mikeweil

Yes I know the drill ... ad 1) of course they have to be very good - AFAIK the percentage is about the same in all camps ad 2) I like Wendy Carlos, and all .... but it doesn't move nearly as much as some period instrument recordings. The playground has room for verybody. I don't like people saying their approach is the only one - I must admit I read or hear HIP-haters putting down HIP more often than the other way around.

Of course there is no one size fits all approach - not among the players of the "romantic" school (to which I referred when I said "these players") nor among "HIP" players. I have several recordings of Bach's major works lying around that I like, all with different approaches. Even if Bach was dissatisfied with some aspects of the instruments he had at his disposal, when he wrote something down, it certainly was with those in mind that he knew his music would be played on. And he took them to their limits, but it always works when one uses the instruments he had. I reasearched a lot into harpsichord music: There still are only a handful of recordings playing his pieces on the types of Thuringian harpsichords he used. (One reason of course is, that the harpsichords Zacharias Hildebrandt made for him are lost, and others by this maker known to exist in Poland are are hard to access.) The recordings I have on Silbermann or Harass type harpsichords sound wonderful as well as logical. The sound builds in a special way because overtones mesh beautifully on a harpsichord and the ancient tunings work their part, and they mesh differently compared to Flemish or French types, which Bach most probably never played during his career, but which many "HIP" nevertheless prefer. There are many questionable or fashionable approaches in the HIP world, and a lot of contradictions, just like in the old school. There still are only a handful or organ recordings using the instruments the closest to his sound ideas, like the magnificent Hildebrandt organ in the St. Wentzel church at Naumburg, which he co-designed. And so on - in the case of Bach we are far from having a representative view of his personal world of sound. What happened over the centuries was that the approach changed from always new music to wanting to hear the same over and over, the audiences grew larger so the instruments had to be adjusted to fill larger rooms etc. Although HIP is now half a century old (or even older, when we look back at Landowska and the like), and its pioneers are leaving our world (like Gustav Leonhardt in January), we still are at the beginning. That all this music is timeless (otherwise it couldn't touch us today) and time-bound at the same time is very fascinating, IMHO. My personal part is that I grew up with the sound of an 1840's piano (which I realized only a few years ago) and grew somewhat tired of the - in my ears - over-expressive vibrato-drenched sound of conventional string players. Others may be fascinated by Starker's or Tortellier's approach, and connect this with their own soul, that's perfectly right with me. And with all HIP players, many of whom are influenced by these. It's just that they think they can get closer to what they want with ancient instruments or copies, and I can follow them there.

They're not losing it, just an approach in search for a different one. The music always is more than the notes, it also encompasses the sound, and that is linked to instruments. Cellos or violins in Bach's time sounded different, that's a fact. The introduction of steel strings and higher tension and modern tunings changes the sound a lot. Like Skip Sempé stated: "In most fine music written before the 1950s, the sound and the composition were linked by the composer. Some performers do not care about this, and some listeners don't care either, but that was clearly the method behind the tradition in question. Without any doubt, this is the manner in which harpsichord music was conceived." I appreciate the approach of a lot of these players, but I just can't get around to like their sound.

Holloway's playing is interesting, but I don't like his tone. Huggett is sober, I see your point, but this is what I like in contrast to the conventional steel string players, who try to sweeten their tone with all kinds of romantic means.

I noticed a few months ago that practically every album of which I could check out samples was available as MP3 download, so the tendency was there already, I'd say. No surprise to me, but not a good thing for smaller labels not going the download route.

Download completed!

Thanks for linking this - beautiful playing, and a nice video, too.

Szigeti is not HIP ...

You'll Know When You Get There Herbie Hancock and the Mwandishi Band Bob Gluck

I've listened to the Ralph Moore sample JimR linked, and definitely remember that CD - the version Dr.J used in his BFT indeed has alto, and is a different recording - no reason to be confused, Jim.

Now I know why it sounded so familiar - I once had this Ralph Moore album but sold it. It simply didn't jell as much as I would have expected. I love Moore's playing, and have seen him in performance with Cedar Walton, he's great. But this album sounded too tentative to me. Hubert Laws made a nice recording of Morning Star: Hell yeah!

Nobody going for the Thad Jones set? Some excellent music, some of it (the UA session) not reissued elsewhere.

Quite a bit of effort to sell a few packages of cigarettes ...

Monk was indeed in fine form and a very relaxed mood during that Paris solo session!

Great, swinging drummer - I love that early Teddy Charles session with Wardell Gray where he really drives the band. R.I.P.

Been listening to # 9 once more - I don't think it's Tony. Some of his stock patterns, for sure, but others that are not quite his style - and I would be surprised if he used a woodblock.

This is the chaise lounge I use to listen to my BN vinyls Can we have a photo of your majesty, appropriately dressed, on that pièce extraordinaire of furniture?

I wonder what a chaise lounge is ....

I'm in for a download, please, as usual.

Even if it was only ten minutes on a disc or even double disc of jam session material - if it is like the sample heard, it merits release. Mosaic, step forward!

It's three CDs: I like it, but as Brownie said, there are albums more typical of him. There's some duplication of tracks on the third CD, but they all seem to be alternate takes assembled to an album after he had moved on.

Pres was the greatest! Is there really no label willing to release this?

If you like like jazz organ, any CD with Melvin Rhyne, Dr. Lonnie Smith or Sam Yahel is very good. That Eric Alexander with Rhyne is very nice indeed. The two with Tad Shull are great.