Stories for January 29, 2020
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Jan Garbarek and Hilliard Ensemble, A unique pairing reunites for a farewell tour - 'Remember Me, My Dear' / KIND OF JAZZ
Posted: January 28, 2020 4:46 PM | By: Admin
It's hard to believe, but Officium - the first collaboration between Norwegian saxophonist, Jan Garbarek, and the English vocal group, the Hilliard Ensemble, took place twenty-five years ago, back in 1994. That album, perhaps against all odds, achieved crossover success, helping to bring jazz - and indeed choral singing - to new audiences worldwide. Twenty years, and three albums later, the two parties reunited for a farewell tour, after which the Hilliard Ensemble disbanded in December 2014. Remember Me, My Dear, was recorded live on that farewell tour, in the Collegiate Church of Sts Peter and Stephen in Bellinzona, Switzerland. Many purists complained at the time that this music was not jazz. I had the chance to watch them perform on their debut tour, in Tokyo, and it was clear that there was plenty of improvisation from both parties as the music stretched and evolved from that first recording. The Hilliards had to leave more space for the saxophone than they were used to, whilst Garbarek moved around the auditorium, a theatre, and looked to use the space as a sixth instrument, leaning into the curved walls with his saxophone, and allowing the sound to take on a whole new dimension. Twenty years later, the improvisation was still an important part of the music. Soundchecks were often brief, as they would sing or play a few notes, and then listen to what the building had to say about them. As John Potter, one of the original members of the Ensemble noted in the program notes for their final show, the musicians would then wander to different parts of the building, to see how they might best use the space later that evening. In the excellent liner notes, Steve Lake remembered how the Ensemble became more daring over time, "separating and walking slowly through the church while singing, voices drifting through the nave, or reflecting off ancient stones." READ THE FULL KIND OF JAZZ REVIEW
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'Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers' is an outstanding album filled with magnificent simplicity / Best New Age CDs
Posted: January 28, 2020 12:26 PM | By: Admin
2006 was an important year. It was the year a mutual friend introduced Robert Thies and Damjan Krajacic. Robert is a classical concert pianist who won a Gold Medal in the Prokofiev Competition in Russia, as well as having a music recording career in the film and television industry. Damjan, a native of Croatia, is a jazz flutist and holds a Master of Music degree in Afro-Latin Music. This fortuitous meeting led to the beginning of their musical collaborations, and Robert and Damjan released their first album, "Difference," in 2006. In 2012, they released the first of the "Blue Landscapes" series, which is now three albums of original compositions and meditative improvisations on flute and piano. Following, in 2016, was "Blue Landscapes II: Discoveries." And now we have "Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers," which was released in late January 2020, on the Real Music record label. "Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers," is almost an hour and a quarter of total relaxation. And this is 15 improvised tracks of piano and flute that go "beyond the traditional colors of the instrument," as Damjan says. All the music on the album consists of piano and two flutes, a regular C flute and a bass flute. There are no synths on this album. What's interesting and impressive, even, is that they've created incredibly unique textures and sounds that do exactly that. For example, on "Forest Path," Robert created an amazing looped rhythmic underlay with the piano strings. And Damjan's relationship with his flute is symbiotic. It's as if they are one. I've not heard flute playing quite as extraordinarily beautiful as this. It sounds other-worldly and ethereal as in the wonderful, "Abandoned Monastery." "'Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers,'" is an absolutely outstanding album filled with magnificent simplicity, softly cocooned inside incredible textures that go beyond the ‘traditional colors of piano and flute.' This is one to get lost in and find yourself at the same time. Extraordinarily beautiful." – Dyan Garris READ THE FULL Best New Age CDs REVIEW
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Nelsons, Vienna Phil - Beethoven Symphonies is less pompous than Karajan, more moderate than Bernstein, and of much better sound than Toscanini or Furtwangler / Jazz Weekly
