10 Jocelyn GouldSonic Bouquet
Jocelyn Gould
Independent JGCD0523 (jocelyngould.com)

The aptly titled Sonic Bouquet is the third album as leader from guitarist-composer Jocelyn Gould, and is a snapshot of an artist who has refined their craft immensely. The melodies are lean, memorable and feature just the right amount of subversive turns. Across nine tracks, there is nary a single minute of excess, with only pinpoint solo sequencing and an enduring sense of restrained dynamism to be found. It is no coincidence that every track is directly in that five-to-six-minute sweet spot, the whole affair is an absolute breeze by design. 

The tracks distinguish themselves from each other through their beautiful subtleties and small details. Spring Regardless’ head is a clever one, making use of syncopated shots almost exclusively to relay its information, but these hits are metronomic enough to feel purposeful rather than a barrage of material. Coming out of the melody, Rodney Whitaker’s deep-pocket bass solo contrasts nicely with the driving nature of previous proceedings, reining in the band with the logic-defyingly easygoing time feel of his lines. 

Alongside other standard selections on this album, My Foolish Heart takes a ubiquitous ballad and turns it into a stirringly yearnful dialogue between two guitars in the midst of mourning. Gould and former teacher Randy Napoleon’s creative synergy forms the nucleus of what makes this album feel like a documentation of profound musical connection. In the first minute of My Foolish Heart, this effect finds its pinnacle.

11 Peripheral VisionWe’ve Got Nothing
Peripheral Vision
Independent step3-009 (peripheralvisionmusic.com)

Innovative Toronto-based jazz quartet Peripheral Vision has released their long-awaited second live album, their sixth full-length release. From the first track, the listener is pulled into a musical realm where genre-defining boundaries don’t exist and the imagination can be let loose. The group was formed years ago by long-time collaborators guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring, with saxophonist Trevor Hogg and drummer Nick Fraser brought along for the 15-year (and counting) ride. The album was conceived during pandemic times and was a much-needed creative outlet for these musicians, as it was for many. 

The record stands out for its ability to make the contemporary and experimental accessible and captivating to listeners. This is achieved through two main components: a non-stop groove that gets the body moving and grooving, and through meandering between and constantly mixing genres to create an intriguing set of tunes. Each piece has its clear personality and moods that the listener is transported through. One of the influences for the record that Scott/Herring mention is “influential bassist Dave Holland’s thoughts on achieving balance in life,” which highlights the perfect word to describe this set of pieces: balance. Balance is reflected through the way each musician has a definite role to play within each song, how there is an equilibrium in regards to movement and mellowness and how we are left with a sense of symmetry and stability as the last notes fade.

12 Allison AuMigrations
Allison Au; Migrations Ensemble
Independent AA-23 (allisonau.com)

Allison Au’s Migrations is a vibrant sonic landscape with ebbs and flows inspired by transitions through physical landscape. Described in the liner notes as a long-due creative articulation of personal history and identity, this undertaking succeeds in a profound, inspiring, thought-provoking way. Central to this triumph is the depth, versatility and range of the ensemble itself. 

Au’s own jazz combo is accompanied by string quartet, Michael Davidson on vibraphone and the expressive vocals of Laila Biali. This instrumentation unlocks a spectrum of prismatic mood and texture, with the brightness of the strings crackling over an undercurrent of spellbinding harmonies. Biali not only faithfully conveys the weight of her words during the expertly paced spoken word sections, but she shines as a primary melodic instrument in tandem with Au’s saxophone, particularly on pieces like Them

As a suite, Migrations’ sense of interconnectedness does not feel contrived. Rather than flowing into each other directly with manufactured studio transitions, there are brief pauses between movements. This allows each scene ample time to remark on the previous, while organically creating forward momentum that complements the album’s central text and themes. Racing Across the Land feels like a direct continuation of where Aves Raras ended up in terms of its pace, but from the utterance of “long after you are gone…” the throughline grows beyond what is outwardly stated, allowing for a retrospective plunge into the metanarrative properties of sound.

12 Quinsin NachoffQuinsin Nachoff – Stars and Constellations
Quinsin Nachoff; Mark Helias; Dan Weiss; Bergamot Quartet; The Rhythm Method
Adyhaopa Records AR00040 (quinsin.com)

Noted saxophonist/composer Quinsin Nachoff has just released a new offering, pinioned on the synthesis of a free, non-chordal jazz trio and string quartets. The result is a challenging and bold three-part jazz suite. Nachoff is the composer of all of the material here, and the project itself features Nachoff on tenor as well as the superb players, bassist Mark Helias and drummer Dan Weiss – both frequent collaborators of Nachoff’s. The trio is joined by NYC’s string ensembles, the Bergamot Quartet and The Rhythm Method. The synthesis of these ensembles is breathtaking, as is the compositional and improvisational freedom lying therein.

Mankind has always looked upward to receive insight and inspiration from the sky – and in acknowledgement of those ancient engrams, the three movements of the suite are entitled Scorpio, Pendulum and Sagittarius. Scorpio explores the white luminosity of individual stars – mere points of light – morphing into constellations. Pizzicato strings instigate the chaos, as they form and are greeted by lengthening string lines, while blazing percussion indicates the heartbeat of the galaxy. The strings both support and antagonize the subtle spots of light, while the bass and cello lines support the very firmament itself. Nachoff’s potent tenor jumps into the fray with a deeply soulful recitative followed by a searing cry against oblivion, and hence into the very eye of creation itself. Fine percussive work from Weiss, as well a gymnastic and soul-searing bass solo from Helias summon the Paleolithic magic.

The 14-minute Pendulum is a study in extremes – invoking frenetic conversation between the string quartets, and Sagittarius celebrates the almost Vedic universal law common throughout the known and unknown universe – the eternal law of destruction and re-creation. This is a major work of luminosity and brilliance, which will inform the higher consciousness of each listener.

13 Lucas NiggliPlay!
Lucas Niggli Sound of Serendipity Tentet
Intakt CD 406 (intaktrec.ch)

More than a game piece that creates musical situations suggested by the shuffling of playing cards into three-fold suits, Swiss percussionist Lucas Niggli’s refined this eight-track program so that tentet members negate any breach between composition and improvisation. Although different conductors, soloists and backing players are listed for each piece, foreground and background roles aren’t static.

Niggli, whose experience encompasses solo sets, a punk-jazz trio and African percussion experiments, only lightly sprinkles rhythmic strokes and slaps among the tunes from his kit and drummer Peter Conradin Zumthor’s. Instead the tracks’ contours are decided by soloist juxtaposition, as extended technique alters expected sounds. Movement 2 for instance evolves from Marina Tantanozi’s electronically doubled flute puffs and shrills to near opaque vibrating textures from organist Dominik Blum and accordionist Tizia Zimmermann, then reinstates flute peeps mated with squeeze box jerks. The most natural transition between dissonance and delicacy occurs with Movement 4 and Movement 5. Joana Maria Aderi’s voltage-altered vocals paired with percussion clangs cushioned by Marc Unternährer’s tuba ostinato subsequently turns into a brief pastoral flute feature.

While space is also made for aggressive altissimo asides by tenor saxophonist Silke Strah and stentorian slaps from bassist Christian Webber, as well as widely separated rock-like or marching-band-like interludes, the suite’s basic structure remains constant and linear.

Not only does the group Play exceptionally, but it also demonstrates how to play using varied sound elements while preserving a coherent musical perception.

14 Meinard KneerDer zweite Streich
Meinrad Kneer Quintet
Jazzwerkstatt JW 234 (jazzwerkstatt.eu)

Balanced perfectly between inspiration and interpretation, German bassist Meinrad Kneer’s compositions on Der zweite Streich (the second trick) epitomize modern creative music. Still the implied trick is that the eight tunes depend on sonic integration from this Berlin-based ensemble of fellow Teutons, trombonist Gerhard Gschlößl and trumpeter Sebastian Piskorz, Canadian alto saxophonist Peter Van Huffel and Austrian drummer Andreas Pichler.

