Fans of classical music and jazz, both new and old, will find a lot of great choices in New In Music This Week: March 7th. I had a real sense of discovery with many of these titles and I think you will, too.
My top choice is:
CLASSICAL: CONCERTANTE WORKS VOLUME 2 – Fernande Decruck/Jackson Symphony Orchestra – Matthew Aubin – Claves Records
Fernande Decruck was a French composer in the 20th century. The title lets you know that this isn’t the first recording by Michigan’s Jackson Symphony Orchestra of Decruck’s music. We should all be glad because this is really good music– all of it first-ever recordings.
The album opens with Decruck’s Concerto for Cello and Orchestra with Jeremy Crosmer as the soloist. It’s a nearly 22-minute work that just jumps out to you as the work of a sophisticated composer (even though it is the earliest composition on this record.)
The Trianons: Suite for Harpsichord (or Piano) and Orchestra follows with Mahan Esfahani as the soloist. Decruck must have liked having alternatives built into her music as the next composition also offers a choice: Sonata In C# for Alto Saxophone (or Viola) and Orchestra. Mitsuru Kubo is the soloist. It should be noted that on Volume 1 of Jackson Symphony Orchestra’s recordings of Decruck’s music found Carrie Koffman performing the Sonata In C# on saxophone.
The Bells of Vienna: Suite of Waltzes from 1935 closes out this impressive recording. These waltzes are playful but also have shades of darkness in them which I appreciated.
As he did on the first album, Matthew Aubin conducts. He’s a great advocate of Decruck’s work and I hope there is more music to be recorded for volumes 3, 4 and 5.
The other fine recordings on New In Music This Week: March 7th are:
CLASSICAL: MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO. 3 – Czech Philharmonic – Semyon Bychkov – Pentatone
Five down and five more to go. Conductor Bychkov and the Czech Philharmonic continue their outstanding recordings of Mahler’s symphonies with this impressive performance of Mahler’s 3rd symphony.
This is no small undertaking. It is, without question, Mahler’s longest composition. It is also apparently the symphony that instigated Bychkov’s life-long passion for all things Mahler
Joining the Czech Philharmonic on this monumental recording are mezzo-soprano Catriona Morison; the Prague Philharmonic Choir and Pueri guadentes.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait for their recording of Mahler’s 7th Symphony.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: BEYOND – BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra – Timothy Redmond / Peter Moore – Orchid Classics
Four contemporary composers of modern operas were recruited to write suites based on those operas.
There is no better way to open an album like this than with Three-Piece Suite from Powder Her Face by Thomas Adés. The opening track alone is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. It won’t stay there very long as the music gets a little darker as the suite continues. Though you can tell that Adés is still offering it up with a bit of a wink.
Jonathan Dove offers up the six-part Stargazer based on his 2001 opera that had its first performance in 2007. Peter Moore is the featured soloist on trombone.
Next up is Matthew Aucoin’s suite of music from his opera Eurydice. He also wrote Heath which is not from any opera of his that I’m familiar with.
The album closes with Nico Muhly’s Liar Suite from his opera Marnie. That’s an opera I very much enjoyed and I definitely liked this suite of music.
All of these suites were commissioned for this recording. I strongly recommend you take a step Beyond and into this music.
JAZZ: OPEN, TO LOVE – Paul Bley – ECM Records – Vinyl Reissue
Fans of solo piano jazz recordings, this album is for you. IF, you don’t already know about it. If you do, you’ll certainly want to get this latest vinyl release from ECM’s Luminessence series.
Released in 1973, Bley recorded three songs by Carla Bley, two songs by Annette Peacock and two originals for this beautifully quiet album.
Carla Bley was Paul Bley’s first wife.
You get a sense on this recording of Bley being alone in his thoughts throughout the album. We’re the lucky ones who get to hear what he might have been thinking.
This is one of Bley’s finest and most highly regarded recordings…for good reason.
JAZZ: BLUER THAN BLUE – Caili O’Doherty – Outside In Music
I probably should have already known the music of Lillian “Lil” Hardin Armstrong, but for some reason I didn’t. She was Louis Armstrong’s second wife and a first-rate songwriter. Even though she’d composed songs for many popular artists, she remains in the shadow of her much more famous husband.
O’Doherty does Armstrong a real solid with her thoughtful arrangements and fascinating piano playing which covers a variety of styles. She’s joined by drummer Cory Cox and bassist Tamir Shmerling.
Three special guests take turns on the albums nine tracks. They include vocalist Tahira Clayton, tenor saxophonist Nicole Glover and vocalist Michael Mayo.
Armstrong’s songs are inventive, clever and totally delightful. I’m not sure where these songs have been all my life (probably hiding in plain sight, but without attribution). Bluer Than Blue left me with a sense of utter joy.
JAZZ: HARD BELIEVER – Believers – Shifting Paradigm Records
Believers is a trio of musicians: John Hadfield on percussion; Sam Minaie on bass and Brad Shepik on guitar. This isn’t strictly a jazz album and it isn’t strictly not a jazz album. These three very talented musicians have taken a lifetime of experiences and distilled them into a global cocktail of musical influences and styles that infuse the eight tracks on this album.
There are moments while listening to Hard Believer that I thought I was listening to more of a rock album than a jazz album. There were other moments I felt like I was listening to world music. Through it all, I knew I was listening to truly good music.
All three contributed songs to the album. If you’re looking for something just a little different, Hard Believer is for you.
JAZZ: HAPPY PEOPLE – Andy James – LeCoq Records
One way I like to explore someone’s album, particularly one that has songs that have been recorded by countless artists, is to go to that song first to hear what that artist is bringing to those songs.
Instead of listening to Happy People from the first track, I jumped to her recording of Besame Mucho. If that inspired me, I would listen to the full album. Well, you know how that went.
James is joined on this album by a mix of her regular touring band and special artists. That band features John Beasley on B-3; Jon Cowherd on piano; John Ellis on tenor and soprano sax and bass clarinet with Rick Margitza on tenor sax.
The guest artists are Alex Acuna on percussion; David Binney on saxophone; Mino Cinelu on percussion; Carlito Del Puerto on bass; James Genus on bass; Marcus Gilmore on drums and Chico Pinheiro on guitar.
The preponderance of Latin artists on this album reflects James’ background as a flamenco dancer. She brings jazz and flamenco together to create a unique album well worth listening to.
JAZZ: REVERIE – Stefan Sirbu
Oxford Languages describes reverie as a “state of being pleasantly lost in one’s thoughts; a daydream.” This album by pianist and composer Sirbu lives up to that definition and then some.
Sirbu is an artist who has one foot in jazz and at least a few toes of the other foot in classical music. You can feel the classical side to his compositions throughout Reverie. The album has a freshness to it that is best exemplified by the way the musicians interact with one another.
This is an album to quiet the mind and stir the soul. Sirbu is joined by Julieta Eugenio on tenor sax; Clovis Nicolas on bass and Anthony Pinciotti on drums.
I hope Reverie gets released on vinyl. That would be the optimal way to hear this music.
That’s all for New In Music This Week: March 7th. Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the music!
Main Photo: Part of the album art of Stefan Sirbu’s Reverie