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
As one who has an acceptable number of Beethoven Symphony collections, I've come to a certain way to "fact check" their importance. My key check points are 1) "How sweeping is the opening of the "Eroica" on the "Allegro" along with the thunderous minor chords half way through? 2) Is the "Allegretto" of Number 7 trudging agonizingly enough? 3) Is the "Allegro Ma Non Troppo"of the "Pastoral" verdant? 4) Do I need to put on a jacket for its " Thunderstorm"? 5) Do I feel like dancing during the "Allegro Vivace" of Number 4? 6) How is the sweeping of the " Allegro Ma Non Troppo" and "Molto Vivace" of Number 9? On all these points, the 5 disc and Blu-Ray Audio set by Andris Nelsons and the Wiener Philharmonicker pass with no qualms. It is less pompous than Karajan, more moderate than Bernstein's and Norrington's and of much better sound than Toscanini or Furtwangler. The strings have a rich texture and the woodwinds breeze like spring leaves. The chorus on the 9th led by Johannes Prinz is rich and with gravitas, and each symphony feels like it is to be appreciated all on its own and not part of an overall mosaic. The early pair being coy and optimistic, "Eroica" confidently explorative, 5 an early apotheosis, 6 a rest at the top, 7 vying for its due attention, 4 and 8 impressive interludes and the 9th a call to glory. This one has great flavors, never feeling like it's hinting at anyone else, and not succumbing to modern trends. DG has put itself back on the top of the Teutonic composers interpretations with this one. SEE THE Jazz Weekly PAGE
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Jake Shimabukuro stops by 90.1WABE: Atlanta in advance of City Winery shows
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Jake Shimabukuro is a Hawaiian-born ukulele virtuoso who's been touring internationally during the last 17 years, expanding the scope and repertoire of his instrument. He has collaborated with musicians from Yo-Yo Ma to Jimmy Buffett, and is widely known as "the Jimi Hendrix of the Ukulele." The musician began playing at 4 years old when his mother gave him the instrument. Years later, he became one of YouTube's first viral stars in 2006 when a video of him playing The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" in Central Park was posted without his knowledge. Today, that video has gotten over 15 million views. Shimabukuro is playing with his trio Jan. 27 and 28 at City Winery. He joined WABE: Atlanta "City Lights" host Lois Reitzes in the studio to talk about his music. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT PHOTO: CREDIT CLAIRE REYNOLDS / WABE
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Paul Merkelo chats with Central Michigan Radio's 'Mosaic'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Recognized among the finest trumpet virtuosos of his generation, Paul Merkelo release; The Enlightened Trumpet is his first recording for Sony Classical. Hailed as "a spectacular soloist ... a most impressive master of his instrument" (Montreal Gazette) who "knows no limits" (Der Spiegel) and with "unusual lyrical gifts" (Gramophone), Merkelo has been Principal trumpet with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 1995, and has appeared as soloist with prestigious orchestras around the globe, from Melbourne to Shanghai. On The Enlightened Trumpet, Merkelo is joined by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and its founder and conductor Marios Papadopoulos for four spectacular concertos by Haydn, Leopold Mozart, Telemann, and Hummel. Merkelo will be touring in the spring of 2020 with the English Chamber Orchestra featuring the pieces on his new CD and Central Michigan Radio - Mosaic host David Nicholas recently spoke with Merkelo about the recording. LISTEN p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
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Peter Kater wins 'Best New Age Album' for 'Wings' / meaww
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
The shocking death of Kobe Bryant took the world by storm but music lovers have now mournfully moved on to the prestigious Grammy Awards 2020, which acknowledges the best of music. German-born American pianist Peter Kater wins Best New Age Album for 'Wings.' The pianist and composer was four when he moved to New Jersey and studied classical piano His album recordings include rhapsodic songs, abundant with emotion. Some tracks from the album are: 'Raven's Wings', 'Wings of Love', 'Hold Me Close', 'Angel's Nest', 'Wings', 'Flight', 'Swallow River', 'Remembrance', 'When We Meet Again' and 'Flight Reprise.' The other nominees in the category included 'Fairy Dreams' by David Arkenstone, 'Homage to Kindness' by David Darling, 'Verve' by Sebastian Plano and 'Deva' by Deva Premal. PHOTO: (Getty Images) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL meaww ARTICLE
