by Audiophile Audition | Sep 29, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Another Side Of John Coltrane – Craft Recordings CR00093 (2021) 180-gram mono double vinyl, 88:14 *****:
Craft Recordings releases a glorious double vinyl featuring side work by iconic saxophonist John Coltrane.
(John Coltrane – tenor saxophone; Miles Davis – trumpet; Sonny Rollins – tenor saxophone; Art Taylor – drums; Thelonious Monk – piano; Todd Dameron – piano; Red Garland – piano; Donald Byrd – trumpet; Hank Mobley – tenor saxophone; Coleman Hawkins – tenor saxophone and many others)
Jazz aficionados differ on what was the greatest era of the genre. But the late 1950’s and early 1960’s significantly changed its direction and overall accessibility. After the unadulterated freneticism and relentless swing of bebop, musicians sought different styles and expressions. These included modal, cool, hard bop, free jazz and bossa nova. A new group of legends emerged with iconic albums, like Miles Davis (Kind Of Blue), Sonny Rollins (Saxophone Colossus), Thelonious Monk (Brilliant Corners), Dave Brubeck (Time Out) and John Coltrane (Giant Steps). There were many other game-changing releases in this period. Additionally, these larger-than-life figures often played on each other’s albums.
Craft Recordings has released a re-mastered double vinyl of John Coltrane’s contributions as a top-notch session player. Another Side Of John Coltrane is comprised of 13 tracks that incredibly were nearly all recorded in 1956 and 1957, for Prestige Records, Impulse Riverside and Jazzland. Side A opens with the historical title track of Sonny Rollins’ Tenor Madness. This is widely believed to be the only recording that features Rollins and Coltrane. The 12-minute hard bop opus is backed by a rhythm section of Red Garland, Paul Chambers and Philly Joe Jones Both saxophonists offer muscular, adroit solos, expressing their unique tonality and musical expression. At approximately the 8:20 mark, they engage in spirited exchanges that are simply compelling. Of course, as a Prestige album track, it is augmented by the pristine engineering of Rudy Van Gelder. This album boasts four Miles Davis-led cuts. The jazz standard, “‘Round Midnight” (from Miles Davis And The Jazz Giants, written by Thelonious Monk who is well represented on this project) has Davis articulating the melody with his sinewy, muted trumpet and transitioning to finger-snapping tempo. Coltrane puts hard-edged soul into his solo. The back and forth with Davis is compelling. This lineup swings on “Oleo” (after a false start). Chambers’ galloping double bass line propels the jam as Davis and Coltrane deliver performances that define hard bop. The melody line is based on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm”.
Side B showcases a Miles Davis Quintet tune, “Airegin”. Amazingly, it is the third consecutive Rollins composition, and generates passionate solos from Coltrane and Davis that soar above the exotic structure of the rhythm section. Shifting to lyrical balladry, “Soultrane” (with Todd Dameron) displays a gossamer texture and innate understanding of musical structure. With syncopated flair, drummer Art Taylor (terrific drum fills) and Coltrane interact seamlessly in a straight-ahead arrangement (“C.T.A.”). Along with Davis, Monk is featured four times. “Monk’s Mood” is a significant part of jazz lore. This version (from Thelonious Monk Himself) is slowed-down and bluesy. After a lengthy master class on piano phrasing, Coltrane reflects the inherent melancholy in his sensitive execution. At the other end of the tempo spectrum, “Epistrophy” (from Thelonious Monk With John Coltrane) is edgier and thicker, with Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Gigi Gryce on alto, and Ray Cop[eland on trumpet. The inimitable Art Blakey is superb on drums. It is reminiscent of the unbridled bebop energy. Monk’s adroit phrasing and punctuated nuances make “Trinkle, Tinkle” compelling. Coltrane matches Monk’s creativity with stylish runs that are complementary and buoyant. He is equally adept at translating the challenging structures of Monk on “Nutty”.
The consistent quality of these various recordings is exemplary. Drawing on the bebop genius Dizzy Gillespie, Red Garland and his Quintet take on “Birks’ Works”. Here, Coltrane cuts loose on a freewheeling solo and is followed by trumpeter Donald Byrd and Garland. A second number form this session, “Billie’s Bounce” is hard-driving swing. Coltrane leads the way with an extended high-flying, intense solo. It has a full sound, approximating big band aesthetics. Garland’s piano is quick, nimble and bluesy cool. The finale is the landmark 1961 recording by Miles Davis of “Someday My Prince Will Come”. This song helped to define cool jazz. Transforming a pop ditty from Disney’s animated film Snow White And The Seven Dwarves to medium swing waltz-time is brilliant. Coltrane glows on tenor and helps in creating another unforgettable jazz moment. He is joined by a young Hank Mobley, who offers a different, mellower sound.
Craft Recordings has done an outstanding job in re-mastering these tracks to 180-gram vinyl. The new mix is vibrant and pristine. Another Side Of John Coltrane is a must for any jazz collection!
TrackList:
Side A: Tenor Madness; ‘Round Midnight; Oleo
Side B: Airegin; Soultrane; C.T.A.; Monk’s Mood
Side C: Epistrophy (Alternate Take); Trinkle, Tinkle; Nutty; Birks’ Works
Side D: Billie’s Bounce; Someday My Prince Will Come
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit Craft Recordings website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 28, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7 in E Major; HINDEMITH: Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra – Hubert Jelinek, harp/ Werner Tripp, flute/ Gerhard Turetschek, oboe/ Alfred Prinz, clarinet/ Ernst Pamperl, bassoon/ Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra/ Karl Böhm – Audite 95.649 78:13 (8/2021) [www.audite.de] ****:
Audite revives two distinct works in the Austria-German tradition, from concerts given as part of the Lucerne Festival under the direction of Karl Böhm (1894-1981). The musical rarity comes from Paul Hindemith, his 1949 Concerto for Woodwinds, Harp and Orchestra, commissioned by New York’s Columbia University but no less a celebration piece for the composer’s silver wedding anniversary, 15 May 1949, meant as a surprise for his wife Gertrude. The formal announcement of the occasion occurs in the last movement Rondo, in which Hindemith makes fertile and rather free, even dissonantly raucous, use of the Wedding March from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The performance of the Hindemith Harp Concerto (6 September 1970) falls within that fertile period, 1950-1980, when Böhm shared high prestige in Europe, along with Karajan, Krips, Carlos Kleiber, and Celiibdache. Noted for his “objective” approach to interpretation, almost a musical corollary to the Bertolt Brecht notion of “aesthetic detachment,” Böhm found a sympathy for the work of Paul Hindemith, whose embodiment of the Neue Sachlichkeit (objectivity) movement in music seemed a natural kinship. The Concerto extends the neo-Classic impulse we find no less in Stravinsky, a concern for the Baroque concerto grosso that pits the small body (concertino)against the larger, responsory body (ripieno). In the first movement, however, the soloists combine for a unison cadenza of some demanding virtuosity. The second movement, Grazioso, combines a classical clarity of instrumental, twittering interplay with a choral motif that gains some sonic ascendancy. Whether the last movement’s playful and even chaotic handling of Mendelssohn’s Wedding March will appeal to all tastes remains a matter of conjecture, though the local critic praised the “effort to preserve the joy of playing [which did] not… abandon the emotional dimensions.”
Böhm maintained a healthy respect for the symphonies of Anton Bruckner, usually performing them in their hotly debated original versions, as edited by Robert Haas, Alfred Orel, and Leopold Nowak. Böhm ’s natural literalism eschews the over-wrought approach of Celibidache, or the pietist view in Furtwaengler, rather seeking structure in the composer’s huge “periods” of sound in quick tempos and elasticity of the singing line. The opening theme of the Seventh (6 September 1964) alone takes 21 measures, and it moves through two octaves higher, to be repeated in strings and woodwinds. The changes of texture and tempo occur so often in Bruckner, without transition, that the hortatory elements seem to collide against the pastoral episodes. Still, Böhm maintains a warm, vibrant tone and motor power in the first movement of the Seventh, in which hymnal transparency arises spontaneously from the disparate motions, as if one, guiding power infused all competing varieties of expression. Böhm manages a palpable cantabile character throughout the expansive Allegro moderato, which in its well-wrought recapitulation achieves a majestic, even serene, vista, despite some obviously Wagnerian ambitions. The coda literally blisters us with its brass-ridden intensity.
Between 1943 and 1977, Böhm addressed the Bruckner Seventh in recordings seven times, each revealing a distinct character in terms of tempo and dynamic balances. This Lucerne performance of the huge, C-sharp Minor Adagio cuts some five minutes from Böhm ’s Vienna document from 1948. This Adagio, the heart of the symphony, stands as an elegy to Richard Wagner, who had died in 1883. Bruckner designates a large choir of Wagner tubas: tenor tubas in B-flat, two bass tubas in F,and a contrabass tuba. With a move into triple meter, the VPO strings emerge in rising, transcendent lights, moving to what become two major pinnacles of sound, the second climax in resplendent C Major. Böhm includes the cymbal clash (after rehearsal X) that formally recognizes Wagner’s death, here interpreted idiosyncratically, in Austrian sonority. The mixture of emotions, grimly valedictory and ecstatic, projects an uncanny sobriety in its acceptance of the vicissitudes of fortune. The Scherzo, vast and stunning, seems an outgrowth of Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries. Bruckner provides a peasant dance that gallops after an initial trumpet call. The winds respond with a rustic idea which Bruckner called “the crowing of a cock” over an ostinato string rhythm. This clarinet answers,only to yield to trumpet-led, martial energies. Momentum remains steady, but a major halt occurs, anintroduction to a lyrical, Trio section of long held notes, played gesangvoll (songful.) Timpani lurk in the background, intoning the strident fanfare rhythm from the opening. The first section repeats at the close, but the pace and dynamic balances under Böhm have emerged with a clarity of line, without metric distortion and often with savage power.
The Finale proceeds in sonata-form, opening with a dotted motif in the strings that soon assumes the tenor of a chorale. Bruckner then injects potent climaxes into the development of his ideas, which sometimes become subdued into short,lyrical phrases. The VPO horn section introduces a restrained fanfare which extends into a colloquy of strings in repeated patterns that suddenly break off. A martial, ponderous fanfare erupts in heroic tones; but it, too, relents to the lyrical secondary theme which finds itself haunted by tender wisps of earlier motifs over pizzicato strings. The music gathers considerable momentum, the opening theme’s being directed, ineluctably, to a blazing E Major perorationworthy of the master, Wagner, who invented Valhalla in operatic literature.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 25, 2021 | CD+DVD
Four Visions of France: French Cello Concertos = SAINT-SAENS: Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33; FAURÉ: Élégie in C Minor, Op. 24; HONEGGER: Concerto for Cello and Orchestra; LALO: Cello Concerto in D Minor; SAINT-SAENS: Romance in D Major for Cello and Orchestra, Op. 36 – Daniel Müller-Schott, cello/ Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin/ Alexandre Bloch – Orfeo C988211 (7/17/21) 69:50 [Distr. by Naxos] ****:
German cellist Daniel Müller-Schott (b. 1976)has enjoyed sponsorshipfrom several luminaries, including Heinrich Schiff, Steven Isserlis, Anne-Sophie Mutter, and Mstislav Rostropovich. Müller-Schott plays a 1727 Matteo Goffriller instrument from Venice that has ample opportunity to resound in selected repertory from the French school of cello composition, recorded 27-30 August 2019.
