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music news

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in "Music News," email András Goldinger at books@politics-prose.com,
call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

August 28, 2008

New Eva Cassidy

Eva Cassidy, SOMEWHERE (Blix Street, $15.98)—All the songs are never-before released, some with a full band, many only Eva’s guitar and voice. Songs include covers of “Coat of Many Colors,” “Chain of Fools,” “Walking After Midnight,” as well as two originals co-written by Eva.

August 20, 2008

Menahem Pressler

Menahem Pressler, the pianist (and a founding member) of the Beaux Arts Trio, is disbanding the heralded group this year after 53 years—and playing farewell concerts to captivated fans. (NPR is broadcasting the Beaux Arts concert from Tanglewood this Thursday evening, click here.) But Mr. Pressler is continuing to produce great music: on BEETHOVEN: COMPLETE WORKS FOR PIANO & CELLO (Avie, 2CDs, $26.98), he teams up with his young colleague from the Beaux Arts, cellist Antonio Meneses, for a grand tour of Beethoven’s duets.

João Gilberto

Folks are celebrating the 50th Anniversary of bossa nova. One of the pioneers of the form, João Gilberto, combined the rhythmic intricacies of samba with jazz harmonies, and a soft, intimate vocal approach to form the “new thing” in music. He’s still making great music (he recently gave a solo recital during New York’s JVC Jazz Festival). Listen to him IN TOKYO (Verve, $17.98), recorded live in concert in 2003.

Staff Picks

Colin Meloy, COLIN MELOY SINGS LIVE! (Kill Rock Stars, $17.98)

Colin Meloy, the square-spectacled purveyor of ten-dollar words and ringleader of the Decemberists, has released his first solo album, and the result is a joy. The transition from the occasionally overwrought Decemberists orchestrations to a more pared-down folk sound suits Meloy just fine—for example on “The Gymnast, High Above the Ground,” or on the standout “California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade,” as Meloy segues into a luminous cover of “Ask” by the Smiths. In fact, the older Decemberists songs sound even better when Meloy returns to his 12-string, Robyn Hitchcock-esque roots. Meloy also uses his newfound elbow room (he and his guitar are alone on the stage, surrounded by talismans which he later introduces to the crowd by name) to showcase his offbeat charm: on dialogue tracks like “Imagining a Campfire,” and on the long introduction to “The Bandit Queen,” Meloy shows his endearingly awkward inner geek. Sings Live! is a perfect confection—for new fans, and to tide Decemberists fans over until their next album. •Charlotte Lang-Bush

New

Rudresh Mahanthappan, featuring Kadri Gopalnath & the Dakshina Ensemble, KINSMEN (PI, $15.99)—One of the best concerts I went to in 2007 took place last November at the Freer Gallery’s Meyer Auditorium. It was a collaboration featuring alto saxophonists from two different traditions—jazz saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappan and Kadri Gopalnath, who plays classical Carnatic (South Indian) music. The concert was very successful in creating something new while alluding to the two disciplines. Rudresh and his bandmates (electric guitarist Rez Abbasi, bassist Carlo de Rosa, and drummer Royal Hartigan) joined Mr. Gopalnath, Ms A. Kanyakumari on South Indian violin, and Poovalur Sriji on the mridangam (South Indian drums). The group went into the studio soon after the concert, and the results are on the new CD, Kinsmen. Highly recommended.

Rebecca Martin, THE GROWING SEASON (Sunnyside, $16.98)—Singer/songwriter with an all-star jazz group: guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel, bassist Larry Grenadier, and drummer Brian Blade.

•András Goldinger

August 14, 2008

August 7, 2008

Randy Newman

Randy Newman has been writing memorable songs since the early 1960s—first covered by artists like Irma Thomas, Dusty Springfield, Judy Collins, and Three Dog Night, then recording the songs himself. HARPS & ANGELS (Nonesuch, $16.98)—his first release of new songs in many years—ranks among his very best albums. There are gems throughout, such as the story of a heavenly encounter in the title track, or the Brechtian “A Piece of the Pie.” The CD also features “A Few Words in Defense of Our Country,” which was published in abridged form as an op-ed in the New York Times. For a good background on Newman, read the chapter on him (with added updated material) in Greil Marcus’s Mystery Train.

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson

One of mezzo soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s musical homes was Boston’s Emmanuel Church, singing with its Orchestra, conducted by Craig Smith. Sadly, both Ms Lieberson and Mr Smith died in the last two years. LORRAINE AT EMMANUEL: Celebrating the Lives of Craig Smith and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, features live recordings, include Bach’s Cantatas BWB 30 & 33, and arias from Handel’s Hercules.

New

Shirley Horn, LIVE AT THE MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL (Concord, $14.98)—Ms Horn at her peak

Gilberto Gil, BANDA LARGA CORDEL (Warner Latina, $17.98)

Conor Oberst, CONOR OBERST (Merge, $15.98)

•András Goldinger

July 31, 2008

Signed CDs

Sonic Youth member Thurston Moore was kind enough to sign a few CDs for P&P. We have copies of GOO, DIRTY and DAYDREAM NATION (Geffen, regular versions, $9.98; deluxe 2-CD versions, $29.98).

New

Cephas & Wiggins, RICHMOND BLUES (Smithsonian Folkways, $17.98)—When Piedmont-blues guitarist and singer John Cephas got together with young harmonica player Phil Wiggins many years ago, it was the beginning of a beautiful working relationship. Their songs draw on ragtime, ballads, old-time string band, R&B, and more, creating a “musical roadmap of the Virginia Piedmont tradition.”

Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor, FIESTA (DG, $16.98)—Gustavo Dudamel (soon to be the next conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic) leads the Venezuelan ensemble that he’s long been associated with. The orchestra plays works by Revueltas, Ginastera, Carreño, Márquez, Castellanos, plus a sizzling version of Bernstein’s Mambo (from West Side Story).

•András Goldinger

July 24, 2008

As Heard On NPR

There was a nice feature on British singer Norma Winstone on Sunday Weekend Edition (to listen, click here). Check out her trio album, DISTANCES (ECM, $17.98), with Italian pianist Glauco Venier, and German clarinetist/saxophonist Klaus Gesing.

 

New

Classical:

Gloria Cheng, PIANO MUSIC OF SALONEN, STUCKY & LUTUSLAWSKI (Telarc, $16.98)

The Cistercian Monks of Stift Heligenkreuz, CHANT: MUSIC FOR THE SOUL (Decca, $16.98)

Oxford Camerata, HILDEGARD VON BINGEN: CELESTIAL HARMONIES: RESPONSORIES & ANTIPHONS (Naxos, $8.99)

Pop:

Fleet Foxes, FLEET FOXES (Sub Pop, $13.98)

Aimee Mann, @#%&*! SMILERS (Superego, $16.98)

Sigur Ros, MED SUD I EYRUM VID SPILUM ENDALAUST (XL, $11.98)

John Mayer, WHERE THE LIGHT IS: JOHN MAYER LIVE IN LOS ANGELES (Sony, 2CDs, $18.98)

John Hiatt, SAME OLD MAN (New West, $16.98)

 

 

July 17, 2008

Staff Pick

Kokomo Arnold & Casey Bill Weldon, BOTTLENECK GUITAR TRENDSETTERS OF THE 1930s (Yazoo, $17.98)

Casey Bill Weldon was not simply a blues guitar player, and his style cannot be boiled down to “bottleneck.” As much an innovator as his wife, Memphis Minnie, he incorporated Hawaiian slack-key tunings and slides into his compositions as early as the mid-twenties, well preceding mainland interest in Hawaiian artists by several decades. Sharing this collection is Kokomo Arnold, a Chicago bootlegger by trade who was forced to record full time for Decca after Prohibition. Both artists, and in particular Arnold, were very popular in Chicago and helped lay the groundwork for the distinctive Chicago blues sound of Howlin’ Wolf, Buddy Guy, Otis Rush, and countless others. (The CD reproduces the classic LP cover by Robert Crumb.) • Peter Miller

The Tony Winners

The original cast album is still around—all the recent Tony-winning musicals are strutting their stuff on CD (and Gypsy, with Patti LuPone, will be available later this summer).

IN THE HEIGHTS (Ghostlight, 2CDs, $21.98), written by and starring Lin-Manuel Miranda, won for Best Musical and Best Score; SOUTH PACIFIC (Sony Classics, $17.98), won for Best Revival of a Musical; PASSING STRANGE (Ghostlight, $17.98) won for Best Book of a Musical (for the star and composer, Stew).

