What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XI)

Some more italian stuff.

Nicola Costa - Electric Roots - 2007

Not in the record.

@Iconoclast, this version, from Earls Court in 1975 is way, way, way better. Funkier, it's got Bonzo on drums (Jason is a good drummer but his dad was the greatest) and the sound mix is superior:

Trampled Underfoot

Thanks Kevin,

I enjoy the geezer factor of the 2012 version but I must admit Bonzo is awesome.

One thing I found disappointing was the sound quality on the CD (Celebration Day) It's terrible.

It's awful, I agree. A bit better on vinyl, but still mushy as hell.

Arrived in the post today and purchased following a tip from Mike1380. My God, this is brutal!

A neighbour-killer if ever there was one . 

Track: Estuary

Track: Cottontail

Track: Baba

Yo La Tengo

"Popular Songs"   (2009)   SP

A nice reproduction of a live performance by Deep Purple. Seems almost easy-going after Royal Blood!

Relaxing with Bruno Cocset after chopping ice outside for an hour and a half. Thankfully the sun was shining.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4Dzeur1xV4

Huw, thahks for recommending this music.

 Frederic Chopin:  Zlata Chochieva

Complete Etudes

Music that never fails to please me.  I had never heard this pianist previously but find her interpretations very warm, inviting and to my liking.  

I don't know - those types of threads start off with one person setting off his like against dislikes, which provokes reactions by those who feel their nerve strings being plucked the wrong way, which - sadly - then develop into ad personam accusations. And it's so unnecessary - nobody would have attacked George for his original post on JSB if he hadn't compared all non-JSB music to supermarket plonk, or his particular view of Winterreise if he hadn't taken a dump on all Romantic music in the same post. 

Just my 2 cents

Cheers,

EJ

A theme recital disc that focuses on Chopin's last year with George Sand, 'late' Chopin therefore, when his music had by and large become more contemplative in nature. The recital is grouped again around the cello sonata, which beautifully played by Emmanuelle Bertrand and Pascal Amoyel. In the solo works, Amoyel isn't out to impress and keeps it simple and effective.

Cheers,

EJ

My first serious listen to DSD.  Now is this DSD or is this just a damn good recording ?? - its originally recorded in DSD incidentally  

First impression is real musicians in a real space - more 3 dimensional. An feeling of smooth & ease to the presentation, instruments have a more natural tone & feel,  you can hear subtle variations in technique such as the emotion played into the performance. Its just one of the most natural sounding recordings I've ever heard.

Gianlugi,

Dave Grusin + GRP fusion music was my soundtrack of the 80s and 90s. ( I've replaced the entire collection with CDs )  JVC digital recording started in the late 70s and I still remember getting Lee Ritenour's Gentle Thoughts album back in the late 70s. 

Grusin's music can sound too tame ( my mate calls it elevator music ) but I love some of his composition. His 82 release 'Out of Shadows'  is stronger than 'Mountain Dance'.

EJ,

Sorry to be out of topic,  but are you excited about Concertgebouw's new music director?

just finished listening to the Disc 1: Mozart program.

This is a much better digital recording/mastering than his last Live album he made back in the 90s.

Hugely atmospheric you are there live recording. Midway hall perspective. A decent clarity and frequency extension. Bottom end register on piano resonance also is coming through beautifully. Gone is the brittle clangy upper register keys of his past Näive live recording. This new DG digital recording is much more natural. I do not know what resolution file to cut the master for this record, but certainly much better than their reissue catalogue effort. Audience noise is kept at minimum but for those who demand absolute silence of studio recording will be disappointed. Vinyl itself is dead quiet and pitch stable. Excellent production value. 

As usual, Sokolov's style isn't the warmest. He's emotionally always a tad on a reserved side. 

But 20 years later, his note delivery is much more polished, poised and fluid.  Adagio is not about youthful puppy love but now elder man reminiscing the past. Skillful use of ‘ma’ creates a slight tension in the music. Genteel and almost Bach like.

The only criticism is that he does not have a dash of dare or playfulness of Gould or Suave elegance of Horowitz. These are for the grown ups.

Comparatively, he’s gotten much more lyrical and fluid but feels still a tad stiff and Mozart’s delicate expression of humanity does not come easily. Extremely articulate and eloquent but much too much controlled and even polite. He’s not going all-out like Richter in a concert hall ending up sounding too safe for my taste. 

I will get to his Chopin Preludes ( disc 2 ) at some point but so far I am pleasantly surprised how enjoyable this record is. It's like going to a concert.

The Everly Brothers. EB84. On vinyl from 1984. Paul McCartney, Jeff Lynne, and Albert Lee contribute. The melodies are nice, the vocals unmistakably Everly, but Dave Edomond's production seems a bit over embellished.

Another pianist/composer I love.

Vince Guaraldi. His life was cut too short.

discovered yesterday by qobuz