While each player gets considerable solo space for individual theme elaborations, tracks heavily feature collective harmonies. That means interlaced horn vamps can propel undulating swing; or the other horns riff while one explores individual timbral motifs. Gschlößl’s cross-blown slippery sobs, Piskorz’s dedicated soaring triplets and Van Huffel’s measured bites and finger vibrations enliven the pieces, sometimes projecting tones every which way or expressing round robin soloing until connecting. Pichler’s machine-gun-like accents also play a crucial role, as do Kneer’s carefully positioned string stops. 

Still the determination of the bassist’s ideas are expressed most clearly on extended tracks like the contrasting Sad Thing and Rhapsodie à la Bédouin. Sophisticatedly musical motifs coalesce into story telling even as asides such as contrapuntal reed flutters and operatic brass squeals puncture linear movement on the former; and pivot to vaguely Arabic lilts from trumpet and trombone to preserve delicacy in spite of the theme’s intensity on the latter.

Overall the only trick demonstrated on this quintet’s second CD is how efficiently profound musical ideas are expressed with such diversity in nationality and playing styles.

01 OKANOkantomi
Okan
Lula World Records LWR036A (okanmusica.com)

The luminous duo of Canadian-Cuban musician/composers Elizabeth Rodriguez (vocalist and violinist) and Magdelys Savigne (vocalist and percussionist) are more widely known as Okan, and have already established themselves as the international co-ruling reinas of Afro-Cuban Music. With their latest release, not only have they composed nearly all of the material here, but they have incorporated the propulsive talents of their core ensemble into the CD (bassist Roberto Riveron, drummer Frank Martinez, keyboardist Jeremy Ledbetter and synthesizerist Miguel de Armas). Additionally, they have invited a staggering number of talented guests into their masterful recording. The compositions are all creatively connected to Mother Earth and are universal in their appeal. The deep emotional and musical verity of Okan challenges us to think and feel beyond boundaries.

The opening salvo is the incendiary Eshu Nigüe (Elegua), which thrusts us into the rich culture of West Africa, rife with magic and power and the fascinating fusion of Latin modalities with the rhythms of the ancestors. Quick on its heels is the stunning vocal duet, La Reina Del Norte featuring the relentless percussion of Reimundo Sosa and Emadio Dedue, as well as ridiculous violin work from Rodriguez. The title tune takes a sultry, contemporary twist with superb contributions from guitarist Elmer Ferrer.

Other stunners include the sumptuous, No Volvi, and the gorgeous, classically infused Preludio y Changui composed by Fritz Kreisler with stunning performances by Katherine Knowles on cello, Lara St. John and Rodriguez on violin, Matthew Giorlami on double bass and Sarah Di Niverville on viola. This irresistible recording is an invigorating, pure and potent project, as well as a triumph of Afro-Cuban fusion.

02 ErasEras
Randy Raine-Reusch; Michael Red
HMR3 Productions (isla.bandcamp.com/album/eras)

Veteran Vancouver-based multi-instrumentalist, composer and world music pioneer Randy Raine-Reusch and electronic musician, composer and DJ Michael Red join forces in six deep sonic meditations on Eras

The project has a fascinating backstory: back to 2014 when Red met Raine-Reusch in the latter’s home- world instrument-museum. Raine-Reusch is not only a noted instrument collector but has also spent his career studying and playing them. He specializes in performing and composing experimental music for instruments from around the world, particularly those from Asia.

During their 2014 recording session, Raine-Reusch chose various acoustic instruments from his vast collection including Asian flutes and various string zithers, African harps, and gongs. Adopting an intuitive interactive process, the duo recorded their finely-grained and honed improvisations, Red electronically processing them. The album was completed over the course of several days, but rather than immediately releasing it, they chose to leave it “to mature and distil.” The duo decided to finalize Eras this year, being “careful to preserve the direct and intuitive process that permeates the recording.”

Evocative track titles such as Five Names of Peace, Shifting Silence, Inner World and Winter Water capture the meditative, slowly flowing focus of the music. Between Is Six, the opening track, sets the tone with Raine-Reusch’s sensitive breath-centred sounds made on a low flute, sensitively modulated over the stereo sound stage by Red. And the last album sound is the most exquisitely languid fadeout I’ve heard all year. 

How to sum up the music on Eras? Rather than New Age, descriptors such as shadow worlds, sonic incantations and dreamtime may make more sense.

03 Vandana Vishwas KabeeraKabeera The Thinker
Vandana Vishwas
Independent VV004 (vandanavishwas.com)

After a couple of albums in which Vandana Vishwas bent like a reed in the wind, allowing her Indian cultural topography to collide with her experience of Western contemporary music, the luminous-voiced singer looks inward, to the ancient Indian roots that sustain her artistry. 

The album, Kabeera – The Thinker… takes the poetry of the 15th-century Northern Indian mystic, Kabir but sets it to music with a wholly modern sensibility. 

Vishwas’ lofty vocals seem to create a stratospheric atmosphere in keeping with the mysticism of the lyricist and central character of these songs – that is Kabir whose philosophical minstrelsy (at the height of his powers) is purported to have dramatically altered religious thought not simply within Hinduism, but also among Sikhism. Remarkably, so deeply mystical were Kabir’s verses that he was also embraced by the Muslim Sufi, who shared a similar mystical relationship with God.

Much of Kabir’s poetic output was originally written in Bhojpuri, a Northern Indian dialect in the region where Kabir was born and raised. It is a testament to the preservation of Indian culture that Bhojpuri is still in use in that linguistic heartland, where wandering minstrels still write lyrics to their devotional songs.

The music of Kabeera – The Thinker… may have a more focussed appeal as Vishwas sings all the lyrics in Hindi. But her lustrous voice is seductive, beckoning listeners to dig deeper into the world of this legendary Indian mystic.

04a Oklahoma Audrey SilverOklahoma!
Nathaniel Hackmann; Sierry Boggess; Sinfonia of London; John Wilson
Chandos CHSA 5322(2) (chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHSA%205322)

Oklahoma
Audrey Silver
Messy House Records MH 0105 (audreysilver.com)

Since the original Broadway production opened on March 31, 1943 and ran for an unprecedented 2,212 performances, with its pithy lyrics and dialogue, sumptuous melodies, dramatic plot points, fully developed characters as well as a contemporary ballet sequence, Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! has enjoyed endless revivals on Broadway, international productions translated into a plethora of languages and a film version that remains, in my opinion, one of the finest pieces of American cinema ever created. Recently, two fine recordings at either end of the musical spectrum have been released… a vocal jazz exploration of ten of the show’s most memorable tunes featuring the prodigious talents of NYC-based jazz vocalist Audrey Silver, and a full theatrical production conducted by John Wilson with the Sinfonia of London. These two diverse presentations are a fine representation of the near immortality of a good piece of theatre – one traditional and one exploratory – and both superb and timeless. 

For her fifth CD as leader (which she also produced), Silver has put together a phenomenal ensemble, featuring the gifted Bruce Barth on piano (Barth also serves as arranger here), Peter Bernstein on guitar, Adam Kolker on alto flute and bass clarinet, Khalil Kwame Bell on percussion and a well-appointed string section. The original book for Oklahoma! was adapted from Lynn Riggs’ 1931 novel, Green Grow the Lilacs. Interestingly, the novel contained a strong Native American plotline and presence which was effectively deleted for the Broadway show. In the opening title track, Silver restores that glaring omission by performing deftly on Native American Flute to parenthesize the song. The stunning arrangement by Barth is full of surprises as Silver’s warm, mellifluous voice weaves in and out of the familiar melody – making it her own. 

Other treats include a swinging take on Many a New Day, which features a lovely, Charlie Christian-esque guitar solo from Bernstein; a moving interpretation of Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’ on which Silver, Barth and the sinuous string lines access the very soul of the hearty, natural world-loving settlers of the Western U.S. (or anywhere, really). Of special mention is a masterful and lilting treatment of the rarely performed, Out of My Dreams. The delicious and languid nature of Silver’s warm and wistful vocals here are reminiscent of the great Irene Kral, and Barth also renders a stunner of a solo, enhanced by luminous string lines.