July 10, 2008

One of the summer season’s most enjoyable titles is the live recording by Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis called TWO MEN WITH THE BLUES (Blue Note, $17.98). Willie (and his harmonica player, Mickey Raphael) join Wynton’s quintet for a set of great American music. “Stardust,” “Night Life,” “Ain’t Nobody’s Business,” and “My Bucket’s Got a Hole in It” are some highlights. Ben Ratliff, in his New York Times review rightly cites Louis Armstrong (as vocalist, trumpeter, and collaborator) as the model for this swinging approach to songs from any genre.

Willie Nelson first demonstrated his great approach to standards on the 1978 Stardust, produced by Booker T. Jones. The just issued STARDUST: 30th Anniversary Legacy Edition (2 CDs, Sony, $22.98) has a full CD of extra songs from the sessions.

Thomas Quasthoff

Thomas Quasthoff has an extraordinary baritone voice. In his new autobiography, THE VOICE (Pantheon, $24.95), he tells the story of his extraordinary life. There is a companion 2-CD set, also called THE VOICE (Deutsche Grammophon, $17.98).

Theo Bleckmann

Singer Theo Bleckmann is at home in almost any adventurous vocal work, whether jazz, classical, or experimental. Last week, Terry Gross interviewed the singer (listen here) about his CD of songs by Eisler, Weil, and Brecht, BERLIN: Songs of Love & War, Peace & Exile (Winter & Winter, $16.98). His previous CD, LAS VEGAS RHAPSODY (Winter & Winter, $16.98), took an interesting look at standards, with orchestrations by pianist Fumio Yasuda. You can also hear him on Meredith Monk’s latest project, IMPERMANENCE (ECM, $16.98).

New

The Watson Twins, FIRE SONGS (Vanguard, $16.98)

Beck, MODERN GUILT (Interscope, $13.98)

Teddy Thompson, A PIECE OF WHAT YOU NEED (Verve, $14.98)

Martha Wainwright, I KNOW YOU’RE MARRIED BUT I HAVE FEELINGS, TOO (Zoë, $17.98)

July 3, 2008

Vivent Les Vacances!

The golden cover art—by Scottish painter Jack Vettriano—on P&P’s Summer Newsletter 2008 (available at the store and online), is taken from a new CD, VIVENT LES VACANCES!: Melodies de Gounod, Saint-Saëns & Lalo (Alpha, $16.98), by Sophie Marin-Degor and Claire Brua, a rare soprano-duet configuration who call themselves LES DEMOISELLES DE… Accompanied by pianist Serge Cyfrerstein, Vivent Les Vacances! is a wonderful recital of salon mélodies from the second half of the nineteenth century.

Jazz Ambassadors Exhibit At The Meridan Center

The New York Times had a full-page article last Sunday (click here to read it) on a fine exhibit at the Meridian International Center (16th Street at Crescent Place NW, near Florida Ave.). “Jam Session: America’s Jazz Ambassadors Embrace the World,” brings us a time when Louis Armstrong, Dave Brubeck, Dizzie, and the Duke toured the world representing the best in American culture. For more information, please read Penny Von Eschen’s 2004 book, Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War (Harvard, $18.95). The exhibit runs through July 13…go see it.

Fort Reno Concerts

The summer concert season at Fort Reno Park, opposite Wilson High School, is an upper-Northwest institution. The free shows started on June 23 and run through August 14, with concerts every Monday and Thursday evening. For the schedule, click here

Philip Glass Movie

If you’re down near the Mall this 4th (or 5th) of July, the National Gallery of Art is showing the brand new documentary on composer Philip Glass, directed by Scott Hicks (Shine). Glass: A Portrait of Philip in Twelve Parts will be shown at 3 p.m. Friday, and 4:30 on Saturday (FREE).

June 26, 2008

Music Books For The Summer

Here are a few recent books that I’d recommend:

Greil Marcus, MYSTERY TRAIN: Images of America in Rock ’n’ Roll Music 5th edition (Plume, $17)—Greil Marcus’s book of essays, which came out in 1975, was one of the first to treat pop music seriously, and it remains a classic of the genre. The book includes pieces on Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley, The Band, Randy Newman, and Sly Stone. The new edition comes with new notes and a very extensive discography.

Eric Weisbard, editor, LISTEN AGAIN: A Momentary History of Pop Music (Duke, $22.98)—Nineteen very broad-ranging essays gathered from the Experience Music Project’s Pop Conference. Highlights include a treatment of Cuban rhythms in rock ‘n’ roll (making the link between “Louis, Louis” and the cha-cha-cha); the power of the E major chord; and looks at Bobby Gentry, Bert Williams, and the obsessive record collector (Greil Marcus also makes an appearance).

George Lewis, A POWER STRONGER THAN ITSELF: The AACM and American Experimental Music (Chicago, $35)—The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM), created in 1965 in South Side Chicago, began as a musical co-operative that stressed all original compositions (don’t call it jazz), generated intense collaborations, and is still going strong. Trombonist, scholar, and AACM-member George Lewis traces the organization’s history and influence, with memorable appearances by such great artists as Anthony Braxton, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Muhal Richard Abrams, and Henry Threadgill.

Lewis Lockwood and the Juilliard String Quartet, INSIDE BEETHOVEN’S QUARTETS: History, Interpretation, Performance (Harvard, $35)—This book is the equivalent of a master class: it combines scholarly analysis of three of the quartets, annotated score excerpts, and transcriptions of conversations among the members of the Juilliard String Quartet as they share their insights as performers.

Julie Morstad, MILK TEETH (Drawn & Quarterly, $12.95)—If you’ve seen the cover (and inside booklet) of Neko Case’s Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, you’ve seen the beautifully detailed pen-and-ink drawings of Julie Morstad. Milk Teeth is a small format book that collects many of her illustrations.

Smithsonian Folklife Festival

I’ve had some of my most memorable musical moments down on the Mall, at the Smithsonian Folklife Festivals through the years. This year there will be programs on Bhutan, Texas music (and the culture of NASA). The dates are June 25-29, and July 2-6. For more details, click here.

June 19, 2008

Staff Pick

Brandi Carlile, THE STORY (Sony, $12.98)
The Story is one of those CDs that you put in your car and listen to over and over until it becomes obsessive! Brandi Carlile has a voice like no one else’s. It’s not just that she has a remarkable vocal range—hitting impossibly high notes—it’s also the feeling that she conveys. On the title song, her voice cracks with emotion. Producer T Bone Burnett chose to leave that moment in the song, giving it even more power. Don’t get the impression that this is only an album of sweet ballads; there are real rockers as well. You’ll want to crank up the volume.
•Susan Skirboll

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

Last Friday night at Merriweather Post Pavillion, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (and a crack supporting band led by T Bone Burnett) put on one of the best shows in recent memory, singing songs from their CD, RAISING SAND (Rounder, $17.98), plus some choice covers of songs associated with Ray Charles, Johnny Horton, the Staple Singers, and a small combo by the name of Led Zeppelin. If you haven’t heard this CD, come by and pick it up—it’s a classic.

June 5, 2008

New

Rosa Passos, ROMANCE (Telarc, $18.98)—Bossa nova is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and Rosa Passos continues in this rich tradition, following in the footsteps of greats such as João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Vinicius de Moraes. Listen to her “pristine, delicate voice…she puts to spellbinding use,” to quote the Times’s Nate Chinen.

Paul Lewis, BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATAS VOLUME 4 (Harmonia Mundi, 3 CDs, $39.98)—The Beethoven cycle that has garnered the greatest press in the last few years has been that of British pianist Paul Lewis. Volume 3 received one of the New York Times’s best classical release citations last year, and Lewis now concludes his cycle with Opp. 28, 49, and 81; the three sonatas of Op. 10; and the final triptych of Opp. 109, 110, and 111.

Fretwork, BIRDS ON FIRE: Jewish Musicians at the Tudor Court (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98)—The viol consort, Fretwork, illustrates “the genuinely cosmopolitan atmosphere which prevailed at the English court of Tudor and Stuart monarchs,” by focusing on the dynasties of the Bassano and Lupo families of composers and performers.

HM Gold Mid-Price Classical Series

Harmonia Mundi is an exceptional classical music label (especially strong in the baroque and early music repertoire), which just celebrated its 50th anniversary. HM GOLD is a new series of mid-priced reissues (each available for $13.98) of some of the label’s greatest titles. They include Paul O’Dette’s KAPSPERGER: LUTE WORKS; William Christie’s CHARPENTIER: TE DEUM; Anonymous 4’s MIRACLES OF COMPOSTELLA; Viveca Genaux’s ARIAS FOR FARINELLI; and Bernarda Fink’s SCHUMANN: FRAUENLIEBE UND –LEBEN, among other titles. Check out the display at the information counter, and the Kapsberger poster in our fiction-room window.

