New In Music This Week: December 1st

From a symphony of a thousand to a lonely goatherd and everything in between, there’s really diversity to be found in New In Music This Week: December 1^st.

My top pick of the best of what’s New In Music This Week: December 1st is:

JAZZ:  SOLO GAME – Sullivan Fortner – Artwork Records

Pianist Fortner (whom I first as the pianist accompanying Cécile McLorin Salvant) fully embraces the past and the present in this stunning new album. I would love to know how his mind works because even if I’ve seen him do a solo on the same song with Salvant, it’s never the same. It’s not even remotely close.

There are two parts to Solo Game. The first part finds Fortner doing solo performances of nine songs from a wide range of styles. This includes songs by Stevie Wonder, Duke Ellington, Rodgers & Hart and more. The penultimate track on Disc 1 is This Is New by Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill. 

That title also serves as a signpost for what you’ll find on Disc 2. Here Fortner goes beyond the piano to include multiple electronics and effects along with other instruments to explore different ways or presenting music – much of it composed by Fortner. The result is absolutely mesmerizing.  This is one of my favorite albums of the year.

The rest of my choices for New In Music This Week: December 1^st are:

CHORAL MUSIC:  MIRACLE OF MIRACLES: MUSIC FOR HANNUKAH – Chicago a Cappella – Cedille Records

Truth be told, this album came out in October. But I only found out about it this week and found it utterly compelling. This 20-track collection of traditional and other Hanukkah songs will make you realize there’s much more to this music than the I am a Little Dreydl (which gets performed in such a beautiful way you’ll wonder why you’d never heard such harmonies applied to the song before.)

My personal favorites on this recording are the four selections of Hallel Cantata by Daniel Tunkel. If, like me, you’re tired of the same old holiday music, Miracle of Miracles will provide you 62-minutes of music performed by an extraordinary choral ensemble.

CLASSICAL: MAHLER SYMPHONY No. 8 – Minnesota Orchestra/Osmo Vänskä – BIS

The Minnesota Orchestra began its series of recordings of all of Mahler’s symphonies in 2017 with a recording of the composer fifth symphony. They are nearing the completion of that cycle with this release (the second Mahler symphony recording to be released this year with the Mahler 9^th having been released previously.)

If you haven’t heard Mahler’s 8^th symphony, it is called the Symphony of a Thousand for a reason. As evidenced by the number of people joining the Minnesota Orchestra for this recording: the Angelica Cantanti Youth Choirs; the Minnesota Boychoir; the Minnesota Chorale; the National Lutheran Choir plus tenor Barry Banks; mezzo-sopranos Sasha Cooke and Jess Dandy; bass-baritone Christian Immler; baritone Julian Orlishausen and sopranos Carolyn Sampson and Jacquelyn Wanger.

The final recording of Vänskä’s Mahler cycle of recordings will be Mahler’s 3^rd which I’m assuming will be released next year. In the meantime, this album will yield numerous replays and discoveries.

CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL:  WEATHER SYSTEMS II – SOUNDLINES: ON LANGUAGE AND THE LAND – Steven Schick – Islandia Music Records

If you had asked me if I would enjoy listening to a percussion album of contemporary compositions, I would have told you that I’d take the under in that bet. But something about this album from Schick got under my skin in a way I didn’t expect.

This is a fascinating and intriguing album that had me rethinking how open I was to something different. This is different and fascinating and endlessly worthy of examination.

Amongst the composers whose work is performed are Vivian Fung; Lei Liang; George Lewis; Fredric Rzewski and Iannis Xenakis.

JAZZ:  THE TONY BENNETT BILL EVANS ALBUM – Tony Bennett and Bill Evans – Craft Recordings/Original Jazz Classics

This album was recorded in June of 1975 and released in July of the same year. That says everything you need to know about the beautiful simplicity that this collaboration between vocalist Bennett and pianist Evans.

There are nine tracks on this high-end vinyl reissue which is also being released digitally. Amongst the songs are Days of Wine And Roses, My Foolish Heart, Some Other Time and We’ll Be Together Again.

Two years later they released Together Again which will, if I were to predict the future, also be an Original Jazz Classics re-issue in the near future.

JAZZ:  SOLO PIANO (LIVE IN NEW ORLEANS 1984) – Dr. John – Tipitina’s Record Club

If the name Tipitina’s registers with you (as it should), you’d know straight away this is a recording from the legendary club in New Orleans.

I’m not sure what more you need to know about this thoroughly enjoyable release. It’s Dr. John doing what he does best – singing and playing the piano like no other.

There are seven tracks on this album and the 37 minutes go back way too fast. One hopes there are more recordings in the vault that will bring us this same level fo joy.

JAZZ: PETER MARTIN & GENERATION S – Peter Martin – Open Studio

Open Studio is an on-line school for jazz musicians. They have instructors you know if you’re familiar with jazz at all: Ron Carter; Emmet Cohen; Fred Hersch; Christian McBride; Dianne Reeves and more.

Amongst those instructors is pianist Peter Martin. Martin has worked with Reeves and McBride plus Betty Carter, Wynton Marsalis and Joshua Redman amongst others.

If his teaching is as good as this recording, his students are very lucky.  Joined by Sarah Hanahan on saxophone; Gregory Hutchison on drums and Reuben Rogers on bass, Martin has released a forward-thinking album that is refreshing in its freedom and its creativity. Just listen to Groove Echo Chamber and you’ll have a smile on your face. Abstract Courage will put you in a relaxed mood and Alfred T will have you thinking about your late-night plans.

MUSICALS:  THE SOUND OF MUSIC – SUPER DELUXE EDITION – Craft Recordings

If you love this Oscar-winning film from 1965 with Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, this is the holy grail of music and materials from this beloved film.

You can buy this in a 4CD/1 Blu-Ray box set that includes every note of music found in the movie. There are also instrumentals of every song, nearly a dozen alternate takes that have never been released and more. It’s a price box set at $109.

There is also a 2-CD edition plus a 3-LP vinyl release. If you choose to purchase one or more of these sets, it’s no doubt your home will be filled with the sound of music.

VOCALS:  CHRISTMAS WITH YOU – Julie Benko – Club44 Records

Benko slayed Broadway audiences when she performed the role of Fanny Brice in the revival of Funny Girl. So it’s no wonder she’s opted to take advantage of that and record a song or two about the holiday that revolves around a man with a sleigh.

This EP contains four tracks that opens with The Man with the Bag that features a big-band arrangement that gives these four tracks an impressive beginning. She follows that with an original song, (I Never Had a) Christmas with You on which she’s joined by Mykal Kilgore which mixes a 50s-style arrangement to the blues. The third track celebrates Hannukah with the traditional song Tumbalalaika.

Benko closes out the EP by singing Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas with her husband, Jason Yeager. He arranged all four tracks, but this might be my favorite because it avoids a lot of the stereotypes usually associated with this song.

That’s all for New In Music This Week: December 1^st

Enjoy the music.

Enjoy your weekend.

Main Photo: Part of the album cover art for Dr. John’s Solo (Live in New Orleans 1984)