CLASSICAL
Franz Schubert
Schubert
Anja Linder; Laurent Korea; Julie Sévilla-Fraysse
Naïve (dist. Naxos)
V 8208
The backstory behind this album is so interesting it’s tempting to lose sight of the music itself: shortly after winning a prestigious international chamber music competition, harpist Anja Linder was involved in a serious accident that left her partially paralyzed and unable to to use harp pedals in a conventional way. The invention of a computer-assisted electro-pneumatic harp allowed her to return to professional performance. And one of the fruits of these efforts is this heart-stoppingly beautiful program of chamber works by Franz Schubert, including the famous “Arpeggione” sonata and the equally beloved slow movement from his second piano trio. Playing her own adaptations of two of the works on the program, she is joined by violinist Laurent Korea and cellist Julie Sévilla-Fraysse, and their performances are stunning. There are a few moments when I wish the harp were a bit more forward in the mix, but that’s the closest thing I have to a complaint about this outstanding album.
Various Composers
Sacred Treasures of Venice
The London Oratory Schola Cantorum / Charles Cole
Hyperion (dist. Integral)
CDA68427
The title Sacred Treasures of Venice might lead you to expect big, grandiose polychoral works with lush instrumental accompaniment along the lines of those by Monteverdi and the various Gabrielis who made St. Mark’s Basilica a major center of European religious music in the 16th century. And indeed, both Monteverdi and the Gabrielis are represented on this program, along with lesser lights like Claudio Merulo and Giacomo Finetti. But the music, performed by the men and boys of the London Oratory Schola Cantorum, is more subdued than one might anticipate: no brass, no organ, just a cappella motets sung with restrained power, admirable blend, and very fine intonation. This is the third in the choir’s Sacred Treasures series, and is a very welcome addition to the catalog.
MC Maguire
Dystophilia
Neuma
190
In equal parts thrilling and exhausting, these two works by MC Maguire don’t exactly blur the lines between art music and pop music — instead, they throw elements of pop and classical music onto a huge pile and them set them aflame. On Yummy World, Maguire takes Justin Bieber’s hit song “Yummy” and incorporates elements of it into a madcap musical pastiche that also involves orchestral passages, jazz rhythms, unidentifiable samples, and breakbeats. Imagine someone making a smoothie out of virtually every musical gesture made in the past 100 years — now imagine being thrown into the blender with it. That’s what Yummy World sounds like. Another Lucid Dream takes a conceptually similar approach with quite different results. Blending 17th-century classical music, heavy metal, and “Lucid Dream” by the late rapper Juice Wrld, Lucid Dream is less frantic than Yummy World but every bit as dense and complex. If Edgard Varèse had had access to a sampler and an effectively limitless amount of digital cultural content, he likely would have made music like this.
Matthew Locke
Consorts Flat and Sharp
Phantasm
Linn (dist. Naxos)
CKD737
Phantasm is one of the world-leading viol consorts and has been for almost 30 years now. This is their second recording dedicated to the music of the great English court composer Matthew Locke, whose consorts are known for their oddity in terms of melody, harmony, and even tempo. Three of the suites presented here are “flat” consorts (i.e., written in flat keys — though one of them is actually written in sharp keys, mutating from A major to A minor) written in honor of Locke’s cousin; the other five are grouped under the heading “The Little Consort.” His prose writings reveal a man very much at odds with his time, who freely expressed contempt for any contemporaries whose approach to music differed from his, and it’s possible that the idiosyncrasies of his style are a reflection of that feeling — but for most listeners, that won’t be what comes through. Instead it will be the grace and invention of his writing and the superb playing by Phantasm.
Gabriel Olafs
Lullabies for Piano and Cello (digital only)
Gabriel Olafs; Steiney Sigurðardóttir
Decca
5562113
The title says it all: this program consists of a mix of original pieces and traditional lullabies reimagined (and to some degree recomposed) and arranged for piano and cello. The music is, of course, gentle and quiet, but don’t let yourself be so lulled by its gentleness and quietude that you fail to appreciate its subtle artistry (including tastefully wielded multitracking). Olafs is the pianist here and he’s joined by cellist Steiney Sigurðardóttir, who gave birth shortly before the recording sessions — bringing a particular warmth and tenderness to her playing. Traditional Icelandic melodies play an important role here, and Olafs has said that they not only bring him back to his own childhood but also carry echoes of Icelandic culture going back over a millennium. The album is deeply lovely and also nicely functional — though since it clocks in at less than half an hour of music, your child had better fall asleep fast.
