18 Results for : instrumentally
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Truth Over Harmony
SAND SECTION takes it's name from the area of Manhattan Beach, California where the band's three members grew up. In recent years, 'sand section' has become a term used by real estate agents to denote the primo lots that abut the town's vast sandy beaches, but in the case of this ambitious three-piece band, the sand section is the border -- Where the suburban sprawl of greater Los Angeles gets pounded every moment by the deep blue Pacific Ocean-- Where a relaxed sun-soaked lifestyle collides with the infinite power and possibilities of the sea. Hence, the band's eclectic and melodic mix of bright coastal music combined with the dark undercurrents of the storm-out-at-sea punk music they played when they first got together ten years ago in middle school. Jeff Nisen (guitar, vocals, harmonica), Tony Gonella (bass, vocals, percussion) and Sam Mandelbaum (drums, percussion) came up playing in various bands, including MOSS which had successful gigs at venerable L.A. clubs like The Roxy and The Whiskey. They formed Sand Section in 2008 and spent a year commuting between monthly shows at UC Santa Cruz (Tony's alma mater) and UC Santa Barbara (Jeff's alma mater). After graduation in 2009, they got down to focusing full time on music. Toward that end, they've been playing every show they can beg, borrow or steal in the South Bay cities of Manhattan, Redondo and Hermosa Beach, often sallying forth into L.A., including a March, 2010 show at the House of Blues in Hollywood and a sold out show at the Roxy in April. These gigs have enabled the band to hone in on their signature sound, and establish a solid local following. They have also been fortunate enough to share the stage with bands such as The Dirty Heads, Slackstring, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Iglu and Hartley, Common Sense, Sashamon, Tribal Seeds, The B Foundation, and many more over their nascent career. If you ask them their creative influences, it's best to have a full pint in front of you because you're going to be there a while. Although rooted in punk bands like Green Day Pennywise, and Cigar, their music branches beyond punk to feature lush harmonies, blistering guitar solos, melodic bass lines and a unique drum feel. Among their favorite lyricists are John Lennon and Paul McCartney as well as Greg Graffin of Bad Religion. Although Sand Section tends to draw upon all genres of music instrumentally, their signature sound is attributed to Nisen and Gonella's soaring vocal harmonies. Whether it be a piano ballad or a hard rock jam, Sand Section's vocal harmonies are the backbone and major characteristic of just about every track. These harmonies were ultimately influenced by artists such as Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Eagles, and Dispatch. Nisen's guitar playing is attributed to a combination of Slash, Randy Rhoads, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, while Gonella draws upon the busy bass lines of Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones combined with both Cigar and the Deviates' speed-driven punk rock. Sand Section has often had trouble being classified within the vague taxonomy of genres, and has always focused on making good music for the sake of good music, rather than to fit any sort of idealistic standards. 'If we feel like making an acoustic album with all sorts of weird experimental instruments, we want to be able to do it without pissing anyone off,' Tony said recently. 'Above all else, we want to remain a group of everyday guys making good original music.' Beyond that, the band's potential is as vast as the Pacific. Sand Section's debut album, Truth Over Harmony, is set for release in May 2010, and represents the culmination of over a decade of perseverance. It aims to showcase their abilities as not only musicians but songwriters as well. After spending over 6 months in the studio, the band is confident and ready to hit the road and take this world by surprise.- Shop: odax
- Price: 19.90 EUR excl. shipping
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How Long Blues
Jesse Gelber was born too late for 78s, twenty-five cent pizza slices, beer cans without pop-tops. But he is a solid sender, to use the old phrase - a swinging jazz pianist who will remind you of a time when improvising musicians were proud of their instantly recognizable selves. In four bars, you knew it was Tatum, Waller, Wilson, Stacy, or Monk - no need to wonder, 'Which clone is mongering those familiar bebop licks tonight?' Jesse's no repertory robot, in thrall to the old records, although he can read the proverbial flyspecks off the paper and whip through a rag or a Jelly Roll Morton etude with great panache if you ask him nicely. He knows the tradition all the way from deeply felt down-home blues to infinite variations on the theme of hot piano, but he has melded them into his own style. His lively 'Maple Leaf Rag,' his mournfully seductive 'Make Me a Pallet on the Floor' are all the evidence anyone will need. His playing is free and inventive, two-handed and mobile, and he never overwhelms with flurries of