HutchFan

I've never heard that album -- but the Gregg Smith Singers' LPs of Charles Ives' music are treasures. They're the only vocal ensemble I've heard that makes Ives' choral music sound completely "Ivesian" -- with all the jostling and rough edges left intact. Especially as heard on this LP: NP: Just the download, for now. Haven't received the CD yet.

Looks like we're in agreement. I hadn't even seen your response when I replied to danasgoodstuff!

I'm glad you're enjoying it, Rabshekeh. I'm disappointed that I haven't had the energy or time to do more write-ups. But I'm committed to at least posting the "bare bones" through the end of the year. It's not Dialogue. You're right. But neither is Dialogue Cirrus. I don't think one is "better" than the other. They're different. Also, I have to admit that I sorta think of Dialogue as an Andrew Hill record as much as a Bobby Hutcherson record. Hill wrote four of the six compositions (on the CD version), and Joe Chambers composed the other two. Bobby didn't contribute any. As a Bobby Hutcherson fan, I LOVE Dialogue. But I feel that albums like Happenings or Stick-Up! are more "representative" of Bobby at his best in the 1960s. Also, if I were taking a handful of Hutch records to a desert-island, Cirrus would definitely be coming with me. Dialogue... probably not. Just my take, of course.

Disc 2 - Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis and A London Symphony (No. 2)

Outstanding.

Until tonight, I hadn't touched my blog for a month. Too much work. Too much stress. Too many apocalyptic distractions. But I've managed to "catch up" -- at least partially. There's little or no commentary. But the titles, personnel, and recording dates are finally out there. Album cover pix too. Anyhow, here's what I've got . . . Recap - PLAYING FAVORITES: Reflections on Jazz in the 1970s Shirley Scott – One for Me (Strata-East, 1974) Billy Cobham – Crosswinds (Atlantic, 1974) Irene Kral – Where Is Love? (Choice, 1975) Charles Mingus – Changes One (Atlantic, 1975) and Changes Two (Atlantic, 1975) Count Basie & Oscar Peterson – "Satch" and "Josh" (Pablo, 1975) Harold Vick – Don't Look Back (Strata-East, 1974) Joe Bonner – The Lifesaver (Muse, 1975) The Modern Jazz Quartet – The Complete Last Concert (Atlantic, 1975) Jackie McLean & the Cosmic Brotherhood – New York Calling (SteepleChase/Inner City, 1975) Bobby Vince Paunetto – Paunetto's Point (Pathfinder/RSVP, 1975) Dusko Goykovich – Slavic Mood (RCA Italy, 1975) Keith Jarrett – Death & the Flower / Backhand (Impulse, 1975) Lee Konitz – Satori (Milestone, 1975) Toots Thielemans – Captured Alive aka Images (Choice, 1974) Bobby Jones – Hill Country Suite (Enja, 1974) Randy Weston – Blues to Africa (Freedom/Arista-Freedom, 1975) Jimmy Raney – Momentum (MPS/PAUSA, 1975) Budd Johnson – Mr. Bechet (Black & Blue, 1974) Oregon – Winter Light (Vanguard, 1974) Eddie Harris – I Need Some Money (Atlantic/Collectables, 1975) Sonny Rollins – The Cutting Edge (Milestone, 1974) Jimmy Heath – The Time and the Place (Landmark, 1994) Kenny Drew Trio – Dark Beauty (SteepleChase/Inner City, 1974) Willis Jackson – Headed and Gutted (Muse, 1974) Bobby Hutcherson – Cirrus (Blue Note, 1974) Roswell Rudd – Flexible Flyer (Arista-Freedom/Black Lion, 1975) Bennie Maupin – The Jewel in the Lotus (ECM, 1974) Earl Hines – One for My Baby (Black Lion, 1978) and Master of Jazz, Vol. 2 (Storyville, 1984) Phineas Newborn, Jr. – Piano Solo (Atlantic/32 Jazz, 1975) Teddy Wilson – Striding After Fats (Black Lion, 1974) Coincidentally, every one of these recordings were made in 1974.

Thanks for the heads-up on this, GA Russell. It's a record that I'll be getting, for sure. I'm still bummed out about Larry Willis' passing.

Pim - Have you tried CDJapan? http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/ I realize that their selection is probably nowhere near as large as amazon.co.jp -- and I'm not sure whether they carry any vinyl -- but I've never had any issues ordering through them. They're my "go to" store for Japan-only CDs. One down-side: No resellers. New stuff only.

and Still on my Prokofiev kick.

Disc 2 - Symphony in F "Urbs Roma" and Symphony No. 3 in C minor "Organ"

Disc 3: Solo piano compositions, including Sonata No. 2, performed by Vladimir Ashkenazy

I've never heard Richter's version. Sounds intriguing.

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring (arr. for solo piano) / Dickran Atamian (RCA) Fascinating.

I've been spinning two of my desert-island LPs ... Shostakovich: String Quartets Nos. 14 & 15 / Taneyev Quartet (Columbia-Melodiya) and Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4 / Kondrashin, Moscow PO (MHS-Melodiya)

Wow. 30 sets is a lot! I'm jealous.

Another version of Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony:

Prokofiev's Sixth Symphony, as heard on this set:

Interesting!

Some stressful things are happening at work. To keep myself distracted, today I decided to conduct an impromptu listening experiment. I just finished listening to to ten different recordings of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 31 in A flat major, Op. 110. The recordings I chose: Arrau (Philips) Barenboim (DG) Brendel (Philips I) Buchbinder (Teldec) Hungerford Kempff (DG II) Kovacevich (Warner Classics) Pollini Serkin (1960) Solomon I enjoyed listening to all of these recordings, but -- for this listener, today -- three stood out. They are (in no particular order): KOVACEVICH - for his dark and brooding weightiness; it's a "heavy" reading--in the best sense of the word. Think Otto Klemperer. SERKIN - for his sense of pathos and subsequent joyousness; there's also a singing quality in Serkin's playing that brings the "Choral" Symphony to mind. HUNGERFORD - for creating such a profound sense of drama; if you want a visual image of Hungerford's way with this music, think of Zeus, his arm raised above his head, casting his lightning bolt. It's fun to do these sorts of listening comparisons, occasionally. It's a bit like comparing ten different jazz versions of "Body and Soul." Some might be more important than others (historically speaking), but I'm resistant to the idea of finding a "definitive" one. So, do you have a favorite recording of LvB's Op.110 sonata?

Symphony No. 4 and Piano Sonatas Nos. 30, 31, 32