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On ‎1‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 3:02 AM, pherank said:

June Christy - Something Cool, The Gypsy In My Soul, Shadow Woman, Night People, Out Of The Shadows, Softly As in a Morning Sunrise
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn8EtaxGJP0

 

June Christy's Ballads for Night People (1959) ("Shadow Woman," "Night People")! After her masterpiece, Something Cool, one of her very best recordings.

I can't recommend Something Cool (the 1954-55 mono version and the 1960 stereo version) highly enough. The original mono version sold so well throughout the 50s that Capitol had Christy and arranger Pete Rugolo rerecord it note-for-note in stereo in 1960. But Christy's voice had grown deeper between recordings and it's fascinating to listen to both versions back-to-back, which is possible since a 2001 reissue contains both versions.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Cool

Edited by miliosr
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6 hours ago, miliosr said:

June Christy's Ballads for Night People (1959) ("Shadow Woman," "Night People")! After her masterpiece, Something Cool, one of her very best recordings.

I can't recommend Something Cool (the 1954-55 mono version and the 1960 stereo version) highly enough. The original mono version sold so well throughout the 50s that Capitol had Christy and arranger Pete Rugolo rerecord it note-for-note in stereo in 1960. But Christy's voice had grown deeper between recordings and it's fascinating to listen to both versions back-to-back, which is possible since a 2001 reissue contains both versions.

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Something_Cool

Yes, precisely. Ballads for Night People is one of my favorite jazz/standards night albums (and that fit my original 'night music' theme). It fits in well with my other 'romantic' night jazz favorites:

Billie Holiday - Lady in Satin, 1958 [Her penultimate album - the voice is gone but the soul very much remains.]
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman, 1963 [The only time the Coltrane band backed a vocalist. What a shame it is so short.]
Ella Fitzgerald - The Cole Porter Songbook CD 1 and CD 2 (from Complete Songbooks), 1956 [Both vocals and arrangements are of the highest level. One of the very best "American Standards" recordings, imo.]

INSTRUMENTAL:
Stan Getz - Focus (with composer and arranger Eddie Sauter), 1961 [The only time a jazz soloist was backed exclusively by an orchestra and every track succeeded. Getz doesn't play a single bum note.]

There's a gazillion other great jazz efforts that I could recommend, but the ones mentioned above fit really well together and all have first rate arrangements and orchestrations. Unusually inspired efforts.
There is also a fairly recent re-release titled, Hoagy Sings Carmichael (feat. Harry 'Sweets' Edison, Jimmy Rowles & Art Pepper), originally from 1956, that fits well here too, but not all the tracks are of the level of perfection the above efforts can boast.

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Pherank, Mimi and Richard Farina are a staple of my playlists, as is Laura Nyro.  How I would have loved to hear Farina's later work!  I can never forget the day I heard he died in a crash.

On my current (last two months playlists):

  • The Farina's two albums
  • Tracy Chapman (mix)
  • John Renbourn's "Sir John Alot" and "The Lady and the Unicorn" 
  • David Schnaufer (mix): a mountain dulcimer genius, mentor and friend who died much too soon. 
  • Randy Wilkinson's "Elizabethan Music for the Dulcimer"
  • Mount Alvernia Seminary Choir of New York. My parents were 3rd. Order Franciscans and played this every year at Christmas-I still do the same. I find their singing among the most soothing music I've ever listened to, despite its very terrible original recording.
  • Billie Holiday (mix)
  • Janis Joplin (mix)
  • Janis Ian (mix)
  • Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust"
  • Laura Nyro's "Eli & The Thirteenth Confession"
  • Louis Armstrong (mix)
  • Ray Charles (mix)
  • The Count Basie Orchestra (mix)
  • Paul Simon (mix)
  • Sting (mix)
  • Mozart Symphonies
  • Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos
  • Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"
  • Maria Callas (mix)
  •  Sonya Yoncheva's "Paris Mon Amour"

 

 

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6 hours ago, vagansmom said:

Pherank, Mimi and Richard Farina are a staple of my playlists, as is Laura Nyro.  How I would have loved to hear Farina's later work!  I can never forget the day I heard he died in a crash.

On my current (last two months playlists):

  • The Farina's two albums
  • Tracy Chapman (mix)
  • John Renbourn's "Sir John Alot" and "The Lady and the Unicorn" 
  • David Schnaufer (mix): a mountain dulcimer genius, mentor and friend who died much too soon. 
  • Randy Wilkinson's "Elizabethan Music for the Dulcimer"
  • Mount Alvernia Seminary Choir of New York. My parents were 3rd. Order Franciscans and played this every year at Christmas-I still do the same. I find their singing among the most soothing music I've ever listened to, despite its very terrible original recording.
  • Billie Holiday (mix)
  • Janis Joplin (mix)
  • Janis Ian (mix)
  • Joan Baez's "Diamonds & Rust"
  • Laura Nyro's "Eli & The Thirteenth Confession"
  • Louis Armstrong (mix)
  • Ray Charles (mix)
  • The Count Basie Orchestra (mix)
  • Paul Simon (mix)
  • Sting (mix)
  • Mozart Symphonies
  • Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos
  • Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake"
  • Maria Callas (mix)
  •  Sonya Yoncheva's "Paris Mon Amour"

 

 

All great choices. And eclectic - I like that.  ;)

One of the reasons I initially started going to the ballet was because I liked the music so much - much of the classical music used in ballets (which happens to be 'danceable') is really appealing. Otherwise, my classical tastes tends toward the odd, and ethnic (pieces that borrow from a folk tradition). I admire Renbourn, as I've spent years listening to Fairport Convention, Pentangle, Steeleye Span and related people.

