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Post by erik on Jan 10, 2010 14:37:49 GMT -5
YIPE!!! ;D Former American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee's second album sees her going into adult contemporary territory. Contains a new hit ("Had It All") and a quirky remake of (and I'm not making this up!) Melanie's 1971 classic "Brand New Key."
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 10, 2010 15:45:47 GMT -5
The last two days: Creedence Cleerwater Revival - Green River (great!) Sheryl Crow - Wildflower (not bad, but definitely not one of her best) Daugherty - Metropolis Symphony & Deux ex Machina (very good) Martha Argerich - The Concerto Recordings (7cd box set. I listened to the Prokofiev 3, Ravel and Chopin 1 concertos. Fabulous! After all, it's Martha! )
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Post by Andrew on Jan 11, 2010 13:13:40 GMT -5
I've been focusing on movies and television the past couple days...
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 12, 2010 21:01:52 GMT -5
Two Peggy Lee albums with Afro-Cuban arrangements. I like both, but Latin ala Lee is a bit better than Olé ala Lee.
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Post by egoodstein on Jan 13, 2010 1:35:12 GMT -5
Today: Kristin Hersh download collection 'Slippershell' sev. tracks I think will be on her forthcoming solo album. Very cool anyway-- strong songs/performance.
Also Amy X. Neuburg and the Men 'Sports, Chips, Booty!'-- she's a SF avant/pop/cabaret whatever singer/composer I love. Almost like Ute Lemper one minute, strong voiced folk singer the next, w. some pop/rock aspects.Off the wall but also very interesting arrangements. This one late '90's.
Peggy Lee (me too!): '2 Shows Nightly'-- the 'lost' '68' album (she disliked the mix & stopped general distribution at the time), w. 12 bonus tracks of pretty obscure stuff. Her singing and band fab IMO-- some of the material a little less so, but fascinating anyway. I'll give a bit longer review soon.
Peg Carrothers, 'Blues Skies' fr. '01: singer wife of jazz pianist Bill Carrothers (who plays here). Small but pretty voice & neat arrangements-- beguiling for the most part.
Classical: John Eliot Gardiner Cond. Orch. of the Age of Enlightenment & Monteverdi Choir, Brahms 3d Symphony and sev. choral vocal pieces. I've really been enjoying JEG's Brahms' 'cycle.' This not just super quick paced or something 'authentic instrument tack.' Very thoughtful-- & the choral pieces give interesting context and variety.
& some of Ralph Towner/Paolo Fresu duo album 'Chiaroscuro.' Jazz guitar/trumpet combo that's excellent I like more w. each listen. But then I'm a big Towner fan of course.
Ed
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Post by erik on Jan 13, 2010 10:18:25 GMT -5
The complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms in this 4-CD box set, plus the Alto Rhapsody, the Haydn Variations, the Academic Festival Overture, and the Tragic Overture. Dunja Vejzovic is the alto soloist in the Alto Rhapsody, along with the men of the Houston Symphony Chorus. Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Underrated to say the least (IMHO).
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 14, 2010 3:05:31 GMT -5
The complete symphonies of Johannes Brahms in this 4-CD box set, plus the Alto Rhapsody, the Haydn Variations, the Academic Festival Overture, and the Tragic Overture. Dunja Vejzovic is the alto soloist in the Alto Rhapsody, along with the men of the Houston Symphony Chorus. Christoph Eschenbach conducts the Houston Symphony Orchestra. Underrated to say the least (IMHO). Probably because of the competition. There are so many great recordings of the Beethoven, Brahms and Mahler symphonies that sometimes even some excellent ones don't get the attention they deserve.
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Post by erik on Jan 14, 2010 10:19:36 GMT -5
Quote by jhar26 re. Houston Symphony Brahms set:
True. And I also think it may have a perception that there's no "culture" down there in southeast Texas. And yet, this orchestra has been led throughout its history by some legends: Efrem Kurtz; Sir Thomas Beecham; Leopold Stokowski; Andre Previn. Eschenbach is generally agreed to have led them to worldwide prominence in our time as the orchestra's music director from 1989 to 2004, which can, in my humble opinion, be gleaned from this box set of Brahms.
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Post by egoodstein on Jan 14, 2010 20:17:35 GMT -5
**I agree they're a very accomplished orchestra, who deserve more attention or at least praise (esp. outside the US). (I think same about the Dallas Symphony Orchestra who also have some very distinguished recordings.). Maybe there's a prejudice or 'image' issue with Texas . Ed
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Post by Andrew on Jan 14, 2010 23:15:50 GMT -5
I've listened to this album and give it a "not bad" alongside a "not really noteworthy." :-) But I suspect many here will like it more than I did.
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Post by Andrew on Jan 14, 2010 23:17:39 GMT -5
Haven't been focused on whole albums. My ipod has been on shuffle when I am driving about, and these were nice to have show up:
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Post by erik on Jan 14, 2010 23:39:41 GMT -5
Quote by egoodstein re. Houston Symphony:
They did do a very solid recording of Mahler's "Titan" Symphony (No. 1) from a live performance in (GULP!) Vienna sometime in the late 90s, under Eschenbach, and they were held in good stead by the Viennese, who, of course, are notoriously particular.
Quote by Andrew re, Katharine McPhee's Unbroken:
This is only the second recording I've ever gotten by anyone who was ever on American Idol (the other one was last year's High Hopes And Heartbreak by '08 contestant Brooke White). And being as cynical as I am of that show (even with Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood having gone through there), it takes a lot for any of those people to impress me.
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 15, 2010 19:03:17 GMT -5
I really like En Vogue. "Funky Divas" was a great r&b album.