The Saint-Saens 1873 A Minor Concerto constitutes a traditional, virtuoso staple of the cello repertoire, its single movement’s dividing into the three classical sections in a modified cyclical form, an extension of procedures used by Schubert and Liszt.Between the rapid triplets of the opening foray and the lovely melody of the countertheme, Müller-Schott makes his persuasive presence known. The music transitions suddenly into a courtly minuet that allows our soloist some song against muted strings and high winds. The first section melody returns in ornamental fashion, and Müller-Schott and his responsive accompaniment move, Allegro non troppo, with whiplash efficiency in long lines of explosive intensity.
Müller-Schott turns to the Élégie in C Minor, Op. 24 (1883) of Fauré, originally intended as a movement for a cello sonata. The dark, long lines of this expressive piece suite our soloist’s instrument for the glamor of the colors, especially when oboe and clarinet inject new material. For a moment, the cello assumes the role of the accompaniment, but only to revert to its coloratura principalship, competing with the orchestra in its high range for dominance. The main theme returns to a grave but memorable closing page.
The 1929 Cello Concerto of Arthur Honegger attests to his innately cosmopolitan nature, his absorption of eclectic styles that include atonality, melodic lyricism, polyphony, dissonances, and jazz elements. The opening Andante projects a nostalgic, bluesy mood influenced by aspects in Gershwin, whom Honegger knew and admired. The mood becomes more animate, a kind of brassy reminder of busy, Paris streets we hear in Gershwin’s tone-poem to Paris. Still lyrical, the music extends its vague melancholy into the Lento movement, in which the orchestral part projects a funereal sensibility. The close miking catches our soloist’s digital maneuvers on his instrument. Müller-Schott executes a potent recitative that causes the woodwinds to chirrup in response, encouraging the cello line to sing more plaintively. Another solo recitative ensues that initiates the last movement, Allegro marcato, an energetic dance in Stravinsky style, percussive but marked by touches of irony. The frequent metric shifts that permeate the work as a whole testify to the suave, virtuosic command of impulses in composer and his faithful acolytes.
The D Minor Concerto of Lalo (1876-77) demonstrates, in colors both Spanish and Germanic, the power and depth of the instrument, as it alternates declamation with high lyricism in the mode of Lalo’s revered Schumann. The writing capitalizeson the singing ability of the instrument, deliberately avoiding the use of double-stops. The opening movement, Prelude: Lento – Allegro maestoso embraces many diverse moods and affects, from somber recitative to ardent, passionate lines. The sense of sweeping ardor dominates the movement’s several, alternating transports into militancy and romance. In its quiet moments, the French taste for transparent intimacy shines through. The dark clouds, however, in strings and timpani consistently imbue the wonderful sense of song with a palpable menace. The last two movements, combining slow movement and scherzo, however, reveal a lighter touch, witty and infused with a decisive, Spanish color and melodic contour we can hear quite verbatim in Sarasate. If the Intermezzo movement nods to Schumann, it does so through the prism of Iberian rhythm.
The lovely colors from the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester woodwinds deserve commendation. Playful, even startling, punctuations and declamations mark the last movement, easily reminding us of Sarasate’s Introduction and Tarantella. The infectious brio of this last movement, Allegro vivace in its last pages, takes us into the major mode, thus casting off with splendid energy much of Lalo’s passionate gloom.
Our principals conclude with Saint-Saens’ own arrangement of his 1874 Romance for Horn and Orchestra, a terse but elegant vehicle for Müller-Schott’s Groffiller instrument. The music’s direct, appealing lyricism offers no sense of conflict, only an appealing aria for the cello to enjoy high baritone and low tenor sonorities.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 23, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Cecil McBee Sextet – Music From The Source – Enja Records ENJA 3019 (1977)/Pure Pleasure Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 43:67 ****1/2:
A great vinyl upgrade from Pure Pleasure Records shines a light on spiritual jazz from the 70’s.
(Chico Freeman – tenor saxophone, flute; Joe Gordon – trumpet, flugelhorn; Dennis Moorman – piano; Cecil McBee – double bass; Steve McCall – drums; Don Moye – conga)
Double bassist and Oklahoma native Cecil McBee has enjoyed a brilliant career as a sideman and occasional band leader. He has played with Dinah Wahington, Paul Winter, Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Jackie McLean, Wayne Shorter, Freddie Hubbard and Charles Lloyd. Many of the groups he has played with have recorded and performed his compositions. He is a regular member of Saxophone Summit and The Cookers. As with other jazz artists, McBee is actively involved with teaching, most notably as a Distinguished Professor Of Improvisation at The New England Conservatory in Boston. Additionally, he has taught master classes at Harvard University.
Pure Pleasure Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Cecil McBee’s 1977 release with Enja Records, Music From The Source. This artistic sextet interact with complex and moody textures in a live set, featuring extended jams (only three songs on the album) to create deep spiritual jazz. There are many exotic motifs expressed on the lone Side A track, “Agnez”. After an ethereal opening with a nimble McBee double bass solo, the group picks up steam at the 3:44 mark with Moorman and the rhythm section in the pocket. Chico Freeman’s passionate tenor play helps to articulate the hard-edged Afro-Cuban polyrhythms. Freeman pushes the tonal boundaries and the musical intensity increases. Don Moye shines on conga adding texture and flexible timing on his lengthy solo. Both Freeman and trumpeter Joe Gordon display innate chemistry. Pianist Dennis Moorman uses the bass notes to bring the song to a hushed close. His quiet elegance opens “God Spirit”. Utilizing sparse phrasing and notation, there is an eventual uplifting shift with arpeggios and flowing resonance. Then Gordon injects delicate, melodic horn runs that mesh well. His play complements the airy dynamics of the track. McBee’s double bass solo is compelling and enhances the atmospheric modality.
In what feels like bebop, the finale (“First Song In The Day”) showcases a tighter arrangement. Freeman’s crisp inflection and fluid runs permeate the energetic performance with hard-driving drum work from Steve McCall. There are occasional piercing tones that add to the freneticism and color. Gordon slides in on trumpet with equal ferocity and punctuated accents. McBee, Moorman, McCall and Moye combine for an unrelenting tempo. They also integrate smoother exchanges. Moorman delivers a soulful piano with spirited chording and exuberance. The final solo goes to McBee as he combines speed and lyrical finesse on bass. The sextet finishes with palpable free jazz aesthetics.
Pure Pleasure Records continues its stellar tradition of re-mastering obscure jazz label releases to 180-gram vinyl. This overall mix is vibrant and cleaner with most ambient live “noise” eliminated. The stereo separation is excellent.
TrackList:
Side A: Agnez
Side B: God Spirit; First Song In The Day.
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit Acoustic Sounds or Pure Pleasure websites:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 22, 2021 | CD+DVD
CHOPIN: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 11; Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21
Benjamin Grosvenor, piano/ Royal Scottish National Orchestra/ Elim Chan – Decca 485 0365
(1/25/21) 70:24 [Distr. by Universal] ****:
Benjamin Grosvenor (b. 1992) has become the rage among contemporary British pianists, even if I have been dilatory in climbing aboard the bandwagon. Grosvenor at age eleven won the 2004 BBC Young Musician of the Year award, and his 2020 recording of the two Chopin concertos has already gleaned a Gramophone Award in the Concerto category and a Diapason d’Or de l’année from the French magazine of the same name, Diapason, whose critic commended the album as “a version to rank among the best and confirmation of an extraordinary artist.” Conductor Elim Chan, new to me, was the first female winner of the Donatella Flick LSO Conducting Competition in 2014. She brings a consistent, muscular verve to Chopin’s orchestral accompaniments, a fluid sense of fire and vitality that complement the long strings of legato and bel canto that saturate the epic piano parts of both concertos. The recordings, from 4-5 August 2019, enjoy a warm and luxurious presence, courtesy of Recording Producer John Fraser.
In the 1830 E Minor Concerto, actually the second in Chopin’s chronology of composition, we can well savor Grosvenor’s lyrical pulse and articulation of Chopin’s upper register fioritura, accompanied by soft strings and French horn. The influence of Bellini’s bel canto style compels us to hear singing everywhere in the studied phraseology, often marked by pregnant breaths in the phrase lengths. Then, of course, there occur those spectacular thrusts forward, moving with the concentrated texture of the orchestra to achieve a thunderous impetus. Chan does have the ability to pull back the ostentation and grandiose pageantry of the occasion, to allow the moments of refined intimacy their due.
The two participants’ balance of leggierissimo and risoluto affects maintains our own sense of the precarious sonic aura Chopin demands in the course of a journey whose operatic intentions are never in doubt. Chopin has introduced a third theme of melancholic reminiscence into the mix that sways and undulates in waves of 16th notes in scalar patterns over the range of the keyboard. A mystical quiet descends over the haunted second theme, the bassoon in the background, here late in the recapitulation. The woodwind punctuations near the coda enjoy an especial resonance, while Grosvenor moves to a dazzling peroration that winds and brass emphasize with the three closing chords of the Allegro maestoso.
The piano and orchestra bask in serene colloquy in the Romanza: Larghetto, a spun-out aria in E Major of often sweeping lyricism. The marvelous tonal and poetic, acoustical balances often remind me of the fluidity achieved two generations ago by Alexander Brailowsky and William Steinberg, except that classic reading lost much by the excised version of the first movement tutti. The nocturne by Grosvenor at various moments seems to float, air-borne, in a cloud of revered nostalgia. The last movement, Rondo: Vivace, proffers a spirited krakowiak whose syncopes and brilliant runs Grosvenor delivers with fiendish panache. Even in the midst of double forte passages he does not slam the keyboard. The tonality moves with lithe subtlety from E Major to B Major and E-flat Major, all accomplished with deft accuracy and no break in the continuous melodic lines sparked by infectious, national rhythms.
