IC B's Reviews

The Erased Tapes' tenth anniversary project, 1+1=X, was created as a beautiful "object" -- a physical box-set made like an minimalist art object -- not at all standard-issue packaging.

The box is a solid little white-on-white slipcase made of heavy, creamy white textured, heavy-duty paperboard, as solid in the hands as a little hardcover book. It has an unusual triangular come-apart point that divides a large capital X, also deeply embossed. The two halves slide apart and fit together smoothly, to reveal the the two discs, side-by-side, nicely encased and marked 1, and 2. Next to these nestles another item, marked X: a 70-page softcover booklet.

The whole sturdy little thing is kind of elegant, and even sort of mysterious-looking. The title, 1+1=X, is embossed in small print, and a large, spidery, white-on-white X is pressed into the clean, pure white box, without other decoration. A very nice item!

Review Date: 7/17/2022

This one's an interesting collaboration between Aco Bocina (Italian Gypsy guitarist/mandolin master) and Fanfare Ciocărlia (fire-breathing twelve-piece Romani brass party-band from a village called Zece Prăjini).

So the CD is actually under the name of Aco Bocina, with Fanfare listed as "guests".

Guests. Ha. Let me tell you a little about Romani Brass band music. It's energized, wild stuff like you can't believe -- loud, fun, insistent and very, very greasy. Fanfare Ciocărlia is no exception. These Bands usually include trumpets, tenor horns and BIG baritone horns, tubas, clarinets, saxophones, bass drum and percussion. Wikipedia has it that Fanfare Ciocărlia works in "Turkish, Bulgarian, Serbian and Macedonian musical styles" with a bit of international radio, Hollywood and Bollywood in the mix as well. "They are best known for a very fast, high-energy sound, with complex rhythms and high-speed, staccato clarinet, saxophone and trumpet solos, sometimes performed at more than 200 beats per minute. They are also known for using no sheet music in their performances, sometimes randomly blasting their horns and clarinets in the middle of a song, and for playing old, battered instruments onstage."

They were invited to play at Danny Elfman's 50th birthday party. What can I say? I love this stuff.

Aco Bocina, whose name is on the CD, is another kind of Gypsy performer, In the spirit of Paco Lucia or the Gypsy Kings. One review talks about his mandolin playing this way:

"...He plays mandolin turning it upside-down and sliding strings onto the blue jeans. He rubs them onto the right thigh making them whisper, implore, cry, whimper, vibrate, talk, excite, move. He makes music (a lovely music) even so, besides playing in "classic" way (handling the instrument according to the Academy and the tradition) ... He either drives mad young people or is popular among mature audience." (Translated from an Italian site.)

I'm pretty sure this CD would no doubt be snapped up immediately except the cover misses the most astoundingly great thing about it: Fanfare Ciocărlia, for the comparatively photogenic appeal of Mr. Aco Bocina, who's no slouch on the guitar, either.

Give this one a try - hope I convert another listener to Romani Brass band music. Fun stuff!
Review Date: 10/30/2011

I like this recording by Jon Sonnenberg. It's acoustic, but not particularly folky.. has both serious-musician attitude and a light heart -- and the I'm a fool for anyone who invents his own musical instruments. A shame there isn't more about this here in the database -- so I'll try to fill in, just a little.

TRACKS:

The Forgotten (instrumental)
Doa
The Door With 5000 Locks
Moonlight
Knock Knock
Everything Lies In Ruins
Freedom Is the Edging to the Garden On the Right
Yesterday
Pacific
Busy
Overcome
Comfort
World of the Future
Winter
Your Side of the Mask
The Forgotten
Forgotten

One source online says, "For more than a decade, Jon Sonnenberg (member of Travelogue and more) has charmed listeners with his ability to blend intricate sounds and textures with pleasant melodies. Whether creating sounds electronically, electrically, or acoustically, the layers and quality of Sonnenberg's work enables one's imagination to see beyond the confines of commercial music. His new album, Acoustic Selections, features reconfigured and rerecorded versions of his previous electronic "greatest hits." Some of the 27 instruments that Sonnenberg plays on his album he made himself...."

Have a listen! It's up on Amazon and elsewhere. Original stuff with an acoustic heart.

Review Date: 3/3/2011

"Chas Smith builds metallic sculptures that are amplified and struck or bowed. The copper box, the bass tweed, the Guitarzilla, and the Dado are back, accompanied by the newcomers Mantis and Majestic, the latter a huge structure of 38 by ten feet. But impressive gear doesn't make impressive music: it's all in the ear. Smith hears beautiful overtones in his creations and he communicates them wonderfully. His soundscapes are engaging, shifting slowly and gaining ever more richness."

Aluminum Overcast Review by Francois Couture
Review Date: 3/18/2024

"A collection of ambient and atmospheric works from the mid-1980s reflecting the artist’s earlier influences. Captured here, for the first time on CD, is music evocative of cavernous underground warehouses and abandoned munitions factories, deep cold Canadian winters, and lost childhood memories."
samples: https://stephenbacchus.bandcamp.com/album/ambient-origins
Review Date: 2/18/2018

American Motorcycles Motor CD Collection No. 4 aka Gotthard – Motor CD Collection No. 4

Label:BMG Ariola München GmbH – No. 4, Metal Hammer – No. 4
Format:CD, Shape, EP
Country:Germany
Released:1996
Genre:Rock

For those who might not be familiar with them, "shape" CDs are not round, but are custom-made like a jigsawed cut-out, in a particular shape. This one is a German Import for a series featuring rock music and special collectible discs made in the shapes of well-known American motorcyle engines. (note that the genre for this disc should be Rock; musi is by the band Gotthard.)

TRACKLISTING:

1 Hey, Catch Me If You Can 2:17
2 Gotthard: In The Name - Live 5:11
3 Gotthard: Mountain Mama - Live 3:45
4 Gotthard: Mighty Quinn (Bob Dylan) - Live 4:45


For more info and a picture of the shape CD, have a look at the link below:

https://www.discogs.com/Various-Motor-CD-Collection-No-4-Gotthard/release/10103581
Review Date: 4/1/2018

From the unmatchable label for classical music, Musical Heritage Society.

This recording features Russian choral ensemble Chorovaya Akademia performing the sombre and joyous music of the Russian church, a centuries-old tradition of unaccompanied male voice choirs. This music has been brought to an incomparable level of richness and complexity by the composers over the last 200 years and this recording evokes the mystic dreamscape of the Russian north. A one-of-a-kind recording of transcendent spiritual music.
Review Date: 8/3/2020

A quote sets the tone for this ambitious, poetic work:

"...from Cook to Caedmon tides regulate things at Whitby. The ordinary octaves of people and their lives, all flows with the music of the Place, the Sea and its Tides. In the Georgian Drawing room that is England, Whitby is the Angel on the Mantlepiece."
--Tommy Randell

Charles O'Connor's rich, nuanced Resolution Suite, "Angel on the Mantlepiece" describes a time, a place and a mood as rich with tradition as it is lively and contemporary. This music of the British Isles is very much out of the ordinary.