JAZZ
Lynne Arriale Trio
Being Human
Challenge (dist. Naxos)
CR73572
Being Human is the remarkable pianist/composer Lynne Arriale’s 17th album as a leader, and her hard-won experience is on full display here. It’s a rare jazz artist who can pull off a concept album (especially one on which the concept is the variety of human emotions) without lapsing into mawkishness or self-indulgence; Arriale does it by never losing sight of structure or swing, and never taking six minutes to say something musically that can be said in under three. As a result, virtually every track is a highlight: the Calypso-flavored “Joy”; the melodically and harmonically knotty “Curiosity”; the simple and tender “Love,” which is reprised at the end of the program as a choral piece (with wordless “vocals” synthesized using a Yamaha Clavinova). Any library supporting a jazz curriculum should seriously consider acquiring this album for its pedagogical potential as well as its purely musical qualities.
David Friesen
This Light Has No Darkness
Origin
82888
Jazz albums with explicitly religious themes are not unheard of, but they’re not typical either. And yet last month I recommended a solo album by a jazz guitarist who is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and whose music served as an expression of her faith, and this month I find myself recommending a new album from the venerable bassist/composer David Friesen, whose music in this case is also written in an attitude of explicit Christian devotion. To make it even more interesting, it’s written for a combination of jazz trio and chamber orchestra — and the orchestra has been created using sampling software (for the interesting and heartbreaking story behind that decision, see the liner notes). How’s the music? It’s beautiful, and explores better than most jazz/classical fusion projects a very fruitful borderland between the two genres. Listen closely and you can tell the orchestra isn’t real, but that somehow only makes the 12-movement work all the more uniquely lovely.
The Soul Jazz Rebels
ICONIQ
Black Stamp Music
No cat. no.
The third album from this French quartet finds them continuing to engage soul-jazz tradition in a manner less rebellious than straightforwardly, joyfully celebratory. Though the program consists entirely of original compositions, it would fit comfortably in any collection that includes 1960s recordings by the likes of Jimmy Smith and Jack McDuff: Hammond organ is at the center of the group’s sound (and therefore there’s no bass player, the organist playing that role with pedals), and saxophone is added to expand the normal soul-jazz trio format. Also expansive is the group’s stylistic palette, which draws on rhythms from Central Africa and Mauritius as well as American jazz vibes. What’s constant, though, is the sense of joy that pervades every track, from the sweetly bouncy “Ambalaba” to the swinging and headlong “Train fou.” This is one of my favorite jazz albums of the year so far, and is strongly recommended to all library collections.
Christian Fabian Trio
Hip to the Skip
Spice Rack
SR-101-68
And while we’re talking about funky soul jazz that prominently features the Hammond B3, let’s consider this release from the Christian Fabian Trio, a bass-led combo that also includes keyboardist Matt King and drummer Jason Marsalis. These guys range all over the place for source material, from hard bop classics like “Moanin'” to fusion classics like Joe Zawinul’s “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy,” with some traditional New Orleans material and originals thrown in for good measure. Speaking of New Orleans, you hear it constantly in Marsalis’ slippery syncopations, but there are all kinds of other funk flavors in the mix as well. As someone who has gone on the record more than once saying that an awful lot of what calls itself “funky” jazz seems to be played by people with only the vaguest understanding of funkiness, take it from me: this is one of the funkiest albums you’ll hear this year, in jazz or any other genre. Highly recommended.
