Shannon Curfman [Loud Guitars Big Suspicions]

Back in 2001, i set in motion a new programme to discover new music, i would go into a big store record in London, and just systematically search through the racks, singling out discs that looked absolutely stunning, that was the only consideration, forget about the actual music!, i picked up some phenomenal discs this way, some real duds too!, but it widened my musical love no end, i got into some genres / Artists that i wouldn't have otherwise tried, this is one of the first i got, and i'm so glad i did, and looking at her website, it reminds me to check out her other albums also.

Shannon Curfman is American, born in 1985, she's was 26 last week, she recorded this album in 1999 at the tender age of 14!, but her songwriting and vocal skills are such that she sounds like a Blues veteran!, like i said above, the visuals for this release are stunning, both the booklet and the back insert are lighted wonderfully, great poses too, a really great product all round.

I enjoyed tracks 2, 4 & 6-8, but it's always been track 2 'No Riders' which remains my favourite track, the intro sounds like an electric mandolin [Kevin Bowe], but it could be Shannon Curfman playing the guitar, this riff really makes the whole piece [0:00-0:10], very old time delta bluesy, when the chorus bursts in [0:43+] so do the drums, a nice ratcheting up of another notch, the vocals and drums [Michael Bland] fit together perfectly, the second verse is fantastic, things quiet down with the acoustic mandolin playing solo [1:46+], and the start of the verse is sparse and restrained [1:50+], but the drums and harmonica [Pat Hayes] burst in [1:58+], making a superb transition, it's a fantastic Blues track, really developing a great intensity.

Here's Shannon Curfman singing 'Playing With Fire' on YouTube.

Eva Cassidy [Live At Blues Alley]

It's hard to categorize Eva Cassidy, but i guess i'll put her in the Blues bracket, i haven't heard her other albums, so i suppose this just might be more Bluesy than usual because she chose this programme especially for this venue, on the whole i hate live albums, a stadium full of screaming whistling kids isn't my thing, but Blues Alley is very intimate, or maybe hardly anyone turned up!.

Eva Cassidy is American, born in 1963, and died in 1996 at the young age of 33 of cancer, she wasn't recognized in her own lifetime, but became phenomenally famous afterwards, she recorded this album in early 1996, by the end of the year she was dead, the front cover photo [by Larry Melton], is a black and white shot of Eva outside Blues Alley, i really like it, even though there's not quite enough contrast in the photo, the pose is good, nice angles too, the lettering is my own, rubbed on transfers down the side, and track numbers on the back, why don't record companies provide track numbers?, it's crazy.

The tracks that really moved me were 3, 5, 8-9 & 12, on the whole these are the more slower reflective songs, and Eva Cassidy has a certain way with ever so subtly making vocal changes / additions, that sound just perfect, they make a phenomenal difference to the whole mood of the piece, the two best tracks on this listen were 9 & 12, here's my synopsis of both,

9 - Autumn Leaves, unlike some of the other tracks on the album, this features just Eva on guitar and vocals for the most part, with a central instrumental for guitar and piano [Lenny Williams], a gently warm electric guitar, 'i see your lips, the summer kisses', it's so atmospheric, and heartbreaking too, 'and soon i'll hear, old winters song', it's that heightened expression on 'old' [1:38] that is so delicious, and repeated later in the song [3:25], the piano [2:13-3:04] has also a gentle tinkling of the ivories, a nice little variety to break up the song and give it variety, Eva creates a real intensity with little instrumentation.
12 - What A Wonderful World, this song really affected me, of course the famous version is by Louis Armstrong, and he's such an idiomatic singer, with that wonderful husky growl, of course Eva Cassidy is nothing like that, she sings this song fairly straight, she doesn't turn it into Gospel or anything, and it's this straightness that is so disarming, the song seems to have a life of its own, the greatness isn't particularly in the singer, it's the song itself, Eva misses out a verse, the one about 'skies of blue' etc, i wonder why?, the background piano is cleverly done [especially 1:40+ & 3:37+], and this song closes the set, one month before she died, she sang this one lone song live as a 'farewell', it closed her life perfectly, and i guess in some ways it epitomized her life too.

