Thanks to Martin Cowan for his email sent Saturday:
“Just found out that the great Vic Chesnutt has died:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vic_Chesnutt
http://pitchfork.com/news/37454-vic-chesnutt-in-coma/
http://cstrecords.com/
Wednesday 30 December 2009
Tuesday 29 December 2009
Changing Times radio series: enjoyable. (Part 4 transmits Wednesday @ 1900 GMT)
Inter-cutting all 10 tracks with comments by writers Howard Sounes and Sid Griffin, Bob Dylan: Changing Times, part 3 – 1989, 0h Mercy, which just finished on BBC 6 Music, was a largely enjoyable dissection of the 1989 album.
Like the previous pair, the programme strove to prove that years ending in “9” have been particularly significant in the Dylan story.
Many, me included, would dispute that.
Other voices heard were Dylan himself (short clip about live performance), Sean Penn (impersonating Bob, reading from Chronicles), Malcolm Burn, muso/engineer on Oh Mercy, and presenter John Wilson.
The programme’s strength was its focus on the music.
But, for those who know the music, that was also a weakness – we all possess the album and can play it whenever we want. More evaluation and some fresh insights would have been preferable.
Those reservations aside, programme 3 will send me back to the earlier two, via BBC iPlayer:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Programme 4, unlisted in Radio Times, the woeful BBC listings mag, runs tomorrow, Wednesday 30 Dec, @ 1900 GMT. It looks as if it might be “experts” “chatting” about Dylan in the Noughties.
Hmmm…
Gerry Smith
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tempting new three-part BBC radio series to track the changing Dylan
Over the Xmas holidays, BBC 6 Music, the rock radio station, is broadcasting a tempting new three-part series surveying Dylan’s changing times.
Bob Dylan: Changing Times, a trio of one-hour programmes to be transmitted on successive evenings from Sunday 27 December (Sunday @ 2000 GMT, then 1900 on Monday and Tuesday), examines Dylan’s abrupt end-of-decade changes – country in 1969, Christianity in 1979 and a “return to large-scale touring” in 1989.
BBC 6 Music is a digital-only station, focusing mainly but not exclusively on post-Punk rock. It targets a younger audience than hoary old Radio 2 - the older brothers of pubescent Radio 1 listeners.
If you live in a territory where copyright allows, you might be able to hear the series online at:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Gerry Smith
Like the previous pair, the programme strove to prove that years ending in “9” have been particularly significant in the Dylan story.
Many, me included, would dispute that.
Other voices heard were Dylan himself (short clip about live performance), Sean Penn (impersonating Bob, reading from Chronicles), Malcolm Burn, muso/engineer on Oh Mercy, and presenter John Wilson.
The programme’s strength was its focus on the music.
But, for those who know the music, that was also a weakness – we all possess the album and can play it whenever we want. More evaluation and some fresh insights would have been preferable.
Those reservations aside, programme 3 will send me back to the earlier two, via BBC iPlayer:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Programme 4, unlisted in Radio Times, the woeful BBC listings mag, runs tomorrow, Wednesday 30 Dec, @ 1900 GMT. It looks as if it might be “experts” “chatting” about Dylan in the Noughties.
Hmmm…
Gerry Smith
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tempting new three-part BBC radio series to track the changing Dylan
Over the Xmas holidays, BBC 6 Music, the rock radio station, is broadcasting a tempting new three-part series surveying Dylan’s changing times.
Bob Dylan: Changing Times, a trio of one-hour programmes to be transmitted on successive evenings from Sunday 27 December (Sunday @ 2000 GMT, then 1900 on Monday and Tuesday), examines Dylan’s abrupt end-of-decade changes – country in 1969, Christianity in 1979 and a “return to large-scale touring” in 1989.
BBC 6 Music is a digital-only station, focusing mainly but not exclusively on post-Punk rock. It targets a younger audience than hoary old Radio 2 - the older brothers of pubescent Radio 1 listeners.
If you live in a territory where copyright allows, you might be able to hear the series online at:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Gerry Smith
Monday 21 December 2009
Der Rosenkavalier: not my cup of tea
On reflection, struggling into town through snow and ice on Friday to see Der Rosenkavalier at London’s Royal Opera House was a silly mistake.
I generally like Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hoffmannsthal operas, but this sugary confection just wasn’t to my taste.
Having ploughed diligently through the operatic repertoire for the last fifteen years, I should have realized much, much earlier – lightweight fluffy costume drama just isn’t my cup of tea.
