What are you listening to and WHY might anyone be interested? (Vol. XIII)
Posted by: Richard Dane on 01 January 2017
2017 has arrived today, so time to start this thread afresh.
Last year's thread can be found here;
ken c posted:playing now and delaying my bed time -- great album -- i really should also get the 2nd in the set, with Paul Motian et al...
enjoy
ken
I think volume two is the one with Ed Blackwell and Don Cherry, which I recommend.
Claudio Abbado's 1968 coupling with the LSO of Mendelssohn's two most popular symphonies, the Scottish, No. 3 and the Italian, No. 4, has rightly been a staple item in the catalogue ever since Decca issued it (JB103, 7/82). It offers not just a generous coupling, but exceptionally stylish and fresh performances beautifully recorded. Here, with a change of label, Abbado and the same orchestra reinforce all the good impressions of that earlier issue in a comprehensive collection of Mendelssohn's mature symphonies plus three overtures and the orchestral arrangement (in shortened form) of the Scherzo from his String Octet, which at the first British performance in 1829 of the Symphony No. 1 Mendelssohn substituted for the Minuet third movement.
On CD at least, if you have a programming facility on your player, you can now quite easily insert that Scherzo instead of the Minuet, and the idea of having it as an appendix to the symphony, though not new, is a good one. As it happens, the only direct rival to this set, currently listed, comes on the same DG label (only on LP) from Karajan and the Berlin Philharmonic, who unlike Abbado has no extra items in his set and (very characteristically) observes none of the exposition repeats. On CD at least Abbado observes them all—as marked in Nos. 1, 3 and 4—but curiously the LP version of No. 1 omits the exposition repeat, an interesting case of the equivalents not being exactly alike. On his earlier Decca LP he fails to include the exposition repeat in the Scottish (where the side is already 36 minutes long) but did so in the much more important case of the Italian, where the repeat involves a lead-back of 23 bars, rarely if ever heard until the new taste for observing repeats encouraged recording artists to include them.
For these detailed objective reasons the Abbado set now supercedes the Karajan, and the excellent modern digital recording is far preferable to Karajan's Berlin sound, fair enough to Karajan's seventies Berlin sound, fair enough for its time but thinner and less realistic on high-violin tone. On performance there are many points where Karajan, masterly and individual, shows keener imagination than his plainer, more direct younger rival, and the Karajan set is still one to cherish, but overall the new one must plainly be preferred. Between CD and LP there are more advantages than that simple exposition repeat, for DG have managed to fit the whole of Symphony No. 2, Lobgesang (''Hymn of Praise''), a few seconds short of 75 minutes, on to a single CD, the longest I have yet encountered in the new medium. On LP, Lobgesang starts on Side 2 after The Hebrides Overture, and then stretches over Sides 3 and 4, with a break between the second and third instrumental movements, nowhere near so convenient an arrangement.
It is in that choral symphony that the advantage of the wide-ranging digital sound comes out most strikingly, in clarifying the big tuttis with choir, at the same time providing extra weight of sound, notably in the way that pedal notes on the organ come over in a rich and realistic way, particularly impressive on CD. As to interpretation, Abbado in the first instrumental movement is a shade slower than Karajan, and conveys a keener sense of joy with a wide expressive range. The yearning 6/8 movement is the more haunting too at Abbado's much slower speed, and though Abbado's slower speed for the Andante religioso brings obvious dangers of sweetness and sentimentality, he manages to avoid them completely with his warm but unmannered phrasing. Again, in the choral finale Abbado's speeds tend to be a degree more relaxed and the sense of joyful release is all the keener, when in response to the tenor's calls of ''Huter, ist die Nact bald hin?'' (''Watchman, will the night soon pass?'') the soprano gives her radiant call of ''Die Nacht ist vergangen (''The night has departed''). Elizabeth Connell, not a singer I would have expected here, is the more tenderly affecting by being placed at the point slightly at a distance, and then the chorus comes in with even more impact to signal the arrival of day. Earlier Connell and the second soprano, Karita Mattila, are nicely matched in the duet with chorus, ''Ich harrete des Herrn'' (''I waited on the Lord''). Though their voices by natural timbre are not so silvery or pure as one ideally wants, the recording helps to give them a sweetness just as apt for the music. Hans-Peter Blochwitz's tenor, not unlike Ian Partridge's, may be on the light side for the key tenor part, but the tonal beauty and natural feeling for words and phrasing are a delight. So too is the singing of the London Symphony Chorus, particularly beautiful in the chorale, ''Nun danket alle Gott''. If at the end Karajan draws together the threads of argument more powerfully than Abbado, Abbado's expansiveness and the more luminous choral sound on the new version makes for a richer result, which equally has one forgetting the obvious shortcomings of the work with its unavoidable element of Victorian blandness.
