Stories for December 15, 2019
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DePue Brothers drum rolls / Bellefontaine Examiner
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Don Liuzzi, left, chief timpanist and percussion chair for the Philadelphia Symphony, teaches approaches to drum rolls on the snare drum to Bellefontaine Middle School percussionists Wednesday during a visit by the DePue Brothers Band throughout the day with Bellefontaine High School and Middle School orchestra members and BMS eighth-grade band members. The musical ensemble also performs for Benjamin Logan Elementary School students today and conducts a workshop with Benjamin Logan High School band members prior to A Magical Grassical Christmas concert at 7 p.m. tonight at the Holland Theatre, where tickets are still available for $25 to $40. The DePue Brothers are highly celebrated group of four brothers originally from Bowling Green who have pursued professional careers as violinists. The ensemble is now eight members deep and also represents the Indianapolis Symphony and some of the top touring bluegrass bands. The local school performances were made possible by the Bellefontaine Rotary Club, Logan County Electric Cooperative and the Flo Ann Easton Sours Grant. (CHRIS WESTHOFF PHOTO) SEE THE Bellefontaine Examiner PAGE
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Johann Johannsson - Arrival makes THE WRAP '10 best film scores of the 2010s'
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Not all movie scores have the potency to stick with viewers long after the credits rolled. But a great film score not only stands out in our minds, it can bring back the emotions we felt during a particular scene. We can relive the thrill of danger or adventure, tears can well up in our eyes over romantic or mournful notes. Without looking, some scores can even conjure up images from the movie, clear and crisp as when we first watched it, because the music pinned those moments to our memories. There have been hundreds of scores that have had this effect on us over the decade. Here are just a handful of some of our most unforgettable favorites: "Arrival," Jóhann Jóhannsson For a movie about communicating with other lifeforms from outer space, some of the most poignant moments of Denis Villeneuve's "Arrival" are actually more terrestrial. As Amy Adams' character struggles to complete her mission -- figure out why aliens have landed on earth and keep the world's most powerful armies from attacking them -- she must also deal with the memory of losing her young daughter. Jóhann Jóhannsson's compositions melded the sounds of the visiting extraterrestrials into his music, complementing their attempts to communicate with his ambient score. Max Richter's stirring composition "On the Nature of Daylight," a pre-existing work, elevated the characters' emotional journey through loss and uncertainty to hope. SEE THE WRAP '10 best film scores of the 2010s' PAGE
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'Christmas Carols with Libera' goes #1 on billboard: Traditional Classical Albums chart
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
The boys who make up the choral group Libera are normal South London kids aged 7 to 16 years. The music they produce is truly extraordinary. Their new album ‘Christmas Carols With Libera' through Invisible Hands Music, takes on both mellow and upbeat holiday songs in this collection including; ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High' which requires real precision, as well as purity. Many of the tracks were recorded during a group ‘retreat' to a rehearsal space in an old school, this allowed a true live feel to the process. The boy who took the lead vocal on ‘The Snowman' had just turned 9 years old, whilst the introductions to the French ‘Noël Nouvelet' and the Irish ‘Wexford Carol' are both handled by native French and Gaelic speakers, Libera is as polyglot as ever. 'Christmas Carols with Libera' goes #1 on billboard - Traditional Classical Albums. See cover image
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Jenny Lewis, Jackson Browne, Jonathan Wilson team for 'Lape Lanmou' from Haiti benefit album, 'Let the Rhythm Lead' / RollingStone
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Jenny Lewis and producer/songwriter Jonathan Wilson have teamed with Sanba Zao, Paul Beaubrun and Jackson Browne for a new song, "Lapé Lanmou (Peace and Love)." The track will appear on the upcoming benefit album, Let the Rhythm Lead: Haiti Song Summit, Vol. 1, out January 31st, 2020 from Artists for Peace and Justice via Arts Music. The bustling song, whose title means "Peace and Love" in Creole, arrived with an equally lively video in which the musicians perform the song in Haiti alongside a crowd of revelers, dancers and singers. The clip captures the mood of the song, which Beaubrun described as "a spiritual awakening." "Haitians along with many others across the globe have been saying [‘Lapé Lanmou'] for a long time," Beaubrun added. "It's about peace, love and unity amongst us all and how we will never collectively move forward as one without it." Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) is a non-profit organization that encourages peace and social justice and addresses issues of poverty around the world. Our immediate goal is to serve the poorest communities in Haiti with programs in education, healthcare and dignity. We are committed to long-term, sustainable development in direct partnership with the Haitian people. Our model is simple: we believe in empowering local communities, fostering economic growth, and the power of education to change a nation. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL RollingStone ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO
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The Comet Is Coming - Trust In The Lifeforce Of The Deep Mystery makes Treble '10 Best Jazz Albums of 2019'
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Comparing the year in jazz to that of 2018 is a little like comparing this year in metal to its predecessor-on the surface it seems hard to compete with 12 months of obvious ringers. After all, last year revealed the first set of unheard John Coltrane music in decades. I mean, this year also yielded a set of unheard Coltrane pieces, which was pretty cool as well, but they were still essentially alternate versions of pieces we'd already heard, and the novelty wasn't quite as strong. But if the strength of a jazz year can only be measured by the freshness of its rare Coltrane recordings, well, most years would be pretty disappointing. And honestly, to focus on 50-year-old outtakes when so much great new material is being recorded feels at best shortsighted and at worst intransigent. Jazz this year was dominated not by headline-grabbing archival music but by the sheer strength of new artists honing their craft. Some of them have made this list before (Yazz Ahmed, Shabaka Hutchings). Some of them are best known in other genres (Cochemea). And some arrived well out of left-field (Paisiel). But the one thing they have in common is that they all reveal something new about a 100-year-old style. Here are the best jazz albums of 2019. I've always been somewhat skeptical of anything described as "nu-jazz," as more often than not it's less jazz and more downtempo electronic music to pulse through the lobby of a trendy, high-end boutique hotel. The Comet Is Coming, however, are a proper jazz outfit who just so happen to sound like they're prepped to launch into hyperspace, thanks in large part to Danalogue's synth-heavy atmospheres. Yet saxophonist Shabaka Hutchings and drummer Betamax are what bring the project back down to earth with both an emotionally powerful presence and grooves that never relent. One need only give one spin to standout jam "Summon the Fire" to understand that this group is simply not fucking around-they're certainly headed for the cosmos, but they're getting asses shaking on the ascent. Trust In the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery is the group's Impulse! debut, putting them in the league of giants like Charles Mingus and John Coltrane (and Hutchings' other group, Sons of Kemet), and while those might be big shoes to fill, it's to the iconic label's credit that groundbreaking talent like this-making something truly innovative from an electronic/jazz combo that's been stuck in M.O.R. range for too long-is carrying their its forward into the 21st century. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE Treble '10 Best Jazz Albums of 2019' PAGE
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Rachel Barton Pine is back for day 2 with classical radio
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
Chart-topping, international violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine, joined by multi-faceted conductor Teddy Abrams and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, released Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos, on AVIE on November 1. The album features Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 53 and Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D minor, highlights each composer's prominent use of his own traditional ethnic music. The Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos marks Pine's 39th recording and fifth album on AVIE records (AV 2375). In conjunction with the new release, RBP has made herself available for radio interviews on 2 consecutive days. Yesterday and today December 11 & 12. Watch for our tweeths throughout the day.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg: The book, the movie, and tonight in Philly an RBG songfest / Philadelphia Inquirer
Posted: December 12, 2019 12:00 AM | By: Admin
She has already achieved icon status from a fan-girl book, a bio-pic, a documentary, and many dissenting opinions, and now Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being portrayed in music. "The Notorious Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Song" is a one-night-only event at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 12, at Philadelphia's National Museum of American Jewish History, created, performed, and presented by those who know her well: soprano/composer Patrice Michaels (her daughter-in-law) and recording producer James Ginsburg (her son). The evening is based on a recording of the same name on the classical music label Cedille, with operatic music mostly written by Michaels. The Thursday event at the National Museum of American Jewish History will be followed by a question-and-answer session with Michaels and James Ginsburg. PHOTO: JESSICA HILL / AP READ THE FULL Philadelphia Inquirer ARTICLE & LISTEN TO THE MUSIC