Der Rosenkavalier is one of the best-loved of all operas. I fail to see why.
The singers in Act 1 were OK, Sophie Koch the pick. I can’t tell you anything about Acts 2 & 3, though – I hotfooted it back to the ‘burbs at the first interval.
Gerry Smith
I generally like Richard Strauss/Hugo von Hoffmannsthal operas, but this sugary confection just wasn’t to my taste.
Having ploughed diligently through the operatic repertoire for the last fifteen years, I should have realized much, much earlier – lightweight fluffy costume drama just isn’t my cup of tea.
Der Rosenkavalier is one of the best-loved of all operas. I fail to see why.
The singers in Act 1 were OK, Sophie Koch the pick. I can’t tell you anything about Acts 2 & 3, though – I hotfooted it back to the ‘burbs at the first interval.
Gerry Smith
Thursday 17 December 2009
Tempting new three-part BBC radio series to track the changing Dylan
Over the Xmas holidays, BBC 6 Music, the rock radio station, is broadcasting a tempting new three-part series surveying Dylan’s changing times.
Bob Dylan: Changing Times, a trio of one-hour programmes to be transmitted on successive evenings from Sunday 27 December (Sunday @ 2000 GMT, then 1900 on Monday and Tuesday), examines Dylan’s abrupt end-of-decade changes – country in 1969, Christianity in 1979 and a “return to large-scale touring” in 1989.
BBC 6 Music is a digital-only station, focusing mainly but not exclusively on post-Punk rock. It targets a younger audience than hoary old Radio 2 - the older brothers of pubescent Radio 1 listeners.
If you live in a territory where copyright allows, you might be able to hear the series online at:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Gerry Smith
Bob Dylan: Changing Times, a trio of one-hour programmes to be transmitted on successive evenings from Sunday 27 December (Sunday @ 2000 GMT, then 1900 on Monday and Tuesday), examines Dylan’s abrupt end-of-decade changes – country in 1969, Christianity in 1979 and a “return to large-scale touring” in 1989.
BBC 6 Music is a digital-only station, focusing mainly but not exclusively on post-Punk rock. It targets a younger audience than hoary old Radio 2 - the older brothers of pubescent Radio 1 listeners.
If you live in a territory where copyright allows, you might be able to hear the series online at:
www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/
Gerry Smith
Friday 4 December 2009
Verdi’s Otello in London last night: my top gig of 2009
Verdi’s Otello at the Barbican last night was a fine concert performance of a top opera.
Take a great drama (Shakespeare’s Othello), edit it to a stunning libretto (Boito) and set it to music by a late-career master (Verdi) and you have a powerful piece of timeless art.
Add one of the great orchestras of the world – London Symphony Orchestra – and a cast of expressive solo voices, and you create unforgettable music, rich, subtle, moving.
Last night’s Otello was a stand-in, Simon O’Neill. He was a revelation, the definitive heldentenor. He was kept on his toes by the dependably resonant bass-baritone Gerald Finley (Jago) and the subtly tragic soprano Anne Schwanewilms (Desdemona). Young tenor Allan Clayton (Cassio), new to me, was impressive - we’ll be hearing a lot more from him.
The LSO and choir – 200 people on the stage – were outstanding.
Verdi’s Otello in London last night: my top gig of 2009.
Gerry Smith
Take a great drama (Shakespeare’s Othello), edit it to a stunning libretto (Boito) and set it to music by a late-career master (Verdi) and you have a powerful piece of timeless art.
Add one of the great orchestras of the world – London Symphony Orchestra – and a cast of expressive solo voices, and you create unforgettable music, rich, subtle, moving.
Last night’s Otello was a stand-in, Simon O’Neill. He was a revelation, the definitive heldentenor. He was kept on his toes by the dependably resonant bass-baritone Gerald Finley (Jago) and the subtly tragic soprano Anne Schwanewilms (Desdemona). Young tenor Allan Clayton (Cassio), new to me, was impressive - we’ll be hearing a lot more from him.
The LSO and choir – 200 people on the stage – were outstanding.
Verdi’s Otello in London last night: my top gig of 2009.
Gerry Smith
Wednesday 2 December 2009
The Complete MILES DAVIS Columbia Album Collection: Release of the Decade
A week after receiving it, I’m still drooling over it.
The Complete MILES DAVIS Columbia Album Collection is now the star of my music collection.
It collects together 52 Miles albums on 70 CDs.
The Columbia LPs are the pick of the Davis crop. The music is stellar.
