of a memorable 1978 encounter between Jim Hall and Red Mitchell. I never had the chance to see Red Mitchell play in person. A couple of years after his death in 1992, I found myself standing in his house on the occasion of a house concert, staring at his bass. There it was, a 200-year-old German-made instrument, rather battered and noble-looking. I really wanted to pluck the low string, for unlike any other bass, it was a low C. For a bassist, it was close to the Holy Grail. With Mitchell, one of the giants of the art form, gone, it is rewarding to get a lost recording and to once again hear the most distinctive instrumental voice in jazz played in Mr. Mitchell’s inimitable style, his bass tuned like a cello to C-G-D-A. The session on document here is a Red Mitchell/ Jim Hall duo performance at the Sweet Basil from back in 1978, a recording of which had previously been issued, a highly sought-after item in the LP days. Other analog tapes […]
Eyolf Dale – Wolf Valley – Edition
Eyolf Dale – Wolf Valley – Edition 1073, 51:28 (6/10/16) ****½: (Eyolf Dale: piano/ Per Zanussi: bass & saw/ Gard Nilssen; drums/ Andre Roligheten: tenor sax, clarinet/ Hayden Powell: trumpet/ Kristoffer Kompen: trombone/ Rob Waring: vibraphone/ Adrian Loseth Waade: violin) Inspired chamber-jazz octet on a cohesive set of original compositions by leader Eyolf Dale. The number eight, so auspicious for the ancient Chinese, has pleasant association for me as well. There is the brainy pelagic mollusc of eight arms, the month of October, the stout pawns lined up on the second rank. There might be some redundancy involved, as we we see in Mendelssohn’s marvelous Octet, compounded of two string quartets. Yet the other chamber masterpiece by Schubert suggests the principle of ampleness and generosity, a perfect garden party of all available personality types. In a Jazz ensemble, the number is especially lucky for the front line. There are no hard choices between the instruments; all can play. Thus, I was especially happy to see an octet offering by Edition Records, a label that has recently scored a very big hit on this site. The recording under review, led by Norwegian pianist/composer Eyolf Dale, carries the bilingually eponymous title Wolf […]
BEETHOVEN: Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola; Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello ‒ Andinghello Ensemble / BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”; Die Weihe des Hauses Overture; King Stephan Ov. ‒ Beethoven Orchester Bonn/ Stefan Blunier ‒ Both MD&G
BEETHOVEN: Serenade for Flute, Violin, and Viola, Op. 25; Trio for Violin, Viola, and Cello, Op. 3 ‒ Andinghello Ensemble ‒ Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm multichannel SACD MDG 903 1953-6 (2+2+2), 65:29 (6/3/16) ***: BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, Op. 55, “Eroica”; Die Weihe des Hauses Overture, Op. 124; König Stephan Overture, Op. 117‒ Beethoven Orchester Bonn/ Stefan Blunier ‒ Musikproduktion Dabringhaus und Grimm multichannel SACD MDG 937 1966-6 (2+2+2), 67:33 (11/4/16) ****: The intimate Beethoven, the monumental Beethoven: which won the hearts of Vienna and the world? Beethoven’s second sojourn in Vienna sponsored by the Bonn Elector Maximilian Franz began as a two-year course of study with Vienna-based masters and ended, of course, with Beethoven’s lodgment as the greatest master of all the city’s many musicians. Under mentor Haydn’s questionable tutelage, Beethoven published his Opus 1, three piano trios. Haydn tried to discourage Beethoven from publishing until he had established a broader catalog, apparently supposing the works would not find favor with the conservative musical circles of the city. Beethoven was not discouraged and in fact nursed a grudge against his teacher, thinking Haydn was simply trying to stifle the creativity of a talent he didn’t understand or […]
PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 – NY Philharmonic/ Leonard Bernstein (Columbia LP, 1966) – Speakers Corner vinyl
A great remastering of a truly excellent work and performance. SERGEI PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 5 – NY Philharmonic/ Leonard Bernstein (Columbia LP, 1966, MS 7005) – Speakers Corner vinyl (2016) *****: The Fifth is probably the most-performed of the seven symphonies penned by Prokofiev for its many lovely melodies and its development work being of a nature that makes it more immediately accessible to the unsophisticated listener. I’m thoroughly familiar with the symphony because in the university I played the bass drum in a performance of it, and there is plenty of bass drum here – especially in the concluding movement. Somehow after Prokofiev moved back to the Soviet Union in 1933, he failed to have the many problems with the party which his colleague Shostakovich had. He somehow toed the party line and became highly privileged. In this symphony he had a general air of cheerfulness, and saw it as a “hymn to free and happy Man.” This is especially noted in the theme heard on the clarinet in the second movement. The first movement is full of orchestral radiance and a host of great melodies. In this symphony, Prokofiev wanted to get away from the idea most listeners had […]