notes, whirlpools of technical displays. In his kind of classical simplicity, every note counts, reminiscent of Basie (without the clichés some pianists offer, as if to say, 'I know all about Kansas City: I learned it all from Ken Burns!'), Monk without his self-conscious angularities, Jimmy Rowles, Nat Cole, Pete Johnson. Yet the ghosts of the past never dominate Jesse's fresh, witty playing. Many jazz musicians confuse volume with emotional intensity, speed with heat, but he knows better. Since man does not live by recorded music alone, these comments are based on what the anthropologists might call field observation. In an assortment of New York clubs, each it's own novella, I have enjoyed hearing Jesse play alongside Kevin Dorn, Barbara Rosene, Michael Hashim, Pete Martinez, J. Walter Hawkes, Doug Largent, Charlie Caranicas, Dan Levinson, Dan Tobias, Jon-Erik Kellso, Craig Ventresco, Peter Ecklund, Simon Wettenhall, Eddy Davis, Scott Robinson, Orange Kellin, and many others. Their faces light up when they see that Jesse is coming to play. In these loose, informal contexts, his crisply articulated piano cuts through exuberant jam sessions, and his solos are fascinating interludes. But this is the first time I've heard him at length as solo pianist and singer, and it's truly rewarding. His spare, apparently unadorned treble lines are pungent examples of the right notes, struck with clarity and conviction, mingled with rhythmic, always varied left hand. Listen to his playful verse to 'Stardust,' which suggests Mondrian, who loved jazz. His stripped-down Ellington classics restore those now over-familiar melodies, the layers of paint removed so that their beauties shine through. Savor the harmonic densities of his 'Prelude to a Kiss.' When jazz musicians produce their own CDs, they are tempted to fill the discs with their originals. In all but a few cases, mind and ears go reeling, for many players expend their compositional impulses in their solos. But Jesse is a thoughtful composer, and that's no stage joke. Consider his weirdly lovely 'Halloween Waltz,' a vignette that turns 'Danse Macabre' into something tender. From it's title, I thought 'Boston in the Rain' would be a mood piece or a grim minor blues, but it's that rarity, a genuine Thirties rhythm ballad, earnest yet lighthearted. I am only sorry that it was written too late for Fred (Astaire) or Connee (Boswell) to have had the pleasure, but Jesse's comfortable, sleeves-rolled-up approach is a treat. He is a first-rate singer, offhanded but convincing, whether he's promising to write himself a letter (not an email?) or musing about Matters of the Heart. He never oversells a song, vocally or instrumentally, and his understatement woos us more than the usual histrionics. Jesse Gelber has more talent than any three men! His bucket, I am happy to say, has no hole in it. Listen and admire. Michael Steinman (All About Jazz, The Mississippi Rag, Cadence, Jazz Improv)- Shop: odax
- Price: 21.05 EUR excl. shipping
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Beckett Miscellany
All of the works assembled for this recording were written for specific times, places, or events that cover a span of 23 years. They were all written for specific performers who are, in nearly every case, different from the ones who play them on this CD. In making the musical selections for this CD, I made an attempt to include as many instrumentalists from Arcady, the ensemble of which I am founding director, as possible. Arcady has recorded two choral-vocal/ orchestral CDs, A Baroque Messiah and Welcome Yule! - Christmas Music of Ronald Beckett, and has been featured on a third - Peace on Earth with flutist Kim Shippey. The opera Ruth will be released late in 2006. For The Woodwind Quintet, I was fortunate to have four of the five original Essex Winds, for whom the work was originally written, play for this CD. I was always impressed by the players' technical skills and sense of style, as well as by the humour that they brought to their live performances. The work is an attempt to capture all of those qualities. The Fantasia, a completion of an organ fragment by Bach, is a piece that to me always had more the feeling of a trio sonata. It is in that guise that it appears for this CD. The Trio for Flute, Clarinet, and Horn, Three Short Pieces for Piano, and the Mixolydian Quartet, arranged here as a piano duet, were written for instructional purposes. They are simple, lyric, and a definite contrast to the 11/4 metre Toccata from the Oboe Sonata, which was written for university performance. The Octatonic Suite was written for this CD. Of the modes of limited transposition, the octatonic scale, which alternates whole and half steps, is probably the most useful in that it is able to suggest a full range of harmonic and melodic sonorities. In Arcady's history, it's most significant achievement has been it's performances of the operas written for it. Included on this CD are two of the cycle's instrumental dances: the festive harvest celebration of Ruth and the Wedding at Cana from I Am.... In the medley from John we hear instrumentally the voices of Elizabeth and Zacharias, the chaotic dance that precedes