Just picked up Free Flight's "The jazz/classical union. A very interesting fusion of calssical pieces such a a Paganini Pavane,a Bach "groove",Pachebel's canon, and a Chopin etude. $3.99 Very enjoyable listening with great playing and improvisation. Also just picked up a Joni Mitchell I had never heard of. "Shadows and Light" This LP features Jaco Pastorius on Bass,Pat Metheny on Guitar,and others. A 2 LP live set from 1980 when Joni was beginning her exploration into jazz on the "Mingus" tour. It starts with a collage of Joni doing her songs with a significant jazz influence backed by first class players intermixed with old movie tracks. Kind of a "Miles of Aisles" on art steroids. The Joni tunes are from "Blue","Hissing of Summer Lawns","Hejira","Mingus". A definite departure from the pop money making routine she was seduced into in "Court and Spark". Excellent recording and pressing. Very entertaining. $7.99 at Everybody's records in Cincinnati. |
D__n Rushton you got some good stuff! Significant other is out of town this weekend.Had a serious listening session tonight with my best audiophile buddy.Trading cables and phono stages.Fun. Chris Isaak "Heart Shaped World" Benjamin Britten "St. Nicholas" Kings College,Willcocks Dave Brubeck "Impressions of New York" Janis Ian "Between the Lines" Gilbert and Sullivan "Pirates of Penzance" with Kevin Kline and Linda Rhonstadt Shostakovitch "Concerto for Piano,Trumpet and Orchestra"/ Shostakovitch/Shostakovitch-Chandos e |
Sonny Rollins - "The Bridge" [RCA/Bluebird '62/'03] With Jim Hall guitar Oscar Peterson Trio - "A Jazz Portrait Of Frank Sinatra" [Verve '59/'04] Longtime Peterson Trio drummer Ed Thigpen died last week The Ovations - "Goldwax Recordings" [Kent/Ace '05] 60's Memphis soul singles collection featuring lead vocalist Louis Williams, known for sounding uncannily like Sam Cooke (yes, even more than Rod Stewart!) Scimone/I Solisti Veneti (Orlandi, Frati, Bianchi) - The Magic Of The Mandoline [Erato Disques '71/'84/'86] Collection of Italian mandolin concertos by Vivaldi, Paisiello, Caudioso |
Mitty Collier - "Shades Of...: The Chess Singles 1961-68" [Kent/Ace '08] Deep-voiced Chicago soul "cult heroine" (as the liners put it) never had a big chart hit, cut only one album at Chess, and retired for good from secular music by '72, but the singles are as fine as, if distinct from, those by better-known labelmates like Etta James, and the powerhouse Ter-Mar Studios sound, with production and arrangements by some of the label's top pop talent, is on display at its hugest in this well-mastered CD. Nina Simone - "...And Piano!" [RCA/BMG '69/'01] Her first entirely solo studio album (plus four bonus tracks from the same sessions) came perhaps surprisingly late and didn't sell very well, but not at all surprisingly is a rich gem of the High Priestess' subtle and varied artistry (though her voice was unfortunately recorded with a touch of unatural edge, which is not shared by her piano even though with the exception of a few accent overdubs, both parts presumably would have been recorded together live, as she frequently was in concert, given how characteristically personalized the performances are) |
Handel "Chandos anthems": Kings College/Willcocks/Acadamy of St. Martens in the Fields.London Shostakovitch "Symphony #1": LSO/Martinon RCA Victrola 1959 Amazing recording! Holst "Savitri' and "Hymns from the Rig Veda":English Chamber Orch./Purcell Singers/Janet Baker/Robert Tear/Thomas Hemsley Argo Vaughan Williams/Holst "English Folksong Suites" Eastman Wind Ensemble/Federick Fennell Mercury Living Presence take that Rushton! just kidding e |
Srwooten, I am sorry, but I noticed that you asked me where the Half-Priced book store I buy records from is.It is in Kenwood next to TGI Fridays.This is a suburb of Cincinnati,Ohio. tonight's titles: Dire Straits: "Love over Gold" "Making Movies" Henry Purcell: "King Arthur" Deller Consort/ Harmonia Mundi Elgar: "Sea Pictures" Janet Baker/Barbirolli EMI Faure: "Pelleas et Melisande" RPO/David Zinman/Jill Gomez Phillips Mahler: "Kindertotenlieder" Janet Baker/Barbirolli/Halle orchestra EMI Boito: excerpts from "Mefistofole" Norman Treigle/Placido Domingo/M. Caballe'/LSO/Julius Rudel EMI/Angel cheers e |