04b Oklahoma OrchestralAnd now for something altogether different. Chandos has just released a truly magnificent double-disc recording of Oklahoma!. The release of the recording itself, has coincided with the 80th anniversary of the venerable musical’s first performance while an expert, talented and compelling cast delivers performances that thrill to the bone. Heading up the fine cast are Nathaniel Hackmann as Curly; Sierra Boggess as Laurey; Rodney Earl Clarke as Jud; Jamie Parker as Will Parker; Sandra Marvin as Aunt Eller and Louise Dearman as Ado Annie. It was Wilson’s inspiration that resulted (ten years on) in this golden age musical that had previously never been recorded in its original form. Robert Russell Bennett’s orchestrations have been beautifully and perfectly restored as well as being re-engraved by Bruce Pomahac at the Rogers & Hammerstein Organization resulting in – to quote Wilson, “To my ears, this great masterpiece in its original instrumental clothing, sounds as fresh as the day it was written”.

The quality of the recording is so vibrant, vigorous and visceral, that one imagines that they are actually in the first row of the orchestra section. There is also much additional, fascinating interstitial music here, which was necessary in live theatre at the time, in order to facilitate scene/costume changes, etc. The sheer excellence of the arrangements, interpretation, orchestra, direction and the stupendous cast make this a totally satisfying listening experience – theatre buff, or not.

Listen to 'Oklahoma!' Now in the Listening Room

Much of what we define as jazz and improvised music has been driven by rhythmic changes established by innovative percussionists. Yet very little that transpired was the result of single Eureka moments propelled by one individual. Each contemporary advance strengthened the next ones, with some percussionists operating far apart creating important advances not acknowledged until later. Proof of their creative skills and later acceptance is demonstrated on these mostly recently discovered sessions.

01 Barry AltschulArguably the most crucial disc here is Stop Time (NoBusiness Records NBCD 163 nobusinessrecords.com), a 1978 New York City live date by three sound architects who never recorded together before or afterwards. Key to the disc is the sympathetic, sophisticated yet strong accents of drummer Barry Altschul (b.1943), who by that time had perfected the melding of hard bop power with free jazz multiple tempos that he used with everyone from Paul Bley to Anthony Braxton. His associates were David Izenson (1932-1979), famous as a member of Ornette Coleman’s trio and clarinetist Perry Robinson (1938-2018), whose style encompassed elements of folk, Klezmer, abstract and notated music. Robins on, who was in groups headed by leaders as diverse as Dave Brubeck and William Parker, unites the four untitled improvisations with melodic trills and flutters, interjected squeaks and circular squeals and miniature reed bites. Izenson’s arco variations are often tinged with melancholy and confidently work up the scale, while his pizzicato work expands with triple stopping patterns. Yet his turns to walking or positioned thumps preserve linear motion along with Altschul’s backbeat. Conventional enough to trade fours with the clarinetist during Untitled I, the drummer turns on percussion razzle dazzle with paradiddles, flashy strokes and fanciful patterning on the last track. But his backbeat aids in connecting the clarinetist’s strained tonguing, clarion twitters and intense flattement away from sharp yelps into responsive swing by the finale. Probably the most telling sequence that confirms the trio’s sound evolution along takes place during the last section of Untitled III. Suddenly Robinson’s reconfigured tongue stops and slurs become a blues line, accompanied by string strums and drum shuffles. Rhythm blends with reconstitution as reed split tones and doits are interspaced among long-lined flutters and Izenson’s jagged arco swipes that alternate with rhythmic double and triple stopping.

02 Paul LyttonSkip forward two and a half years to hear how a contemporary European percussionist advanced textural beats. Borne on a Whim Duets, 1981 (Corbett vs Dempsey CvsDCD100 corbettvsdempsey.com), is a series of duets between British drummer Paul Lytton (b.1947), who also uses live electronics, and German Erhard Hirt (b.1951), playing electric guitar and dobro. Lytton, known for his work with Evan Parker, and Hirt, who often plays in larger configurations, had by this point perfected the ability to strip down music to its core without affecting its essence and flow. The definition of lower-case improv, Lytton’s often segregated and positioned clanks, near-silent brush wipes and rim and cymbal rustles outline the sonic landscape alongside Hirt’s single-string stops, taunt frails and rapid twangs, with intermittent voltage oscillations filling the remaining spaces. Tracks are built with jagged guitar stabs and explorations up to the tuning pegs balanced by positioned ruffs and brief mylar resonations. Sometimes vibrations occur in tandem, other times they evolve separately, adhering and fragmenting like amoebas. At 27 minutes, nearly double in length than any other track, The Sensitive Stickler, is the CD’s tour-de-force. Gradually increasing in volume, drum expression moves from subtle metallic shakes and brief electronic warbles to broad wood pops, bell pings and cymbal clangs as the guitarist does the same, torquing single-note strains to continuous string shuffles and dial-twisting squeaks. With nuance, the exposition shifts again during the final sequence as the tune is brought to a convivial finale with delicate drumstick shakes and shuffles first set off rugged guitar flanges and string buzzes so that Hirt’s subsequent disconnected dobro licks meet appropriate slaps and paradiddles from Lytton.

03 Peter BrotzmannAnother duo that expresses percussion ambidextrousness and the adaptation of another country’s drum tradition to creative music is featured on Triangle, Live at OHM 1987 (NoBusiness Records NBCD 160 nobusinessrecords.com). Recorded in Tokyo, the selection details how Sabu Toyozumi (b.1943), a first generation Japanese free jazzer, who has worked with numerous local, European and American creators during his 60-year career, intersected with German tenor saxophonist/tárogató player Peter Brötzmann (1941-2023), whose take-no-prisoners approach is musically fiercer than the bellicose activities of either of these players’ countries prior to and during World War II. Reflecting, but not copying the power and theatricalism of Taiko drumming, Toyozumi confirms that style’s birth from jazz drumming and quickly marshals clip clops and clatters into a pseudo military pace that easily matches Brötzmann’s Teutonic altissimo runs and snarling overblowing. The saxophonist not only advances broken octave textures in all saxophone pitches, but at times, such as during Triangle and Valentine Chocolate, switches to woody tárogató whose gentling reed trills are ably met by the drummer’s carefully positioned palms-on-drum-top slaps and temple-bell-like plinks. Although the emotionalism implicit in Brötzmann’s solos sometimes causes him to momentarily turn away from the mics, there’s no stopping his molten flow of inspiration. The session is completed during Peter & Sabu’s Points as Toyozumi sounds out a contrapuntal collection of paradiddles and smacks to meet the unbridled thrust of spectrofluctuation and multi-sectional screams from Brötzmann’s horn. Note though that throughout the extended Depth of Focus as irregular split tones and jagged bites issue from the saxophonist, the drummer emulates both western and eastern percussion with metallic cross pops interrupted at points with miniature gong resonations.  

04 Fred AndersonWhile the other percussionists here express their mature styles, The Milwaukee Tapes, Vol.2 (Corbett vs Dempsey CvsDCD101 corbettvsdempsey.com) from 1980 is noteworthy since it’s an early example of the accomplishments of Hamid Drake (b.1955), one of this century’s pre-eminent percussionists. Then known as Hank, Drake’s dextrous playing is a key element of this live date, headlined by AACM tenor master Fred Anderson (1929-2010) and featuring both men’s long-time associate trumpeter Billy Brimfield (1938-2012) and the little-known bassist Larry Hayrod. Overall, the program usually involves the two horns harmonizing on the theme, then opening it up for freeform solos as a powerful bass line and percussion resonations respond to each challenge. The rhythm section on Our Theme for instance rumbles and rambles as Brimfield’s emphatic half-valve exploration abuts Anderson’s harsh widening reed slurs. Drake’s smacks, bangs and rebounds gradually speed up the tempo, acknowledging Anderson’s distinctive accelerations. Each player follows the narrative’s descending arc before wrapping up with a comforting sound cluster. Bernice follows a similar linear association as the trumpeter’s portamento storytelling brings out Drake’s rim shots that solidify the overall swinging beat. Later, the bassist’s vibrating shakes provide a solid foundation for the others’ timbral explorations. Wedded firmly to Free Jazz as the Stop Time trio mentioned above, the Midwestern ensemble’s output is tougher, bluesier and unaffected by European influences. Still Drake’s quick responses to Brimfield’s sometime unexpected brass triplets and Anderson’s idiosyncratic Woody Woodpecker-like yelps and eviscerating split-tone bites with hard thumps, press rolls and Latin inferences augur his future percussion sophistication in any situation.

