Readers occasionally ask Music for Grown-Ups “which is the best recording of… “ (any classical piece, say Haydn’s Creation).
My knowledge of classical for grown-ups usually falls short of discriminating between competing versions, so I point them to the best collection of online classical reviews, in the Gramophone magazine’s archive. It’s a peerless, rich resource, distilling the wisdom of countless experts.
So it’s welcome news that the self-styled “world’s best classical magazine” plans to increase its online content well beyond CD reviews. From September, all new editorial content will be available online. And then, early next year, the website will be extended further to incorporate downloads, online CD sales and ticket purchases.
The new site - gramophone.net - promises to become the major resource for grown-up classical fans. Rave on Haymarket, publishers of the monthly Gramophone magazine!
www.gramophone.co.uk
Gerry Smith
Friday, May 30, 2008
No Depression, high quality Americana mag: RIP
Americana, like most musical genres, is a mixed bag. It has a core of unmissable folksy/country/bluesy musicians – Hank, Gillian Welch, Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Ryan Adams, John Hyatt, Lyle Lovett, Ralph Stanley and a few more are quintessential musicians for grown-ups.
But there aren’t many more. In fact, I’d cross the street to avoid most of the musos covered in Americana mag, No Depression. Below the top level, most Americana sounds like gnarled nostalgia to me, sung by an army of mostly superannuated left-field guitar pickers way too deep into their own mythology.
Regardless, No Depression is a high quality, stylish magazine, covering Americana with passion and authority.
Or, rather, it was such a mag. Because, after 13 years of publication, Issue 75 May-June 2008, is the last: collapsing CD sales claim yet another victim.
Undaunted, No Depression’s founders plan to serve the community they’ve developed by expanding their web site.
May they live forever young. And prosper.
www.nodepression.com
Gerry Smith
But there aren’t many more. In fact, I’d cross the street to avoid most of the musos covered in Americana mag, No Depression. Below the top level, most Americana sounds like gnarled nostalgia to me, sung by an army of mostly superannuated left-field guitar pickers way too deep into their own mythology.
Regardless, No Depression is a high quality, stylish magazine, covering Americana with passion and authority.
Or, rather, it was such a mag. Because, after 13 years of publication, Issue 75 May-June 2008, is the last: collapsing CD sales claim yet another victim.
Undaunted, No Depression’s founders plan to serve the community they’ve developed by expanding their web site.
May they live forever young. And prosper.
www.nodepression.com
Gerry Smith
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
FREE! Music for grown-ups on air in the next seven days
Over the next seven days, I hope to catch/record these tempting TV/radio broadcasts:
Thurs 29 May
2300 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 1 - Devil) – BBC Radio 2
Fri 30 May
2100 Johnny Cash: the Last Great American – BBC Four
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2 – Dreams) – BBC 6 Music
Sun 1 June
2400 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2) – BBC 6 Music
Gerry Smith
Thurs 29 May
2300 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 1 - Devil) – BBC Radio 2
Fri 30 May
2100 Johnny Cash: the Last Great American – BBC Four
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2 – Dreams) – BBC 6 Music
Sun 1 June
2400 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2) – BBC 6 Music
Gerry Smith
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Celebrating Chess Records
Let’s not mince words here: Chess Records, the Chicago label which gave the world the electric blues, thence rock ‘n’ roll, ranks among the most important creative enterprises. Ever.
In the postwar years, Chess’s roster of artists made up the blues premier league – Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson were merely the tip of the iceberg. Then Chess recorded Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
Without Chess, no rock ‘n’ roll. No Elvis. No Dylan. No Stones.
Marshall, scion of the Chess dynasty, has been in London to promote Chess Moves, a hip-hop remix album of the label’s legendary recording artists, out next Monday.
The one-hour interview he did for Jools Holland on BBC Radio 2 was a wonderful Chess primer. You can hear it for the next week here:
www.bbc.co.uk/radio2
And the Marshall Chess interview in today’s Independent newspaper is a valued complement:
www.independent.co.uk
Gerry Smith
In the postwar years, Chess’s roster of artists made up the blues premier league – Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf and Sonny Boy Williamson were merely the tip of the iceberg. Then Chess recorded Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley.
Without Chess, no rock ‘n’ roll. No Elvis. No Dylan. No Stones.
Marshall, scion of the Chess dynasty, has been in London to promote Chess Moves, a hip-hop remix album of the label’s legendary recording artists, out next Monday.
