...And ten more albums (that I've listened to recently)

Again, I originally posted these reviews on the local public library's website.

Brian Eno: Apollo
It’s nice to hear the old recordings again, especially with the volume levels corrected (on another, older, CD edition, the guitar pieces – originally side 2 of the vinyl record – were jarringly louder than the synthesizer pieces). There are moments of celestial beauty here, as well as mysterious electronic soundscapes that suggest, to my ear at least, underwater rather than outer space. The second CD ("For All Mankind"), however, doesn’t add much; Eno’s original soundtrack music was fairly interesting and experimental, while the added CD is more overtly “easy listening”, borderline elevator music. I rate this “three stars”: five stars for the first (original) soundtrack and one for the additional material.

Ballake Sissoko: At Peace
The delicate, gently swaying strains of the West African kora (with other instruments on occasion). On one level it's great (and peaceful, per the title) background music, but if you listen to it only that way you'll miss much of the subtlety and sophistication. Like Bach, this is mathematically "perfect" music that leaves room for intense beauty (or perhaps its beauty is because of its mathematical perfection). Listen for the interplay of main and accompanying melodies, and how both seem to escape from the ever-present rhythms. I would definitely attend a chamber music recital include a selection or two of kora music...!

Wayne Shorter: Emanon
What appears to be a graphic novel is in fact a beautifully illustrated, colorful reason for nearly three hours of labyrinthine, spellbinding music. This is a mixed-media project. The CD "booklet" contains the graphic novel: the adventures of the eponymous superhero and "rogue philosopher" in a multiverse in which all planets appear to be inhabited by humans in some kind of crisis of creativity. The illustrations are striking, but there isn't really much of a plot. Emanon (“No Name” backwards) fights a number of monsters (including the final one that metamorphoses into a beautiful woman whom we sense is his soul-mate), but mostly he gives his creativity to people. He is a metaphor for the music, which is on three CDs in the back of the booklet. These are Mr. Shorter's compositions. His sax is joined by the piano, bass, and drums of three other capable jazz musicians. The virtuoso duet work of Danilo Perez (piano) and Brian Blade (drums) is particularly interesting and satisfying (if a little unusual). The pieces feature angular, open melodies, often epic and "symphonic" as much as "jazzy" in nature (one thinks of Copland as well as Coltrane). The first CD supplements the massive feel with an actual orchestra (albeit a chamber ensemble). The compositions themselves are very complex in form. Concise but ecstatic solos (longer in the "live" performances) alternate with "classical" development sections, but these two musics merge. One becomes the other, in the same way that the monster is the woman in the graphic novel. This is beautiful, epic stuff, though in the end it is the music that holds one's attention more than the graphic novel -- and that seems to be the point.

Maurice Ravel: L'enfant et les sortilèges, Shéhérazade; Alborada del gracioso
Saitō Kinen Orchestra (with soloists), conducted by Seiji Ozawa
"The Child and the Magic Spells", for the listener, is comical; for the child in the story, it's a nightmare -- until he learns his lesson. Ravel's mastery of harmony and orchestration comes through, perhaps more than his command of melody: all of the characters have their own music and instrumentation. In fact, the orchestration is so spectacular that the listener hears instruments that aren't there: for example, the opening oboe and flute sound exactly like the Chinese pipes (the sheng), though that instrument is not in the orchestra. The comical singing is overblown at times (the clock singing "ding ding ding ding ding" gets grating), but these touches of extravagance help to tell the tale convincingly. Watch out for the cats. "Shéhérazade" is another fairy tale, though it's a far calmer affair. We're treated to languid impressionist harmonies and beautiful melodic lines that seem to float to their destination rather than get there by conventional melodic development. Ms. Graham's performance of these is elegant and refined, in contrast to the phantasmagorical effects of the singing in "L'enfant". There's also a phantom gamelan (more instruments that aren't there!) somewhere in the first movement. Lastly, "Alborada del gracioso" is instrumental and seems tacked on at the end of this CD to fill up time, though it's a good reading and performance of this orchestral showpiece.

Kristen Chenoweth: For the Girls
How many different voices can one singer have?

Goat Rodeo Sessions
Stuart Duncan, Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile
A beautiful collection of "bluegrass" Americana compositions, played with restraint and very little of the "listen to how many notes I can play really fast!" show-offishness that is often the bane of the genre; and yet the technique by these master musicians is impeccable (as is their expressiveness on their instruments). Brilliant!

Keith Green: The Ministry Years
I remember a lot of these songs. Much commercial "Christian music" was a wasteland back then (late 1970's - early 1980's -- see my review of Rich Mullins' "Songs") but these, like Mullins, are well-written, personal, and catchy (they tend to sound like Elton John). That some of them are cloying or banal is probably beside the point: Green was after earworms that would play Scripture passages or encouraging moral lessons in one's head, replacing the overly sexualized or violent lyrics of much pop music. It's nice to look back at these songs as an early way to counter such negativity.

Tanya Tagaq: Retribution
This album both treats and subjects the listener to a series of dark, primordial soundscapes (and one more or less conventional rap song), many nominally about nature extracting revenge on humans for environmental degradation. (A video of the title track of this album can be seen on Youtube, and it is genuinely frightening as Ms. Tagaq assumes the persona of a vengeful wolf-spirit.) These are not "songs" or "compositions" in any usual sense. Most tracks are probably improvised in several levels of recording with added layers of electronics in post-production, though this is nothing like a "jam band". The primary sound is that of Inuit throat-singing, with occasional bits of Tuvan throat-singing and other "extended" and avant-garde vocal techniques. The result is sometimes surprisingly close to Australian didgeridoo, showing a commonality in musics from half a world apart. Scary, hypnotic, and paradoxically tranquil in places, this is somehow "traditional" music akin to Sunn O)))'s non-tradition, and is certainly worth a listen. Yet it is not for the timid listener.

Ives: Symphony No. 4
Seattle Symphony Orchestra and Chorale, conducted by Ludovic Morlot
The Seattle Symphony does it again with this recording of one of the US' greatest composers. The 4th Symphony is, as always, an epic of (sometimes hilariously) off-kilter Americana (with a little Brahms thrown in for good measure), and "The Unanswered Question" is as beautiful, mystical, and mysterious as always. Highly recommended, and please listen with the volume turned up.

Arvo Part: Tabula Rasa
This seminal album still sounds as fresh as when it was released. It did indeed begin with a "blank slate", and then went on the completely alter the way contemporary classical music was viewed.

If you're interested in reading something that isn't about music, check out the sister blog of this one (it's about books and about words), or read the novels of my "Tond" series (high fantasy) or my short stories: Silkod of the Drenn (in JournE) and The Fourth Source (in Summer of Speculation: Villains).