•András Goldinger

May 29, 2008

New

William Kapell, KAPELL REDISCOVERED: The Australian Broadcasts (2 CDs, RCA, $22.98)—William Kapell was a successful American concert pianist who was killed in a plane crash when returning from a concert tour of Australia in 1953; he was 31. The University of Maryland named their quadrennial international piano competition after him. A new 2-CD set has just been issued of recordings from the Australian Broadcast Company, never before released. The program includes the Rachmaninoff Third, Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition, and works by Bach, Chopin, Mozart, Debussy, and Prokofiev. Former Washington Post music critic Tim Page wrote the liner notes.

SOUTH PACIFIC (2008 Revival) (Sony Masterworks Broadway, $17.98)—Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 classic has finally been revived in a Broadway production, directed by Bartlett Sher, that’s gotten rave reviews. Kellie O’Hara as Nellie Forbush and Paulo Szot as Emile de Becque head the cast. It’s one of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s greatest scores, including “Some Enchanted Evening,” “I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair,” “Younger Than Springtime,” “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught,” “This Nearly Was Mine.”

BIZET: L’ARLÉSIENNE & CARMEN SUITE (Naïve, $19.99)—Gramophone magazine’s Recording of the Month in their June issue, as performed by Les Musiciens du Louvre, Grenoble, conducted by Marc Minkowski. The CD is packaged in a beautiful mini-book format, with extensive notes.

Al Green, LAY IT DOWN (Blue Note, $17.98)—A return to form for the soul master. A good article on the sessions with Rev. Al was in Sunday’s New York Times; click here.

May 22, 2008

Special Offer from The Folger Theatre

“True loves and true characters are revealed amid gossip, clever pretenses, and compromising situations in The School for Scandal, Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s witty comedy of very bad manners, on stage at Folger Theatre (201 East Capitol Street, Washington, DC) through June 15. This Restoration comedy classic, which premiered in London in 1777, is Sheridan’s crowning achievement. Director Richard Clifford’s production nods to the brilliant satire and cutting wit of Oscar Wilde and other masters of the genre.”

As a special offer to Politics & Prose customers, Folger Theatre is offering a 50% discount on full-price tickets to any Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Sunday evening performance through June 15. To purchase discounted tickets, order online at www.folger.edu/theatre and enter coupon code 08TRYFT. (Not valid on previous purchases and cannot be combined with other offers.)

New

Orchestra Baobab, MADE IN DAKAR (Nonesuch, $17.98)—Orchestra Baobab’s long awaited album—their first in six years—features the band’s infectious mix of forms: Cuban-Congolese rumba, highlife, and songs from their native Senegal. Orchestra Baobab will play at the Birchmere on June 19—go see them live.

David Sánchez, CULTURAL SURVIVAL (Concord, $17.98)—the saxophonist pays tribute to Thelonious Monk, Eddie Palmieri, and features pianist Danilo Pérez on two cuts. A nice review in Tuesday’s Post; click here

Scarlett Johansson, ANYWHERE I LAY MY HEAD (Atco/Rhino, $17.98)—Johansson covers songs by Tom Waits (in a very low, uninflected voice) in very lush, thickly-layered musical surroundings, produced by Dave Sitek, from TV on the Radio.

Pat Metheny, TOKYO DAY TRIP: LIVE EP (Nonesuch, $9.98)—Pat Metheny released a great trio CD last year, Day Trip, featuring Christian McBride on bass, and Antonio Sanchez on drums. Here’s a follow-up, recorded live on their tour.

Plácido Domingo, PASIÓN EXPAÑOLA (DG, $16.98)—Maestro Domingo, just finishing his stellar role of Bajazet in Handel’s Tamerlano at the National Opera, performs coplas from his native Spain. Coplas are a poetic form, and also a popular song form, which had a boom in the 1930s; Domingo calls them “mini operas.”

MORTON FELDMAN: VIOLA IN MY LIFE (ECM, $17.98)—Morton Feldman’s work, played by Marek Konstantynowicz, viola, the Cicada Ensemble, and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

ABIGAIL WASHBURN & THE SPARROW QUARTET (Nettwerk, $17.98)—Abigail Washburn is one of the best banjo players on the scene today; she’s also spent time in China, and has adapted Chinese songs into her bluegrass/new-grass repertoire. She collaborates with banjo superstar Béla Fleck, cellist Ben Sollee and fiddler Casey Driessen

CONCERTS: A Capella at The Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center is featuring the human voice in a series of concerts and free performances, from May 28 to June 6. Besides the gala concert (Bobby McFerrin, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, the Bulgarian Women’s Choir, Chanticleer), there are concerts by TRIO MEDIAEVAL on Friday, May 30, and a week of FREE performances at the Millennium Stage; a highlight is the concert by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK, on Wednesday, May 28, Kennedy Center (FREE).

May 15, 2008

Messiaen & Tashi

The chamber group, TASHI, formed in 1973 specifically to play Olivier Messiaen’s great work from 1941, Quartet for the End of Time. The group (Peter Serkin, piano; Richard Stoltzman, clarinet; Ida Kavafian, violin; Fred Sherry, cello) recently reunited to play the work again, in this Messiaen centennial year. Listen to their 1975 recording, QUARTET FOR THE END OF TIME (RCA, $10.98), and read about the reunion concert in the New York Times, here

La Fille Du Régiment

Lyric tenor Juan Diego Flórez recently revived the solo encore tradition at the Metropolitan Opera—hitting nine high Cs all over again in the aria “Ah! Mes Amis” in Donizzetti’s LA FILLE DU RÉGIMENT (Virgin Classics, DVD $24.98). Watch and listen to this production starring Natalie Dessay and Flórez filmed at its previous stop at London’s Royal Opera.

The Sinatra Stamp

The US Postal Service issued a Frank Sinatra stamp this week. Ole Blue Eyes is depicted in mid-1950s form, with his signature hat. Listen to SINATRA: NOTHING BUT THE BEST (Reprise, $17.98)—22 essential classics from the Reprise years (1960s onward), with a collectable commemorative Sinatra stamp included.

New

Bill Frisell, HISTORY, MYSTERY (Nonesuch, 2 CDS, $18.98)—If you got to see guitarist Bill Frisell’s Octet play at Lisner Auditorium about a year and a half ago, you witnessed a striking evening-length suite of melodic tunes, interspersed with a couple of soulful covers (especially Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come”). Now there’s a double CD, History, Mystery, recorded from that tour that gives listeners a beautiful souvenir; it features a string trio (Jenny Scheinman, violin; Eyvind Kang, viola; Hank Roberts, cello), plus trumpeter Ron Miles, saxophonist Greg Tardy, bassist Tony Scherr, and drummer Tony Wollesen.

May 8, 2008

Special Ticket Offer and Drawing: John Adams’s EL NIÑO

• On Sunday, May 18, at 7:30 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Choral Arts Society will present the D.C. premier performance of John Adams’s passionate and glorious oratorio, EL NIÑO, with soloists, chorus, and full orchestra. With a stunning libretto featuring Spanish, Latin, and English texts, the score is enhanced by a film created by renowned theater director (and long-time Adams collaborator) Peter Sellars.
  Special Offer for Politics and Prose customers: get $10 off prime orchestra seats (regularly $40). Use ticket code “POLITICS” at www.choralarts.org or call 202.244.3669 (M-F,10-6) and mention this offer. (Not valid on previously purchased tickets, no exchanges or refunds, offer expires 5/15/08)
  
  
• The Choral Arts Society is also offering P&P customers a chance to win two pairs of tickets. To enter to win, please email agoldinger@politics-prose.com .
  There is also a great recording of EL NIÑO (Nonesuch, 2 CDs, $28.98), featuring a dream cast of Dawn Upshaw, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Willard White.

Staff Pick

GREY GARDENS, The Musical (PS Classics, $17.98)
Music by Scott Frankel, lyrics by Michael Korie, libretto by Doug Wright

Musicals simply do not get any better than this! The music and lyrics of Grey Gardens are among the most haunting, funny, and heart-wrenching that I have ever heard. Based on the Maysles Brothers’ documentary of the same title, it tells the story of wealthy socialite matron Edith Bouvier Beale, and her daughter Edie and their Long Island home, Grey Gardens. The first act takes place in 1941, the day of Edie’s engagement party (her fiancé was Joseph Kennedy, Jr.). As the act progresses, the cracks in the prominent family’s façade begin to show and Edith’s jealousy threatens to ruin Edie’s happiness. The second act is set in the 1970s, after Grey Gardens has fallen into ruin, and mother and daughter have turned into eccentric recluses. In an appropriate contrast to the lilting 1940s pastiche of the first act, the songs are now more quirkily reminiscent of Sondheim. Christine Ebersole gives a performance of dazzling vocal variety and nuance as she portrays Edith in the first act, and grown up Edie in the second act. Other actors are similarly double-cast—all are impressive. •Alex Claudio

[Studio Theatre will present Grey Gardens, starting this November.]

