…Jeffrey gave to you…“Oh, Holy Night” by…well, just about anyone, really.

From the most classic voices in history (Mahalia Jackson, Donna Summer, Luciano Pavarotti) to the artists I adore, to those I ordinarily can’t stomach (Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey), rare is the version of “Oh, Holy Night” that I don’t succumb to (not to get my Scrooge on, but putrid recordings that do come to mind – say, Jessica Simpson’s, Il Divo’s, Danny Gokey’s, Celtic Women’s – are not the norm, but rather musical anomalies better left to the art of sign language).

The song is, in my opinion, not only the most beautiful carol of them all, but one of the greatest melodies ever written, hence one of histories greatest songs. And, lest I am accused of hypocrisy again, I’ll reiterate what I wrote in my 1^st Day of (Jeffrey)Christ-mas post:

…some decry or belittle my passion for Christmas and its seasonal tunes – I’m often accused of hypocrisy; “How? You’re an atheist – a non believer!! Blah blah blah!!!” Fair enough (those same town criers say the same because of my love of gospel), but as I alluded earlier, it’s the spirit (yes) but also the ideal of the holiday, and what it should bring out in mankind. It often fails, apparently, but there’s no harm in the yearning. So, I love religious carols too, despite the doctrine.

So, it’s not the lyrical content of “Oh, Holy Night”, but its rapturous melody, and more importantly, the ideal of its dogma. It’s a beautiful thing to believe in such fairytales, and if it makes one human being a more contented soul, then who am I to negate its effect/affect?

It also unearths a wave of emotional stimuli from the core of my very soul.  I was honored to perform the song back in 1984 during my High School’s annual winter concert (I wrote a little about that same night HERE).  When the solos were being issued weeks earlier, a lesser voice attempted to acquire it, but Dr. Morris wouldn’t even entertain that notion.  She knew it was my favorite song, yes, but more importantly, and for the better of the show, she knew – steadfastly and adamantly – that not a single body in the entire school would be able to resonate on this canticle as I would…she knew my voice better than even I understood and there wasn’t a scintilla of a second thought in her decision that I would sing this solo. 

So, come showtime, with the chorus as my own personal backup choir, I took to the stage…in my Harley Davidson MC boots, my Rock ‘N Roll hair, my 80s pornstache, and dressed as a nearly-clean shaven Santa (I had, at this point, removed the fake white beard), I stood before the packed auditorium and sang out to the masses.  And it was magical…my voice, like a clarion, singing in the night as my classmates wept, and the audience roared to a thunderous standing ovation, and as I glanced over to a teary-eyed Dr. Morris I knew then that it was, undoubtedly, a highlight of my High School “career”.  (Update – As my brother Sean reminded me, the powers that be made me change “Christ” to “He”, as in “Oh night, when HE was born..” I had forgotten that bit of history.  Thanks, Sean!)

I don’t write these words as a man putting his ego to pen, or as a braggart seeped in self-aggrandizement.  I write these words merely as an emblem of a simpler time…and of the influence that the song had in my life.

I was recently bestowed a gift from a friend and a genuine celebrity.  Back in October, my friend Jim Cantiello, for an MTV News piece, was interviewing David Archuleta of “American Idol” fame. Jim asked David to go caroling throughout the company to a few people who were fans, and one of those visits was to me.  When Jim arrived at my office, David asked which song would I like him to sing and without hesitation I told him that I’ve been listening to his recent holiday release and his version of “Oh Holy Night” so it would be an honor for him to sing that to me. Well, words can’t describe the emotionality of the moment – here was this young man, so humble and authentic, with a voice that rang through my mind like an angel on earth, singing “Oh, Holy Night” to a mere mortal like me, in my dark little cavern of MTV.  In a word, celestial! (You can watch Jim and David’s MTV Carol extravaganza HERE)

Feast your ears on these various incarnations of this most heavenly hymn.  Believer or non-believer, atheist or a theist, sinner or saint, “Oh, Holy Night” is undeniable. 