The F Minor Concerto (1829) emerges from the Hummel and Kalkbrenner tradition, but its voice and adaptation of the stile brillante remains Chopin’s own invention. The opening declamations of the Maestoso find a tempered statement in the secondary theme, where winds and strings have alleviated the vehemence of the brass, and especially the trombone. The martial sensibility leads to Grosvenor’s rounded entry, thoughtful at first but quite willing to resonate with passion and clear, intimate lines. Chopin marks his secondary theme con anima, arriving after a lilted phrase, and itself a model of operatic, bel canto simplicity. The melodic line allows Grosvenor latitude for personal rubato that never ceases to sing while caressing the melismas built into the pointed aria. The ability of the two principals to allow the music to evolve of itself will remind auditors of Artur Rubinstein’s approach to this concerto, although Chan’s conducting style proves infinitely more aggressive than ever Alfred Wallenstein led the work for Rubinstein. The development, lush in its application of woodwind weavings to surround the keyboard, casts a spell entirely compelling, leading to the blatant propulsions and orchestral turns that dissolve before the piano’s mystique, already hinting at the intimacy of the second movement’s magical nocturne. The consistent, pearly play from Grosvenor bespeaks a technical resource that enhances the solo part poetically, while the orchestra concludes the movement with that national
sense of aggression that Schumann characterized as “cannons hidden in flowers.”
The A-flat Major Larghetto remains a world unto itself, opening in a soft mist of strings and winds and then asking the solo to enter molto con delicatezza with an ornamental aria that only poets might describe. The pearly play of Grosvenor’s trill resounds with crystalline fire. The middle section, announced dramatically by the tremolo strings, beckons Grosvenor’s tiger to appear, and his carefully etched phrases convey passion and mystery. A sweet ascending scale and glistening dew drops in high register transition to the ornamented opening motifs, illumined by coloratura worthy of Bidu Sayao. The dialogue with the woodwinds and strings, a bit dark in hue, vaporizes into a refined aether. Chopin may have derived his finale, Allegro vivace, from a Hummel model, but its strong Polish, rhythmic kernel thrusts forward with suave dexterity. The sudden appearance of the col legno bow strikes in the second subject adds a colorful, martial effect. The scalar runs and left hand rhythmic impulses, brilliant coloratura, soon blend into a carefree fantasy in mazurka rhythm, only to have the orchestra trumpet in martial phrases, anticipating the French horn cor de signal arrival of the F Major coda. Here, Grosvenor allows his acrobatic urge full rein in the scales and runs, briskly, deftly executed. Grosvenor and faithful orchestra leader Chan usher in a conclusion to a most satisfactory reading of this concerto, whose authority will educe comparisons with old masters Rubinstein and Cortot.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 21, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Nate Morgan – Retribution, Reparation – Nimbus West Records NS-3479 (1984)/Pure Pleasure Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl 37:07 ****1/2:
Pure Pleasure Records releases an upgraded vinyl of an under-appreciated jazz musician.
(Nate Morgan – piano; Danny Cortez – trumpet; Jesse Sharps – reeds; Fritz Wise – drums; Joel Ector – double bass)
Jazz has been a vehicle for spiritual and political expression for decades. Legends like John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach, Thelonious Monk, Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus and Billie Holiday have articulated various socio-political perspectives and inspired a next generation of jazz players. One of these musicians is pianist/composer Nate Morgan. He was a member of Union Of God’s Musicans And Artists Ascension. Morgan recorded with Horace Tapscott and Rufus (with Chaka Kahn). His playing style was influenced by McCoy Tyner and Horace Tapscott. He is best known for his recording catalogue with Nimbus West Records.
Pure Pleasure Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Nate Morgan’s debut album, Retribution, Reparation. Recorded in 1984, it features a talented quintet (Morgan/piano; Danny Cortez/trumpet; Jesse Sharps/reeds; Fritz Wise/drums and Joel Ector/bass) and offers deep jazz translations of original compositions and covers. Side One kicks off with the pulse-driven up tempo “U.G.M.A.A.Ger”. Framed by a hard driving tempo by Morgan and the rhythm section, trumpeter Danny Cortez takes the first solo with crisp low vibrato play. At the 1;30 mark, there is a transition to swing mode. Jesse Sharps follows on soprano saxophone with sharp, tone-stretching play. The energy is sustained. When Morgan takes over on piano a dizzying array of right-hand notation and chording with bluesy shading ensues. It is hard bop with depth of feeling. Drummer Fritz Wise starts off “Impulse” with a full-minute solo. Then the complicated groove is established with horn and sax on lead. Sharps comes out hot on tenor as the band percolates. Morgan glides with passionate notes and chords executing deft syncopation. His interaction with the trumpet and horn is compelling. “Mass Madness” explores free jazz with soaring intonation and dissonance. At 2:14, Cortez injects incendiary fury leading to Morgan’s dazzling explosive run. It epitomizes the intensity of spiritual jazz.
Side Two features the title track. After Joel Ector’s vampy bass line, the band shifts into exotic motifs, driven by Morgan. Cortex solos first with the ensemble offering complicated time signatures and flow. Sharps creates a piercing and flowing saxophone while the tenacious rhythm section remains in the pocket. Morgan delivers numerous skillful piano riffs, especially in swing mode, complementing the vamp. When the trumpet and horn return, it is muscular and elevates the jam. The final two cuts are covers from renowned jazz composers. Herbie Hancock’s “One Finger Snap” is concise and arranged with a furious double bass and nimble piano. Morgan’s unique timing complements the Sharps and Cortez unison delivery. The finale, Duke Ellington’s “Come Sunday” is a distinct change of pace. It is classic Ellington sophistication and melodic eloquence with attention to the song’s lyricism, Cortez and Sharps play against each other with palpable chemistry. Morgan shines on his solo which ushers in a medium-swing, soulful vibe. Ector gets a well-earned opportunity to solo. Morgan and Wise surround him with a hushed elegance. As Cortez returns on muted trumpet, he hands off to Sharps and they duet with subtle chemistry.
Pure Pleasure Records deserves recognition for shining a spotlight on the talent of Nate Morgan. Due to his abbreviated career, the recognition has been sparse. This vinyl pressing is excellent with no discernible surface noise. The overall mix is clear and balanced.
TrackList:
Side One: U.G.M.A.A.Ger; Impulse; Mass Madness
Side Two: Retribution, Reparation; One Finger Snap; Come Sunday.
—Robbie Gerson
For additional information, please visit vendor Acoustic Sounds website, or publisher Pure Pleasure:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 20, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews
Temple University Jazz Band – Without You, No Me/Honoring The Legacy Of Jimmy Heath – Terrell Stafford, Conductor – BCM+D Records, 64;39 ****1/2:
Award-winning Temple University Jazz Band pays tribute to Jimmy Heath.
Philadelphia has a vital history in the jazz world. In the shadow of New York, the City of Brotherly Love has often been overlooked for its substantial contributions. Various jazz masters including bebop legend Dizzy Gillespie and modal saxophonist John Coltrane honed their talents there. Among the native-born Philadelphia jazz musicians are McCoy Tyner, Bennie Golson, Shirley Scott, Lee Morgan and Jimmy Heath. Others include Ethel Waters, Grover Washington Jr., Philly Joe Jones, Pat Martino, Nathan East and The Roots. The “jazz corridor” on Ridge Avenue in North Philadelphia was a vibrant Mecca for jazz artists.
Under the direction of trumpeter Terell Stafford, the Temple University Jazz Band (located in the heart of North Philadelphia on Broad Street), won first place at the inaugural Jack Rudin Jazz Championship, held at Lincoln Center in NYC. Appropriately, the new release, Without You, No Me pays homage to Philadelphia’s own Jimmy Heath. Joey DeFrancesco and Christian McBride appear as special guests on this project. Each track has a contextual reference to Heath, Philadelphia or saxophone music. The opening cut, “Passing Of The Torch” (composed by Todd Bashore) comes out of the gate strong with a meticulously arranged, layered big band approach. As the rhythm section establishes bop swing, there are excellent solos on tenor saxophone, trombone, trombone, piano, double bass, guitar and drums. When the full ensemble joins in, it is up tempo bliss. “Without You, No Me” is another bebop classic, originally done by Dizzy Gillespie. Here, there are exotic motifs and subtle Latin-tinged tempos that produce transitional medium-swing cadences and sweeping resonance. The full band executes deft counterpoint to trumpet, saxophone and piano. It has a cinematic feel, and interesting key modulation. Local sax player, Bootsie Barnes (also recently deceased) and his laid-back subtlety is articulated by agile ensemble play, including deft moments of muscular punctuation. Organist Shirley Scott gets paid her respects on the eternal standard. “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone”. This version is flashier than the usual covers, and vocalist Danielle Dougherty infuses the song with heartfelt passion.
The band is performing at a high level, and then that gets ratcheted up by none other than Joey DeFrancesco. After a horn/reed intro, DeFrancesco breaks out the blues riffs on “In That Order”. His extended solo is percolating and the band fills in to add texture. There are some adroit drum fills. It is among the highlights of this album. On Jimmy Heath’s “Voice Of The Saxophone”, a smoky tenor (with some vibrato) distills the reticent harmony of this ballad with ethereal counterpoint. As with most of the arrangements, the charts are muscular, but judicious. On “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love”, Christian McBride utilizes his double bass like a lead instrument. His instrumental acuity and passion is on full display. Creating a soulful, relaxed atmosphere, “Wise Old Owl” varies tempo and instrumentation to honor the late Hall Of Fame basketball coach, John Chaney. At the 4:03 mark there is a rhythm uptick that is catchy, before a hushed ending. A second tune associated with Shirley Scott (“The Blues Ain’t Nothing But Some Pain”) is classic blues executed with slow burning intensity. The last number is a worthy finale to this tribute album. Juan Tozi’s 1941 composition “Perdido” was originally recorded by Duke Ellington. In addition to several band members soloing, DeFrancesco is magnetic with a gliding run that leads into a compelling McBride double bass solo. The fuller sound is the epitome of big band jazz.
Without You, No Me by the Temple University Jazz Band is a rewarding musical experience.
TrackList:
Passing Of The Torch; Without You, No Me; Bootsie; Please Don’t Talk About Me; In That Order (featuring Joey DeFrancesco); Voice Of The Saxophone; I Can’t Give You Anything But Love (featuring Christian McBride); The Wise Old Owl (for John Chaney); The Blues Ain’t Nothin’ (But Some Pain); Perdido (featuring Joey DeFrancesco & Christian McBride).
—Robbie Gerson
For more information and sound tracks, please visit Temple University website.
Terrell Stafford – conductor; featuring special guest stars Christian McBride – double bass; Joey DeFrancesco – organ; Anthony Aldissi – piano; Michael Raymond – guitar; Nathan Pence – bass; Maria Marmarou – drums; Patrick Hill – alto I; Adam Abrams – alto II; Dylan Band – tenor I; Ross Gerberich – tenor II; Gabe Preston – baritone; Andrew Sedlacsik – trombone I; Bill Saurman – trombone II; David Chodor – trombone III; Omeed Nyman – bass; Fareed Simpson-Hankins – trumpet I; John Meko – trumpet II; John Brunozzi – trumpet III; Banks Sapner – trumpet IV; Robby Cruz – trumpet V; Danielle Dougherty – vocals
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 17, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews, Classical Reissue Reviews
Monteux: The First NBC SO Concerts, Vol. I = BACH (arr. Respighi): Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor; MOZART: Symphony No. 35, “Haffner”; FRANCK: Psyché et Eros; DEBUSSY: Images: 2: Iberia; R. STRAUSS: Till Eulenspiegel – NBC Symphony Orcehstra/ Pierre Monteux – Pristine PASC 640 (76:11) [wwwpristineclassical.com] ****:
The concert of 13 November 1937 marked the official, inaugural debut of the NBC Symphony Orchestra, created specifically to serve Maestro Arturo Toscanini, who would assume control on Christmas Day. The newly created ensemble had been heard prior, in a 2 November 1937 radio broadcast under master orchestra builder Artur Rodzinski, a program including a Weber overture and the Richard Strauss autobiographical tone-poem Ein Heldenleben.