Mahler, Symphony No. 1, Horenstein/LSO, Unicorn RHS 301 (a masterpiece of a recording by recording engineer Bob Auger. One of the greats!) Den Romantiska Orgeln I (Collection of organ music from Vierne, Lundquist, Skold and Olsson), Lundquist -org, Gustaf Vasa Organ, Stockholm - Proprius PROP 7750 (Proprius is one of the few labels that consistently captures an organ and its acoustic environment exceptionally well. Very well done, indeed!) . |
How true Rushton,and I know you have the right stuff. Just installed the Eichmann bullets on my new DIY tonearm cable.Isn't it incredible how sensitive that tiny phono signal is? The Eichmanns added significantly more coherence,micro and macro dynamics and hence,presence. DIY is the best way to have fun for me. Got 10" of snow last night so it is the perfect day for listening. as follows: (so far) Hakan Hagegard (baritone) "Aftonsang och Julepsalm" Proprius $1.00 This is a collection of classic solos such as "panis Angelicus",Ave Maria,as well as some Swedish leider/folksongs. As every Proprius LP I have ever heard,magnificent!I only wish I could read Swedish, as the whole record printing is in Swedish. "English Cathedral music of the 20th Century" Choir of St. Albans Cathedral/Stephan Darlington Hyperion (analog) (heard this one Rushton?) Another sonic wonder from Hyperion.Excellent choir and some well known (to choristers)pieces mixed with some obscure ones,including a Herbert Howells motet I had never heard. That alone makes it for me. Dire Straights: "Love over Gold" Among our sub-group of Cincy audiophiles this record is a reference,and great for listening for nuance and sound stage.The copy I have is the best I have heard.It is a Quiex II process/demo I bought at Everybody's records for $3.95! Super quiet and fun listening.Breaking glass and cat screaming. Lyle Lovett: "Lyle Lovett" MCA/Curb Records Lyle's first album.quite fun and a excellent pressing Ink Spots: "10 of the best Ink Spot Hits" The Longines Syphonette Society Super quiet pressing,think of Redd Foxx doing his Ink Spots impression of "if I didn't care". .49¢ at Half Priced books near mint condition Chet Adkins & Les Paul "Chester and Lester" RCA/Best Buy Series A fun collaboration between two great guitarists.Nothing but fun with great sonics from 1976. Henry Prucell: "Songs from Taverns and Chapels" The Deller Consort/Deller MHS(Harmonia Mundi/France) Incredible pressing,as are most Harmonia Mundi records are. Very baldy tavern songs from rural England in the early baroque period.One song includes "so kiss my ass" as the answer to the preamble. right up my alley.The Dellers are on top of their game on this songs done in rural dialects.too funny! that's enough for tonight, but still listening e |
e, I was listening to the Deller Consort performance of "Songs from Taverns and Chapels" just a few days ago (Harmonia Mundi HM 242). How can one not like songs such as "Come let us drink" or "I gave her cakes and I gave her ale"! Bawdy for sure. Hmmm, I don't have a copy of the Hyperion "English Cathedral music of the 20th Century." Something similar on Argo, but not Hyperion. Of course, one never escapes lots of Howell from other records. :-) I seem to have been on a LARGE ORCHESTRAL bent recently. Today it is... Arnold Schoenberg's "Gurre-Lieder" with Kubelik conducting the Sinfonie-Orchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks,with Herbert Schachtscheider and Inge Borkh, DGG 139 984/85. A wonderfully big sweeping performance . |
Please excuse my spelling error. Spell check is a real pain sometimes. I frequently have to correct the "correction". Rushton: I rather like the one with "she that has good eyes has also good thighs" one too. Incredibly funny but at the same time with the same very high quality sonics that is Harmonia Mundi as well as the art of the Deller Consort. What more could you want? cheers e |