05 Cal TjaderAlthough Catch The Groove: Live At The Penthouse (1963-1967) (Jazz Detective DDJD-012 cal-tjader.bandcamp.com/album/catch-the-groove-live-at-the-penthouse-1963-1967) dates from a mere decade before the other discs, the two-CD set could be from another musical planet. That’s because the quintets led by vibraphone player Cal Tjader are firmly implanted in the commercial music business that the other sessions transcended. However, the 27 tracks recorded during several dates at a Seattle night club are just as crucial to percussion evolution. Tjader (1925–1982) was the most prominent non-Hispanic musician with impeccable jazz credentials – early on he was Dave Brubeck’s drummer – to confirm the adaptability of Latin rhythms to creative music. Although fewer than half the tracks have obvious Latin titles, all include some aspects of the montuno style. That means the group’s kit drummer also plays timbales and on five of the six dates another percussionist, Armando Peraza, is added playing bongos and congas. While the quintet’s nightclub repertoire included ballads like Shadow of Your Smile, interpretations with faultless swing of everything from Bags Groove to Along Comes Mary, Tjadar’s individuality is best expressed on the Latin tunes. Throughout, he and his exceptional associates – which at points include pianist Clare Fischer and bassist Monk Montgomery – help solidify a sound that’s midway between a Cuban conjunto and a modern jazz combo. Responsive piano tinkling, mostly played by Lonnie Hewitt, confirms the blues and rhythm underpinning of most tunes; the piano-vibe interface is jazzy and improvised connections are constantly speedier and stretch past Latin conventions even if the base comes from expected riffs as on Maramoor Mombo or the standard Cuban Fantasy. Mambo Inn even includes a quote from Salt Peanuts. At the same time the bassists’ constant use of the expected tumbao patterns and tick-tock rhythmic breaks during expositions imbue even the most languid ballad with an Afro-Cuban tinge. 

Some percussion implement was likely primitive human’s first musical instrument. Its evolution has been in lockstep with humanity itself. Theses previously unreleased sounds provide more exact examples as how the beat goes on.

There are few instances of jazz musicians who achieve both musical greatness and some degree of genuine popularity. The rare cases are signalled by one syllable recognition (Duke, Bird, Monk, Miles, Trane) at most two (Satchmo, Dizzy). The most prominent current activity in jazz recording revolves around archival releases, whether reissues or newly uncovered discoveries. Each of these sets presents musicians who had a certain dance with significant popularity.

01 Hot HouseIf there’s a singular jazz event embedded in Toronto history, it’s one that occurred in 1953. Hot House: The Complete Jazz at Massey Hall Recordings (Craft Recordings CR00683 craftrecordings.com/search?type=product&q=Hot+house) has often been marketed as The Greatest Jazz Concert Ever, a wild claim by any standard, but it is drenched in greatness. With saxophonist Charlie Parker, trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, pianist Bud Powell, bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach, every musician in the quintet represented one of the greatest figures ever to play jazz (or anything else) on his instrument of choice. They had all played together extensively, and in 1953 were at or near their peak abilities. When it was originally released on Mingus’ Debut label, the bassist, unhappy with the original recording levels, overdubbed his bass parts. 

The present reissue offers optimal restoration of the original recordings on Disc One of the two-CD package, both the quintet set and a trio set by Powell, Mingus and Roach. A live recording at the dawn of the LP era, it offers longer takes than earlier formats had accommodated, so there’s plenty of brilliant blowing on bop anthems like Salt Peanuts and A Night in Tunisia, performances now embedded in jazz history. Powell, with perhaps the talent closest to Parker’s but with a life even more troubled (by police beatings, addiction, mental illness and electroshock therapy), performs brilliantly, especially in the trio set. Mingus’ remodelling of the quintet recordings is on Disc Two. His overdubs are at a tasteful volume level and are models of bebop bass line construction. The foldout liner includes a fine 2009 account of the 1953 event written by an attendee, longtime Coda and The WholeNote contributor Don Brown.

02 Ahmad JamalPianist Ahmad Jamal, whose approach emphasized design over emotional impulse, has always been admired by audiences and musicians, though sometimes derided by critics. The third and last of a series of two-CD sets, his Emerald City Nights: Live at the Penthouse 1966-68 (Jazz Detective DDJD-006 deepdigsmusic.com) has the trio completed by bassist Jamil Nasser and drummer Frank Gant. It’s very much in the mould of the previous sets, though with more emphasis on current pop material. It has the fine structural detailing of Jamal’s arrangements, the hand-in-glove accompaniment of talented and regular sidemen and the regal elegance of Jamal’s keyboard command, here applied to a repertoire that stretches from traditional standards like Autumn Leaves to the then-current jazz of John Handy’s Dance to the Lady. There are also several contemporary film and television themes, like Naked City Theme and Alfie, a sign of the times that Jamal and his partners treat as vehicles for extrapolation. Among the extended improvisations, Henry Mancini’s Mr. Lucky and Antonio Carlos Jobim’s Corcovado stand out, while Jamal also provides a gem-like, unaccompanied solo rendering of Johnny Mandel’s Emily.

03 Wes MontgomeryAnother master stylist, Wes Montgomery, was definitely the most admired jazz guitarist of the 1960s, whether for his lyricism, rhythmic drive or the solos that often developed through choruses of single notes, then octaves, then chords. While the later recordings in his short career often featured pop ballads with light-pop orchestrations and minimal improvisation, his live performances generally stuck to the mainstream modern jazz that first brought him fame, like those heard with the Wynton Kelly Trio on Maximum Swing: The Unissued 1965 Half Note Recordings (Resonance HCD-2067 resonancerecords.org), recorded on Sundays between September and November 1965. Some of Montgomery’s greatest recordings were done with Kelly, who shared the guitarist’s own qualities, including strong roots in blues and swing and a crisp, engaging sense of purpose. 

The Kelly trio was literally Miles Davis’ former rhythm section with drummer Jimmy Cobb and bassist Paul Chambers. Here, Chambers is present for only the first three tracks, giving way to a succession of other distinguished bassists – Ron Carter, Major Holley and Larry Ridley – all of whom perform admirably. The recording quality isn’t good, but the spirited music usually rises above it, from high energy versions of Impressions, Cherokee and Four on Six to extended treatments of Star Eyes and The Song Is You, works crafted for Montgomery and Kelly’s combination of tuneful improvisations and joyous bounce. 