The extras – 2 CDs, extra track versions of many albums, DVD, book - are compelling. The price (£140 at amazon uk) is very competitive – a legendary tightwad, I bought the box even though I already own more than half of the albums.
And the product is exquisite, the most beautiful artefact I’ve ever possessed. The CDs are packaged in miniature replicas of the original LP artwork. The box is a work of art.
The book, by a pair of French journalists from the fabulous Paris-based Jazz Magazine, is a must-have.
The Complete MILES DAVIS Columbia Album Collection is very highly recommended.
In fact it’s my Release of the Decade
Gerry Smith
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
THE COMPLETE MILES DAVIS COLUMBIA ALBUM COLLECTION
(Columbia/Legacy 88697 55852 2)
# Title Rec. Rel. Catalog
01. In Paris Festival Int'l De Jazz May, 1949 - 1949 1977 SRCS 9724
02. 'Round About Midnight - 1955-1956 1957 CK 85201
03. Circle In The Round - 1955-1970 1979 C2K 46862
04. Miles Ahead - 1957 1957 CK 65121
05. Milestones - 1958 1958 CK 85203
06. 1958 Miles - 1958 1974 C6K 65833
07. At Newport 1958 - 1958 1964 CK 85202
08. Porgy And Bess - 1958 1959 CK 65141
09. Jazz At The Plaza - 1958 1973 CK 85245
10. Kind Of Blue - 1959 1959 CK 64935
11. Sketches Of Spain - 1959-60 1960 CK 65142
12. Directions - 1960-70 1981 SRCS 9761/2
13. Someday My Prince Will Come - 1961 1961 CK 65919
14. In Person Friday Night At The Blackhawk, 1961 - 1961 C2K 87097 San Francisco - Complete
15. In Person Saturday Night At The Blackhawk, - 1961 1961 C2K 87100 San Francisco - Complete
16. At Carnegie Hall - 1961 1962 C2K 65027
17. Quiet Nights + "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)" and "Devil May Care" - 1962 1963 CK 65293
18. Seven Steps To Heaven - 1963 1963 CK 93592
19. In Europe - 1963 1964 CK 93583
20. My Funny Valentine - 1964 1965 CK 93593
21. "Four" & More - 1964 1966 CK 93595
22. Miles In Tokyo - 1964 1969 CK 93596
23. Miles In Berlin - 1964 1965 CK 93594
24. E.S.P. - 1965 1965 CK 65683
25. At Plugged Nickel - V. 1 1965 1976 18AP 2067
V. 2 1965 1976 18AP 2068
26. Miles Smiles - 1966 1967 CK 65682
27. Sorcerer - 1967 1967 CK 65680
28. Nefertiti - 1967 1968 CK 65681
29. Water Babies - 1967-68 1976 CK 86577
30. Miles In The Sky - 1968 1968 CK 65684
31. Filles De Kilimanjaro - 1968 1969 CK 86555
32. In A Silent Way - 1969 1969 CK 86556
33. Bitches Brew - 1969 1970 C2K 65774
34. Big Fun - 1969-72 1974 C2K 63973
35. A Tribute To Jack Johnson - 1970 1971 CK 93599
36. Live At The Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time - 1970 2001 C2K 85191
37. Black Beauty: Miles Davis At Fillmore West - 1970 1973 C2K 65138
38. At Fillmore - 1970 1970 C2K 65139
39. # Isle Of Wight - 1970 2009 -
40. Live/Evil 1970 - 1971 C2K 65135
41. On The Corner - 1972 1972 CK 63980
42. In Concert - 1972 1973 C2K 65140
43. Dark Magus - 1974 1977 C2K 65137
44. Get Up With It - 1972-74 1974 C2K 63970
45. Agharta - 1975 1976 C2K 46799
46. Pangaea - 1975 1975 C2K 46115
47. The Man With The Horn - 1980-81 1981 CK 36790
48. We Want Miles + 3 bonus tracks from Miles!, Miles!, Miles! - 1981 1982 SICP 1235/6
49. Star People - 1982-83 1983 CK 38657
50. Decoy - 1983 1984 CK 38991
51. You're Under Arrest - 1984-85 1985 CK 40023
52. Aura - 1985 1989 CK 45332 indicates double-CD.
DVD
Miles Davis Quintet: Wayne Shorter, Herbie 10-11/67 2009 - Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams / Live In Europe '67
The Complete MILES DAVIS Columbia Album Collection is now the star of my music collection.
It collects together 52 Miles albums on 70 CDs.