Nate Lepine Quartet: Vortices – ears&eyes
Saxophonist Nate Lepine: helping put the new Chicago sound on the musical map. Nate Lepine Quartet: Vortices – ears&eyes ee:16-054, 44:48 [9/30/16] ****: (Clark Sommers – bass; Nick Mazzarella – alto saxophone; Nate Lepine – tenor saxophone; Quin Kirchner – drums) Jazz fans may not realize it, but Chicago is a city with a vibrant jazz scene with talented musicians who regularly move outside of the jazz norm. For instance, tenor saxophonist Nate Lepine often goes toward the edges where free improvisation meets composed jazz. He cultivates material which has one step in the past and one foot in the ever-changing present. A sense of shifting between straightforward and forward-thinking permeates Lepine’s 44-minute debut, titled Quartet: Vortices. Alongside Lepine are other Chicago jazz artists who appreciate Lepine’s musical vision: bassist Clark Sommers (who has performed with Brian Blade, Bennie Maupin, Jeff Parker, and others); alto saxophonist Nick Mazzarella (who has participated in other Chicago-based improv/jazz groups); and drummer Quin Kirchner (who has connections to Chicago bands such as Bill MacKay’s Darts & Arrows, the Rob Clearfield Trio and Old Door Phantoms). This foursome brings sympathetic perception to Lepine’s 11 originals, which range from whirlwind tunes to wafting cuts which have […]
The Clown – The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop – Atlantic 1260 (1957)/ Warner Bros./ Speakers Corner
This is a lovely remastering of one of Mingus’ best albums – his 1957 mono release. The Clown – The Charles Mingus Jazz Workshop – Atlantic 1260 (1957)/ Warner Bros./ Speakers Corner – mono vinyl [11/4/6] *****: (Charles Mingus, doublebass/ Curtis Porter, alto & tenor sax/ Jimmy Kneeper, trombone/ Wade Legge, piano/Donnie Richmond, drums) These four tracks were all composed and performed by the amazing bassist Mingus, and have been reissued on various poor discs (some with terrible cover art), so it is wonderful to finally have this Mingus masterpiece in a really good version that preserves everything that happened in that studio in March of 1957. The original packaging includes detailed notes on the back by Nat Hentoff. He spends a lot time on the volatile personality of Mingus. Mingus said, “Just because I’m playing jazz, I don’t forget about me…My music is alive and it’s about the living and the dead, about good and evil. It’s angry, yet it’s real because it knows it’s angry.” The folk spirit of “Haitian Fight Song” open the first side. It also has a bit of the old black church in it. “Blue Cee” is a standard blues which Mingus feels has […]
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L (Blu-ray & SACD)
European Tour – Nordic Brass Ensemble – Music of DOWLAND, PRAETORIUS, HOLBORNE et al – 2L-128-SABD – Pure Audio Blu-ray + multichannel SACD, DTS-HD MA 192kHz/24 bit 5.1, PCM 192kHz/24 bit stereo, mShuttle: MQA 96kHz + MP3 (11/18/16) [Dist. by Naxos] ****: Beautifully rendered recording of Brass Ensemble music. This is a most agreeable disc with a collection of brass performances by the Nordic Brass Ensemble. The group was founded in 1993 by a group of brass musicians who shared a strong desire to make chamber music together. From the start, the ensemble has focused on developing its own musical ideas and concepts of sound. By exploiting the different instruments’ special qualities and combining them in new and unusual ways, and by extensively using mutes, percussion, some non-standard instruments, the NBE is making a name for itself with a very unique approach to brass music. The music performed is traditional, with composers like Holborne, Dowland and Gesualdo. The arrangements were written for the group, and the addition of percussion, while unexpected, is quite persuasive to this listener. Since this is a 2L recording, I expected it to be good sonically, and I was not disappointed. The microphones are well back […]
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 […]
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 […]
Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = Works of HANDEL, BEETHOVEN, BACH, SCHUMANN, CHOPIN & REGER – APR (2-CDs)