I'm going to listen to your dulcimer recommendations (I was wondering about Appalachian dulcimer music not long ago)...

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Pherank, I first heard the dulcimer on Mimi & Richard Farina's album and was intrigued. Joni Mitchell also plays it on her "Blue" album and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones played it  on "Lady Jane." Tim Hart of Steeleye Span also plays the dulcimer, as does Cyndi Lauper. Farina, though, was the fellow who inspired the first wave of modern folk musicians to pick up the instrument.  

Then David Schnaufer, influenced by Farina, came along and continues to be the most authentic voice in the mountain dulcimer tradition. He went on to mainstream it in the Nashville recording studios. He could play every kind of music on that instrument and was a quiet, humble guru to myself and dozens of others in the Appalachian folk music world of the 1980's and 90's.

In 1975,  I became engaged to my future husband while in a dulcimer-making workshop up in a holler in Tennesee and received one from the instrument maker as a wedding present. David Schnaufer then taught me to play and encouraged me as I started to transcribe Baroque recorder music for the dulcimer. I followed him everywhere for a few years just to get the chance to try to absorb his style, which was, and still is, unique. 

My introduction to ballet was similar to yours, pherank. I grew up on classical music and trained as a classical guitarist (later switching to other instruments and joining the Celtic and folk music world), but classical music is my first love. A boyfriend loved the Joffrey Ballet (back when they were still in NY) and convinced me to attend a performance: I was smitten. 

 

Edited by vagansmom
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7 minutes ago, vagansmom said:

Pherank, I first heard the dulcimer on Mimi & Richard Farina's album and was intrigued. Joni Mitchell also plays it on her "Blue" album and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones played it  on "Lady Jane." Tim Hart of Steeleye Span also plays the dulcimer, as does Cyndi Lauper. Farina, though, was the fellow who inspired the first wave of modern folk musicians to pick up the instrument.  

Then David Schnaufer, influenced by Farina, came along and continues to be the most authentic voice in the mountain dulcimer tradition. He went on to mainstream it in the Nashville recording studios. He could play every kind of music on that instrument and was a quiet, humble guru to myself and dozens of others in the Appalachian folk music world of the 1980's and 90's.

In 1975,  I became engaged to my future husband while in a dulcimer-making workshop up in a holler in Tennesee and received one from the instrument maker as a wedding present. David Schnaufer then taught me to play and encouraged me as I started to transcribe Baroque recorder music for the dulcimer. I followed him everywhere for a few years just to get the chance to try to absorb his style, which was, and still is, unique. 

My introduction to ballet was similar to yours, pherank. I grew up on classical music and trained as a classical guitarist (later switching to other instruments and joining the Celtic and folk music world), but classical music is my first love. A boyfriend loved the Joffrey Ballet (back when they were still in NY) and convinced me to attend a performance: I was smitten.

Now that's a great story, Vagansmom. ;)

The hammer dulcimer has long fascinated me, sound-wise. It was a while before I understood that the Mountain Dulcimer was a different instrument - though there are similarities in the sound quality. I didn't grow up seeing anyone play these instruments - thus the confusion. Fariña's dulcimer playing always appealed to me, and as you pointed out, it was often used as a 'sound effect' on recordings.
On a side note, have you ever heard the 'ambient' hammer dulcimer playing of Laraaji on Brain Eno's Day of Radiance? The playing is all Laraaji, with Eno's production effects only.

 

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2 hours ago, ClaraFan said:

Listening to "Opening", by Philip Glass right now. California Ballet Company here in town had a Beer n' Ballet last year (OMG, it's '18 now?!), and some of the works were more modern dance. This seems to fit either to some extent.

 

Thanks ClaraFan - I saw your posting regarding the California Ballet Company. I've only gone to see San Diego's City Ballet (the Balanchine programs). It's good that you are able to report on CBC though.
Philip Glass is one modern composer who is well known to the ballet world. Lucky him.

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7 hours ago, canbelto said:

I've been listening to the soundtrack of The Greatest Showman. Some nice tunes.

Did that come from watching Circus Polka at MCB?   ;)
Do you have any links to the music you can share?

7 hours ago, DanielBenton said:

There is a new generation of women classical pianists who are phenomenal, chief among them Yuja Wang.  Also, Alice Sara Ott and Khatia Buniatishvili.  Wang is the rare artist who illuminates the composer's score and has a very personalized interpretation at the same time.

