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Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds double vinyl

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 17, 2017 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Stephen Crump – Stephen Crump’s Rhombal – Papillon Sounds PS51514 stereo double vinyl, TT: 59:33 ****: Jazz bassist and composer releases an unusual tribute album. (Adam O’Farrill – trumpet; Ellery Eskelin – tenor saxophone; Stephen Crump – doublebass; Tyshawn Sorey – drums) Stephen Crump has established a solid reputation as a musician, composer and bandleader. He is known as a member of the Vijay Iyer Trio and his own Rosetta Trio. In 2015, he put together the Rhombal Quartet, with drummer Tyshawn Sorey, trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. His intention was to pay tribute to his late brother, Patrick. Stephen Crump’s Rhombal was released in 2016 on MP3 and CD and now is available on vinyl format. Side A opens (“No D For Nelson”) with a vampy doublebass line, that is maintained throughout the piece. Crump and drummer Tyshawn Sorey (who are previously band mates) interact in a precise, cohesive manner. The melodic instrumentation falls to trumpeter Adam O’Farrill and saxophonist Ellery Eskelin. They delve into some abstract structures together and find room for solos. There is also a nimble, accelerated tempo break. “Grovi” embraces a funkier, soulful feel centered by Crump’s deft bass work. Trumpet and saxophone […]

Mindru Katz plays BEETHOVEN, Vol. 2 – Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major; Sonata No. 30 in E Major; Sonata No. 32 in c – Mindru Katz, p. – Cembal d’amour

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 16, 2016 | Classical Reissue Reviews

Mindru Katz delivers epic and intimate Beethoven from Tel Aviv, 1971. Mindru Katz plays BEETHOVEN, Vol. 2 – Sonata No. 11 in B-flat Major, Op. 22; Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109; Sonata No. 32 in c minor, Op. 111 – Mindru Katz, p. – Cembal d’amour 185, 76:21 (11/19/16) [www.cembaldamour.com] ****: Taken from the live recital by Mindru Katz (1925-1978) in Tel Aviv, 7 July 1971, these Beethoven sonatas assembled by producer Mordecai Shehori reveal Mindru Katz as among the more cerebral of virtuoso performers of the Bonn master. The opening work, the 1800 Sonata in B-flat Major, Op. 22, received admiration from the composer himself as indicative of his farewell to the grand Viennese style. Beethoven seems content to explore musical kernels and motives for their own sake, without recourse to personal drama. Katz imposes a severe and sober sensibility on the work as a whole, whose heart lies in the second movement, Adagio con molta espessione. Here, a florid melody finds accompaniment in a bass lie that throbs and broods, while the sixteenth notes find their way into both hands and another melodic line attempts to offer consolation. The Menuetto begins in the pure spirit […]

Jerry: Celebrating the Music Of Jerry Garcia (2016)

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 9, 2016 | DVD & Blu-ray Video Reviews

Jerry: Celebrating the Music Of Jerry Garcia (2016) It was fun waiting for this deal to come around! Cast: Phil Lesh & Communion; Allen Toussaint; David Grisman, Peter Frampton; Buddy Miller; Jorma Kaukonen; Buddy Miles; Jimmy Cliff; Bob Weir; Mickey Hart; Bill Kreutzman with Billy & The Kids; The Disco Biscuits; Moe; O.A.R.; Los Lobos; Trampled By Turtles; Yonder Mountain String Band; Grace Potter; Eric Church; Widespread Panic – Special appearances by Matt Burr; Benny Yurco; and The All Star Band: Don Wass – bass; Audley Freed – guitar; Sam Bush – mandolin, violin; Raymond Webber – drums; Matthew Rollings – B-3, keyboards, accordion; Russell Paul – pedal steel guitar; Regina, Freda & Ann McCrary – backing vocals Studio: Rounder/Bluebird Director: Conor McAnnaly Musical Director: Don Was Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 2.0 Video: 16:9, color Length: 180 minutes Rating: Audio: ***1/2 Video: **** Overall: **** TrackList: The Wheel/Uncle John; Get Out Of My Life Woman; (I’m a) Road Runner; Deal; Sugaree; The Harder They Come; Fire On The Mountain; Help On The Way/Slipknot/Franklin’s Tower; Scarlet Begonias/I Know You Rider; Loser; St. Stephen; Bertha; Brown-Eyed Woman; Shakedown Street; Friend Of The Devil; Tennessee Jed; […]

The Sugar Hill Trio – Drive – Goschart Music

by Audiophile Audition | Nov 13, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

