Yes, yes, it's a bizarre choice of instruments. But despite what one
reviewer said, these works are sweetly written and very pleasant.
Albrechtsberger is obscure as a composer, but well remembered as an
influential theorist. He also served as a music teacher to Beethoven
when he grew frustrated with Haydn, who had not the time to correct his
work. These works are in the galant or rococo style, somewhere between
baroque and classical (but closer to classical). These works must be
understood in the context of the galant period. At that time, folk
instruments had become very fashionable, and some composers became
interested in them, such as Leopold Mozart, who wrote for the alp horn,
hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, and so on. The mandora, a type of lute, has a
good sound, and the jew's harp is surprisingly melodious considering the
fact that the fundamental pitch does not vary. All in all, this is very
pleasant music, and even the non-musical will be entertained by the
sheer quirkiness of it.
(by R. Folk)
Really, it has to be heard to be believed. Recordings of the Jew's Harp
Concerto have been amusing music students at parties for years. It is
one those oddities that one will find it hard to resist adding to one's
collection.
I recommend this with many caveats. There is a good reason why
Albrechtsberger is a virtual unknown (if not for the Jew's Harp
Concerto, he would be completely off the musical radar), and the novelty
of these pieces is really the only thing that can recommend this
recording. However, you probably already had guessed that.
(by chefdevergue)
Johann Georg Albrechtsberger: February 3, 1736 - March 7, 1809
Personnel: Fritz Mayr (jews harp) Dieter Kirsch (mandora) + Munich Chamber Orchestra conducted by Hans Stadlmair
Tracklist:
Concerto for Jews Harp, Mandora & Orchestra in E major: 01. Tempo moderato (Albrechtsberger) 6.38 02. Adagio (Albrechtsberger) 7.17. 03. Finale - Tempo de menuetto (Albrechtsberger) 6.34
Concerto for Jews Harp,Mandora & Orchestra in F major: 04. Allegro moderato (Albrechtsberger) 4.40 05. Andante (Albrechtsberger) 6.38 06. Menuetto. Moderato (Albrechtsberger) 3.58 07. Finale - Allegro molto (Albrechtsberger) 3.08 ARMU 0057
One has to give high marks to guitarist and composer Frank Gambale. While an unabashed jazz-rock fusioneer, Gambale has always made music that was as interested in lyricism and inventive harmonic interplay as complex riffs and arpeggios.
Gambale
is a composer of the first order and, as he has gotten older, his
writing style has become increasingly engaging melodically; his sense of
harmonic architecture is full of shapes and colors and is weighted by
use of the imagination that indulges flights of whimsy. He also
understands on a cellular level the importance of ensemble
communication. Accompanied by Billy Cobham on drums and either Ric Fierabracci or Steve Billman on bass, Gambale
offers listeners 12 new cuts that range from a near singing quality
("Foreign Country," "Bittersweet," "Table for One") to a harder-edged
jazz full of knotty yet emotionally charged and conscious improvisation
("May the Fourths Be With You," "Smug," "Complex Emotions").
Certainly
this is a guitar player's record, but it is one that has its roots in
aesthetic beauty rather than in mechanics.
Personnel: Steve Billman (bass) Billy Cobham (drums, percussion) Ric Fierabracci (bass) Frank Gambale (guitar)
Tracklist: 01. Foreign Country (Gambale) 6.56 02. Cachination (Gambale) 5.52 03. Bittersweet (Gambale) 8.17 04. Table For One (Gambale) 6.42 05. Nouveau Vignettes: Debut Solo (Gambale) 1.25 06. Nouveau Vignettes: Melodique (Gambale) 1.10 07. Nouveau Vignettes: Two Minutes B.C. (Gambale) 1.57 08. Ka´anapali (Gambale) 6.37 09. May The Fourths Be With You (Gambale) 7.03 10. Monkey Wrench (Gambale) 5.51 11. Smug (Gambale) 6.25 12. Complex Emotions (Gambale) 10.20
Upon the release of their first album in the late '70s, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers
were shoehorned into the punk/new wave movement by some observers who
picked up on the tough, vibrant energy of the group's blend of Byrds riffs and Stonesy
swagger. In a way, the categorization made sense. Compared to the heavy
metal and art rock that dominated mid-'70s guitar rock, the Heartbreakers' bracing return to roots was nearly as unexpected as the crashing chords of the Clash.
As time progressed, it became clear that the band didn't break from
tradition like their punk contemporaries. Instead, they celebrated it,
culling the best parts of the British Invasion, American garage rock,
and Dylanesque singer/songwriters to create a distinctively American hybrid that recalled the past without being indebted to it.
The Heartbreakers were a tight, muscular, and versatile backing band that provided the proper support for Petty's songs, which cataloged a series of middle-class losers and dreamers. While his slurred, nasal voice may have recalled Dylan and Roger McGuinn, Petty's songwriting was lean and direct, recalling the simple, unadorned style of Neil Young.
This is one their earliest radio-shows and this is the chance to hear young Tom Petty at the start of his career ... enjoy it !
Recorded live at the Record Plant Recording Studios, San Francisco, April 23, 1977
Personnel: Rain Blair (bass) Mike Campbell (guitar) Stan Lynch (drums) Tom Petty (guitar, vocals) Benmont Tench (keyboards)
Tracklist: 01. Surrender (Petty) 2.58 02. Band Intros/American Girl (Petty) 4.45 03, Fooled Again (I Don't Like it) (Petty) 6.24 04. I Need To Know (Petty) 2.44 05. Strangered In The Night (Petty) 4.23 06. Dog On The Run (Campbell) 10.25 07. Route 66(Troup)4.11
