Kiri Te Kanawa, Andrew Davis
"Strauss: Four Last Songs" (Vinyl)

I must confess to a lack of knowledge of the symphonic art song.  Whether it be Strauss or Mahler or Wagner, these late-romantic German composers who advocated for a "more is more" mentality often grate on my nerves.

I fully suspect, however, that this is because I have never been in the midst of a truly great orchestra performing these works.  At that moment, music such as these ceases to be a labor of intonation and balance and becomes truly transcendent.  I'm still waiting for my time in the sun.

It is great to have one of her generation's greatest sopranos singing.  There are many famous singers whom don't care for terribly, but the color in Ms. Kanawa's voice is powerful without becoming fatiguing.  Maybe she's like that in person too. Maybe.

Boulez, New York Philharmonic
"Falla: The Three-Cornered Hat" (Vinyl)

Manuel de Falla is best known for a couple of orchestral works that endure in the symphonic literature.  One of them is the suite that Falla himself compiled from music he wrote for his ballet, "The Three-Cornered Hat."

Sergei Diaghilev (of the Ballet Russes) championed the ballet and this recording by Pierre Boulez and the New York Philharmonic is the unconventional full ballet-length recording.  While there are moments that make less sense, there is a fair amount of beautiful music that didn't make it into the orchestral suite.

Artur Rubinstein 
"Chopin: Preludes op. 28" (Vinyl)

Written in 1838, Chopin's twenty-four opus 28 "Preludes" are considered amongst the greatest of his works for solo piano.  Granted, he wrote a lot of greatest works for solo piano, so it is hard for this string player to differentiate a polonaise from a mazurka.

Artur Rubinstein was to the piano in the 20th century what Heifetz was to the violin.  A superstar during his life, he enjoyed a celebrity status for good reason.

Reviewed here earlier, his recording of Brahms' violin sonatas with Henryk Szeryng are my favorite recording of those works.

This is a beautiful shaded dog RCA Victor that shouts all of the tell-tale signs of golden age recording (now that I've learned what I'm looking for.)

Frank Sinatra
"All the Way" (Vinyl)

Released in 1961, this album showed a record label's ability to capitalize on an in-demand artist like Sinatra from an early age.

This entire album is made up of b-sides from previously released singles.   This is kind of shocking, especially when you realize that songs like "All the Way," and "Witchcraft," were originally b-sides!

Other songs, like "High Hopes" and "Old McDonald Had a Farm" are quirky and out of place, but Nelson Riddle's arrangements keep the good times flowin', no matter the tune.

The fit and finish of this album aren't as good as many of Sinatra's Capitol releases.  I couldn't find Riddle's involvement until the almighty internet told me; it's not printed anywhere on the jacket.

Jo Jones Trio
"Jo Jones Trio" (Vinyl)

This might be the only Everest jazz recording I'll ever find.  Just like their classical counterparts, not many survive in playable condition to today, and the jazz catalog was certainly put into the hands of more enthusiastic listeners than someone interested in Sibelius' second symphony.

This recording was released in 1958 and is one of the noisiest, dirtiest records I've ever put on my table.  I just couldn't help myself.

The quality of the recording is there; the drums sound particularly present and vibrant.
From the golden age of jazz to my hi-fi in 2012.  It's amazing what endures.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
"Couldn't Stand the Weather" (Vinyl)

SRV has entered the Great Hall of rock n' roll legend. And it's not purely for his untimely death. During his lifetime momentum was garnered as one of the most inventive and influential guitarists of his generation.  Since his death in 1990 countless guitarists have cited him as an inspiration, copying, imitating and emulating him.

This 1984 album has some of his most classic tracks on it, including the title track, "Scuttle Buttin'" and his cover of Hendrix's "Voodoo Chile."

I'm not always in the mood for Stevie Ray Vaughan, but it is foolish (if not impossible) to acknowledge his importance for guitar-driven rock'n roll during a decade when everyone else was turning New Wave.