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Venezuelan expatriate and pianist; Gabriela Montero applies muscle, emotion, and wonderful improv skills to Russian program / Portland Press Herald
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM | By: Admin
It is only natural that musicians use their own experience as a template for broader commentary on social issues and the world around them – assuming, of course, that they are willing to air their views publicly. Gabriela Montero, an expatriate Venezuelan pianist, has long been outspoken, in interviews and on Twitter, about human rights abuses in her homeland, which she has described as a narco-kleptocracy and a failed state. Though early-20th-century Russian composers fleeing the tyranny of the Soviet state were the main focus of "Westward" – the program Montero played at Hannaford Hall in a Portland Ovations concert on Saturday afternoon – her own sense of displacement from Venezuela was not far beneath the surface. Montero is a powerful player, and the Russian works she offered – Prokofiev's "Sarcasms" (Op. 17) and Sonata No. 2 (Op. 14), Stravinsky's Sonata (1924) and Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 2 (Op. 36) – drew on her ability to put speed and volume at the service of thorny and sometimes dense music. All four works were given muscular, emotionally forceful readings, and where there was anger in the music – or even where anger could merely be deduced – Montero brought it forth, sharpening edges rather than trying to prettify them. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Portland Press Herald REVIEW
Joshua Bell and Lang Lang help pay tribute to longtime GRAMMY producer in epic sendoff / CBS NEWS
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
It was music's biggest night – but this year's Grammy Awards took on a mournful tone as stars and fans paid tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant. The show opened with tributes to Bryant from Lizzo and host Alicia Keys. The Los Angeles Lakers legend died in a helicopter crash earlier Sunday. The Grammys were held in the Staples Center, where the Lakers play their home games. In a tribute to longtime Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich, Camila Cabello, Gary Clark Jr and John Legend were joined by Ben Platt, Debbie Allen, Joshua Bell, Common, Misty Copeland, Lang Lang and The War and Treaty to help say goodbye with a performance of "I Sing the Body Electric" from the movie musical "Fame." Ehlrich personally chose the song as a way to acknowledge the importance of music education in schools. Ehlrich first produced the Grammys in 1980, the same year "Fame" was released. Ehlrich previously announced that he will be stepping down after this year's award ceremony. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL CBS NEWS ARTICLE
Dave Soldier's latest majestic epic is joyfully rhythmic, ultra-infectious flamenco fire, that illuminates Spanish history / Deep Roots
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Flamenco guitarist, composer, multi-instrumentalist and musical visionary Dave Soldier has been blazing fascinating, culturally transcendent boundaries his whole life, from founding a string quartet that fused punk, classical and R&B to playing punk Delta Blues and starting the Thai Elephant Orchestra with real pachyderms. So we shouldn't be surprised that on his latest majestic epic, Zajal, he surrounds his joyfully rhythmic, ultra-infectious flamenco fire with a vast palette of sweeping musical colors and intricate, exotic textures that illuminate a fascinating slice of Spanish history. On the 11-track collection, which features a large global ensemble of vocalists, musicians and dancers, Soldier showcases the fruits of his personal exploration of popular song, mining pure sonic gold and spirited adventures from a spot 1000 years ago at the intersection of Muslim, Jewish and Christian cultures in the Andalusian region of southern Spain. SEE THE FULL Deep Roots PAGE
Igor Levit@Barbican brings thought, colour and feeling to every phrase of Shostakovich 24 Preludes and Fugues / theartsdesk
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
