Category Archives: Recordings

Ethan Iverson on Blue Note

Ethan Iverson Every Note is True Ethan Iverson, piano; Larry Grenadier, bass; Jack DeJohnette, drums Blue Note   Pianist Ethan Iverson received an excellent birthday present today: the release of Every Note is True, his debut recording on Blue Note Records. Since departing the Bad Plus, Iverson has worked on a number of projects asContinue reading “Ethan Iverson on Blue Note”

Celebrating Mendelssohn with Piano Music

Celebrating Mendelssohn’s Birthday with Piano Recordings   February 3rd is Felix Mendelssohn’s birthday. To celebrate, here are two reviews of recent recordings of piano music by the composer. Felix Mendelssohn Complete Music for Solo Piano, Vol. 6 Hyperion CD Howard Shelley   Pianist Howard Shelley has been making his way through the compendious catalog ofContinue reading “Celebrating Mendelssohn with Piano Music”

Michael Gielen Edition Volume 10 (CD Review)

Michael Gielen Edition Volume 10: Music After 1945 SWR Sinfonieorchester, Michael Gielen conductor SWR 6xCD boxed set   The tenth and final boxed set in SWR’s Michael Gielen Edition spotlights his considerable contributions to post-1945 concert music. Seven hours of live recordings of music by European avant-garde figures Pierre Boulez, Luigi Nono, György Ligeti, GyörgyContinue reading “Michael Gielen Edition Volume 10 (CD Review)”

56 Years Later, “A Love Supreme” Certified Platinum; Alice Coltrane Reissue

Best of 2021: A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle and Alice Coltrane’s Kirtan: Turiya Sings   Fifty-six years after its release, John Coltrane’s recording of his suite A Love Supreme has been certified platinum by the RIAA. With the lauded release of the recently rediscovered tapes of A Love Supreme: Live in Seattle, renewed interest has moved the recording of the originalContinue reading “56 Years Later, “A Love Supreme” Certified Platinum; Alice Coltrane Reissue”

Mogwai – “As the Love Continues” (CD Review)

Mogwai As the Love Continues Rock Action/Temporary Residence Ltd. On February 26th, twenty-five years into their recording career, Mogwai hit #1 on the UK charts. The band’s two previous full length releases were in the Top 10 in the UK, but the success of As the Love Continues, their tenth album, is remarkable. Known forContinue reading “Mogwai – “As the Love Continues” (CD Review)”

Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion (CD Review)

Caroline Shaw Sō Percussion, Dawn Upshaw, and Gilbert Kalish The Narrow Sea Nonesuch CD/DL Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion Let the Soil Play its Simple Part Nonesuch CD/DL The last live performance I saw before the pandemic hit New York was Caroline Shaw with Sō Percussion at Miller Theatre, which I wrote about for MusicalContinue reading “Caroline Shaw and Sō Percussion (CD Review)”

Blue Gene Tyranny Boxed Set (CD Review)

“Blue” Gene Tyranny Degrees of Freedom Found Unseen Worlds 6XCD boxed set/digital Composer and pianist “Blue” Gene Tyranny passed away in December 2020 of complications due to diabetes. The boxed set Degrees of Freedom Found, a generous six-CD compilation of tracks from 1963-2019, was already in the works and contains liner notes by Tyranny. Thus,Continue reading “Blue Gene Tyranny Boxed Set (CD Review)”

Sergio Merce, “En lugar de pensar” (CD Review”

Sergio Merce En lugar de pensar (Instead of thinking) Wandelweiser CD                                               “The name of the album is about this feeling that I have. I believe that playing music is a non-cerebral thought form; thought in the sense of being a channel to see, to reveal, a channel that opens through intuition, observation and attention butContinue reading “Sergio Merce, “En lugar de pensar” (CD Review””