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

Originally Posted by Gianluigi Mazzorana: I remember GRP days. Crusaders, Diane Schuur, Diana Krall, Al Jerrau, Burton, Benson, Barbieri.............Patitucci, Larry Carlton! How so many.......i remember people going out of the shop holding records with  arms.The last i got from that era is The Usual Suspects on double vinyl by Sheffield Lab which is extremely well recorded.

Wow, I've not seen that album for about 40 years!

Franz Liszt: Angela Hewitt (piano)

It was completely by chance that this week came three discs of Franz Liszt and all of them shared many of the same works.  So what to make of the differences other than take them in stride?  It is after all easy to jump to the wrong conclusions from just one listen.  If one has strong, ingrained perceptions of how things should go then it is tough to give grace towards extreme views that pull in the opposite direction that one believes they should go.

Angela Hewitt playing Franz Liszt is what you could say as "interesting."  After one listen for sure I am stumped and not sure what exactly my views are here.  As I could say it was what I expected leaving an ambiguous cloud hanging over it.  Does this mean it was great or does it mean something less flattering?

While there is much to praise here I won't say too much about this as this is the part that fits the "what I expected from Angela Hewitt part."  The interpretation part is the challenging aspect for me I portions of this is quite good while at other times (especially in the sonatas) I hear more a tendency to lecture or pontificate.  Not that this is necessary wrong (which it isn't).  I am just trying to put in to words what I believe the modus operandi is behind her views.

The other difficulty one has of overriding ones own views is that you then have to relearn the piece and I like do this, in fact.  For instance, in something like either sonata here, I naturally am attracted to the combination of light vs dark, heaven vs hell, good vs evil, etc. as Liszt is a master of juxtaposing these two elements.  Very few players can skillfully relay this back in their playing but when it is done correctly the effect is magical.  With Hewitt here I tended to find myself asking quite often where is the tension vs. release in her playing.  This would be my severest criticism as she stays well away from injecting any passion or angst into the music.

I will keep listening and I am sure that this will become a new way of thinking about this music for me which will counter quite nicely my more typical tastes with the music.

Better than expected...

I got a few by Sheffield Lab, too in both CD and LPs. 

I am sure you have Grusin's 'Discovered Again'? One of my fave as well as Tower of Power's 'Direct Plus!'?

They were played often back then on CD. When I decided to put together a decent hifi after over 10 years of hiatus, one of my test disc was Crusader's 'Healing the Wounds.' I think this was the only GRP release for them.  

"We don’t normally think of Duke Ellington as an LP oriented sort of artist, much of his best music came out before the LP existed, and once it became the medium of choice, Ellington was beginning to lean on recording his past hits. One notable exception is “Ellington Uptown”, one of the earlier ‘long playing’ albums Duke ever recorded, and it’s a power packed release laden with fine gems. Alongside “Such Sweet Thunder” and “Ellington at Newport”, “Ellington Uptown” is possibly the best LP of Duke’s lengthy career. As if the original LP wasn’t already good enough, the 2004 CD re-issue added the excellent “Controversial Suite” and “The Liberian Suite” to make it ‘the one Ellington CD you should own if only own one?"

 Tower of Power! I'm not sure but i must have a copy here somewhere. I remember a "Live in Japan" by Crusaders under GRP: The rest looks like remasters. The matter is that records come and go from catalogues.......

I really did love Randy Crawford singing with them. I love the way her voice vibrate. One of my favourite opening tracks was Street Life.

Enjoy this

Streaming | CD FLAC rip

Fleetwood Mac ~ Men of The World (2008)

Playing CD 1 of 3

I have been totally delighted with this three CD set. Far better than I could have hoped for. Sounding superb live, in the studio or mixed. The Madge Sessions both 1 and 2 ( on CD 2) and Green Manalishi played live (on CD 3) are better than I have heard before. 

What's the Otis Taylor album like Ewen?

Deram vinyl. Great prog.

Thanks, ewemon. Mine is a Universal Records CD (3771219) from 2014. The CD itself is very pink. Can't recall where I bought it. I'll have to have a look around for the versions you mention.

Bought it today for a fiver and  still sounding superb, actually even better on vinyl after all these years.