Patti LaBelle’s transcendent 1990 Johnny Carson performance

****

Mahalia Jackson’s definitive version

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The Queen with the Fifth Beatle

****

The incomparable Donna Summer from Solid Gold’s Christmas Special

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The legendary Pavarotti

Almost two feet of snow here on the East Coast has put a wrench in my plans to move my hermitage to Provincetown for the week. Instead, I have been snowed in, reading and listening to a lot of music. Primarily, I have been revisiting some musicians that I  have always loved, but who have fell by my attention wayside over the years. The first is Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, an amazing Qawwali singer. Qawaali is the devotional music of the Sufis, and I went through a long Nusrat period about five years ago when I was immersed in studying sufi religion and poetry. He has such a large catalog of recordings and compilations that I spent a good two hours collecting gems previously undiscovered.

Next, is the peerless Mahalia Jackson. I recently discovered  a performance of her Summertime/Motherless Child medley on Youtube and it blew me into the wall. Mahalia is considered one of the most influential gospel singers in the world, and is known as the “Queen Of Gospel Music”. I am not particularly a fan of gospel music, but her infusion of the blues coupled with her amazing voice makes her one of my favorite vocalists–though I do lean more toward her melancholy ballads than her pepped up gospel songs. I especially like this video because of the unusual juxtopositon of her rocking calmly in a chair while singing with such incredible emotion and beauty. It’s unusual, and shows an effortless grace of spirit and vocal genius.

Of course, I cannot possibly end this without including something from my beloved Diamanda Galas. She has been covering several Jacques Brel songs lately (and I am a big fan of Brel), so I have been enjoying these little Youtube fantasticas of her covering several Brel pieces. The below performance is very recent performance of La Chason Des Vieux Amants-from last weeks concert in Italy. I am ravenous at the thought of seeing her in concert eventually, and am convinced I might immediately drop dead from Stendhal syndrome. Though, it certainly wouldn’t be a bad way to go out.

Here’s hoping that this little blip in the blogosphere will inject the American music scene blog-miasma-consciousness with a little bit of glow.

Christmas is less than two weeks away and the signs of the approaching holiday are everywhere.  The Christmas decorations have been taken from the basement and put in their familiar locations.  This weekend we will get our tree, trim it with the ornaments we have collected over the years, and hang our stockings on the chimney with care.   At the office, Christmas cards are arriving and being displayed on doors, and people have started to add seasonal touches to their clothing.  Women get to wear festive sweaters and scarves; men make do with holiday ties and socks (of which I have a decent assortment).

And, of course, a big part of the holidays is the music.  As I’ve mentioned before, I love Christmas music, and it is well-represented on the Ipod in the Holiday Mix playlist, which is 293 songs and 15.8 hours long.  I like mixing up music and I’ve tried to do that with my Christmas music playlist — instrumental music with vocal, traditional carols with pop songs and James Brown, jazz-influenced treatments with the Salvation Army band, classically trained tenors with ’50s crooners and torch singers.  The first 20 songs on the Holiday Mix playlist are as follows:

Christmas Time Is Here (Instrumental) —    Vince Guaraldi,   A Charlie Brown Christmas
The Christmas Song —   Linda Ronstadt,  A Merry Little Christmas
Gruber: Stille Nacht (Silent Night) —    José Carreras, Christmas Favorites From The World’s Favorite Tenors
Sleigh Ride —    Leroy Anderson,  Season’s Greetings-Disc 1-20th Century Masters The Millennium Colleion
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen —    Bing Crosby,  White Christmas
Jingle Bell Rock —   Bobby Helms, Season’s Greetings-Disc 2-20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection
O Come, O Come Emanuel –   Robert Shaw Chorale, A Festival Of Carols
The Holly & The Ivy —    Mediaeval Baebes, Mistletoe & Wine: A Seasonal Collection
Blue Christmas —    Elvis Presley, Billboard Greatest Christmas Hits
Go Tell It On The Mountain —   Mahalia Jackson,  Christmas With Mahalia Jackson
II – Redemption : Alma redemptoris —    Edward Higginbottom,  Nativitas
The Spirit Of Christmas —    Rosemary Clooney, Rosemary Clooney: White Christmas
What Child Is This? —    Oscar Peterson,  An Oscar Peterson Christmas
A Holly Jolly Christmas —    Burl Ives, Season’s Greetings-Disc 1-20th Century Masters The Millennium Collection
Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas —    The Carpenters, Christmas Portrait
O Holy Night (Cantique De Noel) —   Mormon Tabernacle Choir,  Christmas With The Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Let It Snow —   Dean Martin, Christmas With Ol’ Dino
Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Op. 71A – Danses Caracteristiques: Marche —    Alberto Lizzio: London Festival Orchestra, Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker, Swan Lake (Ballet Suites)
Feliz Navidad —    José Feliciano,  Feliz Navidad
Please Come Home For Christmas —    James Brown,  Funky Christmas

