Face Values

Marcel Dupre - Organ Works, Volume 3 - Ben van Oosten (2002) {MDG 316 0953-2}
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© 2002 MDG | MDG 316 0953-2
Classical / 20th Century / Organ

Ben van Oosten is a gifted organist; of that there is no doubt. He understands the art of registration deeply, and is especially adept with the Cavaille-Coll tradition. This recording was the basis for my own study of Le Chemin de la Croix, and I profited considerably from it.

That the opening bars to Cry finds Jim Kerr opining "It's difficult to love you when you do the things you do time and time again" almost implies that the hideously unfashionable Simple Minds are once again anticipating getting stabbed in the buttocks by poison pens and have decided to save their critics the bother by writing the reviews for them. Well, if that's the case, they've done themselves a little bit of an injustice. The good news–and from this world, not the next–is that Jim Kerr has not reneged on his commitment to making an indecently modest pop record, one where any delusional notions of stadium rock empires are held in check and where melody is a stronger currency than reverb and hot air. Although the cleaner-than-a-kitchen-showroom production is out of step with the contemporary, scuffed-up sounds of "now"–Simple Minds remain hamstrung by their own outmoded brand of professionalism–Cry has more than enough decent tunes to entice persons beyond the well-creased folds of their fan base.

As a musician begins to develop, he or she is essentially a product of influences. Musical syntax is developed by study, repetition, and memorization. Often a musician becomes a life-long recycler of artifice, never truly finding their unique musical identity or language. Choosing their authentic selves and inhabiting their own sound world through their collaboration has been the essential goal for guitarist Brandon Ross and acoustic bass guitarist Stomu Takeishi. Their duo, For Living Lovers, returns with Natural Name, a moving display of their interlocking values and incredible interplay.

Charlie Haden Quartet West - Sophisticated Ladies (2010) {Emarcy 0602527508160}
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© 2010 Emarcy / Universal | 0602527508160
Jazz / Neo-Bop / Post Bop / Vocal Jazz / Bass

Bassist extraordinaire Charlie Haden has always prized diversity in his music, whether reaching for the outer limits with Ornette Coleman a half-century ago, leading his own experimental Liberation Music Orchestra or, in 2008, celebrating his roots in what's now called Americana on Rambling Boy, a Grammy-nominated album that featured contributions from Elvis Costello, Béla Fleck, and others. As they mark their 25th year together, Haden's Quartet West – not so much a side trip at this point as a comfy base to occasionally return to – offers up Sophisticated Ladies, a collection split between collaborations with superstar female vocalists and rich instrumentals, nearly all of it heavily orchestrated.

The incomparable Johnny Cash takes the stage with his wife, June Carter Cash, the Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins and the Carter Family in this 1971 concert filmed live for Danish television. A memorable set list includes "Folsom Prison Blues," "I Walk the Line," "A Boy Named Sue," "Man in Black" "Me and Bobby McGee," "Help Me Make It Through the Night," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Flowers on the Wall" and the Maybelle Carter tribute, "Dear Mama."

‘A Tiempo Real’ is the new album from the traditional Spanish folk band Vigüela. It is a double-disc of almost 100 minutes of carefully arranged traditional folk songs and is as much album as a lively preservation project. ‘A Tiempo Real’ is a cultural contribution to Spanish folk music as performed in village life in homes, festivities and celebrations in the province of Castilla-La Mancha and beyond.