01 Infinite VoyageAfter a career of 47 years the renowned Emerson String Quartet is calling it a day and they have enrolled Canadian superstar Barbara Hannigan for their farewell offering, Infinite Voyage (Alpha 1000 outhere-music.com/en/albums/infinite-voyage). The disc opens gently with Paul Hindemith’s four-song cycle Melancholie, Op.13 which Hannigan’s pure soprano is the perfect vehicle for the poems of Christian Morgenstern. Set in memory of Hindemith’s friend Karl Köhler, whose death on the Western Front in 1918 left the composer devastated, noting “Everything is dreary and empty. I feel deathly sad.” This is followed by Alban Berg’s String Quartet, Op.3, with its references to Tristan und Isolde as a tribute to the composer’s beloved – and later its eerie prefiguring of the madness depicted in his own opera Wozzeck – in a deeply moving performance by the quartet. Pianist Bertrand Chamayou joins the others for Ernest Chausson’s Chanson perpétuelle, a setting of abridged verses from Charles Cros’ Nocturne in which the narrator, abandoned by her lover, prepares for suicide. At nearly half an hour, Schoenberg’s String Quartet No.2, in F-sharp Minor, Op.10 is the most substantive work presented here. The first two movements are scored for traditional string quartet. The first movement expands the tonality of the key signature without venturing too far outside the lines. Things begin to go astray in the second movement, when toward the end a fractured, but recognizable rendition of the popular song O du Lieber Augustine with it’s refrain “All is over” is heard. The third and fourth movements both feature soprano and the poetry of Stefan George: Litany built on motives from the previous movements using a text that opens “Deep is the sadness that gloomily comes over me”; and Ecstasy, in which there is no longer a key signature and the words begin “I feel air from another planet” as the work indeed leads us into a new world of tonality. Once again Hannigan’s is the perfect voice for this powerful and haunting work, which provides a fitting end to the Emerson Quartet’s “infinite voyage.” Their journey lasted most of half a century and they produced nearly three dozen recordings. The Emersons will be missed, but what a legacy!

02 TransfiguredTransfigured featuring the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective and soprano Francesca Chiejina (Chandos CHAN 20277 chandos.net/products/catalogue/CHAN%2020277) presents a program of chamber music from the turn of the 20th century with and without voice. The disc begins with Alexander von Zemlinsky’s Maiblumen blühten überall for soprano and string sextet from 1898, a setting of Richard Dehmel’s gruesome poem that translates to Lilies-of-the-valley blossomed everywhere, which ends “and the sun burned him to death in the corn.” Anton Webern’s 1907 Quintet for Piano and Strings, at 13 minutes is one of the composer’s most sustained works. Written early in his studies with Schoenberg, it shows some influence of Zemlinsky, his orchestration teacher, and certainly an appreciation of Brahms, as well as an understanding of his new mentor’s ideas. Zemlinsky, Schoenberg’s teacher and later his brother-in-law, also numbered among his students Alma Schindler, who became his lover before her marriage to Gustav Mahler in 1902. She wrote a variety of compositions before her marriage, but Mahler decreed that his wife would have to give up composing. He later relented somewhat and in 1910 sent her music to Universal Edition who published some of the songs recorded here. Kaleidoscope pianist Tom Poster has arranged them quite effectively for soprano and string sextet and in this form they perfectly complement the other repertoire on the disc. Chiejina’s dark, dramatic voice is well suited to these songs which actually show more affinity with the world of Zemlinsky and Schoenberg than that of Mahler. In 1899 Schoenberg wrote the string sextet Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) which remains his most celebrated work, with the possible exception of the mammoth Gurrelieder published a decade later. Like Zemlinsky’s Maiblumen and the first of Alma’s songs presented here, Die stille Stadt, it is based on an emotionally charged poem by Dehmel. In this case however, the text is interpreted solely through music in an extended and gripping tone poem replete with sturm und drang. As the notes tell us, “indebted to Brahms in its string sextet form, the work seemed to be a deliberate repudiation of such a soundworld and its harmonic rules.” Although still some years away from his development of the “atonal” 12-note system of composition, and still using a traditional key signature (D minor), in this seminal work Schoenberg expands the tonality, stretching it almost to the breaking point while still conveying the depths of emotion in this star-crossed love story. Kaleidoscope rises and falls exquisitely with all the rollercoaster twists and turns of the plot until eventually, a half hour later, the quiet and compassionate resolution brings this very satisfying disc to a resplendent close. 

03 Goldberg VariationsI have spent some time in recent months sorting through several thousand LPs in my basement and came across Glenn Gould’s two iconic recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. I took the opportunity to give them both a spin and was surprised at just how much I appreciated Gould’s “mature” 1981 version (51 minutes) with its leisurely approach versus the sprightly, often breakneck tempos of his youthful 1955 debut (38 minutes). A few days after this comparative listening session a new recording of the Goldbergs by Icelander Vikingur Ólafsson arrived at my desk (Deutsche Grammophon 486 4553 vikingurolafsson.com) and to my surprise, I now have a new favourite of this much-recorded work. As the opening Aria began, I got the impression that, as with the elder Gould, I was in for another treat and settled in for a smooth and relaxing ride, but soon had to fasten my seatbelt; a number of the 30 variations proved to be as nimble and breathtaking as the young Gould’s renderings. It is simply astounding to me that fingers can actually move that quickly and articulately. That notwithstanding, the relationship between the slow and fast movements and overall arc of the trajectory from opening aria to closing reprise gave the impression of a thoughtful, relaxed and balanced performance. It has always surprised me that a work commissioned by an insomniac to ease him through long, sleepless nights is quite so active and engaging. I would have expected the intention to be more of a sleep-aid than an entertainment. In spite of his virtuosic dexterity in the faster variations, I found Ólafsson’s interpretation to be more in keeping with my own sensibilities in this regard. I was quite surprised to find that this new recording is virtually twice as long as Gould’s original, despite Ólafsson’s equally fast tempos in some of the variations. I had to refer to the score to confirm my suspicion that, as is somewhat common practice, Gould omitted the second (and I think even some of the first) repeats, whereas Ólafsson plays them all, giving an outstanding performance that lasts some 74 minutes.

04a Around the WorldOne of my great pleasures this past summer was reading Ma vie heureuse (My Happy Life) by Darius Milhaud (1892-1974). I was quite surprised to discover that this prolific French composer, a member of Les Six, is sadly underrepresented in current commercial recordings and on websites like YouTube and Spotify. My own collection, built over the past half century, is thankfully more complete than what’s out there currently, so I was nonetheless able to revisit some of Milhaud’s wonderful compositions in conjunction with his delightful memoire. That being said, I was pleased to receive a new disc from clarinetist Yevgeny Dokshansky recently featuring Milhaud’s Suite for Clarinet, Violin, and Piano Op.157b (1936), comprising charming movements excepted from the music for a play by Jean Anouilh. Around the World: Trios for Clarinet, Violin and Piano performed by Ensemble Next Parallel (Heritage Records HTGCD170 heritage-records.com) also includes work by Milhaud’s contemporary, Armenian Aram Khachaturian, and living composers Peter Schickele (USA) and Roger J. Henry (Trinidad and Tobago). Khachaturian’s trio has a Romantic sensibility, and its final movement draws on an Uzbek folk melody. In Serenade for Three, Schickele is up to his usual tricks, particularly in the final movement’s perpetually rising variations on a theme from his alter ego PDQ Bach’s oratorio Oedipus Tex. Henry’s Caribbean infused music is actually not dissimilar to the sounds of Brazil that so inspired Milhaud most of a century earlier. 

Listen to 'Around the World' Now in the Listening Room

04b From Jewish LifeYevgeny Dokshansky also included his earlier Heritage release featuring another of my mid-century favourite composers – From Jewish Life: The Music of Ernest Bloch – on which he is accompanied by pianist Richard Masters. Another welcome addition to my collection.

Regional Roots Roundup

As I write this in early November, I have just enjoyed a heady evening at the new Hugh’s Room Live. It was my maiden voyage to the venue on Broadview Avenue, and I must say I was mightily impressed with the layout and the acoustics of the former Broadview Avenue Congregational Church, an 1894 structure designed by iconic Toronto architect E.J. Lennox. Unfortunately the venue is not yet wheelchair accessible, but press releases assure us it is a priority to rectify this as soon as possible. 

