Solid entry from Pegg and ensemble
357867
I truly enjoyed the latest entry from Simon Pegg.  Not quite as good as shawn of the dead but better than hot fuzz.
3050907
Ippolitov-Ivanov learned a lot from Rimsky-Korsakov with respect to orchestration and color. It certainly helps with respect to getting through a piece with grace when the melodic inspiration fails, as it admittedly does on some occasions during the Caucasian Sketches (in particular the second) and the Turkish Fragments. Yet there are some striking items here as well. The Procession of the Sardar from the first suite of Caucasian Sketches is relatively well-known, but only one example of the skill and imagination you find in Ippolitov-Ivanov at his best. He also liked contrasts; the faster pieces here are riots of color and noise (the Leshginka from the second suite, for instance) whereas many of the slower works are not as much meditative as sleepy (not necessarily in a negative way). And maybe it is just me, but I couldn't really discern any big differences in style, melodic profile and colors between the Caucasian Sketches and the Turkish Fragments (apart from the fact that the former are generally more rewarding overall).

The performances are very well considered, and there is some splendid playing here, but it is not exactly refined - yet it does sound as if the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukrain under Arthur Fagen had a whole lot of fun, and they are certainly committed to making the most of it; colorful, riotous, raucous and atmospheric. It does seem like Ippolitov-Ivanov's music is prone to something like the Khachaturian dilemma - colorful and fun music, but play it hell-for-leather and it comes across as a little banal; play it with refinement, and it gets a little boring. In any case, this is very enjoyable music and I have mostly good things to say about the performances. A pity about the sound, however; it is often recessive, flat and muddy. Not enough to undermine the enjoyment, though, and overall I can certainly recommend this disc.
4543679
This is one of my favorite McPartland recordings, featuring Marian near the top of her game.
Her playing is inventive and complex, and the interaction between her and the rhythm section is delightful.  I find this to be one of the most impressive McPartland trios on record.  Steve LaSpina is a top-tier bassist (a requirement, it seems, to land a gig with McPartland), and Michael DiPasqua has some serious chops that he uses to embellish beautifully without being overbearing.  I have always been disappointed that this trio - as far as I know - only made this one album.
The performances run the gamut from Marian's hard-driving solo on "Surrey", and aggressive runs at "Like Someone In Love" and "Giant Steps"; to pieces like "Ill Wind", "Crystal Silence", Marian's "Delicate Balance", and others, which demonstrate why there is virtually no one else I would rather hear take ballads to the piano.
The disc features a pair of additional tracks not included on the original vinyl:  "All The Things You Are" which allows Marian to spotlight some of her classical training, and "Skylark", which is right in Marian's wheelhouse as one of the all-time great balladeers.
A marvelous live date, and highly recommended.
2689199
Sorry to rain on the parade, but assembling a group of superb individual talents in music, as in sports, is no guarantee that a superb ensemble will result.  These are all first-order musicians, and no doubt the names sell, but as an ensemble they're no match for the greats who aren't as famous as individuals but who've spent decades struggling together to perfect ensemble playing, worked out interpretations collaboratively in depth and over long times, worked at length to get the instruments' sounds to combine as ideally as possible, etc.

In chamber music big names are no substitute for those decades of subsuming the individual within this hard and less glorious but deeply rewarding work of creating an ensemble of unified depth and vision whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts.  Ma, Ax, Stern, Laredo and Stoltzman are at the tops of their respective games as soloists, but in chamber music they're no match for dedicated chamber groups like the Beaux Arts Trio, Guarneri and Alban Berg Quartets, etc.

On this disk there's no question that the musicians are greats, but interpretive depth and vision of the group as a group just isn't there, and neither is the unity and subtlety of ensemble that comes only with time spent as an ensemble.  It's a more than competent recording by musicians of the highest caliber, but nevertheless comes up short.  I'd suggest looking for a recording with an established chamber ensemble at the core, such as the Beaux Arts.
3835072
LIVE! (CD/DVD)
FEATURING NICHOLAS GUNN, DAVID ARKENSTONE, JOANNES LINSTEAD AND LOREN GOLD

I first heard David Arkenstone several decades ago on a CD called In The Wake of the Wind and I became a fan.  Then, maybe a decade ago, I came across flutist Nicholas Gunn doing a series of albums about the deserts of Arizona and the Grand Canyon, and I got hooked on him.  About two years ago I heard an album by Johannes Linstead and found him to be one of the catchiest new modern flamenco guitar players to come along.  I have never heard pianist Loren Gold before, but he apparently has a couple of CDs out and tours with pop acts.

