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;
Now Playing........
Ben Taylor - Listening
Ben Taylor (vocals, autoharp, guitar), Beatzy (bass, drums, strings, vocals background, drum, horn & string programming, keyboards, organ, percussion), Koool G Murder (bass, strings), Christopher Thomas (Bass-upright), Mike Rowe (clarinet, hammond B3, keyboards), Gary Ciancia (drums), David Saw (guitar, electric guitar), Larry Ciancia (keyboards, percussion), Chet Lester (pedal steel), Jeff Babko (piano), John Forte (vocals), Jessica Dinicola (vocals background), Faith (vocals background), Holly Martin (vocals background), David Saw (vocals background), Carly Simon (vocals background), and Sally Taylor (vocals background)
Streaming on TIDAL....... A mention above by BERT SCHURINK of Ben Taylor perked my interest and had me take one of Ben's albums out for a spin.
Original vinyl
Why? When I filed The Shads away this was next to it. So I thought, why not?
steve
(1969)
Another one from the late sixties, one of my favourites that I have loved ever since it first emerged, glorious west coast bay area sound at its psychedelic finest.
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) | Frederic Chopin (1810-1849) - Alexandra Sostmann (piano)
French Suite No. 3 & 5 | Various Mazurkas
There are many things that have to align to result in a good recording but for me the most important element remains the character and temperament of the artist. So this is the conundrum, as what I like will mostly not correspond to the likes of the next guy or gal.
I really like how Alexandra Sostmann plays - period. I search everywhere for playing/recordings similar to this. First off, she chooses sensible tempos and secondly, listen to how she plays with a beautiful bell like tone. Thirdly, one can hear the musicality which really is a near equal combination of the intellectual and artistic. No racing, no tastelessness, no banging, no ugliness...
What I hear suits my current desires and vision for this music which may be considered to be leaning to the boring, un-eventful side for many. If you need high octane playing that leaves you feeling that you just heard/saw the fireworks after the horserace then obviously you will look elsewhere than this.
Stevee_S posted:Paper Plane posted:On s/h vinyl
Why? It's an antidote to all the crappy Xmas music that's everywhere.
steve (Bah humbug)
Full marks for that rationale, I'm trying to do something similar.
Try BBC Radio 3 FM, currently playing a live concert by the Monteverdi Choir under John Eliot Gardiner playing Schütz and Bach.
David Gray - "The Best Of ........." (2016) I enjoy everything David has done, and have seen him live on four occasion. I have all his standard release albums, but thought I would try this rental compilation .
Heart warming after an hour in the freezing breezy air outside:
Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree - 16 Golden Hits (2005) - UnitiServe SSD
Wikipedia: Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English singer-songwriter, record producer and humanitarian who rose to fame as the original lead singer and flautist of the progressive rock band Genesis.
Well worth listening to. Dates from 1975 onwards. One I missed at the time.
Phil
A+3 16/44.1 Grateful Dead - Live/Dead
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Nelly Akopian-Tamarina (piano)
Handel Variations op. 24 | Ballades Op. 10
I swear the credit card demons have their wicked grip on my soul. Every year around this time as we approach the New Year, I have that walk in snow and reflect upon how crazy it is to keep relentlessly buying more music. Then afterward, once I resolve to come to my senses, I have a week like this where recording after recording I am listening to are just simply incredible. If I had stopped searching for the holy grail last month or last year or last decade I simply would not have come upon such special recordings and I'd have to remain satisfied with one recording or each work. Well, how can I argue against this reasonable sounding advice especially since the proof is tickling my ears and every other sensibility.
This is very unique playing. Everything I said I desired above after listening to Alexandra Sostmann now you can just put that to the power of two or even three. Character, temperament, musicality, and artistry all rise here to the occasion and this is the way I like it.
I think for the New Year my goal should be to reorganize my music library to have a small room for my favourite, most treasured recordings and then house the rest in a warehouse.
