Universal Music Classics/Decca Gold announced today, the release of the score to the highly anticipated biopic from IFC Films, Mary Shelley, which features original music by composer Amelia Warner (Mum's List).  Mary Shelley will be released digitally TODAY May 25th – the same date the film premieres in theaters in the US. In describing the composition process, Amelia emphasized the ghostly themes of the film by utilizing vocalists and orchestral rhythms to assist in telling this illuminating tale. "We used a lot of synths layered with the orchestra. The real strings layered with electric synths created a strangeness and modernity that I think works well with Mary's character. We found some amazing musicians and two incredible singers who are a huge part of the score. We used a soprano and a counter tenor and had them sing in a very expressive way. For example, when things start to go a bit crazy in those Geneva scenes, we got the singers to scream and to slide up and down the scale to create an unsettling disorientation.  It was a difficult cue and took a while to get right. Voice was really important as were the strings, which are slightly discordant. We also used breath and heartbeat to feel like we are experiencing it as Mary." read the full wearemoviegeeks ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

The Grammy-nominated string orchestra A Far Cry and pianist Simone Dinnerstein have teamed up on a new recording of keyboard concertos by Philip Glass and J.S. Bach. Entitled Circles, and released on Glass' Orange Mountain Music, the album features the Bach Keyboard Concerto No. 7 in G Minor, BWV 1058, along with the world premiere recording of Glass's Piano Concerto No. 3, a new concerto for piano and strings co-commissioned by A Far Cry and composed by Glass specifically for Dinnerstein. Recorded in the stellar acoustics of Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA, the The Wall Street Journal called the disc; "an inspired pairing," adding "Mr. Glass could not have hoped for a more graceful, fluid reading." The album has also just gone to #1 on the billboard 'Classical Albums' Chart

Bill Frisell Trio featuring Thomas Morgan & Rudy Royston June 14 will kick off the 91.3KUAF - jazz summer concert series. This concert is presented by the Northwest Arkansas Jazz Society and Walton Arts Center as part of the 20th season of Summer Jazz Concerts and the Artosphere Festival. On Frisell, The New York Times wrote; "It's hard to find a more fruitful meditation on American music than in the compositions of guitarist Bill Frisell. Mixing rock and country with jazz and blues, he's found what connects them: improvisation and a sense of play. Unlike other pastichists, who tend to duck passion, Mr. Frisell plays up the pleasure in the music and also takes on another often-avoided subject, tenderness."      p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

Robin McKelle debuted as a big band jazz singer twelve years ago and has since tried blues, pop rock and smatterings of soul and gospel. Melodic Canvas marks her return to jazz, this time in a small ensemble. This is McKelle's album – she wrote six of the ten tunes, did most of the arrangements, and produced the project. Apart from the rich, textured music, McKelle takes on some social commentary, writes intimate lyrics, and without being too overt, spurs us to a considerate call to action. This is not the straight ahead jazz that you'll hear from Diana Krall, Lyn Stanley or other great American Songbook singers.  It's a bit off center as her term "jazz soul" (not to be confused with soul jazz) indicates. No matter what, she has some strong songs here and the musicianship is superb. READ THE FULL MAKING A SCENE

Decca Records has released the official recording of the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Ms. Meghan Markle. Having recorded the entire service live at St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, every piece of music, the readings, blessings and the vows are included. The musical highlight of the moving and joyous ceremony was British cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, one of the most exciting musicians of his generation, who was personally asked by the bride and groom to perform at their wedding. The Royal Wedding: The Official Album is WFMT: Chicago 'Featured New Release' for Tuesday May 22, 2018.

Jóhann Jóhannsson left this world too soon. He was born in Reykjavik in 1969 and died earlier this year in Berlin. His legacy includes a short, but impressive list of film scores such as the Golden Globe-winning Theory Of Everything, Sicario, Arrival and Prisoners. He was initially set to score Blade Runner 2049 for frequent collaborator Denis Villeneuve, but they amicably departed as Jóhannsson's score allegedly didn't fit the film. The composer also worked on Mother, but it seems that the composer himself thought the film would work much better without music. Prior to his death, Jóhannsson worked on several films whose scores, unintentionally, now serve as a coda to Jóhannsson's life. The Mercy is a 2017 British biographical drama film, directed by James Marsh and written by Scott Z. Burns. It is based on the true story of the disastrous attempt by the amateur sailor Donald Crowhurst to complete the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in 1968 and his subsequent attempts to cover up his failure. The Mercy is a dramatic score in Jóhannsson's typical minimalist style. Relying mostly on piano, glockenspiel, some strings and synth atmospheres, the music aches. Some of the piano-and-glockenspiel is rather upbeat; and when combined with a subtle string ostinato it fills your heart with joy.  Back in 2002 Englabörn was Jóhannsson's first album. It was re-released in 2008 without any alterations; but a celebratory edition was scheduled (and has been released) in 2018. It's been remastered and it includes a second disc with remixes by various artists. I have to be honest and say that I'm not familiar with the original release of Englabörn and thus can't offer an opinion as to how this new release compares. This new release does sound crystal clear. The recording and mixing are of such quality that they allow you to hear every tiny little detail in the composer's music. Whilst adding the finishing touches to this article, I'm listening to his album Orphée. It dates back to 2016 though it feels like it came out just yesterday. It's such a beautiful album; I'm fighting back tears. As quoted earlier, much of Jóhannsson's music sounds like an ending, a prelude to an end or an aftermath. It often inhibits a sense of loss, to convey the deepest and darkest of emotions where words and conventional music fail. His compositions are often minimal, his arrangements sparse, but there is nothing simplistic about his music. He had a unique ear for harmonies, melodies, for juxtaposing instruments and for combining the acoustic with the electronic. His music doesn't really sound like others' (though others sound like him), and it doesn't always evolve or resolve in traditional ways. There's a serenity about his music, something timeless and inevitable – like gazing at the stars at night.  His voice is missed. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Synchrotones ARTICLE