So all four of these acts are signed to the Gemini Sun label after kicking around elsewhere over the years (apparently Gunn runs the label).  Since all four of these artists are comfortable performing in concert (which many so-called new age artists aren't), they decided to do a concert together and record and film it.  The artists all get interviewed briefly too (although I did not care for that part much).

This combination CD and DVD package is the result, and it is actually quite exciting.  The concert moves rapidly with a lot of energy.  Each musician gets a spotlight section and then they join together for the 7:30 encore piece.  They have one band that plays behind all of them including a couple of guys on drums and percussion giving a world-beat flair to many of the tunes.

Very seldom do new age artists put out concert albums.  Many of them are simply studio hounds and don't play live.  A few play select shows, but seldom tour. It probably is not cost-effective.  And when you do see one in concert, it often is at a Borders or Barnes & Noble store, plus the artist is playing by themselves to backing tracks, and the atmosphere is not conducive to really enjoying the abbreviated show.  So to see four really good musicians with a great band perform in a regular concert hall, and hear them get to stretch out on several tunes (one of Arkenstone's compositions is over eight minutes), and jam together and with the band, it is a real thrill.  And even though this package costs a little bit more than usual because it contains a CD and a DVD, it is worth it because none of us get much of a chance to enjoy this kind of music in a concert setting very often.  I was not familiar with most of the material, but apparently all of it has been on the acts' various studio albums.  So if you already know the tunes, you will probably really dig these concert versions.  According to the record company's written background information, several of these live versions are considerably different than the studio versions (in one case the studio saxophone is replaced in concert by flute, for example).

I highly recommend this recording for anyone who likes energetic, non-synthesized, mostly-acoustic new age music; and for anyone who simply likes a good concert film of contemporary instrumental musicians playing their butts off.
2193466
The very fine concept and well-executed 'English String Miniatures' adds great depth to the appreciation of that particular British sound dealing with string orchestras.  This Volume Four is most appealing because it offers works unfamiliar to most of us. David Lloyd-Jones conducts the fine Northern Sinfonia in performances that are assured, finely detailed and capture that special mood that suffuses each of these charming works.

One surprise to this listener was the work of Peter Hope whose 'Momentum Suite' opens this concert. The work incorporates tunes and dance melodies in the first two movements and rollicks in the third movement to an ever increasing rapid tarantella-like spin.  Frank Bridge, one of the hallowed greats of English composers, is well represented with his 'Valse-Intermezzo' and 'Scherzo Phantastick' (sic), the latter in an arrangement from his string quartet in E minor.

Other less well-known but very fine composers - Adam Carse ('Sketches'), Ernest Tomlinson ('Graceful Dance') and Paul Lewis ('English Suite') provide diversions in the midportion of the recording and the final works include Holst's 'A Moorside Suite' and Delius' beautiful 'Aquarelles' (from his 'songs to be sung on a summer night').

David Lloyd-Jones has a particular affinity for this music and he draws lush string playing from the Northern Sinfonia.  It makes an interesting diversion to begin listening to this four-volume set of English String Miniatures with Volume Four and creates a commitment to buy the other three volumes!  Grady Harp, July 06
1954598
This is an album best experienced a little at a time--like one track per day. The compositions as well as the chord choices, their voicings, and  Marian McPartland's piano touch could of themselves produce a savory, highly satisfying result. It's certainly not hard to understand the genesis of n project like this--Marian's playing is frequently suggestive of a string section playing, for example, the impressionist music of Debussy ir Ravel.  But, if anything, this recording proves that too much of a good thing can be of less interest than too little.

With the exception of the haunting and truly lovely "Time and Time Again" none of the performances resonates with the complex depth and shimmering sublimity that made Shirley Horn's "Here's to Life" a compelling experience from start to finish.  For that early 1990's album, Johnny Mandel drew upon all of his resources to construct an "orchestral screed" that would complement, rather than replicate or obfuscate, the contributions of Horn's piano trio.  That is not the case with "Silent Pool."  As professional as the arrangements are, the strings are simply rich to a fault--thick, omnipresent, inescapable. After the first 10 or 15 minutes, a sense of sameness and boredom is pervasive.  The listener longs for more spaciousness, lighter textures, more of Marian's piano.