"Citizen. European. Pianist," declares Russian-born, Berlin-based Igor Levit on the front page of his website. One should add, since he wouldn't, Mensch and master of giants. High-level human integrity seems a given when great pianists essay epics: certainly true of Elisabeth Leonskaja and Imogen Cooper tackling respective sonata trilogies by Beethoven and Schubert, or András Schiff in Bach's Well-Tempered Klavier. Last night was on that level. Questions may linger over the nature of Shostakovich's many-headed hydra of a homage to Bach, but none about Levit's expressive intent and execution in every phrase. Levit let nothing escape his rigorous but always expressive focus. That made the relatively few outbursts of violence, above all in the whirlwind of the D flat major Fugue, and the cumulative fugues at the end of each set of 12 - Shostakovich clearly divides up his sequence, making a new pure beginning with the F sharp major Prelude and Fugue of No. 13 - all the more overwhelming. Any sense of technical bursting at the seams was reined in with the pianist's intense rhythmic sense, and very rarely did he resort to the sustaining pedal to help with welters of sound. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL artsdesk REVIEW
Jennifer Higdon wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Contemporary Classical Composition' for her 'Harp Concerto' on 'American Rapture'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Azica Records release of American Rapture featuring harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Music Director Ward Stare is an album includes the world premiere recording of Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Higdon's Harp Concerto. Higdon's piece was written for and dedicated to Yolanda Kondonassis. The album also includes; Samuel Barber's Symphony No. 1 in One Movement, Op. 9; and the world premiere recording of Patrick Harlin's Rapture. The album is designed to highlight three generations of American composition and, as defined by Harlin in the context of his work, to depict rapture not as a religious event, but as an experience of extreme human emotion. Congratulations to Jennifer Higdon winning 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Contemporary Classical Composition' for her 'Harp Concerto' on 'American Rapture.' Jennifer Higdon, composer (Yolanda Kondonassis, Ward Stare & The Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
Joyce DiDonato wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Solo Vocal Album' for 'Songplay'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
With her album Songplay, Joyce DiDonato takes a new and creative angle on vocal music from the Baroque and Classical periods, as well as from the 20th century. The 14 tracks on Songplay succeed in being simultaneously familiar and unexpected. The album serves up music by Vivaldi in both its customary Baroque purity and swinging to the heady rhythm of a samba. It brings a tango sizzle to an aria by Vivaldi's contemporary Marcello, and it plays with the voice of Bach in George Shearing's ‘Lullaby of Birdland'. "Songplay, as a title, suggests exactly what this album is," says the pianist Craig Terry, who developed the concept for the album along with Joyce DiDonato Joyce DiDonato wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Solo Vocal Album' for 'Songplay.' DiDonato is joined on the album by Craig Terry, Charlie Porter, Chuck Israels, Jimmy Madison & Lautaro Greco. Winner: ; Chuck Israels, Jimmy Madison, Charlie Porter & Craig Terry, accompanists (Steve Barnett & Lautaro Greco) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
Marsalis/Benedetti wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Instrumental Solo' for 'Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Nicola Benedetti's Decca Classics album features premiere recordings of two works written especially for her by jazz musician Wynton Marsalis: Violin Concerto in D and Fiddle Dance Suite for Solo Violin. Benedetti performs Violin Concerto in D with The Philadelphia Orchestra under the baton of Cristian Măcelaru who has collaborated with the violinist to perform the work six times. The concerto was co-commissioned by the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), Ravinia, LA Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig and Netherlands Radio Philharmonic. Benedetti performed the world premiere with the LSO under conductor James Gaffigan in London in November 2015. Congratulations \to Wynton Marsalis & Nicola Benedetti winning 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Instrumental Solo' for 'Violin Concerto; Fiddle Dance Suite' with Cristian Măcelaru, conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra).
