and 19. On October 20 the Muskoka SaxophoneSociety presents Sa.xorama 2007 withthe Huntsville Saxophone Ensemble, theGravenhurst Saxophone Quartet and theMuskoka Saxophone Choir at St. AndrewsPresbyterian Church, Huntsville.JAZZ & IMPROVISEDtwotet/deuxtetMatt Brubeck;David BraidIndependent bb 001 DVD(www.davidbraid.com)Matt Brubeck plays cello, a not-common jazzaxe, but given the family business (yes, son ofDave) you know he' ll be able to improvise.Classically trained and comfortable in all music,Brubeck, the now-Torontonian ( on theYork U. faculty) joins in duets with DavidBraid on this fine new issue.I have to stop thinking of Braid as "Canada's-best-young/most-promisingetc." jazzpiano player, and (because I've not heard allthe others) "among-the-top-anywhere". Hehas arrived. He ranks. The half-dozen releasesas leader and the dozen-and-a-halfsidemanappearances show his abilities as player, composerand arranger.I've now moved on to expecting a highstandard in his work, and he and Brubeck morethan justify my trust on this album. The tonallimitation of just two instruments made me a bitwary, and I generally start to shiver a bit whenI see all 'originals'. Brubeck offers four compositions,Braid three, (and there's one improvisation)for "twotet/deuxtet". But the variety isremarkable, with drama matched by beautymatched by fun and just plain diggin' in. (Eventhe tune titles work: huevos verdes y Jamon,wash away and sniffln 'around all match thefeeling of the music.)Knowing Braid's remarkable work over thelast half decade, the discovery here for me isMatt Brubeck, and his mastery of the cello.Arco, pizzicato, caressing or grooving, he's afull measure of jazz player, despite the rarityof his axe.By the way, the lower case spelling is theirs,not mine. Such modesty!Indigo BlissAdam MakowiczTimely Manor TM 117-02(www.timelymanor.ca)Ted O'ReillyEvery block of stone has a statue inside it andit is the task of the sculptor to discover it -so said Michelangelo of hi s artistic field. Toparaphrase him and bring the discourse to jazzpiano, every standard has other music inside60Back to Ad Indexc.it and it is the taskof the jazz improviserto discover it.Few have been moresuccessful at discoveringmusic hidinginside than AdamL___~c _ _ _ __:::..::.::..J , -,... Makowicz, Polishpiano virtuoso andone of the most acclaimed jazz musicians inthe world. Over more than 40 years of playingjazz, the musician, (who quotes ArtTatum and Errol Garner as his influences,) hasperformed with the likes of Benny Goodman,Herbie Hancock, Earl "Fatha" Hines, FreddieHubbard, Teddy Wilson, George Shearing,George Mraz and Jack DeJohnette. In hisdiscography you'll find albums recorded withsymphonic orchestras as well as collaborationswith the avant-garde vocalists the NoviSingers and Urszula Dudziak.Makowicz' versatility and critical acclaimdid not necessarily translate into a popularsuccess - at least not in North America. Outsidea dedicated circle of jazz enthusiasts, a"serious" jazz piano improvisation artist can beperceived as intimidating and difficult. All thismay well change courtesy of the latest discreleased by the now Toronto-based Makowicz.Jazz musician, popularizer and broadcaster,Jaymz Bee, fell under the spell ofMakowiczwhen recording his concert at the now-defunctMontreal Bistro in Toronto.Determined to bring his masterful improvisationsto a broader audience, Bee produced thealbum, filled with such much-loved jazz standardsas Blue Skies, Cry me a river, Someoneto watch over me and Stars fell on Alabama.So how does Makowicz fare with the "oldchestnuts"? Well, I'm pleased to report that heremains himself- with astonishing techniqueand a good sense of humour, he casts the wellknownthemes in a new, albeit accessible light.Such an approach offers jazz "newbies" amore comfortable path into the wondrousuniverse ofMakowicz's music, only foreshadowedhere by several of his own compositions.He also remains a consummate showman.During his recent CD release party at thePolish Consulate in Toronto, Makowicz had theaudience in stitches as he bravely inflicted hissprawling improvisations on an unsuspectingupright piano, short at least an octave if nottwo!After listening to this CD, I challenge anymusic lover NOT to reach into the back catalogueof Adam Makowicz !Robert TomasPOT POURRIRoncesvalles TangoWash brookDirty Ice Cream Music DICM-CD-064(www.washbrookmusic.com)The local guitar scene is packed with talentedplayers who deserve wider recognition thanWWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COMthey actually enjoy, and the chances are thatyou don't know the name Rick Wash brookand are not familiar with his work. If that'sthe case, then this highly recommendable soloCD by the California-born Oakville residentpresents an excellent opportunity to putthings right.Described by Washbrook as "a collection oforiginal Flamenco sounding works, Tangos,Latin songs, free form Flamenco and standards",this disc was five years in the making,and the exacting standard that Washbrook setfor himself is evident in the end result. All butfour of the tracks are original compositions,and while they tend not to stray far from thetraditional melodic and harmonic confines ofthe genre they are well-crafted, varied andhighly enjoyable.Carlos Jobim's Gentle Rain and Girl fromlpanema are given sensitive and effectivetreatment, as are Joe Heyne's Petite Waltz andthe haunting Manha de Carnaval.In his teens, Washbrook was strongly influencedby Lenny Breau 's technical approach,and the booklet notes contain an informativeand interesting account of the special righthandtechnique Washbrook has developed toenable him to play rapid single-note phraseswithout the use ofa pick.This is finger-style playing of a very highorder, with a nice range of colour and a warm,rich tone throughout. The recording quality isexcellent, with a close but natural and resonantsound.Terry RobbinsIEXTENDED PLAYTHE RUBA'IYATBantock - Omar KhayyamCatherine Wyn-Rogers; Toby Spence;Roderick Williams; BBC SymphonyOrchestra & Chorus; Vernon HandleyChandos CHSASOSlI was sure thateveryone wasfami liar with TheRuba 'iyat of OmarKhayyam, at leastin one of the translationsinto Victorianera verse byEdward Fitzgerald.However, these. ll.;1;11tn("l;0, \~ K11. \W,\idays it seems that many have not learned anypoetry nor do they enjoy reading it. In fact,they eschew the subject.There are several hundred rubai'yats (quatrains)by, or attributed to, Omar Khayyam, theO CTOBER 1 - N OVEMBER 7 2007
eleventh century Persian philosopher, mathematicianand poet. They have been selectivelytranslated from Farsi into most European languagesplus Chinese, Hindi, Urdu, Russian, andothers. In English, the best known is Fitzgerald'sthird version which contains such familiarfirst lines such as "Awake! For morning in thebowl of night has flung the stone that puts thestars to flight"; "I sent my soul through theInfinite"; "The moving finger writes: and, havingwrit, moves on"; "A book of verse, a jug ofwine and thou beside me," etc. Bantock wasmore than superficially interested in Persianwisdom and eastern philosophy and his empathyis reflected in many of his compositions butmost effectively in Omar Khayyam for whichhe set IOI quatrains from Fitzgerald's fifth andfinal translations published in 1889.A younger contemporary of Elgar ( 1857-1934), Granville Bantock (1868-1946) is wellknown to collectors through the half-dozenexcellent Hyperion CDs, all conducted byVernon Handley, containing some of his ambitiousorchestral works, each opulently orchestratedand usually with a