Anyone here listen to classical or jazz?

[Danbry39]

Have to say that most of my music is Rock, but lately I've been buying and listening to a lot of jazz and classical, even bought my first four operas. I think a lot has to do with my system now. Pianos don't sound too metallic, violins don't sound too harsh, and voices are pure and natural. I guess these days, I've been listening to mostly classical and absolutely love it. Already have my favorites. Wondering if you have music that you listen to a good deal of the time and what your favorite pieces/recordings are. Anyone?




Keith

[DJLackey5]

I probably listen to 50% rock, 45% jazz and 5% classical. My favorites of the moment change often, but right now I cannot stop playing:
Rock - Peter Gabriel's new "Up", Alex Lloyd's "Watching Angels Mend", and Gov't Mule's "The Deep End -Vol 1 and 2
Jazz - John Coltrane's recently remastered "A Love Supreme", Tomas Stanko's "The Soul of Things" and Mario Pavone's "For Thomas"

[Danbry39]

Thanks very much for responding. I just like to mix up the sounds a lot, but lately have been on a classical bend. Have to admit I hadn't heard of Gov't Mule so I looked them up. I should have known who they were as I'm an Allman Brothers fan. Love Coltrane. You have good taste to listen to A Love Supreme, which is a gem. Have you heard Ascension? It creates a caucaphony of sound by a huge, by Coltrane standards, band, out of which soloists break into wonderfully jazzy and sometimes blues oriented solos.




Keith

[Burke Strickland]

Anyone here listen to classical or jazz?

MOSTLY classical and jazz... it plays well on my system too. :>) Here's some of the stuff I've been listening to most recently:

Mozart: Horn Concertos -- Dennis Brain / Herbert von Karajan / Philharmonia Orchestra (EMI Classics Mono 7243 5 66950 2 3)
There are several fine performances of these works in the catalog, but no one has surpassed (or even equaled) Brain’s virtuosity and sensitivity to the nuances of Mozart’s horn compositions.

Beethoven: The Late String Quartets – The Budapest String Quartet (Bridge 9072 A/C three discs)
Other more recent ensembles may benefit from more up-to-date recordings, but the original Budapest still “owns” the Beethoven string quartets – a “must listen” even if you are enamored with the Emerson, the Borodin, the Guarneri, et al.

Bach: Great Organ Works – Helmut Walcha (Deutsche Grammophon 453 064-2)
Among the foremost interpreters of Bach’s mighty organ works, Walcha performs 11 major pieces on this two disc set. If you are immune to yet another reading of the Toccata and Fugue in D minor (no matter how well played), skip it and enjoy the other 10 selections offered here. :>)

Holst: The Planets – Charles Dutoit / Orchestre symphonique de Montreal (London 417 553-2)
Electrifying rendition of a much played favorite. (I have three other versions of The Planets in my collection). “Jupiter” is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Shostakovich: Symphony no. 5 – Mstslav Rostropovich / National Symphony Orchestra (Deutsche Grammophon 410 509-2)
I guess it takes a Russian to properly capture the “sound” of this deeply moving work (for example, as much as I admire Leonard Bernstein’s work in general, his rendition of this piece just doesn’t sound right to me). The Maazel/Cleveland SACD (Telarc SACD 0561) may edge this one for sonics, but this performance is right up there with the best as an idiomatic and ultimately pleasing interpretation.

Rodrigo: Complete Concertos for Guitar and Harp – Pepe Romero / The Romeros / Antonio de Almeida / Sir Neville Marriner / Academy of St Martin in the Field (Philips 289 462 296-2 Duo)
The hair on the back of my neck stands up every time I listen to Concierto de Aranjuez played by Pepe Romero. It’s that exciting. The whole album is a treasure (and a two-for-the-price-of-one-disc bargain).

Alison Krauss + Union Station “Live” – Alison Krauss / Union Station (Rounder ROUN0515)
As hard as it is to believe, the performances of songs that were such winners on “New Favorite” sound even better here! Gotta love Alison’s voice, whether she is singing or talking to the audience.

