Month: September 2020
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Pete Judge: Piano 2
Kicking sand in the face of under-achievers everywhere is Pete Judge, a professional trumpet player with the jazz / rock quartet Get The Blessing, but who can play more than one instrument, in this case the piano; this is a collection of tunes he wrote for another band he’s in, Three Cane Whale. It’s a […]
jerobear
baroque, Blues, brother, Brute Angels, buy busic, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Cruc, early, funk, Get The Blessing, good new music, It Pains The Lips To Think Of Bugles, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, Pete Judge, petejudgemusic.com, Piano 2, pop, Purr, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, soul, Stonecrop, Three Cane Whale, West-Running Brook, Wheatfield With Crows -
Ward Richmond: Highly Meditated
This charmer of an album is both interesting – Richmond has been in bands for years but now reflects on getting sober, becoming a father, yoga and meditation – and melodic. The first song is either nihilistic, or about some kind of meditative revelation. Before the music even starts he’s telling us: “I’m thinking about […]
jerobear
baroque, Birds, Blues, brother, buy busic, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, Etc., Everything, Follow You (Tina Louise), funk, good new music, Hey Levi, High Road, Highly Meditated, In Europe, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Live Oak, music, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Shootin' for the Stars, Smile, soul, These Days (The Nights Don’t Last so Long), Trees, Ward Richmond -
Asylums: Genetic Cabaret
Asylums first album Killer Brain Waves was great: heads down no-nonsense rock played fast and tight but with lots of melody and a nice DIY ethos about it; a good band having fun. They obviously did ok out of it (and the second, which we missed) and this new one sounds more expensively made … […]
jerobear
A Perfect Life In A Perfect World, A Town Full Of Boarded Up Windows, Adrenaline Culture, Asylums, baroque, Blues, brother, Catalogue Kids, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Clean Money, Congleton Chronicle, Dull Days, early, funk, Genetic Cabaret, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, Platitudes, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, soul, The Distance Between Left And Right, The Miracle Age, Who Writes Tomorrows Headlines?, Yuppie Germs -
Biffy Clyro: A Celebration of Endings
This is Biffy’s ninth album and possibly the most approachable: all the early roughness has gone, along with most of the pomp and theatricality of the later stuff. It’s just (just!) a classic melodic rock album; some heavy moments, but more reliance on melody. It’s a positive and upbeat album, too, and pretty well instantly […]
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Murray McLachlan: Gregson: Complete Piano
This is an appealing collection of piano pieces. It takes in different styles and sounds, and ranges from the intimate to the more extravagantly romantic, but it’s got a definite charm throughout. It gets off to a cheery start with An Album For My Friends, 11 pieces written for friends and showing a love of […]
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Robin Stevens: Prevailing Winds
This is a mostly enjoyable mixed bag of short works; you probably won’t like them all but it’s a diverting collection of music. In his sleeve notes, Stevens says that composing miniatures such as presented here can be liberating: if it doesn’t work, it’s less time wasted. They also add to a composer’s technical skills, […]
jerobear
baroque, bassoon, Blues, brother, CDs, cello) 6:26 Three Epigrams (bassoon, cello); Clarinetissimo! (solo clarinet); Suite Ecossaise – Berceuse (flute, cello); Coquette (solo flute); An Uneasy Dialogue (clarinet, cello); Variations on a Twelve-Note Theme (clarinet, Chronicle Series, clarinet, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, early, funk, guitar); Concert Rondo (oboe, guitar); Waltz for Pierrot (solo bassoon); Grief’s Portrait (horn, Horn, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, oboe, Oceanic Lullaby (oboe, piano); At a Tangent (treble recorder, piano); Concert Rondo (descant recorder, piano); Contemplation (bass recorder, piano); Conversations (solo oboe); An Interrupted Waltz (descant recorder, piano); I Foreboding; II Gentle Lament; III Clockwork Toy; A Soldier’s Prayer (horn, piano); O Brave New World (flute, piano); Reflections on a Scottish Theme (solo oboe); Pandora’s Box (recorders, piano); Sicilienne for Gillian (clarinet, piano); Sound and Silence (solo flute/alto flute); Suite Ecossaise – Jig (descant recorder, piano); Sweet Soufflé (flute, pop, Prevailing Winds, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, Robin Stevens, rock, soul -
Camargo Guarnieri: Chôros, Vol 1
We’ve got bogged down a little with this: it’s so engrossing we’ve played it on repeat instead of getting on with other reviews. Guarnieri was born Mozart Camargo Guarnieri in 1907, and his dad was an Italian immigrant and music lover. He not only named his sons after great composers (Mozart, Verdi, Rossine and Belline, […]
jerobear
baroque, Blues, brother, Camargo, Camargo Guarnieri, CDs, Chôro for Bassoon and Orchestra, Chôro for Flute and Chamber Orchestra, Chôro for Violin and Orchestra, Chôros, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Decidido, early, funk, Gingando, Guarnieri, jazz, Jem Condliffe, music, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Seresta, Sorumbático, soul, Vol. 1 -
Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts: Nowhere To Go But Everywhere
You could be in danger of hearing far too much of this likable pop album, which is basically Busted for adults and might get a lot of radio play. We’ve never heard of the band before but they are clearly all experienced musicians. Hamilton is American, and the Ghosts from the UK; Hamilton has played […]
jerobear
baroque, Blues, brother, Can I Get an Amen, CDs, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Don’t Fall Apart, early, funk, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Jesus and John Lennon, Let’s Go Slow, music, Newcastle Charm, Nowhere To Go But Everywhere, Oh No (feat. Kay Hanley), Only a Dream, Out of My League, Pick Yourself Up, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, Ryan Hamilton and The Harlequin Ghosts, soul, Southern Accents, We Gave It Hell -
Thomas Bartlett: Shelter
Pianist/producer Thomas Bartlett has toured the world and worked with people from The National to David Byrne and produced the likes of St Vincent and Sufjan Stevens, with whom he earned Academy award and Grammy award nominations. But like all the rest of us, come lockdown he was stuck at home with only his piano […]
jerobear
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Kerry Turner: Horn Works
The sleeve notes say that Turner developed his reputation as a composer with the American Horn Quartet, but has written horn and piano at the same time as his horn quartets. He performed these works for horn and piano along with Kristina Mascher-Turner, appearing as the Virtuoso Horn Duo. Since the majority of these pieces […]
jerobear
Abide With Me, baroque, Blues, brother, Candles in the Darkness, CDs, Chaconne for Three Horns, Chronicle Series, Classical, Congleton Chronicle, Couperin Variations, early, funk, Horn Works, I. Allegro – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, I. Prelude – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, II. Allemande – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, II. Andante – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, III. Sarabande – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, IV. Gigue – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, jazz, Jem Condliffe, Kerry Turner, music, Naxos 8.579050, Op. 12 – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, Op. 26 – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Kerry Turner/Frank Lloyd, Op. 71 ‘La Bandoline’ – Kerry Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, Op. 79 – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, Op. 86 – Kristina Mascher-Turner/Lauretta Bloomer, pop, Reggae, Review Corner, reviews, rock, soul, Twas a Dark and Stormy Night
Review Corner 