LACO concertmaster Margaret Batjer chats with All Classical Portland
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Violinist Margaret Batjer has been associated with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra for a number of years. In their first CD for the Swedish BIS label, Batjer and the LACO begin with a new violin concerto by Quebec-born composer, Pierre Jalbert. With movements titled "Soulful, mysterious", and "With great energy", Jalbert's concerto is in good hands with Ms. Batjer, no stranger to contemporary music. She ties this newest work to established, mystical pieces by Estonian Arvo Pärt (one of his Fratres pieces), and Latvian Peteris Vasks (Lonely Angel). Completing the circle among these spiritualistic composers, J.S. Bach's Concerto in A Minor reminds us that whether sacred or secular, Bach approached composition with equal seriousness. LISTEN TO THE SEGMENT p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}
| Interview with All Classical Portland's John Pitman |
Sung-Won Yang discusses the J.S. Bach, Six Cello Suites with Spokane Public Radio
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
After the releasing the Bach album with EMI in 2005, Decca releases; Sung-Won Yang's J.S. Bach, Six Cello Suites recorded at 19th century's catholic church, Notre Dame de Bon Secours, Paris. In order to contain the natural sounds of the recording from the catholic church, this album specifically minimized the post production including the mixing process. You can experience the maturity and depth of Sung-Won Yang's cello sound of time compared to the recording 13 years ago. Sung-Won Yang's have said that Bach's music provides beyond happiness, yet intellectual and spiritual pieces which makes J.S. Bach, Six Cello Suites holy grail for the cellists. Sung-Won Yang was recently interviewed by Spokane Public Radio's Jim Tevenan. Listen to the interview via the attached file.
| Interview with Spokane PR's Jim Tevenan |
The Stan Getz Quartet 'Getz at The Gate' makes npr: best reissues and archival albums of 2019'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
And now, a moment of appreciation for the under-assistant recording engineers and studio gofers who toiled in anonymity in the dimly lit studios of the past. They didn't just get coffee - they were on site, taking notes about who played what instrument on which track, writing down the dates of sessions, and making sure that those dates were clearly marked on the tape boxes. They did this for albums that became classics. And singles that never left the garage. We know what happened on countless sessions that later became "important" because these anonymous workers took the time to notate the details as they happened. They trusted that someday, somebody out there would care. Through streaming, a curious listener who wouldn't spend $80 on a boxed set can graze through its contents, cherry picking whatever seems interesting - but finding any certain version of any certain track usually involves more than a straightforward search. Scroll through an established artist's list of songs and you encounter "original" versions, live versions, edited-for-radio versions and demo versions of the same tune. Often, the quickest way to distinguish between them is to know who played on a particular version, or when or where it was recorded - the kind of information streaming services don't like to share. This year, record labels and sleuthing researchers leaned on those scrawled morsels of information on tape boxes to bring out an astonishing array of music from the vaults. These include massive hauls of demo recordings, odd never-released curiosities and well known works that have been restored to the artist's original vision. Here are the best of them from this year. This was an excellent year for newly discovered music from legendary jazz tenor saxophonists, in part thanks to this nicely recorded 1961 date from New York's Village Gate. Here, the bewitchingly lyrical Stan Getz darts through uptempo barnburners ("It's All Right With Me"), then muses, in a sullen, disconsolate way, over a gorgeous "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most." This set is notable for the personnel – Getz' little-recorded Boston-based band of pianist Steve Kuhn and drummer Roy Haynes – and also for its date, capturing the saxophonist just before he began his commercially lucrative flirtations with bossa nova. SEE npr PAGE
John Coltrane's 'Blue World' makes npr: best reissues and archival albums of 2019'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
