Very Good Performances of Great Tunes in a one-of-a kind style.
580901
A very different side of Bob Dylan.  I am sorry it took me so long to find it. Great tune selection and arrangements.  I would have liked to hear a Big Band background on a couple of the tunes but overall it was a joy.
1422646
Every now and then I come across something like this CD, like 'Bohemian Composers' or 'English Light String Music' and discover a shinning jewel. I wish they would compose music like this today. The horns blend well in with the other instruments for a pleasant overall sound. A good buy.
4421403
The performance is state-of-the-art jazz in 1964.  The band's sound is based around Tony Williams' simmering, relaxed swing - he's brilliant.
Unlike the way these guys played after Wayne Shorter joined, the performances here are close enough to the tunes as to be clear representations of those tunes.  And most are really beautiful.
The more open, relaxed tunes lend themselves to peaceful, pre-psychedelic meditation really (best example "My Funny Valentine").  The up-tempo numbers are played incredibly fast, perhaps a reaction to a behind-the-scenes disagreement over whether the band should be paid by Miles (this was a benefit concert for the NAACP) - and they hang together (best example "All Blues").  Thankfully the recording engineers captured this in clear, strong fidelity, making this a classic jazz recording.
1647045
It's always fascinating to hear new interpretations of classic material, especially when performed by a variety of highly skilled musicians.

The performances are of very high caliber, without exception, and even if they do not bring anything new to the fusion genre, they help to see the music of Coltrane as a kind of precursor to fusion. I've always associated Coltrane with the fusion movement, because two of its most highy regarded disciples, John MacLaughlin and Carlos Santana, were directly inpired by it (strange that no music from them is included).

The music on this CD may not have the spiritual intensity or the esoteric leanings of the classic 70's fusion or Coltrane's music, but it acknowledges that Coltrane is at very the heart of fusion. The CD sounds modern rather than anachronistic, but that is not a bad thing, given the quality of the playing, and also shows that John Coltrane's music is truly timeless. Some reviewers complain that the CD sounds like a jam, but in my opinion that's OK because jazz is more about improvization, rather than intricate arrangements. Coltrane's own music was more improvized than composed.

If you like fusion or guitar music in general, you'll enjoy this collection, as long as you don't expect faithful reproduction of the 70's or 60's sound, or are a jazz purist. This music is as much about rock as it is about jazz.
1830295
Okay, why is it that your neighborhood amateur orchestras survive?  My theory is that you have enthusiastic amateurs, often skilled, often not, who give their all into a performance.  Sure, the strings are often out of  tune, the woodwinds miss their entrances, and the brass flub left and  right, but you don't go there to hear perfect technique; you go there for  the music, which can transcend the limits of the performers when presented  with enthusiastic magnetism, especially when the podium is bearing a  talented, patient leader.
The Vienna Symphony was a mighty scrappy bunch  when Horenstein made these recordings.  But Horenstein was on the podium,  and every player believed in him to the last man, or so it sounds.  You  have not heard Mahler's 1st until you've heard this incredible performance.  Forget that the horns can't play in tune at all in the Finale; forgive the  strings for their wildly undisciplined playing.  It all comes together into  a transcendental experience.
The Bruckner 9th I can't comment on in  detail since I don't know it as well.  All I do know is that when I listen  to it, gee, it sounds well, short!  Yet it gets its own disc, so I assume  it is in the ballpark timingwise of other performances, and I enjoy it too.  Same comments, btw, about the engineering and the orchestra.
The  engineering:  it's mono.  It's not too bad.  It doesn't hinder the  performance, so I guess it is "open" enough.  I rarely buy mono  performances, but Horenstein's outings on Vox are an exception I'm almost  always happy to make.
3065404
The New York Kammermusiker is one of my favorite ensembles, and I regret that they only have released to CDs.  The ensemble the following instruments in various numbers:  oboe, oboe d'amore, English horn, bassoon, and contrabassoon.  They have a great sound...indeed, for some of the bigger pieces, such as the Lully and Handel, they sound almost orchestral.  The nuancing and phrasing of the players is very satisfying, and the selection of repertoire is very nice.  The Purcell suite sounds especially sweet in this arrangement.

There is a fun, short piece by Purcell that was played on thie disc with two bassoons and contrabassoon that's a delight.

This is a great disc to introduce someone to the joys of the Baroque, or to enjoy the sounds of the double reed instruments, or simply to have something lively and fun to listen to.

