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Volume 13 - Issue 7- April 2008

Rodrigo, having

Rodrigo, having visitedthe composershortly before hisdeath in 1999. Herclose relationship withhis family has continuedto this day.The Concierto deAranjuez is arguablythe most popular and most-frequently recordedguitar concerto, and one which virtually everytop soloist plays. Even in the best hands,however, the solo part can sometimes soundforced and lacking in resonance. No suchworries here. Muraji takes each movementsomewhat slower than most, and the extrabreathing room allows for a rich, warm andexpansive reading. If! had to live with onlyone recording of this work, this would be theone.Two lesser-known but very attractiveworks, the Concierto para una fiesta, andSones en la Giraldo, complete the disc. Asthe composer's daughter Cecilia Rodrigocomments in her glowing introduction to thebooklet notes, Muraji performs all three works"with superb technique and an incrediblesensitivity".No less impressive is the orchestral accompaniment,full of sumptuous warmth and stunninglyrecorded; the slow movement of theAranjuez is as ravishingly beautiful a performanceas you could ever wish to hear. A superbdisc, and one not to be missed at any cost.Terry RobbinsJAZZROUND(UP) ONE:They come from CanadaBy Jim GallowayDMBQ is one of themost interesting andenjoyable groups onthe contemporaryscene today and theirCD DMBQ Live(DMBQ01232008) ,recorded in concertat the Western Frontin Vancouver, is a rewarding programme oforiginal and challenging compositions from thethree principals in the band - Tara Davidsonand Mike Murley on reeds and David Braid onpiano. The compositions are consistentlycreative - see if you can figure out whichstandards fit the changes on Things and OnThe Spot - and it goes without saying that theplaying is exemplary. The two other membersof the group are Jim Vivian on bass and IanFroman, drums. They play a vital part indemonstrating that the whole is greater thanthe sum of its parts. (www.davidbraid.com)Fern Lindzon - Moments Like These(iatsos IM 01) Take a sensitive singer/pianist, choose an imaginative set of songs, addGeorge Koller on bass, gu itarist Reg Schwager66and Don Thompsonon vibes - but onlyone of them on eachnumber - and you arealready rounding thirdand heading forhome. It is difficult tochoose favouritesfrom this CD andLindzon has created an album that might justbe too good to be "popular", but real listenersto the music wil l find a great deal of pleasurein this tasteful collection of superior lyrics andmelodies. (www.fernlindzon.com)The title composition No Passport Required(Barbarian RecordsCDM06) is a duoconcertoin threemovements for trumpet,trombone and bigband. The trumpetbelongs to Brad Turner,the trombone andbig band belong to IanMcDougall and theinspiration for the work, although recorded lastyear, comes from 1960-61 when Ian was livingin Britain and playing in the Johnny Dankworthband. The six other compositions on the CDare dedicated to a wide range of influencesfrom Lord Alfred Tennyson to Rob McConnellvia singer Bobby Breen and Carl Jefferson,founder of Concord Records. Greetings - fromMcSlide to Mc Valve is a friendly tribute to Mr.McConnell and, indeed, there are times whenthe arrangements on the album bring to mindthe sound of the Boss Brass. The band isstrong in the solo department with West Coastheavies such as Campbell Ryga, Phil Dwyerand Oliver Ganon to name only a few. Surprisingly,this is Ian McDougall's first CD of bigband arrangements. Better late than never, say I.(www.ianmcdougall.com)ROUND(UP) TWO:They come through CanadaBy Ken WaxmanJim GallowayMusic transcends borders, and so does musicdistribution in the internet age. Couple this withthe maturation of the Canadian improvisedmusic scene and a new phenomenon is visible:CDs recorded elsewhere, but released byCanadian labels for international distribution.This set of recent CDs recognizes the situation."Reg Erg" and "Primordial Soup", respectivelyrecorded in Milano and Koln, are onMontreal 's Red Toucan label (www3.sympatico.ea/cactus.red/toucan). "The Bay Window"and "Green-Wood", recorded in Paris andBrooklyn, are products of Vancouver's Songlinesimprint (www.songlines.com).Way Out Northwest (Drip Audio DA00272) characterizes a similar trend. WithCanadian musicians operating at high standard,foreign players come here to record. This CDcaptures London-based saxophone exp lorerJohn Butcher at a Vancouver gig with Ger-WWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COMman bassist Torsten Muller, a British Columbiaresident since 200 I and local drummerDylan van der Schyff. Free improv at itsfinest, " Way Out Northwest" highlights thesimpatico interaction among the three thatextends to mirroring each other's timbres.During the unbroken improvisation you wonderif certain sounds arise from the saxophonist'ssib ilant vamps, the drummer's friction againstunyielding surfaces or the bassist's sul ponticellomovements. While van der Schyff'ssmacks, rebounds and struts evolve in parallelwith MUiier's unconventional tuning that makesbass movements agitato and contrapuntal,Butcher uses tongue slaps, continuous breathingand glottal punctuation for a spiky reedrecital. Multiphonics arise from both sopranoand tenor saxophone, as key percussion andconstricted snorts pushed through his horn'sbody tube meld with the bassist's wood-bendingmultiple stops and the drummer's smacksand bounces. Although a composition likemagiC CloCk maCHine evolves as a polyphoniccloud of cymbal slaps, multiple bassstops and a humongous sax vibrato, the threeconclude this recital with a legato romp encompassingpulsating bass lines, press rolls andsibilant growls. (www.dripaudio.com)Expanding the musical palate by adding a piano,Kartet's The Bay Window (Songlines SGLSA 1560-2) presents shorter, Jess atonal compositions.North American connections existfor this Paris-based band as well. PianistBenoit Delbecq recorded his so lo CD in Vancouver,while bassist Hubert Dupont and ChanderSardjoe are in a quartet with New Yorksaxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa. Over 14tracks, each member of the quartet impresses,with Dupont's melodious note placement andtolling stops establishing the mood. Clatteringand pumping cymbals, cowbell, snare and toms,the drummer keeps the saxophon ist and pianist'sromanticism in check. Sequential organizationmakes Chrysalide/lmago a notableadmixture of rondo and rhythm, as the saxman'sa cappella intro gives way to the pianist'simpressionistic flourishes. It proves howpiano chording decorated with rolling cadences,note clusters and unexpected vo icing canintersect with slices of flutter-tongued reedpower.APRIL 1 - MAY 7 2008