Tracklisting, instrumentation:

Ocean of Storms
Concertina • Bing Pipe Organ • String Section

Seachange
Concertina • Bing Pipe Organ • String Section • Percussion

Comes a Calm
Classical Guitar • Kalimba • Melodeon • Piano • Acoustic Bass • Drums • Percussion

Bottom Buttons
Classical Guitar • Kalimba • Melodeon • Piano • Acoustic Bass • Drums • Percussion

In Your Own Time
Mandolin • Piano • Stnng Section • Bowed Guitar • Accoustic Bass • Percussion

Skinner's Treat
Concertina • Melodeon • Piano Jews Harp • Drums • Percussion

Circles Round the Moon
Concertina • Ukelele • Spanish Guitar

Angel on the Mantlepiece
Mandolins • Accordion • Guitar • Piano • De-tuned Spanish Guitar • Drums • Percussion

Basket of Bones
Concertina • Violin • Ukelele • Melodeon • Percussion

Chocolate Cats
Concertina • String Section • Piano

The Grand Tour
Piano • Accordion • Mandolin Section • Ukelele • Drums • Acoustic Bass • Percussion

When the Long Trick's Over
Concertina • Ukelele
Fiddlehead
Concertina • Violin • Harpsichord • Melodeon • Ocarina • Percussion

Ocean of Storms
Concertina • String Section

Musicians:
Charles O'Connor
Concertina • Melodeon • Violins Mandolin • Kalimba • Percussion Harpsichord • Guitar • Jews Harp
Paul Whittaker
Guitars • Ukelele • Acoustic Bass • Drums • Pipe Organ • Percussion • Accordion • Ocarina
Phil Moore
Grand Piano on: Skinners Treat • In Your Own Time • Comes a Calm • Chocolate Cats • The Grand Tour
Chris Parkinson
Melodeon on: Skinners Treat , Accordion on: Bottom Buttons • Angel on the Mandepiece • The Grand Tour

Read more at http://www.horslips.ie/charles/AngelWeb.html
Review Date: 3/5/2017

Just to fill in a few blanks:

Artist: Chusen & Cugin

Chushen & Cugin - ANIMISM

"A full length CD of ambient chillout beats; an 11 song journey through the depths of Chushen & Cugin's electronic rhythms. This unique collection of tracks is a fully mixed spectrum of music, embracing the sounds of acts like FSOL, Banco De Gaia, and Pink Floyd."
from the LaLaLand label website http://www.lalaland.cc/ (see https://web.archive.org/web/20030621164641/http://www.lalaland.cc/)

"Nelson Martin (aka Chushen) and Bill Grasso (aka Cugin) grew up in the dance-heavy music scene of early '90s Orlando, FL, a place where DJs were outnumbered only by tourists in mouse ears. Already avid record collectors and all-around studio scientists, Chushen and Cugin began performing at local events around the Sunshine State in 1997 and soon became a staple at local clubs and parties there. The duo's DJ sets and live performances are truly a must for the serious electronic music fan and are known to set both mind and body into a state of perpetual motion. Animism, their first full length, combines elements of breakbeat, ambient, downtempo, and electro into funky psychedelic soundscape aimed straight for the cerebellum. Chushen and Cugin's tracks have much in common with the likes of The Future Sound Of London and Irresistable Force, sounding more like natural occurrences then controlled experiments. Offering a convincing argument for the "all natural phenomena posses a living soul" debate, Animism features plenty of good vibes."
reviewed by Mat Mahoney, on Epitonic website, last updated:11/26/02 (see https://web.archive.org/web/20030627114518/http://www.epitonic.com/artists/chushenandcugin.html)

Tracks:
1. Music2Me
2. The Righteous Life
3. Rusted
4. Sunshower
5. Id
6. The Sutra
7. Primitive Animism
8. Yidaki
9. The Bodhi Tree
10. Lots of Friends
11. Nepenthe


Review Date: 11/11/2016

A few quoted reviews to give you a feel for Amina's "Annabi":

"This album is so refreshing...an album that mixes Arabic, European, and American influences into a unified and compelling sound. The production and mixing is a perfect blend. The North African (via Tunisia) rhythms and instrumentation is the main template for most of these upbeat songs, but the Parisian nightclub/dance mixing is very strong."

"...all modern, hip, Eastern meets Western music. Whether she sings in French, English or Arabic her voice is a pure pleasure to listen to from the sultry "L'Inconditionnel Amour" to the rocking "Lirrili"."

"...The beauty and elegance that Amina has exhibited in her well-fashioned and somewhat eclectic discography shows that language and nationality are transcended by genre.

"Amina is a pop singer...she sings in Arabic with clear North-African inflection, sometimes in French and sometimes in English... What's special about Amina is the way in which she seamlessly incorporates North African (and indeed, coastal African) influences within the genre of top-French radio/dance-pop."
Review Date: 6/15/2018

Antarctica, a recording by Ian Tamblyn is described as "Musical exploration of Antarctica; includes sounds of Weedell seals, Emperor and Adelie penguins, and Arebus ice cave". It is a blend of gentle, acoustic music (instrumental) and site-recorded natural sounds.

Tamblyn notes, "I composed this CD after spending some time at McMurdo Base in Antarctica where I was diving under the ice with a group [of] scientists who invited me there. I recorded nearly everything I could while travelling around Ross Island environs.
When I returned home I started integrating these sounds with the musical impressions . It took me several years to complete the project."

Tamblyn has recorded at least five other albums in Folk style, including "Angel's Share", "Raincoast", "Voice in the Wilderness", "The Body Needs to Travel", and "Superior:Spirit and LIght". His CDs (and samples of his music) are available via CDBaby.

Review Date: 6/19/2011

Armenio
Kovyovmdzian Katabian

1. Angaj Haiasdan
2. Hanina
3. Jorodik Iar
4. Jagag
5. Ainbes Uzumen
6. Vay vay
7. Mala - Dnguen
8. Markara
9. Nino
10. Sareri Kami

hear it here: http://www.tradebit.com/filedetail.php/44132449-armenio-dance-music
Review Date: 8/20/2010

Musicians - Guitar: Scott Garcia, Flute: Caroline Chan, Piano & Keyboards: Kavin Hoo. Composer is Kavin Hoo. 



Far from being just another swirly New Age generic, this CD has really stuck with me as something I come back to and like for the music itself. Because I've enjoyed it so much, I thought it was a shame that no credits were offered for it, as if no one but the label had anything to do with it, so I went out looking for something to tell me who was behind it.
Kavin Hoo is a pianist, born in Malaysia, and a Berklee School of Music graduate who runs his own studio. He works with musicians in Asia and here to produce highly polished "smooth jazz" records from his own music studio, but this recording is would not be described that way. Most of the tracks are contemplative and gentle with a kind of underlying energy that is not based on rhythm, but balance. Melodically, it is keyboard based, but the sounds range from traditional, very melodic, song-like pieces to electronically treated tones that sound like gongs or bird-like whistles. One piece has a very different feel, with an acoustic guitar that sounds lifted directly from a folk-rock record.