Chris Rottmayer
Being
Shifting Paradigm
SP197
This album was my introduction to the work of pianist/composer Chris Rottmayer, and it really knocked me out. Interestingly, the all-original program was created as the result of his intensive study of the playing of Mulgrew Miller during the latter’s time with the Woody Shaw Quintet. Rottmayer transcribed Miller’s recorded parts and consciously drew on the musical language of Miller and Shaw when he was writing and arranging these tunes. Leading a quartet that includes trumpeter/flügelhorn player Russ Johnson, drummer Matt Enders, and the ageless and legendary bassist Rufus Reid, Rottmayer delivers sprightly hard bop workouts (“Châtelet,” “Rue des Lombards”), sensitive ballads (“Pigalle,” “Autumn Evening”) and more, all with a marvelous blend of delicacy and strength, and all of it with a mighty sense of swing. If you’re noticing a predominance of Paris-related track titles, that’s on purpose; half of Rottmayer’s compositions here are ruminations on and musical depictions of various places in that famously jazz-friendly city.
FOLK/COUNTRY
Lynn Miles
Tumbleweedyworld
True North
TND802
Singer/songwriter Lynn Miles has had a long and distinguished career, writing more than 900 songs and releasing 15 albums. At age 65 her voice remains impressively powerful, and of course her writing chops just keep getting stronger and stronger: “All Bitter Never Sweet” is straight-up bluegrass, with Scruggs-style banjo and resonator slide guitar — but much of this material reflects a long immersion in many folk and folk-adjacent styles, including country blues (which you hear especially on “Moody”), cowboy-flavored acoustic country (“Night Owl,” “Hwy 105” with its subtle clawhammer banjo), and quiet neo-folk (“Gold in the Middle,” “Johnny Without June”). There’s a warmth and confidence to her delivery than can come only from hard-won experience, and this album should find a welcome home in any library with a collecting interest in folk, country, and singer-songwriter releases.
The International Treasures
Together, We Are the International Treasures
The Supper Club Collective
No cat. no.
I approached this one with caution. The wry title, and the fact that the first song on the program is titled “Egg Suckin’ Dog,” led me to expect slightly painful humor. But gratefully, that opening track (an old Jack Clement song, as it turns out) lasted less than a minute, and then things got good. The International Treasures are a duo consisting of Doyle Turner and Ted Hajansiewicz, both of them celebrated songwriters and solo artists with solid reputations on the American midwest circuit. I was interested to see that on this duo album, they don’t specify which songs were written by whom, noting only that “most songs (were) written by Doyle Turner and/or Ted Hajnasiewicz” — which suggests a refreshing modesty on both parts. The songs themselves are great, generally country-informed but not country-defined, sung gently and often in tight harmony. Highlights include the simmering “Gimme Some More” (which also comes close to rocking out, on the chorus) and a soulful, organ-driven number titled “Nice to Know Ya.”
Tim Easton
Find Your Way
Black Mesa
BMR078
The title track of Tim Easton’s latest, Find Your Way, opens the album with a sweet but slightly eerie ambience that recalls The Band’s Robbie Robertson’s collaborations with producer Daniel Lanois. But then comes “Everything You’re Afraid Of,” a straightforward acoustic folk-rocker, and then a swaying 6/8 number called “Here for You,” complete with banjo and mandolin. By this point you might be starting to notice a lyrical theme of encouragement and supportiveness, verging on the therapeutic (sample couplet: “You don’t have to have shame for the games you played/Let’s take all that pain and rage and useless hatred away”). That tendency continues through some traditionally-configured country blues (“Bangin’ Drum [Inside My Mind]”) and a honky-tonk tune that Hank Williams would have appreciated (“Arkansas Twisted Heart”), but there is also a bitterly funny kiss-off (“Dishwasher’s Blues”) and a desperate take-me-back song (“What Will It Take?”). The through-line for all of these songs is Easton’s sharp way with a lyrical observation, not to mention his ability to startle you with a great hook. Recommended.
