MomsMobley

Miller impatients and/or restless DD adepts should jump to 4:40-- Bonus! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dob3Nq0uNZo&

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04zbFueiBMI

tons of great work here-- http://louisdl.louislibraries.org/cdm/search/collection/p16313coll4 there's a Ralston Crawford show ongoing at the New Orleans Museum of Art too if anyone's near there or will be soon-- http://noma.org/exhibitions/detail/50/Ralston-Crawford-and-Jazz- http://noma.org/news/detail/178/Worth-the-Trip-Ralston-Crawford-in-New-Orleans Gumbo on Jeffcrom!!

i'm not even an aretha fanatic like that but this is right up there with dino & louis... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FCrk98Fjsg

>>>>> Kenny Burrell + John Abercrombie + Joe Morris combined...

Right, H. Danko is a fine musician per se, I just choose not to support Scientology anything... If any of ya'll have spent much time in or near Clearwater, Florida, you might understand why... William S. Burroughs and Paul Metcalf (read Waters of Potowmack for starters) both dabbled in Scientology in the 1950s but, between 'em, they checked out everything and shucked it... Hopefully that's the case w/ H. Danko & Lee too. *** R. Danko "Java Blues" (lyrics by Emmett Grogan) >>>> anything Band + Allen Toussaint

Danko was (is? I dunno) HEAVY into Scientology-- this is not speculation, it's FACT (I say to the A. Lowe skeptics)... Is Ken Dryden still around? From his review of a Danko "Chasin' The Bad Guys"-- "The oddball cowboy cover art might make one think this is a country album, but pianist Harold Danko leads his quartet (the Geltman Band, named after a pair of Scientology leaders) though a better-than-average date from the late '70s..." Ya'll wanna see something even crazier? Peep this-- http://www.truthaboutscientology.com/stats/by-name/h/harold-danko.html Thankfully I have no Hariold Danko records that need purging and I always liked George Cables about a jillion times better. It's disturbing and disappointing both that Lee Konitz, with a million other educational options in his life, chose THAT one...

I must disagree with my esteemed colleague of the clavecin, Herr Weil. I recently picked up Haas books 3 & 4 on Alpha and think this it's some marvelous Couperin playing-- Time for Larry to retire or supplement those old Kenneth Gilbert lps! (I think I'm remembering that right.)

Dick Katz is great-- everything someone like Fred Hersch is too arrogant and dull to even wish to be. A pleasure to hear Dick talk about music too, especially insightful on John Lewis, for those JL skeptics among us.

Thanks for the thoughtful reply, Brother Jeffcrom... Surely AT deserved more than he got for his best work but-- being VERY distraught by his '70s arranger-for-hire (that Band stuff being perhaps greatest gulf between huge rep and lame achievement), I hoped his solo moves shucked that more aggressively... Also, timid covers of Professor Longhair are as irksome as the jillion inane Monk covers (Paul Motian's among the worst) tho' perhaps less common.. And I will say, pace AT's voice... it's better than Burt Bacharach's!! Sidenote 1: I finally got a copy of the elusive Richard H. Knowles' "Fallen Heroes" + cd... more anon. Sidenote 2: horrible as the Band and its solo iterations largely were after 1968, this is pretty hot, ridiculous (lyrics by Emmett Grogan)-- Sidenote 3: Lizzie Miles + Sharkey Bonano

I'm surprised at this, Brother Jeffcrom... What aspect(s) of Toussaint's solo schtick do you find engaging or exceptional? At his best he's not unpleasant; more often you just think how great an arranger/producer he was and wish for the sources of his myriad pastiches... If we cut him slack for doing crap with the Band (can't blame him for cashing the check or being unable to elevate that tiresome mess of hacks and junkies), what's anyone's excuse for that Elvis Costello shit biscuit? Etc etc... I know some people who claim Toussaint's last one "Bright Mississippi" was his 'best' ever but come on, it's not even as good/interesting as Dick Curless (speaking of Maine) on Rounder, let alone Teddy Edwards "Mississippi Lad," and requires a lot less I-wish-it-was-better indulgence... Tho' I think AT's best is greater/more "important" than, say, Duke Pearson's, their solo output is pretty equal, except I bet Duke could sing better if he had too and I'll take Lizzie Miles 11 times out 10 over both of 'em. I will admit that this post really set me off, to the extent that I just turned off the computer and walked around for awhile. Everyone's taste and judgement is different, but to me, talking bad about Allen Toussaint is like talking bad about Abraham Lincoln, or something like that. In a calmer mood, I'll say that I don't think this performance represents him at his best - at least the parts I saw. But I'll also point out that Toussaint is one of those musicians who is way more than the sum of his parts.