Pierre Monteux (1875-1964), at the time the leader of the San Francisco Symphony, by 1937 stood, according to critic Olin Downes, “at the height of his powers” in orchestral interpretation. Andrew Rose restores the evening, what has been described as “a particularly good one, [the orchestra] exceptionally accurate and well trained.”
The restored sound proves gripping and immediate. Monteux opens with a taut account of J.S. Bach’s organ Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor (c. 1706-1713) as arranged for orchestra by Ottorino Respighi. The piece proceeds as a theme and 20 variations that leads directly into a powerful fugue, or variation 21, if you will. A break in intensity occurs at Variation 12, followed by three variants of moderate concentration, which then transitions into a group of five, ardent variations. The fugue itself presents a mass of contrapuntal organization, often delineated as a double fugue, whose subject and counter-theme recur four times. Somber and urgent, the performance proceeds with a sense of acoustical veneration, the various NBC choirs’ contributing to a fabric woven in clearly defined, interlaced harmony, the stretto passages as imposing as anything wrought by Stokowski. The audience response erupts in appreciation of a first rate ensemble.
Monteux, like Bruno Walter and Arturo Toscanini, enjoyed a string affinity for Mozart’s 1783 Haffner Symphony, always investing youth and Italianate ardor into his interpretations. The dramatic contour of this work’s monothematic opening movement, strongly influenced by the C.P.E. Bach school of empfindsamkeit emotionality, revels in hurtling leaps, rocket figures, and diversions into fugato and the minor modes. Monteux presents the two middle movements as classic studies in period art, the refined Andante and regal Menuetto raised to chiseled monuments in their respective, lyrical and ceremonial, courtly forms. The last movement, Presto, Mozart instructed should be played “as fast as possible.” The vivacious musical filigree invites comparison to The Marriage of Figaro and The Abduction from the Seraglio, operas dear to Pierre Monteux’s heart. The NBC proves itself a virtuoso ensemble, responsive and pert, as required.
Monteux then turns to the music of César Franck, whose 1888 symphonic poem Psyché et Eros constitutes the last, third section of an erotic subject matter taken from pagan legend, the Metamorphoses of Lucius Apuleius Madaurensis (c.124-c.170 BC), a rare Roman novel that has survived in its entirety. The first recording of the complete score took place under Piero Coppola in 1932. The music for this last, the most popular of the three sections, proceeds in chromatic, lushly evocative tones, applying Wagnerian syntax to the scene of the lovers’ punishment and eventual redemption for their carnal relationship. We hear clear evocations of the composer’s familiar Symphony in D Minor, given the similarity of their harmonic and melodic tapestries.
Monteux treads fertile soil with Claude Debussy’s Iberia (1905-1912), the second of his set of orchestral Images. Although Debussy had barely traversed the Spanish countryside, he imbibed much of the native, Andalusian spirit, its colorful dances and folk impulses, like the sevillana, the Moorish sensibility, the often contrapuntal intermixing of syncopation and parallel harmonies. The second movement of this tripartite suite, Les parfums de la nuit, offers the NBC players an opportunity to demonstrate their craft in high, muted strings, the distant oboe, and “local” instruments like the tambourine, xylophone, celesta, and trumpets in mutes. Bells sounding in the distance announce a segue to the morning of a festival day, whose pageant resembles the sonorous strumming of a huge guitar. The tunes of earlier sections rise up, here in controlled abandon. Viola Carlton Cooley intones an impulse leading to plucked strings and the enlivened battery section, an exuberant display of vitality whose coda no less receives equal energy from the audience.
Monteux concludes with the Richard Strauss picaresque legend Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks (1895), the composer’s first of many international successes. French horn Harry Berv and first violin Mischa Mischakoff direct our attention to the fanciful tale and its principal character, whose impious and irreverent spirit touches our penchant for “the imp of the perverse.” The lush scoring of the symphonic poem in rondo form, its playful account of Till’s (the clarinet) various misadventures, compel us ineluctably forward to his rather graphic fate by hanging. Trumpet and timpani work proceeds first rate, as does John Wummer’s flute. The finale a kind of moral expressed in the sweet strings and winds, erupts once more, a vital expression that such insolence does not really perish. Announcer Ben Grauer seems as enthusiastic to recall Mr. Monteux as is this premiere NBC audience.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 15, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Madeline Peyroux – Careless Love – Rounder Records (2004)/Craft Recordings CR00285 (2021) Special Edition 180-gram stereo triple vinyl ****1/2:
Craft Recordings releases a vibrant triple vinyl of Madeline Peyroux’s 2004 classic
(Madeline Peyroux – acoustic guitar, vocals; Dean Parks – guitar; Larry Goldings – piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Estey organ, Hammond organ, celeste; David Pilch – double bass; Jay Bellerose – drums, percussion; Lee Thornburgh – trumpet; Scott Amendola – brushes, drums; Kevin Hayes – piano; Matt Penman – bass)
Jazz singers often compete with formidable legacies. Nearly all of them will inevitably be compared to Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan, and if they venture into blues, Bessie Smith. Madeline Peyroux has become a prominent jazz vocalist by embracing jazz and blues roots with enthusiasm. As a teenager she moved to Paris, and became a highly regarded street performer, subsequently touring Europe with The Lost Wandering Jazz And Blues Band. Eventually, she was discovered and signed to Atlantic Records. Her 1996 debut, Dreamland included covers of songs by Fats Waller, Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith. The album garnered positive reviews. Peyroux’s breakthrough came eight years later with Careless Love, released on Rounder Records. This album featured covers of folk, country, jazz and blues tunes.
Craft Recordings has released a re-mastered triple vinyl of Careless Love. In addition to the original album, there is a previously unreleased 2-LP live performance from Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz. Careless Love has excellent session players including Dean Parks (guitar) and Larry Giddings (piano, keyboards) Side One opens with a finger-snapping jazzy take on Leonard Cohen’s “Dance Me To The End Of Love”. Peyroux’s vocal style is lilting and smoky…and yes, reminiscent of Billie Holiday. Giddings backs up perceptively with nimble runs on the piano. Peyroux has a coy, silky delivery and showcases this on her lone original composition, “Don’t Wait Too Long”. The complementary accompaniment blends perfectly with her nuanced vocal delivery. Parks contributes a lithe guitar solo to enhance this relaxed jaunty arrangement. Drawing on vintage blues, “Don’t Cry Baby” is delivered with subtlety, differentiating it from other blues versions. Peyroux re-imagines Bob Dylan’s winsome “You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go” (from Blood On The Tracks) as laid-back jazz/pop. Her vocal phrasing captures the spirit of the tune. In a change of pace, Elliot Smith’s “Between The Bars” is atmospheric with a gossamer delivery in waltz-time. It seems inevitable Billie Holiday covers would happen. “No More” exudes laconic balladry that Peyroux delivers with weary elegance. A trumpet solo (Lee Thornburgh) infuses a jazz aesthetic.
There are great, eclectic numbers on this album. “Lonesome Road” was a sort of bluesy pop ditty, sung by the likes of Ted Lewis, Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. This version has a breezy tempo and classic melancholy delivery by the singer. Parks’ slow-groove tones are hypnotic. Peyroux’s charm and soulful essence take center stage on “J’ai Deux Amours”. It is laid-back and accessible. One of the more interesting selections is Hank Williams’ “Weary Blues”. Peyroux distills the innate sadness of the “Hillbilly Shakespeare” against a country-waltz time signature. A heavenly electric piano and saucy trumpet add significant texture. Another change of pace is the sentimental ballad, “I’ll Look Around”. Here, the vocal presentation is reticent, but articulated with deep feeling. On the title track, vintage Americana (via traditional roots and W.C. Handy) is presented with sorrowful resonance. It is ideally suited for this chanteuse. On the finale, “This Is Heaven To Me”, there is a direct connection to Lady Day with the wistful elocution.
There are two live vinyls that offer spontaneous interpretations of Careless Love material with a different backup band. There are additional covers that demonstrate Peyroux’s flexibility as a singer. Patsy Cline’s immortal “Walking After Midnight” gets a loping country/blues treatment framed by mellow organ and a blustery saxophone. Peyroux incorporates Cline’s melancholic inflection into her jazzy repertoire. With a tempo uptick, she breezes through one of Dinah Washington’s signature pieces, “Destination Moon”. The arrangement is straight-ahead jazz showcasing classic piano trio aesthetics and instrumental soling. The swing can be felt on “I Hear Music” (another Holiday standard). It feels jazzier, especially the vocals. This live set is freewheeling and emphasizes collaboration. “Lonesome Road’ opens with an unexpected drum solo. There are many engaging musical highlights.
This triple vinyl reissue of Careless Love is excellent!
TrackList:
Side One: Dance Me To The End Of Love; Don’t Wait Too Long: Don’t Cry Baby; You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go; Between The Bars; No More
Side Two: Lonesome Road; J’ai Deux Amours; Weary Blues; I’ll Look Around; Careless Love; This Is Heaven To Me
Live At Festival de Jazz de Vitoria-Gasteiz:
Side Three: Dance Me To The End Of Love; Don’t Cry Baby; Don’t Wait Too Long; You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Side Four: Between The Bars; J’ai Deux Amours; Walking After Midnight; No More
Side Five: Lonesome Road; I Hear Music; I’ll Look Around
Side Six: Careless Love; Destination Moon; This Is Heaven To Me.
—Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 14, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews
Fedorova: Shaping Chopin = Grande Valse brillante in E-flat Major, Op. 18; 3 Waltzes, Op. 34; Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42; Three Mazurkas, Op. 50; 3 Waltzes, Op. 64; Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, Op. 66 – Anna Fedorova, piano – Channel Classics CCS 43621 (8/27/21) 63:35 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova (b. 1990) claims that the Covid crisis sent her into an isolation that only recourse to the oeuvre of Chopin could relieve. For this hour-long recital, Fedorova eschews the large Chopin canvasses and concentrates on those salon pieces that no less enjoy the capacity to explode into universal statements. She opens with the 1833 Grande Valse brillante, Chopin’s first published waltz, whose penchant, after an introductory B-flat, is to exploit its lilting tune with moves into the subdominant and relative minor. Chopin lamented he had not yet imbibed the Viennese waltz style, but his acumen here proves lithe and captivating. Fedorova projects a light, suave rendition, sparkling in its facile grace, personal rubato, and stylistic security. The deft, repeated notes gain buoyancy and momentum for the finale, reaching high in the piano’s register, only to die away in a marvelous flourish around the tonic triad.