I never knew this until I tracked down the origins of this recordking, but apparently, the album is "built" in several pieces, intended to lead the listener into a state of focused concentration. Here is what the "Lifescapes" catalog has to say about it. Take with a generous helping of salt: I thought the CD was remarkably nice on its own terms, and I'd like to find other music by Kavin Hoo, "scientific" or not.... Enjoy!
"Hidden within this beautiful music are rhythm and harmonic structures designed to increase mental focus and improve memory retention...."

""Art of Concentration" is a CD designed to help increase mental focus and improve memory retention. Using the theory of Pyschoacoustics, Binaural Beats and FFR (frequency-following response), the CD empowers the listener to study, read or work more efficiently instead of harder. This is done by tapping into the subconscious mind to generate brainwaves that boosts your metal health being and creative states. Created by the acclaimed producer of "Pure Relaxation", the "Art of Concentration" also showcases his signature new-age arrangements and provides a beautiful musical backdrop to the scientific nature of the CD."



"Track Listings

1. Convergence
2. Clouds of Seed

3. Whispering Thoughts
 
4. Timeless


- Utilizing Beta brainwaves. This 18+ minute segment may be used for any activities that require increased mental awareness and focus. Beta brainwaves reduces the amount of mindless "mind chatter" and can enhance the effectiveness of such activities like studying, working or exercising / dieting.



5. Consciousness

6. Unspoken

7. Galatea's Love


- Utilizing Alpha and Beta brainwaves. By adding higher frequency Alpha brainwaves, this 15+ minute segment puts you in a relaxed yet focused state that aids in problem solving and increases memory retention. 



8. Metamorphosis

9. Regeneration

10. Embrace



- Utilizing Alpha and Theta brainwaves. According to researchers, Theta brainwaves are associated with creativity and a state of deep relaxation with high receptivity for new experiences and learning. Listening to this 17+ minute segment will rejuvenate your mind and help unblock mental barriers. Perfect for brain storming sessions, learning new languages or breaking bad habits.

You may listen to each track separately or as a whole. Listening from track 5 to 10 at night may also lead to deeper sleep and greater relaxation.
"
Review Date: 4/19/2009

Originally a four-LP deluxe box set, this project was conceived by producer Norman Granz to showcase the singing talents of the great Fred Astaire in a jazz context. Astaire-the-vocalist is backed by an all-star ensemble conducted by pianist Oscar Peterson. The project spanned Astaire’s then 20-year long movie career presenting a selection of songs by composers such as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Cole Porter, which he had premiered in his various films in the 1930s and 1940s. The set was conceived in the typical Granz jam session style, with plenty of instrumental solos, and on some tracks, Astaire was recorded tap dancing on a big wooden block.

On Verve, 2017. UPC 602557537505

Tracklisting:
1 Overture: The Astaire Blues
2 Isn't This a Lovely Day
3 Puttin' on the Ritz
4 I Used to Be Color Blind
5 The Continental
6 Let's Call the Whole Thing Off
7 Change Partners
8 'S Wonderful
9 Lovely to Look at
10 They All Laughed
11 Cheek to Cheek
12 Steppin' Out with My Baby
13 The Way You Look Tonight
14 I've Got My Eyes on You
15 Dancing in the Dark
16 The Carioca
17 Nice Work If You Can Get It
18 New Sun in the Sky
19 I Won't Dance
20 Fast Dances (ad lib) [Instrumental]

CD2:
1 Intermission: Jam Session for a Dancer
2 Top Hat, White Tie and Tails
3 No String, I'm Fancy Free
4 I Concentrate on You
5 I'm Putting All my Eggs in One Basket
6 A Fine Romance
7 Night and Day
8 Fascinationg Rhythm
9 I Love Louisa
10 They Can’t Take That Away From Me
11 Medium Dances (ad lib) [Instrumental]
12 You’re Easy To Dance With
13 A Needle In A Haystack
14 So Near and Yet So Far
15 A Foggy Day (In London Town)
16 Oh, Lady Be Good
17 Slow Dances (ad lib) [Instrumental]
18 I’m Building
Review Date: 4/28/2023

An excellent compilation from Warner Music Canada, featuring Canadian artists in the Celtic tradition. The mood of the collection is "seaward-looking" but this is a diverse and subtle project that covers a ...great big sea. Note especially the joyful, raw call-and-response holler of "General Taylor" that starts things out with a bang, contrasted with a heartrending cover of Tom Waits' "Briar and the Rose" that closes the collection with dignity. Very nicely done.

Tracklisting:
1. Great Big Sea: General Taylor (Trad.)
2. J.P. Cormier : Kelly's Mountain (J.P. Cormier)
3. Celtic Connection: Last Shanty (Tom Lewis)
4. Barra MacNeils : Misty Moisty Morning (Trad.)
5. The Rankin Family: North Country (Jimmy Rankin)
6. Rawlins Cross: Macphersons Lament (Trad.)
7. Rita MacNeil: Working Man (Rita MacNeil)
8. Ashley MacIsaac : Sleepy Maggie (Mary Jane Lamond / Ashley MacIsaac / Peter Prilesnick / Gordie Sampson)
9. The Irish Descendants : Barrett's Privateers (Stan Rogers)
10. Ron Hynes : Sonny's Dream (Ron Hynes)
11. Natalie MacMaster : Drunken Piper (Jerry Holland)
12. Shanneygannock : Whiskey In The Jar (Trad.)
13. The Fables : Heave Away (Trad.)
14. Lennie Gallant : Which Way Does The River Run? (Lennie Gallant)
15. The Cottars : Briar & The Rose (Tom Waits)
Review Date: 11/11/2018

SADS is a band of Kiyoharu (Kiyoharu, member of the Visual Kei group Kuroyume/黒夢), Sakashita, Masarou and Eji that plays a pretty straight blend of post-punk, grunge and glam rock influenced music. Kiyoharu still maintains his eclectic vocal approach, however, which gives their sound a nicely unique flavor despite being a bit more conventional in overall style.


Tracks


1 Welcome to My Babylon

2 Prayer

3 Ajito

4 Feeling High & Satisfied

5 Strawberry

6 What Can I Do

7 Liberation

8 Boukyoku no Sora

9 Late Show

10 Gentle Darkness

11 Darlin'

12 Stuck Life

13 Sad Pain

14 Conclition of My Babylon

15 Sekirara (New remix)

16 Cracker's Baby (New take)

17 Sandy (remix)
Review Date: 5/1/2010

Such an excellent gathering of recordings from the era. Yes, of course Cab Calloway with Minnie the Moocher, and of course a bit of early Benny Goodman...but you have to love "Shep Fields And His Rippling Rhythm" and the Xavier Cugat Orchestra next to a very young Paul Whiteman!.... a really fun disc.

