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

Now Playing......

Jon Balke - Siwan: Mahnou Houm

Jon Balke (composer, keyboards), Mona Boutchebak (vocals), Derya Turkan (kemence), Helge Norakken (percussion), Padram Khavar Zamini (tumbak),  ,   Barokksolisene: Bjarte Eike (violin, leader), Alison Luthmers (violin), Oivind Nussle (violin), Milos Valent (viola), Per Buhre (viola), Torbjorn Kohl (viola), Judith Maria Blomsterberg (viloncello), Mimi Brinkmann (violoncello), and Johannes Lundberg (double bass)

Returned home from five day holiday and found a couple of new CD's that had been delivered!

Ripped to NAS and Streaming......

Notes from the ECM Records website: Their ECM debut, released in 2009, won awards including the Jahrespreis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, the album of the year prize of the German record critics. Now Siwan, the international collective led by Norwegian keyboardist-composer-arranger Jon Balke, is back, rallying its powerful instrumental forces behind a new lead singer, Mona Boutchebak from Algeria. Perceived correspondences between Arabic music, Andalusian classical music and European baroque music fired Jon Balke’s imagination when he started this project a decade ago. To bring these sound worlds closer together he set poetry of Al Andalus, reflecting upon a period of coexistence between adherents of the three great religions. But Siwan does not set out to be an “historical” project: it’s a contemporary creation, delivered by an alliance of strongly individual players, fronted by a vocalist deeply rooted in Arab music traditions. The new album is launched as Siwan begins a European tour.

David Gilmour. Rattle That Lock. On vinyl from 2015. I can recall several members here being disappointed with this album on its release. I've always liked it from the get-go despite the heavy bass compression, and it's still getting better with each listen.

The Beatles. Something New (1964). On orange-label Capital vinyl circa 1976. The early Beatles Capital Records releases were made from second generation master tapes and were 'Dexterized' with heavy reverb. Nonetheless, this pressing was very well mastered and despite being a 40+ year-old LP that's been played hundreds of times, still sounds exceptionally vibrant. One of my go-to "bright" LPs when I'm home demoing speakers, which I'm doing right now.

Yes. 90125. On original vinyl from 1983. A superbly mastered LP. Continuing my speaker home demo and for me there's no better track to evaluate transient attack than the opening song "Owner Of A Lonely Heart".

Karajan/Berliner: Bartok Concerto for Orchestra - '65 rec.

I picked up an extra copy without realising I already bought a copy. The one is a 3rd pressing German copy and another is a later '76 Italian reissue. German pressing sounds miles better.

Performance wise, it's done in usual Karajan polished high standard but lacking raw vitality and tension for my taste for this program.

Melvins. Stoner Witch. On CD from 1994. Switching from vinyl to CD and this is a good album to evaluate how speakers do percussion. Heavy percussion yes, but still with quality, and nowhere near as hot as Metallica, esp in the kick drum region.

Boulez/NYP: Bartok Concerto for Orhcestra - '72 rec.

Wow. This is a tough act to follow!

Tension filled intro is much more suspenseful and mysterious than cardboard Karajan set. Boulez pulls out different instruments and creates much more colourful vista. Melody line is now easier to follow and exposing score’s rich threads intersecting and overlapping. Styling also is not too refined and rather raw which suits the rustic overtones as well as giving it a livelier persona.

Narrative done by winds are lyrical and has a human quality. (Boulez also does the same thing with his Ravel pieces ) Crisp brass section livens up the tune. 2nd movement is filled with a nonchalant wit. Even the tone of muted trumpet gives it a comic relief.  3rd movement Elegy returns to that mysterious mythical world of 1st movement but more drama. Sense of doom approaching. Not as lush as others but it adds extra bite and poignancy. The principal flutist here is excellent wringing out a plenty of personality and human emotions throughout the score. Boulez also skillfully changes the tempo often to keep the interest. Close mic’d horns opens the finale, the orchestra follows building the momentum racing to the exciting close. The tune is an amalgum of all the complex human emotions. Everything is thrown into the large soup bowl yet Boulez is keeping the tune together.

Now I wish someone would reissue this record!

The Traveling Wilburys. 2 HDCD/DVD collection from 2007. Disc 1, the Wilbury's first album (1988) plays with excellent HDCD quality on my CD5X. Simply relaxing now with familiar music. No doubt, the Devore Super 8s are showing great musicality/engagement. Always a foot, hand or finger tapping along.

Pink Floyd. Atom Heart Mother (1970). On original Capitol CD from 1988. I find this a good play for a speaker demo because it is decently recorded with a good dynamic range, and as an experimental album contains a mix of quiet simple passages, chorales, complex music, and most else in between. Good to explore tonalities.