Fedorova turns to Chopin’s adaptation of the operatic bel canto for his Two Nocturnes, Op. 27 (1835). From the ambiguous, opening harmony of No. 1, Fedorova weaves a lulling meditation whose gravitas increases, the middle section martially suggestive of a fierce mazurka, touched by waltz impulses. Fedorova’s left hand moves in soft, octave cadenzas back to the home key of C-sharp Minor, the whole dissolving in a rarified aether in C-sharp Major, enharmonically the major mode of the companion piece, in D-flat Major. Even without a contrasting middle section, this latter nocturne, so masterfully realized by Dinu Lipatti, evolves from Fedorova in gossamer veils in thirds and sixths, moving to a passionate mazurka texture. Fedorova’s right hand ascends in glistening scales, fioritura from an operatic aria in which the duet form here predominates. The right hand coda in sixths loftily moves us into the realm of timeless beauty, concluding Chopin’s most voluptuous nocturne.
Chopin
The Three Waltzes, Op. 34 (1838) embody the combination of “frenzied bravura and flights of poetry,” as asserted by Ferdynand Hoesick.
Fedorova takes a moderately slow tempo in the A-flat Waltz, though not so languid as we find in late Claudio Arrau. Fedorova relishes the sonority of Chopin’s chords in thirds and sixths, and the middle melody, in D-flat Major, sings with tender vigor. The refined optimism of the piece stands in direct emotional contrast with the A Minor Waltz, whose melancholy projects much of the Polish sensibility, especially in its mazurka overtones. The left hand, singing line seems suited to the cello register, and even momentary digressions into the major mode do not lighten the nostalgic glimpse of the composer’s homeland. The F Major reverts to the sunny fervor of the ballroom, although only professions might dance to this concert piece. Fedorova’s trills and staccato notes seem to bubble forth in musical champagne. The ensuing Paris creation, the 2/4 Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 42, many connoisseurs consider Chopin’s his finest in the waltz genre. Schumann admired its aristocratic poise. Its fascinating combination of two dotted quarter notes against three quarter notes in the bass, slightly off the beat – before and after – of the melody’s second note, creates the illusion of competing, dancing couples. Later, the accent on the third quarter note introduces mazurka rhythm into an already challenging agogic, which Fedorova relishes as much as Josef Hofmann in his own way.
Fedorova next turns to the three mature Mazurkas, Op. 50 (1841-1842), of which the first two, In G Major and A-flat Major, play as abbreviated sonata forms. The Allegretto, No. 2, unfolds in a martial mood, but it softens into nostalgic reminiscence. The C-sharp Minor presents a complex labyrinth of poetry and learned polyphony, easily obligated to Chopin’s deep reverence for Bach and a handbook on counterpoint by Cherubini. The high voiced series of variants in oberek style achieves a momentum both poetic and virtuosic, allowing Fedorova to apply a degree of rubato to lilt the phraseology to her taste. The piece ends on a chromatic stretto, executed with panache by an artist thoroughly comfortable with her color arsenal.
With the 3 Waltzes, Op. 64 (1846-1847), we have become thoroughly immersed in Fedorova’s consistent and persuasive legato, her obedience to Chopin’s explicit, pedagogical directive on wrist position (especially vertical position in repeated notes and octaves) to achieve vocal fluency in piano playing, similar to an operatic performer. The opening D-flat Waltz, Molto vivace, has a quick ¾ tempo, fast scales, and a demanding trill, bars 69-72. Fedorova softens the propulsive line to allow a mazurka impulse to invade the swirling motion. The C-sharp Minor Waltz offers a stately rondo that increases in velocity and concludes enharmonically, in D-flat Major. Double notes, repeated notes, and two-note slurs add to the color of this popular waltz. Fedorova’s pedal and control timbre impress us with the idiosyncratic allure. The A-flat Waltz, in ternary form, moves to a bright C Major in its middle section. The tune appears in shifting keys, the melody in the left hand and leaps in the right hand, so the waltz becomes a color etude for the Chopin connoisseur. Bach makes his presence known in two-voice counterpoint. Fedorova gives the waltz a natural, aerial lilt, the Moderato’s having gained a palpable impetus to a grand finale.
While Chopin had little affection for his 1834 Fantasie-Impromptu in C-sharp Minor, even requesting his unpublished manuscripts be destroyed, posterity has proven more generous. The sweeping motion in 16ths accompanied by left hand triplet arpeggios first came my way by both Claudio Arrau and Robert Goldsand; later, Artur Rubinstein. Fedorova tempers the often manic opening pages with a sense of melodic contour and restrained drama. The wonderful cantilena melody of its middle (moderato) section has us chasing poetic Beauty, as well as intimate rainbows. Her conclusion emphasizes the fantasy element, sweeping and even tempestuous, ending quietly, with the left hand’s offering some notes from the moderato, while the right hand 16ths carry us far away.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 13, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews
STYLUS PHANTASTICUS: Schmelzer, Biber, Uccelini, Alberti – Pacific MusicWorks – Reference Recordings – FR-742Tekla Cunningham; baroque violin, Stephen Stubbs; guitar, chitarrone, direction, Maxine Eilander; baroque harp, William Skeen; bass viol, Henry Lebedinsky harpsichord and organ
Reference Recordings has long been known for its high quality audiophile recordings that live up to their slogan “the best seat in the house.” They are especially good at the orchestral halls; one thinks of their potent studio recordings of the Utah and Kansas City Symphonies. They have not, though, been especially connected to Early Music or so-called Historically Informed Practice and so I was pleased and surprised to find a copy of a new recording by a Seattle group that specializes in 17th century music. The challenges are of a different sort when it comes to capturing soft instruments such as the baroque guitar, the triple harb and bass viol in an intimate space in which the music must both whisper and hang in the air as long as the fragile decay of the gut strings allow.
This new issue is called Stylus Phantasticus. The term, as we learn in the helpful liner notes, was coined by a polymath Jesuit scientist and philosopher Anthonius Kircher (1602-1680) to describe what he heard as a distinct contemporary style, if not musical attitude, and one that he endorsed:
The stylus phantasticus is appropriate for instruments. It is the most free and unfettered method of composition, bound to nothing, neither to words, nor to a harmonious subject. It is organised with regard to manifest invention, the hidden reason of harmony, and an ingenious, skilled connection of harmonic phrases and fugues. And it is divided into those pieces which are commonly called Phantasias, Ricercatas, Toccatas, and Sonatas.
If the reader finds this less than clear, he/she can be forgiven. Those who spend a lot of time in 17th music are more likely to have a concept closer to a description by the great scholar of the baroque Ton Koopman.
Stylus phantasticus wants to keep the listener awake by special effects, astonishment, irregular voice leadings, dissonances, variations in rhythm and imitation. It is a free, improvisational style which forces the audience to listen full of astonishment while wondering ‘how is this possible?’ (Koopman 1991, 150)
The character who most reliably illustrates this volatile virtuosity is Heinrich Biber, whose music for violin does seem to astonished and overwhelm the ear. Long breathless phrases, strange effects, pungent dissonances and and on occasion even a theatrical pathos mark this North German composer as a true original. One would expect him to central to the recital and indeed he is on the longest (but most problematic) piece.
But first the sonics. The ensemble features both baroque guitar and chitarrone of the leader Stephen Stubbs and the rare and remarkable baroque harp of Maxine Eilander. Both together and separately these delicate instruments are very nicely captured. More than anything else on this recording they bathe the ear in a new sonority within the baroque style. Those instruments blend nicely with the lower range of the viol, expertly played by William Skeen.
Tekla Cunningham
It is no small thing to capture the sound of the prominent violin of Tekla Cunningham. She plays 1746 Italian instrument which is full of character. Her sound is forward in the mix and the lack of vibrato gives it a sharp edge on occasion but her feeling for the style can only be commended. She plays with great rhythmic agility and nuance, her phrasing is faultless. In spite of this, one welcomes the pieces where the violin gives way to the other instruments- it is as if the lights are dimmed after a too bright radiance.
The pieces range from the early Toccata for harp by Giovanni de Macque to the later and more ambitious sonatas by Biber and Schmelzer. There are several pieces that will be new to even serious amateurs of the period. The Sonata detta la desperate by Carlo Farina is a good example of the sound of the ensemble, its many layers, its fondness for the whimsical and plangent, the quirky shifts in mood and inflection. This is the piece to sample for those who stream music.
Less successful for this listener are those pieces which rely on the famous “Folia” chord sequence. No amount of earnest fiddling can break the shackles of this harmonic progression. Granted, those listeners who don’t have the back history of hearing far too many performances Bob Dylan’s “One more Cup of Coffee before I go” will suffer less from this. Biber’s twelve minute treatment is more than I could absorb. Repetition is often used as a route to intensity; but it always runs the risk of sliding into tedium and aggravation. Surely other listeners would not warm to the “groove” of this music rather than chafe at the fetters. That said, the music itself was rendered masterfully by the ensemble.
The Dreaded Folia Chord progression; may it be banned from HIP.
The shorter Corbetta treatment of the same repeated theme comes off better for the lighter textures of guitar and harp. The same can be said for the Ciaconna in A by Schmelzer. Far from “unfettered” playing the melody has the simplicity of folk music. There must have been happy smiles from the recording booth for there is an especial burnish to the sound of the violin and continuo.
The chamber organ helps stage the supremely improvisational Sonata by Albertini. Long pedal tones, a feeling of harmonic stasis allows the fiddle to extemporize. This strange piece is utterly captivating. The recital concludes with two pieces by Schmelzer who is all sweetness compared to Biber’s vinegar. The embellishments from the plucked instruments are gentle and subtle. The repetition of the chords is helped along by the finely articulate waltz time. Tekla Cunningham is a marvel on her Italian instrument, an endlessly songful bird. Here it is that we can begin to see how this endless spinning of melody departs from the standards of Corelli and the more orderly Italian tradition.
All in all the ensemble delivers generously in this program of unusual Baroque specialties. It should be added that the liner notes are especially well done too; they enrich the world of the 17th century in terms of aesthetic and musical background with discussion of the little figures such as Schmelzer, Pandolfi Mealli and the obscure Jesuit theorist Kircher.
This recording leaves the listener hoping for more from this ensemble. One would dearly like to hear them play the Music of the French Court, or the trio sonatas of Telemann or Buxtehude. One trusts Stephen Stubbs to bring his historical expertise to just about any program and one certainly welcomes the fine work by the folks at Reference Recording
—Fritz Balwit.
For more information, please visit Reference Recordings website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 12, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Allen Toussaint – Life, Love And Faith – Reprise MS 2062 (1972)/Speakers Corner Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 38:29 ****1/2;
Speakers Corner Records releases a vinyl re-master of a quintessential Allen Toussaint album.