And now, a moment of appreciation for the under-assistant recording engineers and studio gofers who toiled in anonymity in the dimly lit studios of the past. They didn't just get coffee - they were on site, taking notes about who played what instrument on which track, writing down the dates of sessions, and making sure that those dates were clearly marked on the tape boxes. They did this for albums that became classics. And singles that never left the garage. We know what happened on countless sessions that later became "important" because these anonymous workers took the time to notate the details as they happened. They trusted that someday, somebody out there would care. Through streaming, a curious listener who wouldn't spend $80 on a boxed set can graze through its contents, cherry picking whatever seems interesting - but finding any certain version of any certain track usually involves more than a straightforward search. Scroll through an established artist's list of songs and you encounter "original" versions, live versions, edited-for-radio versions and demo versions of the same tune. Often, the quickest way to distinguish between them is to know who played on a particular version, or when or where it was recorded - the kind of information streaming services don't like to share. This year, record labels and sleuthing researchers leaned on those scrawled morsels of information on tape boxes to bring out an astonishing array of music from the vaults. These include massive hauls of demo recordings, odd never-released curiosities and well known works that have been restored to the artist's original vision. Here are the best of them from this year. Blue World, the previously unreleased soundtrack to an experimental Canadian film called Le chat dans le sac and featuring John Coltrane's classic quartet, offers a lesson on the importance of context in jazz. In Coltrane's timeline, it sits between two 1964 landmarks – the saxophonist's inquisitive Crescent and the spiritual meditation A Love Supreme. But the material on Blue World looks back at an earlier period in Coltrane's music - it begins with "Naima," first recorded in 1959 for Giant Steps. Coltrane was not known to look backward or to revisit previous works in the studio, and this "Naima" goes some distance from the well-known version – he's engaged in a full-scale recasting of the theme using more assertive, exploratory gestures. That lithe, beseeching tone brought its own truth to every setting. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE npr PAGE
Angelique Kidjo's 'Quimbara' makes npr's 'best cover songs of 2019'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
The art of covering a song might have reached its pop-culture saturation point this year, thanks to an abundance of special programming (Triple J's Like A Version, BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, Spotify Sessions, Amazon Prime exclusives), tribute albums and touring surprises. But what makes for a good cover? Sometimes it's an arrangement that's radical; at other points, it's the unexpected connection between artists, or an unspooling of genre. A roots artist that likes emo? A rapper going hardcore? A country artist drawn to French pop? These days, cross-genre covering should come as no surprise; the music-makers of 2019 have omnivorous diets, digesting eclectic influences and spitting them back out in song. For some of the artists on this list (Alex Lahey, Rustin Kelly), a cover is an opportunity to pay homage to the music of their youth. It's the chance to speak to a cultural lineage, looking backward (Los Tigres del Norte, Sam Smith) or forward (Tanya Tucker, Angélique Kidjo). And lately, it's a tender love note through time - "I miss you. You were gone too soon" (Jeffrey Lewis). The genius of Africanizing music that already has African roots is crystallized one Celia Cruz's most popular songs. Angélique Kidjo's confident vocals float over a decidedly African-inspired rhythm that emphasizes the power of the song to move bodies onto the dance floor. -Felix Contreras PHOTO: Laurent Seroussi/ p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE THE npr's 'best cover songs of 2019' PAGE
Camila Meza's 'This is Not America' makes npr's '11 jazz songs that spoke truth to power In 2019'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Jazz musicians have always spoken their mind in the face of injustice: think of Louis Armstrong and Charles Mingus voicing two different, equally courageous responses to the fight over Little Rock school integration, or the searing power Billie Holiday brought to "Strange Fruit" (and the price she paid). Well, in case you haven't noticed, we're in the midst of some interesting times, and artists from across jazz and the wider improvised-music spectrum have responded in kind, with music that tackles multiple issues with a range of tactics. What unites the stylistically varied tracks below - all drawn from fine albums - is the sensation of punching up, with indignation or sadness. These musicians may ultimately be preaching to the choir, but their aim is high and true, and their motives sincere. The original song was born of inspired collaboration between David Bowie and the Pat Metheny Group, for the 1985 spy drama The Falcon and the Snowman. Its biting subtext - indignant disbelief at the betrayal of our nation's values - has inspired some pointed cover versions, including two just this year. German pianist Julia Hülsmann offers a view from the outside, entrusting the raw emotion to tenor saxophonist Uli Kempendorff. Chilean singer-songwriter Camila Meza has lyrics to work with, and gives them all appropriate feeling. I saw her perform the song at the Newport Jazz Festival the day after the horrific mass shooting in El Paso, Tx., and her performance brought tears to many eyes - peaking during a cathartic, imploring guitar solo. --Nate Chinen p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE npr's '11 jazz songs that spoke truth to power In 2019' PAGE
Camila Meza's 'Cucurrucucu Paloma' makes npr's '2019 survey of the year in latin music'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
There is a very good reason the Latin Grammys were established 20 years ago, and as Stefanie Fernández and I looked back at this year in music, we were reminded of it: The width and breadth of expression within Latin music stretches that single designation beyond its seams. This happens every week as we share our weekly Alt.Latino playlist with you - but when looking back at an entire year of releases, that diversity overwhelms. So in our list of the best Latin music of 2019, we did our best to reflect a variety of genres and styles. We celebrate a musical world that includes two all-Latina groups who make radically different music: Flor de Toloache (passionate mariachi) and Fea (unbridled punk). Salsa icon Rubén Blades picked up an electric guitar this year with the young rockeros Making Movies and made some of the most vibrant music of his five-decade career. And the Guatemalan blues diva Gaby Moreno collaborated with a genuine rock and roll legend for an lushly orchestrated trip through the Latin American songbook. Camila Meza's 'Cucurrucucu Paloma' makes npr's '2019 survey of the year in latin music' SEE THE PAGE
Pacifica Quartet's Brandon Vamos Q&A's with Strings Magazine on 'Souvenirs of Spain and Italy'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Spain and Italy have much more in common than shared Latin-derived languages and sun dappled beaches on the azure Mediterranean Sea. Cellist Brandon Vamos contends that the music from both cultures is compatible. "They work so well together," he says. Vamos, who founded the Pacifica Quartet with his wife violinist Simin Ganatra in 1994, puts his thesis to the test with Souvenirs of Spain & Italy. Drawing from a time span encompassing the Baroque era to the present day, the Cedille release features compositions from Spaniard Joaquín Turina, plus Spanish-influenced pieces by a trio of Italians-Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, Antonio Vivaldi, and Luigi Boccherini. Although the quartet, comprised of second violinist Austin Hartman and violist Mark Holloway along with Vamos and Ganatra, essay an anxious and introspective version of Turino's "La oración del torero," they are joined on the remaining compositions by multiple-Grammy-award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin. READ THE Q&A
'The Wexford Carol' from Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Songs of Joy & Peace makes WGBH: 'A Very Celtic Christmas' holiday playlist
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Curated by WGBH: Boston 'A Celtic Sojourn's' Brian O'Donovan Explore classic Celtic holiday essentials from including; 'The Wexford Carol' featuring: Alison Krauss, from Yo-Yo Ma and Friends, Songs of Joy & Peace. Yo-Yo Ma brought together a remarkable group of friends to create a musical party inspired by the holiday season: Songs of Joy & Peace on Sony BMG Masterworks. This party celebrates the universal hopes, dreams and joy animating seasonal festivals the world over – Christmas, Hanukkah, Eid al-Adha, Kwanzaa, Yule and New Year's Day. "It started with the idea of a party, a party built around the concept of joy and the infinite varieties of joy to be found in the world," Ma recalls. "But joy can't exist in our world without the comfort of peace. As we all draw closer and closer together in this world, nothing is more important. So as much as the music in this album is about joy, it is also about peace, about the two operating in tandem. I am really excited to know that I have all these fabulous colleagues who think the same way." LISTEN TO THE PLAYLIST
The POINT LESS podcast with Ola Onabule: Ballad Of The Star Crossed
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
A bold and powerful nation with imperial ambitions must confront the fact that absolute power may not always equate to certain victory. It must come to terms with the possibility that in this world, other forms of strength and resilience exist. Sublime and transcendental forces, unseen by the naked eye, but infinitely more effective at motivating hearts and minds than brutish strength and bombast. Listen to the podcast The POINT LESS podcast is a series that boldly expresses views on social injustice. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it. Violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity are themes considered and rendered with a powerful and knowing generosity of spirit.So embodies the artistic - and entrepreneurial - philosophy of Onabulé, whose latest album release, Point Less, is a giant leap forward and deeply soulful Rueful yet optimistic, Onabulé's reach is global. His three-and-a-half octave baritone and the powerful emotions he conveys with it connects with audiences around the world. "Hands-on, self-sufficiency has always been my mantra for survival in the music game," says the songwriter. Produced & Narrated by Max Horowitz - Crossover Media This content, as well as the related podcast, are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) for redistribution and adaptation.
