Larry Kart

Louis Bellson, "Sambandrea Swing" (comp. and arr. by Don Menza): There's also a a somewhat longer, red hot version on You Tube from the 1980 Cork Jazz Festival, but the sound isn't as good: Those final ensemble choruses!

Having recently acquired two new (to me) recordings of "La Mer" -- Boulez (Cleveland, DGG) and Ormandy (Philadelphia, Sony), I've discovered to my amazement that I have ten others: Bernstein (NYP, Sony), Boulez (Philharmonia, Sony), Bour (SWF, Astree), Tilson-Thomas (Philharmonia, Sony), Silvestri (PCO, Disky), Haitink (Concertgebouw, Phillips), Inghelbrecht (Orchestre National, Naive), Giulini, Los Angeles, DGG), Desormiere (Czech Phil, Supraphon), and Maazel (Vienna Phil. RCA). Trying to sort through all these (I've also heard but don't own Reiner, Cantelli, and Toscanini) and concentrating on on the first movement, I've reached some temporary conclusions thst were both expected (Inghelbrecht is terrific, elemental) and unanticipated, as least by me (e.g. Bernstein is very good -- highly characterized at times, as one might expect, but his bright ideas are almost all illuminating; Ormandy also is quite good, not at all stodgy and over-rich; the DGG Boulez is constipated almost beyond belief). Ruled out at this point, in addition to DGG Boulez, are Giulini (half asleep), Tilson-Thomas (nothing awful, nothing special), and Silvestri (very turgid sound). Haitink I can't make up my mind about -- at times I hear a remarkable rhythmic fluidity, at other times a lack of color. Maazel gets some remarkable moment-to-moment playing from the VPO, but their sound is not right for Debussy, and Maazel's interpretation is very in your face. The fabled Boulez New Philharmonia doesn't seem that magical or revelatory this time. Bour is awfully swift and rather dour (no rhyme intended). Desormiere I haven't returned to yet, but Sviatoslav Richter once said that it was the best recording of any work he'd ever heard. At least one textual or conductorial emphasis question -- when, after a longish pause, the great sweeping massed cello passage arrives in movement one (at about the 5:20 mark on most recordings), Bernstein backs up the figure with a striking kettle drum rumble, a carry over from the bold [at least in Bernstein's recording] kettle drum rumbles that accompany the immediately preceding orchestral crescendos. Haven't gone back to every "La Mer" I have to be sure, but the only other recordingof the ones I've checked so far where one can hear any drum rumbles behind the cellos (and I mean any) is Haitink's, and his kettle drum or drums is/are a fair bit more discreet that Lennie's (which are probably spotlighted by the engineer -- there seems to be a good deal of spotlighting on his recording in general, although for sound musical reasons IMO). But is there, I wonder, a textual issue here? Two versions of the score, one with that drum rumble behind the cellos, the other without? If so, all I can say is that the drum rumble behind the cellos sounds great to me. P.S. What a piece of music!

Gotcha. Thanks.

I think I know exactly what you mean. Having come to like Martinu somwhere between a fair bit and a good deal over the years, there is a kind of blandly jolly tunefulness to some of his work, often coupled with motoric, sewing-machine rhythms, and there you have, if I'm thinking along the same lines you are, "Cold War-era figure skating music." As for the sports connection, Janacek's "Sinfonietta" was commissioned by a gymnastic organization, who apparently planned to do co-ordinated mass exercises to it. Probably things of this sort were prominent in Czech culture. To put things into perspective, Janacek was mandated by the large national gymnastic organization "Sokol" (= "The Falcon") to compose a brass fanfare for them. Janacek work on this fanfare ended this being the first of five movements of "Sinfonietta", which he finalized within 3 weeks in 1926. By no means this gymnastic organization was directly influental on the czech composers at that time, this was the (IMO) only mandate they ever granted - of course they used some works of czech composers for their festivities, for instance by Josef Suk ("V nový život" aka "In to a new Life" op. 35 c 1919/20 later dedicated to Sokol). Nevertheless there was some connection between Janacek and Sokol, as Sokol was mainly a political aka national democratic organization (during the reign of communism 1949-1989 emigrants founded a lot of international Sokol entities abroad to maintain their hope they will be allowed to come back into a democratic Czech Republic one time ...... and a long - for manny too long - wait it was ....) and Janacek from his youth was member of Sokol - furthermore he was of the opinion that a national (Czech) democratic structure could be only preserved by a stable military safeguard and therefore he named the first draft of the forementioned work "Military Sinfonietta" .... still in 1926 he was invited to England by enterpreneur Rosa Newmarch and dedicated the composition - now as "Sinfonietta" to her .... Hope the forementioned doesn`t put any harm on JSangry`s relief after Larry Kart previous explanation ;-) ..... My only point, based on the connection between Janacek and Sokol, is that sports organizations of various sorts (gymnastic outfits, soccer teams, etc.) perhaps played a somewhat different and more prominent role in Czech life than they do in American life, were a force for social solidarity beyond the limits of simple fandom.. Also, I get a belated whiff of one aspect of Futurism, the idea that team sports were a quintessentially modern activity. Didn't Soviet composers (e.g. Shostakovich) write some "sports" scores? P.S. Yup. http://musicmotionblog.com/2010/07/world-cup-music-shostakovichs-soccer-match/