The Sugar Hill Trio – Drive – Goschart Music 031547 [Distr. by CD Baby], 51:26 (9/12/16) ***1/2: A sax-led trio with an advanced approach. The Sugar Hill Trio describes itself as a “modern-day, innovative/avant-garde jazz combo” which is open enough to cover almost anything approximately jazz-like in sound. In fact, their approach to the tradition involves a quite recognizable formula. Starting from the bottom up, the bass (duties split between Leon Boykins and Dylan Shamat) powers the unit with strong walking lines that measure out the changes, veering little from their rhythmic path except to add some scrambling figures or ostinato. This frees the drums to walk across the stream, stirring up all sorts of swirls and sprays of shimmering rhythmic detail. In this case, the drummer, Austin Walker, has a delightfully hyper-kinetic approach to the kit; he certainly seems to be following Sam River’s dictum to “leave nothing out.” The saxophone plays the head, then long solos on the changes, and returns to the head to close out. Skilled jazz musicians can run over changes on such a chart with impressive facility, and this player, Christian Torkewitz, is in the super-skilled class. This approach to jazz requires impressive suite […]

Joe Weed – The Vultures – TopMusic

by Audiophile Audition | Nov 9, 2016 | SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews

Joe Weed – The Vultures – TopMusic TM-SACD9801.2 stereo-only SACD, 34:33 ****1/2: This is a terrific hi-res release of updated ’50s and ’60s rock/pop instrumentals. (Joe Weed – guitars, mandolin, fiddle; Jim Boggio – accordion; Todd Phillips – bass; Rob Ickles – dobro-, Joe Craven – percussion; Norton Buffalo – harmonica; Steve Pefley – drums; David Grisman – mandolin; Rich Ertelt – guitar) Hold onto your hats, Joe Weed is going to reinvent surf, rock and pop instrumentals in quasi-bluegrass instrumentation. Even better, this session has been re-mastered to SACD in stereo. With an all-star band (Norton Buffalo/harmonica; David Grisman/mandolin; Rob Ickles/dobro; Todd Phillips/bass; Steve Pefley/drums; Jim Boggio/accordion), Weed breezes through these classics with verve and style. And what better way to get the proceedings started than a cover of the 1960 Ventures hit “Pipeline”. Without sacrificing the pulsating rhythm, Weed leads the group in an organic, breezy take. His guitar lead is precise and clear. Rob Ickle picks up the second verse on dobro. The addition of percussion (not just drums) by Joe Craven and accordion by Jim Boggio is flawless. At 3:15, it is still a small gem. “Apache” had been a hit for The Shadows, a British […]

TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 “Pathetique”; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Ov. – Czech Philharmonic/ Semyon Bychkov – Decca

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 17, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

“The Tchaikovsky Project” from Semyon Bychkov and Decca opens with two tragic scores. TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 6 in b, Op. 74 “Pathetique”; Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture – Czech Philharmonic Orch./ Semyon Bychkov – Decca 483 0656, 63:53 (10/14/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****: Russian-American conductor Semyon Bychkov (b. 1952) embarks on “The Tchaikovsky Project,” an extensive survey of the composer’s major works, including symphonies, concertos, symphonic poems, and incidental music. The present recording (17-19 August and 24-26 September 2015) from Prague’s Dvorak Hall, Rudolfinum, has Bychkov’s leading the Czech Philharmonic, an ensemble well familiar with the Pathetique Symphony by way of work with Vaclav Talich and Lovro von Matacic. The 1893 symphony deliberately courts the theme of mortality, invoking the marking morendo for dynamic phrasing and scoring the dark instrumental colors of the winds and strings. True to his Russian Orthodox heritage, Tchaikovsky quotes the melody of the Orthodox Requiem twice, after the climax in movement one and at the end of movement four. The key relations between movements remain narrow, incremental in half-steps, as though the “mortal coil” had already made its presence felt artistically. Commentators have pointed out that even the seeming dynamic energy and relative freedom of […]

Peter Brendler, doublebass – Message in Motion – Positone

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 8, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Peter Brendler, doublebass – Message in Motion – Positone PR8156, 56:39 (7/15/16) ****: The bass leads the way. (Peter Brendler – doublebass/ Rich Perry – tenor sax /Peter Evans – trumpet /Vinnie Sperrazza – drums /Ben Monder – guitar) It is easy to overlook the bass in a jazz ensemble. It is the least noisy and attention-grabbing instrument. However, its importance can hardly be overstated. As always when I discover a new bassist, I listen in on my Sennheiser 600 headphones with rapt attention to the footfalls of the walking bass, which are a sure path through the music. The quarter-notes are a way of finding the complexities of the harmony. I like to think of the bass – especially in the absence of a chordal instrument– as the brains of the ensemble which thus thinks from the bottom up. A superior bassist exemplifies Henry David Thoreau’s dictum that “walking is a kind of thinking.” As long as the bass stays on the trail, one cannot get too lost. The CD under review here “Message in Motion” offers a good example of ‘basic’ virtues. The leader of the group, Baltimore-based Peter Brendler, was unknown to me before this debut recording […]