Florestan posted:

Debussy:  Seong-Jin Cho (piano).

 

 

Gave the album a play this morning, and I’m inclined to agree with you. Mostly excellent interpretations (though a bit too much thundering in Poissons d’or for my tastes). Does the expressive bits well without resorting to ugly rubato. Great sound too. Thank you.

Bought to compare with my supposed 'high quality' CD version from a couple or so years back, and the vinyl is so much better in my room - via a high spec LP12, no sibilance, upper register, bloated bass dramas (all with the CD), with a very nice smooth analogue flow. 

CD now consigned to the wall unit behind the door.

Laura Veirs - July Flame

Languid, sultry, gorgeous music that I'm starting to think of as my favourite album of hers. But there are no duffers.

On vinyl...

Now Playing....

Silje Nergaard - A Thousand True Stories

Something to start this Monday Morning...... A beautiful singing voice and wonderful orchestration of this collection of songs.

Streaming from TIDAL.......

On vinyl...

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds: Who Built the Moon? HD download. 

As mentioned in the press when promoting this album, Mr. G employed a different creative approach to songwriting with producer David Holmes. It seems to have paid dividends as I think its his best solo offering since Oasis imploded - even though I like the first High Flying Birds album. Retro Psychedelia and Glam influences are certainly present and work well, without it feeling too cliched or derivative.

Third play through and it’s now starting to get under my skin. A good album.

Carter on Bridge...

Christopher_M posted:

Laura Veirs - July Flame

Languid, sultry, gorgeous music that I'm starting to think of as my favourite album of hers. But there are no duffers.

Christopher - thanks for this.  I've never heard of LV and am investigating (via very cheap 2nd hand CD purchase to start with). Sounds promising.

From the reviews, it seems she may not be a lot different to Lucy Ward - suggest look her up if not already known to you. I would suggest start with this very lyrically entertaining album, which can be obtained 2nd hand as a CD for buttons as a taster.

Thank you, this forum is brilliant isn't it! I will investigate Lucy Ward.

The Corner Man by The Cairo Gang, on vinyl...

Ross McHenry trio - The outsiders

Allmusic.com:

The Outsiders may be the third solo album by the Shaolin Afronauts' bassist and bandleader Ross McHenry for First Word, but it marks the debut from his fine trio that includes fellow Adelaidean pianist Matthew Sheens and New Zealand's Myele Manzanza on drums. This is a "fusion trio" in that they juxtapose jazz harmonics, timbral exploration, and syncopation with rock and funk rhythms. But McHenry's compositions are rooted in explosions of color, disciplined dynamics, and glorious rhythmic invention. The crystalline post-bop in "It's Not How I Remembered It" offers deft exchanges between Sheens' left-hand ostinati and Manzanza's cymbal and snare work that go right at the melody. McHenry's electric bassline, however, moves around, propping up this chord change sequence and that percussion fill, ultimately enveloping them both. "Us and Them" commences with a telegraph-key-styled piano line, one note played repetitively as the drums and bass dance around it until the changes emerge. The dynamic remains the same but the pianist enters a knotty exchange with his bandmates and comps as they each emerge for musically divergent solos. By the time we reach the three-part title suite, introduced by Sheens' bluest piano phrasing, it becomes obvious that these compositions function more like sonatas in classical music -- if they were designed for an entire trio. Jazz, rock, classical, folk, and blues all mingle, slip, slide, and slither in a unified whole that is long on surprises and deft musicianship. In the final section, McHenry's bassline rumbles like Percy Jones of Brand X, but his bandmates expand on his lines rather than try to rein him in. The Outsiders stands apart from virtually everything else out there. It will appeal equally to fans of the Bad Plus, Brad Mehldau's experimental side, Kamasi Washington, and even Derrick Hodge, but doesn't adhere to any of their formulas. This is strictly Antipodean jazz, influenced by the multitude of sounds, musics, and lineage traditions that coexist in their collective environment. (Manzanza's father Sam is a legendary Congolese drum master who taught his son well.) The set emerges as a mysterious, joyous amalgam of unified sounds that doesn't so much reflect musical traditions as explore the untended spaces around and beyond them. McHenry has been a cult figure for some time, but with his trio on The Outsiders, that's likely to change. This is among the finest jazz releases of 2017 for the freshness of its approach and its sophisticated, balanced execution.

Jimi would have been 75 today...

  Eva Cassidy - Songbird.

  Having recently been tuned into Eva by several contributors to this topic, I'm steadily acquiring her back catalogue, over on The River.

  So, this one then, a compilation, and a good introduction to her body of work.

  Strays into jazz, here and there, but none the worse for that.

The Dead from 77. The day after the famous Cornell show, and a better gig IMO. Begins with a glorious 31-minute Help>Slip>Frank.