I guess everybody’s making these playlists this time of year,
but here’s a really good one…

Christmas wishes from me and all of these guys!

• Chris Rea – Driving Home for Christmas
• Ella Fitzgerald – Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
• Weeping Willows – Christmas In Prison
• Tori Amos – What Child, Nowell
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe – O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Elvis Presley – Blue Christmas
• Johnny Cash – Little Drummer boy
• Sufjan Stevens – That Was the Worst Christmas Ever!
• Travis – River
• David Hasselhoff – White Christmas
  (i wonder how that’s working out for him by the way..)
• Rosie Thomas – Why Can’t It Be Christmas Time All Year
• The Jordanaires – Mary Did You Know?
• Mahalia Jackson – What Child is This?
• San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus – The Nutcracker Suite

#20091211 – christmas

(get your player at www.spotify.com)

Out of all the singers, I bow down to this one. I remembered this woman was the first who introduced me to love and appreciate music. Well, thanks to my mom playing her all the time. Lol. Her voice was God sent!! Do you know anyone who can over do her? I don’t. BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

OK, so I know there might be a few songs missing that are considered classics, but these are my favorites:

1. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole)
Plain & Simple – The Gold Standard of Holiday songs by the Gold Standard of vocalists.
2. White Christmas (Bing Crosby)
Bing’s Merry Christmas album with the Andrews Sisters is the best.
3. Merry Christmas Darling (The Carpenters)
A contemporary standard, of which there are few.
4. Christmastime is Here (Vince Guaraldi)
The music from Charlie Brown’s Christmas is classic and not just for kids. Scores of jazz musicians were influenced by Guaraldi, and this tune captures the mood and spirit perfectly.
5. Do You Hear What I Hear (Whitney Houston)
Despite the turmoil in her personal life, Whitney has perhaps the most incredible pipes of any pop singer of her era. Her version of the Star Spangled Banner at the Super Bowl with the Marine Band backing her brings chills down the spine (and like these other pop start wannabees, she did it live).
6. It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (Andy Williams)
Not a huge fan of Williams in general, but I love his Holiday music. This is the most quintessential of his many Yuletide tunes.
7. You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (Thurl Ravenscroft)
I learned something researching this one. I thought it was sung by Boris Karloff who narrated the cartoon. Turns out he was given credit by mistake.
8. Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy (Bing Crosby & David Bowie)
I remember watching this live on Bing’s Christmas special back in the 70’s as I recall. Seemed like an odd pairing at the time, but it turned out to be a wonderful collaboration.
9. Silent Night (Barbara Streisand)
Many versions to choose from, but I like this one. Barbara’s A Christmas Album ranks among the best.
10. Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! (Steve Lawrence & Edie Gorme)
OK, so Saturday Night Live and others have taken their shots at Steve & Edie, but I’m telling you this version really swings.
11. O Tannenbaum (Oh Christmas Tree) (Vince Guaraldi)
Charlie Brown part 2.
12. William the Angel (Rob Mathes)
Better known in the music business as a producer and songwriter, Rob Mathes performed this song in his PBS concert Christmas is Coming: Rob Mathes & Friends with Vanessa Williams and Michael McDonald. An instant classic.
13. Some Children See Him (Sixpense None the Richer)
I remembered George Winston’s instrumental version from his December album, but the lyrics are so beautiful and I found this version that’s mostly acoustic guitar and vocals. Singer Leigh Nash has a childlike quality to her voice (You may remember the group’s hit single Kiss Me) that seems appropriate.
14. Winter Wonderland (Dean Martin)
Dean does the fun holiday with that twinkle in his eye and playful vocal quality that we love. There are two arrangements of this one, but there’s one I listened to as a kid that’s really great. Believe it or not, it came from a compilation album that Texaco gas stations used to give away will a fill-up back in the dark ages, as I tell my son.
15. Away in a Manger (Mahalia Jackson)
Really brings you back to the spirit of Christmas.
16. Mele Kelikimaka (Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters)
Fun tune and a nice departure from snow and fireplaces.
17. Feliz Navidad (Jose Feliciano)
Adds a nice international flavor to the list. This one also has stood the test of time.
18. Frosty the Snowman (Jimmy Durante)
From the television special – with Durante, like Louis Armstrong, Louis Prima, and Dean Martin, there’s an audible smile in every note he sings.
19. Sleigh Ride (Johnny Mathis)
Again, many versions, but I like the way Mathis interpreted this one.
20. Oh Holy Night (Nat King Cole)
Another one that just sounds better by Nat.
21. Silver Bells (Bing Crosby & Carol Richards)
From the Bing Crosby album previously referenced.
22. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm (Dean Martin)
Great tune not as widely known or recognized as a holiday tune until Rod Stewart butchered it on his standards album.
23. Baby It’s Cold Outside (Blossom Dearie & Bob Dorough)
This song is a classic that has been recorded by hundreds of artists. This version is somewhat obscure – by two eclectic pianists/songwriters and jazz club performers also known for their work in the Schoolhouse Rock series.
24. The 12 Yats of Christmas (Benny Grunch & the Bunch)
This one is essentially for New Orleanians by the king of colloquial musical references, Benny Grunch.
25. Santa Bring My Baby Back (To Me) (Elvis Presley)
This one rocks and it just makes me chuckle. It almost sounds like someone doing a bad Presley impersonation.