This is a project that probably required either a more "baroque," "Third Stream" approach or the rare skills and experience of an orchestrator like Mandel.  On the other hand, when the tracks are attentively listened to one at a time, with a day's space between each, I find that my engagement is more wholly satisfying and even memorable.  Were I to submit 12 reviews--one for each trac-the tabulation of the rating for each track would no doubt raise this ambitious, well-executed project into a zone between 4 and 5 stars.
1253828
Terrific arrangements with tons of innovation.  Some of the best ensemble work you'll hear anywhere.  That is the highlight of the CD for my money.  Anthony's horn is still throaty and sometimes downright "dirty".  2 vocals by Dennis Rowland are more than adquate.  A very listenable..and danceable if you're inclined...collection. If you're a big band fan, you'll love this CD.
2165586
Beginning with a furious opening by drummer Marc Edwards, this (46 minutes) second set features Taylor, Edwards, Jimmy Lyons-alto sax, Ralph Malik-trumpet, and David S. Ware-tenor sax.  The sound is very decent for a radio broadcast--very immediate and fairly crisp and clean sounding--similar to other recent Hi Hat releases from Weather Report and a couple of others.  The two page booklet has a piece from 1979 from Rolling Stone--also similar to their other releases.

The performance consists of Taylor's "Wavelets" in three parts, and concludes with "Petals".  "Part 1" has some intense free blowing from Ware with Taylor adding similarly tight, furious clusters of notes that really grab your attention.  This piece is basically a duet for Taylor and Ware.  Sounding very open in style there's an occasional intimation of a melody buried deeply inside this  piece which gives the music a certain flow.  "Part 2" segues from "Part 1" before settling down (relatively speaking) into "Part 3".  Lyons gets a chance to show why he's one of the better alto sax players since Parker.  His long time association with Taylor has given fans some great music.  "Part 3" is a tumultuous (and lengthy)  blending of alto sax/piano/percussion, which subsides well into the piece with a beautiful duet of Taylor piano and Malik adding impressionistic trumpet lines, which is very lengthy and satisfying.  But  Lyons and Taylor are playing on a really intuitive level which makes this piece one of the high points.  Lyons' squeals and quick clusters of notes is as invigorating as Taylor's similar piano performance here.  And Edwards' drums add  a satisfying foundation while adding to the maelstrom of sound.  Taylor and Malik have a similar level of intuitive playing, with neither stepping on the others playing.  Their playing together has some of the same feel of Lyons and Taylor.  It's obvious that Malik's  time spent with Taylor has paid off.  The 21+ minutes piece ends on a quiet note with Taylor's piano.  Again--very nice.

"Petals" begins with some fine unison playing from Ware and Lyons with Taylor's piano echoing and adding to the sound.  This tune too has an underlying feel of a melody buried deeply somewhere before everything jumps off the page with the entire band blending together in a wave of sound.  Taylor (especially) is playing some very discordant notes and flourishes that fans will know,  which power and lead the band through this knotty tune.  The horns play some very visceral music that makes you sit up and take notice--like the best Taylor music can do.  The music really escalates into a furious sound after the 10 minute mark with everyone adding to the dense sound.  Wow.  Edwards acquits himself very nicely here--integrating his drumming into the overall sound while adding a solid feel to the music that could (and occasionally does) fly off into other tangents.  Sadly the piece fades out before it's natural end--why?  But this long performance is very satisfying and will leave most listeners drained--like the best Taylor music.