Track Listings
1. Casa Loma Stomp - Glen Gray And The Casa Loma Orch
2. Minnie The Moocher (The Ho De Ho Song) - The Cab Calloway Orch
3. Dream A Little Dream Of Me - The Ozzie Nelson Orch
4. Sugar Blues - The Clyde McCoy Orch
5. It's Only A Paper Moon - The Paul Whiteman Orch
6. Blue Moon - The Ray Noble Orch
7. St. Louis Blues - Guy Lombardo And His Royal Canadians
8. My Shawl (Ombo) - The Xavier Cugat Orch
9. Rippling Rhythm - Shep Fields And His Rippling Rhythm
10. Heartaches - The Ted Weems Orch
11. I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You - The Tommy Dorsey Orch
12. My Reverie - The Larry Clinton Orch
13. Got A Date With An Angel - The Hal Kemp Orch
14. What's New? - The Bob Crosby Orch
15. Stompin' At The Savoy - The Benny Goodman Orch
Review Date: 5/24/2019

Far from what the cover might suggest, this is a very gentle, softspoken set of instrumental arrangements of popular Beatle tunes. Think of relaxing background music for a nice dinner party. Ingredients include piano, soft-jazz guitar, string bass and a bit of saxophone and flute solo work now and again.

A very competently executed and tasteful record.

Tracklisting:

1. Yesterday
2. All My Loving
3. Norwegian Wood
4. Here, There & Everywhere
5. Eleanor Rigby
6. And I Love Her
7. In My Life
8. The Fool On The Hill
9. Nowhere Man
10. Penny Lane
11. With A Little Help From My Friends
12. Michelle
Review Date: 11/3/2017

Exploratory performances by true guitar sky-voyager Kevin Kastning of the multi-hybrid, strange and many-stringed variant-guitars. Here Kastning teams up with fellow alchemists Sandor Szabo and Balazc Major. Highly imaginative playing.
Review Date: 5/24/2019

Osamu Kitajima's "Behind The Light"

Very lively, enjoyable and out of the ordinary. You will find here electronics, processed sounds, electric guitar used in unexpected ways, and the simplicity of the koto -- but expect to be surprised and even a bit amused. Very worthwhile.

A sample: https://youtu.be/DWp2i5m1zlM .

Tracklisting:

Behind The Light 4:10
Yesterday's Child 4:41
Mystic Whisk 6:09
The Three Orders 4:45
Wings Of Knowledge 12:42
Small Wonder 4:24
Forbidden Green 5:55

Review Date: 4/26/2019

Tagged: alternative ambient dream pop indie rock post-rock shoegaze Montreal in bandcamp.

Reviewed:

"With all this talk of Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade and Stars, people often forget that these bands represent the second wave of hype from Montreal, and that the first came from post-rock overlords Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and their many offshoots. From their very fertile grounds, numerous bands shot up trying to emulate their expansive, yet unique, sound and just a handful found some success. Below the Sea took their cues from GY!BE, but, with this release, find a strong and confident voice to make their own mark. When an instrumental band start to incorporate ambient electronics, the balance should always be one of subtlety, allowing a "win-win” situation between the elements, and such is the case here. Below the Sea come up with a genuine classic in "Stroll Down Memory Lane,” which find their strummed guitars in perfect sync with the beats and keyboards from friend Ulrich Schnauss......" Read more at http://exclaim.ca/music/article/below_sea-blame_it_on_past

Samples here:

https://wherearemyrecords.bandcamp.com/album/blame-it-on-the-past
Review Date: 5/26/2018

Here we have the glorious music of Mr. Rutter and the luminous voices of the Choir of New College, Oxford to give light to his works and those of others.

Further information about this disc:

John Rutter (Conductor), Charles Villiers Stanford (Orchestra), Edward Higginbottom (Artist), Charles Gounod (Artist), Edvard Grieg (Artist), Gerald Finzi (Artist), Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov (Artist), Sir Henry Walford Davies (Artist), Sergey Rachmaninov (Artist), John Tavener (Artist), John Taverner (Artist), Claudio Monteverdi (Artist), Gioachino Rossini (Artist), Olivier Messiaen (Artist), Arvo Part (Artist), Edgar Leslie Bainton (Artist), Helen Tunstall (Artist), Edward Higgenbottom (Artist), Choir Of New College Oxford (Artist)

1. What Sweeter Music, Composed by John Rutter
2. The Blue Bird, Composed by Charles Villiers Stanford
3. Te lucis ante terminum (after Casal's Song of the Birds), Composed by Edward Higginbottom with Helen Tunstall
4. Crux fidelis (after Handel's Ombra mai fu), Composed by Edward Higginbottom with Helen Tunstall
5. Ave Maria, for voice & piano (or other vocal arrangements; after Bach's Prelude No. 1 from the Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1), Composed by Charles Gounod with Helen Tunstall
6. Ave Maris Stella, for double chorus, Composed by Edvard Grieg
7. Lo, the Full Final Sacrifice for chorus & organ (or orchestra), Op 26 Amen, Composed by Gerald Finzi
8. Second Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, Op. 29 Veruyu (Creed), Composed by Alexander Tikhonovich Grechaninov
9. God Be in My Head, Composed by Sir Henry Walford Davies
10. Lugebat David (after Faure's Pavane, Op. 50), Composed by Edward Higginbottom
11. Vespers (All-Night Vigil), for alto, tenor & chorus, Op. 37 Nyne otpushchayeshi (Lord now lettest thou), Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
12. Beati Quorum Via, Op. 38/3, Composed by Charles Villiers Stanford
13. Song for Athene, for chorus, Composed by John Tavener
14. Vespers (All-Night Vigil), for alto, tenor & chorus, Op. 37 Blazhen muzh (Blessed is the man), Composed by Sergey Rachmaninov
15. Mater Christi, antiphon for 5 voices, Composed by John Taverner
16. Ave maris stella, for soprano, tenor & chorus (from Vespro della Beata Vergine), SV 206/12, Composed by Claudio Monteverdi, Performed by Capricorn [ensemble]
17. O Salutaris Hostia, for mixed voices, Composed by Gioachino Rossini
18. O Sacrum Convivium, for voices, I/18, Composed by Olivier Messiaen
19. Magnificat Antiphones (7), for chorus O Weisheit, Composed by Arvo Part
20. And I Saw a New Heaven, anthem for chorus & organ, Composed by Edgar Leslie Bainton

[Also listed under same UPC (028946687024) as "Bluebird: Music of Contemplation", with the same tracklisting.]

Review Date: 10/14/2008

Very easy on the ears -- this is fresh, pleasing instrumental music featuring real instruments (piano, bass, guitars, fluegelhorn, oboe, violin, soft percussion) and some synthesizer effects, sparingly used.