Rachel Barton Pine talks Dvorak and Khachaturian with classical radio
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Chart-topping, international violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine, joined by multi-faceted conductor Teddy Abrams and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, released Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos, on AVIE on November 1. The album features Dvořák's Violin Concerto in A minor Op. 53 and Khachaturian's Violin Concerto in D minor, highlights each composer's prominent use of his own traditional ethnic music. The Dvořák and Khachaturian Violin Concertos marks Pine's 39th recording and fifth album on AVIE records (AV 2375). In conjunction with the new release, RBP has made herself available for radio interviews on 2 consecutive days, today and tomorrow, December 11 & 12. Watch for our tweeths throughout the day
Julia Wolfe - 'Fire in my mouth' makes 'npr:10 classical albums to usher in the next decade'
Posted: December 11, 2019 12:00 AM
Traditions worth saving still need need practitioners and advocates who are willing to propel them forward. Classical music boasts a long, rich history - about 1000 years - of transformation, adaptation, tumult and triumph. From radical, boundary-bashing composers to brave and bold interpreters, the music has remained vibrantly alive even as prognosticators routinely forecast its demise. The list below offers tip-of-the-iceberg evidence that those who compose and perform this music have, in the past year, been thinking about the future. Here are 10 amazing albums from 2019 that ask - sometimes demand - that we look inward to ourselves and outward to humanity as we listen. If John Luther Adams is our de facto environmentalist composer, Julia Wolfe is our labor documentarian, tackling historic issues that resonate today. Fire in my mouth documents the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York, which killed 146 workers, mostly women. It follows Wolfe's Pulitzer-winning Anthracite Fields (on Pennsylvania coal miners) and Steel Hammer (Appalachian workers). Following suit, Fire is a riveting cross between public history and oratorio, utilizing original texts from those involved, backed by the New York Philharmonic and a 146-woman chorus. Wolfe's inspired orchestrations ping and buzz like the sewing machines used by the immigrant workforce, and in one scene, Yiddish and Italian songs are braided in a fugal reverie. By marrying history and music, Wolfe forces us to look to our past to protect our future. SEE npr PAGE
Top 10 Albums for December
Alexandre Desplat :
Little Women OMPS
Sony Music announces the release of LITTLE WOMEN (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) with music by Academy Award®, Golden Globe® and GRAMMY® Award-winning composer ALEXANDRE DESPLAT. Available for preorder now, the album will be available in digital, CD and vinyl formats beginning Friday, December 13. Recorded in New York City under the leadership of Desplat, who conducted a chamber orchestra to perform his original compositions, the score serves as a sonic companion to the film's coming-of-age narrative. Making its debut alongside album preorder is the title track from Desplat's score – listen to "Little Women" now. Directed by Greta Gerwig, Sony Pictures' Little Women will make its highly-anticipated theatrical debut on Wednesday, December 25.