I find the Violin Concerto from 1943-4, commissioned by Mischa Elman, impressive (actually it's Concerto No. 2, but No. 1, from the early '30s, was lost/under wraps for many years because Samuel Dushkin, who commissioned it, had qualms, never performed it, and for some reason prevented anyone else from doing so until finally the cloak was lifted. I have Concerto No. 2 on an old Artia LP (via Supraphon), with Bruno Belcik (concertmaster of the Czech Philharmonic) and Neumann. There are well-regarded versions on CD -- one with Isabelle Faust and Belhovcek, the other with Hogwood and a Czech violinist whose name I don't recall. Haven't heard either of them. There probably are others on CD as well.

I think I know exactly what you mean. Having come to like Martinu somwhere between a fair bit and a good deal over the years, there is a kind of blandly jolly tunefulness to some of his work, often coupled with motoric, sewing-machine rhythms, and there you have, if I'm thinking along the same lines you are, "Cold War-era figure skating music." As for the sports connection, Janacek's "Sinfonietta" was commissioned by a gymnastic organization, who apparently planned to do co-ordinated mass exercises to it. Probably things of this sort were prominent in Czech culture.

I found "Julietta" on LPs about 25 years ago. Magical.

The duplication can be avoided by getting this: One of the best Sinfoniettas too.

Some overlap here, but "Les Fresques" may be my favorite Martinu work: http://www.amazon.com/Martinu-Symphony-Memorial-Fresques-Francesca/dp/B00000JIYF/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1432490370&sr=1-4&keywords=martinu+fresques

Haynes plays himself, as do other Globetrotters like Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton -- Sidney Poitier plays Inman Jackson -- in this terrific little movie, "Go Man Go," from 1954 (directed by the great cinematographer James Wong Howe) about the formation and evolution of the team, with Dane Clark as the young and not yet rotund Abe Saperstein: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047032/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm Great scene that's always stuck in my mind -- Saperstein and the Globetrotters in their early days are barnstorming and scuffling, check into a small town hotel or rooming house. In the middle of the night there's a knock on Abe's door. He answers it bleary eyed, asks the young guy at the door what he wants, guy says he wants to play for the Globetrotters. Abe (Dane Clark) says wearily, "Well, what can you do?"-- as in "What do you have to offer that might be attractive to us?" Guy says, "I can dribble." Abe says something like, "Anyone can dribble," Guy says, "I can dribble past you in this corridor" -- which is narrow enough that Dane Clark can put his hands on both walls at once. Dane crouches in a defensive stance, the guy takes a basketball (don't recall where he has it with him or Dane gives him one), and he dribbles up to and around Clark multiple times, back and forth, the ball bouncing at hummingbird speed, the lunging Clark never touches him. Astonished, Clark says, "What's your name, son?" "Marques Haynes." I could go on to describe the final scenes of the film, where the now successful Globetrotters play a celebrated exhibition game against the NBA champion Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan (this actually happened), falling well behind (the Globetrotters are nervous and uptight), until with a few minutes left in the game we begin to hear the whistled "Sweet Georgia Brown" on the soundtrack and Globetrotters hear it, too, and... Every time I've tried to tell someone about that scene, tears come to my eyes.