The idea behind the recording is to bring together music from widely diverse places around the globe ("Borderlands") in such a way that the source material -- when you read the liner notes -- comes as a bit of a surprise. No cliches here: each piece fits well with the rest, though one is from Ireland and another one is from Cuba -- but neither one has obvious/familiar "cues". It's about the melodies.

The tone is of the whole recording is light, upbeat and definitely "pretty". It all blends (successfully) together, with the possible exception of "Afro Cuban Lullaby", a beautiful melody which is slightly marred by a dated "easy jazz" arrangement that is at odds with genre-free feel of the rest of the music. Even so, it's hard to resist that lovely, unusual and not-overused tune.

Interesting to note some of the regions represented: Cuba, Spain and Scotland are here, but also Latvia, Slovakia, Russia, "Bohemia" and "Eastern Europe" -- And it all works.

A keeper, for being well-crafted, pleasant music, that -- while it can recede, workmanlike, into the background -- is really worth listening to on its own merits. Very nice.
Review Date: 6/15/2018

"On Bound to Go, Andrew Calhoun delves into one of the American song bag's most inspirational niches, tunes that were composed in response to the history of slavery in the American South. There are spirituals with their thinly veiled messages of liberation, love songs and lullabies, work songs, prison songs, tunes that show an obvious African influence, and one song collected from the African-American soldiers who fought for the United States in World War I.

Calhoun is joined by 14 fervent vocalists and eight musicians who support the singers with their understated power. Some of the album's 35 tracks are well-known, at least to folkies, but most are not, the result of Calhoun's exhaustive research and a determination to present unfamiliar songs telling this timeless story of inspiration and faith in the face of a system of indifferent evil. Most of the tunes are short, but they're all undeniably powerful. There are so many transcendent moments here that it's hard to highlight just a few.

As the album unfolds -- and this is an album in the old sense, a unified work that holds together as a single work of art -- you can feel your spirit unfolding, lifted up by the power that generations of unknown composers and singers have put into these songs. That said, there are still moments that jump out at you: "Turkle Dove," with a tune that echoes through a dozen folk songs, sung in the jubilee gospel style by Casey Calhoun, Andrew Calhoun, and Fred Campeau; "Run to Jesus," a song given to the Fisk Jubilee Singers by Frederick Douglass, the first song he ever heard that made him think of a life beyond slavery, delivered simply by Runako Robinson, Valerie Carter-Brown, Big Llou Johnson, Tony Dale, Fred Campeau, and Katherine Davis; "Them Old Black Gnats," an a cappella song of suffering with a hidden message of resistance marked by Big Llou Johnson's mournful baritone; "Anchor Line," a mournful blues with an implied message of escape on the underground railroad sung by Andrew Calhoun (the tune is also known as "The Crawdad Song"); and "Ol' Egyp'," a chilling song of escape from the bloodhounds of the slave masters. "Hear the Trumpet Sound," a staple from the songbook of the Fisk Jubilee Singers with mournful cello accompaniment, is a song full of resolute faith and somber resignation."
from allmusic.com
Review Date: 7/29/2018

Just to fill in a little about this disc: Bracha is a collaboration by musicians Miroslav Tadic, David Philipson and John Bergamo, all well-regarded performers/arrangers/composers in any context. UPC is 0 44351 00342 6, on Sonopress (1988).

Instrumentation: Flute, Frame Drum, Goblet Drum, Congas, Gong [Thai Gong], Idiophone [Jaw Harp] and Guitar

Tracklisting:

1 Jacaranda, Composed By John Bergamo 5:52
2 Jano Mori (Traditional), Arranged By Miroslav Tadic 4:25
3 Internal Exile, Composed By David Philipson 4:28
4 Floating Anxiety, Composed By David Philipson 5:21
5 Kopanitsa (Traditional), Arranged By Miroslav Tadic 1:54
6 Izvor, Composed By Miroslav Tadic 6:20
7 Merciful... For Milo, Composed By, Gong [Thai Gong], Mark Nauseef 5:45
8 Sareno Oro (Traditional), Arranged By Miroslav Tadic 3:38
9 For Coltrane, Composed By David Philipson, with Frame Drum by Mark Nauseef 7:48

Samples:
https://archive.org/details/lp_bracha_miroslav-tadic-david-philipson-john-ber
Review Date: 9/4/2023

A fine, eclectic collection of classic Brazilian pop, funk, traditional standards and modern songs that reveal the breadth of Brazil's sounds. With selections from influential musicians, from obscure, cult one-album jewels to (how could it not) "The Girl from Ipanema with Joao and Astrud Gilberto and Stan Getz -- to hot newcomers.

Note that's Seu Jose and Almaz, covering Michael Jackson's "Rock with Me". Compiled as one of Starbucks' in-store soundtrack compilations. Really fun!
Review Date: 6/15/2018

http://www.safam.com/albums-a-brighter-day.shtml

Safam, the Boston based six-man band, has dominated Jewish music in America with their "Jewish-American Sound" since 1974. Often copied, never duplicated, they are originals -- original music, original lyrics, original arrangements -- their songs have become a fabric of our Jewish lives. Songs like Leaving Mother Russia, Amnesty, Just Another Foreigner, Moranno and Nachamu Ami by group composers Joel Sussman and Robbie Solomon have become classics and have kept Safam at the forefront of the Jewish music scene.

Safam's music covers the wide breadth of American musical styles while maintaining a decidedly Jewish flavor. They use many settings -- whether it be Rock & Roll, Pop, Folk, Latin, Chassidic or Cantorial -- to create their tapestry of music. Safam's eclectic approach to its music has enabled it to reach out to Jews of all ages and denominations. With ten original recordings, a double Chanukah & Passover CD, and their Greatest Hits Collections, Safam has already earned a vital place in mainstream Jewish-American culture.

Safam is renowned not only for its highly regarded recordings, but is equally acclaimed for its inspirational and entertaining concerts. Typically, Safam performs for fundraisers, cultural events and conventions sponsored by synagogues, Jewish Federations, schools, youth groups and national Jewish organizations. Through its music, humor, passion and sensitivity, Safam instills in its audiences a sense of pride about being Jewish in America.

Safam audiences range in age from nine months to ninety years -- a testament to the diversity of style and content Safam presents. Laughter and tears -- singing and dancing -- nostalgia and hope are among the whirlwind of emotional reactions that one experiences during a Safam concert.
Review Date: 12/23/2011

Credits
Artwork – Michael Motley (2)
Edited By [Digital Editing] – Kevin Campbell (2)
Executive-Producer – Jonathan Scheuer
Producer – Steve Peters, Tom Guralnick
Recorded By [Digital Recording] – Steve Peters
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Electronics – Tom Guralnick
Notes
Recorded January 25-27, 1994 at The Outpost Performance Space, Albuquerque.

