John Foster

John Eliot Gardiner has returned to the form reminiscent of his earliest days with the Monteverdi Choir, when performances were bright and fresh and taut and, well, really good. Of course, he’s working with some really fine music, his soloists are all top-notch, and he’s recording in a familiar place (London’s St. John’s Smith Square) with several of the industry’s most seasoned recording wizards at the controls (especially the two Mikes, balance engineers Mike Hatch and Mike Clements). The music, four of Bach’s Whitsun (or Pentecost) cantatas, shows the composer at his most creative in terms of text setting and structural formulations.

The Apprentice was mostly completed a full two years before it was released. Martyn's record label, Island, rejected the tapes of the songs in 1988, even though artistically they were not too far removed from his previous release, Piece by Piece. In fact, this album turned out to be the more cohesive of the two. Eventually released by Permanent Records, it's by and large a well-crafted collection of songs. Its only weaknesses are the sometimes too-strong dependence on synthesizers and the song "Deny This Love," which is Martyn doing bad dance music (and featuring a truly horrible a cappella introduction). Otherwise, it's an enjoyable album.

On his fourth album as a leader, French horn player John Clark showcases his talents as a composer and arranger for a rotating ensemble of up to eleven musicians, including Alex Foster on saxophone, Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, and Howard Johnson on bass clarinet. The eclectic lineup works its way through five Clark originals and three standards, including a rousing large group take on John Coltrane's "India," which opens, appropriately enough, with a sitar. Clark's compositions range from freely improvised duos and trios to more intricately orchestrated pieces for larger groups. The ensemble playing throughout the album is always interesting and frequently inspired.