Mark Obert-Thorn and Appian Records restore Erik Then-Bergh to prominence. Erik Then-Bergh – The Complete Electrola and Deutsche Grammophone Recordings, 1938-1958 = HANDEL: Suite No. 4 in e minor; BACH (arr. BUSONI): Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in d, BWV 1004; BEETHOVEN: Piano Sonata No. 28 in A Major, Op. 101; Bagatelles, Op. 33: Nos. 1 and 4; SCHUMANN: Piano Sonata No. 2 in g, Op. 22; CHOPIN: Nocturne in B Major, Op. 62, No. 1; REGER: Silhouettes, Op. 53: Nos. 2 and 6; Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Telemann, Op. 134; Piano Concerto in f, Op. 114 – Erik Then-Bergh, p./ Southwest Radio Orch., Baden-Baden/ Hans Rosbaud – APR 6021 (2-CDs) 77:39, 76:52 (10/28/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Erik Then-Bergh (1916-1982) for years has remained a “singular success,” his reputation having embraced one recorded work, the Piano Concerto of Max Reger – born, co-incidentally, the same 1916. Then-Bergh, however, deserves a wider acknowledgment of his singular powers – as several YouTube videos attest – as both performer and pedagogue, a long-awaited homage that Mark Obert-Thorn has managed to achieve. Erik Then-Bergh received his first piano lessons at the age of five from his father and a further […]
Cory Weeds Quintet featuring David Hazeltine – It’s Easy To Remember – CellarLive
Cory Weeds Quintet featuring David Hazeltine – It’s Easy To Remember – CellarLive CL031716, 52:58 ****: An enthusiastic session from understanding and open-minded partners. (Cory Weeds – tenor saxophone; David Hazeltine – piano; Joe Magnarelli – trumpet; Paul Gill – acoustic bass; Jason Tiemann – drums) Here comes Cory Weeds. In what surely must be some kind of record for the issuance of albums by a Canadian tenor saxophonist, It’s Easy To Remember is the latest addition to Weeds’ substantial discography. Recorded live at Small’s Jazz Club in New York City on March 17, 2016, Weeds has surrounded himself with some top-notch New York-based musicians including the savvy, thoughtfully tasteful pianist David Hazeltine. In a session songbook of the known, nearly known, and unknown compositions, the band has an eclectic mix of numbers with which to display their inventiveness and curiosity. Starting out with a Kenny Drew piece, “With Prestige,” which has an entertaining bebop frame, the band demonstrates their exploratory spirit. Each member takes a piece of the action with Weeds showing his meaningful command of the saxophone, as Hazeltine delivers some long structural lines on the piano. Bassist Gill also dives in with a brief arco solo. “Smoke […]
La Mascarade – Works of Robert De Visee and Francesco Corbetta – Rolf Lislevand – ECM New Series
La Mascarade – Works of Robert De Visee and Francesco Corbetta – Rolf Lislevand – ECM New Series 2288, 48:13 (5/27/16) *****: (Rolf Lislevand, Baroque guitar & theorbo) The wonders of the French Baroque on contrasting plucked instruments. The Kingdom of France in the age of Absolutism was organized from the center outward. At the radiant center was, of course, the Sun King, Louis XIV. Seen within the mentality of the time, he was far more than just a potentate. Rather, he was a sacramental figure. His doings, his health and his moods were connected to the well-being of the entire nation. This meant that there was a lot of fussing about his person, some of it rather comical. For example, The Master of the Chamber Pot would carefully scrutinize the King’s digestive productions to make sure that all was well with the natural order. Skipping over the myriad cooks and gardeners, we arrive at a special class of servants who attended to the Monarch’s spiritual well-being, namely the musicians. One of these had the special role of performing in the the King’s own chamber, at board or at bed. This was in fact the King’s Own Lutenist, and it […]
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique – Royal Concertgebouw Orch. /Daniele Gatti – RCO
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique, Op. 14 (1830) – Royal Concertgebouw Orch. /Daniele Gatti – rec. live, April 1 & 3, 2016 – RCO multichannel SACD RCO16006, 57:30 (9/9/16) [Dist. by Naxos] ** 1/2: Not the fire I would expect from Gatti and Berlioz. Daniele Gatti has been helming the Concertgebouw for two years, replacing Mariss Jansons who stepped down after 11 years. Jensons’ years there were generally considered a bit too laid back by many critics, who felt the orchestra was idling in neutral. Gatti’s appointment as Chief Conductor was widely applauded. He’s a consummate musician, and has brought some fresh thinking to many classical works. That said, this recording of the Berlioz Symphony fantastique is a bit of a puzzlement. The performance seems subdued, and not a pure reflection of the excitement Berlioz designed for the work. It’s clinical, and a polar opposite to the famous (infamous) Leonard Bernstein performance from 1963 that may be one of the best known recordings of the symphony. My favorite interpretation was Colin Davis who led the Concertbouw in 1974 and it’s still available on a remastered Decca CD. Certainly, Gatti gets the details right, and he’s in complete control of the orchestra, but […]
