What did it mean for Guillaume Du Fay (ca. 1397-1474), chameleon-like expert in every musical genre of his day, to compose four settings of the Mass Ordinary toward the end of his life? Looking back from the vantage point of the next generation, when the polyphonic mass reigned supreme, it might be tempting to interpret … Continue reading Guillaume Du Fay: The Tenor Masses (Les messes à teneur)
Category: Reviews
This is where I will post my thoughts about my favorite classical or jazz CDs and sometimes survey the various recordings of a specific piece.
American Roots Music : Three Bands/Artists
American Roots Music, is what I am calling what the three artists make whom I will highlight today. I took the classification from American Roots Music, a 2001 multi-part documentary film that explores the historical roots of American Roots music which, in the PBS film, includes Folk, Country, Blues, Gospel, and Bluegrass. Common elements are … Continue reading American Roots Music : Three Bands/Artists
New from Hyperion : Machaut and Conductus
A couple of recent and noteworthy recordings from Hyperion: more Machaut by The Orlando Consort, and the final installment from John Potter, Christopher O’Gorman and Rogers Covey-Crump, of the Conductus genre, the first experiments towards polyphony—the kind of sound we associate with Pérotin. A Burning Heart, Guillaume de Machaut (c1300-1377) Formed in 1988 by the … Continue reading New from Hyperion : Machaut and Conductus
Robert Glasper : Taking Jazz to New Audiences
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Robert Glasper is a jazz pianist with a knack for mellow, harmonically complex compositions that also reveal a subtle hip-hop influence. Inspired to play piano by his mother, a gospel pianist and vocalist, Glasper attended Houston's High School for the Performing Arts. After graduation, he studied music at the New School … Continue reading Robert Glasper : Taking Jazz to New Audiences
Two Pop Masterpieces Turn 50 Today : Pet Sounds & Blonde on Blonde
Both recordings were released on May 16, 1966, fifty years ago today. One a ground breaking aural masterpiece which broke the mold of what a rock band might aspire toward with album length work; the other an impressive combination of roots rock and Shakespearian imagery. Brian Wilson’s Pet Sounds inspired The Beatles and countless other … Continue reading Two Pop Masterpieces Turn 50 Today : Pet Sounds & Blonde on Blonde
Morton Feldman’s Piano and String Quartet
A major figure in 20th-century music, Morton Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School of composers also including John Cage, Christian Wolff, and Earle Brown. Feldman's works are characterized by notational innovations that he developed to create his characteristic sound: rhythms that seem to be free … Continue reading Morton Feldman’s Piano and String Quartet
Merle Haggard dies today at age 79
I wrote the following article earlier today before it was announced that Merle Haggard had died. Very, very sad loss. He was one of a kind and a songwriter and musician of unparalleled excellence. "Merle Haggard has always been as deep as deep gets," Bob Dylan told Rolling Stone in 2009. "Totally himself. Herculean. Even too … Continue reading Merle Haggard dies today at age 79
Bob Dylan’s Amazing Multimedia Late Career Work
Until recently it could have been argued that Bob Dylan peaked in the Sixties. The series of albums he released from 1962-1966 stands as one of the greatest achievements in American music. Then he confused his fans and critics with his next few recordings, the frustration climaxing with the release of Self-Portrait in 1970. It … Continue reading Bob Dylan’s Amazing Multimedia Late Career Work
WAM : new recording of music by Michael Finnissy
Michael Finnissy was born in Tulse Hill, London in 1946 and studied at the Royal College of Music. He later studied in Italy with Roman Vlad. He went on to create the music department of the London School of Contemporary Dance, and has been associated as composer with many notable British dance companies. He has … Continue reading WAM : new recording of music by Michael Finnissy
New Hyperion : Haydn String Quartets – Op. 50
Hyperion Records has continued its excellent series of Haydn string quartets by the London Haydn Quartet with the newly released Op. 50 quartets. This group of works has a tendancy to be somewhat of a dark horse among Haydn's quartets, but these works are some of the his best and adventurous. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycy98U6FxQ4 Here's a lengthy … Continue reading New Hyperion : Haydn String Quartets – Op. 50
Musica Kaleidoskopea 