Hildur Guonadottir wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media' for 'Chernobyl'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Based on an untold true story, "Chernobyl" is a five-part miniseries airing on HBO. Writer, creator and executive producer Craig Mazin began researching the Chernobyl disaster in 2014, using a wide variety of materials, including several books, government reports from inside and outside of the Soviet Union and first-person accounts. He spoke to nuclear scientists to learn how a reactor works and interviewed former Soviet citizens to gain a better sense of the culture in 1986. The haunting score is by Hildur Guðnadóttir, Icelandic composer, cello player, and singer, who has composed a number of film scores for films. Congratulations to Hildur Guonadottir winning 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media' for 'Chernobyl' p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
Angelique Kidjo wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best World Music Album' for 'Celia'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Angélique Kidjo's Celia (Verve/Universal Music France), is an album that honors Celia Cruz, widely known as "the Queen of Salsa" and the most popular Latin artist of the 20thcentury. On Celia, Angélique explores the African roots of the Cuban-born Cruz and reimagines selections from Cruz's extraordinary career in surprising new ways, infused with an explosion of sounds and rhythms from Cuba, Africa, the Middle East, America and beyond. The album includes performances by Tony Allen (Fela Kuti) on drums, Meshell Ndegeocello on bass, and British saxophonist Shabaka Hutchins plus his band Sons of Kemet. Congratulations to Angelique Kidjo winning 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best World Music Album' for 'Celia' p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
Nadia Shpachenko wins 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Compendium' for 'The Poetry of Places'
Posted: January 27, 2020 12:00 AM
Nadia Shpachenko's The Poetry of Places on Reference Recordings features World Premiere works for solo piano, for two pianos, percussion, electronics, voice, and toy piano in a fascinating mélange inspired by great architecture and places. The eight compositions monumentalize places as wildly diverse as the Copland House in Cortlandt, NY, The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Louis Kahn's National Assembly Buildings in Bangladesh, Newgrange Ancient Temple in Ireland, and Frank Gehry's House in Santa Monica, CA. Included is a significant new work from Andrew Norman, Frank's House, for two pianos and percussion, and another large work from Nina C. Young, Kolokol, for two pianos and electronics (a ‘fantasy' inspired by Russian Orthodox Church Bells), recorded with Los Angeles Philharmonic pianist Joanne Pearce Martin and Los Angeles Percussion Quartet artists Nick Terry and Cory Hills. Additionally, six solo works were written specifically for this project by Amy Beth Kirsten, Hannah Lash, James Matheson, Harold Meltzer, Lewis Spratlan, and Jack Van Zandt. The composers use very different musical approaches and sonic techniques in response to their chosen spaces. Congratulations to Nadia Shpachenko and Marina A. Ledin & Victor Ledin, producers for winning 2020 GRAMMY Award 'Best Classical Compendium' for 'The Poetry of Places'
Three young musicians are making musical history with classical GRAMMY nominations / yahoo news
Posted: January 26, 2020 12:00 AM
Three young musicians are making a little piece of musical history as some of the first female Grammy nominees in the classical field. British violinist Nicola Benedetti, Lithuanian conductor Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla and Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir are all nominated for the first time, highlighting their contributions to music in three different disciplines. Nicola Benedetti, 32, is being recognised in the category of Best Classical Instrumental Solo. In addition, American Jazz musician Wynton Marsalis is nominated for Best Contemporary Classical Composition for his "Violin Concerto in D Major", written for Benedetti and on which she plays. She is the youngest ever female nominee in her category. Hildur Gudnadottir is nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media for her work on HBO's television show "Chernobyl". The 37-year-old previously won an Emmy for the same title. She also took home a Golden Globe for Original Score for her soundtrack to Todd Phillips' box office smash "Joker" and subsequently received an Academy Award nod for Best Original Music Score for that film. Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla, 33, is nominated for Best Orchestral Performance for her recording of "Weinberg: Symphonies Nos. 2 and 21", performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Making Grammy history as the first ever female conductor nominated in that category, Grazinyte-Tyla would be the youngest female conductor to get a Grammy in any category if she were to win, according to her publisher. Reflecting on her achievements in the industry, Grazinyte-Tyla surmised: "Where is the right balance, men, women? What do we have to do to arrive to the right one? I'm happy to be a good example for those social issues but I really want to stay focused on what I'm doing because I think this is at the end the answer." All three women are still in their 30s and have the potential to break records at this year's Grammys. They all hoped their successes would inspire other girls to pursue a career in music. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} READ THE FULL yahoo news ARTICLE