ROCK/POP
Trevor Horn
Echoes Ancient & Modern
Universal Music Group
486 0613
Trevor Horn was one of the most celebrated and successful producers of the 1980s, having made hit singles and albums with the likes of ABC, Grace Jones, and Frankie Goes to Hollywood (after playing bass with the groundbreaking Buggles). On this release he recruits singers to perform radically new arrangements of hit songs by other artists from that period, resulting in such neck-snapping incongruities as a swooping orchestral setting of Jones’ disco hit “Slave to the Rhythm” and a thumping techno version of Pat Benatar’s “Love Is a Battlefield” featuring Marc Almond. Elsewhere, Jack Lukeman brings a decidedly Nick Cave vibe to his performance of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”; Toyah Wilcox and Robert Fripp turn “Relax (Don’t Do It)” into a lush synth pop reverie… you get the idea. Every track may not be equally brilliant, but there are some startlingly gorgeous moments here — and of course the production is consistently outstanding.
Vivabeat
Party in the War Zone (expanded reissue)
Rubellan Remasters
RUBY52CD
While we’re looking back to the ’80s, libraries should definitely take note of this significant reissue. Vivabeat have the distinction of being the first American band signed to the British Charisma label (after being discovered by Peter Gabriel in the late 1970s). Their techno-pop sound is most definitely of its era — the yelpy vocals, the cheesy organ, the herky-jerk rhythms — but their debut album is valuable not only as a period document but also as a very fun listening experience. And this beautifully remastered version expands the original ten-song program with an additional ten tracks of bonus material including previously unreleased songs. Consider the fact that these guys toured in support of bands as stylistically disparate as R.E.M, the Thompson Twins, and Gang of Four, and you know you’re going to be hearing something pretty unusual.
Richard Thompson Band
Historic Classic Concert: Live in Nottingham 1986 (2 discs)
The Store for Music
SFMCD570
I’m a longstanding fan of legendary guitarist and songwriter Richard Thompson, and have loved his work at every stage of his (very long and ongoing) career, but I’m not sure he ever led a band better than the one he took on the road in 1985 and 1986 in support of Across a Crowded Room. There have been several live albums released based on performances from those tours, and this one, recorded at Rock City in Nottingham in November of 1986, is definitely among the best. The package is shamefully lacking in musician credits, but he obviously has Clive Gregson and Christine Collister singing backup, and that’s almost certainly Rory McFarlane on bass; sadly, I don’t think I hear his frequent collaborator John Kirkpatrick on accordion. (You can hear the latter on another live recording from this same venue during the same month; apparently Thompson played a multi-night stand there.) The sound is generally very good and the live mix is outstanding — and Thompson’s guitar playing is absolutely fearsome, particularly on “Tear Stained Letter,” a traditional showcase for his soloing.
Steve Drizos
I Love You Now Leave Me Alone
Cavity Search
CSR175
The second solo album from producer and multi-instrumentalist Steve Drizos finds him moving away from the one-man-band approach of Axiom and instead bringing together some like-minded musicians (including his keyboardist wife, Jenny Conlee, of the Decemberists) to put together a very fine set of rock and power-pop tunes. Drizos is most commonly found behind the drum set, but for this album he ceded the drum stool to Joe Mengis (of Eels) and stuck to rhythm guitar and synthesizer, as well as lead vocals. The songs are fantastic: carefully crafted, but with an unassuming meat-and-potatoes feel that nicely complements his pleasant, workmanlike vocals. You’ll hear elements of jangle pop (“Kick into Touch,” “Troubled Heart”), heartland rock (the acoustic-guitar-driven “Shadow Life”), and even atmospheric arena rock (“Beautiful Nothing”), but what unite everything are the open-hearted intimacy of Drizos’ lyrics and his admirable way with a melodic hook. Highly recommended to all libraries.
Acrelid
Illegal Rave Tapes Selektion: 1999-2012 (vinyl & digital only)
Dance Data
DDR003
John Lee Richardson, a.k.a. Acrelid, has been an enthusiastic denizen of the UK rave scene since its inception in the 1990s. And since that time he’s kept an extensive archive of his own musical tinkerings, tracks heavily influenced not only by the jungle, drum’n’bass, and acid techno sounds of the era, but also by the field and sound-demo recordings broadcast much earlier in the 20th century via the BBC Radiophonic Workshop program. On this curated compilation of tracks from those archives (also available as a complete collection), we hear the sound of a young artist besotted by the frenetic energy of early jungle (“Vebus,” the ragga-inflected “Scapegoat”), glitch funk (“Geiger Counter”), and metaphysical experimentation (“It’s Not a Matter of Belief”). You’ll hear strong echoes of Meat Beat Manifesto and Spring Heel Jack on much of this material, but over the course of the album’s 15 tracks you also hear a very distinctive musical personality emerging.
