The Shins "Oh, Inverted World". Its indie pop/rock, but it is well recorded, so maybe audiophiles might like too. Great album, cool lyrics.
I also got the American IV album. Despite the album's total fragmentation, and the "Personal Jesus" cover, it is worth stealing. |
jack johnson 'brushfire fairytales',
very chill, really let me unwind and come down after an extremely busy year thus far while on easter holiday from my teaching duties, more than reminiscent of ben harper, but i could care less, it sounds and feels as honest and natural as a sunset or sunrise with your better half |
Great to see such a variety of music here, both new and old. Sean
> |
The White Stripes' new record, "Elephant." It took a little while for their previous LPs to really grab me, but this one did right away. If there is going to a better record this year, I can't wait to hear it.
|
Unam Ceylum - Biber violin sonatas by John Holloway. Absolutely outstanding virtuosity and well recorded. Hard to imagine that these pieces date to 1681. |
Recently bought, often spinning:
Rediscovery: "Herb Alpert presents Sergio Mendes and Brazil 66"; for old time sake.
Hard to get tune leads to discovery of whole cd: Hugh Masekela, "Hope"; for the track used in a Burmester sampler CD. "Stimela"; turns out the whole album is great;
Genuine discovery for me: The Bill Holman Band, "A View From The Side", JVC XRCD, great music, great recording. Who says Redbook doesn't sound great?
Genuine discovery that Wes had a wonderful family: The Montgomery Brothers, "Groove Yard"; again a JVC XRCD, again, great music, great sonics.
Late discovery by me: Blossom Dearie, "Blossom Dearie"; in my jazz vocal blind spot until now. Makes the newer piano playing, lady (oh sexist pig!) singers sound like they should go back to the locker room.
Always a discovery: Frank Sinatra "Come Swing With Me"; not the nicest guy in the world (oh don't you speak ill of the dead now!), but that bastard could sing.
Discovery of another side of a well-known musical icon: The latest by Johnny Cash; a very dark, bleak, forlorn landscape. An older person looking at the inevitable; not to be listened to by older persons living in a dark, bleak, forlorn landscape. Seems like Tom Waits' muse has visited Mr. Cash's home.
Nice to hear that people do listen to music and talk about it instead of how many angels can pass through the Teflon dielectric material so that the emotion can be revealed. |
My niece's husband just bought a Jazz trio CD for me called Meanwhile by John Fremgen. It is a great performance and the recording quality is first rate also. Fremgen plays upright bass, with Peter Erskine on Drums and Mitch Watkins on guitar. This is on Viewpoint records. You will probably have to get it off viewpointrecords.com but it is well worth it. John Fremgen is a student of Brian Bromberg (also a great bassist), Mitch Watkins guitar tone is sooo pure it is erie, and you all know how great Peter Erskine's drumming is. It is recorded by Jack Rock at a small studio in Austin, TX. and he really did a great job with it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED! I am going to check out more recordings on this label, as they seem to really be into recording quality artists,and taking the time to do it right. |
I've been listening to The Cottars-"Made in Cape Breton" a lot and am getting into Ami DiFranco-"Evolve". She is an acquired taste but this cd is growing on me. Sean, thanks for the heads up on the New Jonny Cash. I'll have to check that out. |
Bill Charlap trio "Stardust", playing the music of Hoagy Carmichael. The CD also features special guests Tony Bennett, Shirley Horn, Jim Hall, and Frank Wess. Tracks 1, 2 (Bennett), and 10 (Horn), have now made this a test CD for me. An aside... has anyone else has ever noticed how well Shirley Horn's voice, on any of her own albums too, reveals the strengths and weaknesses of a system. |
Old "Pre-Stax" Staple Singers.
Bochherini.
Dorothy Love Coates.
Chess' Boxed set of Muddy Waters.
Big Maybelle Smith, "The Complete Okeh Sessions." |
Recently I decided to pig out and get every Walker Brothers/Scott Walker (solo through early 70's) import reissue CD that I didn't already own on original vinyl, rendering my compilation CD redundant and filling in all the previously missing album cuts and bonus-track single-only sides. An acquired taste maybe, and perhaps a little excessive indulgence even for those who have it, but like eating potato chips once you've gotten hooked. If you can tolerate deep and exagerated male vocal stylings, and enjoy overblown Spector-ish pop consisting mainly of heavily orchestrated ballads, lyrics that wallow in pathos, and that big British studio 60's sound - and think every time you happen to catch "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" on oldies radio that it beats the hell out any Righteous Brothers you've ever heard - there's lots available now. |
The disc that has gotten the most spin-time in the last few days has been Johnny Cash's most recent disc entitled "American IV: The Man Comes Around". This is a pretty interesting disc as it sounds like the voice that we've always recognized but he's covering "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails, Bridge Over Troubled Waters" by Simon & Garfunkel, "First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" as popularized by Roberta Flack, "I Hung My Head" by Sting ( or is it "Stink" ??? ), "Personal Jesus" by Depeche Mode, "In My Life" by Lennon & McCartney, "Desperado" by the Eagles, "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" by Hank Williams, etc... along with a handful of Cash originals.
The funny thing is, Johnny has a way of taking such diverse songs as those listed above and making them sound like they were all his to begin with. The familiarity of each song with the familiarity of his voice makes them all seem like he's sung them all along. It is both an interesting and enjoyable disc from a truly classic "old timer". Check it out. Sean
> |
A 1978 reissue of "The Astaire Story" on DRG Records.
The band is:
Oscar Peterson
Barney Kessel
Charles Shavers
Flip Phillips
Ray Brown
Alvin Stoller
The "original" 3 LP set was released in 1953 on Mercury Records. The 3 LP set that that I recently found looks to have never been played (fear of Pink by the previous owner I fear:-).
In contrast our dinner this evening, while listening to such debonair music, consisted of chicken fried steak sandwiches on leftover hamburger buns and freshly made horseradish/sour cream coleslaw.
My wife has been reading/watching Indian novels/movies for the past 6 months and in the event of this she has picked up:
"Such a Long Journey", music soundtrack/Jonathan Goldsmith
"Monsoon Wedding", music soundtrack/Mychael Danna
Probably old hat for most, but a friend recently gave me the soundtrack to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", music by Tan Dun -w- Yo-Yo Ma (I like all of it except one song). |
I bought a cd called "Umbrellas" by a 60's group called THE FREE DESIGN. Kind of psychedelic folk pop. At times very trippy, other time kind of corny but in a sincere kind of way. They do a lot of covers like "Happy Together,
"Feelin' Groovy" and "Eleanor Rigby" and a lot of original songs. This recording is ok. I have two of their other albums titled "Bubbles" and "Raindrops". Of the three "Raindrops" has the best sound quality, but the other too arent far behind. They were produced by Enoch Light and the sound is marvelous. Check them out if you can. Check these links out for a little background:
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rcb/light/freedesi
http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~rcb/light/gn/index.htm" and " |
Dave Brubeck Quartet "Park Avenue South" recorded live on July 2002 at the Park Avenue NY Starbucks. Boy I wish the local Starbucks in my area could afford acts like that!! :-) |
I've been playing Jimmy Smith's "Dot.Com Blues" a lot lately. Man, that Hammond B3 Organ just fills up the room with sound!!! Also, great guest artist on this one, including Etta James, Dr. John, Keb' Mo, Taj Mahal and BB King. This is a great Jazz/Blues record and the recording is very good.
Also just got Karrin Allyson's "In Blue" and think it is great. The first track "Moanin'" is AWESOME!!
So many great recordings, so little time...............
Enjoy,
TIC |