New

Elvis Costello & the Imposters, MOMOFUKU (Lost Highway, $14.98)

Neil Diamond, HOME BEFORE DARK (Sony, $17.98)

Concerts

LINN BARNES & ALLISON HAMPTON, Saturday, May 10, St. Columba’s Church, 4201 Albemarle St., NW.—Linn and Allison play Celtic and Renaissance music on lute, guitar, and Celtic harp.

May 1, 2008

Dust-to-Digital in The New Yorker

In the April 28 issue of The New Yorker, there is a long piece titled, “The Last Verse,” written by Burkhard Bilger. The subtitle asks, “Is there any folk music still out there?” and profiles field recordist Art Rosenbaum, and archivist and label head Lance Ledbetter, of Dust-to-Digital Records. I’m a huge fan of the label, and we’ll have a couple of the box sets featured in the article: ART OF FIELD RECORDING, VOL. 1: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum (4 CDs plus a 96-page book), and Dust-to -Digital’s very first release, GOODBYE BABYLON (6 CDs plus a 200-page book, all packaged in a cedar box)—“what many consider the greatest gospel compilation ever,” according to Bilger. If I run out, I’ll be glad to order more and give you the Member Sale-weekend 15% discount.

To hear Burkhard Bilger talk about the history of field recordings, with music excerpts, click here (http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/04/28/080428on_audio_bilger ).

To see Sylvia Plachy’s photographs taken on the field recording trip, click here (http://www.newyorker.com/online/2008/04/28/slideshow_080428_bilger ).

To learn more about Dust-to-Digital, click here for their website (www.dust-digital.com ).

New

Jennifer Koh, STRING POETIC: AMERICAN WORKS: A 21ST CENTURY PERSPECTIVE (Cedille, $15.98)—Violinist Jennifer Koh in a program featuring Lou Harrison’s Grand Duo, plus works by John Adams, Carl Ruggles, and Jennifer Higdon.

Ellis Marsalis, AN OPEN LETTER TO THELONIOUS (Elm Records, $14.98)—The pianist and paterfamilias of the extraordinarily musical Marsalis family, Ellis Marsalis pays tribute to the music of Thelonious Monk.

Sandrine Piau, EVOCATION (Naïve, $15.99)—French soprano Sandrine Piau is one of my favorite singers. Hear her in songs by Strauss, Debussy, Chausson, and Zemlinsky, among others.

Black Keys, ATTACK & RELEASE (Nonesuch, $17.98)—raw, stripped-down blues-rock.

Voices:

Magdalena Koźená, AH! MIO COR: HANDEL ARIAS (DG, $16.98)

Rolando Villazón, CIELO E MAR (DG, $16.98)—A tribute to the lyric-dramatic repertoire, with arias by Ponchielli, Cilea, Boito, Verdi, Donizetti, and others.

Cachao

Israel Cachao López, known universally as Cachao, died last month. He was a bass pioneer in Cuban music, and is credited, along with his brother, Orestes, for creating the mambo rhythm. Listen to the great bassist playing with the best Cuban musicians on his 1990 album, MASTER SESSIONS, VOLUME I (Epic, $9.98).

•András Goldinger

April 23, 2008

Washington Chorus Offer

On Sunday, April 27, at 3 p.m., at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Washington Chorus, led by their newly appointed conductor Julian Wachner, will sing Fauré’s timeless Requiem. The program also includes the Washington premiere of Proud Music of the Storm by American composer Carlyle Sharpe (based on a famous poem by Walt Whitman of the same name), and Brahms’s Gesang der Parzen (Song of Fates). SPECIAL OFFER FOR P&P EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS!

$20 Orchestra Seats (subject to availability). Phone calls only to 202-342-6221. Please mention P&P.

New

Hilary Hahn, SCHOENBERG & SIBELIUS VIOLIN CONCERTOS (DG, $16.98)—accompanied by the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. Hilary Hahn has played some recent dates with singer/songwriter Josh Ritter, and she will be playing the Paganini Violin Concerto No. 1 with the NSO on May 8, 9, and 10.

Billy Bragg, MR. LOVE & JUSTICE (Anti-, $17.98)
Debashish Bhattacharya, CALCUTTA CHRONICLES: INDIAN SLIDE GUITAR ODYSSEY (Riverboat/World Music Network, $16.98)
Michel Doucet, FROM NOW ON (Smithsonian Folkways, $16.98)—Cajun fiddler and Beausoleil founder Michael Doucet plays solos and duets on a wide range of tunes.

Staff Pick

Flight of the Conchords, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS (Sub Pop, $15.98).
Want to romance the most beautiful girl in the room? Go to outer space with David Bowie? Have I got a comedy folk duo for you: Flight of the Conchords (cult-stars of their own HBO series) blend the ridiculous with the sublime, and then put it to music. Their appeal is not from brash, winking bravado, but rather quiet, earnest insanity (think Andy Kaufmann). The CD contains spot-on satires of musical clichés from self-righteous message songs to suburban gansta rap—and the music is as perfect as the lyrics. Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie both posses impressive voices that allow them to slide through numerous styles and genres. The results leave a song in your heart, and a smile on your face. •Salima Appiah-Kubi

[This is Salima’s farewell review. She is on her way to Malawi as a Peace Corps volunteer. For Salima’s music reviews for Venus magazine, click here. ]

Free Concert

There’s a free outdoor jazz festival at Georgetown University this Saturday, from 12 noon to 6 p.m., on White Gravenor Lawn (rain site: McNeir Auditorium). The headliners (scheduled for 4 p.m.) will be the CHORO ENSEMBLE, featuring the outstanding clarinetist Anat Cohen. Pick up their latest CD, NOSSO TEMPO (Anzic, $16.98), and go hear them live.

•András Goldinger

April 16, 2008

Ticket Drawing for Cosí Fan Tutte

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland is offering P&P customers a chance to win two pairs of tickets to the Friday, April 25 performance of Mozart’s COSÍ FAN TUTTE. The production is by the University of Maryland School of Music, and will be performed in the Kay Theatre (especially designed for opera) at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center.

Please enter by emailing your name and phone number to: agoldinger@politics-prose.com. For more information on Cosí Fan Tutte (including the program notes), please click here.

New

MILES IN INDIA (Times Square Records, $22.98)—Miles Davis brought in tabla player Badal Roy for sessions that produced On the Corner, Big Fun, and Get Up With It. Producer Bob Belden (who worked on the Miles Davis box-set reissues) had the inspired idea to reunite some Miles Davis alumni (including Roy, Ron Carter, Chick Corea, Dave Liebman, Pete Cosey, and many others) and put them in the studio with Indian musicians in new arrangements of classic Miles tunes like “So What,” “Spanish Key,” “All Blues,” and “It’s About That Time.” It’s a completely successful mixing of different traditions, and a worthy tribute to Miles, the master of putting great musicians together—and seeing what happens.

Concerts

EMERSON STRING QUARTET & WU MAN, Wednesday, April 16, Strathmore—in a program of Schubert, Schumann, and Janáček.

FOLGER CONSORT, Friday-Sunday, April 18-20, Folger Shakespeare Library—a selection of Scottish music and Continental music associated with Scotland from the 13th to the late18th centuries.

SONNY ROLLINS, Friday, April 18, Kennedy Center—the saxophone colossus in a rare appearance.

Posted April 9,

Library of Congress Concerts

The next two Fridays bring two tantalizing groups to the Library, both from the Czech Republic. This Friday, April 11, violinist/singer/composer IVA BITTOVÁ and the ŠKAMPA QUARTET will collaborate. Check out the recording of the suite of songs they will be performing, JANAČEK: MORAVIAN FOLK POETRY IN SONGS (Supraphon, $16.98). Also check out Škampa Quartet performing MOZART, SMETANA, SHOSTAKOVICH (Wigmore Hall Live, $17.98).

