HutchFan

Yep. Mahler's Seventh AGAIN. This recording is by James Levine & the Chicago SO: as issued in:

After my cassette deck bit the dust, I recently traded in the last of my cassettes at McKay's in Chattanooga. They only recently started taking them -- this summer, I think. With LPs selling like hotcakes, are cassettes the next "everything old is new again" phenomenon? Most of my remaining cassettes were rock & pop, but there were quite a few jazz titles as well. Two that I plan to track down and re-purchase in LP or CD format: Carla Bley Big Band - Fleur Carnivore (ECM) and John Carter - Fields (Gramavision).

Nice. That title tune is by Sir Roland Hanna! Hanna also used it as the title for an album: Always thought it was a great composition.

I've been grooving to Mahler's music lately, so I thought I'd re-boot this old thread. My ever-evolving list of favorite Mahler recordings appears below. I tried to limit myself to no more than three recordings per symphony. I also tried to list them in approximate order of preference. The recordings in bold text go with me to my desert island. M1 - Horenstein (Unicorn); Kubelik (DG) M2 - Scherchen; Walter (Sony); Bernstein (DG) M3 - Kubelik (DG); Horenstein; Levine M4 - Levine; Abravanel; Horenstein M5 - Kubelik (Audite); Bernstein (DG); Barbirolli M6 - Barbirolli; Boulez; Bernstein (DG) M7 - Boulez; Kubelik (DG); Levine M8 - Ozawa; Sinopoli DLvdE - Kubelik (Audite); Haitink (Philips) M9 - Walter (Sony); Horenstein (Vox); Bernstein/RCOA (DG) Solti's Mahler doesn't appeal to me. It's just too strident for my tastes. For example, his frequently-recommended M8 leaves me cold. Klemperer's Mahler has never grabbed me like it has so many others. I find them earth-bound. And not just his Mahler. I guess Klemps is just not my cuppa joe. ...Maybe I'm not enough of an "immoralist." I've never heard any of MTT's Mahler. I should probably rectify that -- especially since I LOVE his recordings of Ives' music. How about you? What are some of your favorite Mahler recordings?

Thanks for the heads-up on this, mandrill. They're bringing in some excellent musicians. I just might have to make the drive up there.

Tom Harrell - Stories (Contemporary)

Yeah that. ^

I'm not following, Allen. What do you mean? Bobby Avey - Inhuman Wilderness (innerVoiceJazz)

Ben Allison & Medicine Wheel - Riding the Nuclear Tiger (Palmetto) Haven't listened to this in ages, but I don't know why. It's good stuff. Bennie Wallace - The Talk of the Town (Enja) Typically strong set from Wallace. I really dig his approach, evoking the classic tenor sax sound of guys like Hawkins, Berry and Evans and combining it with a more modern vocabulary. It's distinctive, I think, the way he puts those elements together. (Or at least it was towards the beginning of Wallace's career. I'm not that familiar with his more recent stuff.)

Armen Donelian - Sayat-Nova: Songs of My Ancestors (Sunnyside) Disc 1

Jimmy Rushing and the Big Brass (Columbia/Sony) featuring Coleman Hawkins, Buck Clayton, Dickie Wells and others; paired on a single CD with Rushing Lullabies

Prompted by soulpope's mention of Barbirolli (above): At its best, Barbirolli's music-making seems intensely personal -- whether the composer is Mahler, Sibelius, Dvořák, Vaughan Williams, Elgar . . .

soulpope, thanks for that list of interesting M1s. I wasn't aware of that recording by Barbirolli. I may have to investigate.

On the way home from work: Mahler: Symphony No. 1 / Horenstein, LSO (Unicorn) My favorite recording of this symphony. When I got home, this was in my mailbox. Now listening: Mahler: Symphony No. 7 / Abbado, BPO (DG) Very impressive so far. But I'll need to give it half-a-dozen listens before I know where it fits in my totally subjective scheme of M7s.

Genesis - Duke For me, this conjures memories of high school.

Begin with Night Soldiers. It's his first (and best, imho).

Yes, his more recent books seem to have become a bit formulaic. But the early novels -- particularly Night Soldiers -- are excellent, I think. Yes! I've enjoyed those tremendously.

I've been meaning to pick up one of Ambler's books for years. Finally getting around to it. I've read most of Alan Furst's novels, and Ambler seems to be the author to whom he's compared most often.

Just finished: ' Genesis: Chapter & Verse Fascinating reading -- at least for a long-time fan like myself. Next up: Eric Ambler - Journey Into Fear

Sonny Fortune, Billy Harper, et al - Great Friends (Evidence) Oscar Peterson & Milt Jackson - Reunion Blues (MPS)

Jabali

Mahler: Symphony No. 8 / Sinopoli, Philharmonia O, et al (DG) Trying again to find my way into my least favorite Mahler symphony. I like it. But -- unlike all of the others -- I don't love it.

What's that like, soulpope? I've never heard it. NP: Paul Motian Band - Garden of Eden (ECM)