Modellfan 1997 05

This series concentrates on Concertos which survive in manuscript in the Dresden Saxony Landesbibliothek, and which were used by the Court Orchestra. They do not derive from the composer’s residence in the city, and the sleeve note suggests that their existence may be connected with Vivaldi’s association with an influential group of Dresden musicians, most notably the violinist, Johanne Pisendel who visited and studied under the composer during the latter part of 1716, and to whom Vivaldi dedicated a number of his Concertos. The quality of these works is often remarkably high, reflecting the caliber of the orchestra and indeed Pisendel’s virtuosity and musicianship. They sound extremely well in these excellent modern-instrument performances.

This anthology, which tries to sum up Isao Tomita's recordings for the Red Seal Label, actually managed to give a fairly complete panorama of his work. Tomita can be thought of as the precursor of ambient music - but unlike people who think that ambient is a sustained 23 minute sine wave, here music has Direction. Granted, most of the stuff is synthesized renditions of "impressionistic" classical works, but the imaginative use Isao makes of his array of synths (most of this stuff was recorded in the early 70's, so we're talking about modular synths mainly - long before computer programming was available). The sonic pallete fits perfectly, and he makes good use of repetitive arpeggiator sequences to get a pulse going - and then he works his magic, specially in the arranging department. A truly unique - and sadly underestimated - artist.

Not overwhelmed with the song now playing on this album? Be patient, the next track may be something more to your liking. This album is a musical smogarsboard of songs cutting across a variety of vocal genre. The play list runs from the traditional "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child," through Hoagy Carmichael's ultimate standard "Stardust" through John Coltrane's poem-song "A Love Supreme" with a little of 1960s popsters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller thrown in. It would be unkind to say that the singer is simply trying out everything until she finds something she does well. Not so with Karen Krog, one of the finer and more inventive jazz singers of the last three decades. One on One is a compilation of three different recording sessions Krog made as part of a duo performances…

If absence truly makes the heart grow fonder, then there’s as whole lotta love waiting out there for blues virtuoso Johnny B. Moore. After an eight year gap between solo albums, Moore is back - with a vengeance - with 911 Blues, an eclectic mix of tunes in his strong, vibrant style. The last of a generation of transplanted Mississippi bluesmen, Moore choose his title well: recording became his personal emergency. 911 Blues includes a wide variety of blues styles - everything from Delta to funk to R&B to country flavors this fresh offering from one of Chicago’s living legends.

Not overwhelmed with the song now playing on this album? Be patient, the next track may be something more to your liking. This album is a musical smogarsboard of songs cutting across a variety of vocal genre. The play list runs from the traditional "Sometimes I Feel like a Motherless Child," through Hoagy Carmichael's ultimate standard "Stardust" through John Coltrane's poem-song "A Love Supreme" with a little of 1960s popsters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller thrown in. It would be unkind to say that the singer is simply trying out everything until she finds something she does well. Not so with Karen Krog, one of the finer and more inventive jazz singers of the last three decades. One on One is a compilation of three different recording sessions Krog made as part of a duo performances…

J.J. Johnson finds himself at the helm of a dream band here - a full brass orchestra with French horns, euphoniums, tubas, and a harp - and gets to exploit its possibilities wherever they might lead. The results are beyond category, where the veteran trombonist's writing has a feathery richness, urbanity, and a depth charge in the bass reminiscent of, but not really indebted to, Gil Evans. There is plenty of straight-ahead jazz grooving but also several episodes of formal, almost classical writing, as in the suitably joyous "If I Hit the Lottery," and rigorous combinations of both, like the angular tribute to Béla Bartók, "Canonn for Bela." The generous Johnson doesn't even appear on a piece he commissioned from Robin Eubanks called "Cross Currents" - Eubanks performs the sputtering trombone solo - nor on Slide Hampton's blazing "Comfort Zone"…

Despite some jazz and hip-hop touches here and there, Adriana Evans' promising debut album leaves no doubt that her primary inspiration is the sleek "uptown" soul music of the 1970s. Indeed, smooth yet earthy gems like "Heaven," "Looking for Your Love" and "Love Is All Around" sound like they could have been recorded 20 years earlier by the Emotions, Minnie Riperton or Jean Carn. Evans, an expressive and charismatic singer, is the daughter of jazz belter Mary Stallings, and her exposure to jazz has left is mark. The seductive "Reality," in fact, isn't unlike something jazz vibist turned soul and funk singer Roy Ayers would have done in the late '70s. But make no mistake: Evans is an R&B artist first and foremost. In contrast to the homogenized nature of so much of the urban contemporary music recorded in 1997, this CD sounds consistently organic and heartfelt.

This is a delightful record that features the woody clarinet of Rolf Kuhn in a variety of amicable settings. There’s an ethereal group with Dave Liebman's soprano sax and Chuck Loeb's guitar, raucous collaborations with Randy Brecker's groups, clarinet pairings with Buddy DeFranco and Eddie Daniels on boppish runs and ballads, the angular abstraction of a duet with Albert Manglesdorf, and the closer, a sweet harmolodic dance with Ornette Coleman.

Govinda start their activities in 1994, when original members of Keshava (Satya Mana, Pandit Ananda and Yasodanandana), that had some of their new age tracks released on Klaus Schulze label Innovative Сommunication” decided to change. Everything started when the three Keshava members met DJ Om, who was quite well known in the Los Angeles area, Balearic Islands and Barcelona, so they decided to start a new project, Govinda, along with the support of Indian and Sri Lankan singers, plus the singer/dancer "Chandra". The new project gets immediate interest, and Govinda release their first album "Selling India by the pound" and their first 12" single "Trascendental Ecstasy" which also includes a long and uptempo version of "Awaken"…