Next Friday, April 18, the PAVEL HAAS QUARTET will perform a quartet by the composer whose name they honor, Pavel Haas (killed at Auschwitz), as well as works by Smetana and Dvořák. The quartet has two wonderful recordings, JANAČEK & HAAS: STRING QUARTETS NO. 2 (Supraphon, $17.98) and JANAČEK: STRING QUARTET NO. 1 & HAAS: STRING QUARTETS NOS. 1 & 3 (Supraphon, $17.98). Try to catch both groups live.

Steve Reich

Steve Reich’s newest work, from 2006, DANIEL VARIATIONS (Nonesuch, $15.98), is a piece in four movements for sopranos and tenors, clarinets, pianos, percussion, and a string quartet. Its four movements use texts from the biblical Book of Daniel (in the first and third movements) and words from Daniel Pearl (in the second and fourth movements). The CD also contains Reich’s 2005 composition, Variations for Vibes, Pianos & Strings.

The Pulitzer Prizes

The Pulitzer Prizes were announced this past Monday.

Bob Dylan was given a special citation “for his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” Listen to his latest CD, MODERN TIMES (Columbia, $16.98), or see him transform from folkie to electric bluesman in Murray Lerner’s documentary, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR: NEWPORT 1963-1965 (Columbia, $19.98).

The prize for music was given to David Lang’s spare work for four voices and percussion, The Little Match Girl Passion. Critic Tim Page, who was on the Pulitzer jury, called it a “masterpiece.” The work was commissioned by Carnegie Hall for the Theatre of Voices, directed by Paul Hillier. It has not been recorded yet, but the premier can be heard on the Carnegie Hall website (click here).

Posted March 26,

Voices

The ECM label is widely regarded for its large catalog of jazz and classical titles, and for its championing of one-of-a-kind performers and projects. Two such projects have just appeared:

Last year, MEREDITH MONK brought her company of singers and musicians to George Mason University to perform her theater piece, The Impermanence Project. Now you can hear the beautiful songs from the work—performed by Monk and her seven vocalists, backed by piano, percussion, and woodwinds—on IMPERMANENCE (ECM, $17.98).

Tenor John Potter used to sing with the Hilliard Ensemble. Recently, he’s put together an interesting “consort” called THE DOWLAND PROJECT, consisting of baroque guitarist Stephen Stubbs, folk fiddler Milǒs Valent, and jazz player John Surman on soprano sax, bass clarinet, and tenor and bass recorders. On ROMARIA (ECM, $17.98) they play everything from Gregorian songs, Orlando di Lasso and Josquin, to group improvisations on traditional songs from the Iberian peninsula. Give both of these CDs a try.

More Bach

Two weeks ago, Pierre-Laurent Aimard released an insightful rendition of Bach’s Art of Fugue. In 2003, the EMERSON STRING QUARTET recorded their version of Art of Fugue. They have just released BACH: FUGUES (DG, $16.98), which contains versions of fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier. Pianist MURRAY PERAHIA is also a veteran when it comes to Bach’s works. His latest is BACH: PARTITAS 2, 3 & 4 (Sony Classical, $16.98).

New

Lionel Loueke, KARIBU (Blue Note, $17.98)—the guitarist’s Blue Note debut, with his trio, plus guests Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter. Nate Chinen wrote a great article on international players in the world of jazz, featuring Lionel, in this past Sunday’s New York Times (to read it, click here).

Willie Colon presents Rubén Blades, METIENDO MANO! (Fania, $13.98)— from 1977, one of salsa’s greatest classics, newly remastered.

Karin Allyson, IMAGINA: SONGS OF BRASIL (Concord, $18.98)

Stile Antico, HEAVENLY HARMONIES: William Byrd & Thomas Tallis (Harmonia Mundi, $18.98)

•András Goldinger

Posted March 12,

Choral Arts Society OfferOn Sunday, March 16, at 3 p.m., in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, the Choral Arts Society of Washington presents Dvořák’s STABAT MATER, conducted by Norman Scribner.

A special invitation for Politics & Prose customers: Choral Arts is offering prime orchestra seats at just $30. Call 202.244.3669 (M-F, 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.) or order online at www.choralarts.org with ticket code DVORAK. (Limited availability; offer not valid on previously purchased tickets; regularly priced tickets $15-$65)

New

Pierre-Laurent Aimard, BACH: ART OF THE FUGUE (Deutsche Grammophon, $16.98)—Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard played the most memorable concert I went to last year. He’s best known as the leading interpreter of the music of Messiaen (he’s directing the year-long Messiaen Festival in London) and Ligeti, not to mention Debussy, Beethoven, and Ravel. Now Aimard explores Bach’s Art of the Fugue; to quote Aimard, it is a “masterpiece of masterpieces…each movement constituting a world unto itself, with its own invention and style.” Aimard is performing excerpts of The Art of the Fugue, plus Schoenberg and Beethoven this Sunday, March 16, at Baltimore’s Shriver Hall.

Charles Lloyd Quartet, RABO DE NUBE (ECM, $17.98)—Charles Lloyd’s last CD, Sangam, featured the drummer Eric Harland and the tabla player Zakir Hussein. He’s just released a live date from Basel in 2007—and it’s one of his best albums in a long career. Lloyd recruited one of jazz’s most inventive pianists, Jason Moran, to his quartet, with Eric Harland returning on drums and Reuben Rogers on bass. Lloyd is equally strong on tenor (with a sound reminiscent of the “spiritual” phase of Coltrane), alto flute, and the tárogató (a wooden soprano sax-like instrument). Highly recommended.

Posted March 5,

Concerts

Opera Lafayette, THE GENESIS OF DON GIOVANNI, Sunday, March 9, 3 p.m. St. Paul’s Lutheran Church—Opera Lafayette specializes in rarely-seen Baroque opera. On Sunday, they will give a concert performance of arias from Mozart, Glück, Melani, and Albertini.

Opera Lafayette’s latest recording, RAMEAU: Operatic Arias (Naxos, $8.99), features haute-contre/tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, the Opera Lafayette Orchestra and conductor Ryan Brown.

For more information, visit www.operalafayette.org or call 202-546-9332.

The Washington Chorus, LUX AETERNA: ENGLISH AND AMERICAN CHORAL MASTERWORKS, Sunday, March 9, 4 p.m., National City Christian Church—The Washington Chorus, with guest conductor Joshua Habermann, will sing Tarik O’Regan’s Dorchester Canticles, Benjamin Britten’s Rejoice in the Lamb, and Morton Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna. For $15 reserved seats, call 202-342-6221.

ONCE Soundtrack

The sweetest moment in the Oscar telecast was undoubtedly bringing back singer Marketa Irglova to say a few words of thanks—after being brusquely cut off by the impatient orchestra. She (and co-writer and co-star) Glen Hansard won for best song: “Falling Slowly” from the film, Once. If you haven’t picked up the
ONCE Soundtrack (Red Ink, $15.98), grab one.

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” email books@politics-prose.com, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

Posted February 29,

Ticket Drawing

The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland is offering P&Pcustomers a chance to win two pairs of tickets to the following concert and play:

Sunday, March 2, TALLIS SCHOLARS—the vocal group sings a program of music from Spain and Portugal by such composers as Mendes, Cardoso, and Lobo, and concludes with Tomas Luis da Victoria’s six-voice Requiem. For more information and program notes, click here.

THE ASH GIRL (tickets for the Friday, March 7 performance; performances begin this Thursday, February 28, and run through March 8). The Ash Girl, by Timberlake Wertenbaker, directed by Leslie Felbain, takes the Cinderella tale “back to its Central European roots, with poetic language and compelling metaphors.” For more information and program notes, click here.

Please indicate which performance you’re interested in, and email your name and phone number to agoldinger@politics-prose.com.

Concerts

PINK MARTINI, February 28-March 1, Kennedy Center—The fun, lounge-y Pink Martini is playing three pops concerts with the National Symphony this weekend. The group’s charismatic lead singer, CHINA FORBES, has a brand new solo album out, 78 (Heinz Records, $15.98).

NIK BÄRTSCH’S RONIN, March 3, Blues Alley—The Swiss jazz pianist Nik Bärtsch’s quintet performs chamber jazz combining minimalism, odd meters, and shifting themes played on a percussive piano, bass clarinet, bass, drums, and percussion. Check out their first appearance in DC, and listen to their new album, HOLON (ECM, $17.98).

New

Lizz Wright, THE ORCHARD (Verve, $14.98)—Ms Wright has a deep and soulful voice. For her third album she’s co-written new tunes with Toshi Reagon, and sings them in acoustic, jazzy settings. She’s a P&P favorite.

Toumani Diabate, THE MANDE VARIATIONS (Nonesuch, $17.98)—Simple, beautiful kora solos by the master of the instrument. Great listening.