Herod's appearance, and the dance of Salome. For a more complete description of the CD's contents, please consult it's liner notes. I hope that you enjoy the music of this CD. If you have a group of your own and wish to use any of these works, do not hesitate to contact us. These are works to be shared. -Ronald Beckett Acclaim "Listening to these charming suites, epilogues, fantasias, dances, toccatas, and trios by Canadian composer Ronald Beckett makes one realize just how far the neo-tonal counter-revolution has come. Written over a 23-year period, these are cheery, player-friendly 'works to be shared' (in the composer's words) employing baroque counterpoint, occasional minirealist rhythms, and lots of diatonic tunes. Arcady, a chamber group founded by Beckett himself, plays with bubbly energy." -American Record Guide "If Ron Beckett's music is half as much fun to write as it is to hear, he must go around smiling all the time" -Richard Todd, Ottawa Citizen "He has drive, energy, movement and motion all bundled up in old and new style writing that never leaves you bored." -George Sandford, 701.com "This CD demonstrates his solid craftsmanship and pleasant nature as a composer. Mr. Beckett should be commended for his creativity and obvious mastery at bringing people together to make music: a positive force." -Larry Beckwith, WholeNote "...intellectually stimulating music that is fun and pleasant to listen to." -Murray Charters, Brantford Expositor "Listeners who sometimes despair when listening to new music will delight in the beautifully lyrical music comprising A Beckett Miscellany." -Robert Reid, Kitchener-Waterloo Record.- Shop: odax
- Price: 22.25 EUR excl. shipping
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Journey's Threads
7 pieces of music featuring the beautiful counter tenor voice of Daniel Tucker and the elegant violin playing of Michael Peck, combined with the delicate piano, classical guitar, vocals and electronics of Ian Harris. An album that moves from breathtaking simplicity to dazzling virtuosity, creating varied landscapes of polished sound. REVIEWS "There are some classical music aficionados who are averse to the atonal tendencies of many modern compositions. Pianist Ian Harris however, has masterfully counteracted this trait with his clever inclusions of aurally pleasing tones and placid sparkle. On the Britain's second album The Journey's Threads he once again works with counter tenor Daniel Tucker and violinist Michael Peck. The opener "Over Ice Land" is hauntingly beautiful with it's stark mysterious aura. Tucker's vocals are lovely and ethereal with Peck and rustic flute calls echoing in the distance. Harris lends his vocals in the latter half of the song with his warmth nicely complementing the celestial counter tenor. The mostly instrumental "Between White Clouds" takes the romantic notion of painting the aural picture the title implies, yet Harris' rendering is more sophisticated. The delicate bells and electronic noises he employs around his piano work are like the wispy silver linings of the clouds. Peck's violin statements are thither and gone like a gentle gust. In the final portion of the song, Harris' tender vocals sing the title. "Walking Towards the Rainbow" is a quiet piano solo that begins with a melodic idea twice stated, as if to build up the gumption. Then Harris gently and ever so subtly plays an eighth note journey of rises and falls like footsteps on a garden path, yet as glistening as the water from a stream flowing over smooth pebbles. The listener can become so absorbed that the ending seems to sneak up. Water is actually heard along with mechanical gears in the onset of "Of the Loss of Time," whose lyrics are taken from the Elizabethan poet John Hoskins' work of the same title. Harris mixes synthesized strings with Peck while Tucker chants in this more modern sounding piece with no clear tempo and long pauses. Each musical idea is independent yet with the echo and the counter tenor's legato vowelizations there is a shroud of mist that encompasses and binds the song together. More direct is the violin and piano conversation in "Journey to the Horizon." Harris and Peck at times sound like they are playing in different key signatures, yet the two instrumentalists deliberately and expertly continue their statements exhibiting excellent dynamics and musicality. "L'espoir d'été" loosely translates to "the hope of summer" and Harris plays a cheery lead on piano adorned with violin, bells, triangle and synthesized bass guitar sachets. His lovely grace notes on the keys and overlaid vocals at the end harbour tranquility. The most mesmerizing piece on The Journey's Threads is the violin featured "Song of the Trees." Peck is multi-tracked playing different voices crying their own lament, yet they all fit into each other by a greater design, like the giant canopy of an antediluvian forest. Harris plays classical guitar adding structure and a glint of sunshine as it pours down into the depths and touches the golden branches beneath the thick leaves. Faint electronic pings undulate quietly as the song hypnotically melds all the musical voices in and out of each other until finally fading