The one-hour interview he did for Jools Holland on BBC Radio 2 was a wonderful Chess primer. You can hear it for the next week here:
www.bbc.co.uk/radio2
And the Marshall Chess interview in today’s Independent newspaper is a valued complement:
www.independent.co.uk
Gerry Smith
Friday, May 23, 2008
Wilfrid Mellers, music critic for grown-ups: RIP
I was saddened to read this week of the death of composer/writer/academic Wilfrid Mellers, latterly Professor Of Music at York University.
Uniquely among the music academics I’ve encountered, Mellers was passionately interested all musics, not just the European art variety. He wrote accessibly - for those beyond, as well as within, the conservatoire. And he contextualised his musician subjects by explaining the times and societies from which they sprang.
The best known of his 20-odd books are celebrations of Bach and Beethoven, but A Darker Shade Of Pale: A Backdrop To Bob Dylan (Faber, 1984, 255pp) is the Mellers book with which I’m most familiar.
Mellers was a skilful early advocate of grown-ups crossing genre boundaries. May he rest in peace.
Gerry Smith
Uniquely among the music academics I’ve encountered, Mellers was passionately interested all musics, not just the European art variety. He wrote accessibly - for those beyond, as well as within, the conservatoire. And he contextualised his musician subjects by explaining the times and societies from which they sprang.
The best known of his 20-odd books are celebrations of Bach and Beethoven, but A Darker Shade Of Pale: A Backdrop To Bob Dylan (Faber, 1984, 255pp) is the Mellers book with which I’m most familiar.
Mellers was a skilful early advocate of grown-ups crossing genre boundaries. May he rest in peace.
Gerry Smith
Thursday, May 22, 2008
True hi-fi sound and Neil Young’s Blu-Ray Archive
Thanks to Jerry Crew:
“I just read your entry regarding Neil Young’s ever-moving target of an archive project, now to possibly be issued on Blu-Ray.
“As a music aficionado (though certainly not an audiophile), I must say that I have completely re-invigorated my interest in the simple joy of listening after having recently discovered SACD and DVD-Audio, especially in multi-channel format.
“Of course the tie between that statement and the Neil Young announcement is that Blu-Ray is quite likely the hi-resolution, multi-channel successor to those prior formats. Now I question why I avoided purchasing the hi-resolution formats prior to now, especially considering they have been available since the early ‘00s.
“To briefly summarize the benefits: 1) even in stereo mode only, the sound quality is, practically without exception, wonderful on every disc (something that cannot be said about all standard CDs), 2) the multi-channel experience, especially coupled with the higher resolution, takes it to yet another listening level. The traditional “sound stage” created by stereo imaging becomes a “sound womb”, if you will, when played back in multi-channel.
“Speaking monetarily, there are several reasonably priced, high performing “universal disc” players, capable of SACD and DVD-Audio, and soon, I’m sure, Blu-Ray. Check out Oppo’s 980H for one.
“If you already have a decent surround sound-capable receiver and speakers (5.1 set up), you can start listening for under $200 USD with the addition of a universal player. Also, while SACD and DVD-Audio disc were initially priced at 2-3 times the going rate of the standard CD, they can often now be found for the same price, or perhaps even less, with some smart shopping (which is also part of the thrill), than their standard CD counterparts.
“Finally, as I perceive that your tastes are probably more classically-oriented than mine (adult dance music notwithstanding), there are a plethora of classical titles available on SACD, with more issued every day.
“OK, I will step down from my soapbox, but I would encourage you to give the various hi-res, multi-channel media a try if you have not already.
“Here’s a link to an excellent site devoted to SACDs:
www.sa-cd.net
“I just read your entry regarding Neil Young’s ever-moving target of an archive project, now to possibly be issued on Blu-Ray.
“As a music aficionado (though certainly not an audiophile), I must say that I have completely re-invigorated my interest in the simple joy of listening after having recently discovered SACD and DVD-Audio, especially in multi-channel format.
“Of course the tie between that statement and the Neil Young announcement is that Blu-Ray is quite likely the hi-resolution, multi-channel successor to those prior formats. Now I question why I avoided purchasing the hi-resolution formats prior to now, especially considering they have been available since the early ‘00s.