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 15, 2010 19:09:00 GMT -5
Average songwriter and not the best singer, but a very good guitarist and he sounds authentic. Overall a good listen, but not essential in the big scheme of things. "Live in Europe" is the album you need from Rory.
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Post by erik on Jan 18, 2010 14:21:13 GMT -5
Ennio Morricone's never-to-be-forgotten score to director Sergio Leone's 1967 opus THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY, considered as the definitive spaghetti western.
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Post by robertaxel on Jan 18, 2010 17:28:36 GMT -5
The definitive spaghetti western is Once Upon a Time in the West, in my humble opinion
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Post by erik on Jan 18, 2010 19:32:26 GMT -5
Quote by robertaxel:
Perhaps it would be if it had been shot entirely in Spain as Leone's other films were, but quite a few sequences were filmed out in Monument Valley. In a sense, it's more like a sagebrush opera than your usual wacky, violent spaghetti western entertainment like THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY is.
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terry
Somebody To Love
Posts: 155
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Post by terry on Jan 19, 2010 6:58:34 GMT -5
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Post by erik on Jan 19, 2010 10:36:16 GMT -5
The word premiere recording of "Credo" by the great 20th century composer Krzysztof Penderecki, with Helmuth Rilling conducting. Penderecki's name probably should sound familiar, or at least his music should anyway if you saw THE SHINING. This is a different thing altogether, though. Look for my review of it this weekend in the Classical Works Spotlight.
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 19, 2010 11:07:45 GMT -5
One of the earliest Countryrock/Americana albums.
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Post by erik on Jan 19, 2010 13:22:23 GMT -5
And them boys had a little help from their friends, including Chris Hillman and Bernie Leadon, on that landmark 1968 album. It's a down-home album without being so hayseed. It also has at least two firmly established C&W/rock gems: "She Darked The Sun" (which Linda did two years later as "He Dark The Sun"); and "Train Leaves Here This Morning" (which Bernie sang lead on when the Eagles did it on their 1972 debut album).
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Post by jhar26 on Jan 24, 2010 19:09:50 GMT -5
The last few days or so... A bit better than symphonies 1 & 2 that I mentionned listening to a few weeks ago. Still very Beethoven like (in fact, one could say that he copies Beethoven), but a good listen. I love this one. Maybe more about this later in the "Opera on DVD" thread. Two cd's with non-album tracks from the Beatles. Great of course. Very good musical, but unfortunately Godzilla is the star attraction. ....And some Martha Argerich and Jacqueline du Pre stuff from the box sets that I mentionned earlier.
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Post by egoodstein on Jan 25, 2010 0:41:07 GMT -5
About the last 5/6 days:
Stuff by CA bluegrass/folk singer Rita Hosking, 'Are You Ready?' & new one, 'Come Sunrise.' A bit like Gillian Welch & mod. folk/country bands like Crooked Still, if a little more ol'timey-- mostly her own songs. I'm impressed.
A bunch of classical stuff, mainly 'contemporary': Pianist Wu Han/cellist David Finckel new album 'For David and Wu Han'-- pieces written for them by 4 composers. Challenging but rewarding. Nice esp. to hear Wu Han playing subtly on several, as she often plays very extrovertly.
From '90, a really nice recording I hadn't heard in awhile of the Orpheus Chamber Orch. playing Schoenberg: 'Verklarte Nacht' & the 2 Chamber Symphonies. I like OCO a lot in general. Beautiful/moving.
Pavel Haas Quartet playing the Janacek Quartets and his 'Intimate Letters.' They've gotten much buzz lately-- well deserved on the basis of these recordings (they're from Prague).
The Prince Consort 'On an Echoing Road'-- 6 voice vocal group singing Ned Rorem songs. Really excellent-- ranks with the Susan Graham Rorem album for me which I love a lot.
And just got-- Glyndebourne '62 live recording of Mozart 'Marriage of Figaro' with Gabriel Bacquier/Mirella Freni/Edith Mathis & others. Very nice & quite good sound for remastered early '60's live.
jazz & jazzish: Lee Konitz and young (17 yrs old) Grace Kelly 'Gracefullee' album fr. '08. Also got (but haven't yet heard) her 'Mood Changes fr. early '09. Excellent 'post-bop'-- she shows really promise-- at least on that LK duo album.
Also some musicians from New Orleans w. guests from elsewhere, including Rebecca Kilgore singing on 3 tracks: Duke Heitger and His Swing Band, 'Rhythm is Our Business.' Very cool trad swing a la Eddie Condon with a bit of updating. And New Orleans singer Banu Gibson '91 album duos w. two pianists, 'Livin' in a Great Big Way.' Nice singer w. some 'New Orleans' in her voice & a little like a contralto Connie Boswell. I like it maybe most of hers I've heard so far.
Modern-- Mostly Other People Do the Killing's Forty Fort (contemp. jazz with a lot of attitude: one of my fave albums early '10), & new NYC band DouBt-- a trio a bit like Soft Machine if with some punkish/humorous ideas, album 'Never Pet a Burning Dog'-- just got that two days ago & enjoying a lot after just one and half listens. . .
Ed
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Post by erik on Jan 28, 2010 14:04:32 GMT -5
Works by Luis Enrique Bacalov and Astor Piazzolla relating to the South American tango, given stellar performances by the Santa Barbara Symphony under Gisele Ben-Dor.
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Post by Andrew on Jan 30, 2010 1:27:19 GMT -5
Lately been listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the late great Sufi Qawwali singer... Among others, this one, a soundtrack:
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