away. Harris has been an avid composer for over fifteen years. Therefore it is not surprising how elite and polished The Journey's Threads is. The composer's unique instrument pairings and shrewd melodic weavings can easily bring modern music to a wider and more appreciative audience." Reviewer: Kelly O'Neil, Review You Rating: 4 stars REVIEW The music found on The Journey's Threads involves the three-fold combination of counter tenor Daniel Tucker's vocals, Michael Peck's violin and Ian Harris' piano and various electronic instrumentation. It's a 7-song release that veers among jazz, classical pop and what used to be termed new age music. This album, however, is under Harris' name. Harris is both a composer and a video artist based in the UK. He's a trained visual artist, with a BA in Fine Art, as well as a scholarly musician with an MA in music. One of his more fascinating past works is the music he created for a 2001 film version of a Thomas Mann novel, which was broadcast on BBC Radio 3. He's also worked on orchestrations for multi-instrument performances, some of which were presented at the famous spiritual event, Greenbelt Festival. The album's most classical sounding track is one titled "Walking Towards The Rainbow." It's a mid tempo piano piece that clocks in at 3:29. For whatever reason, it conjures up images of an Irishman searching for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Maybe it's the word 'rainbow' in the title that brings such stereotypical pictures to the mind. Nevertheless, it's a pretty tune and quite a meditative one. "Of The Loss Of Time" makes excellent use of Tucker's vocals, as his voice simply soars over the instrumental section of the piece. This track is music put to a poem by John Hoskins, who was not only a writer of poems, but also a scholar of Greek, a lawyer, judge and politician. It's interesting to hear the way Tucker's voice plays off Peck's violin on this one. It's a credit to Tucker's singing ability that many times the listener may have trouble aurally discerning the difference between the vocal parts and the string parts. Tucker is such a spot-on singer when it comes to hitting the right notes, there are portions when his vocal and Peck's violin blend together nearly seamlessly. This is fascinating, and likely one of the probable reasons Harris chose to include both of these two artists on his project. "Journey To The Horizon," on the other hand, is an excellent collaboration between Harris and Peck. This one leans particularly close to the jazz spectrum of the stylistic continuum, as both Harris and Peck trade notes throughout. It leaves the overall impression of a jazz standard, only performed instrumentally. "L'espoir d'ete," is a slow, thoughtful piece. The project's finale, "Song of the Trees," multi-tracks the violin for both a beautiful and mysterious creation. One imagines environmentalism is near and dear to Harris' heart, as the cover photo on his album is a close-up of a very green leaf. The inside cover pictures a similar leaf, only this time a red one. Although it's difficult to pick out just one theme intended for this project, nature is one of it's bigger ones. In addition to the aforementioned "Song of the Trees," along with the leaf photography utilized in the CD's artwork, the land is mentioned in "Over Ice Land," clouds come up with "Between White Clouds" and God's amazing natural invention, the rainbow, plays into "Walking Towards The Rainbow." The overall impression left by this work is that of beauty. Beauty that is consistently found in nature, matched with beautiful music likely intended to reflect nature's beauty. Rock and pop music fans may be hesitant to investigate an album such as this one that prominently features a counter tenor singer in it's credits. For many, the very thought of a classical participant might give them cause to hesitate. However, once you hear what these three talented musicians have created together, your prejudices will likely disappear like a vapor. Reviewer: Dan MacIntosh, Review You Rating: 4 Stars (out of 5) REVIEW Those who haven't listened to a lot of new age releases might think of new age as a genre that is electronic 100% of the time. But while it is true that some new age recordings rely on electronic programming exclusively, that is by no means true of all new age recordings. Many other new age albums have successfully combined the electronic and the acoustic. On such albums, electronic programming and synthesizers are likely to be used alongside acous- Shop: odax
- Price: 15.42 EUR excl. shipping
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h-moll-Messe
Last spring, the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin came alive with the splendid sounds of Bach's score as preceding recordings of the Missa no longer met the radiant vision that the Flemish maestro had of it. Together with a handful of excellent soloists and a Collegium vocally and instrumentally at its best, Philippe Herreweghe delivers a work that must be savoured like a sweet or a last supper where rigor and hedonism, inner depth and outer seduction tenderly offer themselves to the listener.- Shop: odax
- Price: 29.63 EUR excl. shipping