Chris Jones – Roadhouses & Automobiles – Stockfisch 45 rpm vinyl (2)
Chris Jones – Roadhouses & Automobiles – Stockfisch SFR 357.8027.1 double 45 rpm vinyl (Distr. by In-Akustic), 52:00 ****1/2: Singer-songwriter connects to acoustic roots in excellent sound. (Chris Jones – guitar dobro, vocals; Alan Taylor – vocal, guitar; Grischka Self – electric bass; Thomas Klippet – Hammond B-3;Yogi Jockusch – percussion; Christina Lux – backing vocals; Ian Melrose – guitar; Lutz Moller – piano, Hammond B-3; Hans-Jorg Maucksch – fretless bass; Wolfgans Beisart- mandolin; Beo Brockhausen – saxophone, African bow harp; Nils Tuxen – pedal steel; Siard de Jong – fiddle, mandolin; Martin Huck – pedal steel; In many cases, acoustic folk artists don’t get the opportunity to record in quality formats. German label Stockfisch Records has become a destination for these artists. Under the watchful guidance of Gunter Pauler, several lesser-known guitarists have emerged. The latest example is Chris Jones, His current recording, Roadhouses & Automobiles has been released on 45 rpm 180-gram vinyl. The eleven-song album (including ten originals) is an intimate glimpse into the singer-songwriter narratives that revitalized the popular music scene, beginning with Nobel Laureate Bob Dylan in the sixties. Side A opens with the title cut of a classic road song framed by acoustic guitar […]
“Latino Ladino – Songs of Exile & Passion From Spain” – Ensemble Barrocade/ Ensemble NAYA – Naxos
“Latino Ladino – Songs of Exile & Passion From Spain” – Ensemble Barrocade/ Ensemble NAYA – Naxos 8.2, 66:54 (7-8-16) *****: Unusual folkish music and poetry of Sephardic and other cultures of the 17th century. Extraordinary stuff here, achingly personal and exquisitely lyrical. It’s music and poetry of numerous persecuted and exiled minority cultures that flourished throughout the Mediterranean and South America during the 17th century, the experience of these displaced communities retaining powerful resonance today. What makes this recording of these ancient reflections on beauty, love, joy and sorrow so profoundly expressive of basic human feelings and needs is the haunting voice and vulnerable phrasing of Yaniv d’Or’s haunting countertenor, backed by a folkish Baroque instrumental backdrop that suggests a Fellini fantasy. Singing a deeply moving succession of the ancient story-telling songs linked to European ballad tradition called romancas, the narratives on cultural traditions such as holidays, food and scriptural stories, called coplas; and love songs in the lyric tradition called cantigas, d’Or shows why he has established an international reputation in music from Cavalli and Gluck to Henze and John Wolf Brennan. The outstanding backing musicians, virtuosos steeped in history, represent an international polyglot: The Ensemble NAYA was […]
Dave Stryker, guitar – Eight Track II – Strikezone
Making the oldies new. Dave Stryker, guitar – Eight Track II [TrackList follows] – Strikezone 8814, 65:47 [9/2/16] ****: (Dave Stryker – guitar/ Steve Nelson – vibraphone/ Jared Gold – organ/ McClenty Hunter – drums) Guitarist Dave Stryker once again gets the gold—AM Gold, that is—on Eight Track II, his sequel to 2014’s Eight Track. The 66-minute Eight Track II follows the same approach as Eight Track: soul-jazz interpretations of Baby Boomer songs which filled the AM (and FM) radio waves, the soundtrack of an earlier era. This time out, Stryker does striking renditions of material associated with Prince, two from Stevie Wonder, two by Marvin Gaye, some British rockers (Cream and the Zombies) and others which continue to circulate on oldies broadcast formats. This isn’t mere reminisce or nostalgia. Stryker is too determined and too perceptive to just do jazzy takes of familiar riffs, themes and melodies. Rather, Stryker and his band spin, twist and re-arrange most of the material to give tunes a new life, a different perspective, and help listeners redefine how they might experience this well-known music. Stryker and his trio—vibraphonist Steve Nelson and drummer McClenty Hunter—are joined by guest Hammond B-3 organist Jared Gold (who […]