(Allen Toussaint – piano, guitar, harmonica, arrangements; Alvin Thomas – tenor saxophone; Francis Russell – trumpet; Clyde Kerr – trumpet, French horn; George Plummer – guitar; Vincent Touissant – guitar; Walter Payton – bass; Joe Lambert – drums; Joseph Modeliste – drums plus The Meters)
The legacy of New Orleans music is vast and diverse. Widely considered the birthplace of jazz, this genre evolved with various incorporated styles. In addition to the Southern African-American roots of gospel, there were Cuban, African, Sicilian and classical direction from around the world. Assorted music legends like Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Domino, Sidney Bechet, The Neville Brothers and Louis Prima were proud representatives of the Crescent City. A key component of New Orleans-based music is rhythm & blues. Perhaps the most influential member of the Nola r & b scene was Allen Toussaint. He was a songwriter, arranger and record producer whose songs include “Workin’ In The Coal Mine”, “Mother-In-Law”, and “Southern Nights”. Toussaint also produced the hit “Right Place, Wrong Time” for Dr. John and “Lady Marmalade” for Labelle. He became a formidable solo recording artist and was inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1998, one of numerous prestigious honors.
Speakers Corner Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Toussaint’s fourth solo album, Life Love And Faith. On this project, he is the center of focus (instead of producing The Meters, they are backing him.). Side A opens with a moody funk number, aided by crisp horn accents, thick bass and a socio-political message, including imagery of “bible in the hand. It is topical 70’s era soul with a repeat chorus. “Am I Expecting Too Much” is wailing soul with layered production, backup vocals and a muscular tenor saxophone. It has gospel inflection and dance vibe. The cohesive, precise arrangement is a staple of Toussaint production. With a combination of doo wop and gospel, “My Baby Is The Real Thing” epitomizes New Orleans soul. Toussaint adds some compelling piano licks. Driving a hard groove with backbeat, “Goin’ Down” distills street credibility with its cautionary reflection on urban life, framed by hard-edged instrumentals. Toussaint’s soul singing is featured on the foot-stomping “She Once Belonged To Me”. This testimony to love is captured with sultry vocals and multi-textured musical expression. Fronting a bluesier edge, “Out Of The Country (Into Country Life)” is set up with a straight-ahead chord progression and stellar musicianship. The theme of seeking a better life in the country has always been a context in Southern blues and soul music. There is a counterpoint between the rural lament and the modern groove-infused aesthetics.
Side B kicks off with a slower deliberate number, “Soul Sister”. It has a joyful pop resonance, showcasing a call and response with the backup singers. It emulates classic Motown or Memphis “slide” feel. Another relaxed groove infuses the sentimental “Fingers And Toes”. Switching gears, “I’ve Got To Convince Myself” is gritty soul with a jagged electric guitar and tack piano. A vocalese interlude and strong horn riffs energize this one. A certain highlight is the blues-laden “On Your Way Down’. The near-mournful translation boasts Toussaint’s best vocal performance. Lines like “…The sun rise, the sun sets…since the beginning, it hasn’t changed yet…” are plaintive and speak to the human condition. With electric guitar and harmonica, the laid-back flow is hypnotic. Picking up the pace, “Gone Too Far” is another “finger-waving” admonition, articulated by 70’s lingo and a buoyant chorus. The finale, “Electricity” is a pulse-driven opus with complex instrumentation and unusual chord changes.
Kudos to Speakers Corner Records for reissuing this album by veteran New Orleans musician Allen Toussaint.
TrackList:
Side A: Victims Of The Darkness; Am I Expecting Too Much; My Baby Is The Real Thing; Goin’ Down; She Once Belonged To Me; Out Of The City (Into Country Life)
Side B: Soul Sister; Fingers And Toes; I’ve Got To Convince Myself; On Your Way Down; Gone Too Far; Electricity.
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit vendor Acoustic Sounds website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 9, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews
BRUCH: Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 5; Four Pieces for Cello and Piano, Op. 70; Romance for Viola and Piano, Op. 85; String Quartet No. 2 in E Major, Op. 10 – The Nash Ensemble – Hyperion CDA68343 (9/3/21) 72:32 [Distr. by PIAS] ****:
Even a century after the death of Max Bruch (1838-1920), his reputation continues to rest upon his G Minor Concerto and selected works from the orchestral and choral repertory, at the expense of some truly moving chamber music. Bruch’s creativity in chamber music occurs at the extreme ends of his career, attested to in these selected pieces from the Nash Ensemble, recorded 28-30 September 2020 at the All Saints’ Church, East Finchley, London.
The opening work, the Piano Trio in C Minor (1857), certifies the young composer’s studies with Ferdinand Hiller and Carl Reinecke and their emphasis on diverse, stylistic influences. The first movement, Andante molto cantabile, might hint at Baroque models, its slow motif in the strings a throwback; but at the piano entry, the motion increases along with a gift for expressive melody. The passionate interplay, often resonant in the manner of Schumann, moves thoughtfully, concluding with the keyboard (Simon Crawford-Phillips) in a concertante mode that segues into the brisk second movement, G Major, Allegro assai. The music assumes a quasi-waltz sensibility that likewise serves as a lilting scherzo somewhat anticipatory of the waltz theme in Saint-Saens’ Wedding Cake. Cellist Adrian Brendel enjoys some warmly expressive moments. The manic, insistent Presto finale in rondo form at moments reveals a few threads from movement one, a tour de force on a par with Mendelssohn’s best bravura writing. The first violin part (Stephanie Gonley) seems to have been lurking in relative quiet, awaiting these opportunities to pounce. The last page virtually sizzles with excitement, declaring a work that requires more attention.
Chronologically, the next piece demanding consideration, the 1860 String Quartet in E Major, stands as a product of Bruch’s work and studies in Cologne. The opening Allegro maestoso in unison, drone harmonies foreshadows much of Dvorak while keeping faith with Mendelssohn, and they all share a common respect for sonata-form. The momentum picks up, Un poco meno vivo, and a degree of learned counterpoint enters the mix. The rhythmic motion alternates slow and fast, often in suspensions, even incorporating an Italian tarantella as another concession to Mendelssohn.
The Andante quasi adagio proceeds in B Major, a plaintive, semi-martial song that Bruch elaborates with finesse, allotting his first violin some lyrical concertante work. Drone harmonies resound, often projecting a “symphonic” sheen. When the viola (Lawrence Power) contributes to the effect, we have that sense of the “Scottish” aura that will attract Bruch his Op. 46. Following Schumann, Bruch gives us a scherzo with two trios, Vivace ma non troppo – Un poco meno vivo, with a distinctive rhythmic thrust and disjunction, much like Beethoven. The slashing attacks relent for the first trio, a restive moment of repose. The second trio, too, enjoys a rustic canter in modal harmony. The music of trio one reappears to conclude the movement. The Finale: Vivace projects dancing jollity touched by melancholy. The music possesses a swagger and rakish interplay of instruments quite akin to the spirit in Dvorak, which makes no mean compliment to a young composer of twenty-two years.
The Four Pieces for Cello and Piano were composed for the celebrated soloist Robert Hausmann (1852-1909) in 1896. Hausmann helped motivate Brahms to conceive the Double Concerto for him and Joachim. The opening piece, “Aria,” derives from Bruch’s own son Max Felix, who at twelve wrote the tune for flute and piano. The remaining three pieces each testifies to Bruch’s fondness for national dances: Finnish, Swedish, and Scottish (the air “lea-rig”). Cellist Brendel and pianist Crawford-Phillips invest each with requisite verve and idiomatic flavor. The Romance for Viola and Piano (1911) remains a rarity for the composer and the recital hall. Bruch wrote the piece for Maurice Vieux although the premiere in Berlin came about through Willy Hess. The opening theme, despite some rhythmic and registration permutations, drives the lyric forward. Violist Lawrence Power makes a case for this work’s increased dissemination in our active concert life.
—Gary Lemco
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 8, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Michael Franks – The Art Of Tea – Reprise MS 2230 (1976)/Speakers Corner Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 35:03 ****1/2:
Jazz vocalist Michael Franks gets a shimmering vinyl upgrade.
(Michael Franks – vocals; David Sanborn – saxophone; Joe Sample – keyboards; Larry Carlton – guitar; Larry Bunker – vibraphone; Wilton Felder – bass; John Guerin – drums, percussion; Jerry Steinholtz – congas)
As popular music evolved in the 1970’s, the different genres were changing. Jazz adopted electric instruments and synthesizers, creating a fusion sound that was smoother. The hard core rock scene was winding down. Heavy metal and punk music was still undefined in the future. More importantly, r & b moved away from the crossover dance music at Motown and the deeply gospel-rooted Memphis expression. A new hybrid, radio-friendly genre, quiet storm emerged. Incorporating elements of soul and jazz into a contemporary format. Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Barry White, Roberta Flack and Bill Withers were among the early proponents of this new movement. Another of these performers was songwriter and vocalist Michael Franks. In addition to recording with artists like Patti Austin, Brenda Russell and Art Garfunkel, he embarked on a three-decade career as a pop/jazz vocalist. His breakthrough album, The Art Of Tea included his only charting single “Popsicle Toes”.
Speakers Corner Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of The Art Of Tea. Backing up Frank’s silky tenor are first rate session players like David Sanborn, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, Larry Bunker, Wilton Felder, John Guerin and Jerry Steinholz. Side One opens with the gentle sway of “Nightmoves”. Franks’ ethereal vocal delivery is framed by smooth electric piano and guitar. His delivery is straightforward and fits into the instrumental pocket. “Eggplant” has a finger-snapping cool vibe and Franks stretches out on vocals, while delivering a humorous, poetic take on love. Joe Sample’s electric piano is fluid and is matched by subtle guitar. Adding some muscle to the instrumentation, “Monkey See-Monkey Do” has a funky, pulse-driven beat with a soulful run on saxophone. Franks articulates a jazzy stream-of consciousness with topical, anecdotal references. “Switching gears, “St. Elmo’s Fire” is a romantic ballad with pop sentiment. Frank’s vocal phrasing is excellent and the overall relaxed structure offers the singer ample opportunity to showcase his innate vocal skills. On “I Don’t Know Why I’m So Happy I’m Sad”, he incorporates laid-back reflections on romance with clever rhyming framed by the understated instrumentals.
Side Two kicks off with a jazzy attitude and up tempo music on “Jive”. The saxophone adds depth to the structure. Franks’ wordplay is clever and memorable. A certain highlight of the album is “Popsicle Toes”. Franks injects a whimsical, bluesy aesthetic into the jazzy arrangement. Touches like vibraphone enhance the atmospheric feel. Sample’s piano is glowing and offers deeper jazz accents. The band complements Franks’ vocal styling with cohesive play. With a rock tempo, “I Just Forgot To Smile” is more wry observations with quick-rhyme and numerous popular cultural references. The instrumental jamming on this one is excellent. The finale (“Mr. Blue”) shifts to romantic melancholy with a smoky saxophone, synthesizers and acoustic piano weaving a gossamer tapestry.