2020 GRAMMY Awards' finale performance will be a family reunion for Lang Lang / yahoo entertainment
Posted: January 26, 2020 12:00 AM
The acclaimed Chinese concert pianist will join friends like violinist Joshua Bell and dancer Misty Copeland for the night's final performance to honor Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich. Watch the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, hosted by Alicia Keys and broadcast live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 PM ET / 5 PM PT on CBS and CBS All Access. WATCH THE yahoo entertainment VIDEO p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre}
The Bay Bridged connects with Ben Cooper (aka Radical Face) on 'Ghost' reinterpretation in advance of 'August Hall' show
Posted: January 25, 2020 12:00 AM
Thirteen years after the release of Radical Face's Ghost in 2007, Ben Cooper (aka Radical Face) has re-released the album with completely new interpretations of the original tracks. Songs like "Welcome Home, Son" (which has been the Nikon theme song for eight years) have bolstered a cult following and have been given a fresh and gentle new breath of life. We connected with Cooper on his choice to reinterpret the album. He told The Bay Bridged, "The impetus was pretty practical. The rights to that album were returning to me and I could finally reprint the record on my own label. I play a lot of songs from Ghost live all the time, but it had been years since I'd heard the original recordings. Upon review, I was struck by how much they'd changed from touring them for years. Some were like night and day. So I thought a fun update would be to record all those evolutions, and show what live performance does to songs I had never even intended on playing live in the first place." Radical Face is playing February 1 at August Hall as part of his North American tour. SEE THE Bay Bridged PAGE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}
Top 10 Albums for January
Colin Stetson :
Color Out of Space
Milan Records today releases COLOR OUT OF SPACE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by GRAMMY® Award-winning saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and composer COLIN STETSON. Available everywhere now, the soundtrack features music written by Stetson for the Nicolas Cage-starring, sci-fi thriller, which debuts in theaters today. A highly-coveted collaborator to Bon Iver, Arcade Fire, Tom Waits, LCD Soundsystem, The National and more, Stetson brings with him an expansive body of work that includes both genre-defying, avant-jazz records as well as critically-acclaimed original scores for major film, television and game titles (Ari Aster's Hereditary, Red Dead Redemption 2).
Lorne Balfe :
Bad Boys for Life OMPS
Sony Music today releases BAD BOYS FOR LIFE (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SCORE) with music by GRAMMY Award-winning, EMMY- and BAFTA-nominated composer LORNE BALFE (Ad Astra, His Dark Materials, Gemini Man). Available everywhere now, the album features score music written by Balfe for the third and final installment in Sony Pictures' Bad Boys trilogy starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, in theaters everywhere now.
Of the score, composer LORNE BALFE says, "Of the score, composer LORNE BALFE says, "Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are the future of film making. Working with them and Jerry Bruckheimer have been an amazing experience. Having been a fan of the original Bad Boys, it was an honor to be part of the franchise."
Ted Poor :
You Already Know
You Already Know, the New Deal/Impulse! debut from the acclaimed drummer Ted Poor-"a trustworthy engine in countless modern-jazz settings," per the New York Times-isn't your typical jazz drummer's recording, almost defiantly so. But if you're at all familiar with the Seattle-based Poor's explorative career-or the wide-ranging work of his principal collaborators here, the deeply influential guitarist-producer Blake Mills and the saxophonist Andrew D'Angelo-this should come as no surprise.
Robert Thies - Damjan Krajacic :
Blue Landscapes III Frontiers
Mindfulness music leader Real Music presents Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers, the pioneering third album in the award-winning Blue Landscapes series from internationally renowned pianist Robert Thies and flutist Damjan Krajacic. The instrumental album ushers in the new new age by generously offering 15 improvisational tracks; Blue Landscapes III: Frontiers is scheduled for worldwide physical and digital release and available everywhere music is sold on January 24, 2020; visit myndstream or Blue Landscapes for more information and music.