Three cheers for the NYKamm. !
2536788
It is fun both having his music and seeing the live performance. I play music often while cleaning, etc., this DVD has a range of tunes, classical to Irish "fun" melodies.
31870
Mr. Anthony, a fine musician, and his orchestra perform classic songs in the style of Glenn Miller. The gimmick is that Mr. Miller never recorded any of these in his lifetime. In fact, many were not written yet at the time of his death in  WWII. So a fan might wonder "Had Glenn lived, would he have chosen these songs, and would he have played these arrangements? I can't answer the questions. I can say, however, that if what you are interested in is true "easy listening" big band music, this disc is a winner. Some great songs are included: "So Rare" and "Twilight Time" and "Up a Lazy River" and "Through the Eyes of Love" and "Day by Day." I'm not a player, but the performances seem fine to my ear. Until I obtained this item, I had not heard a Ray Anthony album in about 40 years. It was nice to spend some time within the scope of his artistry. This collection is pleasant, not bold; "pop" rather than jazzy, and yet it isn't boring. It will hold up well to repeated listening.
4276175
This  short (34+ minutes) well recorded set of tunes  from two separate  concerts--The Great American Music Hall in S.F., (tracks 1,2,4), and the Seattle Opera House (track 3) are all from 1977.  The songs are "Phase Dance", "Watercolors", "San Lorenzo", and "Wrong Is Right".  The band consists of Metheny-guitars, Lyle Mays-keyboards, Danny Gottlieb-drums, and Mark Egan-bass.  As I said, this is a well recorded set of live performances--clean and fairly crisp and very open sounding.  Audiophiles may find something sonically imperfect to point out but this is very close to what a label sanctioned release would sound like.  The booklet has an essay from the Village Voice from 1977 (typical for Hi Hat releases) and talks about Metheny's  first album, "Bright Size Life" and the (then) recently released "Watercolors" album.  The five "stars" are for the performances and nice sound--not the short duration of the CD.  But I do wonder where is the rest of the music from these concerts?  Hmmm.

These performances are from the period after the "Watercolors" album had been released, and the upcoming "Pat Metheny Group" album would be released.  All four tunes are fine examples of what this group (and my personal favorite for a few reasons) sounded like night after night on stage during this period.  The first two tunes stick closely to the studio originals (not a bad thing!), while "San Lorenzo" has a few subtle flourishes that add more identity to the melody.  "Wrong Is Right" is a fine live version of this song, again with nothing truly new added into the body of the song.  And as I wrote when reviewing the recently released/quickly taken off the market live Metheny album "Live Chicago '87" (also on Hi Hat) these performances aren't the sound of a band just going through the motions.  This is a typically fine set of performances from the entire band.

Hearing this set along with the (now sadly) deleted '87 set brings back good memories of my young son and I sitting about 10 rows back/center section hearing/watching Metheny and his band playing some incredible music and having fun doing it.  As Metheny once said--they play the music they want to hear--and are grateful  that others  like to hear it also.  If you've ever been lucky enough to hear this band live you know what I mean.  And even of a sadly short duration, this is a good set of music that evokes that era of Metheny's musical exploration.

If you're a deep, early Metheny band  fan, get this album before it too might disappear.  Others may want to pass this by because of the price/CD length and with no new songs included.  But it is pretty cool.
3416214
This my first recording by this performer and I have found it very entertaining.  The songs are done in their orginal language, which makes the over performance very good.
1511154
The quality of the performance and of the recording are high.  The music is wonderful to a fan of Paul Hindemith.  This is my first fling with this piece and perhaps there are better recordings and performances out there.  But for now,  I am perfectly happy with it.,
3060507
This is clearly one of Horace's gems of a live performance, very tasty stuff. The musician mix produces a quality all its own.
175325
I've taken notice in the last few months to the fact that Russian orchestras seem to play Russian music really, really well.  This CD is a fine example to back up that observance.  Pletnev is incredible in his  speed on some of these pieces, and the orchestra is even moreso in its  ability to keep up.  I've never heard "Russlan & Ludmilla"  played so quickly (the CSO/Solti take 8 seconds longer), and it's really  pretty nifty hearing unison strings playing as quickly as possible.  The  clarinet solo towards the end of Borodin is outright gorgeous, and  Shostakovich's Festival Overture is (for lack of more clever terming  ability) quite festive indeed.  The rest of the disc is an assortment of  delights, including (among other things) an early Tchaikovsky piece.  Overall it's a lot of fun and a treat to listen to.
4851170
Fantastic musicianship with good taste, too. (Which is by no means common)
1366833
Very good if you like this type of music which I do.
2403102
If you like Celtic music,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Celtic-Harp/dp/B002HMHRDM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Celtic Harp</a>&nbsp;should please you. The musical program is fun, and the performances and recording are excellent. The title might lead you to think this is a collection of solo or perhaps small-ensemble harp music. However, the Chieftains have a bigger sound than that, but prefectly consistent, I would say, with the spirit of the music.
2458666
The opposite format ( not classical tunes done pop) showcases the brillliance of the musicians and their sharp understanding of composition. Almost flawless in its restraint