Halving the personnel, but doubling theinterplay, Italian pianist Alberto Braida andDutch bassist Wilbert de Joode are equallyexpansive on Reg Erg (Red Toucan RT9332). De Joode has recorded with van derSchyff. Braida, recorded with Canadian bassistLisle Ellis and plays with Butcher. Both havemanifold technique that negates this reducedinstrumentation, as their I O duets show themsystematically following each others' impulseswith radar-like communication. On onenocturne for instance, Braida assembles lowfrequencynote clusters as de Joode bowsintermittent tremolo runs; on another, thick bullfiddle intensity causes the pianist to octavejump into the darker textures of his instrument.Elsewhere Braida exposes key clipping andflowing arpeggios, while the bassist constructssolos from rubber band-like plucking or bytightening and loosening his strings. "Reg Erg"climaxes with Wadi, where the pianistescalates from pedal-muted single notes tofanning chords that emphasize the instrument'sback frame and dampers. Compatible, deJoode's buzzing arco lines are shaped sulponticello so that his splayed, staccatodynamism meets Braida's near-kinetic runs.~\e t>\ace for Better Aut1,-' The Finest IQHigh End Audio Gear AvailableOver 30 Years•Sim audioFine Canadian Audio CompanyOffering a complete line up of Electronics,CD players, integratedamps, pre amps andpower amps(Shown in Silver, also available in Black)Beautiful Styling and Sound that will AmazeFull line available.High EndAudioSpeakersWorldwideRenown forHighPerformanceAnd topCraftsmanshipSonus Faber SpeakersCrafted in ItalyFull line ofspeakers­Bookshelf andFloor standingMatching CenterChannel to matchalso available.Upgrade TodayDomus, Cremona and Homage Series AvailableFinished in Fine wood or Black cabinetsThere's no bass or piano on Carl LudwigHiibsch's Primordial Soup (Red ToucanRT 9331). Instead this potage contains ingredientsfrom four German improvisers - trumpeterAxel Dorner, reedist Frank Gratkowski,tuba player Hubsch and percussionist MichaelGriener. Compositions snake from dodecaphonicto Dixieland with variations in-between.Take NCC 2270 Terrier, for instance. Paintedin broad strokes, it's a half-Swing-half-marchwith a sharp tempo that features Gratkowski'sclarinet riding atop Hubsch 's pedal-point blasts,while Griener rattles and slap. Darner's legatocounterline prods Hubsch to speed up thetempo until the reverberating line descends intocymbal resonation, trumpet grace notes andchalumeau reed slithers. Collective and organic,the quartet's massed improvisations occasionallyforeshadow later tune development ­with breaths, whines, pops, gro)¥ls, cracklesand brays on display. Gratkowski's alto saxophoneperforms tongue jujitsu, while Darner'shalf-valve reverberations create double counterpointwith the reedist or peeping contrast toAPRIL 1 - M AY 7 2008d CS Data Conversion Systems"' ......,.. .. .,. ..New PUCCINI r.c:,Cd/SACD playerThe Finest Cd/SACD player we have ever heard.Also on Display the Paganini and the ScarlattiLine Starting from$ 22,000.WWW, THEWHOLENOTE, COM 67

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