Bobby Short: Celebrating 30 Years at Café Carlyle -- Bobby Short and a ten piece orchestra (Telarc 3428 )
Although I already had over 15 albums by this consummate cabaret artist and have heard him perform live in NYC, LA and Houston, I wasn’t quite prepared for the impact of this remarkable album. Since he normally sings with an instrumental trio (including his own piano plus bass viol and drums) I was afraid the larger ensemble would overwhelm his artistry. Boy, was I wrong about that – the various instrumental sounds meld perfectly with his vocals and underscore rather than drown out the subtle nuances of his interpretations. I should have known – the ensemble is playing for Bobby Short, rather than him singing for them. Old standards, including Cole Porter’s “Just One Of Those Things”, take on new life. This is my “new favorite” of his work.

Mike Garson: The Oxnard Sessions Vol II -- Mike Garson plus Brian Bromberg, acoustic bass; Ralph Humphrey, drums; Billy Mintz, drums; Eric Marienthal, saxophone (Reference Recordings RR-53 CD)
Following their ingratiatingly original Oxnard Sessions Vol I (Reference Recordings RR-37 CD), Garson and his sidemen take their jazz stylings to new heights. The sound is, well, "reference" quality, :>) and the music is enchanting. Old favorites such as "A Night In Tunisia", "I Get A Kick Out of You" and (especially) "A Song For You" draw you in and make you think "this is the way it should be played" -- again and again.

Burke

[Danbry39]

Burke,

I hear your Planets is the best. I only have Andre Previns which also has its fans, but apparently a step short of Dutoits. I hate to double up as I'm still a neophyte to classical, but love the piece and so may have to.

I usually give money to a friend who has so many classical recordings that we figured out that he could go 25 years, listening to a different performance every day, and not play the same recording twice. I tell him what I'm interested in, he gets a gleam in his eye, and a few days later, my new bag of recordings is before me.

My favorites this week include:

Ironically, a Rodrigo recording: Concierto de Aranjuez.

The Wachter, Sutherland, Schwarzkopf Don Giovanni.

A great Copland (Fanfare for the Common Man, Appalachian Spring Suite, Third Symphony) with Eiji Oue leading the Minnesota Orchestra. This Reference Recording is amazingly great, so if you're a Copland fan at all, I'd recommend it, both for the performance and the recording quality.

Saint-Saens - Symphony No. 3 Organ with Eugene Ormandy leading the Philadelphia Orchestra and Michael Murray playing organ.

Shastakovich: Symphonies Nos 5 and 9 with Haitnik leading the London Philharmonic.

Heifetz playing Bruch and Vieuxtemps.

Jacqueline Du Pre playing Saint-saens and Dvorak - If you want an emotional, physical celloist - she's it.

Those are the ones most on my playlist this week.

If you have any "must have" selections, I'd love to hear them.




Keith

[John Holmes]

Hey Danbry39,

There are quite a few Jazz & Classical lovers here. I am one of the jazz guys. Though my taste leans more towards "smooth jazz" I own and listen to it all. Vocals rank right up there for me as well.

My favorite smooth jazz group is "Fourplay". And this is my favorite cd of their releases:

It not only has the playing of Bob James, Lee Ritenour,Nathan East and Harvey Mason. But it has the great vocals of Patty Austin & Peabo Bryson singing a remake of "The Closer I get to you". And a very nice piece featuring vocals by Phil Collins "Why can't we wait till morning".

My next fav in the smooth jazz genre the Jazz Masters. Paul Hardcastle puts together a great group, that delivers incredible music! Even Lex is a fan of this group. :B




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[George Bellefontaine]

About 90% of my jazz titles are on vinyl and I pl,ay them a lot. Especially the older Louis Armstrong, Ellington, The Village Stompers( Dixieland), Pete Fountain, Benny Goodman and other big bands like Ray Anthony, Glenn Miller, Harry James, etc.

With Classical I have a lot of Mozart, Beethoven, but one of my favorites is a double lp album called THE JOY OF MUSIC that has Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra with such favorites as The William Tell Overture, Bizet Symphony No. 1, Wagner Act 111,Lohwengrin, etc. Percussion is fabulous on this set.




My Homepage!