Yes. I'm waiting to pull the trigger until I get two CDs I ordered from GM about two weeks ago -- Gunther's Rite of Spring and his Berg Chamber Concerto, and a Pierrot Lunaire (conducted by someone else) and Gunther's Stravinsky Octet.The Rite and the the Berg I've heard very good things about (the Berg has Rudolf Kolisch on violin, Russell Sherman on piano); the Pierrot I've sample don Spotify and Phyllis Bryn-Julson seems to have a unique fix on the sprechstimme that (for once) sounds just right to me, while the Octet is kind of an obsession of mine.

May have posted this once before, but this cracks me up: MusicStack's Guide to Collecting Vinyl Records 10 Most Expensive Turntables Not that any of us could afford such extravagant turntables, but thankfully it doesn't cost anything to look and dream some. 10. TEAC's VPI HR-X1 turntable Price: $19,000 If you have a taste for high-end audio and don't mind spending richly for a hi-end craftsmanship than the run-of-the-mill speakers and audio systems, then this $19,000 TEAC's VPI HR-X1 turntable is meant to satiate your affluent tastes. The VPI HR-X from TEAC features a belt driven, 50-mm thick acrylic plate which floats on an air suspension system at 33.3 or 45rpm. The turntable features 24 extremely, 300rpm AC synchronous motors and it weighs approximately 52.5kg. 9. ClearAudio Master Reference Price: US $19,000 The ClearAudio Master Reference turntable is the just right pick if you are serious about aesthetics and audio. The turntable is hand-made in Germany and boasts a range of innovative features including APG (Accurate Power Generator) motor control system, master reference chassis, a master TQ-I tone arm and unique "Side-Force-Free" triple motor and belt drive system. The master reference turntable is also available in various other models and is considered by many leading audio magazines, including "The Absolute Sound", "Stereoplay" and "Hifi +" as the best turntable on the marker. Superb mechanical design and precise production provide the foundation for a cohesive, dynamic sound throughout the complete musical spectrum. 8. Proscenium Black Diamond Turntable Price: US $40,000 The Proscenium Black Diamond Turntable is the result of over 30 years of research to build the best sounding turntable. Every component is selected precisely for its sonic performance. Even the finish on the platter has been selected for its sonic merit. 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The amalgamation of compact high mass, non-resonant materials, and speed stability delivers a playback system that will flabbergast you with excellent dynamics, clarity, and noise free background. 6. DaVinciAudio Labs AAS Gabriel Price: US $41,250 The unique design of the DaVinciAudio Labs AAS Gabriel turntable is inspired from the same process that is used to cut grooves into masters for vinyl discs. The turntable looks deadly cool when we take a look at its form factor and compare the make to the TransrotorArtus, Sondek LP12 SE turntable, TEAC's VPI HR-X1 turntable, Goldmund's The Reference II, and the Basis Audio turntable. All of these carry a hefty price tag but when we talk about looks, the AAS Gabriel turntable certainly sits at the top. Frankly speaking, it looks to be something that should be placed in an art museum. It comes equipped with highly stable drive chassis, acoustically sound turntable, silent bearings, and stable power supply. It has been designed in a way to produce absolutely zero noise or vibration. The inimitable design is inspired from the same process that is employed to cut grooves into masters for vinyl discs. Meant for the fat wallets, the 24-karat gold and white Luxury Edition sells for $41,250 while the silver and black version will set you back only $35,400. 5. Continuum Caliburn Price: $90,000 to $112,000 Vinyl isn't dead, and the Continuum Caliburn turntable is the thing to prove that. The pricing for the turntable starts at $90,000 and goes up to $112,000, depending on finishes and includes some remarkable technology. The tone arm alone sells for $12,000. The turntable employs a magnetically levitated magnesium platter, which is suspended in a vacuum to guarantee there are no vibrations. 4. 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Basis Audio's Work of Art turntable Price: US $150,000 Basis Audio is one of the leading turntable manufacturers of the world, which guarantees high quality systems to the music-lovers. Audiophiles fancy the quality of vinyl as a musical source, and the very best turntables are built on a philosophy of weight and stability. Basis Audio's "Work of Art" turntable makes use of a self-contained Resonance Annihilator, which plays the role of isolating it from vibration. The vibrational energy is neutralized by being transformed into heat energy, which is then efficiently dissipated. At $150,000, the Work of Art is definitely one of the most expensive consumer audio devices out there. It boasts features such as Resonance Annihilation, which attempts to remove all vibrations from the record, thereby creating a more pure sound. 1. Goldmund's Reference II Price: US $300,000 This turntable is without doubt every music enthusiasts' dream gadget but only the uber-rich will be able to buy it as the price tag reads a cool $300,000. There are only 25 on the planet. The Reference II turntable features a degree of refinement and a number of never-seen-before features. The turntable features a 20kg platter machined to a hundredth of a millimeter, a motor vibration-shielded by 15kg of brass, and teflon-insulated signal-carrying electronics. Other specs include cog-free motor with lowest electrical and mechanical noise, liquid-nitrogen-rectified belt, touch controls integrated in the tabletop specially designed new Goldmund T8 straight-line tone arm with total weight of 7 kg. Limited editions of 25 units are sold on subscription with a maximum production of 5 units per year.

