Welcome to the start of 2024. I hope your holidays were joyous. For our first Friday of 2024, here is the best of what’s New In Music This Week: January 5th. I’ve also included a few albums that slipped under my radar late last year but warrant your attention.
My top choice of what’s New In Music This Week: January 5th is:
CLASSICAL: OVERTURE TO A SYMPHONY CONCERT, HUNGARIAN SERENADE, TRIPARTITA – Miklós Rózsa/Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie/Gregor Bühl – Capriccio
Composer Rózsa is best known for his incredible film scores for such motion pictures as Julius Caesar (1953); Ben-Hur (1959) and one of my personal favorites Spellbound (1945). But like many European composers who came to America to work in film, Rózsa had long been writing (and continued to compose) formal music for concert halls. This album showcases three works that range from 1956 – 1972.
The Overture to a Symphony Concert is a work that should find its place back in concert halls once people hear this recording. It’s a terrific piece that, at less than nine minutes, is a powerful composition audiences will enjoy.
Rózsa’s Hungarian Serenade is a 5-movement work lasting just over 23 minutes and dates from 1956/1963 (clearly the composer made some changes in the work). Tripartita is from 1972 which puts it between his score for Billy Wilder’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (1970) and The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973).
This is a terrific album that, I hope, will prompt listeners and perhaps even concert programmers to consider re-examining Rósza’s work and put both his film scores and his concert works back on stage.
Here are the rest of my choices for New In Music This Week: January 5th
CLASSICAL: BRITTEN: WAR REQUIEM – London Symphony Orchestra – Decca Classics
This is a remastered vinyl and CD re-issue of the 1963 release (and first-ever recording of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem) that won the Grammy Award for Classical Album of the Year.
The soloists are Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (from Germany), Peter Pears (from the UK) and Galina Vishnevskaya (from Russia). Their countries are of significance as Britten wanted one vocalist from each country to sing this monumental work.
This has always been a powerful work and an important recording. For it to be re-issued at this time gives it even more power. But isn’t that sad thing about a war requiem – it never goes out of style.
JAZZ: EXPECTATIONS – Azat Bayazitov – Self-Release
One of the great joys of publishing Cultural Attaché is when I hear from artists who are self-distributing their music. No PR firms or labels are involved. This fine recording was released in December.
Saxophonist Bayazitov composed all nine songs on the album and he plays tenor, soprano and alto sax on it as well.
It is clear Bayazitov dreams big as he is joined by eleven other musicians on this album. He has arranged his music to include flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, strings and more. It’s an ambitious combination of instruments an done not commonly featured on a contemporary jazz album. But don’t expect a big band album, this is modern jazz through and through.
Bayazitov’s playing on the title track which opens the album builds up a listener’s expectations and he never disappoints. You can find Expectations streaming on multiple platforms.
JAZZ: MIDNIGHT CREEPER – Lou Donaldson – Blue Note Records
This five-track album from 1968 finds saxophonist Donaldson perfectly blending the genres of funk, soul and jazz into 36 minutes of pure joy.
Donaldson wrote two of the compositions on the album (the title track and Elizabeth). Teddy Vann’s Love Power, Harold Ousley’s Dapper Dan and Lonnie Smith’s Bag of Jewels are the other tracks.
Organist Smith joins Donaldson on this album as do guitarist George Benson, cornetist Blue Mitchell and drummer Idris Muhammad. Midnight Creeper is, simply put, a really groovy album.
This is the first of the 2024 releases from Blue Note’s Tone Poet Audiophile Vinyl Reissue Series. There are two releases scheduled for the first Friday of every month.
JAZZ: FIRE WITHIN – Rich Halley – Pine Eagle Records
This is one of the albums that snuck by me last month. Shame on me for not taken notice of this incredible album from saxophonist Halley. This is free jazz that lives up to the title of the album.
Joining Halley for the five original tracks on the album (all composed by Halley along with his quartet) are Newman Taylor Baker on drums; Michael Bisio on bass and pianist Matthew Shipp.
Once I discovered this album, I played it several times. I’m sure you will, too.
JAZZ: COINCIDENTAL MOMENT – LISA HILTON – Ruby Slippers Productions
Okay, I missed this one, too. Damnit! Pianist Hilton composed 9 of the 11 tracks on this incredible album. Of the two songs she didn’t compose, one of the Blue in Green, is by Miles Davis. That tells you a lot about Hilton.
Rest assured she and her quartet live up to it and more. From the opening track, Anxiety Society, she inspired me to go back and listen to her previous album fearing I had missed the musical journey of a truly talented pianist and composer. I had.
Luques Curtis on bass; Rudy Royston on drums and percussion and Igmar Thomas on trumpet surround Hilton with exactly the perfect accompaniment on her musical journey.
Hilton closes Coincidental Moment with a solo piece entitled Uncommon Poetry. Do yourself a favor and check out this album. It’s no coincidence that I found it and can share it with you.
JAZZ: POLY-CURRENTS – Elvin Jones – Blue Note Records
Here’s the second release from the Tone Poet series for January – an album featuring drummer Jones joined by six other musicians for some hard bop with some instruments you don’t often find: flute, English horn and congas to name just a few.
The five tracks total over 39 minutes of music and open with Jones’ own composition Agenda.
Joining Jones are Pepper Adams on baritone saxophone; Candido Camero on congas; George Coleman on tenor saxophone; Joe Farrell on tenor sax, English horn, flute and bass flute; Wilbur Little on bass and Fred Tompkins on flute.
JAZZ: REVEAL – Micah Thomas – Artwork Records
This is even more embarrassing because this album was released in early September. But once I discovered it, I was thrilled. There are nine tracks (of 8 compositions – more on that in a minute) that feature Thomas’s incredible playing along with superb compositions.
I’d been familiar with Thomas as a member of Immanuel Wilkins‘ band, but this is my first exposure to him as a leader and soloist.
The album opens with Little Doctor (Take 2). Four tracks later you get Litle Doctor (Take 1). Before you know it over 65 minutes have passed and you’ve been enveloped into the world of one of our most interesting jazz artists today.
Thomas is joined by drummer Kayvon Gordon and bassist Dean Torrey on Reveal. He’s only 26 right now. I can’t wait to see and hear what he does in the next 25 years!
OPERA/VOCAL: PUCCINI: I CANTI – ORCHESTRAL SONGS & WORKS – Charles Castronovo – BR Klassik
Composer Giaocomo Puccini died 100 years ago this coming November. So consider this fair warning that this is likely the first of many new recordings of the composer’s works. The year is off to a strong start with this recording by tenor Castronovo.
Instead of a recording of arias from Puccini’s opera, Castronovo has chosen the sixteen songs by Puccini that were published. The songs have been orchestrated by Johannes X. Schachtner for orchestra and he also orchestrated three additional compositions (Preludio sinfonico, SC32; Capriccio sinfonico, SC 55 and Crisantemi, SC 65) that close out the album.
I’ve seen Castronovo in multiple opera productions and have always enjoyed his singing. This album is 68 minutes of beautiful music and a must-have for fans of Puccini.
That’s my list of What’s New In Music This Week: January 5th.
Happy New Year!
Enjoy the Music!
Enjoy your Weekend!
Main Photo: Part of the album cover for Midnight Creeper (Courtesy Blue Note Records)
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