Jacob Cooper, Steven Bradshaw – Sunrise
Sunrise is a new CD by Jacob Cooper and Steven Bradshaw, recently released by Cold Blue Music. Jacob Cooper has a long and distinguished composing career including commissions by the…
Best of 2021: Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell (CD Review)
Best of 2021: Recordings by Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell Philip Blackburn Justinian Intonations Neuma CD Chris Campbell Orison Innova LP Both Philip Blackburn and Chris Campbell are poly-artists, sitting…
Best of 2021 – Craig Taborn on ECM (CD Review)
Sequenza 21 Best of 2021 Craig Taborn Shadowplay ECM Records I first became aware of pianist Craig Taborn in the early aughts, writing about him for (dearly departed) Copper Press…
Iron Orchid (CD Review)
Iron Orchid Ning Yu and David Bird New Focus Recordings Composer and electronic musician David Bird’s work Iron Orchid enlists pianist Ning Yu as a collaborator. Bird’s electronics often provide…
Best of 2021: Messiaen on Kairos (CD Review)
Sequenza 21 – Best of 2021 Olivier Messiaen Vingt regards sur l’enfant-JĂ©sus Alfonso GĂłmez, piano Kairos CD In 1944, Olivier Messiaen wrote a recital length work (about 2 hours in…
Chas Smith – Three
Three is a new CD release from Cold Blue Music by musician and master-machinist Chas Smith. Now residing in rural Grass Valley, California, Smith lived for many years in the…
Best of 2021: Christian Baldini Conducts UC Davis Symphony (CD Review)
Best of 2021: Varèse, Ligeti, LutosĹ‚awski, Baldini on Centaur Varèse, Ligeti, LutosĹ‚awski, Baldini Munich Radio Orchestra; UC Davis Symphony Orchestra Miranda Cuckson, violin; Maximilian Haft, violin Christian Baldini, conductor Centaur…
Best of 2021: Andrew Cyrille Quartet (CD Review)
Best of 2021 Andrew Cyrille Quartet The News ECM Records David Virelles, piano; Bill Frisell, guitar; Ben Street, bass; Andrew Cyrille, drums and percussion Andrew Cyrille is now an octogenarian,…
Best of 2021: Spektral Quartet Plays Thorvaldsdottir (CD Review)
Anna Thorvaldsdottir Enigma EP Spektral Quartet Clara Lyon, Maeve Feinberg, violin; Doyle Armbrust, viola; Russell Rolen, cello Sono Luminus CD, 2021 Enigma, the first string quartet by Icelandic composer Anna…
Bernhard Lang – Piano Music (CD Review)
Bernhard Lang Piano Music Wolfram Oettl, piano Kairos Music CD Bernhard Lang (b. 1957) writes in a number of different media, from chamber music to theatre works. His solo piano…