Punch Brothers, PUNCH (Nonesuch, $17.98)—Mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile left Nickel Creek, and formed the Punch Brothers—a new generation “newgrass” group featuring fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass. Their debut is one of the best albums so far this year, filled with great playing and songs, including a 40-minute, four-part suite, “The Blind Leaving the Blind.”

Chick Corea & Gary Burton, THE NEW CRYSTAL SILENCE (Concord, 2-CD, $19.98)—The pianist and vibraphonist revisit their 1972 collaboration, Crystal Silence, in new live settings. On the first CD, backed by the Sydney Symphony, they play all Chick Corea tunes; the second features the duo on songs by Corea, Bill Evans, and George Gershwin.

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” email books@politics-prose.com, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

Posted February 20th

Uri Caine

Over the last decade, this jazz pianist has re-arranged the classical themes of Wagner, Bach, Mahler, and Mozart for a variety of instrumental settings: viol quartet, jazz quintet, piano and chamber ensemble, and occasionally larger groups including an electric guitar or turntable. A good introduction to his many approaches, THE CLASSICAL VARIATIONS (Winter & Winter, $16.98) has selections from all his classically-oriented albums, as well as many unreleased tunes, including variations on Bach. Some of jazz’s greatest young players are featured here, including Don Byron on clarinet, Drew Gress on bass, Ralph Alessi on trumpet, and Ralph Peterson on drums. Also check out Uri Caine on fortepiano with Concerto Köln on DIABELLI VARIATIONS (Winter & Winter, $16.98), and his collections, MAHLER: URLICHT/PRIMAL LIGHT (Winter & Winter, $16.98), and PLAYS MOZART (Winter & Winter, $16.98), all highly recommended.

New Classical Titles

Midori, BACH AND BARTÓK SONATAS (Sony Classical, $17.98)—Midori was in town last week, playing the music of Toru Takemitsu and Maurice Ravel at the Kennedy Center. Her newest CD brings together Bach’s Sonata No. 2 for Unaccompanied Violin in A minor and Bartók’s Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Piano, with Robert McDonald on piano.

Richard Egarr, HANDEL: ORGAN CONERTOS OP. 4
(Harmonia Mundi, $18.98)—Keyboardist Richard Egarr now leads The Academy of Ancient Music. Last year, the group put out a wonderful recording of Handel’s Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 (and played most of the album at the National Gallery of Art). Egarr leads the group from the keyboard—in this case, a mid-sized portative organ—in Handel’s Organ Concertos.

TRADITIONS AND TRANSFORMATIONS: SOUNDS OF SILK ROAD CHICAGO (CSO Resound, $19.98)—Yo-Yo Ma; Wu Man; the Silk Road Ensemble; the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Miguel Harth-Bedoya and Alan Gilbert, conductors.

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” email books@politics-prose.com, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

•András Goldinger

Posted February 13th:

KRONOS QUARTET AT UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

The Kronos Quartet is continuing their residency at the University of Maryland with three events this week: on Wednesday night, February 13, they will do an informal read-through of student compositions; on Thursday afternoon, February 14, there is a rare chance to witness how the quartet works with a composer on a new composition, in this case Aleksandra Vrebalov’s hold me, neighbor, in this storm.

On Sunday, February 17, Kronos and Wu Man (playing pipa, the Chinese lute-like instrument) will play two works written especially for them; both are available on CD: Terry Riley’s THE CUSP OF MAGIC (Nonesuch, $15.98) and Tan Dun’s GHOST OPERA (Nonesuch, $10.98). Kronos and Terry Riley have a long association going back twenty-plus years, and Riley has composed some terrific work for the quartet. Their first collaboration is one of their best: CADENZA ON THE NIGHT PLANE (Hannibal, $13.98). Highly recommended.

All the performances are at Clarice Smith Center, University of Maryland. For more information (including program notes and Kronos violinist David Harrington’s recent playlist), click here.

VALENTINE’S NIGHT OF MUSIC

Please come by at 7 p.m. on Thursday evening when P&P presents a performance by the lute and Celtic harp duo of Linn Barnes and Allison Hampton (see The Week Ahead, above). We’ll be selling all their CD titles—both their duet and solo projects, including their latest, ROSE WINDOW (Oak Leaf, $16.99).

At 9 p.m., a few doors down from the store, at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Avenue, blues/jazz pianist and vocalist, Ian Walters, duets with singer/guitarist Maureen Andary in their “starry-eyed” showcase, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love.

THE GRAMMY AWARDS

There were a few surprises at the Grammys, notably the album-of-the-year win for Herbie Hancock’s RIVER: THE JONI LETTERS (Verve, $17.98). Also check out the multiple classical music winner, JOAN TOWER: MADE IN AMERICA (Naxos, $8.99), as well as LORRAINE HUNT LIEBERSON: NERUDA SONGS (Nonesuch, $16.98).

Posted February 6th:

TICKET GIVEAWAYS

Flamencos

Lisner Auditorium is presenting its 8TH ANNNUAL FLAMENCO FESTIVAL from February 9th to the 15th.The concerts feature such singers and dancers as Carmen Linares, Miguel Poveda, Tomatito, Merche Esmeralda, Belén Maya, and Rocío Molina.

Lisner is offering P&P customers a chance to win two pairs of tickets to see dancer and choreographer Eva Yerbabuena and her company of twelve dancers, Ballet Flamenco, on Thursday, February 14, at 8 p.m. For more information, go to www.lisner.org .

Folger Consort

The Folger Consort celebrates St. Valentine’s Day with love songs from the 13th century, in SEVEN SONGS OF LOVE, featuring soprano Johana Arnold. Treating love in all its guises, the songs of the troubadours and lively dances for fiddles, harps, citole, and percussion, celebrate the joy of love requited.

There are chances to win pairs of tickets for performances on Friday, February 15; Saturday, February 16 (two performances); and Sunday, February 17, at the Folger Shakespeare Library Theatre. For more information, click here

Please indicate which drawing you’d like to enter, and email your name and phone number to agoldinger@politics-prose.com, or enter to win at the information desk at the store. Winners will be picked next Monday.

NEW

Pacifica Quartet, ELLIOTT CARTER: QUARTETS NOs. 1 & 5 (Naxos, $8.99)—Composer Elliott Carter will celebrate his 100th birthday in December, and is still creating new works. There are many concerts and new releases to celebrate his centenary; The Pacifica Quartet recently performed all five of his string quartets in New York, and has just released the first volume of the complete quartets.

Vivaldi Opera Highlights: JUDITHA TRIUMPHANS (Naïve, $12.98); L’OLIMPIADE (Naïve, $12.98); LA VERITÀ IN CIMENTO (Naïve, $12.98)—In the last few years, the Vivaldi Edition project has sponsored recordings of Vivaldi’s operas (some for the very first time) with splendid casts and ensembles. Most were expensive two- and three-CD sets, but now the highlights from three of the operas have been issued at a budget price. The stellar casts include some of the best voices in baroque music: Sara Mingardo, Guillemette Laurens, Philppe Jarousky, and Magdalena Kožená.

k.d. lang, WATERSHED (Nonesuch, $16.98)

Blind Boys of Alabama, DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS (Time-Life, $17.98)

Natalie Dessay, ITALIAN OPERA ARIAS (Virgin Classics, $18.98)

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” email books@politics-prose.com, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

•András Goldinger

posted January 29th:

New

Pat Metheny, DAY TRIP (Nonesuch)—trio date with bassist Christian McBride and drummer Antonio Sanchez

Willie Nelson, MOMENT OF FOREVER (Lost Highway)—reviews of both of these were in the New York Times this Monday

Shelby Lynn, JUST A LITTLE LOVIN’ (Lost Highway)—covers of Dusty Springfield; also check out Dusty’s original, DUSTY IN MEMPHIS (Atco/Shout Factory)—profile from the New York Times Magazine

Hans Glawischnig, PANORAMA (Sunnyside)—Glawischnig is a young bassist who’s gigged with many Latin jazz giants; he’s released his first solo CD with guests, saxophonists Miguel Zenón and David Binney, pianist Luis Perdomo and Chick Corea, guitarist Ben Monder, and drummer Marcus Gilmore

Billie Holiday, RARE LIVE RECORDINGS, 1934-1959 (5 CDs, ESP-Disk)

Bjorkestra, ENJOY (Koch)—Travis Sullivan’s 18-piece jazz orchestra plays very hip arrangements of Bjork’s songs

Fernando Otero, PAGINA DE BUENOS AIRES (Nonesuch)—pianist and composer Otero’s album of new tango compositions

Art Tatum

I reviewed a great new children’s book on the young Art Tatum (see above), written and illustrated by Robert Andrew Parker. One of Tatum’s first albums shares its title with the book. PIANO STARTS HERE (Columbia) combines recordings made in 1933 and 1949, and contains 13 of his brilliant solo performances.