Even with the fade-out this is a fine performance by Taylor and his great band.  If you're a deep fan you need to hear this.  But I can't help feeling that we missed some great music.
1936873
This disc includes nine tracks from 1973 to 1986 with Gary Burton in different group situations. The first track, "Four Or Less", is a quartet recording from the album "Gary Burton, The New Quartet". Gary Burton had just moved from New York to Boston and looked for musicians. Manfred Eicher had met Burton backstage after a concert, and he wanted him to record for ECM. That was the beginning of Burton's career with ECM which lasted for about 15 years.
The next track, recorded the following summer, is a sextet with among others Steve Swallow, Pat Metheny, and Eberhard Weber, and it's thus a strong band. The two next tracks is from the album "Dreams So Real", and it features two guitars - Pat Metheny plays a 12-string guitar, and Mick Goodrick plays an regular guitar, but it works. Tracks 7-9 is a bit different than the others in that they include a piano. Track 7 and 8 is from the album "Real Life Hits", which features Makoto Ozone on piano, Steve Swallow on bass, and Mike Hyman on drums. These last tracks is more like one would call "regular jazz", but all tracks on the cd gives a good overview of Gary Burton's music. Gary Burton has written 7 pages in the linear notes about his working with ECM and the groups; that's also gives the broad overview. I had never heard him play before, and if you're in that situation, it's a good idea to buy this release.
1468621
This is sort of an in-between album for Strawbs, recording during the period in which they were making the shift from being a slightly-electrified folk outfit to being a full-blown progressive rock band.  Actually their fifth recording, it's the first one they did in the studio after being joined by then-unknown keyboard wizard Rick Wakeman, who would leave after this album to join Yes (and the rest about him, as they say, is history).  His role here was noteworthy, and he certainly wasn't relegated to the background -- but neither did his organ, piano and harpsichord work dominate the group's sound as they came to do later in his work with Yes.
Led by guitarist/singer/songwriter David Cousins, with his distinctive voice always a trademark of Strawbs' sound, the group was still, for all intents and purposes, a folk-based ensemble -- even though this recording marked their first use of a full drum kit.  The themes, melodies and 'feel' of the album was still 'folk'ish.  The beauties of nature, mysticism, pacifism, the horror in a young boy's eyes at seeing sheep slaughtered, a vision of a secluded dale by a hermit monk -- these are the subjects and images in these songs, mostly penned by Cousins, some by Hudson and Ford.
The standout tune for me, though, is Dave Cousins' 'The hangman and the papist'.  In this unforgettable work, we see a young monk condemned to die because he will not renounce the pope and swear allegiance to the king -- and we see a young soldier, chosen by the drawing of lots to act as the hangman.  We are made privy to the thoughts of both of these men -- each full of his own brand of fear, trepidation and courage -- and then we see their worlds collide in the heart-stopping moment when the hangman, beneath his mask, recognizes the monk as his younger brother, 'standing proud.  The hangman tries to protest, but is ordered to procede -- his trembling hands begin to take the strain.  His eyes are blind with streaming tears, he cries for all to hear: "Forgive me God, we hang him in thy name..."'.  This is strong stuff -- the album is worth the price for this piece alone, but everything on here is first-rate.
After this recording, Wakeman left the band and was replaced by Blue Weaver from the band Amen Corner, and the band's sound became more oriented toward rock.  They put out several fine lps after 'From the witchwood' -- 'Grave new world' and 'Bursting at the seams' are really good -- but this was, I believe, the pinnacle of their achievement.
Thanks to A&M Records for making this recording available in this clear, re-mastered form -- it allows us to newly appreciate a classic.
4100216
I have a passion for musical renditions of the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah.  This year, I stumbled onto a marvelous three volume set of baroque lamentations of which this is the first.  As usual, Naxos provides solid performances at low cost.
The first track is the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah in Gregorian chant.  This is a solid performance ranking well among several solid performances available on cd.
The second track is the Lament of the Blessed Virgin on the Lament of Arianna from an opera.  This is a wonderful Monteverdi piece that was new to me.  The poetry of the words provides an interesting insight into the view of Mary in the Baroque era.
Lament on the Passcaglia is a lament of lost love - interesting but more generic "baroque" than the other selections.
The Lament of Mustafa and Bayazet is a cantata with narrator, Mustafa, Chorus, Amarat, Bayazet, etc. as separate voices.  The lament is of Ottomans awaiting death at the orders of their brothers.  The interplay of the words and the music make this an enjoyable piece.  The final track is also by Rossi - a love lament that is an interesting, enjoyable piece of Baroque music though not one of the "top ten" masterpieces of the era.
The Three Graces to Venus is especially interesting as we rarely here of female baroque composers.  However, the piece with its Greek myth inspired words, is rightly included in its own right - independent of gender issues.
1582846
This is the only Woody Shaw CD I've purchased to date, so I cannot comment on its relative value compared to his other work as a leader.  However, I have no real qualms about giving it a 5-star rating.  It's a strong, enjoyable set, and the recording (made in Rudy Van Gelder's studio in 1986) nicely captures Woody's splendid trumpet sound.  Woody was great!  I agree with the previous reviewer that the ballad "It Might As Well Be Spring" is the high point, but it's all very good.  I really enjoy young Kenny Garrett (alto sax) on this recording--his playful, jaunty lines and round-ish tone almost steal the show on three of the tracks.  Kenny Barron (piano) has some nice solo space and his style contributes to an overall modern sound.  The drumming is interesting and a strong asset (but never dominating), while the bass is heard fairly prominently in the mix.  While not earth-shattering, this is great-sounding, accessible, modern jazz played at a very high level.

