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

Streaming from Tidal, which I have to say I have been very impressed with so far.

On vinyl.

Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays - 'As Falls Wichita, So Falls Wichita Falls'

Sounding truly spectacular on the LP12!

This was preceded by some Larry Coryell on Tidal until it started cutting out as I guess people started using the Internet this evening.

Schnittke's 3rd symphony, full of references to other composers but overall more serious in tone and structure than many of his works. Polystylistic, kaleidoscopic, musically all over the place - when all is said and done, this is pretty accessible on Schnittke's scale and a good starting point for exploring the man's music.

EJ

First listen

Another recent used pickup - so far what I have heard is excellent.

Vivaldi: Concert Da Camera  1983 release

Switching from clean but lean Bosgraaf CD recording, this early Philips digital has tons more shadings and colours. The music just pours out of speakers. Harpshicord sounds like a string instrument in that I can hear the strings struck and the decays afterwards. Recorder is better integrated to the rest of the band yet it has enough separation. Soprano recorder still has a tendency to sound a tad peaky. Michala Peri's playing is friendly and down to earth. 

I am having trouble separating one tune from another still, tho. 

I fished this one out because I had the honour and pleasure of seeing him play last night. 82 and still going strong.

Colm

Thrillington (1977). Original Regal Zonophone CD release from 1995. The swanky instrumental counterpart to RAM. The SQ and production are very good and the musical interpretations make for a fun listen.

It's a kind of homecoming when you hear the beginning of highway star...

Sensitive...

What did he play?

Was it a trio or quartet?

Been waiting on Music Matters 'Speak No Evil' reissue. 

Eric Clapton. Reptile. On HDCD from 2001. There is an overall blues/rock drive, but half EC originals and half covers dating from the 1930s, 50s, 60s and 80s makes for a curious mix of songs, if not for a want of continuity to the album.

Streaming | FLAC

(1976)

Some live TD to start the day.

On CD:-

Kuma,

He was leading a quartet, the same one he's been with since 2000:

http://www.earshot.org/event/wayne-shorter-quartet/

He played his customary tenor and soprano saxophones (to my ears, the soprano is much more "his" instrument). I didn't recognise any of the pieces - I'm afraid my most recent album by him is from the 80s (Sportin' Life). From what I could see, the pianist (Danilo Pérez) and the bassist (John Patitucci, on upright bass) were playing from written out charts at least some of the time.

It was an extraordinarily good show. The music was pure Shorter - dark, angular, intense, poetic - and I thought the quartet meshed very well. It was helped hugely by the surprisingly good sound at Benaroya Hall. The acoustics are (supposedly) highly regarded, but I've never been a fan: there's something about the character of the sound that is very much of the digital era. Not last night, though. I doubt they've made any changes, so I suspect the acoustics might just be kinder to a small ensemble.

Although my system is sounding better than ever these days, I have to confess that listening to a record after a show like that was quite the cold bath.

I also have the MM Speak No Evil on my wishlist. Their site still says “September 2015,” so who knows when it will appear. I bought Unity by Larry Young last week, so it should be on my porch some time tomorrow.

All the best,

Colm

Streaming | 24/44.1 FLAC | Bandcamp Download

(2015)

Downloaded the other day and giving this excellent electronic album with dark undertones another play. 

"The whole album is heavy with layered sequencing and (very) subsonic bass parts and while there are sometimes familiar sounds present there are also many less obvious choices in instrumentation." ~ Bandcamp

Polina Leschenko plays a magnificent Steinway opposite Tognetti's sinewy violin, in Mendelssohn's double concerto. The work itself is not at the level of the 2nd violin concerto, but an entertaining listen - here in a very animated performance with both soloists hamming it up and not taking things seriously at all.

EJ

The song on which the variations is based is one of many that emerged from the Unidad Popular coalition in Chile between 1969 and 1973, prior to the overthrow of the Salvador Allende government.

For Zwewski you should listen to MA Hamelin or if you like it the composer itself.

Yes, with that title that would be hard to miss... but if Rzewski wanted to be respectful to the leftwing cause (which the same wiki leads to be believe he might), for me has achieved the opposite effect (I have the Hamelin recording, BTW - it may be the pianist).

EJ