sv 08

TENET Vocal Artists, NYC’s pre-eminent early music ensemble, releases a CD of the final performance of its Green Mountain Project. For the past ten years, the Green Mountain Project has been made up of some of the best Baroque specialists in the United States for concerts of Claudio Monteverdi’s iconic Vespers of 1610 (Vespro della Beata Vergine). This live recording is a culmination of years of musical collaborations, and a celebration of the artists and supporters who made the past decade of performances possible.

L’Orfeo by Claudio Monteverdi (1567–1643) is often described as the first true opera, with good reason: it is made up of five acts, has a large gallery of characters, a detailed orchestral score specifying some forty instruments and, like so many later operas, its libretto is based on a classical myth. Monteverdi’s work thus becomes a sort of matrix for the entire genre – with one exception: the narrative of this ‘tale in music’ is direct, succinct and to the point.

Ray McKinley & Eddie Sauter - Borderline (1993) {Savoy Jazz Japan SV-0203 rec 1946-1947}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks) +CUE+LOG -> 159 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 92 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1946-47, 1993 Savoy Jazz / Nippon Columbia Japan | SV-0203
Jazz / Big Band / Swing / Drums / Arrangements

A dozen of the Ray McKinley's Savoy and Majestic recordings are on this CD, but the music is more rewarding than the packaging. The dates are not given, the composer credits are wrong in at least three cases (Jelly Roll Morton did not write "Mint Julep," nor did M. Franko compose "Over The Rainbow"!), and the personnel listing (which mistakenly includes Bud Freeman on tenor) is quite incomplete. The 12 performances on this LP-length program … are excellent and give a fine overview of the unusual orchestra's sound. Highlights include "Hangover Square," "Borderline," and "Howdy Friends" (which was McKinley's theme song). However, this music deserves to be treated better.