Wang certainly gets lots of press these days. And so does her concert attire. I watched one of her performances when it was free on Medici.tv - a technical virtuoso, to be sure. I haven't listened enough to have a say about her interpretations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yue6Cb5OULM

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Wang's Chopin is especially interesting.  Here is what may have been her graduation recital from Curtis, and she has gotten better since then.  Possibly because she is part of the Curtis Lineage (Graffman/Hoffman/Godowsky) she plays with the sensibility of one of those old-timers, and without musical distortion.

 

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43 minutes ago, DanielBenton said:

Wang's Chopin is especially interesting.  Here is what may have been her graduation recital from Curtis, and she has gotten better since then.  Possibly because she is part of the Curtis Lineage (Graffman/Hoffman/Godowsky) she plays with the sensibility of one of those old-timers, and without musical distortion.

 

She's been getting attention on all fronts, about her public presentation as well as her phenomenal musicianship.  Search the New Yorker for their excellt profile -- maybe a couple years ago...

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What a nice variety of material people have brought forward here!

I love Phillip Glass -- he just keeps writing what engages him.  He and Steve Reich provided the soundtrack for a lot of my early dance life.

On a different track, I've spent many happy hours listening to Alan Lomax's field recordings.  Most of them are available through the Library of Congress.

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I've been listening to classical music for over 20 years but last night was the first time that I heard Bernstein's Age of Anxiety, performed by the National Symphony with Jean-Ives Thibaudet on piano. It left me wondering why it isn't performed more often. Today was the Baltimore Symphony performing Philip Glass's Concerto for 2 Tympani, which was basically stereotypical Philip Glass music with tympani parts added. The highlight of my Christmas music season was Cantus' stunning rendition of Biebl's Ave Maria - it would have been worth the price of admission just to hear that one song.

Edited by YouOverThere
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1 hour ago, YouOverThere said:

I've been listening to classical music for over 20 years but last night was the first time that I heard Bernstein's Age of Anxiety, performed by the National Symphony with Jean-Ives Thibaudet on piano. It left me wondering why it isn't performed more often. Today was the Baltimore Symphony performing Philip Glass's Concerto for 2 Tympani, which was basically stereotypical Philip Glass music with tympani parts added. The highlight of my Christmas music season was Cantus' stunning rendition of Biebl's Ave Maria - it would have been worth the price of admission just to hear that one song.

I have a CD of the Bernstein piece, but haven't listened to it in a while. I'll have to give it another spin. I like some of Bernstein "Trouble in Tahiti" opera as well (and that's rarely performed).

Thanks for the classical music comments - I'm always looking to learn more about that genre.

If anyone has missed watching the PBS program "Sgt Pepper's Musical Revolution" with Howard Goodall (2017), it is quite interesting in it's musical analysis of some of the major songs of that project:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5p0cmc

 

 

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4 hours ago, pherank said:

I have a CD of the Bernstein piece, but haven't listened to it in a while. I'll have to give it another spin. I like some of Bernstein "Trouble in Tahiti" opera as well (and that's rarely performed).

Thanks for the classical music comments - I'm always looking to learn more about that genre.

If anyone has missed watching the PBS program "Sgt Pepper's Musical Revolution" with Howard Goodall (2017), it is quite interesting in it's musical analysis of some of the major songs of that project:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5p0cmc

 

 

and since the Morris company is touring his staging to the work, this is extra helpful

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11 hours ago, dirac said:

Thanks, DanielBenton. I have not heard Wang. Do you think she has a particular affinity for any one composer?

Even though this was not addressed to me, I'll chime in with my 2 cents. I've seen YW perform maybe 4-5 times in both recital and concerti. I think she tends to play all composers fairly evenly. The best performance I heard of hers was Schubert D959 at Salle Pleyel in 2014. She put me in a daze with her playing in the slow movement (that rarely happens). She plays Scriabin extremely well too as she has an unbelievable technical control which allows her to create an interesting soundworld. Although I have to admit I found her Chopin Preludes annoyingly willful. It's sad to say but I think her dresses and flashy encores automatically cause a section of pianophiles to write her off. It's amazing how passionately some people I know dislike her. For me, at her best, she is a tremendous musician and she's always a fantastic pianist. As for the other ladies DanielBenton mentioned I don't care for them, particularly Buniatishvili who's really not my kind of artist. I will see Beatrice Rana at Fondation Louis Vuitton this Saturday, now there's another young lady I have a lot of time for!

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Currently re-listening to Mr. Jukes' God First album. Google has been using the single from the album, named "Grant Green" (an excellent retro-60s R&B track featuring the vocalist Charles Bradley) on one of their TV commercials, and that inspired me to go back and listen more closely to the album. If you know the work of producer Mark Ronson (for Amy Winehouse and others) then you may appreciate this effort as it uses a similar approach to arrangement and production.

"Grant Green"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc5t89UZboM

Full album:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDVrAls0P0E

 

Edited by pherank
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