Itzhak Perlman, Samuel Sanders
"Perlman plays Fritz Kreisler" (Vinyl)

The first of three albums that would be released on Angel/EMI, this is Perlman the romantic showing off with a list of compositions by the renowned 19th century violinist, Fritz Kreisler.
Known today more for his compositions, Kreisler is still in heavy rotation amongst the violinists, primarily because of champions like Perlman that canonized the tradition of using Kreisler as an encore during recitals.

The image is from an EMI Classics re-issue on CD - I have a vinyl copy released on Angel from a few years earlier...

Nigel Kennedy
"Vivaldi: The Four Seasons" (CD)

Released in 1989, this is a multi-platinum selling recording of classical music's one of famous works.  For a classical album, the word platinum is quite a mountain to have climbed.

Kennedy's approach to these concertos is not very consistent with period performance; rather, he treats these works like a virtuosic springboard to dazzle and amaze.  He uses his own cadenzas which are mostly atmospheric and wander in and out of harmonic relevance.
It is their intention to dazzle, but in a generation of such renewed interest in period performance, to hear something so blatantly contrary is eye-brow raising.

Casals, Stern, Hess
"Brahms: Piano Trio no. 1" (Vinyl)

Wrapped in an indistinct packaging, these recordings from Casals' Prades Festival are always treatises on mid-century chamber music perfomances, but they're easily overlooked.  I'm not sure what Columbia's strategy was in putting these recordings out in such unremarkable (albeit matching) sleeves.

The recording technology in this era isn't great, but like any great musician, you are able to hear through the recording to hear the performance that Isaac Stern, Pablo Casals and Myra Hess deliver.

A Claymation Christmas Celebration (Vinyl)

A CBS television special in 1987, I think I saw this program once and it stuck in my mind.  Both the dinosaur emcees and the California Raisins, but also the choir of the bells made quite an impression.

This soundtrack loses a lot as the visuals are non-existent. It would be fantastic to see this TV special again.

Happy Thanksgiving - back from a weekend away...

The Menahan Street Band
"The Crossing" (Vinyl)

The Menahan crew was one of the most appealing acts you'd never heard of a few years ago.  Jay-Z, ESPN and Cee Lo (to name a few) were all sampling the title track from their 2008 debut.  The infectious horn lick was an easy sell for universal audiences.  Then, Menahan kinda dropped back beneath the surface.
Charles Bradley, a re-incarnated soul godfather burst onto the scene in 2010 with his debut "No Time for Dreaming" and the Daptone folks decided to pair the Menahan Street Band as Bradley's backing and touring ensemble.   Since then the boys probably haven't gotten a whole lot of sleep as Charles Bradley's appeal has seen world-wide fame.

Thankfully, Menahan found the time to get back to the Dunham/Daptone studios and record their sophomore offering, 2012's "The Crossing."  While it's still spinning on its maiden voyage, I already feel a more dense tapestry being woven; instead of merely horns, bass and drums blasting along, Menahan has let strings, organ and effect-laden guitars into the clubhouse for this foray.   The result is a more complex, grown-up flavor.

Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, Stuart Duncan
"The Goat Rodeo Sessions" (CD)

In 1999 Edgar Meyer released "Short Trip Home," an album of his unique blend of jazz and bluegrass music with Mike Marshall, Sam Bush and the classical superstar Joshua Bell.  In my mind, for this new generation of genre-bending acoustic musicians, "Short Trip" and 1996's "Appalachian Waltz" were high-water marks that benefited from a combination of virtuosity, song-writing and mass appeal.

Ever since then all of the musicians involved have busied themselves with other projects (Nickel Creek,  the Silk Road Ensemble) but have consistently found time to record together.  None of these projects really got very high above the horizon (for a myriad of reasons, I'm sure) until now.  "Goat Rodeo" (2011) is a return to the kind of star-powered virtuosic pyromania that proves irresistible to music-lovers, regardless of their pedigree. It is doubtless that this album will be recalled fondly in the upcoming rewards season.