Bing Crosby :
Bing at Christmas
On the anniversary of the untimely death of the world's first ‘multimedia' star Bing Crosby, October 14th sees his longtime record label, Decca, together with his widow Kathryn and their children, Harry, Mary, and Nathaniel Crosby, announce the release of the brand new album, Bing at Christmas, via Decca/UMe.
Bing's is the voice that is completely synonymous with Christmas. Now, Bing's utterly distinctive original vocals are set to newly-recorded orchestral arrangements, performed by the UK's most prestigious orchestra, The London Symphony Orchestra, on an album that breathes new life into the best Christmas songs in existence.
The new album gives the world the chance to hear these beloved tracks totally transformed, with today's technical advances. Produced by Nick Patrick, who was behind the hugely successful Elvis Presley, Roy Orbison, and Buddy Holly orchestral albums, Bing at Christmas boasts a unique sound and warmth that sets it apart from past Bing Crosby releases.
Jon Batiste :
Chronology Of A Dream - Live@The Village Vanguard
The inimitable musician and bandleader, Jon Batiste, sets to release Chronology Of A Dream: Live At The Village Vanguard on November 1. Recorded during his six-night residency in the fall of 2018, the live album is a follow up to his recent critically acclaimed release, Anatomy of Angels: Live at the Village Vanguard, and is part two of the two-part series. You can listen to the first single "HIGHER" and pre-order the album here.
Anatomy of Angels and Chronology of a Dream are two sides of the same coin. Batiste explains, "My compositions on Chronology focus on thematic development within short form structures with memorable melodic themes, while Angels focuses on thematic development within longer form structures that are built for deconstruction, never to be played the same way twice."
Idina Menzel :
Christmas A Season Of Love
Tony Award–winner Idina Menzel has a career that traverses stage, film, television, and music and in time for the holidays she releases an album of traditional and brand-new songs featuring Ariana Grande, Billy Porter, Josh Gad and her husband, Aaron Lohr. Timed to coincide with the release of Disney's Frozen 2, which includes Idina's unforgettable voice in the title role of Elsa, this new album is sure to bring friends and family together throughout the holiday season.
Libera :
Christmas Carols with Libera
The boys who make up the choral group Libera are normal South London kids aged 7 to 16 years. The music they produce is truly extraordinary. Their new album ‘Christmas Carols With Libera' is available on 15 November 2019 on CD plus digital formats through Invisible Hands Music.
Libera are one of the leading worldwide exponents of the British choral tradition and this special collection includes 16 popular carols and a bonus song from the ‘The Snowman'; the evergreen ‘Walking in the Air' is recreated Libera-style. From the traditional‘Once In Royal David's City' and the haunting ‘Carol Of The Bells' to the popular ‘In The Bleak Midwinter', this new CD is packed with favourites but also imbued with the unmistakable atmosphere of a Libera concert. There will be a launch show on 3 December 2019 at 1930 at St John Smith Square, London.
Taking on the mellow and the more upbeat songs in this collection, the boys of Libera had great fun. The likes of ‘Ding Dong Merrily On High' require real precision, as well as purity. Many of the tracks were recorded during a group ‘retreat' to a rehearsal space in an old school, this allowed a true live feel to the process. The boy who took the lead vocal on ‘The Snowman' had just turned 9 years old, whilst the introductions to the French ‘Noël Nouvelet' and the Irish ‘Wexford Carol' are both handled by native French and Gaelic speakers, Libera is as polyglot as ever.
Libera are a phenomenon with 65 million hits on You Tube, they have performed for Popes and Presidents and gained 3 Classical Brit nominations. With shimmering, mystical chords and ecstatic harmonies, they are unlike any other group you have ever heard. The distinctive sound of Libera has travelled the world and has endeared the group to fans all over the world, particularly in the USA, the UK, the Philippines, South Korea and Japan, where their CDs top the mainstream and classical charts and where they pack concert halls and Cathedrals appearing in their trademark flowing white robes on imaginatively lit stages.