The Malaco Music Group is proud to introduce our newest internet radio station www.MalacoGospelRadio.com.

MalacoGospelRadio.com is a 24 hour fully interactive player that allows listeners to view the artists and songs being played as well as display the album’s cover artwork that the song is associated with while making it easy to purchase that individual song, the full album or ringtone with just a click of a button; This revolutionary player gives full functionality to the listener. If you have an IPhone and would like to take MalacoGospelRadio.com on the go with you, “There’s an app for that.” Just click on the IPhone link. 

D.A. Johnson, Executive Director, Gospel Division states, “MalacoGospelRadio.com was not created to compete with our media partners that has supported The Malaco Music Group family of labels for over 40 years; In contrast, MalacoGospelRadio.com was created to assist in preserving Gospel music’s extensive rich heritage, expose it through a new medium, and make the product readily available for Gospel music appreciators who enjoy and miss hearing the sounds of the legendary Choirs, Quartets, Groups & Soloists on terrestrial radio stations. Our ultimate goal is for MalacoGospelRadio.com to develop and become a full fledged functioning internet Gospel radio station with “Live” announcers throughout all day parts and to create specialty shows as does our sister internet radio station  www.southernsoulradio.com.”

The Malaco Music Group houses the largest and the oldest catalog in the world. Over 150 combined years of great Gospel music between its wholly owned subsidiaries, Malaco Records, Savoy Records, Muscle Shoals Sound Gospel, Atlanta International Records (Air Gospel), and it’s newly founded 4 Winds Records along with its distributed labels. At MalacoGospelRadio.com you will have the opportunity to experience all 150 years of the best Gospel music ever recorded.