It is that avoidance of Victorian blandness which is striking in Abbado's accounts of Nos. 1 and 5. In No. 1 he is even tougher and more biting than Karajan in the C minor first movement, slower and simpler in the second, returning to a tough, dark manner for the Minuet and finale. This is a performance which has one marvelling that Mendelssohn could have ever have countenanced the idea of the Octet Scherzo as substitute, a piece so different in mood. The first movement of the Reformation finds Abbado more biting and dramatic than Karajan, and crisper and again quicker in the second movement Allegro vivace. Abbado then fails to match the beauty of Karajan in the slow movement, treating it more as a light interlude before his broad account of the finale.
In both the Scottish and Italian Symphonies Abbado's earlier versions clearly come into contention, but where in the Scottish the differences of interpretation are relatively unimportant—mainly a question of the slow movement being a little slower and heavier this time—those in the Italian are more striking. Here the outer movements are fractionally faster than before, but that difference brings just a hint of breathlessness in the playing of the LSO, where before it was so sparking. By contrast the noticeably faster speed for the second movement Andante this time sounds fresher, and I prefer the marginally faster speed for the third movement too. And whatever my disappointment over the outer movements, this is now the most centrally recommendable version of the Italian on CD, less distinctive than Sinopoli's with the Philharmonia on the same laber (410 862-2GH, 4/84) but avoiding the quirkiness of his third movement. As for the overtures they too bring fresh and attractive performances, very fast and fleet in the fairy music of A Midsummer Nights Dream and with the contrast between first and second subjects of The Hebrides underlined. This has been one of Abbado's biggest recording projects with the orchestra of which he is still Music Director, and its success, I hope, will encourage him to continue using London as one of his recording centres alongside Chicago, Vienna and Milan.'
Willie Nelson - Stardust
Taking it easy with Willie Nelson.
Allmusic.com:
At the height of outlaw country, Willie Nelson pulled off perhaps the riskiest move of the entire bunch. He set aside originals, country, and folk and recorded Stardust, a collection of pop standards produced by Booker T. Jones. Well, it's not entirely accurate to say that he put away country and folk, since these are highly idiosyncratic interpretations of "Georgia on My Mind," "All of Me," "Moonlight in Vermont," and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," blending pop, country, jazz, and folk in equal measures. It's not that Willie makes these songs his own, it's that he reimagines these songs in a way that nobody else could, and with his trusty touring band, he makes these versions indelible. It may be strange to think that this album, containing no originals from one of America's greatest songwriters, is what made him a star, and it continues to be one of his most beloved records, but it's appropriate, actually. Stardust showcases Nelson's skills as a musician and his entire aesthetic -- where there is nothing separating classic American musical forms, it can all be played together -- perhaps better than any other album, which is why it was a sensation upon its release and grows stronger with each passing year.
Before my first Monk of the morning, his style is so recognizable...
Continuing with Monk
Saxaphone Colossus - Sonny Rollins
After seeing this listed on here by Briliant yesterday, followed by the enthusiastic comments of Smiglass, I hit the 'buy' icon. It arrived this morning and is now playing through the NDS. Great band with Hank Mobley, Donald Best, Kenny Burrell, Herbie Hancock, Butch Warren and Lex Humphries. This will definitely be up for a few repeat plays!
French music with an Italian roast coffee to start a foggy Sunday:
Just playing this to check what J.N. Said about the CD mastering. He may well have a point. It's not that clear, but gets better at higher volume settings. This is the first time I've played it since ripping it about four years ago.
