Dr. Axelrod

Songs of Experience is the second studio album by American composer and producer David Axelrod, released in October 1969 by Capitol Records. It was composed, arranged, and produced by Axelrod, who worked with session musicians such as guitarist Al Casey, drummer Earl Palmer, and conductor Don Randi. As with his 1968 debut album Song of Innocence, Axelrod composed musical interpretations of English poet William Blake's Songs of Innocence and of Experience, an 18th-century illustrated collection of poems. A jazz fusion album, Songs of Experience explores darker sounds than its predecessor, as the poems Axelrod drew on for inspiration dealt with the darker side of humanity. Its music was partly inspired by composer Gunther Schuller's Third Stream concept. Axelrod composed Baroque orchestrations with rock, R&B, pop, and folk music elements. Songs of Experience received retrospective acclaim from music critics, who found Axelrod's compositions musically varied and innovative. Contemporary musicians praised it as a source for sampling in hip hop production. Some of its songs have been sampled frequently by hip hop artists and producers. In 2000, the album was reissued by EMI.

Song of Innocence is the debut album of American composer and producer David Axelrod. It was released in October 1968 by Capitol Records. Axelrod sought to capitalize on the experimental climate of popular music at the time and composed the album as a suite-like tone poem based on Songs of Innocence, a 1789 illustrated collection of poems by William Blake. It was recorded at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles with an orchestra and a variety of studio musicians, including keyboardist and conductor Don Randi, guitarist Al Casey, bassist Carol Kaye, and drummer Earl Palmer. Song of Innocence is an instrumental jazz fusion record that incorporates elements of classical, rock, funk, pop, and theatre music. It is arranged for bass, drums, and string instruments, written in the rock idiom with tempos centered on rock-based patterns by Palmer. Axelrod used contrast in his orchestral compositions and interspersed the album's euphoric psychedelic R&B form with dramatic, harrowing arrangements to reflect the supernatural themes found in Blake's poems. The music's reverent, psychedelic overtones evoke their themes of innocence and spirituality.

The Bucharest Symphony and Principal Conductor John Axelrod present a unique recording of both versions of Schumann's 4th Symphony: the original version, composed and premiered in 1841 and published nearly 50 years later with the help of Johannes Brahms, and the revised 1851 version, completed three years before his untimely death, and defended and protected by his widow, Clara Schumann.

John Axelrod has recorded unique Brahms symphonies + Clara Schumann Lieder cycle, exploring the symphonies as four sides of the woman with whom Brahms was obsessed. In a fascinating new concept, John Axelrod (2012 ICMA Award winner and winner of the ResMusica “Best Classical album of 2012”) is spearheading an exploration of the relationship between Brahms and the woman he loved, Clara Schumann, as depicted in their music.

Once in his later years, Johannes Brahms wrote to the love of his life that all his works should be signed, “really by Clara Schumann.” It was a moving testament from an emotionally guarded old bachelor to the woman who had long been his muse. It was also a recognition that the composer whose work, then as now, has been regarded as the epitome of musical abstraction acknowledged that his music was grounded in his life and feelings. And Clara Schumann was always connected to Brahms’s deepest feelings. This recording is a testament to their lifelong connection.

HiRes remastered issue of David Axelrod's 1974 album for Fantasy. The first "non-concept" album from this studio master, featuring some lush, over-the-top covers (Stevie Wonder's "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing," Carly Simon's "You're So Vain") and about a couple dozen guest musicians, including Julian "Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), George Duke (ARP synth) and Gene Ammons (tenor sax).

At times meditative, at times sparklingly abstract, 5X4 is an album of contrasts. Composer Lawrence Axelrod offers a multi-faceted selection of original compositions which push the limits of musical craft – all contained within the quartet setup, but in varying instrumentations.

Sometimes artists suddenly emerge from the past and achieve a significance that no one ever expected. David Axelrod is one such artist.