Hey -- in that photo Mitch isn't playing oboe but English horn, right? One of the better "with strings" jazz albums is this one, with Dick Hyman charts (worked out in collaboration with Flip) played by top NYC freelancers and recorded by RVG: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Tenderness-Flip-Phillips-Strings/dp/B000QQTS3I/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1432342759&sr=8-1&keywords=flip+phillips+strings

Just checked out some of this on Spotify, and my gosh! My go-to "Gurrelieder" before was Chailly, but what I heard of this one was stunning. Anyone know it?

Thanks. I did enjoy it.

http://www.gramophone.co.uk/feature/welcome-to-stravinskys-world?utm_expid=32540977-5.-DEFmKXoQdmXwfDwHzJRUQ.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Picked a copy of this 1960 LP today. It has Larkins plus rhythm, an oboist, and a string quartet, playing Larkins' own charts. Any idea who the players might be? I'm curious in part because Burt Korall's liner notes say that Larkins selected them. Music so far, within a mood music framework, is quite subtle, as one might expect. Jimmy Jones is added on two tracks.

Something I posted elsewhere: "Letterman's all-purpose slathered-on irony often annoyed me, and he never was very funny IMO, but there were a number of moments of useful genuine strangeness, e.g. when Emo Phillips was a guest or when Dave's mom paid a visit. Also, one felt that Letterman, armored though he was, was an actual human being. Fallon, Kimmel et al., no." P.S. I did a longish, face-to-face interview with Letterman for the Chicago Tribune magazine in his agent's office in L.A. when rumors of Carson's retirement were in the air and Letterman was a rumored possible replacement. Dave was understandably wary, but we got along well after a while; he was damn smart. His agent was named Marty. BTW, at that point in his life/career Dave was a great admirer of Jay Leno, who was the reining standup king of the LA comedy clubs and elsewhere and who had taken Letterman under his wing when he arrived in town from Indianapolis -- Jay having detected that the then inexperienced Letterman probably had what it took. Difficult to recall these days, but the young Leno could be very funny, especially when he was in a position to be spontaneous. Was Jay's generosity/niceness wholly genuine? Having been on the receiving end of some of it myself around that time, I could sense that it might to some degree be defensive or manipulative -- i.e. he was perhaps being nice to people to whom it might be to his advantage to be nice -- but if so, his niceness was quite empathetic/ specifically tailored to who one was.

For the feel of Chicago, nothing in my experience beats the novels of taxi driver Jack Clark, especially "Nobody's Angel." http://www.amazon.com/Jack-Clark/e/B001JRX0B4/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0#_=_ I see from the above that there are some I've missed; got to catch up.

I think his posts were some time ago deleted. IIRC he was "indno" . . (in the know). Don't recall "indno," but if instead you're thinking of "You Must Be" (as in "You must be in the know"), that was sometime record producer Milan Simich, brother of onetime U.S. Poet Laureate Charles Simic (they spell their last name differently).

I'll never forget the way Belden, almost certainly without consciously intending to do so, put down so definitively one of jazz's more pompous pontificators while we and a few others were eating lunch at an Upper West Side sandwich shop that Mr. Pomposity got up and walked out in mid-sentence, leaving his half-eaten sandwich behind. Bob, bless him, didn't blink an eye, just kept on talking about what he'd been talking about.

Damn. Belden is a terrific guy.

It's here: