What are you listening to? December 2024
- Thread starter Unsomnambulist
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axolotl
Nunquam non paratus
I had to read that one phrase about three times to approach understanding it.
Ojai Sam
Staff member
Miles Davis - In Concert (1973)
One of the best things about MusicBoomerang is the element of surprise. Back in 2006 when lala opened for CD trading, I took the time to enter my entire CD collection manually and a corresponding number of wants. Luckily MusicBoomerang was able to import this data on the demise of lala, so my want list remains alive and well to this day.
As you can see from my trading page, 5,000 wants are a gift that just keeps giving. Not long ago, a beautiful copy of the 1997 SBM remaster of In Concert arrived in a trade from one of my favorite traders who also happens to be an attorney.
I have to admit that I am woefully ignorant of Miles Davis' output following Bitches Brew (which you may recall is not a favorite of mine). How many of these albums are YOU familiar with?
In Concert presents the September 29, 1972 show from Philharmonic Hall in New York. The original LP release lists just two titles "Foot Fooler" and "Slickaphonics" spanning nearly 90 minutes on two discs. The personnel include jazzers Carlos Garnett (sax), Al Foster (drums) and Michael Henderson (bass) along with electric piano, synthesizer, electric guitar, electric sitar, tablas and a percussionist. Miles himself plays electric trumpet with a wah wah pedal, resulting in a funky sound that wanders effortlessly through the long, tuneless tunes. Surprisingly, the results are quite enjoyable. Some jazz critics didn't get it but others did, including Robert Christgau of all people, who wrote:
"By In Concert ... [Michael] Henderson is the sole survivor from the more talented prior band—although, crucially, Al Foster pushes like [Jack] DeJohnette with less excess motion. The result is the purest jazz-funk record ever—not as quick or tricky as James Brown, but more richly layered, riffs and drones and wah-wahs and tunelets and weird noises and shifting key centers snaking along on a sexually solicitous, subtly indomitable pulse."
Having developed a fondness for James Brown's later funky jams of indeterminate length, like Christgau I found In Concert appealing in the same sinuous style, unlike the in-your-face aggression of Bitches Brew. Time passed very rapidly, and before I knew it the last note of the performance was fading away. Long ago I found the Japanese mini-LP sleeve versions of albums #3 through 10 at a bargain price. Next time I'm in the vault, I have to dig them out and give them some listening time to percolate into my newly elevated consciousness.
on the Sam-O-Meter.
One of the best things about MusicBoomerang is the element of surprise. Back in 2006 when lala opened for CD trading, I took the time to enter my entire CD collection manually and a corresponding number of wants. Luckily MusicBoomerang was able to import this data on the demise of lala, so my want list remains alive and well to this day.
As you can see from my trading page, 5,000 wants are a gift that just keeps giving. Not long ago, a beautiful copy of the 1997 SBM remaster of In Concert arrived in a trade from one of my favorite traders who also happens to be an attorney.
I have to admit that I am woefully ignorant of Miles Davis' output following Bitches Brew (which you may recall is not a favorite of mine). How many of these albums are YOU familiar with?
- Bitches Brew (1970)
- Jack Johnson (1971)
- Live-Evil (1971)
- On the Corner (1972)
- In Concert (1973)
- Big Fun (1974)
- Get Up with It (1974)
- Agharta (1975)
- Pangaea (1975)
- Dark Magus (1977)
In Concert presents the September 29, 1972 show from Philharmonic Hall in New York. The original LP release lists just two titles "Foot Fooler" and "Slickaphonics" spanning nearly 90 minutes on two discs. The personnel include jazzers Carlos Garnett (sax), Al Foster (drums) and Michael Henderson (bass) along with electric piano, synthesizer, electric guitar, electric sitar, tablas and a percussionist. Miles himself plays electric trumpet with a wah wah pedal, resulting in a funky sound that wanders effortlessly through the long, tuneless tunes. Surprisingly, the results are quite enjoyable. Some jazz critics didn't get it but others did, including Robert Christgau of all people, who wrote:
"By In Concert ... [Michael] Henderson is the sole survivor from the more talented prior band—although, crucially, Al Foster pushes like [Jack] DeJohnette with less excess motion. The result is the purest jazz-funk record ever—not as quick or tricky as James Brown, but more richly layered, riffs and drones and wah-wahs and tunelets and weird noises and shifting key centers snaking along on a sexually solicitous, subtly indomitable pulse."