Various Composers - Favourite Piano Encores [Buchbinder]

A lovely recital with 15 famous piano pieces, a nice varied selection too, concentrating on the Classical / Romantic era, with 68 minutes of music it's quite generous too, Buchbinder isn't a phenomenally recorded Artist, certainly his Brahms Piano Concertos with Harnoncourt are quite celebrated, but otherwise he's fairly unknown, but i like him.

Rudolf Buchbinder is Austrian, born in 1946, making him 64 today, i think this recital was recorded in 1985, the booklet front cover picture is nice, i guess using a medium telephoto, as it nicely blurs the background, making Buchbinder stand out.

Two tracks really stood out, tracks 3 & 14, here's a synopsis of each,

3 Mozart - Alla Turca, this is the last movement of Mozart's Piano Sonata 11, but it's taken on a life of its own without its two companions, it certainly has a mazurka dance feel to it, and i certainly like the Satie-esque 'Gnossien' offbeat rhythms [0:05+ & 0:13+], there's almost a chorus-like forte explosion [0:51-1:07], and then rippling notes in the treble, themes come and go in rotation [the whole point of a Rondo], the ending is exceptionally inspired, the forte offbeat rhythms come back [3:03-3:19], but now they end in a superb resolution chant [3:19-3:52], so satisfying, a real culmination, i especially like the quieter middle refrain here [3:31-3:38], with the left hand nicely motoring away, a superb piece by Mozart.
14 Chopin - Nocturne 2, 

Various Composers - Romance Of The Violin [Bell/Stern- Academy Of Saint Martin In The Fields]

This is pure indulgence, in essence a bunch of fabulous tunes dressed up [piano / chamber], or dressed down [Opera arias] to fit the 'violin & orchestra' mode, in many ways fairly sugary, but all well transcribed and fitting, the orchestral arrangements are by Craig Leon, and the solo violin line is mainly by Bell, this album really works for me, and early in my Blog, i wrote about the previous outing of this disc [21st February 2010], though i do feel it's somewhat short measure [52 minutes], a few more well chosen pieces wouldn't have gone astray.

Joshua Bell is American, born in 1967 [now 43 years old], he made this recording in 2003, it was his first recording with his 'new' 300 year old $4 million Strad!, and it certainly makes a lovely sound, so far he's sold 5 million copies of this album, the photography throughout is stunning [by Timothy White], Bell photographed late in the evening, i take it a brown filter, lovely blackness, and with Bell himself highlighted, it's a lovely all round package.

I'd like to mention a couple of tracks, track 7, the Andante middle movement from Mozart's Piano Concerto 21, there's a wonderful rolling sweep to his melody, the violins are gorgeous, and track 11, i love the baroque sensibilities of Monteverdi's Pur Ti Miro, the opening harpsichord really sets the mood, it's a piece i didn't know before, so it's good to make the acquaintance, but deep down it was track 12, Massenet's Elegie that impressed me the most, in fact reading the booklet notes, it happens to be Bell's favourite too!, originally it was a piano piece, but Massenet later made it into a song, it has a very simple melody, and yet... the most simple melodies can have the most complex emotions attached to them!, after a subdued orchestral intro, the violin plays the main melody [0:36-1:21], with a degree of sadness and longing, certainly subdued compared to what's coming next, it really develops a passion and intensity [1:45-3:11], with very strong lunges on the heartstrings, this is the most glorious part of this piece, and then there's a refrain which is like an innocent sigh! [3:11-3:28], which soon swoons into passion again, it's such an endearing piece, once it gets in your head and heart, it's in there for good!.

Here's Joshua Bell playing the Massenet Elegie on YouTube.