“To briefly summarize the benefits: 1) even in stereo mode only, the sound quality is, practically without exception, wonderful on every disc (something that cannot be said about all standard CDs), 2) the multi-channel experience, especially coupled with the higher resolution, takes it to yet another listening level. The traditional “sound stage” created by stereo imaging becomes a “sound womb”, if you will, when played back in multi-channel.
“Speaking monetarily, there are several reasonably priced, high performing “universal disc” players, capable of SACD and DVD-Audio, and soon, I’m sure, Blu-Ray. Check out Oppo’s 980H for one.
“If you already have a decent surround sound-capable receiver and speakers (5.1 set up), you can start listening for under $200 USD with the addition of a universal player. Also, while SACD and DVD-Audio disc were initially priced at 2-3 times the going rate of the standard CD, they can often now be found for the same price, or perhaps even less, with some smart shopping (which is also part of the thrill), than their standard CD counterparts.
“Finally, as I perceive that your tastes are probably more classically-oriented than mine (adult dance music notwithstanding), there are a plethora of classical titles available on SACD, with more issued every day.
“OK, I will step down from my soapbox, but I would encourage you to give the various hi-res, multi-channel media a try if you have not already.
“Here’s a link to an excellent site devoted to SACDs:
www.sa-cd.net
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
FREE! Music for grown-ups on air in the next seven days
Over the next seven days, I hope to catch/record these tempting TV/radio broadcasts:
Wed 21 May 2008
2130 6 Music Plays It Again – Paul Weller (1/2) - BBC 6 Music
Thurs 22 May
2130 6 Music Plays It Again – Paul Weller (2/2) - BBC 6 Music
2300 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 1 - Flowers) – BBC Radio 2
Fri 23 May
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2 – Smoking) – BBC 6 Music
2230 McCoy Tyner, Jazz Library, BBC Radio 3
Mon 26 May
2045 Delius, Composer Of The Week – BBC Radio 3
(1/5, continues Tues-Fri)
2230 Jools Holland, interviews Marshall Chess - BBC Radio 2
Tues 27 May
2230 David Bowie, Icons Revisited – BBC Radio 2
Gerry Smith
Wed 21 May 2008
2130 6 Music Plays It Again – Paul Weller (1/2) - BBC 6 Music
Thurs 22 May
2130 6 Music Plays It Again – Paul Weller (2/2) - BBC 6 Music
2300 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 1 - Flowers) – BBC Radio 2
Fri 23 May
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2 – Smoking) – BBC 6 Music
2230 McCoy Tyner, Jazz Library, BBC Radio 3
Mon 26 May
2045 Delius, Composer Of The Week – BBC Radio 3
(1/5, continues Tues-Fri)
2230 Jools Holland, interviews Marshall Chess - BBC Radio 2
Tues 27 May
2230 David Bowie, Icons Revisited – BBC Radio 2
Gerry Smith
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Neil Young Archive soon? Possibly maybe
Ask any hardcore Neil Young fan about the singer-songwriter’s Archive project and you’re likely to get a knowing smirk. The legendary multi-volume project has been mooted and dropped so often that most reasonable people despair of ever seeing it during their lifetime.
But Young’s recent promotional activity - at an IT industry conference, of all places – suggests the first tranche of product might finally be nearing release.
Volume 1 (of 5) was promoted as a 10 disc set, with 128 tracks, and archival printed matter (letters, notes, reviews etc) from Young’s first decade as a creative artist, 1963 to 1972. The musical content looks spellbinding.
The bad news? It was promoted at the Sun Microsystems JavaOne conference in San Francisco as a Blu-ray (high def DVD) product - which requires a dedicated player or a Sony PlayStation 3.
But the installed user base of these machines is so comparatively small, especially among Young’s key Baby Boomer demographic, that Music for Grown-Ups would be staggered if Warner/Reprise didn’t also release the Archive on CD, regardless of Young’s well-aired scorn for the technology.
Watch this space …
Gerry Smith
But Young’s recent promotional activity - at an IT industry conference, of all places – suggests the first tranche of product might finally be nearing release.
Volume 1 (of 5) was promoted as a 10 disc set, with 128 tracks, and archival printed matter (letters, notes, reviews etc) from Young’s first decade as a creative artist, 1963 to 1972. The musical content looks spellbinding.
The bad news? It was promoted at the Sun Microsystems JavaOne conference in San Francisco as a Blu-ray (high def DVD) product - which requires a dedicated player or a Sony PlayStation 3.