Little Johnny Rivero – Music In Me – Truth Revolution

by Audiophile Audition | Oct 4, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Little Johnny Rivero – Music In Me [TrackList follows]- Truth Revolution TRR 022, 58:39 ****: A musical excursion that constructs numerous threads of Latin tradition. (Little Johnny Rivero – congas, bongo, timbales & minor percussion; Brian Lynch – trumpet; Louis Fouché – alto sax; Zaccai Curtis – piano & Fender Rhodes; Luques Curtis – bass; Ludwig Afonso – drums; special guests: Conrad Herwig; Jonathan Powell; Alfredo De La Fé; Natalie Fernandez; Anthony Carrillo; Luisito Quintero; Giovanni Almonte; Manny Mieles; Edwin Ramos) The most common definition of infectious is a medical one, such as likely to spread infection. In a more generic sense, it can be used to describe something that is “likely to spread or influence others in a rapid manner”. The music offered by Little Johnny Rivero in his release Music In Me falls into the latter category, as the Latin sounds pulse out of the speakers, there is a finger-popping, shoulder-shaking vibe will keep the listener engaged. In this nine track set of high octane rhythm, Rivero and his band plus a number of special guests deliver a master class of Latin jazz timbre and textures. Starting with “Mr. LP” which is dedicated to Latin Percussion (LP) Founder Martin […]

Ken Peplowski – Enrapture – Capri

by Audiophile Audition | Feb 23, 2016 | Jazz CD Reviews

Ken Peplowski – Enrapture – Capri 74141-2, 53:27 ****: The band has tons of experience and each of the players knows how to connect with each other for a harmonic musical experience. (Ken Peplowski – clarinet, tenor saxophone; Ehud Asherie – piano; Martin Wind – bass; Matt Wilson – drums, percussion) Finding a musical “hook” in today’s crowded CD releases is no easy matter. However it appears that Ken Peplowski has done so with his release Enrapture. By bringing together a set-list of mostly lesser-known numbers, from a diverse group of composers, he and his cohorts have found a musical story worthy of telling. Opening with a 1940s composition from Duke Ellington entitled “The Flaming Sword” the Latin-flavoured number is done in an up-tempo fashion with Peplowski featured on clarinet that is perfectly suited to the theme of the tune. Drummer Wilson lays down the intricate rhythm necessary to move the song along, and pianist Ahud Asherie acquits himself with style. In 1957, Leo McCarey directed An Affair To Remember , a love story starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr. The title tune was sung over the opening credits by Vic Damone. Here it is done as mid-tempo ballad with […]

GRANADOS: Piano Quintet; TURINA: Piano Quintet; Calliope – Javier Perianes, p./ Cuarteto Quiroga – Harmonia mundi

by Audiophile Audition | Jan 19, 2016 | Classical CD Reviews

Perianes and company perform two captivating, often overlooked, piano quintets from Spain.

Gilles Vonsattel, piano – Shadowlines = Works of D. SCARLATTI, WEBERN, MESSIAEN, BENJAMIN & DEBUSSY – Honens

by Audiophile Audition | Dec 1, 2015 | Classical CD Reviews

Swiss pianist Vonsattel explores the roots and applications of modernism with often explosive effects. Gilles Vonsattel – Shadowlines = SCARLATTI: 3 Sonatas; MESSIAEN: Etude No. 4 “Ile de feu II”; 2 Preludes; WEBERN: Variations, Op. 27; BENJAMIN: Shadowlines: Six Canonic Preludes for Piano; DEBUSSY: Feux d’artifice; Masques; D’un cahier d’esquisses; L’Isle joyeuse – Gilles Vonsattel, piano – Honens 201510CD, 67:51 (10/2/15) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: This second album from Swiss pianist Gilles Vonsattel – Laureate of the 2009 Honens Piano Competition in Canada – testifies (rec. March 2015) to his interest in modern composition, especially that influenced by classical forms. As such, the recital may prove attractive to a musical few who embrace the intellectual over the emotional aspects of artistic expression. Well I recall my courses in the Second Viennese School with Prof. Friedheim at SUNY, in which we would trace out the geometries of Webern’s tone rows and their multiple permutations, as if a huge grid or anagram had emerged from the harmonic labyrinth! But did the music compel as to hear it with the same affection we bring to Mozart? From the opening, jumping figures in Scarlatti’s Sonata in a minor, K. 3, we hear the rush […]