It’s raining here in Guanajuato, Mexico today. Exactly the perfect weather to listen to some great music. Whether you’re looking for a rising jazz artist, a mountain of Monk’s music or a legendary recording of Bach’s music, you’ll find those and plenty more in New in Music: October 9th.
My top pick is:
JAZZ: WHAT AN INTERESTING GIRL – Vanisha Gould – Cellar Music Group
I’ve known for quite some time what an interesting girl Gould is. Her first album, She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth introduced her as an artist to keep an eye on.
She proves she’s even more interesting than I thought after listening to What an Interesting Girl.
This second album features nine original songs and an unlikely pairing of two songs (Lament from Evita and Mary Lou Williams’ The Devil).
The opening track, Go-To Girl opens with the words, “Your go-to girl is not so sure, she can do it all for you. And every word she says is true.” It’s the start of a fascinating exploration of a relationship.
One that continues on the next song, Ginsong , which is about a relationship with “my elixir, my great fixer.”
She says in the press release that “the album isn’t really a statement. It’s an observation.” She later admits they add up to say a lot about her.
What they say is so refreshingly candid and honest. There’s a maturity and sophistication in her songwriting and the singing. I listened to this album four times before it came time to write this week’s New in Music.
Her regular collaborator pianist Chris McCarthy is joined by Samuel Bolduc on drums and Charlie Lincoln on bass.
There is a deluxe digital edition available with four additional tracks: Poor Man, Strollin’ (Nostalgia in Times Square), He Said and Ghost of Love. As of this writing, those tracks were not available on Spotify. Track them down, they are well worth listening to.
This is an essential portrait of this talented artist.
Here are the other fine new recordings that are New in Music: October 9th
CLASSICAL: UYARAS: THE ENCHANTED VOICE – Bruno de Sá – Erato
I’ve never heard anything quite like Bruno de Sá and I’m willing to bet you haven’t either. He is a natural male soprano. He uses his voice not just to sing, but also as an advocate for inclusivity in opera. That’s reflected in the music he’s chosen throughout his career and also on Uyaras.
The title itself refers to a character in Tupi-Guarani and Brazilian folklore known for her hypnotic singing.
He tackles music both with and without words. Some of those compositions, like the final track Proch’s Aria and Variations on “Deh, torna mio bene,” are almost exclusively sung by women.
de Sá performs works by Gershwin, Granados, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Saint-Saens, Strauss, Villa-Lobos and more.
The album is truly special. Each and every track is mesmerizing. I know Uyaras is not going to be for everyone. Just give it a try. I’m willing to bet you will find yourself hypnotized by de Sá’s voice and the performances of these works.
CLASSICAL: MAHLER: LIEDER – André Schuen /Daniel Heide – Deutsche Grammophon
If you love Mahler as much as I do, you’ll want to spend 66 minutes hearing some of the composer’s finest lieder performed by baritone Schuen accompanied by pianist Heide.
This album offers a graceful approach to some of Mahler’s finest works: Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen; Rückert Lieder, Kindertotenlieder and Urlicht from Des Knaben Wunderhorn.
The old adage “keep it simple, stupid” applies to this recording. In doing so they’ve revealed a tenderness not often found in recordings of this music.
One could argue that there isn’t quite the bleakness in Kindertotenlieder that other recordings or performances offer. I found the deceptive simplicity in which all of the music is performed on this album to be worth that sacrifice.
Schuen and Heide have been performing this music together for ten years. That certainly accounts for the delicacy they bring to Mahler’s lieder.
CLASSICAL: WOMEN AND THE PIANO – Susan Tomes – Hyperion
How familiar are you with Marianna Auenbrugger, Teresa Carreño, Raie da Costa, Sophie Menter, Hélène de Montgeroult, Adele aus der Ohe or Maria Szymanowska?
I’ll admit I didn’t know these composers nor any of their work…until I listened this morning to Women And The Piano.
This finely performed music by pianist Tomes encourages me to explore more of their work. I hope she records even more of it.
There are composers we all know on the album: Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade, Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann. But the joy is in hearing works by these under-represented women.
CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL: SELECTED PIANO WORKS: NEW PIANO MUSIC WITH ATTITUDE – Fred Broer / Joseph Havlat – Navona
Listening to this album of music by composer Fred Broer, it is impossible to pigeonhole his writing as one style or another. It’s eclectic, entertaining and not easy to play.
The first track sounds positively romantic. Then 3 American Folk Songs for Piano takes us in another direction. As do all the tracks.
Perhaps my favorite tracks are the final two: Some Serious Music for Piano and Some Sarcastic Music for Piano. They are a great pair and those tracks alone tell you how diverse and intellectually engaging this music is.
Havlat plays all this music brilliantly.
I didn’t know Broer before hearing this album. That’s one of the perks of doing this…I learn so much.
OPERA: THE LISTENERS – Missy Mazzoli / Lyric Opera of Chicago / Enrique Mazzola – Pentatone
Mazzoli’s opera had its world premiere in Oslo in 2022. This recording is from the production at Lyric Opera of Chicago that took place in 2025.