Having developed a fondness for James Brown's later funky jams of indeterminate length, like Christgau I found In Concert appealing in the same sinuous style, unlike the in-your-face aggression of Bitches Brew. Time passed very rapidly, and before I knew it the last note of the performance was fading away. Long ago I found the Japanese mini-LP sleeve versions of albums #3 through 10 at a bargain price. Next time I'm in the vault, I have to dig them out and give them some listening time to percolate into my newly elevated consciousness.
on the Sam-O-Meter.
Ojai Sam
Staff member
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Bidu Sayao - Forest Of The Amazon (1959)
Vinyl Spin of the Day.
Wiki tells us about the unusual provenance of this recording:
His music for the film Green Mansions starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins, commissioned by MGM in 1958, earned Villa-Lobos US$25,000, and he conducted the soundtrack recording himself. The film was in production for many years. Originally to be directed by Vincente Minnelli, it was taken over by Hepburn's husband Mel Ferrer. MGM decided to use only part of Villa-Lobos's music in the actual film, turning instead to Bronisław Kaper for the rest of the music. From the score, Villa-Lobos compiled a work for soprano soloist, male chorus, and orchestra, which he titled Forest of the Amazon and recorded it in 1959 in stereo with Brazilian soprano Bidu Sayão, an unidentified male chorus, and the Symphony of the Air for United Artists Records.
United Artists released this album in its classical music series rather than as a soundtrack. The liner notes refer only obliquely to the film, hinting that the composer was unhappy with his involvement in Hollywood but loved his creation. Whatever the case, this is a gorgeous piece of music, jungle exotica without a hint of kitsch. Villa-Lobos wove the rhythms, textures and emotions of his native Brazil into every note. I love the singing of Yma Sumac but have to admit that Bidu Sayao has the better voice, clear and pure. The recording quality is superb, too, like every other UA record I've seen over the years.
Sadly, this landmark recording was never released digitally. The music itself appears only once, on a budget label CD performed by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Renee Fleming tries in vain to recreate Sayao's eerie vocals. She may have been the first classical artist ever to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, but she's no Bidu Sayao, that's for sure.
Vinyl Spin of the Day.
Wiki tells us about the unusual provenance of this recording:
His music for the film Green Mansions starring Audrey Hepburn and Anthony Perkins, commissioned by MGM in 1958, earned Villa-Lobos US$25,000, and he conducted the soundtrack recording himself. The film was in production for many years. Originally to be directed by Vincente Minnelli, it was taken over by Hepburn's husband Mel Ferrer. MGM decided to use only part of Villa-Lobos's music in the actual film, turning instead to Bronisław Kaper for the rest of the music. From the score, Villa-Lobos compiled a work for soprano soloist, male chorus, and orchestra, which he titled Forest of the Amazon and recorded it in 1959 in stereo with Brazilian soprano Bidu Sayão, an unidentified male chorus, and the Symphony of the Air for United Artists Records.
United Artists released this album in its classical music series rather than as a soundtrack. The liner notes refer only obliquely to the film, hinting that the composer was unhappy with his involvement in Hollywood but loved his creation. Whatever the case, this is a gorgeous piece of music, jungle exotica without a hint of kitsch. Villa-Lobos wove the rhythms, textures and emotions of his native Brazil into every note. I love the singing of Yma Sumac but have to admit that Bidu Sayao has the better voice, clear and pure. The recording quality is superb, too, like every other UA record I've seen over the years.
Sadly, this landmark recording was never released digitally. The music itself appears only once, on a budget label CD performed by the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra. Renee Fleming tries in vain to recreate Sayao's eerie vocals. She may have been the first classical artist ever to sing "The Star-Spangled Banner" at the Super Bowl, but she's no Bidu Sayao, that's for sure.
Unsomnambulist
Staff member
Wo Fat - The Gathering Dark (2007)
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