Danish String Quartet - Thomas Adès, Per Norgård, Hans Abrahamsen (2016) {ECM New Series 2453}
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© 2016 ECM Records | ECM New Series 2453
Classical / Chamber Music

The Danish String Quartet has had some wildly original programming ideas; here they settle for just a well-thought-out set of contemporary pieces. All three of these string quartets are early works by composers who have since gone on to renown; at the time of the album's 2016 release, Hans Abrahamsen was gaining lots of attention from well beyond his native Denmark.

Started as a project between Francesco Paladino and Pier Luigi Andreoni, The Doubling Riders quickly grew into a collection of sounds that ranged between new age, folk, electronic music and balls to the wall experimentation. "Garama" was originally released on Il Museo Immaginario in 1991. The Doubling Riders make trippy music, their compositions oscillate between a soundtrack to a meditation session and a blissful look at a potentially never-ending painting. This is a wonderfully evocative album of old school , synth infused ethno-ambiance of the highest caliber. A concept album of sorts, it references the ancient Saharan kingdom of the Garamantes, who lived in what is now central Libya. Eerie, melodic, mysterious…

St. Elmo's Fire, a Cleveland-based band existed for about three years from 1979 to 1981. After line-up changes and a few more demo recordings the quintet disbanded in May 1981. Paul Kollar, who by the 90's had moved to Raleigh, North Carolina, sat down with Mark Helm to work on new and old pieces of the band. The thirst for a reunion led to the establishment of the Sprawling Productions label, on which they released the CD ''Splitting Ions in the Ether'' in 1998, a good chance for anyone not owning the band's rare 1980 vinyl to listen to St. Elmo's Fire's innovative sound. Most reviewers mention King Crimson's "Larks Tongues In Aspic" and "Red" albums when making comparisons. Generally regarded as a long lost treasure and an album that fans of heavy prog should not be without…

This is an intimate film documenting life on the road during part of his 2014 tour intercut with superb full-length performances. The film features many classic tracks including: “Layla,” “Wonderful Tonight,” “Cocaine,” “Tears In Heaven,” “I Shot The Sherriff,” “Crossroads” and more.

Guillaume Du Fay - The Tenor Masses (Les messes à teneur) - Cut Circle, Jesse Rodin (2016) {2CD Musiques en Wallonie Official Digital Download}
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© 2016 Musiques en Wallonie | MEW1577-1578
Classical / Renaissance / Choral / Chamber Music / Sacred Vocal Music / Masses / Passions / Requiems

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 these works as a self-conscious summa of Du Fay’s career – an achievement akin to Haydn’s London Symphonies or Beethoven’s late string quartets. On a purely musical level these comparisons are apt. Each mass stakes out unique musical terrain; they are often strikingly experimental; and the entire set is shimmeringly beautiful from beginning to end, revealing a composer at the height of his powers.

"Musical Massage: Inside" is a set of deep relaxation and meditation performances by Silvia Nakkach. She arranged acoustic instruments, chants, and some electronics with overtone vocals and singing bowls to create atmospheres that embrace the soul and heal the heart. There are dozens - perhaps hundreds - of discs of this ilk. Each one has its own sonic integrity and its own niche in the world of healing music. This disc hits on several levels but it seems to be aimed - quite literally - at listeners' hearts. Deep listeners will feel the overtones surrounding their hearts and promoting stress relief.

The Tyler, TX-raised Bugs Henderson took his cues from the wealth of great roadhouse blues and blues-rock guitarists that were around Dallas, including Freddie King, Johnny Winter, and literally dozens of others on the Texas music scene of the '60s. Henderson has cited James Burton, Ricky Nelson's guitarist, as a major influence.

If these performances of Beethoven's earlier Piano Trios by Itzhak Perlman, Vladimir Ashkenazy, and Lynn Harrell are suave and sophisticated with a soupçon of sentimentality, well, that's what modern performance practice was like in the '80s. And if that sounds like an appealing manner in which to perform Beethoven's earlier Piano Trios, this is the recording to hear. Perlman, Ashkenazy, and Harrell lean into Beethoven's music, singing everything grandly, sounding everything gloriously, and souping everything up completely. One might argue that Beethoven's Piano Trios, Op. 1, are too Viennese High Classical to respond well to their approach, that the works seem more maimed and mauled then persuasively performed, but one cannot deny that Perlman, Ashkenazy, and Harrell put every iota of their expressivity and virtuosity into their overpowering performances. EMI's early digital sound has been pleasantly remastered for this CD reissue.

Tyrese sweeps his extracurricular involvements aside and re-commits himself to his singing career, as he addresses his fans on the back of this disc, his first since 2006’s Alter Ego: “…rest assured, that my first and only love is music.” This time, Tyrese also leaves the rapping to rappers; Black-Ty, the MC’ing persona used for half of Alter Ego, makes no appearances, as he, for the most part, flits between sub-R. Kelly exaggerated forms of lechery (“Got a n*gga open like a fuckin’ bag of chips”) and chivalry (“I know that I messed up over a thousand times”). Two of the better tracks are produced by Lil Ronnie. The sleek, low-slung constructions of “One Night” and “It’s All on Me” are ideal for the singer's carefree setting, where he’s in his highest form – no vocal strain, no forced sentimentalism.