The Art Of Tea maintains its creative and commercial appeal 45 years after its initial release. Speakers Corner Records has done an exceptional job in re-mastering this to 180-gram vinyl. Franks’ dulcet, higher-register voice is captured with clarity and warmth. The instrumentation never upstages the vocals and the stereo separation is flawless.
TrackList:
Side One: Nightmoves; Eggplant; Monkey See-Monkey Doo; St. Elmo’s Fire; I Don’t Know Why I’m So Happy I’m Sad
Side Two: Jive; Popsicle Toes; Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile; Mr. Blue.
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit distributor Acoustic Sounds website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 7, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews
David Garfield – Stretchin’ Outside The Box – Creatchy Records CREATCHY 028 [9/27/2021] 2-CD, 133:16 ****1/2
Keyboardist David Garfield celebrities music with an all-star group of collaborators.
(David Garfield – arrangements, piano, Fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer electric piano, piano, synthesizers, Hammond organ; and featuring many, many others)
Keyboardist, record producer, arranger and record label owner David Garfield has been a session and touring musician for over 30 years. His wide-ranging musical experience has resulted in positive collaborative relationships with artists from a variety of backgrounds (jazz, rock, country, r & b). One of Garfield’s compelling projects is his six-installment Out Of The Box series. He creates jams on original and classic songs, presenting them in contemporary and jazz contexts. Garfield uses a staggering amount of contributing instrumentalists and vocalists to bring this music to life. His latest installment in this series is titled Stretchin’ Outside The Box (released on his own Creatchy Records). With an impressive cadre of talent (Nathan East; David Paich, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Steve Lukather, Lenny Castro, Greg Bissionette, Paul Jackson Jr., Grant Geissman, Steve Lukather, Vinnie Colaiuto and Steve Gadd), there are 24 tracks with a running time of 133 minutes. This is a celebration of music showcasing accessible and eclectic musicanship. The production quality is top-notch and the cuts have stylized arrangements, featuring Garfield performing on various keyboards. These are extended jams with no editing.
This festive celebration kicks off with the jaunty smooth flow of “Waiting For Your Love (Extended)” dedicated to George Duke. After the soulful first half there is a breezy tempo uptick. “Safe Water” is muscular with thick horns, electric guitar and trumpet/tenor saxophone exchanges. An interesting arrangement is an instrumental cover of Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down”. Garfield’s piano in effect becomes the lead vocal and the sax emulates the lead guitar. It is simple and faithful to the original. Another highlight is Joe Sample’s “Rainbow Seeker”. The 70’s jazz fusion aesthetic is captured with articulate, silky piano runs and clean guitar notes. In a change of pace, “Shufflin’” is gritty blues in a sweeping presentation. A trio of guitarists trade hot licks and a pedal steel solo is especially ear-catching. On “My Favorite Things”, a tapestry of musical approaches (with exotic motifs) capture the spirit of Coltrane’s 1961 modal version, including the graceful finesse of this cover’s inspiration, McCoy Tyner. The funk kicks in on two consecutive tracks, “Teen Town” and “Hunting Heads” respectively dedicated to Jaco Pastorius and Herbie Hancock. The former has a rumbling bass solo, and the latter utilizes a variety of airy studio effects and punctuated rhythms. A tribute to trumpeter Freddy Hubbard picks up on the limited vibrato delivery and hypnotic pulse associated with the 70’s CTI sound.
Percussion is a key feature of these songs especially with the introduction to Disc Two “Prophecy (Extended)”. Following this is a lyrical piano run with Latin motifs. There are synth-laden pop tunes (“Pool Of Friendship”) with searing guitar lines. Many of the arrangements have a layered contemporary jazz feeling (“Sweetness”) with horn chorus and saxophone/trumpet solos. There are groove-infused performances the Stevie Wonder dedicated “Go Home (Jungle Mix)”. Elements of funk and fusion inhabit “Creatchy Stomp OTB” with a thick bass, superb Bernard Purdie drum beat and ethereal sax. Subtle touches like a soprano saxophone infuse “Harvest Time (Extended Version)” with additional texture. Tender moments like “I Can Let Go Now” are moving.
Stretchin’ Outside The Box is great jazz and welcoming. The sound mix is top-notch.
Stretchin’ Outside The Box:
Disc One: Waiting For Your Love (Extended); Safe Water; I Won’t Back Down (instrumental); Shufflin’; Rainbow Seeker; Rocket Man; Teen Town; Hunting Heads; Lovin’ You; Winning Waves; Pirate’s Cove; Tune For Tony (Extended)
Disc Two: Prophecy (Extended); Pool Of Friendship; Sweetness; Sir Charles; My Favorite Things (Extended); Pool Of Friendship (Remix); Go Home (Jungle Mix); Cousin Vinnie; Creatchy Stomp OTB; Harvest Time (Electric Extended); I Can Let Go Now (Instrumental); Remembering Carlos Vega.
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit Creatchy Records website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 6, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, Pop/Rock/World CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Ry Cooder – Reprise RS 6402 (1970)/Speakers Corner Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 33:28 ****1/2:
Speakers Corner releases a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of Ry Cooder’s debut album.
(Ry Cooder – guitar, mandolin, banjo, vocals; Van Dyke Parks – piano; Bobby Bruce – violin; Chris Ethridge – bass; Roy Estrada – bass; Max Bennett – bass; John Barbata – drums; Richie Hayward – drums; Milt Holland – drums, percussion; Gloria Jones – backing vocals)
When the name Ry Cooder comes up, it may seem familiar to casual listeners. But in music circles, this roots-based guitarist is revered by fellow artists. As a sideman, he has recorded with The Rolling Stones, Randy Newman, Linda Ronstadt, Van Morrison and Little Feat. His slide guitar imprint on rock history is significant. Additionally, Cooder has scored many films, including Paris, Texas, The Long Riders, Streets Of Fire, Johnny Handsome, Performance, Primary Colors and Trespass. He dubbed many of the guitar parts in the movie, Crossroads. Over the last five decades, Ry Cooder has released several recordings, showcasing his unique eclecticism and virtuosity.
Speakers Corner Records has released a 180-gram re-mastered vinyl of Ry Cooder’s self-titled 1970 debut. With the assistance of several contemporaries, RY Cooder represents an auspicious debut as a solo artist. He is presenting a modern connection and appreciation to blues. Side 1 opens with the humorous tune, “Alimony” (co-written by Robert Higgenbothem of “Hi-Heel Sneakers” fame). With electric slide and a lower-voice register, Cooder pleads his case before the judge. Touches of gospel backup singing (Gloria Jones) and barrelhouse piano (Van Dyke Parks) liven this up. “France Chance” (originally written and recorded under the title “Love Me Baby Blues” by Joe Calliciott ) is also sprightly with a syncopated tempo. Digging into another Americana genre tin pan alley, “One Meat Ball” has a pop-jazz resonance with an exotic melody line, again enunciating regrets for lack of money (“…get no bread with one meatball…”) with coyness. On “Do-Re_Mi”, Cooder shifts into social commentary from Woody Guthrie. It was an alarm bell to “dust bowl” migrants heading to California to escape poverty. A warning to not come here…”if you ain’t got the do-re-mi” is chilling 30 years later. The arrangement is modern with violins and feels like late 60’s early 70’s groups like The Band. Drawing on a then present-day musical source, “Old Kentucky Home” (from Randy Newman’s 12 Songs LP) is slowed down to back porch rhythm, but Cooder’s vocals effectively tell a heartfelt, funny story He is a natural conduit for Newman’s deadpan-infused irony. One of the highlights of this album is a cover of a 1929 protest song (“How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live”) written by Blind Alfred Reed. Cooder maintains the authenticity of the song, but with a folk-rock sensibility. His guitar licks are concise and visceral.
Side 2 has a laid-back vibe. Cooder’s lone composition, “Available Space” is a stirring instrumental. A great slide guitar brings some funkiness to this country-blues format. If you’re going to select material from great American composers, then Hudie Ledbetter (a.k.a. Leadbelly) seems like an obvious choice. “Pigmeat” is performed with old-school laconic articulation. Hudbetter’s wry observations on “country versus city” always seem topical. The brass accents emulate Louisiana musical styling. There are also a number from lesser-known blues artist Arthur “Blind” Blake. “Police Dog Blues” is acoustic Delta-inspired social reflection with classic lyrical imagery of “gamblin’”, “travelin’ man” and “police dogs”. But “Sleepy” John Estes is renowned and has influenced rockers like John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Robert Plant. “Goin’ To Brownsville” has become a standard. Cooder executes some of his finest work here with mandolin and electric slide in multi-tracking production. The finale is an instrumental, “Dark Is The Night” by the legendary Blind Willie Johnson. This blues man has been credited with popularizing slide guitar. Cooder’s pared-down arrangement (on slide) is atmospheric and translates the innate forlorn character of blues.
Speakers Corner Records has done an excellent job in re-mastering Ry Cooder to 180-gram vinyl. The overall mix is balanced with good stereo separation. Both acoustic and slide guitars sound natural with little distortion.
TrackList:
Side 1: Alimony; France Chance; One Meat Ball; Do Re Mi; Old Kentucky Home; How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live
Side 2: Available Space; Pig Meat; Police Dog Blues; Goin’ To Brownsville; Dark Is The Night
—Robbie Gerson
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 3, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews, SACD & Other Hi-Res Reviews
Ben Webster – Live At Pio’s – Enja Records ENJA 2038 (1974)/Pure Pleasure Records (2021) 180-gram stereo vinyl, 32:52 ****:
(Ben Webster – tenor saxophone; Junior Mance – piano; Bob Cranshaw – double bass; Mickey Roker – drums)
A rare 1964 American live performance by Ben Webster gets a vinyl upgrade from Pure Pleasure Records.
Kansas City native Ben Webster had a varied music training. Before becoming an elite tenor saxophonist, he trained on violin and piano. In his early career, he played in bands led by Lester Young, Count Basie, Cab Calloway, Fletcher Henderson and Teddy Wilson. When he joined The Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1940, his jazz presence was elevated. After his volatile tenure with Ellington, Webster recorded as a band leader and sideman with many jazz legends, including Art Tatum, Coleman Hawkins, Oscar Peterson and Gerry Mulligan (to name a few), primarily for the Verve label. Like other contemporaries, Webster moved to Europe, living in England and Denmark. He performed and recorded until his death in 1973. Among the many Ben Webster anecdotal facts was that he played the same saxophone from 1938-1973.