"These live improvisations were performed on tenor and soprano saxophones modified with homemade mutes and electronic processing, and augmented with invented and appropriated wind instruments. These various elements are assembled within a sculptured construction which come to be known fondly as the 'Mobile Saxophone & Mute Unit,' the structure of which allows the performer easy access to the many components while encouraging lively physical movement within its boundaries."

From 1995
Review Date: 2/11/2017

This is the real thing: Burt Bacharach's genuine, and deceptively simple-sounding arrangements of what would become the absolute pinnacle of pop music songs for a while there. You get the half-sleepy double-tracked trumpets, the soft girl-singer choirs, the odd, lackadaisaical percussion, stinging harpischords and seemingly-unrelated codas that round things out to the requisite three minutes per song.

What you don't get is the radio-ready superstar vocal-tracks for these incredibly famous songs -- so in a way, it's like a pop-musicologist's dream record because like a clean, clear diagram, it includes only what's relevant to the study of the subject at hand. In this case: Bacharach. A couple of the tracks do have a vocal -- his? -- but mostly they are just perfect demonstrations of his pop craftsmanship, as if ready-made to assign to the next superstar-to-be to sing in the studio.

So go ahead and study them. Backwards-engineer them if you have the musical chops, because you'll never get a better, cleaner chance to hear what's going on under those famous vocals. Or even better, belt along with 'em, with karaoke-style. Me, I like this record. I'lllll Never fall in love AGAINNNNNNN!!!!
Review Date: 1/17/2020

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the first Disney Store, Walt Disney records produced this CD: "By Request", a commemorative numbered edition compact disc containing the 12 favorite Disney Movie & TV songs as selected by guests of Disney Stores in the United States & Canada.

The packaging is especially nice: the CD sleeve is pleasingly heavy and feels like a little hard-cover book, with a generous booklet bound in, and a full color cover picture with gilt lettering set against an embossed background. The CD rests in an inset tray. A high quality item.

By request:
(1) When You Wish Upon A Star (From Pinocchio,1940)
(2) Beauty And The Beast (From Beauty And The Beast, 1991)
(3) Winnie The Pooh (From Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, 1968)
(4) Circle Of Life (From The Lion King, 1994)
(5) It's A Small World (From New York World's Fair, 1964)
(6) Kiss The Girl (From The Little Mermaid, 1980)
(7) Zip-A-Dee-Do-Dah (From Song Of The South, 1946)
(8) The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers (From Winnie The Pooh, 1968)
(9) Hakuna Matata (From The Lion King, 1994)
(10) Under The Sea (From The Little Mermaid, 1980)
(11) A Whole New World (From Aladdin, 1992)
(12) A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes (From Cinderella, 1950)

(Music is from original soundtrack recordings.)

Review Date: 5/21/2018

"Originally formed as the twangier alter ego of popular Nashville cowpunks Walk the West, the Cactus Brothers soon took on an identity of their own, mixing weepy, pedal-steel punctuated honky tonk country with Walk the West's edgier roots rock sound.

...The disc mixes traditional country gems like Tennessee Ernie Ford's classic "Sixteen Tons" and the Everly Brothers' "The Price of Love" with originals penned by vocalist Paul Kirby such as the precious "Sweet Old Fashioned Girl" or the rollicking "Swimmin' Hole."

...Few country bands in the '90s could boast of players such as pedal steel wizard Sam Poland, fiery fiddler Tramp, and mountain dulcimer master David Schnaufer. Along with Walk the West veterans and brothers Will Golemon (guitar, banjo) and John Golemon (bass) and drummer David Kennedy, the band's multi-talented multi-instrumentalists added complexity and depth to every song....the Cactus Brothers stood without peer."

(Thank you AllMusic)

For a sample, hear the Cactus Brothers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK2GmBM3wCk
Review Date: 6/24/2018

"In 1979, in Baja California, Paul Winter led a music-making and whale-watching expedition, with the camp set up in the dunes along Magdalena Bay. On the last night in camp,a sea lion pup appeared in the water just offshore, alone and unafraid of the people who gathered around. She came onto the beach, and Paul and the group sat near her quietly, then played a little music, hoping she would feel at ease. She seemed contented and soon put her head down and fell asleep. Paul stretched out in his sleeping bag beside her, and went to sleep with his nose just inches from hers, smelling her fishy dog-breath, and listening with fascination to her tiny “whale-blow” exhalations....

"This extraordinary encounter affected Paul deeply, and inspired him to explore the realm of pinnipeds and the role of sound in their lives, in the same way he had immersed himself in learning about whales. "The best way to raise awareness about the magic of the vocalizations was to find a vocalization we could interplay with, so the actual voices of the creatures were woven in with the music – in a sense we were collaborating with these creatures.”
http://www.paulwinter.com/projects/callings/
Review Date: 2/6/2018

I have to agree with others that have expressed an appreciation for the work of Joan Morris and William Bolcom -- soprano and pianist here, two musicians with a genuine love of early-20th century popular song. Robert White (tenor) join the two with this collection of mid-1920s-early 1930s show songs by Vincent Youmans ("Tea for Two", "No, No, Nanette", "I Want to Be Happy"), and it sparkles. There's a kind of charming/geeky invitation in Morris/Bolcom's way with them, that says to the listener, like the song: "...I'm fond of some things, that only a few like...", ("So do I", track 4) as if to say they're pretty sure you're here because you love this music as much as they do.

And it's hard not to like the earnest, guileless, slightly-naughty pizzazz in these songs. Youmans was part of the same Broadway scene as Ira Gershwin, Oscar Hammerstein II, Gus Kahn and others who were influenced by jazz, syncopation, blues and lyrics that fall in bright, slangy, streetwise rhyming patterns.

My favorite is here is, "Does it Pay to be a Lady?", which (according to the nicely-done liner notes) was written at the last minute by Youmans and his partners to give a new show, "Great Day!" a little push closer to Broadway, even as its other songs were already big hits. It's clever, funny - and has a sting in its tail that'll make you laugh. Joan Morris puts them over with a winning, poignant wit, and William Bolcom plays like silk, with an offhand grace that suits the material perfectly.

Finally, and to make it 100% clear that Bolcom, Morris and White love this music dearly, included too here are four tracks taken directly from the Youmans Acetates. Like timeworn jewelry, these are like soft-edged rings that have spent a lifetime on one hand. They're not so shiny and bright-edged anymore, but their effect is rare and real. Pure time travel.


Review Date: 4/19/2023

Tracklist:

A Perfect Evening for Flying Carpets - Kevin Braheny/Tim Clark
Mothers of Rain - Tangerine Dream
Drive - Patrick O'Hearn
Silence of the Eclipse - Christopher Franke
Night Fire Dance - Andreas Vollenweider
Angels of Dawn - Dik Darnell/Bryan Savage
Inner Sanctum - Mars Lasar
Journey of the Warrior Soul - Steve McDonald
Galactic Chalice, The - Constance Demby
Silver Ball, The - Harold Budd/Brian Eno
Mystery Road - Jonn Serrie
Review Date: 8/9/2015

A lovely Windham Hill sampler, with -- as has been noted -- apparently nothing whatsoever to do with Christmas.