As an expert Brucknerian I'll admit that's a fair question but I'll also say we could listen to a Celibidache 8th* THREE TIMES in a row for as long as the most bloated Morty pieces... Even a Knappertsbusch "Parsifal"! And yes duration is its special bag (pace Sorabji too), just because one can... doesn't mean one needs to, beyond the test of doing so. (At least in tantric sex you can cum multiple times as in "Tristan und Isolde.") That's athleticism, and sorta 'impressive' in its way but even Coltrane c. "Live in Japan" ran out of jellybeans. I don't know how your prostate is doing but I feel more comfortable letting it flow earlier than later. I agree Morty is closer to Faure-meets-Babar than the 'minimalist' shuck he's lumped with; the Poulenc influence in his work is also under-recognized, appreciated. * none of which would be my favorite Because it's been my experience, for the most part, that "for that long" is a significant part of the overall musical/aesthetic effect. Also, as far as I'm concerned, "minimalism" (or Minimalism) has nothing to do with it, nor with anything that Feldman meant or had in mind. Don't know if Morty himself ever recorded his opinions about any of the Minimalism we've come to know as such, but I'd be surprised if he found it anything but annoying and/or simple-minded. And IMO anyone who thinks that Morty's music is simple-minded is ... you know the rest. P.S. about "for that long"-- Do you think Bruckner symphonies should be shorter?

Just the part about his knowing what he's doing... If I take "exquisite" to mean concentrated + brilliant than sure that's necessary but again, why bother (not why patterns) for that long? A sampling of representative Feldman will do most people well but once your attuned to Feldman, I'd argue someone like Szymanowski and Delius gives you so so so much more. Granted there are some hardcore "minimalist" advocates who don't WANT more (or only want maximal minimalism a la Morty) but a good chunk of the Feldman cult is comprised of dimwit "rockers" (sic) who found in Feldman a music comfortably dull but quieter. Unless you got/need time to kill, you can get 97% of what Feldman has to offer in those mega chamber pieces from Working Out With The Barney Kessel Quartet and Edgard Varese.

the soundtracks and ballets get you most of the best of Shosty; "The Nose" opera is pretty great too. for political and social-historical reasons-- which i do understand-- people wanna try to listen to Shosty like he's Schubert or LvB but really, it just doesn't work out... and there's TONS of great Prokofiev that's far too little heard, beginning with the Cantata for the 20th Anniversary of the October Revolution. the DSCH story is fascinating if irresolvable (I do side more with Volkov et al than debunkers) but the music itself is often too ponderous or dull; I tend to like folk-y or zany Shosty best, with some exceptions. I'll plump for parts of the first violin concerto too.

A typical reaction from Feldman cultists not actually well versed in the western classical tradition Feldman is an extension/refinement/dead end of. Feldman is fine, he did a few things well, had an excellent sense of humor in person and though confident/arrogant like many composers was also a good natured huckster who could compare himself to Beethoven AND Delius depending on the audience... That 99.999999% of people interested in music, western classical or otherwise, need to follow Morty around in circles is silly; a small handful of works from each period suffices and though the Mode series, like it's Cage series, is admirable cf. a documentary procedure, the idea that it's all "interesting" let alone "important' is nonsense and people REALLY interested are better off reading the scores. leo ornstein >>>>> opus clavicembalisticum >>>> for bunita marcus though good luck finding Feldman fanatics who've even tried.

Albert Warner's Brown Buddies + Albert Jiles Onzaga Owls http://www.amazon.com/Albert-Warners-Brown-Buddies-Onzaga/dp/B0000061SY

there are handfuls of 'romantic' Bach and baroque performances that bring their own important musicality, interpretation to the table but a bum like Starker is absolutely NOT one of them; the Mercury cult and all attendant hype/advertising led to the vomitous RCA Starker which-- hah hah funny-- approximately three erstwhile Starker "fans" ever cite despite its purported "maturity," "sublimity," "purity" of utterance etc. There's about 1000x more music AND sound AND life AND laughter, sex, coffee, beer etc in Bach than Starker (or Paul Casals, or Edwin Fischer or, later, the vile Roslyn Tureck etc) could ever imagine. That said, Mengelberg's St Matthew is worth hearing once, likewise the Bm mass conducted by Enesco-- himself a brilliant composer, of course. Karl Richter's Bach passions and cantatas, though well-intentioned, are mostly dreck and Klemperer's-- wow. Let's just say if you like his "Fidelio" and "Flying Dutchman," his Bach is something ELSE indeed. J.A.W., do you know the Olivier Beaumont F. Couperin box on Erato? Very very nice, excellent bargain too-- http://www.amazon.com/Couperin-Complete-Harpsichord-Olivier-Baumont/dp/B000OCZ7WK/ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgABGsVZH24 I used to have Rousset back in mid-90s when I went all early music but I don't think it's worth worrying about or looking for until Harmonia Mundi re-issues it.

