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

Clive B posted:

sjust posted:

seakayaker posted:

Now Playing.......

Charlie Haden & Chris Anderson - None But The Lonely Heart

Charlie Haden (bass) and Chris Anderson (piano)

Something light while prepping dinner...... 

Notes from Naim Records website:  The result of three days of intensive rehearsal and recording by pianist Chris Anderson and bassist Charlie Haden, this 1997 album is a feat of improvisation and spontaneity.

 

While not being a huge fan of any “audiophile” recordings, and in particular much of the Naim catalogue, this one is stunningly beautiful. Fragile probably describes it best for me, as you can hear the vanishing strength in Chris’ playing, merging with Haden’s minimalistic company. Kudos to the recording also, which is far away from perfect, and in that appropriate, again.

I read Seakayaker's post of this album and thought that I ought to play this again. I then read S just' post and decided that I'd definitely play it. That's so well described. Great album. 24bit/192kHz FLAC.

This was the album playing when I stepped in for the first time at the NAIM dealership in 1999 where one of the owners was the sound engineer who had recorded it. I bought the disc on the spot and a NAIM system three weeks later.

The recording took place 20 years ago and it was the first time that the two musicians met which is quite amazing considering the exquisite synergy between them.

I remember Stefan (when he was much younger) complaining about the imperfect sound of the disc, using the term 'Turkish carpet store' to describe the ambiance.

I don't know if the album has anything to do with the book by Richard Llewellyn (1943) or the film with Cary Grant (1944) both also carrying the same title 'None But The Lonely Heart'. The film's soundtrack was based on a Tchaikovsky's song (again, the same title) dedicated to Alina Khvostova.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCdHy9QjtVY

That's a nice story, Haim, and it helps draw us into the music. Thanks for sharing.

Thought I'd round out the evening with something easy on the ear and very familiar, although it's not one I've ever played that frequently. Let it Be.

Clive B posted:

That's a nice story, Haim, and it helps draw us into the music. Thanks for sharing.

Clive,

When we visit friends I never bring wine, only music. I probably had given in recent years at least a dozen copies of None But The Lonely Heart in attempt to improve my social standing.

2008 - After a couple of dodgy pressings, I finally managed to get a decent copy of this wonderful gig!

Miles Davis Quintet - Miles Smiles. Sony Japan SACD. Recorded in  October  1966- the band was smokin'.

Miles Davis – Tr, Wayne Shorter – TS, Herbie Hancock – P, Ron Carter – B, Tony Williams – Dr.

Now Playing.....

Avishai Cohen - Flood

Avishai Cohen (trumpet), Yonatan Avishai (piano) and Daniel Freedman (percussion)

Streaming from TIDAL........  Into Track four and I am enjoying this album and excited I found him through exploring the ECM catalogue recently. This album is worth a listen.

A review by J Hunter can be found here:  Using accepted standards, what would be the correct instrumental configuration to recreate a disaster of, literally, Biblical proportions? A fairly sizeable orchestra—or, at minimum, a big band with a talent for the chaotic—would seem mandatory. Well, Avishai Cohen (who, among many things, holds down the trumpet chair in the immeasurably talented family band 3 Cohens) chose a different path for Flood. As a result, "Avishai the Trumpeter" has made much more memorable music.

Flood is the second disc in Cohen's Big Rain trilogy. Based on a poem Cohen wrote after Thailand was hit with a deadly tsunami, the trilogy imagines the earth (and society in general) beginning anew after some devastating event ends the world as we know it now. The trilogy's third episode, After the Big Rain (Anzic, 2007), was powered by a crackling sextet featuring Lionel Loueke, Jason Lindner and Omer Avital. Rather than stay with that powerful unit for the flood itself, Cohen pares the group in half. And in this case, less really is more.

Yonatan Avishai's plaintive piano opens "First Drops" with simple, soft chords, evoking a grey day with clouds innocently forming, while Daniel Freedman (the sole holdover from After) adds hints of percussion that suggest rain on a tin roof, and then hits his conga to presage more intensity. A full scene is set before Cohen even plays his first unmated note, which is simple, clear, and rings out like a bell in the night. Freedman's hand drums and the pianist's insistent, percussive playing don't break the feel of this hypnotic waltz, increasingly enticing with each reprise of the opening figure.

With no bassist and Freedman focusing more on texture than foundation, Flood might seem to be a boat with no anchor. On the contrary, this configuration fits perfectly with Cohen's vision of this part of the trilogy, which focuses on the cycles of the sun and moon during the flood. It views the cataclysm without favor or drama. Where the title track would seem to require bombast and upheaval, there is a sorrowful distance about the piece, as good is lost with evil in the pitiless catastrophe.

The real passion is saved for "Cycles: The Sun, the Moon, and the Awakening Earth," as the trio embodies the ever-quickening, always-shifting life cycle returning to reboot the Earth—maybe this time for the better. Freedman's shakers bring a ceremonial feel to "Nature's Dance," traveling to the heart of a tribal plea for the rain to come regardless of the consequences. Each piece is riveting in its own way, as is Cohen's impeccable horn.

Flood is not a party disc, not by a long shot. However, the emotion that fuels Cohen's music is unquestionably genuine, as is his vision of a new, better world. No pun intended, but filtering that concept through a traditional orchestra or big band would have just been, well, overkill.

nigelb posted:

ewemon posted:

Ewen, not seeing most of your images. Not sure if it is a problem my end or yours.

Weird Nigel.

Posts are

Stevie Wonder- Innervisions.

Average White Band- White Album

Magic Slim & The Teardrops- Midnight Blues

Neil Young- Harvest

Gene Harris & The 3 Sounds- Live at the Lighthouse.

nigelb posted:

ewemon posted:

Ewen, not seeing most of your images. Not sure if it is a problem my end or yours.

I'm not seeing your images either.

Richard Morris posted:

nigelb posted:

ewemon posted:

Ewen, not seeing most of your images. Not sure if it is a problem my end or yours.

I'm not seeing your images either.

Weird as I obviously can see them at my end and they are being picked up off Amazon.

Evan Bartels- The Devil, God & Me.  

One of my best discoveries of the year thanks to his brother Logan Bartels.

For all those Jason Isbell, Hiatt etc fans

Starting with Bach's beautiful Motets by the Monteverdi Choir.

Maurizio Pollini - Bach: The Well Tempered Clavier book 1

Hungryhalibut posted:

An all time classic of mine. Just take "Blues For 52nd Street" as an example for what a blessed player can do with that horn. Not sure if it is, but definitely one of the last Waldron recordings, and just LISTEN to the delicate sex he has with the piano keys. Oh, and if you give this song a try (which I encourage), wait until the end. there is a surprise waiting for you  

This morning during my workout...