Points to the label for the major marketing-ploy that cost nothing but a snowy picture and the word "Christmas" in the title, but let's lay that aside for the moment. There's no denying this is a beautiful record, produced by no less than Michael O Domhnaill himself. The credentials are impeccible here, and the music is authentic -- though not "traditional", full of warmth and delicately rendered. The mood is gentle, here.

So ignore the title if you're imagining the worst (pennywhistle renditions of O Little Town of Bethlehem? no) and just enjoy it for the serenity in the music: after all, you'll be enjoying Maighread Ni Dhomhnaill's beautiful voice, James Galway's flute, the close harmonies of Nightnoise and more in the same gentle mood besides.

Or hold it for December anyhow: this record could very easily become entwined with your own traditions, even if there isn't a Christmas Carol in sight, here. Very well worth having for the beauty of the music and the mood of Ireland -- recommended.

Review Date: 8/16/2017

by David Greenberger, with music by Paul Cebar.

"[David] Greenberger is a musician – former bassist in the Boston-based Men & Volts – intimately aware of the power of music. And over the years, he’s created an amazing collection of spoken-word projects – including collaborations with Los Lobos, NRBQ’s Terry Adams, John Sebastian, members of the Sun Ra Arkestra, Birdsongs of the Mesozoic, 3 Leg Torso and the Shaking Ray Levis.

He doesn’t play an instrument on the CDs, though. He doesn’t sing. He doesn’t write the material.

He simply speaks. Reciting the words of others that he’s collected in interviews over the years, allowing his voice to be heard as the voice of the hundreds of everyday elderly people who we somehow never get a chance to hear.

The tales that he tells are in equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking, and it takes a very empathetic, versatile batch of musicians to find the proper musical balance to match the stories.

Milwaukee music scene veteran Paul Cebar and his band of fellow Milwaukeeans play jump blues, jazz and R&B. And it just so happened that last year, Greenberger found himself as the artist in residence under the auspices of the Center on Aging and Community at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The collaboration is sublime.

The music swings and clatters and echoes deep in the recesses of the mind of the listener, reinforcing anecdotes and stories pulled into the light and set in front of the microphone, often for the very first time.

This is sweet, sweet stuff."

https://web.archive.org/web/20121130111346/http://www.nippertown.com/2009/08/25/david-greenberger-and-paul-cebars-cherry-picking-apple-blossom-time/#more-8569


from 2009.
Review Date: 2/17/2017

A really nice recording by the very wonderful Kavin Hoo -- ordinarily a solo pianist, but in this case, the arranger for an entire array of beautiful and spare pieces with a kind of Chinese feel about them. Traditional instruments are involved. Lovely music, much better than average.

Be aware, however, that the tracks here are exactly the same as the Lifescapes title, "Just Relax Orient", UPC 797307107722.
Review Date: 9/6/2016

Such a beautiful record.

Some may know Philip Aaberg from his "Blue West", a more visible disc with the appropriate "prestige" marketing: something to consider. This collection of unusually sensitive solo piano arrangements from film scores is unexpected and immediately recognizable as the work of one talented, devoted musician. I just have to write this because I don't want anyone to suppose this is a generic "mall piano" disc, somehow -- it's not. It is tender and has a very specific, clean style, given to an usual set of selections.

My go-to disc for clearing my mind for better things than noise. Very worth your attention.

Just listen to the first track -- from Cinema Paradiso. That's all I ask.

Tracklisting:
1. Cinema Paradiso
2. Diva: Sentimental Walk
3. My Brilliant Career: Andante Cantabile (Quartet Opus 47)
4. Awakenings: Last Dance/Dexter's Tune
5. The Story Of Naomi Uemura: Theme For Naomi Uemura
6. Heaven's Gate
7. Romeo & Juliet: Love Theme
8. Belizaire The Cajun: Madame Sosthene
9. Cinema Paradiso: While Thinking About Her Again/First Youth/Maturity
10. Our Town: Conversation At The Soda Fountain
11. Our Town: Story Of Our Town
12. The Shaker Film: High Plains
13. My Brilliant Career: From Foreign Lands And People (Kinderszenen Opus 15)
14. Awakenings: Dr. Sayer

Review Date: 2/12/2019

Classical compilation from Pilz Vienna Masters series
Composers featured:
DANZI-HAYDN-MOZART-BEETHOVEN-SCHUBERT-MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY-BRAHMS-WAGNER

DISC ONE:
1) Danzi Symphony D minor op. 24 Allegro vivo
2) Haydn Symphony No. 94 'Surprise' Andante
3) Mozart Rondo 'Alla Turca' A major KV 331/3
4) Beethoven Septett E flat major op. 20 Thema con variazioni
5) Schubert Moment music f minor: Air russe
6) Beethoven Symphony 7A major op. 92 Allegretto
7) Schubert: Walzer op. 9 a.
8) Mozart: Andante fur Flute and Orchestra C-Dur KV 315
9) Mendelssohn Bartholdy Venezian, Gondellied A minor op. 62, 52
10) Brahms: Symphony D major op. 73 Allegro con spirito
11) Wagner: Lohengrin - Wedding March

DISC TWO:
1) Sinding: Fruhlingsrauschen op. 32
2) Gustav Holst The Planets - Venus
3) Liszt Valse oubiliee No. 1
4) Brahms Rosemary
5) Grieg: Ballade G minor op. 24
6) Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 Allegro scherzando
7) Schumann Symphonic Etudes op. 13 - Finale
8) Ravel: Tzigane for Violin and Orchestra
Review Date: 6/19/2011

Providing a little more information for this listing:

Close of Day (Griffin, 1994) consists of baroque-era choral classical music with brass ensemble and organ.

Includes works by Henry Purcell, Charles Hubert Parry, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Frank Bridge, Jacques Charpentier, William Henry Monk, Arthur Somervell, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Martin Peerson, Edward Bairstow, Johann Sebastian Bach.

Ensemble: Royal Chapel Choir of Hampton Court. Conductor: Gordon Reynolds. Soloist: Gordon Reynolds. Chapel Choir is under the direction of Gordon Reynolds, who also wrote the liner notes (and is the organist.)




Review Date: 3/5/2018

"Following a grassroots release in July 2013, McNeal went into the studio alongside Grammy award-winning McKenzie Smith (Midlake/Sarah Jaffe/St. Vincent) and Joey McClellan (Israel Nash/The Fieros), compiling ten songs for his studio debut ‘Compadre’.

“This is a collection of songs for the over-thinkers, the people that get in their own heads. I like writing about the feelings that often go unnoticed in music- I feel like those painful or strange emotions are beautiful in their own right. We try not to be too genre specific, we just want the music itself to be dynamic and tell a story.”