Feldman was a compulsive bullshit artist-- that's part of his CHARM mind you but the idea that all or even much of his work is "profound" is silly. As Larry Kart says, Morty knew what he was doing and some (lots) of the time it was more interesting to do it than to heat it let alone ponder it. Bonus points for cigarettes and tapestries but the idea that there people who've listened to more Morton Feldman than Fritz Delius or Ferrucio Busoni is absurd and nauseating both.

Mandrill how are you pulling out these Euro label references are you a reader of Classica (OK, not as good as Repertoire was) or Diapason or________ the reason junk like Starker Bach (or Perahia Mozart etc etc) has such misguided respect is marketing and public ignorance; great to see some other Americans are still looking; used to be easier in cities with large Tower Records but Fanfare is both ridiculous and very spotty so unless one reads Euro mags or relentlessly scours MDT or U.S. distributor release lists they'll have no idea what's available. I'm mostly sick of DSCH except for some soundtracks, "The Golden Age" ballet, "Lady Macbeth" ballet and the 24 p&f (Roger Woodward, Jenny Lin) but I'll keep this in mind. Ubu, skip the first piano trio unless you have some reason not to; listen to the second to say you did and move on. Once upon a time I rated the Borodin coupled with the 5-tet... http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Piano-Quintet-Trio-No/dp/B000000ACI now see little reason to bother. MANY folks would be better advised to explore the byways of Prokofiev instead.

Excellent, thanks for posting! Ever see this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4Xp2PEr8F0

Jakon Lindberg on BIS was also nice in Weiss but the Barto/Naxos series is obviously more affordable/comprehensive.

French Suites, English Suites, Toccatas in one swoop-- http://www.amazon.com/French-Suites-English-Toccatas/dp/B005KAAAPA I bagged all these separately on release and was thrilled. Andreas Staier's Partitas for Deatsche Harmonia Mundi are excellent and can be had very cheaply as part of this box-- http://www.amazon.com/Andreas-Staier-Boccherini-Scarlatti-Telemann/dp/B005L12SI0/ Also keep an eye out for Benjamin Alard in the Ubung-- http://www.amazon.com/Clavier-Ubung-Book-J-S-Bach/dp/B00354XVM2

I'm a big Mustonen fan but I have to admit I'd rather hear Bach or DSCH, not both jumbled together... But really, eff the piano in baroque and earlier repertoire. While it was once a necessary filter for our historical ignorance and/or an alternative to the days of lesser harpsichordists and harpsichords, the level of musician and instruments in the last 15 years or so has become tremendous. Keith Jarrett's Bach is horrendous, even worse than his insufferable jazz playing. (My biggest criticism of Jarrett's vocalization is that it ISN'T LOUD ENOUGH to drown out the bullshit from comes out his fingers.) Hans, on further thought I'd definitely get Schornsheim and give this a listen too Peter Watchorn on pedal harpsichord-- http://peterwatchorn.com/ Larry Kart if you see this NO the Rannous Goldberg really is awesome but she's her own woman for sure; it wouldn't be bonkers to compare her to a HIP Mengelberg/Furtwangler in fact. re: Rousset in Forqueray, ornamentation and improvisation can be contentious; I've studied the subject enough to believe there was always a variety/range of accepted styles depending on x # of factors-- musician, instrument, day of week, audience expectation etc. all of Leonhardt's ponderous and insufferable recordings didn't do the cause of harpsichord genius any good either, save 1) dedication and 2) counter-example. Like Boney Moroney!!

avoid Edwin Fischer, which is a dog. If you're gonna put THAT much effort into figuring out what the hell he's trying to do, might as play the damn pieces yourself. Avoid Tureck like live hand grenade, she's that deadly. Most piano versions are lame so you're right to look HIP; do you still like Angela Hewitt? At best I'd say she's non-offensive or blandly decent. One piano version I'd check out besides the essential (as points of reference) Samuel Feinberg and Gould recordings is Zhu Xiao-Mei on Mirare-- http://www.amazon.com/J-S-Bach-Well-Tempered-Clavier/dp/B0038ZGLJI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgPnkZMs72I Gulda is pretty good too; LOTS of otherwise excellent interesting pianists crap out on WTC (Richter, Afannassiev, Koroliov, the list goes on), alas. Roger Woodward is pretty good, could be better. Fake harpsichord: Landowska is still pretty good, better than any old piano version and the absurdly overpraised Casals Bach, for example, though I'd say Wanda was best in the partitas and Italian concerto. Organ/clavecin/clavichord: Robert Levin did a terrific set for Hanssler but it swaps instruments so often it won't work for most people. A fine idea well-realized but not the most FUNCTIONAL for home use. Harpsichord: Christine Schornsheim is a great bargain (RUN for her Haydn box too btw); Pierre Hantai as Mike suggested; Davitt Moroney; Ralph Kirkpatrick on clavichord; http://www.amazon.com/Well-Tempered-Clavier-Bach/dp/B0064DLG32 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yekDaeytKaY Avoid the disappointing Egarr, burn/bury/drown Leonhardt. Blandine Verlet is pretty good.