Dr. John
"Locked Down" (Vinyl)

Dr. John is not new to the game.  He started recording session work in the 50's, and in the 70's became known for his own zydeco blend of jazz, funk, blues, rock, boogie and a partridge in a pear tree.

This marks the Doc's debut on Nonesuch and his first teaming up with the Black Keys' guitarist Dan Auerbach as producer and co-writer for some of the tunes.  From time to time you can hear Dan's distinctive guitar stylings poking its head through the texture.

This is my first real exposure to Dr. John.  I've already listened to this album a handful of times on the mp3 player, but I just acquired the album to hold in my hands, so now it can go up here.
I intend on looking for more music from Dr. John.  This stuff is crazy voodoo madness.  But considering Jim Henson based the Muppet Dr. Teeth on Dr. John, that makes sense.

The Edgar Winter Group
"They Only Come Out at Night" (Vinyl)

This was the third album released by Edgar Winter (and company.)  This was Winter's biggest album, the album going double-platinum and yielding a couple of the band's biggest hits ("Frankenstein" and "Free Ride.")

You gotta hand it to Winter for embracing his albinism and using it to help further the glam rock persona that has definitely created one of the most weirdly iconic album covers in rock n' roll history.

Happy first year anniversary!
I've actually been at this for a year.  That's insane.
Nov. 16, 2012 - 333 albums blogged.  Below my average, but I won't be hard on myself.

Here's to another year!

In celebration, we spin my all-time favorite rock n' roll album from the past decade:

The White Stripes
"Elephant" (Vinyl + CD)

This album was in the right place at the right time for me.  My musical and personal journeys intersected perfectly with the release of 2002's "Elephant," the Stripes' fourth album.  Buoyed by the strength of break-out singles like "Seven Nation Army," "Elephant" reminded a generation of music-listeners that rock 'n roll was very real and very alive.

This will always be one of the greatest for me.

Ashkenazy, Perlman & Harrell
"Beethoven: 'Archduke' Trio" (Vinyl)

In the piano trio literature, there can be few more famous than the "Archduke."  Other names might get thrown out like "Dumky" (Dvorak) or Schubert's two towering compositions in the genre, but Beethoven set a benchmark for whatever area he touched, and the piano trio is no exception.

I wonder how hard it was convince these three to wear matching turtlenecks on the cover of the album?

The Black Keys
"The Big Come Up" (Vinyl + CD)

The 2002 debut by Akron duo the Black Keys was the beginning of a career that I'm not sure even Dan & Pat saw coming.  Currently nominated for Grammys, regular air play on Mtv...and this is where it all started.

The first four albums from the Keys followed a simple but effective recipe: grungy blues, minimal fuss.  It is these albums (from 'Come Up' through 'Magic Potion') that rode a wave of blues-based garage rock that the Keys (and the White Stripes, the Strokes, the Vines) helped start.  

Jackie Gleason
"The Gentle Touch" (Vinyl)

In addition to being one of his generation's most successful, sought-after comedic actors, Jackie Gleason managed to find time to produce a series of all-instrumental easy listening albums that served as...well, baby-makin' music before there was such a thing as baby-makin' music.

The arrangements, performances and production are all top-notch. Just the sort of thing you'd put on the Grundig hi-fi and shake a few martinis to while you're waiting for the Carlyles to arrive.  American personified, ala Dick van Dyke.

The Mars Volta
"Amputechture" (CD)

The Mars Volta's third album, released in 2006 was Jon Theodore's final appearance with the prog-rockers.  Already on this album a feel there was a signaled change from the hurled velocity of their previous albums.

The engaging thing about the Volta (for me) was always their stop-on-a-dime sense of rhythm and tempo, falling (seemingly) haphazardly from one blistering self-destruction to the next.  This album loses a lot of that focus and intent.  It was the last album I paid the group much attention.

The Sugarman 3
"What the World Needs Now" (Vinyl)

Another Dap-Tone release, the Sugarman 3 have released three albums on the Brooklyn-based label.

This was released in 2012 and features the unusual line-up of organ, saxophone and drums holding the funky beats that sound like they should've been on the early seasons of the Cosby Show.