programme, such asFifine at the Fair, Dante and Beatrice, TheCeltic Symphony, The Witch of Atlas, et. al.Omar Khayyam calls for a huge orchestrawith two complete complements of strings,large chorus and soloists. These are not simplypicturesque and perfunctory settings of thethen ubiquitous poems but an epic panoramawith a vaguely oriental flavour, although it doesnot depart from the English choral tradition ofthe era. At the time, or times, of its premier itwas considered by some to be excessive bothin length and the personnel required. Today thisthree hour opus is probably better heard athome, if for no other reason that the final pagesare so gently enervating that one may wishto quietly sit and think, or maybe just sit.This work's premier recording exceedsevery expectation. Outstanding performancesby each and every musician involved (includingthe ringer of the camel bells) are recorded instate of the art sound, heard to perfectionwhether played back in surround sound or as aregular CD.Bruce SurteesArtists,Managers,Presenters!Visit our booth atONTARIO CONTACTand get the full score on howWholeNote Magazine connectsyou with your audience.See you there!Living Arts Centre, October 17-20wholenote·OCTOBER 1 - N OVEMBE R 7 2007Back to Ad Index21 additional CD reviews are available onlineThe following newly released recordings, for which space was not available in themagazine, were also reviewed for D/SCoveries this month. Reviews are availableat our website: www.thewholenote.comVOCALBerlioz - Nuits d' t ; Ravel - Sch h razadeBernarda Fink; Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin; Kent Naganoharmonia mundi HMC 901932Reviewed by Janos GardonyiVerdi - AdaNina Stemme; Salvatore Licitra;Orchestra; Adam FischerBelAir BAC022Reviewed by Seth EstrinEARLY MUSIC AND PERIODPERFORMANCEHandel - Neun Deutsche ArienCarolyn Sampson; The King's ConsortHyperion CDA67627Reviewed by Robert TomasCLASSICAL AND BEYONDMahler - Symphony No. 3Michelle De oung; Chicago SymphonyOrchestra; Women of the CSO Chorus;Chicago Children's Chorus; Bernard HaitinkCSO-Resound SCOR 901 701Reviewed by John S. GrayMODERN ANDCONTEMPORARYIves - Variations on AmericaThe President's Own nited States MarineBandNaxos 8.570559Reviewed by Daniel FoleyArturo Parra VozArturo ParraATMAACD2 2575Reviewed by Tiina KiikSofia Gubaidulina - Rejoice ; Silenzio; InCroce Telesto TrioStichting Camenae1 (www.camenae.eu)Reviewed by Andrew TimarJAZZ AND IMPROVISEDIn The DarkRossano Sportiello Solo PianoSackville SKCD 2-2070Reviewed by Ted O'ReillyMotionDavid VirellesJustin Time jtr 8533-2Reviewed by Eli EisenbergCarol WeismanCarol WeismanJustin Time J ST 220-2Reviewed by Eli EisenbergWWW, TH EWHOLENOTE.COMPeople I LikeThe Blueprint Project with Han BennickCreative Nation Music 008 (www.cnmpro.com)Reviewed by Ken WaxmanStrange StringsSun Raurich Opera Atavistic nheard Music Series(www.atavistic.com)Reviewed by Ken WaxmanPOT POURRINew ImpossibilitiesSilk Road Ensemble; o- o Ma; ChicagoSymphony Orchestra; Miguel Harth BedoyaSony Classical 88697-10319-2Reviewed by Richard HaskellSpiritdanceEdward PowellIndependent (www.edwardpowell.com)Reviewed by Heidi McKenzieCaf des SolitudesSylvain St-Amour; Sylvain CharestQuartz records Qu-st-020070601(www.sylvainst-amour.com)Reviewed by Lesley Mitchell-ClarkeSimply Beautiful - Sing , Dance, DreamDebbie CarrollMerriweather Records MDC07Reviewed by Terry RobbinsOLD WINE IN NEW BOTTLESReviewed by Bruce SurteesStrauss - SalomeTeresa Stratas; Vienna Philharmonic;Karl B hmDecca 0734339Wagner - ParsifalBayreuth Festival; Horst SteinDG 0734328Wagner - GotterdammerungBayreuth Festival James LevineDG 0734340Beethoven's First and Fourth SymphoniesPablo Casals Orchestra of Barcelona;Pablo CasalsNaxos 8.111262Bach Goldberg VariationsFrank PellegDOREMI DHR-7813 461