The 24-year old songwriter brings a notably unorthodox feel to Americana music. Straying away from traditional country arrangements, McNeal brings his songwriting together with unique accompaniment- all without losing southern grit. The latest album ‘Compadre’ was independently released in 2015."
--From concert program notes
Review Date: 7/29/2018

A highly interesting record -- with "a certain [David] Lynchian aesthetic..."

"Cours Lapin', .... saunters with an alternative edge, bouncing between straight-forward lounge grooves and surf riffs, relocating ...hypnotic dance moves from a rural American diner to a cask-wooden ocean stained bar. 'Le Son d'un Escargot' (Snail Son) leaves the bass and guitar to guide what could, hypothetically, be Alenius' petite character into a forest of uncertainty and fear, with only the harmonic voices of the wind as her comfort before a crash of percussive noise shatters the phantasm into a million pieces...."

Lyrics in French.
Review Date: 4/12/2024

Subtitled "The President's Own", this recording by the United States Marine Band under Col. John R. Bourgeois features selections from Smetana, Gottschalk, Meyerbeer, Joplin, Stravinsky, Grainger, Sousa, Giménez and Strauss. Find out more at https://www.marineband.marines.mil/Audio-Resources/Educational-Series/Courtly-Dances/.
Review Date: 11/12/2020

Very elegant, spacious free-form piano and tabla/frame drum improvisations - with more than a hint of India in the music. In spirit, an instrumental album, but two tracks include vocal "instruments": Jennifer Lauren Goldberg brings a cool and light, nuanced and soulful voice that weaves between the other two comfortably on "Rain", and Cassius Khan joins on the final track, "Dark Clouds": Khan sings in Hindi and Goldberg "replies" in English. Beautiful, original music. --icb

Below is a little more information, borrowed from elsewhere.

Stu Goldberg, former keyboardist with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, John McLaughlin, Al Di Meola, Wayne Shorter, Billy Cobham, Jack Bruce, Freddie Hubbard and others leads this spirited album on piano and percussion featuring Cassius Khan on tabla and vocals with Jennifer Lauren Goldberg on vocals. Innovative, all acoustic, multicultural World Music featuring inspired solos, duos, trios and ensembles combining elements of Jazz, Indian, Ghazals, New Orleans and Blues. Recorded & mixed in pristine high resolution stereo and 5.0 multichannel surround. Track listing: "Ragamala" 21:13 Piano - table duo. An intense magicaljourney through many musical styles and cultures. "Rain" 6:59 Soulful vocals, piano and percussion. "Keherwa" 6:30 Spirited hand percussion duo. "Dark Clouds" 19:43 A symphony of haunting vocals, piano and a table tour de force.
Review Date: 10/12/2018

The all-acoustic Gonzalo Bergara Quartet plays a modern variant of 1930's Django Reinhardt-inspired Gypsy Jazz.

Composer and lead guitarist Bergara mixes cascades of arpeggios with the sounds of Paris and his native Argentina and is supported by an ace clarinetist and a honed rhythm section. Bergara is fiery and focused, while the hard-swinging band takes the audience for a ride.

The Quartet was named Best Jazz Group In Los Angeles by Los Angeles Magazine, picked Django Reinhardt Performer Of The Year, and was an Editor's Pick in Guitar Player Magazine and its members are veterans of the jazz and pop world... "Djangophonic" is a Lo-fi quality recording, with a nod to the sound of old-style records.

Very nice.
(With a tip of the hat to Editorial Reviews.)
Review Date: 4/28/2023

By the group "Four Men & A Dog". A review notes, "a first class folk band...this very underrated, mostly upbeat album is so refreshing to listen to. Not only are they fine folk musicians and writers they can mix it with the rock style as well." Another says, "Great up-tempo album, with an almost cajun feel". Produced by Levon Helm.
Review Date: 2/22/2020

Just a note -- this disc appears to be a reissue of "Land of Pure Delight (William Billiams)" by His Majestie's Clerkes. Although the original has a much more detailed set of liner notes, this is a very clean-lined, pure-voiced and lovely set of choral works from early America, either way.

Tracklisting:
O Praise The Lord Of Heaven
Is Any Afflicted
Emmaus
Africa
Funeral Anthem: Samuel The Priest
Shiloh
Jordan
I Am The Rose Of Sharon
Euroclydon
Hear My Pray'r
Rutland
David's Lamentation
As The Hart Panteth
Creation
Brookfield
Easter Anthem: The Lord Is Ris'n Indeed
Review Date: 9/8/2021

Here's an accurate tracklisting for this two-disc set, UPC 607618025021

Disc One
All Ones And Zeros
Things
The Simple Solution
Brown Hearts
Song for Elizabeth
Musik der Frühen Jahre
So Far Gone
High Times And Low Lives
Harmonic Interlude
This Aint Happiness

Disc Two
All Ones And Zeros (Demo)
A Little More Drones
Don't Ever Change The Way You Feel
An Introduction To The Ambient Sounds Of The Early Years
All Ones And Zeros (Video)
All Ones And Zeros (Video)
So Far Gone (Video)
Review Date: 1/26/2016

Information for tracks on this disk is sometimes sketchy. Here is a better list.

Tracklisting:
1 Hanson* Hansons's 6th (1:55)
Composed By - Howard Hanson
2 Rangström* Invocation (2:58)
Composed By - Ture Rangström
3 Khachaturian* Mountaineers (1:54)
Composed By - Aram Khachaturian*
4 Prokofiev* Ala Et Lolly (2:22)
Composed By - Sergei Prokofiev*
5 Druckman* Prism (2:49)
Composed By - Jacob Druckman
6 Revueltas* Night Of The Mayas (3:47)
Composed By - Silvestre Revueltas
7 Nielsen* Aladdin (4:26)
Composed By - Carl Nielsen
8 Ginastera* Malambo (3:45)
Composed By - Alberto Ginastera
9 Schulhoff* Weapon Dance (4:17)
Composed By - Erwin Schulhoff
10 Segerstam* Nostalgic Thoughts (2:20)
Composed By - Leif Segerstam
11 Bolcom* Machine (3:42)
Composed By - William Bolcom
12 Ibert* Bacchanale (3:22)
Composed By - Jacques Ibert
13 Respighi* War Dance (2:44)
Composed By - Ottorino Respighi
14 Shostakovich* Can-Can (6:21)
Composed By - Dmitri Shostakovich
15 Rautavaara* Angel Of Light (2:00)
Composed By - Einojuhani Rautavaara
16 Leifs* Hekla (Volcano) (9:18)
Composed By - Jón Leifs
Review Date: 3/25/2008

Arranger: John Darnall.

Personnel: John Darnall (12-string guitar, strings); Billy Puett (bass flute, wooden flute, ocarina, English horn, soprano saxophone); George Tidwell (trumpet); Kenny Malone (congas, djembe, shaker).

Recording information: Amazon River Basin; Davidson County, TN; Forest Hills, TN; Jackson County, TN; Smoky Mountains, N.C; Vacation Spot.
Review Date: 12/23/2011

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