Update:  I've recently acquired Shaw's STEPPING STONES: LIVE AT VILLAGE VANGUARD, recorded a few years before SOLID. These are very different albums, but both, I think, are deserving of 5 star ratings. STEPPING STONES is much more cutting-edge (check out some of the rave Amazon reviews), while SOLID is more mainstream.  All depends on your taste, but if you're like me, you'll dig `em both.
4399472
WHAMMIES, The.  Play the Music of Steve Lacy, vol. 2. Driff. 2013.  Jorrit Djikstra, alto sx, lyricon; Pandel,is Karayorgis, p; Jeb Bishop, tbn; Mary Oliver, violin, viola; Nate McBride, b; Han Bennink, dr.

The good news is that volume 2 of The Whammies playing Steve Lacy tunes is as good as the first, which was very good. Its an idiosyncratic and modernist group, which isn't surprising, given that Lacy was an idiosyncratic composer and soloist and the drummer in the Whammies, Han Bennink, is about as idiosyncratic as any drummer can be. Bennink is one of three members of the group I recognize rom previous records. Trombonist Jeb Bishop and bassist Nate McBride have both recorded with Chicago modernist Ken Vandermark. The tunes are delightfula number of them lean toward the shaggy, lump-along rhythm and ensemble playing that Lacy encouraged in his own ensembles (especially when playing with trombonist Roswell Rudd). Its interesting music tight enough to provide structure but loose enough to let the players roam freely. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the drumming of Dutch legend Bennink, which is propulsive and driving (no one ever accused Bennink of being subtle) but perpetually inventive, with a joyous verve that is seldom heard in modernist jazz. All of the soloists on this album which means all six players in the groupplay inventively. Their pleasure in playing this music is transparent. Modernist jazz is often supposed to be hard take in, and the compositions on this album are definitely not Brain Candy --but hard to listen to? I think not! This is just too happy a music for that to be true.
2685338
This is a solid release from a great neo-prog band.  Enchant has never quite been able to recapture the magic or consistency of their first three albums, but Tug of War is still a very good entry in the Enchant catalog.  The first and last tracks, Sinking Sand and Comatose, are both awesome, and the tracks in between are consistently good.  Ted Leonard still has one of the best voices around (in my opinion), and Doug Ott's guitar work is great as usual.  If you are already a fan of Enchant, I would say that this CD is worth getting.  If you aren't familiar with Enchant, I would recommend starting instead with one of their first three releases (A Blueprint of the World, Wounded, and Time Lost), or perhaps with their recent double-disc live release "Live at Last."
1582137
This is a nice collection of music.  Coleridge-Taylor's Danse Negre is a marvelous little piece - don't be surprised if you find yourself humming it - and the other pieces are well worth hearing.  One could wish for more than 51 minutes on a CD, but I guess it's a direct transfer from the original LP.
304892
Fans of the Art Ensemble should not sleep on this. The 41-minute continuous piece "Reese" and "The Smooth Ones" (can't tell where one stops and the other begins) manages the difficult combination of offhand and precise that eluded the Art Ensemble more than half the time on record. The sound is plenty vibrant on the CD version and Malachi Favors plays enough small percussion that drums are not really missed. The saxes of Roscoe Mitchell and Joseph Jarman are in particularly fine full cry, never suggesting that the pauses are to cover for lack of new direction to play. Don't let this vanish into the void again.