Featuring a libretto by regular collaborator Royce Vavrek, The Listeners was based on a novel by Jordan Tannahill.
The Listeners tells the story of Claire Devon, a high school math teacher who hears a low-frequency hum. Medical professionals and her family think she’s nuts which leads her to isolate from them. Until she meets others in her community who can also hear that sound.
One of those people is a man named Howard who uses their special gift as an excuse to form a cult that leads to a tragic conclusion.
I’ve always enjoyed Mazzoli’s work and I do so here. The music is powerful and compelling; as are the performances. You can fully trace Claire’s journey from the opening to the final moments.
The production in Chicago drew wildly polarized reviews and it’s highly likely this recording will as well.
Mazzoli is amongst my favorite contemporary composers and I’ll always be one of her listeners.
OPERA: THE PYRAMIDS RECITAL – Fatma Said – Warner Classics
Soprano Said’s The Pyramids Recital is being released today as both an album and a concert film. I haven’t seen the film, but I’ve heard the album. Now I want to see the film.
She sings arias from a wide range of operas and composers including Handel’s Rinaldo, Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro; Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi and Saint-Saëns Henry VIII.
Just when I thought this was going to be a standard recital repertoire, Said throws in a series of lesser-known composers. She also adds Mascagni’s Ave Maria which I never knew about. It’s his reworked Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana with words and is gorgeous.
There are also two Egyptian composers: Farid El Atrache and Mohamed Abdel Wahab. Said is Egyptian and I enjoyed hearing this music.
The Pyramids Recital reveals itself to contain very diverse repertoire. Even the usual suspects like O mio babbino caro sound fresh in these performances.
I’d buy a ticket to see Fatma Said in concert given the opportunity.
LEFT TURNS:
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE – Danny Elfman – Decca Classics
The Lalo Schifrin theme for the television series Mission Impossible is legendary. When Danny Elfman was called on to score the 1996 film from Brian De Palma, he, too, had an impossible mission: to score a film with music that could comfortably live next to Schifrin’s.
No surprise that Elfman was able to do that. What is shocking is that he had just five weeks to score the film after Alan Silvestri’s score was rejected.
I think this is one of Elfman’s most unconventional scores.
This is a vinyl issue of that soundtrack. Fans familiar with his scores for Tim Burton’s movies are going to find him working comfortably within the action genre while still maintaining the idiosyncrasies that make Elfman Elfman.
REISSUES/VINYL:
CLASSICAL: BACH MASS IN B MINOR – Munich Bach Choir and Orchestra / Karl Richter – Deutsche Grammophon
This legendary 1961 recording is being reissued in a 3LP box set. The soloists on this record were Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Kieth Engen, Maria Stader and Hertha Töpper.
This is not a subtle performance. Richter employs a large choir and orchestra, modern instruments (as opposed to period instruments) creating a very weighty sound.
The grandness of this recording makes a deeply spiritual work resonate with greater significance than other recordings. That’s a key reason why this album is widely considered amongst the best of Bach’s Mass in B Minor.
JAZZ: WORK: THE COMPLETE COMPOSITIONS OF THELONIOUS MONK – Miles Okazaki – Cygnus Recordings
If this was a new release, it certainly would be my top pick. This six-album release from 2018 finds guitarist Okazaki playing all of Monk’s compositions on guitar. At the time of its release, Work was hailed for its ambition, the quality of the playing and the daring.
I didn’t hear this upon its release. Hell, I didn’t even know about it. Did you?
This reissue is tied to the release tomorrow, October 10th, of The Monkathon. It’s a concert film documenting the two nights in 2024 when Okazaki played all 66 compositions found on Work.
The documentary, which I strongly recommend, will be available HERE and is free to watch.
Call him obsessive. Call him audacious. Call him outrageous. Just don’t forget to call him insanely talented. His passion has yielded nearly five hours of amazing music which opens a new way to hear and even understand Monk’s genius.
You won’t find this recording on streaming services. You can find it on Okazaki’s Bandcamp page HERE.
LEFT TURN: COURT AND SPARK – Joni Mitchell – Rhino Records
This has long been one of my favorite Joni Mitchell albums. Originally released in 1974, it includes such classics as Help Me, Free Man in Paris, Trouble Child and her delightful rendition of Twisted.
This reissue is also a left turn, at least it is for me. This is being released on reel-to-reel tape. Apparently, this is a new trend as this is the 14th such release from Rhino and eight of those titles have sold out. Who knew?
There are only 350 tapes being sold. Get yours quickly if you’re well ahead of me on this curve.
That completes New in Music: October 9th. Which album will you listen to first? I’d start with Gould and then hunker down with Okazaki for a few hours. Let me know what you decide.
Enjoy the music!
Enjoy your weekend!
Main Photo: Art from Miles Okazaki’s Work: The Complete Compositions of Thelonious Monk (Courtesy Cygnus Recordings)