Keith Simpson

2017 Grammy Nominees is a varied mix of the best releases of 2016, culled from the main nomination categories. From the Beyonce/Jack White collaboration "Don't Hurt Yourself" – her first nomination in the Best Rock Performance category – to darkhorse Sturgill Simpson's "Brace for Impact (Live a Little)," the selections on this 21-track compilation include a full range of genres. Kelsea Ballerini and Maren Morris represent the new generation of country singer/songwriters, while R&B newcomer Anderson.Paak and earnest Danish outfit Lukas Graham cover the pop-oriented end of the class of 2016. Ubiquitous hits from Twenty One Pilots, Sia, Drake, Adele, Justin Bieber, and the Chainsmokers are also included. The collection debuted in the Top 20 on the Billboard 200.

Celebrating 50 Years Of The Who’s Tommy. Performed by Roger Daltrey, with members of The Who band and the orchestra conducted by Keith Levenson with orchestration from David Campbell. 24 track live album recorded in Budapest and Bethel in upstate New York, the scene of the first Woodstock festival 50 years ago, was produced by Roger and Keith Levenson and features the core band of Simon Townshend – Vocals / Guitar, Frank Simes – Guitar, Scott Devours – Drums, Jon Button – Bass, and Loren Gold – keyboards, all of whom have played with The Who live. Keith Levenson conducted The Budapest Scoring Orchestra from new orchestrations by David Campbell.

Bach was still writing The Art of Fugue at the time of his death. The work was intended to explore the possibilities of counterpoint, but Bach never wrote dry, academic music. It served its didactic purpose, but always there is warm humanity bursting from it. The Art of Fugue has been arranged for many musical groupings, and is always at best a guess at what Bach had in mind. What Robert Simpson has done here is to transpose the work so that it is playable by a string quartet. He does so without apology–Bach himself was a great transposer–and the results are totally convincing. Simpson knows a thing or two about string quartets (his own are well worth checking out), and he has breathed life into a work that is given a terrific performance here by the Delmé Quartet.

Following on the heels of the success of the rock opera Tommy and the band’s grandstand appearance at the Woodstock Festival, when released in 1970, Live At Leeds unwittingly documented the Who at the peak of their powers, their shows now stretching up to two and a half hours without a break and containing Tommy as their centrepiece.
Except it should have been very different. The original intention was to release the recording from the Hull City Hall performance the following night after Leeds as the live album.