05a Rule of ThreeThe occasion of my outing involved the launch of the Andrew Collins Trio CD The Rule of Three (andrewcollinstrio.com). The musicianship of this band is outstanding; between the three of them they cover mandolin(s), mandola, mandocello, string bass, guitar and fiddle(s). As to what kind of music they play, Collins is the first to admit it’s hard to describe. He’s even written a song about it that you can check out on YouTube: I Don’t Know (But I Like It). The influences are diverse. While leaning heavily to bluegrass, there’s a healthy mix of western swing, old-time, folky singer/songwriter, a bit of pop – including a tune by Pink Floyd – and straight up classical, with a remarkable rendition of Debussy’s Clair de Lune on this new album. Although mostly a string band, not all of the repertoire is instrumental. Vocals are mostly taken care of by Collins, with bass player James McEleney providing sweet harmonies and occasional leads. The Rule of Three opens with Contranym, which Collins explained refers to words which are also their own opposites, such as cleave or sanction. It’s not a word I was familiar with, but in one of life’s little synchronicities Contranyms came up as a category on the episode of Jeopardy I watched the very next day. Other highlights for me include the raucous How Do You Get to Carnegie Hall, the balladic title track, the dizzyingly virtuosic Fleabag and That Jethro Really Burns!, a swinging tribute to Kenneth C. “Jethro” Burns of Homer and Jethro fame. 

05b Love Away the HateCollins also spoke about the strange experience of sheltering in place during the pandemic, a time spent playing alone and writing mandolin tunes. The result was the 2022 solo release Love Away the Hate on which he performs admirably as a one-man band, combining mandolin, mandola, mandocello, violin and guitar arrangements of ten tunes also available in notation and tablature in an accompanying book of sheet music. I look forward to using this to hone my own mandolin skills!

06 So Glad Im HereThe new Hugh’s Room doesn’t have a kitchen, so rather than the dinner club aspect of the original venue, focus is on the intimate concert hall setting so well appreciated by the audience. One potential casualty of this format is Ken Whiteley’s Gospel Brunches, a treasured monthly feature at the old location. Fortunately, Whiteley has adapted his approach. The first Gospel Matinee took place on Sunday November 12 and presumably will continue in the new year. The first installment served as a launch for Whiteley’s latest CD So Glad I’m Here (kenwhiteley.com) featuring a special guest – Iranian tar and oud master Davod Azad – giving an ecumenical take on the gospel genre. On it, Whiteley plays a host of instruments, including guitar and resophonic guitar, accordion, mandolin and Hammond organ among others, with George Koller on bass, Bucky Berger on drums and half a dozen supporting musicians and singers, all making “a joyful noise unto the Lord.” The repertoire involves traditional gospel tunes adapted and arranged by Whiteley, along with several originals, including the anthemic (My God Is) Bigger Than That (a sentiment I much prefer to the one more common in this troubled world, “My God is Bigger than Yours!”). One of the real rockers is Gospel Ship which is kind of a family affair with brother Chris Whiteley on harmonica and son Ben on bass, along with full chorus. Azad’s ethereal introduction to Reverend Dan Smith’s This Is The Lord’s House sets the stage for a truly welcoming invitation for everyone to come in and “taste the bread of life.” Each of the nine songs is a treasure, but a highlight is the title track with Whiteley’s finger style guitar intro and Azad’s solo, which is a true stunner. The penultimate track, It’s Gonna Rain, is superb. 

07 Meredith MoonThere are several connections to the preceding in Constellations, the new album by Canadian Appalachian clawhammer-style banjo playing, guitar picking singer/songwriter Meredith Moon (True North Records TND807 meredithmoon.com). The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered by Andrew Collins and the Toronto launch took place at Hugh’s Room Live back in October. Eight of the ten tracks are self-penned, mostly self-accompanied ballads with an old-time feel. One exception is Soldier’s Joy including bass and subtle drums and a fiddle break from Tony Allen, with strangely dark lyrics about the whiskey/beer/morphine concoction used in the 19th century in lieu of anesthetic for battlefield surgeries. I had not heard the words before and only knew it as an upbeat traditional fiddle tune. Quite a surprise! The other is Needlecase Medley, another traditional offering, in this case solo banjo with Moon accompanying herself with podorythmie (foot tapping common in Québécois and Acadian music). Other highlights include the beautiful title track, a nostalgic look back at the wanderlust of Moon’s earlier days, and the closer, Slow Moving Train, a haunting depiction of time rolling on. 

08 Noah ZacharinI’m surprised and a little embarrassed to say that I had never heard of Canadian singer/songwriter Noah Zacharin until his ninth CD Points of Light (noahsong.com) landed on my desk. I’m sorry to have come so late to the parade because Zacharin is really something. In addition to his solo career in which he has opened for the likes of Odetta, Dave van Ronk and Fairport Convention, he has appeared as a musician or producer on some 65 albums by artists from across North America. This latest disc showcases his outstanding finger-style guitar chops accompanying his solo vocals in storytelling ballads, as well as full band versions of another half a dozen songs in various styles from the gentle and gorgeous (My Love is a) Red Red Bird featuring Denis Keldie (B3) and Burke Carroll (pedal steel) to some rollicking blues and honkytonk tunes to me reminiscent of the late Mose Scarlett and (Chris and Ken Whiteley’s) Original Sloth Band, with help from Gary Craig (drums), Russ Boswell (bass) with cameos from Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) and Roly Platt (harmonica). The disc opens in solo mode with Ten Tons of Road, a paean to love and the call of the road, and continues with one of my favourites 17 Minute, an anti-lament of sorts for past loves. Zacharin seems content to let the past go, with no hard feelings putting me in mind of Tom Rush’s iconic No Regrets. Something Like a River is a solo acoustic guitar instrumental depicting a stretch of the York River in the Canadian Shield where Zacharin spends time in an off-grid cabin. The disc ends quietly with the lovely Been a Long Day, just guitar and voice complemented by an inobtrusive, though lush, string arrangement by Drew Jurecka. I’m so glad that Points of Light found its way to me.

Listen to 'Points of Light' Now in the Listening Room

We invite submissions. CDs, DVDs and comments should be sent to: DISCoveries, The WholeNote c/o Music Alive, The Centre for Social Innovation, 720 Bathurst St. Toronto ON M5S 2R4 or to discoveries@thewholenote.com

01 RicercariOn his outstanding new solo CD Ricercari the Canadian cellist Cameron Crozman combines Domenico Gabrieli’s Seven Ricercari with a recital of contemporary pieces (ATMA Classique ACD2 2870 atmaclassique.com/en).

Gabrieli’s Ricercari (Italian for “to seek out”) were written in 1689 and heralded the beginning of music for unaccompanied cello. Crozman decided to rekindle this exploratory kind of music-making by commissioning six new works to play alongside the Gabrieli, adding a seventh himself. The Ricercari are strikingly original pieces, covering a wide range of keys and moods. They alternate throughout the disc with an impressive list of commissioned works by Alexina Louie, Nina C. Young, Jordan Pal, Daniel Alvarado Bonilla, Benoît Sitzia and Kelly-Marie Murphy, with Crozman’s Falling Forward, a terrific first attempt at composition, completing the line-up.

With his superb technique Crozman is equally at home in the Baroque and contemporary works.

Listen to 'Ricercari' Now in the Listening Room

02 LiebstodOn LIEBESTOD Works for Violin and Piano pianist Fazil Say reunites with violinist Friedemann Eichhorn in a recital of mid-19th-century German works (Naxos 8.574434 naxos.com/Search/KeywordSearchResults/?q=Liebestod).

Schumann’s Violin Sonata No.1 in A Minor Op.105 from 1851 sets the stage for the whole disc with a glorious opening, Friedemann’s rich, rapturous commitment sweeping all before it, with Say matching him every step of the way. Schumann’s Drei Romanzen Op.94 from 1849, originally for oboe and piano are beautifully nuanced.

Schumann, Brahms and the latter’s pupil Albert Dietrich collaborated on the F-A-E Sonata in A Minor, written in 1853 for violinist Joseph Joachim’s birthday, the three notes not only significant in the composition but also standing for Frei aber einsam (Free but lonely), Joachim’s personal motto. World-premiere recordings of Say’s absolutely stunning transcriptions of the Act I Prelude and the Act III Liebestod from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde complete a superb CD.