David Crosby has a very succinct reason for why he's still making music. "I love singing," said the acoustic folk legend. "I love singing so much that I can't even start to tell you." Crosby is touring behind his album "Sky Trails." He hits Orlando's Plaza Live on May 26 with his band, including his son, James Raymond.  On the phone from the road, Crosby, 76, discussed why he loves collaboration, his image and the lasting influence of his boat "Mayan," which he sold in 2014.  PHOTO: (ANNA WEBBER) p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px} span.Apple-tab-span {white-space:pre} READ THE Orlando Sentinel Q&A

The Lao Tizer Band, now larger and exploring new methods on Songs From The Swinghouse. Featuring eight blistering original instrumentals and three iconic classic rock songs with reimagined arrangements, Lao says "We've never done anything with a vocalist and we've never done any cover songs, so this is the first time that I decided to delve into that realm, to basically expand the scope of our music."  Coordinating promo for the band's upcoming New Haven date, Lao sat down with 89.3WRTC's Bob Parzych to talk about the album and the tour. Listen to the attached segment.

Interview with WRTC's Bob Parzych

For his second Warner Classics album, David Aaron Carpenter – "a star violist" in the words of the Los Angeles Times – brings together concertos by Dvořák, Bartók, Walton and a dance cycle by contemporary composer Alexey Shor. Carpenter identifies a connecting theme of "a longing for the homeland … a reverence for native musical folk tunes and language." He is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under three distinguished conductors: Kazushi Ono, Vladimir Jurowski and David Parry. KUSC: Los Angeles was introduced to this recording and recently made it Album of the Week. Now you can download a track for free from contemporary composer Alexey Shor; Gathering Storm as performed by award-winning violist David Aaron Carpenter. Help yourself!

Brooklyn Rider, a New York City-based string quartet, will team up with Kayhan Kalhor, a master of Iranian and Kurdish music, for a Thursday night 5/24 concert at Oregon State University. The concert, part of the OSU School of Arts and Communications Presents series, at the LaSells Stewart Center. Brooklyn Rider. founded in 2008, draws on influences beyond the traditional classical realm. The group has collaborated with banjoist and composer Bela Fleck, singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane and jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, among others. Kayhan Kalhor is a Grammy-nominated composer and performer. He performs on the kamancheh, a traditional Iranian string instrument, and is a founding member of Yo Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble. The program includes Kalhor and Brooklyn Rider performing "Silent City," an elegy by Kalhor written in response to the destruction of the Kurdish city of Halabja. READ THE FULL Corvallis Gazette Times ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}

For his second Warner Classics album, David Aaron Carpenter – "a star violist" in the words of the Los Angeles Times – brings together concertos by Dvořák, Bartók, Walton and a dance cycle by contemporary composer Alexey Shor. Carpenter identifies a connecting theme of "a longing for the homeland … a reverence for native musical folk tunes and language." He is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under three distinguished conductors: Kazushi Ono, Vladimir Jurowski and David Parry. KDFC: San Francisco was introduced to this recording and recently made it Album of the Week. Now you can download a track for free from contemporary composer Alexey Shor; Gathering Storm as performed by award-winning violist David Aaron Carpenter. Help yourself! p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060}

Guitarist Bill Frisell is back with another album, and this one is a solo date. Frisell is a one-man band with electric and acoustic guitars, loops, bass, ukulele and music boxes. He roams freely through his influences, which range widely from country, to folk & rock & jazz. The satisfying results will please almost any listener who is interested in sincere guitar artistry. Highlights of disc include "Ron Carter", 'Rambler" and "Pretty Stars". The disc includes 16 tracks that are perfect for solitary listening or in the company of those who appreciate heartfelt music that can't be  in the background. READ THE FULL 91.5KIOS: Last Call 'Pick of the Week' REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #606060; min-height: 14.0px}