WORLD/ETHNIC
Ramzi Aburedwan & Dal’Ouna Ensemble
Oyoun al Kalam (digital-only reissue)
Riverboat
TUGDD1139
The Dal’Ouna Ensemble was formed in 2000 by Franco-Palestinian composer and multi-instrumentalist Ramzi Aburedwan, and Oyoun al Kalam was the group’s first of four albums originally released between 2007 and 2012. This reissue marks the first time it’s been available digitally. Aburedwan’s primary instrument is the bouzouk (a long-necked lute closely related to the Greek bouzouki and the Egyptian saz), but he also plays viola on this recording, and is joined by various percussionists, oud and accordion players, and the brilliant singers Oday Al-Khatib and Noura Mahti, whose richly emotive but crystal-clear vocals weave sinuously through the all-acoustic mix while clarinet (I think; the promo came with no liner notes), percussion, oud, and accordion all shift in and out of complex unison melodic lines and rich harmonies. This is a lovely and fascinating album.
Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh Honari
Gordon Grdina’s The Marrow with Fathieh Honari
Attaboy Girl
ABG-8
Guitarist/composer Gordon Grdina is, in addition to a boundary-pushing jazz artist, a master of the oud and an adept of traditional Arabic music. He has combined those elements on previous albums, but on this one he focuses tightly on Persian musical traditions, featuring the haunting, keening vocals of Fathieh Honari alongside her son Hamin (percussion), bassist Mark Helias, and legendary downtown cellist Hank Roberts (whom some readers will recognize as a frequent past collaborator with Bill Frisell, Fred Frith, Tim Berne, and others). The material on this album is a mix of Grdina’s original compositions and songs from the Persian folk and pop repertoires, including settings of poems by Rumi. Although the rhythms and scales will sound exotic to many Western ears, this music is actually much more immediately accessible than some of Grdina’s more jazz-oriented work, and offers a valuable window into a musical tradition that is generally underrepresented in the US. For all libraries.
Various Artists
Redman International: We Run Things (2 discs)
VP/17 North Parade
VPCD4247
I’ve been a passionate reggae fan for over 40 years now, and I confess that even I had never heard of producer Hugh “Redman” James and his Redman International label — a label, which, based on the evidence of this two-disc retrospective, was an absolute hotbed of A-list talent during the early days of digital dancehall music. Honestly, everyone is here: Gregory Isaacs (“Chisholm Avenue”), Little John (“Rub A Dub One”), Sugar Minott (“Them a Wolf”), Pinchers (“Blinking Something”), and of course the leading light of lovers dancehall, Sanchez (“Old Friend,” “Lady in Red”). James was a fine producer, and his computer rhythms are nicely rendered and (for the most part) beautifully mastered here. Even if there are several unfortunate examples of singers performing songs over rhythms whose chord changes don’t match those of the song in question, that’s such a common problem during this period of reggae history that it would seem churlish to criticize it too much in this case. This is a highly valuable document of an important era of reggae history.
Otava Yo
Loud & Clear
ARC Music (dist. Naxos)
EUCD2971
In my experience, Russian Orthodox religious music is very dark and intense, and much Eastern European folk music is fiery and modal and intense, so I was prepared for something very different from the generally quite gentle and lyrical music on offer here from Russian folk ensemble Otava Yo. To be clear, I’m not saying there’s no intensity in this music: the vinegary fiddles and full-throated male singing on “Ah, the Woods” has plenty of energy, and “Tongue Twisters” has the vibe of a full-on hoedown, albeit one that prominently features bagpipes (and a crypto-reggae beat). But “A Gusli Tune” is pure sweetness and lyricism, and the blend of ancient and modern instruments on “It’s the Last Day” creates a rich musical texture that nicely bridges the gap not just between old and new, but also between Eastern and Western folk traditions. For any library with a collecting interest in European folk music.
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