The Columbia LPs are the pick of the Davis crop. The music is stellar.
The extras – 2 CDs, extra track versions of many albums, DVD, book - are compelling. The price (£140 at amazon uk) is very competitive – a legendary tightwad, I bought the box even though I already own more than half of the albums.
And the product is exquisite, the most beautiful artefact I’ve ever possessed. The CDs are packaged in miniature replicas of the original LP artwork. The box is a work of art.
The book, by a pair of French journalists from the fabulous Paris-based Jazz Magazine, is a must-have.
The Complete MILES DAVIS Columbia Album Collection is very highly recommended.
In fact it’s my Release of the Decade
Gerry Smith
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
THE COMPLETE MILES DAVIS COLUMBIA ALBUM COLLECTION
(Columbia/Legacy 88697 55852 2)
# Title Rec. Rel. Catalog
01. In Paris Festival Int'l De Jazz May, 1949 - 1949 1977 SRCS 9724
02. 'Round About Midnight - 1955-1956 1957 CK 85201
03. Circle In The Round - 1955-1970 1979 C2K 46862
04. Miles Ahead - 1957 1957 CK 65121
05. Milestones - 1958 1958 CK 85203
06. 1958 Miles - 1958 1974 C6K 65833
07. At Newport 1958 - 1958 1964 CK 85202
08. Porgy And Bess - 1958 1959 CK 65141
09. Jazz At The Plaza - 1958 1973 CK 85245
10. Kind Of Blue - 1959 1959 CK 64935
11. Sketches Of Spain - 1959-60 1960 CK 65142
12. Directions - 1960-70 1981 SRCS 9761/2
13. Someday My Prince Will Come - 1961 1961 CK 65919
14. In Person Friday Night At The Blackhawk, 1961 - 1961 C2K 87097 San Francisco - Complete
15. In Person Saturday Night At The Blackhawk, - 1961 1961 C2K 87100 San Francisco - Complete
16. At Carnegie Hall - 1961 1962 C2K 65027
17. Quiet Nights + "Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern)" and "Devil May Care" - 1962 1963 CK 65293
18. Seven Steps To Heaven - 1963 1963 CK 93592
19. In Europe - 1963 1964 CK 93583
20. My Funny Valentine - 1964 1965 CK 93593
21. "Four" & More - 1964 1966 CK 93595
22. Miles In Tokyo - 1964 1969 CK 93596
23. Miles In Berlin - 1964 1965 CK 93594
24. E.S.P. - 1965 1965 CK 65683
25. At Plugged Nickel - V. 1 1965 1976 18AP 2067
V. 2 1965 1976 18AP 2068
26. Miles Smiles - 1966 1967 CK 65682
27. Sorcerer - 1967 1967 CK 65680
28. Nefertiti - 1967 1968 CK 65681
29. Water Babies - 1967-68 1976 CK 86577
30. Miles In The Sky - 1968 1968 CK 65684
31. Filles De Kilimanjaro - 1968 1969 CK 86555
32. In A Silent Way - 1969 1969 CK 86556
33. Bitches Brew - 1969 1970 C2K 65774
34. Big Fun - 1969-72 1974 C2K 63973
35. A Tribute To Jack Johnson - 1970 1971 CK 93599
36. Live At The Fillmore East (March 7, 1970): It's About That Time - 1970 2001 C2K 85191
37. Black Beauty: Miles Davis At Fillmore West - 1970 1973 C2K 65138
38. At Fillmore - 1970 1970 C2K 65139
39. # Isle Of Wight - 1970 2009 -
40. Live/Evil 1970 - 1971 C2K 65135
41. On The Corner - 1972 1972 CK 63980
42. In Concert - 1972 1973 C2K 65140
43. Dark Magus - 1974 1977 C2K 65137
44. Get Up With It - 1972-74 1974 C2K 63970
45. Agharta - 1975 1976 C2K 46799
46. Pangaea - 1975 1975 C2K 46115
47. The Man With The Horn - 1980-81 1981 CK 36790
48. We Want Miles + 3 bonus tracks from Miles!, Miles!, Miles! - 1981 1982 SICP 1235/6
49. Star People - 1982-83 1983 CK 38657
50. Decoy - 1983 1984 CK 38991
51. You're Under Arrest - 1984-85 1985 CK 40023
52. Aura - 1985 1989 CK 45332 indicates double-CD.
DVD
Miles Davis Quintet: Wayne Shorter, Herbie 10-11/67 2009 - Hancock, Ron Carter, Tony Williams / Live In Europe '67
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