octopus Archive
Kris Davis and Craig Taborn – Octopus – Pyroclastic
Two are better as one. Kris Davis and Craig Taborn – Octopus [TrackList follows] – Pyroclastic PR 03, 58:38 [1/28/18] ****: (Kris Davis – piano; Craig Taborn – piano) What’s better than one? Two, of course. Duets in jazz are nothing new. But two pianos improvising together is still somewhat rare. Such collaborations need simpatico, communication and two minds working as one. Such is the case with Kris Davis and Craig Taborn. The two were part of Davis’ 2016 CD/DVD, Duopoly, a series of duets with Bill Frisell, Tim Berne, Julian Lage and others. During their time in the studio, it became evident Taborn and Davis had a stimulating chemistry. The two decided to go out on the road on a 12-date tour in Autumn, 2016 with engineer Ron Saint Germain. The result is the hour-long, six-track live document, Octopus, issued on Davis’ Pyroclastic imprint. The performances, which run in length from seven minutes to nearly 15 minutes, incorporate pre-composed material; wholly improvised sections; and two carefully chosen cover tunes. Taborn and Davis’ conversant style is parallel to the free jazz of likeminded pianists such as Cecil Taylor, Don Pullen or Paul Bley. Throughout the program there’s a sense of […]
Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016)
A great remastering of the Russian version of Cinerama into a wonderful (though now dated) Russian travelogue. Russian Adventure, Cinerama, Blu-ray (1966/2016) Narrator: Bing Crosby Directors: Leonid Kristy, Roman Karmen, Boris Dolin, Oleg Lebedev, Solomon Kogan Reconstruction & remastering: David Strohmaier Studio: Cinerama Corp./Hal Dennis Productions/ Flicker Alley Deluxe Combo Edition FA0049 (11/22/16) Video: Smile-Box simulated curved screen for 16:9 screens, 1080p color Audio: English, DD 5.1, PCM stereo Extras: Fortress of Peace (1964) a Swiss Army propaganda film in Cinerama; Concord (1966) a short about the soon-to-be active supersonic passenger jet; Working with our Father on Russian Adventure; Reconstructing Russian Adventure restoration demonstration; Russian Adventure trailer; Trailer gallery from other Cinerama films; Slideshows, ads and public materials from Russian Adventure; Facsimile of original program booklet. Length: 127 min. Rating: **** This travelogue was originally shot by the Russians in their similar eight years of Kinopanorama productions. They gave copies of the original six three-panel productions to Cinerama to show in 127 minutes both a brand new and intimate view of their country and culture which was so often cited but seldom seen during the Cold War years. The Cinerama folks got Bing Crosby to be the narrator for this […]
Finding Dory, Blu-ray (3D available) (2016)
A wonderful Pixar animated sequel to the original film of 2003. Finding Dory, Blu-ray (3D available) (2016) Voice-overs: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence, Diane Keaton, Eugene Levy Studio: Pixar/ Walt Disney Studios 138050 (11/15/16). 3 discs = Blu-ray, DVD & Extras|Director: Andrew Stanton Video: 1.78:1 for 16:9 screens, 1080p HD color Audio: English, DTS-HD MA 7.1, 2.0 descriptive audio, DD 5.1 Spanish & French Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French Extras: (over two hours) Film commentary track, Short: Piper, New mini-short Marine Life Interviews, Deleted Scenes, “Animation & Acting,” “The Octopus That Nearly Broke Pixar,” “Deep in the Kelp,” “Casual Carpool,” “What Were We Talking About?,” “Creature Features,” “Skating & Sketching with Jason Deamer,” “Dory’s Theme,” “Rough Day on the Reef,” Finding Nemo told by emojis, Living Aquariums, Fish Schticks Length: Film: 97 min. Rating: ***** B01FJ4UGF0 Most sequels and re-makes end up being less good than the original and some are really bad (the re-make of Hitchcock’s Psycho, for example), but this one is even better than the first one, Finding Nemo (which won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2003). It has a complex and interesting story and Dory the blue tang fish (and DeGeneres) are definitely the […]
Stereotypes Audio
Cembal d’amour
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