As Heard on NPR

CLASSIC AFRICAN AMERICAN GOSPEL (Smithsonian Folkways Recordings)— folklorist Kip Lornell, who teaches at George Washington University, compiled this CD; listen to a very insightful interview here

PEOPLE TAKE WARNING!: Murder Ballads & Disaster Songs, 1913-1938 (Tompkins Square Records); listen to the interview here

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” click on any title, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

•András Goldinger

posted January 22nd:

Box Set Bargains

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation recorded many recitals by Glenn Gould in the early stages of his career. They have now issued a budget-priced box set,

GLENN GOULD: THE YOUNG MAVERICK (CBC Records, 6 CDs, $24.99). It features a 1954 recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations (a year before the famous Columbia recording) and Italian Concerto; plenty of Beethoven concertos, sonatas, and bagatelles; and works by Berg, Schoenberg, and Webern. Gould was also a pioneering producer of radio documentaries, mixing voices in Bach-like counterpoint. His Solitude Trilogy (The Idea of North; The Latecomers; The Quiet in the Land), as well as profiles of Casals and Stokowski are all included on GLENN GOULD: THE RADIO ARTIST (CBC Records, 5 CDs, $24.99).

Naïve is a French label with a great roster of musicians, and it is especially strong in Baroque and modern repertoires. They have released some of their titles in budget boxes: BAROQUE (Naïve, 4 CDs, $16.99) features works by Handel, Vivaldi, Frescobaldi, Caccini, Corelli, and others. SACRED MUSIC (Naïve, 4 CDs, $16.99) features works by Hildegarde von Bingen, Bach, Vivaldi, and Mozart.

New

Cat Power, JUKEBOX (Matador)—the second volume of cover songs by Chan Marshall, aka, Cat Power.

Rhonda Vincent, GOOD THINGS GOING (Rounder)—the vocalist, mandolinist, and bandleader’s latest bluegrass breakdown.

Buika, MI NIÑA LOLA (Warner Music Latina)—a new Afro-Spanish artist who mixes the raw-voiced style of flamenco with soul, jazz, and copla.

To purchase any of the CDs mentioned in “Music News,” email books@politics-prose.com, call (202) 364-1919, or stop by the store.

•András Goldinger

Posted January 15th:

Richard Thompson Ticket Drawing

Recently, singer/songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Richard Thompson put together an evening-length program called “1000 Years of Popular Music.” Starting with the round, “Sumer Is Icumen In” (c.1260), through “So Ben Mi Ca Bon Tempo” (a lively dance number from 16th-century Italy) and “Blackleg Miner” (early 19th century), all the way to “Oops!..I Did It Again” (2000), Thompson had great fun trying out these timeless tunes (assisted by singer Judith Owens and percussionist Debra Dobkin). Many are captured on the 2-CD/1-DVD concert set, 1000 YEARS OF POPULAR MUSIC (Cooking Vinyl).

On Wednesday, January 23, Mr. Thompson, along with Ms. Owens and Ms. Dobkin, will be at Lisner Auditorium presenting “1000 Years.” The show is presented by the Birchmere, who are offering P&P customers a chance to win a pair of tickets. Two winners will be picked next Monday. If you’d like to enter the drawing, please email your name and phone number to agoldinger@politics-prose.com, or enter to win at the information desk at the store.

Concerts

Sunday, January 20, Phillips Collection, Michelle Makarski—In 2006, violinist Michelle Makarski released one of my favorite CDs of that year, TO BE SUNG ON THE WATER (ECM). With great imagination, she juxtaposed three sonatas by the 18th-century composer Giussepi Tartini and two recent compositions by Donald Crockett. She will play a solo recital of works by Bach, Rochberg, Ysaye—and Crockett and Tartini (two selections that are on the CD).

New

JUNO Soundtrack (Rhino/Fox Music)
THERE WILL BE BLOOD Soundtrack (Nonesuch)
The Magnetic Fields, DISTORTION (Nonesuch)

Enter to Win an Evening with WEEN!

The alt-est of rockers are en-route to D.C., and concert promoters I.M.P. are giving P&P customers an opportunity to win a pair of tickets to see WEEN on Wednesday, January 23, at D.A.R. Constitution Hall in D.C.  Founding members Gene and Dean continue to bend genres with their newest album, LA CUCARACHA, out on Rounder Records. To enter, email your name and phone number to bhodgdon@politics-prose.com, subject “Boognish”, or enter to win at the raffle box at our information desk. The winner will be drawn on Monday, January 21. Click here for a full listing of upcoming I.M.P. shows.

Posted January 8th:

The Wire

In its first four seasons, The Wire looked at the Baltimore community through the different lenses of detectives, drug gangs, longshoremen, politicos, teachers and students.
The HBO series, created by former journalist David Simon, is now in its fifth and final season—focusing this year on the workings of the Baltimore Sun. Music has always been integral to the program, and there are now two compilations of tunes the show has used: “…AND ALL THE PIECES MATTER”: Five Years of Music from The Wire, Deluxe Complete Edition (Nonesuch) features 32 tracks, dialogue excerpts, and the opening theme (“Way Down in the Hole”) sung by its author, Tom Waits, plus versions by the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, The Neville Brothers, and DoMaJe, a group of Baltimore teens. Another version of the soundtrack, BEYOND HAMSTERDAM: Baltimore Tracks from The Wire (Nonesuch) features locally produced hip-hop.

In Rainbows

Perhaps the most written-about release of 2007 was Radiohead’s IN RAINBOWS (ATO)—mainly because of the group’s decision to offer it first in a pay-what-you-want digital format. The album also showed up on many “best-of” lists at the end of the year. Now Radiohead is selling the CD through stores at a not-unreasonable $13.98—pick it up, take it home, and give it a spin.

Milestones

Many greats in the world of music—some recognized, some unsung—passed away in 2007. A roughly chronological list:
Alice Coltrane, pianist/harpist; Michael Brecker, tenor saxophonist; Whitney Balliett, New Yorker jazz critic; Leroy Jenkins, jazz violinist; Gian Carlo Menotti, composer and Spoleto chief; Frankie Lane, singer; Eric Von Schmidt, folksinger; Ronnie Wells, DC jazz vocalist; Dakota Staton, jazz vocalist; Alvin Baptiste, jazz clarinetist; Andrew Hill, jazz pianist and composer; Mstislav Rostropovich, cellist and conductor; Beverly Sills, soprano and arts administrator; Régine Crespin, soprano; Johnny Frigo, jazz guitarist; Jerry Hadley, tenor; Boots Randolph, Nashville saxophonist; Max Roach, jazz drummer and bandleader; Art Davis, jazz bassist; Luciano Pavarotti, tenor; Joe Zawinul, jazz keyboardist and bandleader; Teresa Brewer, singer; Lucky Dube, South African reggae artist; Washington radio personalities: Jake Einstein (founder, WHFS), Red Shipley (“Stained Glass Bluegrass” on WAMU), Tom Terrell (WPFW & WHFS DJ); Porter Wagoner, country star; Robert Goulet, Broadway star; Craig Smith, conductor; Doc Paulin, New Orleans trumpeter; Carlos “Patato” Valdés, Cuban conga master; Cecil Payne, jazz baritone saxophonist; Karlheinz Stockhausen, composer; Frank Morgan, jazz saxophonist; Ike Turner, R&B pioneer; Dan Fogelberg, singer/songwriter; Joel Dorn, jazz, pop, and gospel producer; Lydia Mendoza, tejano singer; Oscar Peterson, jazz pianist.

Concerts

Friday and Saturday, January 11 and 12, National Cathedral, THE FOLGER CONSORT along with the chamber choir, Orpheus, and the Renaissance wind band, Piffaro, will present Tomás Luis de Victoria’s REQUIEM from 1605. For details, see www.folger.edu/consort .

Enter to Win an Evening with WEEN!

The alt-est of rockers are en-route to D.C., and concert promoters I.M.P. are giving P&P customers an opportunity to win a pair of tickets to see WEEN on Wednesday, January 23, at D.A.R. Constitution Hall in D.C.  Founding members Gene and Dean continue to bend genres with their newest album, LA CUCARACHA, out on Rounder Records. To enter, email your name and phone number to bhodgdon@politics-prose.com, subject “Boognish”, or enter to win at the raffle box at our information desk. The winner will be drawn on Monday, January 21. Click here for a full listing of upcoming I.M.P. shows.