The Stephen Scott trio - Renaissance
If you like piano-trio jazz than I can recommend this one. The way Stephen Scott plays some of the 'standards' is very nice. He also plays some of his own compositions.
ewemon posted:
Another recent album I love and a great follow up to Sprained Ankle.
Thanks for posting this - really enjoying it.
Vlad
Now Playing.......
Eberhard Weber -Endless Days (2001)
Eberhard Weber (bass, composer), Paul McCandless (oboe, English horn, and bass clarinet), Michael Dipasqua (drums), Rainer Bruninghaus (keyboards, piano)
Arrived in the mail yesterday - ripped to NAS and streaming
Notes from ECM website found here: Although a familiar figure on concert stages and recordings with the Jan Garbarek Group, bass innovator Eberhard Weber hasn't released an album under his own name in eight years. 'Endless Days', then, is long-awaited. It's also Weber's first recording as leader of a 'group' in 12 years and will be hailed as a major event by ECM followers, particularly since the line-up, with bass/reeds/keyboards/drums, carries strong echoes of the halcyon days of Weber's 'Colours' band. Seven new compositions by Eberhard, plus a remake of 'The Last Stage of a Long Journey'.
On CD
November 1983...
I've owned this album probably since it was released. It's a reliable go-to album when I'm not sure what to play. There's some superb guitar playing from John Scofield, immediately recognisable from the tone, of course.
Now Playing......
Jon Balke & Magnetic North Orchestra - Kyanos
Streaming from NAS......
Note from ECM website found here: The first ECM album in nine years by Norwegian pianist/composer/arranger Jon Balke and his “orchestra”, now streamlined to a septet of top-flight Scandinavian soloists. “Kyanos” is Greek for “blue”, and the album pulsates with intense colour. Balke has developed into an exceptionally skilled arranger and his blending of textures as well as his strong melodic sense are to the fore in this striking and arresting album. Like Duke Ellington or Gil Evans before him, Balke writes with the idiosyncratic sounds and personalities of his musicians in mind, and makes the fullest use of the resources available to him. He still understands jazz as “the sound of surprise”, and his melodies take unexpected turns.
An enjoyable afternoon digging through albums i've not played for a while.
Paul Weller, P J Harvey, U2, Dusty Springfield, David Bowie and now this...
Radiohead - The Bends
Michel Camilo - Rendevous.
If you like your Jazz to be full of energy and with some latin elements, then Michel Camilo is your man.
Allmusic.com:
Watching lightning crackle and disappear from the sky is a good analogy for listening to this pianist's approach to the piano, at least on the funky jazz tunes. Camilo's ivory command is simply amazing, and his melodic, percussive treatment of even the simplest pieces is quite exciting to listen to, even though it gets frenetic after a while. Latin-tinged cookers like "Tropical Jam" and "Blacky" will rivet you with an improvisational energy you've never heard before, while the simple romance of "Remembrance" offers a tender counterpoint to all the friskiness. Camilo's approach to jazz is combining funk with improvisation, while never losing sight of the song itself. The way he integrates everything is superb and inspiring -- definitely a rendezvous worth meeting up with.
Every one a winner on this and the bonus is it’s as good an example of the recording engineers craft as you’re likely to find - Dynamics to die for.
G
I own this on CD and BluRay, but currently streaming from Qobuz. I know people who can't stand Tori's voice, but I have no trouble listening to her sing, and her mastery of the ivories and style is quite unique in my opinion. Great stuff.
A gorgeous album and sounding sublime this afternoon.
Stacey Kent - Raconte-Moi...
Joe Gordon - Looking good.
Allmusic.com:
Joe Gordon did not live long, only making it to 35. His second of two recordings as a leader (originally released by Contemporary) finds him on the verge of leading his own group. Gordon wrote all eight of the selections and is joined by adventurous but obscure altoist Jimmy Woods, pianist Dick Whittington, bassist Jimmy Bond, and drummer Milt Turner. Although the solos are generally more memorable than the tunes, this is an excellent effort that hints at what might have been had Joe Gordon lived.
Final one before dinner - A recommendation in Critic from Nigel Finn (of Chord) made me go and purchase this a couple of years back. A fine album - great music and a super recording too.
Steel Pulse - Handsworth Revolution
