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;
Stanley Cowell trio - Games
TK421 posted:Came across this on Tidal...
An interesting take on a classic album. Certainly worth a second listen.
Listening now on Tidal. Sacrilegious but pretty good in places. I'll probably give it another listen.
Franco Ambrosetti: Cycladic Moods
If piano is the instrument on which Europeans are most prominent in jazz, trumpet is next: Think Tomasz Stanko, Enrico Rava, Kenny Wheeler and, more recently, Mathias Eick. Franco Ambrosetti is in that mix. He often works in groups led by bassist Miroslav Vitous, where his selective contributions can be striking in their off-center lyricism. But Ambrosetti’s latest album as a leader is more nice than striking. In the current jazz marketplace, flooded with CDs, nice does not get you noticed. In his liner notes, Ambrosetti says that working with Vitous exposed him to “a different, wider and surprising world … away from the well-known orthodoxy.” Yet Cycladic Moods is often predictable, even generic, within in its category of postmodern modal jazz.
Competency is not an issue. Pianist Geri Allen sounds somewhat under wraps, but her measured forays are poetic. Tenor saxophonist Abraham Burton is conventional yet muscular and fluent. Ambrosetti’s own solos, in his wide range of trumpet colors, are always personal. Drummer Nasheet Waits makes this refined music snap. The only weak link is Ambrosetti’s son Gianluca, with his thin, unattractive soprano saxophone tone.
The centerpiece is not the suite that gives the album its name, but “Mirobop,” a 21-minute breakout on a line by Vitous. This is the track intended to embody the ensemble objectives announced by Ambrosetti in his liner notes: “free improvisation” and “unexpected new paths” based on “intense listening to each other.” But because the spontaneous exchanges conform to familiar patterns of the free-jazz genre, they are less exciting than Ambrosetti intends.
But then you come to the last song, a lovely, fervent reading of Horace Silver’s “Peace” by Ambrosetti and Allen, and you think, perhaps there is no such thing as too many nice jazz albums.
First listen via Tidal...
Definitely not sacrilegious as they're not really classics. Also, 'All of the Lights' cover of a Kanye West track. Quality!
My Tricksy Spirit
On my list to buy this year, featuring Charlie Cawood.
Maurizio Pollini - Schoenberg
Allmusic.com:
Without an understanding of Schoenberg's concentrated language and intensity of expression, performances of his piano music can suffer either from cerebral dryness or confused murkiness. On this CD, Maurizio Pollini strikes a fine balance between analytical and emotionally demonstrative approaches to produce a lucid yet passionate result. Pollini's interpretations change appopriately from piece to piece, revealing that these keyboard works are as varied as the stages of Schoenberg's career, from the Post-Romanticism of his early years to the liberating innovations of his maturity. The enigmatic, ambivalently chromatic Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, and the more adventurous, atonal Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, signify the development of a new language, perhaps similar in mood to late Scriabin, but free of old mannerisms. The Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23, benefiting from Pollini's clarity and concentration, sound spare and aphoristic. In the 12-tone Suite, Op. 25, Pollini brings out the wit and fluid elegance that run throughout the work, which approaches Neo-Classicism in both form and wry detachment. The Two Piano Pieces, Op. 33a and 33b, are free-standing and integral expressions, despite their brevity. Deutsche Grammophon's high-quality sound is clean, with only minimal tape hiss.
Bill Deasy - "Timeless Things" (2016) strangely, my rented copy has a different cover than the pic at left. Not sure if that affects interest or soundstage quality. Singer/songwriter from Pittsburgh. YouTube is your friend. Coming soon - 2018 System Pics.
1975 - vinyl - UK pressing...
Neil Finn - "Out Of Silence" (2017) Not sure if you should be interested as I have never heard it before, but a casual friend recommended it, so, I was interested. Scary.
"Marc-André Hamelin takes on the watercolor pictures of Albéniz's Spain on this two-disc set with the expected luminous results. Smaller pieces that are in the same vein complement Albéniz's massive suite Iberia here. The accompanying notes talk about the "reflective" nature of most of Iberia, but while Hamelin does bring out the meditative aspects of the work, he also gives it a sheen of warm sunlight."
Enjoying this fine album whilst browsing the forum
Tom Petty - Wildflowers
Jerry Joseph - "Weird Blood" (2017) Jerry's new release, Steve James Wright and Steve Drizos are on it but not included on the cover references. Not recommended for people who do not contribute to this thread.
Browsing my music collection, I found this fine album which i've not played for a while.
A real favourite of mine when it first came out and still a great listen now.
Turin Brakes - The Optimist LP
Andy Williams - Moon river: The very best of
Perfect for a quiet Saturday morning before the family (and 4 whippets) awake and shatter the peace!
Jeroen20 posted:Andy Williams - Moon river: The very best of
Now Playing......
Yusuf - The Laughing Apple
Streaming on TIDAL....... I'm taking 'The Laughing Apple' out for its first spin...... Pretty enjoyable after listening to the first two tracks. Thanks for the many mentions from others.........
I missed the documentary on BBC4 last night (hello iPlayer) so this will have to do for now.
A unique and very beautiful voice.
Roy Orbison - The Very Best Of
(1970)
I saw Tony2011 playing this the other day which reminded me to get it out for its first airing in a very long time.
Now Playing......
Tom Russell - The Rose of the San Joaquin
Streaming on TIDAL...... Going with a recommendation from EWEMON from the other day who mentioned "Townes Van Zandt, Steve Young and Tom Russell (start at the Rose of San Jouquin and work your way forward). Southern song writing at it's finest" and starting with Tom. More catalogues to explore......
Today meeting up with some folks for coffee and brunch then off to see Handel's Messiah at Benaroya Hall. It's a good day when you can start off with Yusuf, move on to Tom and eventually get to George Friderick........
Bob Dylan - "Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series, Vol. 13, 1979-1981(Sampler)" (2017)
(1967)
No 50th anniversary edition here yet, preferring to go with a good sounding original '85 Elektra label CD rip in preference to the 24/96 hi-res.