Posted December 31st:

MUSIC FAVORITES FROM 2007

There’s so much music out there—coming to us in more varied forms than ever. When the myriad “best of” lists appear at the end of the year, my first reaction is, “I’d really like to hear that one,” or, “I really have to listen to this one again…” Here are a few favorite CDs from the past year—CDs that I returned to, sometimes just to figure out why they appealed to me.

Beautiful Voices

Maria Cristina Kiehr, LAMENTAZIONI PER LA SETTIMANA SANTA (Harmonia Mundi), with Concerto Soave—Soprano Maria Cristina Kiehr has a powerful, dark and mysterious voice, with a hint of the timbre of a countertenor, perfect for these 17th-century Italian settings of the Lamentations of Jeremiah (the “Tenebrae Lessons” sung during Holy Week). She is backed on viola and lira de gamba, harp, lute, and claviorganum (harpsichord/organ) by Concerto Soave, directed by Jean-Marc Aymes. This is a voice that moved me for its sheer beauty—music of melancholy that I turned to again and again.

Lawrence Zazzo & The Paragon Saxophone Quartet, BYRDLAND (Landor Records)—A countertenor singing songs of William Byrd and John Dowland, backed by a saxophone quartet playing the parts meant for a consort of viols? Yes, and it works splendidly: Zazzo sings these great tunes (a mix of the sprightly and the melancholic) with great feeling. The Paragon Saxophone Quartet make their saxophones sound like oboes, clarinets, bassoons (plus a hint of the Motown baritone sax); Byrd wrote intricate, “vocal” counterpoint which the quartet plays with liveliness and finesse. These two CDs were definitely my favorites of the year.
 
Also: Alexandre Tharaud, COUPERIN: TIC TOC CHOC (Harmonia Mundi)—François Couperin’s four collections of harpsichord works mixed dance and “character pieces”—musical scenes and portraits. Pianist Tharaud creates his own selection of Couperin’s miniatures, and adds beautiful touch and dynamics to the lively harpsichord lines.

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, SONGS BY MAHLER, HANDEL, AND PETER LIEBERSON (Wigmore Hall Live)

 The three very different works from composer Osvaldo Golijov on OCEANA (Deutsche Grammophon): the choral work “Oceana,” sung by Luciana Souza, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus; the string quartet work “Tenebrae,” played by the Kronos Quartet; and “Three Songs,” sung by Dawn Upshaw, with the ASO.

The voice of Iva Bittová singing with a baroque chamber ensemble in new compositions by the Slovak composer, Valdimír Godár on MATER (ECM); this was, along with Lamentazioni, another CD of ravishing beauty.

PJ Harvey, WHITE CHALK (Island)—very frail, moody and haunting.

Most Valuable Player

Jazz clarinet/sax player Anat Cohen put out three outstanding CDs, plus one more at year’s end featuring her along with her two musical brothers. POETICA (Anzic Records) was my favorite because it featured her on the clarinet, backed by a rhythm section and a string quartet playing jazz standards and originals, as well as Brazilian and beautiful, Israeli tunes, little-known to most American audiences. NOIR (Anzic Records) showcases both her sax and clarinet in big band arrangements. Both CDs present fresh programming of songs. Anat also specializes in playing choro, a form originating in late 19th-century Rio de Janeiro, which combines European and Afro-Brazilian influences and has a rich heritage of infectious songs. She plays clarinet in the Choro Ensemble (which also features guitar, cavequino, and pandeiro), which released NOSSO TEMPO (Anzic Records) in late summer. I highly recommend all three albums.
 

Combining Two Traditions

Amir ElSaffar, TWO RIVERS  (Pi Recordings)—Iraqi-American trumpeter Amir ElSaffar successfully blended jazz and Iraqi maqam song structures, and added the sounds of the violin, frame drum, oud, and santoor (hammer dulcimer) to a swinging quartet of trumpet, alto sax, bass, and drums.

Pablo Aslan, BUENOS AIRES TANGO STANDARDS (Zoho)—Bassist Pablo Aslan assembled a quintet (sax, trumpet, piano, bass, drums) of fellow Argentine jazz and tango players, and arranged tangos dating from the early 1900s to the 1950s. What’s unusual is that he leaves out the primary tango instruments (the bandoneón [accordion] and the violin), and the result are some very jazzy interpretations that showcase these intricate songs.

Some More Jazz

Joshua Redman, BACK EAST (Nonesuch)—Tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman acknowledged Sonny Rollins’s Way Out West in his CD’s title, by covering two tunes from that classic album, and by focusing on the art of the saxophone trio, which Rollins brought to inventive heights. Redman also featured his father, Dewey Redman (recorded shortly before his death): a great two-tenor workout on Coltrane’s “India,” and a lovely solo piece for his grandchild.

Ned Rothenberg, INNER DIASPORA (Tzadik)—Rothenberg is a multi-instrumentalist with a special focus on clarinet, bass clarinet, and the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). His working trio, Sync (with acoustic guitar and tablas), was joined by the Masada String Trio (violin, cello, bass), for an album of great tunes and unusual colors.

The Elders

Mavis Staples, WE’LL NEVER TURN BACK (Anti)—Mavis revisited songs of the civil rights era in raw, soulful versions, backed by a crack band led by Ry Cooder, channeling the sound of Pops Staples with some wicked slide-guitar playing. Songs like “Eyes on the Prize,” “99 and 1/2 Won’t Do,” and “Turn Around” will always be needed.

And: Levon Helm, DIRT FARMER (Vanguard)
Bettye Lavette, SCENE OF THE CRIME (Anti-)
Abbey Lincoln, ABBEY SINGS ABBEY (Verve)
Gal Costa, OUR MOMENTS (DRG Brazil)

Sounds in the Store

Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, RAISING SAND (Rounder)—beautiful, quietly rocking duets in a swampy, echo-y, stripped-down soundscape perfect for slow rockabilly and aching ballads.

Herbie Hancock, RIVER: The Joni Letters (Verve)
A great jazz album and a great pop album, with Dave Holland on bass and Wayne Shorter on soprano sax throughout, River features instrumentals and guest appearances by Norah Jones and Joni herself. But as my colleague Deb Morris wrote, “the highlight of this terrific CD is Tina Turner singing ‘Edith and the Kingpin.’ It’s unforgettable!” 

Terence Blanchard, A TALE OF GOD’S WILL (REQUIEM FOR KATRINA) (Blue Note)

ROOTS OF CHICHA: Psychedelic Cumbias from Peru (Barbés Records)

Concert Favorites

Concerts of the Year: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (May 7 & 8, French Embassy)—Two mind-blowing recitals: Aimard meticulously put together an evening called “Collages-Montages” one night (including Ligeti, Stockhausen, Schubert, Beethoven, Schumann), then followed with “Programming Games” (including Reich, Nancarrow, and Bartók). I will never forget the sounds of one of Kurtág’s short pieces (from Játékok) being played by Aimard onstage, with a distant sound of another piano answering quietly (played by Tamara Stefanovich on an upright hidden in the back of the auditorium). It was magical; and at only $10 a concert, affordable even for a bookseller.

Hilliard Ensemble (Jan. 24, Freer Gallery)
Venice Baroque Orchestra (Feb. 21, Library of Congress)
Instant Composer’s Pool (ICP) Orchestra (March 31, Library of Congress)—in    
   the great spirit of jazz, drummer Han Bennink played a solo with his drumsticks  
   on the stage floor—Coolidge Auditorium will never be the same!
Academy of Ancient Music (April 29, National Gallery)
Erin McKeown (June 24, Kennedy Center)
Anat Cohen (Sept. 15, Bohemian Caverns)
Rudresh Mahanthappa & Kadri Gopalnath (Nov. 10, Freer Gallery)
Marta Topferova (Nov. 15, Czech Embassy)
Youssou N’Dour (Nov. 19, Kennedy Center)
Later the Same Evening, an opera inspired by five Edward Hopper paintings
   (Dec. 2, National Gallery)
Two plays with lots of music: Peter & Wendy (June 19, Arena Stage) & The Second Shepherd’s Play (Dec. 13, at the Folger Shakespeare Theatre)
Terrence Blanchard Quintet, plus orchestra and guest vocalists Dee Dee Bridgewater, Kurt Elling, and Raúl Midón (Dec. 8, Kennedy Center)

Music Book of the Year: Alex Ross, THE REST IS NOISE (FSG)