But the installed user base of these machines is so comparatively small, especially among Young’s key Baby Boomer demographic, that Music for Grown-Ups would be staggered if Warner/Reprise didn’t also release the Archive on CD, regardless of Young’s well-aired scorn for the technology.
Watch this space …
Gerry Smith
Monday, May 19, 2008
Miles Davis CD/DVD package – bargain of the year
With the price of music product dropping like a stone, it takes a pretty special deal to stop me in my tracks, but the Miles Davis package I saw in Fopp, Cambridge, recently did just that: it has to be bargain of the year.
Fopp’s offer? A Sony box pairing Kind Of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all, with the wonderful DVD of Ian Carr’s 2001 documentary two-parter, The Miles Davis Story. Both are must-haves.
Fopp’s price?
£3: cheap at five times the price.
Gerry Smith
Fopp’s offer? A Sony box pairing Kind Of Blue, the best-selling jazz album of all, with the wonderful DVD of Ian Carr’s 2001 documentary two-parter, The Miles Davis Story. Both are must-haves.
Fopp’s price?
£3: cheap at five times the price.
Gerry Smith
Friday, May 09, 2008
Postings switched to master site in week commencing Monday 12 May
I won’t be adding any new articles to this blog site in the week commencing Monday 12 May, during some behind-the-scenes work on my small portfolio of web sites.
New articles will continue to be posted for much of the week on the master site, musicforgrown-ups.com, so please take a look there:
www.musicforgrown-ups.com
I’ll be posting daily here again from Monday 19 May, so please make a note to return then!
Sorry for any inconvenience
Gerry Smith, Editor
New articles will continue to be posted for much of the week on the master site, musicforgrown-ups.com, so please take a look there:
www.musicforgrown-ups.com
I’ll be posting daily here again from Monday 19 May, so please make a note to return then!
Sorry for any inconvenience
Gerry Smith, Editor
New Paul Weller interview
Celebrating his 50th birthday and promoting 22 Dreams, his highly praised new album (due on 26 May), Paul Weller is treated to a full-length interview in yesterday’s Daily Telegraph:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts
Recommended.
Gerry Smith
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts
Recommended.
Gerry Smith
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Dance music for grown-ups
Whenever I hear dance/electronica, I like it. Basement Jaxx, Moby and Dizzee Rascal ring my bell. I don’t know much about the genre, though, so I’m finding the current issue of Mixmag magazine very useful.
Celebrating its 25th birthday, the dance monthly profiles “the 25 biggest names in electronic music: Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, LCD Soundsystem, The Prodigy, Moby, Mylo, Richie Hawtin, Roisin Murphy, Dizzee Rascal, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Sven Vath, Felix Da Housecat, Erick Morillo, Sasha, Faithless, Underworld and more”.
If, like me, you mistakenly chose to ignore an important strand of contemporary music, and now want to catch up, the current issue of Mixmag is for you – it’s a shopping list compiled by experts.
www.mixmag.net
Gerry Smith
Celebrating its 25th birthday, the dance monthly profiles “the 25 biggest names in electronic music: Daft Punk, Fatboy Slim, Basement Jaxx, LCD Soundsystem, The Prodigy, Moby, Mylo, Richie Hawtin, Roisin Murphy, Dizzee Rascal, Paul van Dyk, Goldie, Sven Vath, Felix Da Housecat, Erick Morillo, Sasha, Faithless, Underworld and more”.
If, like me, you mistakenly chose to ignore an important strand of contemporary music, and now want to catch up, the current issue of Mixmag is for you – it’s a shopping list compiled by experts.
www.mixmag.net
Gerry Smith
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
FREE! Music for grown-ups on air in the next seven days
Over the next seven days, I hope to catch/record these tempting TV/radio broadcasts:
Wed 7 May
1200/2045 Schubert’s later work, Composer Of The Week – BBC Radio 3
(3/5, continues Thurs-Fri)
Fri 9 May
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2) – BBC 6 Music
2200 Kings Of Cool – The Classic Crooners – BBC Four
2230 Jack De Johnette, Jazz Library - BBC Radio 3
2330 Bill Frisell, Jazz on 3 - BBC Radio 3
Sun 11 May
1300 Bach In Leipzig, Early Music Show – BBC Radio 3
Gerry Smith
Wed 7 May
1200/2045 Schubert’s later work, Composer Of The Week – BBC Radio 3
(3/5, continues Thurs-Fri)
Fri 9 May
2100 Theme Time Radio Hour with Bob Dylan (Series 2) – BBC 6 Music
2200 Kings Of Cool – The Classic Crooners – BBC Four
2230 Jack De Johnette, Jazz Library - BBC Radio 3
2330 Bill Frisell, Jazz on 3 - BBC Radio 3
Sun 11 May
1300 Bach In Leipzig, Early Music Show – BBC Radio 3
Gerry Smith
Monday, May 05, 2008
Roberto Alagna, Barbican: disappointing
Well, you can’t win ‘em all.