I just got several new records in the mail today.I will be auditioning some of them tonight as follows: Benjamin Britten: "War Requiem" Rattle/City of Birmingham/CBSO Chorus/Boys of Christ Church Oxford/Robert Tear/Thomas Allen/Eliz. Soderstrom. EMI/digital This is a powerful and emotional piece written for the dedication of the newly rebuilt Coventry Cathedralin 1962,after the medieval original was bombed in WWII. It features poems by Wilfred Owen (killed in WWI)juxtaposed with the Requiem Mass. The poems are dialog between the Tenor (English originally Peter Pears) and the Bass (German,originally Dietrich Fisher Dieskau). Sonically, though a digital master, is amazing. The ppp is very quiet but when the canons of the tympani roar, it is quite a contrast.The choir is first rate. The boys sing their cherub/Latin parts to perfection. The soprano (archangel) is a big dramatic sound. The Bass and Tenor are the perfect pairing for each other. Both are English in this case so the text is articulated well. This is nothing short of a stunner! Rushton you got this one???? Gesualdo "Resposories of the Office of Tenebrae or Maundy Thursday" volume 1, Deller Consort/ Harmonia Mundi(France) This is strange sometimes unapproachable music from the Italian Renaissance. Gesualdo was a aristocrat who it is said murdered his wife and her lover when they were caught "in flagrante delicto" by Gesualdo. The music's use of "text painting" is extensive. Indeed I find if you do not have the text you are lost. Not for the renaissance choral music neophyte. Once again the Dellers and HM are stellar. enough for now e |
To tempt the spouse down this evening... Italian Violin Music 1600-1750, Chiara Banchini -vn, Gerhardt Darmstadt -vc, Alfred Gross, hpd - Klimo Open Window OW 004 (Just scrumptious. Find it!) The Cozens Lute Book, Anthony Rooley -lute - L'Oiseau-Lyre DSLO 510 (another excellent LP from L'Oiseau-Lyre) e, I'm very fond of Britten's performance of the War Requiem and have not sought others. Rattle has never been a favorite conductor here. If you like his performance of the WR, I should try to find a copy and give Sir Simon another listen. You are the only person I've met who also enjoys the Gesualdo's "Lecons de Tenebres." Amazing! . |
Rushton: Here we go again.Folks are going to talk. The Britten WR with Rattle (also not my usual favorite)is definitely worthwhile. I too have the original London/Britten WR.It is a historic recording. I have to admit that my favorite Bass/Baritone is Thomas Allen, and Robert Tear is one of my favorite Tenors.The duets are what I find most intriguing about the piece.These two have a chemistry that Peter Pears and Dietrich Fisher Dieskau never had.I know this is sacrilege; don't get me wrong,I love them both. Both were at end of their fantastic careers. Also there is something about the percussion/artillery that sounds more powerful.This adds tremendously to the terrible impact that is war.It could be just me being sucked in by digital knob turning. but: "only the monstrous anger of the guns,only the stuttering rifle's rapid rattle,can patter out,their hasty orisons. The poetic imagery is fantastically portrayed. This piece is mandatory to anyone that thinks war is about honor and glory. truly musical genius. I love the Anthony Rooney recordings.Especially with Emma Kirkby. Rooney single handedly created the early music phenomenon,and L'Oiseau-Lyre was the venue. I will look for the Italian Violin Music.If you say it's good then I know it is. cheers my friend e |
e, given the alignment of so much of our musical tastes, another LP in the Klimo Open Window series may also appeal to you, and it is still available. This is a collection of Baroque music for the cornett, called "Il Cornetto, Music for Baroque Cornett" on OW 004. The capture of the timbre of the instruments is superb; a record to be savored for it's delicacy and for the intricacies of the instrumental harmonics. Slipknot1 and I have mentioned this record several times in the past and Elusive Disc still has a few copies in inventory: http://www.elusivedisc.com/prodinfo.asp?number=AEOW%20004 . |