[John Holmes]

Danbry 39,

A fellow member (PJ) turned me on to a very nice jazz site. I thought I would pass it on to you and others that may have missed it.

http://www.smoothjazz.com

"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[Danbry39]

Thanks for the imput guys. Your posts pique my interest quite a bit. Always want to explore new music (to me at least). I went to the site for smooth jazz and it looks very, very nice. I think one could get lost over there for quite a while. George, I took two classes in the history of jazz when a student at U.C.L.A. and the teacher was named Paul Tanner. Still my favorite classes I ever took there and I went for 8 years. Anyway, Paul Tanner was a jazz trombonist who had played with quite a few of the classic big bands. He also saw artists such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, and John Coltrane when they were just starting out. He said their technique was horrible when he first saw them, but that he knew right away that they'd be giants because of their vision, which he said was quite apparent in each case. I tried to find the Bernstein you mentioned on CD, but was unable to yet. If I do, I'll buy it that second.




Keith

[John Holmes]

The classes with Paul Tanner sounds like they were a blast. It's always nice to get the inside scoop!

I am pretty impressed with the smooth jazz site too. It offers quite a bit to do and, is very informative. Not to mention, all the great music.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's

[George Bellefontaine]

Keith, that was an interesting story. As for the Leonard Bernstein album, it was released on the Columbia "Masterworks" label and the lp album number is M2X 795. I don't know if it has been released on CD but this info may help you track it down.




My Homepage!

[Danbry39]

John,

Definitely love the site. Have it bookmarked and you could spend a lot of time there.

George,

I'll keep a lookout for it. My friend brought me five new CD's today. That's how he does it. He just brings a bag of new CD's every week, whether I've asked him to find something for me or not. He just enjoys having someone beside his wife to share his special favorites with. And, he gets them for cheap. The five today were for $25.60, tax included. He knows where to find the deals. That's for sure.




Keith

[George Bellefontaine]

Wow, that's what I call a good friend.




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[georose]

I'm mostly a jazz fan but have collected most music. Any of the Columbia Jazz Recordings from the 60's are great, most notable being Miles Davis recordings such as "Kind of Blue"

[Bam!]

I know this is sort of late but I thought I would my 2 GODS of jazz. Patricia Barber (Albums like Modern Cool or Companion on XRCD2) :grab: I am telling no other cd will blow your mind like Patty Barber on XRCD2. :!: There a little pricy but well worth it. My 2nd GOD would have to be DAVE BRUBECK (he has many but Live at Carnegie Hall rules especially song 4 disc 2) 8)
Have fun and listen to these retarded loud...you will visit paradise!!!




Bam!

[Chris D]

I mostly listen to moderate rock, but do dabble into other genres as well. I've played trumpet for most of my life, in many different styles, and do appreciate and listen to both classical and jazz from time to time. Classical I'll play in the house a lot as background music, like during dinner or when we have guests over. Jazz I'll play when I like to relax, perhaps doing more critical listening, or I'll put in jazz/funk to really listen to someone wail.

As an example, Tower of Power (jazz/funk band) has some great tunes, including some trumpet solos that wail. Phil Driscoll, a Christian trumpet singer, can really blow those notes too. I find Norah Jones quite relaxing.




CHRIS
Luke: "Hey, I'm not such a bad pilot myself, you know"

[George Bellefontaine]

" I find Norah Jones quite relaxing."

So do I, and she's such a cutie, too.




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[Al K]

I like all types of music, but my taste is mainly jazz. Here are a few artists that generally have beautifully recorded material available! Yellow Jackets, Fourplay, Diana Krall, Patricia Barber, Paul Desmond, Jerry mulligan, Stan Getz. Spyro Gyra latest recording (In Modern Times)avail on SACD said to be some of their best and it is! Yellow Jackets (Time Squared) on SACD and 16 bit cd also very good. If you enjoy any of these artists, many of their recordings are very good to excellent quality.

Al

[Al K]

Bam,

Absolutely agree!! P. Barber comes accross wonderfully! Havn't heard the Brubeck at Carnegie hall yet. Just a matter of time though.

AL

[John Holmes]

Al K, I think you hit an important issue. Quality of sound. It makes a huge difference when trying to enjoy an artist's work. And most of the above mention artist in your post, seem to have good to excellent sound quality.




"I came here, to chew bubble gum and kickass. And I'm all out of bubble gum!!!" My DVD's