Again, I leave this with a warning not to even consider this if you are satisfied with the one or two 'representative' recordings you already have of what you have come to expect typically of commercial recording artists. I could not find anything from this recording online but below is some other Brahms to give an indication. Note the slow tempos. It is simply beautiful playing and inspires me very much.
With recordings such as Sostmann and Akopian-Tamarina I am well armed with inspiration to get back into playing at earnest again myself at the piano. The other inspiration I have had this week has been the Bach recordings of Peter Hill which I will go into at a later date. Again, three exceptional and very inspiring artists who don't really toot there own horns and just are satisfied in making great music.
1995 - Tidal...
If I were to write a list of my favourite JC albums I'm not sure where this would sit. Number two? Number three? It's a good recording, although the stereo mix is a bit weird with the sax being mostly on the Left channel and the (exceptional) band on the Right. Great album ++.
Tidal. Stacey Kent - I Know I Dream, The orchestral Sessions
On CD:-
Dr John - Duke Elegant
2016 - Tidal...
Now Playing.......
Diane Krall - Christmas Songs featuring the Clayton / Hamilton Jazz Orchestra
Streaming on NAS......... The wife requested some Christmas Music prior to dinner this evening. So Diane is serving up some fine holiday tunes, great voice back by a very nice jazz orchestra!
Note from TIDAL: On her first full-length Christmas album, pianist/vocalist Diana Krall delivers a smoky, sophisticated, and slightly melancholy album perfectly suited to accompany egg nog cocktails and romantic afterglow holiday affairs. Although there isn't anything unexpected on Christmas Songs -- Irving Berlin's "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep" is as close to obscure as it gets -- Krall coos life into such standards as "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "What Are You Doing New Year's Eve," and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." It also doesn't hurt that she gains top-notch support from the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, whose urbane arrangements help bring to mind similar works by such iconic vocalists as Nat King Cole, June Christy, and Frank Sinatra. But it's not all deep sighs and bedroom eyes; on the contrary, Krall keeps things swinging with such uptempo numbers as the joyous "Jingle Bells," "Winter Wonderland," and the Blossom Dearie-inflected "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." If you like your holiday albums cool and classy, Christmas Songs is a stocking stuffer that's sure to please. ~ Matt Collar
Stevee_S posted:
(1969)
Another one from the late sixties, one of my favourites that I have loved ever since it first emerged, glorious west coast bay area sound at its psychedelic finest.
In its day it was one of my favorite albums! White Bird is a tremendous track!
Here’s an old friend, back sounding better than ever. Ansermet’s Debussy always boasted a robust clarity and energy that belied the fuzzy, impressionistic stereotype that dogs this composer’s music. In fact, no French performances–not Munch’s, Boulez’s, Martinon’s, Inghelbrecht’s, or Paray’s–subscribe to this theory, which actually is more characteristic of the German or English approach (think Barenboim, Barbirolli, Rattle, or Karajan). And so we find a sparkling La Mer that surges with vital force, swiftly flowing from its calm opening on to a really exciting finale. Ansermet reinforces his hard-edged sonorities by using the glockenspiel in the percussion section rather than the optional and softer sounding celesta, and by keeping the harps in natural balance with the rest of the orchestra. Similarly, the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun proceeds far more boldly (and colorfully, it must be said) than usual, but without ever sacrificing its diaphanous textures.
Even the Suisse Romande orchestra’s famously strident wind section makes a positive contribution to this interpretive aesthetic, which works particularly well in the two late works, Jeux and Khamma, where clarity of texture enhances the composer’s daring harmonic palette. The excellently remastered sound quality (simply incredible for the earliest sessions here which date from 1957) only enhances the timeless value of the performances themselves. A must for Debussians! [6/15/2002]
Scanning to some stuff to potentially buy. Ben Wendel is an interesting player...
She does a lot of Brazilian stuff - nice voice...
Live versions still more exciting, but interesting album..
Exciting and challenging..
For me unknown, a lot of ps, interesting...
Also new, but great guitar player..