03 Stained GlassStained Glass, the latest top-notch CD from the stellar duo of Johan Dalene and pianist Christian Hadland presents two 20th-century sonatas together with lesser-known works by Arvo Pärt, Lili Boulanger and Grażyna Bacewicz (BIS-2730 SACD allmusic.com/album/release/stained-glass-mr0006096518). The sonatas are Ravel’s Sonata in G Major from 1923-27, its jazz-influenced Blues middle movement a real delight, and Prokofiev’s 1943 Sonata No.2 in D Major Op.94a, originally for flute and piano and arranged for violin with the assistance of David Oistrakh. Described as full of sweet lyricism and playful humour, it’s given a beautifully assured reading here.

Pärt’s Fratres draws strong, sustained playing from the duo, with Boulanger’s very brief but quite lovely Nocturne from 1911 sensitively nuanced. Four short pieces by Bacewicz – Humoresque from 1953, Lullaby and Slavonic Dance, both from 1952 and the early Stained-glass window from 1932 – end an immensely satisfying disc full of outstanding playing.

04 ChorinhoThe Chilean-American violist Georgina Isabel Rossi and the Chinese-Canadian pianist Silvie Cheng are the performers on CHORINHO: Music for Viola and Piano from Brazil (navona records NV6537 navonarecords.com).

The world-premiere recording of the lovely title track by João de Souza Lima (1898-1982) opens the disc, and there are two other world-premiere recordings, both for solo viola: the three-movement Meloritmias: No.5 by Ernani Aguiar (b.1950); and the 1981 Pequeno Estudio Op.78 by Lindembergue Cardoso (1939-89), the latter one of several works that are more than merely lyrical. The 1977 Appassionato, Cantilena e Toccata by Osvaldo Lacerda (1927-2011) has a third movement described as “deceptively modern”; the three-movement 1964 Sonata by Brenno Blauth (1931-93) is “at times highly lyrical, at others aggressive.” 

Cheng has Villa-Lobos’ Valse da dor as a solo, and the 1912 song Lua branca by Brazil’s first woman conductor Chiquinha Gonzaga (1847-1936) ends a disc full of fine playing.

05 Hans SittThere’s more really lovely viola playing on Hans Sitt Viola and Piano Works, with the Spanish violist Alicia Calabuig ably supported by pianist Jorge Blasco (eudora EUD-SACD-2305 eudorarecords.com).

Sitt was an outstanding violinist and violist as well as a composer and teacher, spending almost the last 36 years of his life (1850-1922) as violin professor at the Leipzig Conservatory, which tied him to the Mendelssohn-Schumann-Bruch-Brahms composer tradition. The works here were mostly written between 1891 and 1919, when the post-Wagner rise of composers like Richard Strauss, Mahler and Zemlinsky rendered Sitt’s style somewhat anachronistic.

Still, these are beautifully crafted works, not particularly virtuosic and extremely attractive. Included are the Albumblätter Op.39, the 3 Fantasiestücke Op.58, the Romance Op.72, the 3 Morceaux Op.75, the Romanze Op.102/1 and the Gavotte and Mazurka Op.132. Calabuig’s warm tone is a perfect match, as is her beautifully judged vibrato – never constant, and never too wide or heavy. It’s a delightful CD.

06 FaureThe French cellist Xavier Phillips grew up with the music of Gabriel Fauré, and on Fauré: The music for cello and piano he teams with pianist Cédric Tiberghien in a recital of the complete works (La dolce vita LDV102 ladolcevolta.com/catalogue/?lang=en).

Both players are fully aware of the flowing, sensuous nature of the music. “To work on Fauré,” says Tiberghien, “you need to let go. . .  you have to leave this music free to go its own way,” and the warm, rapturous performances do exactly that. Presented here are the Berceuse Op.16, the Élégie in C Minor Op.24, the Romance Op.69, Papillon Op.77, the Sicilienne Op.78 and the Sérénade Op.98, together with the two late Cello Sonatas No.1 in D Minor Op.109 and No.2 in G Minor Op.117.

Casals’ transcription of the song Après un rêve Op.7 No.1 completes a delightful CD.

07 LAltria VeneziaOn L’altra Venezia the Scaramuccia ensemble of violinist Javier Lupiáñez, cellist Inés Salinas and harpsichordist Patrícia Vintém presents world premiere recordings of chamber music by several of the most prominent and capable Venetian composers active around 1700, roughly contemporary with Vivaldi but now little-known in comparison (Snakewood Editions SCD202301 snakewoodeditions.com).

There are three works by Giorgio Gentili – his Cello Sonatas in A Major and G Major and his Violin Capriccio XI in B Minor – and two Violin Sonatas in B-flat Major and G Minor by Tomaso Albinoni. Single violin sonatas by Diogenio Bigaglia (his “Dresden” Sonata No.2 in C Major), Antonio Caldara (in F major) and Giovanni Battista Reali (his Sonata VII in B-flat Major) complete the disc.

Excellent booklet notes and an annotated map of Venice that details the composers’ ties to the city add to a delightful and revelatory CD.

Instrumental fantasias from the continent, predominantly for lute or keyboard were being published in England by the 1560s, and by the end of the century William Byrd had established instrumental ensemble fantasias, ranging from three to six parts as the pre-eminent chamber music in England. By 1667, however, Christopher Simpson, himself a composer of fantasias noted their “rapid decline into neglect.”

08 John Holloway PurcellIn 1680 the young Purcell wrote a set of 12, the very last ensemble fantasias to be published in England. They are presented in excellent performances on Henry Purcell Fantazias in three and four parts by the John Holloway Ensemble of violinist John Holloway, violists Monika Baer and Renate Steinmann and cellist Martin Zeller (ECM New Series 2249 485 6006 ecmrecords.com).

Purcell biographer Bruce Wood rightly called them “astonishing pieces. . . among the most profound and searching counterpoint of the 17th century.”

09 1923On 1923 – 100 Years of Radio the Schumann Quartett celebrates the year that saw not only the first radio broadcasts in Germany and Austria but also the First Chamber Festival of the recently formed International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) in Salzburg (Berlin Classics 0302968BC berlin-classics-music.com/en).

All five composers on this fascinating disc – Paul Hindemith, Alban Berg, Erwin Schulhoff, Leoš Janáček and Aaron Copland – were present at the festival. Janáček’s String Quartet No, “Kreutzer Sonata” was written a few weeks later. Hindemith’s delightfully humourous six-movement Minimax “Repertoire for Military Band” is from July 1923. 

Berg’s String Quartet Op.3, written in 1910, was performed to great acclaim at the festival’s opening concert, and Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet were written on his return to Prague from Salzburg. Copland’s short Movement for String Quartet was written the same year at the end of his studies with Nadia Boulanger, but the manuscript didn’t come to light until 1983.

Over 80 minutes of outstanding performances of truly eclectic music makes for an absolute gem of a CD.

10 Mendelssohn QuartetsThe digital release Mendelssohn String Quartets Nos.1, 2 & 3 by the Quarteto Carlos Gomes is the first volume in a proposed complete set of the composer’s quartets on the Brazilian label Azul Music (AMDA1887 azulmusic.com.br).

All three works here – the String Quartets No.1 in E-flat Major Op.12, No.2 in A Major Op.13 and No.3 in D Major Op.44 No.1 – were previously available as individual digital releases. I can’t find too much about the performers, but a full, resonant recording complements some committed and passionate playing on a very satisfying release.

11 Christian LiDiscovering Mendelssohn is the second album from the young violinist Christian Li, who won the 2018 Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists – at age He’s still only 15 and displays quite remarkable talent (Decca 485 3987 deccaclassics.com/en/artists/christian-li).

At the heart of the CD is the Violin Concerto in E Minor Op.64, with Sir Andrew Davis and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, an engaging performance perhaps with not quite the emotional depth he will surely find later. The rest of the CD comprises four short pieces by Mendelssohn – On Wings of Song with harpist Yinuo Mu, Venetian Gondola Song with guitarist Xuefei Yang, Spring Song with pianist James Baillieu and the dazzling Rondo capriccioso Op.14 with pianist Laurence Matheson – and three by his contemporaries or influences: Mozart’s Violin Sonata in E Minor K304 with Baillieu; Schubert’s Serenade with Matheson; and Bach’s Erbarme dich, mein Gott with cellist David Berlin.