Ola Onabule :
POINT LESS
Socially conscious singer/songwriter Ola Onabule has built an enviable career as an international touring performer and has now turned his attention to the North American market with a newly recorded collection of original songs. Onabule's meticulous attention to detail in his arrangements and production as well as the support from Sennheiser/Neumann have contributed to the manifestation of an impressive recording.
Point Less, is a follow up to Onabule's last album, It's The Peace That Deafens, with the new album boldly expressing his views on social injustice, reminiscent of Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it. Violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity are themes considered on Point Less, rendered with a powerful and knowing generosity of spirit. Onabule is rueful yet optimistic.
Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra :
I Shouldn't Be Telling You This
JEFF GOLDBLUM WITH BRAND NEW ALBUM
FEATURING - SHARON VAN ETTEN • FIONA APPLE • ANNA CALVI • INARA GEORGE • GINA SAPUTO
In DUETS WITH JEFF GOLDBLUM - OUT NOVEMBER 1 ON DECCA RECORDS
"I'm crying with ecstasy over this new album. Creatively, I'm happy as a clam. This collection of cohorts (cream of the crop), with whom I get to cavort, is outa this cosmos. Ouch, my crackling cranium! I'm crowing!!!" – Jeff Goldblum
After his live set being hailed as one of Glastonbury 2019's most iconic moments this summer, at which he announced from the stage that a brand new record was in the works, Jeff Goldblum is now set to release an album which will make the listener smile even more than his first one. If that is possible. With his long-time band The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, the enticingly-titled album I Shouldn't Be Telling You This will be released globallyNovember 1 on Decca Records and features an impressive array of surprising duet guests.
Sultans Of String :
Christmas Caravan
Celebrate the season AGAIN!! with 2015 JUNO Award nominees Sultans of String, for an adventurous musical trip around the world! SOS deliver an exuberant performance featuring originals, world-music inspired classics, and seasonal favourites to warm your heart on a cold winter's night. From fiery fiddle tunes to a Caribbean sleigh ride, this surprising and delightful holiday fiesta heats up when Sultans of String bring their signature sound to well known gems such as Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, The Huron Carol (with gorgeous newly-translated Indigenous lyrics), Little Drummer Boy, a Feliz Navidad ska party, a Turkish twist on Greensleeves, A Charlie Brown Christmas, as well as a Gypsy-jazz inspired Django Christmas, and a Rumba-Flamenca fuelled Jingle Bells.
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Cally Banham :
Cor Christmas
"Intimate, Warm, Plaintive, Whimsical, Fresh, And Full Of Heart, You'll Feel It To The Cor - " Los Angeles Stage And Cinema
"The English horn is an instrument known for it's eloquent voice-like quality, perfect to express joyful lyrical lines, as well as peaceful and reverent emotions." - Cally Banham
Announcing the re-release of Cor Christmas, an instrumental collection of sacred and secular carols featuring the soulful sound of the English horn, performed by Saint Louis Symphony Solo English horn player Cally Banham. Featured on the album are Banham's own ensemble Cortango, Adam Maness Trio, and Trombones of the Saint Louis Symphony, and harpist Allegra Lilly and percussionist William James.. Cor Christmas presents a varied journey through popular Christmas tunes, presented in a fusion of classical and jazz styles and reimagined in new and sonorous arrangements!
This 2019 re-release includes an added track, (Arabian Dance from "The Nutcracker"). In 2018, Cor Christmas, was awarded the KDFC San Francisco and KUSC Los Angeles "Album of the Week" during Christmas week 2018, and was the WKNO Memphis "Album of the Month" for December 2018.
Ludovico Einaudi :
Seven Days Walking - Day Seven
Following his sold-out, seven-night residency at the Barbican in early August, Decca announces the release of ‘Seven Days Walking: Day Seven', and the climactic seven-volume collection from composer and pianist Ludovico Einaudi – his most ambitious album project yet, with seven albums released over as many months. A solo piano album, ‘Day Seven' is released on 20thSeptember, followed by a complete box set on 27th September, marking the final stop on Einaudi's intimate journey through the snow-capped Alps.