testing the new wires. Just built a newer tonearm cable using mil-spec silver solid 30gauge wire.Also rewired the SUT with the same wire. The system just took a huge leap upwards in quality.Wire was given to me by Mike Morrow of Morrow Audio. thanks Mike! playing tonight: Dire Straits: "Love over Gold" Jennifer Warnes: "Famous Blue Raincoat" Henry Prucell: "King Arthur" /Deller Consort Harmonia Mundi Ralph Vaughn Williams "Mass in G minor"/ Corydon Singers Hyperion |
Nina Simone - "Four Women: The Philips Recordings" [Verve/UMG '03] 4CD annnotated box set containing the entirety of her 7 albums recorded for the label between '64-'66 Miles Davis All Stars - "Walkin'" [Prestige/CMG RVG edition '54/'06] Extended-form modified blues just don't get any better than the title cut and "Blue 'n' Boogie" with the Sextet of J.J. Johnson, Lucky Thompson, Horace Silver, Percy Heath and Kenny Clarke, and the mono sound is downright yummy even on CD Britten: Symphony For Cello & Orchestra/Suite from "Death In Venice" - Raphael Wallfisch, cello/English Chamber Orchestra, cond. Steuart Bedford [Chandos '85] Honestly guys, I'd been working on this one a few days prior to seeing your most recent posts!... |
Zaikesman, always nice to see a little more classical music listed, especially something as nice as Britten's Symphony for Cello and Orchestra!! Today was an afternoon of music with friends in the local Richmond audio group. Vinyl lovers gathered and the focus was music, not gear! We ran the gamut from Monk & Coltrane Live at Carnegie Hall to Mendelsshon's Symphony No. 3 (Maag/LSO), to Suzanne Vega, to Louis Armstrong, to The Doors, to Monteverdi's "Vespro della Beata Vergine" with Gardiner. A great afternoon. . |
I second the classical music statement Rush. I spent most of today replacing the volume pot in my new Dynaco Pas 2. I am pretty good with a soldering iron, but only know enough to be dangerous when it comes to reading schematics. I did figure it out and am now listening. so far: Rimsky Korsakov "Scheherazade" Mehta/LA Phil London/Decca This is the best recording of this chestnut that I know of. Durafle "Requiem" Kings College Cambridge/Ledger EMI For anyone that doesn't know this piece;if you like Faure you will love this piece.Of course Kings College is my first choice for performance. Sphere: "Flight Path" Elektra Musician These guys used to play with Thelonius Monk and can really play. This is one of the best sounding discs that I own.Very low sound floor, great bass,explosive saxophone,and silky brush strokes by the drummer.A must have. We call this one "the truth" in our audio club. cheers e |
Oh yeah Rush 'n' E, every once in a blue -- uh, better make that purple -- moon, I'm you're classical man! (Well, if not exactly classical then early or modern at least. But I do promise, in that setting anyway, not to pretend to know what the hell I'm talking about, as I am on occasion otherwise wont to do. Jes' the facts ma'am...) |
I'm enjoying a great bargain I found last week in a local Tampa record store, the classic Epic records George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra complete Beethoven symphonies set. They are in pretty much mint condition, they look unplayed. Paid the grand sum of......99cents for the set! The sound is pretty good for late fifies/early sixties and the surfaces are really quiet. |
The Chameleons - "Why Call It Anything?" [Cleopatra '02] The Church - "Priest = Aura" [Arista '92] Shonen Knife - "Genki Shock!" [Glue Factory '06] "Anarchy From The U.K. Vol. 1" - V.A. [Dojo '96] N.E.R.D. - "In Search Of..." [Virgin '01] Buffalo Springfield - "Again" [Atlantic '67] Duke Ellington - "Blues In Orbit" [Columbia/Legacy '60/'04] Thelonius Monk Quartet - "Monk's Dream" [Columbia/Legacy '63/'02] Pat Martino - "El Hombre" [Prestige RVG ed. '67/'07] Hilton Ruiz - "Enchantment" [Arabesque Jazz '03] Quartet plus Chico Freeman |