12 Capucon Mozart ConcertiIn the booklet notes for the 2CD set MOZART – The Violin Concertos (Deutsche Grammophon 4864067 deutschegrammophon.com/en/artists/renaud-capucon) featuring Renaud Capuçon and his Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, Capuçon makes an interesting point about the youthful concertos, that over-analyzing them can be counterproductive: “Mozart wrote these pieces extremely quickly; they quite literally flowed from his pen. And as a soloist you need to be able to communicate this rapid flow and this lightness.” 

That shouldn’t imply any absence of depth and insight, though, and Capuçon finds a perfect balance in beautiful performances of the five concertos plus the Rondo in C Major K373 and the Adagio in E Major K261, both written as alternative movements for violinist Antonio Brunetti.

Capuçon says that he has to be happy and contented when performing Mozart – “only then does it really work.” Which it certainly does here.

13 Rachel Barton PineDependent Rising, the latest CD from violinist Rachel Barton Pine with Tito Muñoz and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra explores connections between classical music and heavy metal in concertos by Dmitri Shostakovich and the American violinist/composer Earl Maneein, both concertos openly confronting pain and suffering (Çedille CDR 90000 223 cedillerecords.org).

Both Barton Pine and Maneein have been heavy metal devotees since their early teens, with the former often including her own arrangements of metal songs in her performances. She commissioned the solo piece Metal Organic Framework from Maneein in 2014; Muñoz was at the premiere and consequently commissioned the concerto.

It’s not the best recording of the Shostakovich Concerto No.1 in A Minor Op.77 available, but the CD stands or falls on the strength of the heavy metal-influenced Maneein concerto that gives the CD its title. It’s a three-movement work of remarkable impact and resonance, with tough cadenzas in the first and predominantly lyrical second movements, and a real “thrash” finale.

14 Villa LobosCellist Antonio Meneses is the excellent soloist on Heitor VILLA-LOBOS Cello Concertos Nos.1 and 2, the latest release in the Naxos Music of Brazil series. Isaac Karabtchevsky conducts the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra (Naxos 8.574531 naxos.com/CatalogueDetail/?id=8.574531).

The Cello Concerto No.1 Op.50 from 1915 was the composer’s first major orchestral work, the eclectic style suggesting a composer still trying to find his own individual voice. It’s an appealing and virtuosic work full of youthful energy. The Cello Concerto No.2 from 1953 is a four-movement work commissioned by Aldo Parisot for his Carnegie Hall debut in February 1955. Lushly scored, it apparently suggests “man’s cosmic solitude when facing the vastness of the natural world.”

The final work on the CD is the three-movement Fantasie for Cello and Orchestra from 1945, when the composer’s reputation was at its peak and he was able to give free rein to his imagination in flowing style.

15 Don MacDonaldThe Canadian guitarist Don MacDonald says that the COVID pandemic and lockdown afforded him an enormous amount of time to concentrate on composition, and his consequent search for inspiration is reflected in the three pieces on his new classical guitar CD Midnight Pavane (www.donmacdonaldmusic.ca).

Hex Suite is a set of four movements – including the title track – based on a six-note scale, while Night Visions is a group of seven pieces, alternating in tempo, that use varying moods and textures. Zephyrs, the longest and most interesting piece, was inspired by Britten’s Nocturnal after John Dowland, a theme and variations work where the theme unfolds at the end of the piece, and not at the beginning.

The compositions employ standard classical guitar techniques and have a real sense of exploration. The playing is beautifully clean, and perfectly captured by the recording engineer, the legendary Anton Kwiatkowski.

Listen to 'Midnight Pavane' Now in the Listening Room

16 Pascal ValoisBaroque guitarist Pascal Valois’ new CD, PARIS 1790 – La Musique de Monsieur Vidal features music by a guitarist/composer whose first name, date and place of birth remain unknown (he died in 1803), but who was apparently one of the most important guitar figures in late-18th-century Europe and is credited with writing the first guitar concerto (Analekta AN 2 9196 analekta.com/en).

It’s presumably that concerto, a short two-movement work that opens the CD. Violinist Jacques-André Houle is the partner on the Guitar Sonata with Violin Accompaniment WoO and on two Duos for Guitar and Violin Opp.24 No.3 and 28 No.5, and Jean-Guy Côté the cellist on the Guitar Sonata with Basso Continuo. Four solo works complete the disc.

Valois plays a Baroque-style guitar with five courses double-strung in unison, which he feels is best-suited to the music, especially the non-traditional thumb and index finger tremolos which he handles superbly. 

01 Bach Mythes ContestedMyths Contested
Washington Bach Consort; Dana Marsh
Acis APL53752 (acisproductions.com)

Johann Sebastian Bach is synonymous with church music, writing hundreds of compositions for choir, orchestra and organ, many of which were intended for use in his role as Kapellmeister of Leipzig’s Thomaskirche. In addition to these myriad works, Bach also wrote a number of secular vocal works, including the stunning Geschwinde, geschwinde, ihr wirbelnden Winde, BWV 201, also known as The Contest between Phoebus and Pan, featured on this disc by the Washington Bach Consort.

Titled Myths Contested, this recording juxtaposes Bach’s secular musical drama with American composer Trevor Weston’s A New Song. This work, commissioned by the Bach Consort, addresses the challenges that arise from attempting to evaluate music from past centuries in relation to contemporary music, an issue that resonates with anyone who is asked to review music in a public forum.

Bach’s Contest between Phoebus and Pan is a delightful work composed in traditional cantata form, with recitatives and arias bookended by choral movements. The Washington Bach Consort manages Bach’s contrapuntal intricacies masterfully, and the orchestra shines in the opening movement, particularly through the virtuosic writing for wind instruments (which is characteristic Bach, given that the choir is singing “Hasten, you swirling winds.”).

Weston’s A New Song is fascinating, a modern “cantata” for choir and Baroque orchestra that adheres to certain stylistic conventions while defying others. For example, the opening and closing movements include trumpet and full choir, and arias (titled “songs”) are the primary middle movements, although a chorus and chorale are each interspersed between the solo movements. While these traditions look back to the Baroque, the musical vernacular is strikingly different than anything Bach ever wrote, resulting in a listening experience that is simultaneously familiar yet new.

Listen to 'Myths Contested' Now in the Listening Room

02 Art Choral 5ArtChoral Vol.5 – Romantique
Ensemble ArtChoral; Matthias Maute
ATMA ACD2 2424 (atmaclassique.com/en)

The Montreal-based Ensemble ArtChoral – initially known as Ensemble Vocal Arts-Québec, was founded by Yves Courville in 1979 with the aim of presenting professional choral music both in Canada and internationally. Since then, the group has earned a formidable reputation, and with the appointment of Matthias Maute as music director in 2019, the ensemble has not only increased its appearances, but has also been the recipient of two JUNOs and an OPUS Prize (for Musical Event of the Year in 2020). 

This newest recording on the ATMA label presents music by Romanic-period composers including Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Brahms and Fauré, appropriately titled Romantique. It is the fifth in a projected series of 11 aiming to cover the entire history of European choral music. The pieces on the program are brief – none more than five minutes in length – and the entire program totals no more than 40 minutes. Opening with Rheinberger’s Abenlied Op.69 No.3, the choir sings with a solid conviction while demonstrating a fine sense of phrasing and dynamics.

Three songs by Brahms – Schnitter Tod, Abendständchen and Darthulas Grabgesang – are all fine examples of the German volkslied tradition, while the choir has no difficulty in capturing the mystical religious mood in Tchaikovsky’s Hymne des Chérubins Op.41.

The fine sound produced by Ensemble ArtChoral’s performers together with the thoughtfully chosen program go to make this a compelling recording, although it could have been even more fulfilling had Maute included one or two more substantial works. Nevertheless, this is a minor quibble and doesn’t mar an otherwise fine performance – we can look forward to more in the series.

Back to top