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Another strong outing by the Rembrandt Trio brings us once again into the fascinating cross-cultural musical explorations for which I so much value in their recordings. While grounded in their European musical tradition this group explores the world with open eyes and curiosity to learn from non-western musical traditions, thereby expanding their horizons. A Wind... Read More »

When Just Listen Records releases an album, I sit up and pay attention. I'm always so glad to see a new release because I know it will be something special. And Same Silence, Same Self is again something very very special. Same Silence, Same Self, Hossein Alizadeh, Rembrandt Trio, Just Listen Records (2017 (24bit-44.1kHz, CD)... Read More »

Few things in this life are better than spending some quality time with The Hague String Trio as they continue the storytelling that informs their artistic collaboration. Celebrating Women! is a celebration of the discovery of previously unrecorded string trios by women whose music needs to be heard. Kudos! Celebrating Women!, The Hague String Trio,... Read More »

Aggghhh... Christmas music in the stores. Here's an antidote to the mind numbing drivel we're all going to be exposed to endlessly over the next several weeks. Unlike the yearly onslaught of "stuff to avoid," here is one album to balance out your musical sanity. Imagine Christmas, Various Artists from Sono Luminus (2017 (DXD) HERE... Read More »

Elbow, Flying Dream 1 Consistency and critical acclaim are the banes of an artist's existence. Countless bands have made this unfortunate discovery throughout millennia. Release a hit single your first time out, or, God forbid, an entire album that's embraced by the critics and the record-buying masses, and it feels almost impossible to meet expectations... Read More »

Commencing with the scintillating opening to Ernst von Dohnányi's Sonata for cello and piano, op. 8, and finishing with the abrupt falling phrase that concludes Shostakovich's Sonata for cello and piano, op. 40, Fernando Arias, cello, and Noelia Rodiles, piano, take us for a joyous ride through some superb music. Over the past several days... Read More »

Nathaniel Rosen is one of those rare artists whose playing captivates me for hours on end. There is a remarkable depth, intelligence and empathy to his playing. He is a simply immersive cellist whose performances are full of nuance, color, and imaginative flair. Listening today to his Schumann Complete Works for Cello and Piano, with... Read More »

If you are at all interested in checking out the underground Idol scene in Japan, here is an article by our own Peter R. Clark. Check out the review HERE at Citadel Review.

As we all know, vinyl is booming. Not only new sales, but collectable titles are also in high demand. Discogs and eBay have shown tremendous growth in sales for pre-owned and sealed out of print vinyl. Prices almost seem unfair. During the lockdown and to keep myself busy, I found myself pursuing the various Internet... Read More »

Glazunov, Symphony No. 6 in C minor, Op. 58; La mer, Op. 28; Introduction and Dance from Salome, Op. 90. Royal Scottish National Orchestra/José Serebrier. Warner Classics 2564-69627-0. TT: 66.48 Downloads: amazon.com (mp3); prestomusic.com (320 kbps mp3, FLAC); qobuz.com ("16-Bit CD quality," 44.1 kHz). Streaming: app.idagio.com; spotify.com Coming to the classics, as I did, by way of... Read More »

Per Norgaard, Paul Ruders. Works for Solo Cello. Wilhelmina Smith. Ondine ODE 1381-2 With much contemporary music composed in the high modernist idiom, we pretty much have to follow the composers to see where they go. Guidelines are hard to find. Is it an interesting place? Does the music speak to us? Can we infer... Read More »

Rossini: Orchestral Music. Budapest Festival Orchestra/Iván Fischer. Channel Classics CCS SA 27708. TT: 65.00 La scala di seta: Overture. Serenata per piccolo compresso. String Sonata in G Major. Le rendez-vous de chasse. Variazioni a più instrumenti obbligati. Andante, e Tema con Variazioni per quattro strumenti a fiato. Semiramide: Overture. Downloads: amazon.com (.mp3); channelclassics.com ("stereo and multichannel");... Read More »

Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson was, if nothing else, a Texas original. As founder of Austin's Thirteenth Floor Elevators, he was on the cutting edge of the first wave of psychedelia when the band's most noteworthy song, "You're Gonna Miss Me" ascended from a regional hit to crack the national charts in early 1966. One month... Read More »

I wasn't raised from birth to be a jazz-hound; that came about as a happy accident of Reaganomics, where I suddenly found myself out of a job and ended up working again in 1990 in the commercial print industry. Where I spent the next seven years in a 1940's era bunker of a building that... Read More »

Harry Nilsson, Nilsson Schmilsson. Mobile Fidelity Originally released on RCA in 1971, this is a title that deserved an audiophile reissue long ago. Considered by many as the "American Beatle" (an opinion also shared by the Beatles), Nilsson was an innovative if not highly charged song writer and singer in the midst of many talented... Read More »

That's one small step for MoFi, one giant leap for mankind. Yes, Fragile. Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, Atlantic – UD1S 2-012, Limited Edition, SuperVinyl, Box Set (2019, Dec.), # 4164 of 7500. Originally released on Atlantic, 2401019 (1971, Nov.) Ratings Global Appreciation: 9.7 Music: A+ (9.9) Recording: 9.5 Remastering + Lacquer Cutting: 9.6 Pressing: 9.9 Packaging: Deluxe... Read More »

Arlester "Dyke" Christian—along with James Brown—was almost singularly responsible for the infusion of Sixties funk and soul into rap music in the late 1980s. Yet ask the average man on the street about Dyke & the Blazers, and you'll generally be greeted with a blank stare in response. One of Dyke's biggest hits, "Let a... Read More »

Bach Sonatas and Partitas, Augustin Hadelich, violin. Warner Classics, 0190295048747. 2 CDs. A musician alone with his violin. No audience in sight. Or in mind. Some will consider these performances self-indulgent, a young maverick who hasn't earned the right to take this music to himself. Not me. I have enjoyed Hadelich's Ligetti (live), Adès, Sibelius,... Read More »

Paris, Hilary Hahn (violin); Radio France Philharmonic/Mikko Franck. DG 00289 483 9847 (CD).  TT: 52.51. CHAUSSON: Poème. PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 in D. RAUTAVAARA: Deux sérénades. The chief interest here lies in Einojuhari Rautavaara's Deux sérénades, adapted for Hilary Hahn from his opera The House of the Sun; when the composer died in mid-project, his onetime student... Read More »