After a run of outstanding gigs, I expected another at London’s Barbican on Friday. After all, Roberto Alagna is one of my favourite tenors. And the programme was entirely Verdi. The omens were good.
And if you went by the delirious reaction of the pension-age faithful, this was an Earth-shattering gig. As the doe-eyed fan proudly confessed to me after the gig: “Roberto’s marvellous … he can do no wrong… “.
Despite my predilection for the singer – I’ve always been impressed by Alagna at Covent Garden, and warm to his easy, affable Sicilian manner (he acts more like a Palermo midfield ball-winner than a
precious keeper of the operatic flame) I felt Friday’s concert gig was well below the standard of other recent concert stagings I’ve seen, notably Bartoli and Fleming.
Reasons?
1. setlist – some poorly chosen Verdi
2. use of full orchestra and choir – Alagna had to compete with well over 100 other musicians on stage; at times, he was drowned out
3. orchestra and choir had too many songs, sans Alagna
4. performance – some of his tempi and pitch were hit and miss; he seemed to pull out of a few top Cs
5. the singer’s shameless guying to the crossover popopera audience
6. the fourth encore – a Sicilian pop song devoted to his lovely wife Angela, seated in row 10 – he will love her till he dies, apparently. FerChrissakes, Roberto!
I really wanted to dig this gig, but it left me disappointed, despite four encores. It won’t stop me booking for Alagna every time he appears at the Royal Opera House, though.
Gerry Smith
After a run of outstanding gigs, I expected another at London’s Barbican on Friday. After all, Roberto Alagna is one of my favourite tenors. And the programme was entirely Verdi. The omens were good.
And if you went by the delirious reaction of the pension-age faithful, this was an Earth-shattering gig. As the doe-eyed fan proudly confessed to me after the gig: “Roberto’s marvellous … he can do no wrong… “.
Despite my predilection for the singer – I’ve always been impressed by Alagna at Covent Garden, and warm to his easy, affable Sicilian manner (he acts more like a Palermo midfield ball-winner than a
precious keeper of the operatic flame) I felt Friday’s concert gig was well below the standard of other recent concert stagings I’ve seen, notably Bartoli and Fleming.
Reasons?
1. setlist – some poorly chosen Verdi
2. use of full orchestra and choir – Alagna had to compete with well over 100 other musicians on stage; at times, he was drowned out
3. orchestra and choir had too many songs, sans Alagna
4. performance – some of his tempi and pitch were hit and miss; he seemed to pull out of a few top Cs
5. the singer’s shameless guying to the crossover popopera audience
6. the fourth encore – a Sicilian pop song devoted to his lovely wife Angela, seated in row 10 – he will love her till he dies, apparently. FerChrissakes, Roberto!
I really wanted to dig this gig, but it left me disappointed, despite four encores. It won’t stop me booking for Alagna every time he appears at the Royal Opera House, though.
Gerry Smith
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Beck touring Europe/US
The year 2008 is turning into an annus mirabilis for gigs by great musicians for grown-ups.
I’m regularly ticking off people I’m keen to see. Last week: Bjork. Tomorrow: Roberto Alagna. Coming soon: Leonard Cohen.
And I’ve just booked to see the wonderful Beck (Hansen) at Southampton Guildhall on Tuesday 1 July. (He’s also playing Manchester and London, plus continental European and US dates.)
It doesn’t get much better than this!
www.beck.com
Gerry Smith
I’m regularly ticking off people I’m keen to see. Last week: Bjork. Tomorrow: Roberto Alagna. Coming soon: Leonard Cohen.
And I’ve just booked to see the wonderful Beck (Hansen) at Southampton Guildhall on Tuesday 1 July. (He’s also playing Manchester and London, plus continental European and US dates.)
It doesn’t get much better than this!
www.beck.com
Gerry Smith
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