ALL PRESS SECURED BY BETH ANN HILTON@THE B COMPANY
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Thomas Newman :
1917 OMPS
Sony Music announces the December 20 release of 1917 (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by GRAMMY®, EMMY® and BAFTA® Award-winning composer THOMAS NEWMAN. Most recently nominated for "Best Original Score" by the Golden Globe Awards, the album features music from Oscar®-winning filmmaker Sam Mendes' visceral new epic which was released by Universal Pictures and Amblin Partners on Wednesday, December 25, 2019. The score is the latest in a long series of collaborations between Thomas Newman and director Sam Mendes. The two artists previously worked together on titles including Skyfall, Spectre, Road to Perdition, Jarhead, American Beauty and more. Also making its debut today alongside album preorder is the soundtrack's lead offering "The Night Window."
Dustin O'Halloran :
Sundoor
Deutsche Grammophon is proud to announce the signing of Oscar-nominated, Emmy-winning composer Dustin O'Halloran and his release of a new EP, Sundoor. The EP features a single 20-minute piece entitled "196 Hz," adapted from a 2017 site-specific composition for cross-disciplinary American artist Slater Bradley's Sundoor at World's End – an installation at the Church of Mary Magdalene in Venice during the city's Biennale.
Sheku Kanneh-Mason :
Elgar w/London Symphony Orchestra - Rattle
Award-winning cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason returns with Elgar, a new album of works anchored around Elgar's Cello Concerto – arguably the best-known work in the classical canon written for solo cello, which saw the 100th anniversary of its first performance this month.
Recorded at the famous Abbey Road Studios with the London Symphony Orchestra (LSO), and conducted by one of Sheku's lifelong heroes, Sir Simon Rattle, the work is a statement of intent from the 20-year-old musician whose rise to being "the world's new favourite cellist" (The Times) has taken nothing away from his ambition to continue evolving and learning as an artist. Sheku explains, "It's how I feel about the music that really motivates me to work and discover and develop my own ideas – that's what keeps me going."
Joey Alexander :
Warna
Today, Joey Alexander, the Grammy-nominated jazz pianist, composer and bandleader announces the release of his major label debut album, WARNA (Verve Records). Slated for release January 31, the album is primarily a collection of reflective, moving new and original music by an experienced and confident musician. You can pre-order the album here.
Translating as "color" from Alexander's native language of Bahasa, WARNA follows four Motéma Music albums that garnered the pianist three Grammy nominations and such honors as historic critics' and readers' poll victories in DownBeat and JazzTimes. Joining Alexander on the new album are bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Kendrick Scott, who comprise the core piano trio. On select tracks, Venezuelan-born percussion Luisito Quintero, and flautist Anne Drummond, join on to stunning aural effect.
Andrea Bocelli :
Si Forever
Following over 1 million album sales of his No. 1 album ‘Si' worldwide, Golden Globe-winning operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli is back with an extended special edition, to be released on Decca/Sugar on 8th November, with brand new tracks recorded with some of the best and most exciting names in pop, plus a few of Andrea's famous friends!
The first of these newly-recorded duets is released on 3rd October, and features BRIT Award-winning, Grammy-nominated British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding. Speaking about their collaboration on the powerfully emotional track, ‘Return to Love', Andrea said, "Ellie Goulding is the perfect singer for this track. She has a beautiful voice which I loved right away."
Ellie was similarly delighted to be approached to record with Andrea: "It was a huge honour that the legendary Andrea Bocelli wanted me to feature on this song with him. I have always had an affinity with classical music and I'm a sucker for a love song. It was fun and enlightening to sing in Italian - a real joy to record."
Alexandre Desplat :
Little Women OMPS
Sony Music announces the release of LITTLE WOMEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer ALEXANDRE DESPLAT. Available for preorder now, the album will be available in digital, CD and vinyl formats beginning Friday, December 13. Recorded in New York City under the leadership of Desplat, who conducted a chamber orchestra to perform his original compositions, the score serves as a sonic companion to the film's coming-of-age narrative. Making its debut alongside album preorder is the title track from Desplat's score – listen to "Little Women" now. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Sony Pictures' Little Women will make its highly-anticipated theatrical debut on Wednesday, December 25.