Pure Pleasure Records has released a re-mastered 180-gram vinyl of a Ben Webster club date, Live At Pio’s. Recorded at Pio’s Lodge (Providence, Rhode Island) in 1964, it didn’t see the light of day until 1974, when it was issued on a small German label, Enja Records. Side 1 opens with the up tempo number, “Cookin’ For T”. It is clear that this “classic” quartet (Junior Nance/piano; Bob Cranshaw/double bass; Mickey Roker/drums) is prepared to swing with hard bop grit. Webster’s muscular lead on tenor stretches out the sax tonality, as the capable rhythm section keeps things jumping. Nance percolates on piano and complements double bassist Cranshaw’s solo. Roker’s drumming is lively (including some fills) and fuels the energetic performance. “Gone With The Wind” is more relaxed, but still moves at a jaunty pace. Webster’s tenor is full-bodied and crisp, and Nance executes another articulate run. Webster revisits his 1959 collaboration with Oscar Peterson on “Sunday”. The two soloists engage in numerous hot licks and intuitive jazzy repartee as the quartet races on.
There has always been a tradition in the jazz world to reinvent popular music. “Pennies From Heaven” began as a radio-friendly ditty for Bing Crosby. However, there have been inventive covers from the likes of Dave Brubeck, Stan Getz and Louis Prima. The quartet (this time led by Nance) breezily romps through this version. Webster embraces the last verse with warmth and space. Reaching into The Great American Songbook, “How Long Has This Been Going On?” is a definite change of pace. Webster’s feathery touch distills the palpable melancholy of the tune. It begins as a more structured instrumental, but Nance edgy articulation of right hand notation and sweeping chords lead to a subtle uptick in rhythm. At 6:32, it is the longest track on the album and showcases the dynamics of this combo. The finale “Sometimes I’m Happy” is vampy blues with attitude. The festive resonance is compelling and Webster’s assured runs flow organically.
Pure Pleasure Records has done a credible job in re-mastering Ben Webster – Live At Pio’s to 180-gram vinyl. Despite the unavoidable “flat” mix of a small club, the updated sound is balanced. The pressing has little surface noise and no hisses or pops.
TrackList:
Side 1: Cookin’ For T; Gone With The Wind; Sunday
Side 2: Pennies From Heaven; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Sometimes I’m Happy.
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit vendor Acoustic Sounds website
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 2, 2021 | Classical CD Reviews
Francois Couperin- Concerts Royaux – Stephen Schutlz (Baroque flute) Jory Vinikour (harpsichord); Music & Arts-1302 60:39, 6/2021
Louis XIV was the last of the great French Monarchs to adhere to the strict Court ceremonial, an exacting choreography that saw him move like clockwork through a daily routine of private and state performances attended by a retinue of tenders, manipulators and advisers. In this everything mattered. The very well-being of the State reposed on the correct order of things from his morning toilet to his entertainment. As a young King he was an avid dancer and turning his courtiers into dancers was famously a stroke of genius; it consolidated his power under the guise of showmanship. But later in life, poor health, gout, obesity and melancholy overtook the Sun King. Frivolous entertainment was pushed aside, replaced after his second marriage to a pious minded queen by the daily mass. Soon the orbits of his official purposes were compromised by the erratic humours; he became a most melancholy monarch.
Fortunately for the King, there was an effective remedy at hand. I’m not referring to the many physicians and chemists at court with their quack potions and bloodletting; the best they could hope for was a harmless placebo. Rather it was the musicians who were the 18th century technicians of spiritual malaise. One might think from a modern perspective that this means removing the cause or banishing the symptoms, but that is to misunderstand the concept and its importance in the 18th century. Melancholy was a condition that could be aggravated and alleviated but it also a shape of the soul; an irremediable condition. Thus for such a sufferer the best that could be done was a sweetening of the melancholy; this is the exact term used by Couperin for the purposes of this specific music. And still for the modern listener, this is the great achievement of this style: its ability to stir a joy-tinged sadness, a simultaneous embracing of the world’s pain and beauty. It is a quality found in much great art but has a special attachment to the long lost traditions of 18th century music of the French Court.
Francois Couperin’s Concerts Royaux were published just before the death of the great monarch and are a summing up of all that is most refined and exquisite in the chamber music that was meant to both please the King and hold up a mirror to the exquisite taste of the court. The four concerts are based on the dance suites; each with its own set of metrical and aesthetic suggestions. The swaying Sarabande, the brisk Courante, the Gavotte with its lifting of the feet. Within the ultra refined courly chambers, these dances rhythms are absorbed into the musical language of Couperin, with its intimate grammar of embellishment, melodic nuance and contrapuntal undergirding,
Stephen Schultz
A new recording of the Concerts on the Music & Arts label offers us a privileged experience of this most intimate music. This label which records at the Skywalker Studio in Marin county, California does an especially fine job with Early Music, balancing the softer instruments nicely while focusing on the smallest details of timbre and color in the always hard-to-record harpsichord. The leader of the session, Stephen Schultz is a veteran of the transverse flute and as always delivers a purity of tone and superb technique. There is no sense of routine in his playing, but always a delicate attention to breath and shape. On the pieces where he plays off a second flute played expertly by Mindy Rosenfeld there is just enough contrast in sonorities and a nicely achieved acoustic space between the instruments.
Perhaps the real star of the recording however is harpsichordist Jory Vinikour; or more particularly his instrument, a John Philips 1995 copy of a Ruckers. There is a nice picture of it in the first-rate liner notes. The listener is just close enough to hear a bit of machine clatter but that is swept away by the sweetness of tone and balance. Vinikour is one of the leading specialists of the 18th century harpsichord and here he is at his best with an exceptionally fine instrument.
While Couperin was famously the first to write out his ornamentation, providing us with a complete 18th method for what had been an annotated practice, the embellishments feel spontaneous and improvised. THis is one of the great satisfactions of this outstanding recording; not on the sound but the way the harpsichord details make the melodies waft and float while the subtle rhythms keep one just above a pleasant somnolence.
It is hard to pick out one of the suites as superior to the rest but for me the Second Suite in D is worth sampling (on stream) as the single flute dances especially gracefully with the VIola da Gamba of Alexa Haynes Pilon. There is also a Fugue -Gayement provides such a contrast to Couperin’s great contemporary Bach in its contrapuntal levity. An Air tendre finds a lyrical simplicity of an affecting quality.
There is just enough instrumental variety in this recital to please partisans of any of the three instruments. Just when the flutes become too dreamy there is a lively duo Gavotte for harpsichord and gamba. Each of the dances is short in duration; meters change;It feels more like one is changing partners on the dance floor rather than spinning around on the merry-go-round as one does not unfrequently in some Baroque recitals. The final Quatrieme Concert is distinguished by the minor key which adds a sobriety to the night’s refreshment.
We must thank Music & Arts for another top notch production and Stephen Schultz and comrades for an dedicated and thoughtful presentation of the highlights of the French Baroque repertory.
—Fritz Balwit
For more information, please visit Music and Arts website:
by Audiophile Audition | Sep 1, 2021 | Jazz CD Reviews
Vince Guaraldi Trio – A Boy Named Charlie Brown – Fantasy Records (1964/1972)/Craft Recordings (2021) CR03522 exclusive baseball card edition: 180-gram green grass stereo vinyl, 33:09 *****:
Craft Recordings releases a collector’s special edition of Vince Guaraldi’s first Peanuts television score.
(Vince Guaraldi – piano; Monty Budwig – bass; Colin Bailey – drums)
There is an enduring appeal for Charles Schulz’s Peanuts animated characters. The perennially struggling Charlie Brown is part of the American culture and psyche. Despite his occasional failures, his sense of humanity and friendship never falters. The Peanuts legacy took a giant step with the numerous animated television specials, most notably A Charlie Brown Christmas. A vital element of this success was the engaging jazz scores by San Francisco pianist Vince Guaraldi. Already a rising jazz star after stints with Cal Tjader and his trio (which produced the Grammy-winning “Cast Your Fate To The Wind”), this long-term collaboration with Lee Mendelson transcended music.
In 1964, Guaraldi composed a jazz soundtrack for a television documentary titled A Boy Named Charlie Brown. The movie was never aired, but Fantasy Records released Jazz Impressions Of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. The album helped to introduce a younger generation to jazz. Craft Recordings has released a special “baseball card” edition of A Boy Named Charlie Brown. In addition to analog re-mastering of the original tapes, the vinyl pressing is available in dazzling green-grass, sky-blue and baseball mitt-brown colors. Additionally, there are eight “baseball” cards of Charlie and his friends. Even with the strong connection to Schulz’ indelible world, the music more than stands on its own as great jazz. Side One opens with the gentle sway of “Oh, Good Grief”. Guaraldi’s airy presentation includes deft right-hand trills and concise phrasing in a mere 2:21. “Pebble Beach” (apparently written for a part of the documentary about Arnold Palmer) shifts into a finger-snapping Latin mode as the trio intermingles with precision and judicious chemistry. It is impressive that Guaraldi can execute a distinctive jazz statement in under three minutes. He distills the inherent whimsy of the Peanuts society with a delicate, whimsical touch on “Happiness Is”. It is atmospheric, but centered in signature flourishes and breezy eloquence. Of course, “Schroeder” begins with a Beethoven-inspired melody, but shifts to an adroit, slower ragtime feel. It is Americana meshed with classicism. It glows with warmth. Anyone who has watched any of the Charlie Brown specials will appreciate the nuanced jazziness of the “Charlie Brown Theme”. The loping cadence and bluesy attitude is compelling. The trio interacts seamlessly and at 1:03, there is a nimble tempo uptick. It is a buoyant jam that ends in a slow fade.
Perhaps the most beloved of Guaraldi’s Peanuts-based compositions is “Linus And Lucy”. Its timeless exuberance is full of memorable hooks and two brilliant tempo breaks. The festive, agile piano runs are intriguing. “Blue Charlie Brown”is a groove-fest arranged for a smoky nightclub atmosphere. Guaraldi builds a left-hand chord riff to frame the right hand action. He executes a variety of jazzy inflections with a soulful resonance. Monty Budwig (bass) and Colin Bailey (drums) are right there in unfaltering fusion. It is the most traditional and possibly the best playing on the album, clocking in at 7:26. Switching gears, “Baseball Theme’ is playful in 3/4 time arrangement. The trio transitions to swing, before returning to waltz-time. The finale, “Frieda With The Naturally Curly Hair” (who does not have a baseball card) kicks off with a muscular vamp, assisted by a gliding bass line. It exudes a breezy aesthetic, with sweeping accents.
This baseball card edition of A Boy Named Charlie Brown is a great jazz album, just like it was more than five decades ago. The instrumental finesse of this trio is exemplary. Vinyl aficionados will appreciate the colored vinyl pressing and the full-size cover of a beleaguered Charlie Brown on the mound.
TrackList:
Side 1: Oh, Good Grief; Pebble Beach; Happiness Is; Schroeder; Charlie Brown Theme
Side 2: Linus And Lucy; Blue Charlie Brown; Baseball Theme; Frieda (With The Naturally Curly Hair)
—Robbie Gerson
For more information, please visit Craft Recordings website:
