Oakland East Bay Symphony

Since I have a tight deadline tomorrow morning, I will be brief here, but the Oakland East Bay Symphony continues to amaze me. Once again Michael Morgan has put together a good program with two modern works, Beethoven's Fidelio overture (I would have struck that one, as there is little to be said in favor of Beethoven's one lame attempt at an opera, and the orchestra was a little dull on it), and Dvorak's New World Symphony.

Morgan's taste in contemporary music lists a bit towards the neo-tonalist side, so usually the contemporary pieces are mildly pleasant fluff to match the composer's hair (ever notice how neo-tonalists often are in need of haircuts? Of course I am currently in need of a haircut, and I am no neo-tonalist, so go figure). The world premiere was very good, though, as was the Zyman flute concerto.

I have to admit that I had never heard Zyman before, and was impressed. The concerto was good, solid neo-classical writing, without the irritating affectations that Stravinsky always brought to his neo-classical work. Soloist Elena Duran was definitely on top of the music.

As for the Dvorak, it is a great piece, and Morgan handled it well. I am pleased that the OEBS keeps getting better and better. It will never catch up to the San Francisco Symphony, but it is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area. Also, any excuse to go to Tim Pfluegger's glorious art deco masterpiece, the Oakland Paramount Theater, is worth the price of admission. If the music ever lags, there is always the ceiling (and the walls, and the mosaic work and the lobby, and the carpet, and the fixtures) to look at.

I kind of wish that they had the Paramount's organist playing show tunes as patrons found their seats, as they do during films. He usually plays pieces from the films, and I think it would be interesting to hear the symphonic music on the Mighty Wurlitzer. Sometimes it would really be an improvement. Then, as the concert master enters the stage, the Wurlitzer could descend into its pit, with the audience clapping along to the Paramount theme.

If Michael Morgan reads this blog he will probably forbid me from ever interviewing one of the OEBS guest artists again, but if the suggestion just hits the right ears...

Music in the Time of Dante - playlist

Recommended Recordings for Music in the Time of Dante.

This is not a complete list, but just a few picks of discs that I used for my lecture on Music in the Time of Dante (although I did not play examples from all of them, due to time constraints, they were all on hand). Most of it is 13th and 14th century material, although I included some earlier material for background listening. These are all from CDs, as I was too busy (or lazy) to burn selections from LP to a CD to play demonstrations of. If you have any questions on any of these discs, or would like further recommendations on music of the period, please let me know and I will hopefully be of use.

Gregorian Chant/Gregorianischer Choral
Choralschola der Wiener Hofburgkapelle under the direction of Fr. Hubert Dopf S.J.
Philips, catalog number 411 140-2, although I would guess that if it is still in print it has a new number.
I hear plenty of Gregorian chant on Sundays, and can sing it myself if I want to hear a melody from the Liber Usualis, so I don’t have that much in my collection, so I list this one only because I used it. I would recommend, however, avoiding those awful CHANT recordings from the Spanish monks. You could do better organizing a dozen neighbors to form a chant choral group.

Music of the Gothic Era
The Early Music Consort of London under the direction of David Munrow
Archiv Productions, Catalog number 471 731-2
A good compilation of Notre Dame school organum, as well as ars antiqua and ars nova. Well performed, although generally reflects accepted performance practices of the mid 1970’s, so if you are looking for cutting edge research to be reflected, this is not the disc to get. Otherwise I would call this 2-cd set the package to buy if you only want to spring for one title of this kind of music in your collection.

Love’s Illusion: Music from the Montpellier Codex (13th Century)
Anonymous 4
harmoni mundi france
HMU 907109
The Montpellier Codex is one of the most important sources we have for 13th c. music. The Anonymous 4 are a fine ensemble who really do justice to the material.

The Way of the Pilgrim: Medieval Songs of Travel
The Toronto Consort under the direction of David Fallis
Dorian Recordings
DOR 93214
Mostly 13th c. material, well performed.

Music of the Crusades
The Early Music Consort of London under the direction of David Munrow
London
430 264-2
Some great 13th c. stuff on here, mostly French.

Music for a Medieval Banquet
The Newberry Consort
Harmonia mundi/Classical Express series
HCX 3957038
Italian ars nova, with pieces by Landini, Ciconia, and Bologna. Great recording at a budget price. The only drawback is the ugly packaging.

Le Roman de Fauvel
Dominique Visse, Anne Azema, Ensemble Project Ars Nova, The Boston Camerata, under the direction of Joel Cohen
Erato
4509-96392-2
This is a great reconstruction of the incredibly important Roman de Fauvel, in which 167 pieces of music were included in a great early work of political satire. I must warn you that this recording might be a bit much for the average listener, as it includes recitations from the Roman as well as the music examples. It is well worth it, and the notes are quite good.

Saint Francis and the Minstrels of God
Altramar Medieval Music Ensemble
Dorian Discovery
DIS 80143
These folks have taken texts from St. Francis as well as his early followers and have set them to melodies from laudi spirituali from two manuscripts. While the results are not really reconstructions of early pieces, they certainly capture the spirit and are wonderfully musical. Highly recommended.

Acantus
Acantus
Gimell
CDGIM 516
These folks are trying to show connections between 14th c. music and modern Italian folk music, which, while based on a large grain of truth, can be dangerous, as one can get carried away. However, they are excellent musicians, have done their homework, and the record is a fun one.

A Dance in the Garden of Mirth: Medieval instrumental music
The Dufay Collective
Chandos
CHAN 9320
Speaking of affinities between modern Italian folk music and medieval music, take a listen to the saltarelli and trotto and compare to the current saltarello tradition. A great disc, full of fun dance pieces.

The Courts of Love: Music from the Time of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Sinfonye under the direction of Stevie Wishart
Hyperion
CDA66367

Chominciamento di gioa: Virtuoso dance-music from the time of Boccaccio’s Decamerone
Ensemble Unicorn
Naxos
The music on this disc is great, but I can’t speak to the notes, because I borrowed this from a friend, and did not have the booklet. Some great saltarelli and trotti.

The Medieval & Renaissance Harp
Elena Polanska, Harp with La Camerata
Vox/Turnabout
PVT 7146
Good music, well played.

Bloomdido

Someone found the blog by searching for "describing Bloomdido by Charlie Parker"

Here you go: beautiful.

That piece still makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Grrrr.

The quality of notes in early music recordings has really diminished. The length of essays has gone down, the clarity of the listings is often a mess, and the packaging has become downright bizarre in various futile efforts to interest the mass market in trecento music (ain't gonna happen, label people). I have been comparing a few titles that I have on vinyl and just bought on CD (from the same label), and pages of useful material are gone, unless the CD is from earlier days of the medium.

It is really stupid to skimp on this stuff, because the primary (dare I say only) market for a lot of this music is specialists, who want every little decision and source explained. I really cannot imagine people impulse buying a disc of Machaut motets at the supermarket. Why are they being packaged that way? Those of us who want Machaut are, well, nerds.

Anyway, with that you get an idea of what I have been doing with my free time these days. I will be leaving for San Diego later this week, and will try to post a couple of good recipes before that, and I should be able to post on the road, but I will probably be at this more diminished level of blogging for a week or two. Things should pick up after the 29th.

Shameless Commercial Plug

Speaking of things Arhoolie, if you need to beef up your Blues or Gospel Collections, now is the time to order online at the Arhoolie Blues and Gospel on line sale. These are great prices. I can give you specific recommendations as well, if you need any extra information.

In Memoriam Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash died this morning. I can think of nothing to say beyond, "go listen to Live at Folsom Prison." He was one of the great ones.

Music for Autumn

It is a little too early around here for this. The days are still pretty warm, and the nights don't drop down too quickly, so I will hold off on playing this for another three weeks, but it might be closer where you are, and this way you have some time to get them.

I have always found the best records to listen to in autumn are John Coltrane's Crescent and the Tony Bennet/Bill Evans record. On a warmish autumn day (but with a little hint of chill in the air), eat pork arista, oven fried potatoes, and a good pinot noir. Then settle back with a small piece of flourless chocolate cake and a glass of calvados, and listen to the Coltrane record. That is autumn.

Something to read and listen to...

I went to the Rootsworld site to look for a review, and found that one I had written a while back is featured. Since I have posted few reviews recently, I offer this for your reading pleasure.

Music Industry Part II

I wrote this last night, but my computer crashed at 1:30 in the morning, so I gave up:

The State of the Music Industry. Part Two.

OK, I have to admit that the state of the record business has me down a bit. Part of it is the fact that sales are in the toilet, but part of it is the sheer volume of garbage that is committed to CD these days. Dressed in my reviewer’s hat I receive a number of promotional CDs. Some of them show up periodically in my mailbox, and others stack up at my editors’ offices, until they get dumped on a hapless reviewer. Currently I am buried under promos, so I decided that this weekend I will get caught up and at least do a preliminary sorting of the good, the bad and the ugly.

Now, for those who read my hyper-critical rants against the likes of Steven Spielberg or Jeff Koons, this may come as a surprise, but I really try to like each and every disc that comes across my desk. Something has to really fall flat to get my ire up.

Generally I put things into four piles: definite review, possible review, no review, and see if the hazardous waste folks will accept this turkey for incineration. Sometimes a good disc will end up in the no review pile, if, for instance, it is already over-exposed, or lends itself to more passive enjoyment or just has too specific an audience for me to write about (or is totally outside my bailiwick).

One of the criteria for review is that I have to be able to honestly give a CD at least three out of four stars. There are too many good releases out there for me to give ink to the mediocre and below. Now, if a title is not only bad but offensive, I might consider it for a good panning, just to warn people away. Another way to earn a panning is to pester me or my editor too often (one call is enough, unless invited. If you call me and do not know anything about the disc besides what you are reading verbatim, you are perilously close to a panning). I am only human, and since my other hat involves being on the other side of the phone line, I have to do my part to teach my fellow publicists good manners.

Another of the review criteria is that CDs must have some distribution beyond buying direct from the artist (with the exception of a really outstanding up and coming local musician). My local readers are in a fairly large area, from Fremont to Richmond, from San Mateo County to Tracy, in the Central Valley. If a title can be found in two shops in this area (preferably not in the same immediate area), I will consider it fair game.

Going through this pile of CDs I found a number of titles that were really quite good, particularly Boz Scaggs’s album of standards. There were some that almost made it (solo CD by Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel). There were some that were honest efforts, but were simply not my thing (a collection of “Songs of Soul and Inspiration” by black women, entitled Church – more on that later in the context of why an all-male sacramental priesthood is necessary. I don’t think I have riled feminists up enough recently). Then there is the ugly: stuff that makes me wonder “why?”

We have a vanity project from some psychologist that quite simply stunk. There is a vanity project from a friend of the local, overrated Linda Tillery, which is not bad as far as a CD gift to friends goes, but nowhere approaches professional standards. We have a Duetto with a couple of tenors that makes Andrea Boccelli sound hard-hitting (I actually have a lot of respect for Boccelli, as a pop singer). The list goes on. After two hours of just quickly sampling this stuff, I am grumpy, my ears are fatigued, and I am ready for some peace and quiet. Fortunately the neighbor’s dog is either dead or asleep. It is just me, the hum of the computer, and the occasional car.

This Duetto, though, deserves a little special panning. The tenors, a Marcello Avarez of Argentina and Salvatore Licitra of Italy have fine voices. In an operatic setting, they can do wonders. However this record is all schmaltz, and not in the Viennese sense, which can actually work. I was trying to figure out why I hated this record so much, since I normally like the operatic pop repertoire (I think I own recordings of every note Mario Lanza ever sung into a microphone). It hit me with a barrage of synth strings: the genre has turned Precious. What particularly galls me is that this is marketed as “Classics.”

Think of the poor 14 year old boy who for some reason gets a bug to better himself. He decides to buy a classical record, so he goes to the local Wal*Mart to find something to buy. Since Sony has tremendous marketing clout and budget to booot, our 14 year old is confronted with a veritable tower of specially priced Duetto CDs. So he brings it home and slaps it on the CD player (sorry, I am vinyl nut, I still use old terminology. Sue me) and thinks, “this is supposed to be high culture?” He rightfully worries that his friends will think he is developing a certain delicacy. Sheesh, that experiment is over! Back to Eminem, who at least struts like he has a pair.

Preciosity is the worst thing to infect music. It is what repulses sensible ears from the dainty chamber music of Brahms. Art music is in its nature highly nuanced and subtle. It does not need to be precious. Let the arrangements be strong and vibrant, a virile music for real ears. Precious music should be called as such and by no other moniker. The folks who like this stuff will think of precious as a complementary word: just like all that gold! It is already a movement: in painting we have Thomas Kinkade, in theater we have Andrew Lloyd Weber, in literature, Maya Angelou. The New Preciousness. The aesthetic of ornate and delicate ugly stuff made of glass. All it needs is an official title. Carmel-by-the-Sea could be its capital.

Think of the cross-promotions! Go to your Kinkade gallery to register to win a weekend at Ye Olde Gnomish Laire at Carmel-by-the-Sea, and a special performance by Alvarez and Licitra during the “cocktail” hour (we actually serve White Zinfandel). Then, when you go home you will get a copy of Maya Angelou’s poetry, autographed by Oprah. A Precious Weekend!

Fine. To each his own, but do not dare call this stuff classical. Western Civilization is made of sterner stuff. We roast music like this and eat it as a snack between Die Valkyrie and Siegfried. If we want delicate we will take Debussy or Ravel on his better days. But generally we will stick with Bach, Mozart, Verdi. You want extreme emotions, we’ve got I Pagliacci and Pierrot Lunaire! You want romance? May I interest you in the Pines of Rome? But you take this wash of fake strings and send them to Carmel!

I was planning on being in bed an hour ago, but started ranting.

Maybe we deserve to die.

The record industry, I mean. I am catching up on my Billboard magazine reading (must have my weekly dose of depressing news), and came accross this, from Steve Smith's announcement that he is leaving as the Classical writer:

"Despite the dire atmosphere in the industry, I am contantly reminided of the reason for their efforts. As EMI Classics A & R director Peter Alward said to me almost two years ago: 'Every generation will wish to have the musical heroes of its time preserved for posterity. And that's our role.'"

It is? If my job is to preserve musical heroes, then let me out. I am here to preserve and promote good music, especially local musics that are on the verge of extinction. I do not drive to El Cerrito every day simply so that Santiago Jimenez Sr. (may he rest in peace) is preserved for his aging cronies, rather that Amália's generation will have an opportunity to hear the exciting music that was pounded out on button accordions, bajo sexto, and tolaloche in the 1940's in San Antonio.

Certainly this preservation of heroes is important. It is fun talking to an octogenarian with a thick Bayou accent who is tickled to find Wade Fruge available on CD, but that is one small facet of why the recording industry is important.

I find this hero-preservation attitude especially strange in the world of Classical music. I grew up on Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. Fun stuff. I still get a smile when I hear the records of them sawing into some Bach concerto or another, but to be stuck thinking that ASMF is the final word of baroque performance and to still want to reach for them as a first choice, well, God forbid.

There is something sad about listening to music primarily for nostalgia, and that is what the attitude of preserving heroes is about. I might pull out the Ralph Kirkpatrick Scarlatti recordings (and I do frequently), but I am much more interested in the Scarlatti than the Kirkpatrick. Kirkpatrick was and remains a musical hero of mine. He cataloged the master, and had an exciting style on the harpsichord. But to put on a Kirkpatrick disc and wallow in nostalgia for my days as a student just discovering how magnificent Scarlatti is on the harspichord is depressing if done with any regularity.

Certainly when I get a new Scarlatti CD there are going to be moments of nostalgia - the way Sophie Yates plays something might trigger a memory of Kirkpatrick or Landowski or even tea and madeleines, but it should be balanced with the joy of discovery or the awe of pure musical power (if you know Yates's music you will know what I am talking about) or the humility of realizing that I interpreted an ornament incorrectly or whatever.

When someone takes a chance on an Arhoolie title, I hope he is expecting musical ideas to interact with, not just a wave of good feelings remembered long ago. I hope that when people, for old time's sake, put on something from their teenage years, that it no longer resonates with the urgency that it once did. If it still does, that is unspeakably sad. A 35 year old who is moved by Duran Duran the same way he was at 17 is in need of help.

The music industry must see itself as enjoying the rare privilege of making a living by contributing to our culture. As an industry, we have neglected the role of cultural gatekeeper in favor of making the quick buck. When we find ourselves pushing crap that no one really wants to hear, spending tremendous amounts of money to get ever diminishing sales, perhaps it is time for some introspection. We have gutted future markets by neglecting to develop discerning ears. In the folk world, a generation has been so self-absorbed as to have done nothing to pass on a love of traditional music (it is great that the Boomers found the joy of tradition, but why are their children so indifferent? I submit that it is because most Boomers only discovered part of the tradition - it is why they fail to see a disconnect between loving traditional Italian music and not practicing the Catholic Faith - not that one needs to completely dive into every culture - I like Balinese Gamelan and have no interest in becoming a Hindoo, but these Boomers seem to have no roots into any tradition). It is easy for us in non-Pop genres to say that we are not the problem, but when confronted by statements like the above from CLASSICAL men, it is time to look at what we have done.

I spend almost all of my time pushing records to our usual audience: affluent Boomers. Don't get me wrong, I like our customers. They are smart, interested in traditional music, etc. But they have bought a lot of records. They cannot see why they need another Clifton Chenier, another Lydia Mendoza. Also, I HAVE to spend most of my time working the existing audience. Our survival depends on it. And when it comes down to it, I am just as much in the dark as the next guy as to how we can interest younger folks in this great music, to convince them that they should have heard at least one Lydia Mendoza record, that dancing to Clifton Chenier is much more fun than the twisted androgynous gyrations that go on in those hideous darkened dens of dunk-skunk-dunk-skunk:dogs-and-cats-and-dogs-and-cats-and/dunk-skunk-dunk-skunk (if you are lost on this last bit, consider yourself lucky - you have not been in a techno-club. Keep it that way. Preserve your ears and offend not your eyes).

If this attitude of sentimental nostalgia is as prevalent as I think it is, it is no wonder the industry is so sick. If there is good to come from advertising and marketing tricks, it must be in bringing to the attention of our audiences some musical gem that they would not otherwise hear about. If we are just selling nostalgia and embalmed heroes, then would the last person at RIAA please turn out the lights.

Well, lunch is over, the sandwich is eaten. In the words of Ian Shoales, I Gotta Go...

The Tragic Passing of...well, uh...

As everyone knows by now, former Ugandan strongman Idi Amin passed away. Amin, known primarily for his literal interpretation of the term "bloodthirsty" will of course be mourned by followers of Mohammed, who are always attracted to the "strong horse over the weak horse" (bin Laden, Interview over Videotape, Some rat-infested cave somewhere).

However it would be a mistake to think that Idi Amin was nothing more than a brutal thug in a shiny uniform. Indeed, the late dictator had a sensitive side, what one would call the soul of a poet (if the poet in question were de Sade, perhaps). You see, Idi Amin was also an accordionist. Really. You can find a strangely edited BBC interview with an excerpt of Idi Amin's music on this page. Well, it might not completely change your view of Idi Amin, but it should dispell the notion that all black people have good rhythm. Or that one can be saved by music.

In his dotage Idi Amin liked to spend his time playing the accordion and fishing, courtesy of the only family business with a seat on the United Nations. The house of Saud must have found a lot in common with Idi Amin.

Record Review

If you like good acoustic blues and traditional gospel, be sure to check out this tribute to Rev. Gary Davis. It is on Inside Sounds. Here is what will appear in the ANG Newspapers about it:

Various Artists
Gary Davis Style: The Legacy of Reverend Gary Davis
Inside Sounds
**** (four stars)

This collection of 20 tracks by a variety of artists playing songs by the legendary Rev. Gary Davis is a moving tribute to a giant of American music. Rev. Davis, who died in 1972, was one of the bridges between blues and gospel music. All of the artists on this album demonstrate a keen understanding of the two musical styles as well as a profound knowledge of Davis’s music, and they keep to his pure, simple style. None of the tracks sound contrived; none of the artists grope around in unfamiliar territory. Even tracks by folk revivalists like Peter, Paul and Mary sound right, lacking the preciousness that is endemic to the folk revivalist genre. Some of the tracks, such as “Twelve Gates to the City” performed by Cephas and Wiggins are particularly moving. This album is a fine introduction to the songs of one of America’s cultural treasures.

-Pete Flowers
peteflowersmusic@aol.com

Saw Players Picnic

The other great music event we went to was the Annual Saw Players Picnic and Music Festival at the Roaring Camp Railroad in Felton, California. This was one of those kill two birds with one stone sort of deals, as it appealed to Amalia's fanatical love of "choo choo's" and my love of the singing saw. We heard saw players from all over, some great, some good, some, well, enthusiastic. The food at Roaring Camp is an abomination (we would have been well served to have brought our own lunch, rather than spend $14 per each on the worst hamburger I have ever had in my life), but everything else is pleasant. We rode the choo choo, played in the stream, listened to the incomparable Robert Armstrong (of Cheap Suit Serenader's fame), and then went to Santa Cruz to visit Ann and Jaime (Ann is the one responsible for the cool look of this web page - hire her if you want a good web designer (or if you want your walls to look really good, too)). Anyway, nothing beats the singing saw, and if you are in Northern California on the third Sunday of July, it is worth a drive up Highway 9. The music is good, the trains are fun, and the setting is beautiful. Also, Felton is only a few miles from Bonny Doon Vineyard (and David Bruce and Byington, etc. etc.).

Hawaiian Music

Mark of Irish Elk fame is listening to one of Yazoo's great Hawaiian reissues, so it is as good a time as any to tell you about one of the great musicians we saw this weekend. Saturday we went to the Sounds of Hawaii show at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. Most of the music was great (except for the rock band whose best song was a mid-80's new country cover), and some of it really stood out. For instance, I still cannot get the sound of Raiatea Helm out of my head. She has one of those great, soaring pure voices with perfect phrasing and intonation. What's more, she is only 18, so she should really improve (most singers, depending on the genre, hit their prime in their late 30's), although I cannot imagine how. I have no idea how she sounds on record, so I cannot report, but if she sounds just half as good as she sounded Saturday, I would recommend her without hesitation.

CD Review...Best of Clifton Chenier

For those of you in the record business, Happy Street Date! Records, like bishops, are released on Tuesdays. We have a very good bishop in His Excellency, Most Rev. Allen Vigneron, and he is not retiring, so we have no bishop new release to look for today, but we have a new record!

Arhoolie Records, ARH CD 474, Clifton Chenier, The Best of Clifton Chenier - The King of Zydeco & Louisiana Blues. Available at your local independent record store (or most Towers, Virgins, some Borders, and Wal*Marts in Louisiana) or directly from Arhoolie Records. Here is a capsule review a writer happened to drop my way:

Clifton Chenier
The Best of Clifton Chenier
Arhoolie Records
***1/2 (three and a half stars)

Subtitled "The King of Zydeco and Louisiana Blues," this collection features a mix of Chenier’s classic Zydeco standards, like "Ay, ai, ai" and "Zydeco Sont Pas Sale" as well as some great blues numbers. One of the strengths of this title, as well as a weakness, is that longtime Chenier producer Chris Strachwitz, set out to highlight Chenier’s blues abilities, which are considerable. Chenier was an outstanding blues singer, but the price for the inclusion of each blues number is the exclusion of a Zydeco masterpiece. Overall, though, the album is outstanding, with some of the best Zydeco music ever made, interspersed with top-notch blues and topped off with a fascinating interview, which, along with a previously unreleased version of "Zydeco Sont Pas Sale" make this interesting even to a long-time Clifton Chenier fan.

-Pete Flowers
peteflowersmusic@aol.com

Dennis Kamakahi CD Review

We had an unseasonable summer day in the Bay Area today! Weeee. Sunshine. Warm. I had to review a Hawaiian record for the paper (just a capsule review, nothing giant- you will have to wait for the Mariza interview for a good meaty music article). Life can be awfully pleasant if you are not careful:

Rev. Dennis Kamakahi
Pua’Ena – Glow Brightly
Dancing Cat Records
**** (four stars)

When cattle were introduced to Hawaii it was essential to bring in trained cattlemen to maintain the herds, so Mexican, Portuguese and Spanish vaqueros came to work the burgeoning cattle industry. They brought their guitars with them and altered the sound of Hawaiian music forever. To fit Polynesian music to the guitar, it was necessary to retune the instruments and the slack key style of guitar was born. One of the masters of Slack Key Guitar is Rev. Dennis Kamakahi. His guitar playing and singing exemplifies the style, with his rich voice and solid accompaniment. Kamakahi creates a wonderfully relaxed sound that is perfect listening for a warm evening. His music is enchanting and soothing without preciousness or the slightest affectation. Pua’Ena is full of honest and straightforward music that instantly evokes the tropical sounds of Hawaii.

Mariza Concert

One of my writing duties is exciting. I just found out today that I am going to interview Mariza, who has probably the greatest voice in Portugal. She is going to be in San Francisco on Aug 2nd, and I am interviewing her this week for a story to run Aug 1st. I will post the story here (as well as the reviews I have written about her albums) on August 1. Of all the big name musicians and singers to write about, she has to top the list.

I thought that I was smitten by Cristina Branco's voice until I heard Mariza's Fado em mim. 20 years ago it would have been easier to be the best fadista. The only competition was the elderly and fading legend Amália Rodrigues (yes, that is where we got the name). Well, there were others, but not like today. Now, the field is much more competitive, with great singers like Dulce Pontes, Mariza, Misia, Cristina Branco, Ana Maria Bobone, etc.).

Now if someone could tell me why Madredeus still sells records I would appreciate knowing. Their arrangements are not bad (I don't mind the modern settings with synthesized strings and all that), but there are a lot of singers out there who can sing circles around Teresa. I liked their music in Wim Wender's Lisbon Story, but it was not much more than pleasant atmosphere. If I want to hear fado, I listen to one of the above.

New Release Alert.

Collectors Choice (one of the great funky resources for music you never knew you needed) is offering Martin Denny's Only Live Recording! It is called Baked Alaska - The Cool Sounds of Martin Denny. I may have to get my hands on this to review it for the paper. The CD era is great!