Love This Disc
John D. Murph | 02/12/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love this disc. I think the power of Bleckmann's voice is that he doesn't fall back on jazz cliches of singing. He's one of the few modern jazz singers that really make me pay attention to lyrics and melodies. I think if you're looking for jazz convention, then this disc will indeed disappoint. But if you're looking for jazz in its true modernist sense, then this disc is a winner."
Chuck would have loved this!
Gerard Dionne | 02/22/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Charles Ives' songs are almost always given the European style of lieder recital treatment; e.g., Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and "Winterreise", or even Thomas Hampson and Dawn Upshaw singing Aaron Copland. But, if you've heard Ives himself sing his own, "They Are There", you know well enough that subsequent performances would easily be the stuff of vigorous embellishment. In that spirit, Theo Bleckmann and Kneebody have stepped up to the plate - with extreme prejudice!
These readings are more than mere interpretation, they're a paradigm shift - a hundred-year leap to a place where the traditional roll of singer has gone beyond genre. If, when you listen, you attempt a mental pigeonhole (jazz vocal, legitimate voice, new age whatever) you run the danger of limiting your understanding of what's happening here. What's jazzlike is a sense of being in the moment, free of assumptions about the next few seconds. And from the tradition of lieder singing, Theo sings beyond mere technical considerations to plant a flag; i.e., he claims these songs as his own - inhabits them.
There is no doubt in my mind that Ives would have loved this. There are technological considerations he would have instinctively embraced, especially in light of, for example, his quarter tone pieces. Here the electronics are as integral with Kneebody's conception and execution as the emerging piano-forte was to Mozart. But what of the vocal?
Theo has benefited from being among the late 20th century singers who have changed what it means to sing in a performance setting. In-concert sound reinforcement, and its recording corollary, allow for an intimacy unheard since 19th century salon recitals. Theo makes the most of this; here as elsewhere, his vocals are exquisite, nuanced and often transcendent.
The boldness of this take on Ives arouses broad expectations. What, for example, would Bleckmann do with Mahler's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" or the Kindertotenlieder? I'd pay money to hear that! And what would happen if he tackled Hans Werner Henze's or Anton Webern's songs? It's delicious just to contemplate such a thing.
Here's proof that the singer need not sing BIG in order to make a major impact on the lieder repertoire. I truly never thought I would hear "Like a Sick Eagle" that would blow my hair back (if I had hair) the way Jan DeGaetani's did three and a half decades ago. But, here it is - welcome to the future, everyone!"
Daring and beautiful !
Peter from the city | 02/20/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For many singers, interpreting the music of Charles Ives comes with equal amounts of joy and difficulty. Ives wrote songs that are both technically complex and almost child-like in their enthusiasm (especially when they are about matters either traditionally spiritual or patriotic). But as is the case with Charles Ives songs, they are very 'modern' harmonically and often times quirky, chromatic and demanding for a lesser singer to pull off. Imagine taking all those challenges and still re-imagining some of Ives best songs. The divinely talented Theo Bleckmann and the jazz chamber group Kneebody do just that in 'Twelve Songs'. Rich and nuanced and always compelling, Bleckmann 's voice makes every lyric count and the arrangements put together by Theo and Kneebody pay tribute to Ives without ever being condescending or too clever. A beautifully conceived selection of songs by an American master, performed with absolute heart, soul and respect."