Hear artists such as The Father Of Gospel Thomas A. Dorsey, The King Of Gospel Rev. James Cleveland, Mahalia Jackson, Dorothy Love Coates, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Sara Jordan Powell, The Caravans, The Soul Stirrers, The Jackson Southernaires, The Mississippi Mass Choir, Georgia Mass Choir, Wilmington Chester Mass Choir, Miami Mass Choir, The Godfather Of Gospel Rev. Timothy Wright, Rev. Charles Hayes & The Cosmopolitan Choir, Charles Fold & The Charles Fold Singers, Willie Neal Johnson & The Gospel Keynotes, Robert Blair & The Violinaires, The Williams Brothers, The Canton Spirituals, The Lumzy Sisters, The Truthettes, Slim & The Supreme Angels, Spencer Taylor & The Highway QC’s, Willie Banks & The Messengers, The Swan Silvertones, The Dixie Hummingbirds, The Swanee Quintet, The Sensational Nightingales, The Pilgrim Jubilees, The Sunset Jubilaires, The Pace Sisters, Margaret “Babe” Allison & The Angelic Gospel Singers, Rev. Julius Cheeks, James Moore, Keith Pringle, O’landa Draper, Ricky Dillard & New Generation, The Mississippi Children’s Choir, Youth For Christ, The New York Restoration Choir Directed by Donnie McClurkin, The Florida Mass Choir, The Dallas / Ft Worth Choir (DFW), The Queen Of Gospel Albertina Walker, Dorothy Norwood, Shirley Caesar, Inez Andrews, LaShun Pace, Troy Sneed, Alvin Darling, James Bignon, Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Luther Barnes & The Red Budd Chior, Rev. F.C. Barnes, Kirk Franklin, Byron Cage, Dottie Peoples, The Princess Of Praise & Worship Maurette Brown Clark, Carolyn Traylor, Men Of Standard, BeBe & CeCe Winans and many, many more.

To listen, click on the link www.MalacoGospelRadio.com

 Let us know what you think.  We want to hear from you! Send us an email at malaco@malaco.com

heeb’n'vegan posted a review of several Jewish punk concerts back in August and I am now finally getting around to discussing it.

This trend isn’t surprising to me at all, besides the fact that it’s surfacing in the late 2000’s as opposed to the 80’s or 90’s (but I could be wrong, seeing as I was but a wee child back in that day and was primarily listening to Paul Simon, Mahalia Jackson and Raffi on LP and cassette tape, and not Jewish music).

I’m writing a chapter for my thesis right now on why explicitly-Jewish hip hop makes sense in the context of the klezmer revival (and why the klezmer revival makes sense in the context of the folk movement of the mid-20th century).  There have been two broad trends in Jewish-American music in the 20th and 21st centuries (basically since mass numbers of Ashkenazi Jews came to the US): 1) less-observant Jews making music that is a hybrid between whatever music they were making before, i.e. traditional secular music from their home in Europe, and American popular styles; and 2) Orthodox Jews (mainly since the 60’s) making kosherized versions of popular styles so that the kids don’t go off the derech–i.e., regular pop music has lyrics that the Orthodox community considers objectionable, so they make music that sounds just like regular pop music, but has “Torah-approved” lyrics.

This seems to be primarily an example of the latter.  The band Moshiach Oi! (Messiah Hey!, more or less) has songs like “I Wanna Learn Torah” and “Shabbos,” which have straight-up Orthodox lyrics and straight-up punk aesthetics.  Their song “Am Yisroel Chai” (the people Israel live, which is the title of a folk song that they reinterpreted) has lyrics that to my mind showcase the worse side of Orthodox ideology:

We stand for life, they stand for war

We stand for peace, they stand for more

We stand for G-d, they stand for death

We’ll scream “Am Yisroel Chai!” with our last breath

Right, because all the goyim clearly have no morals.  Moving on.

The band CAN!!CAN seems to be doing a bit better, viewing the use of punk as within the evolving, innovative aspect of Jewish tradition–and using punk to welcome people who might be otherwise alienated from the Jewish community back in.  I won’t argue with that.

Jewish punk seems to be in the stage Jewish hip hop was in back in the 80’s: some Jewish musicians are playing non-overtly-Jewish punk, and there are some Jewish punk bands that are overtly Jewish, often parody mainstream punk bands (like the band Shabbos Bloody Shabbos) and don’t incorporate Jewish aesthetics, though their lyrics are almost exclusively “Jewish.”

Back in the 80’s, we saw hip hop bands like 2 Live Jews making songs with titles like “Kosher as We Wanna Be” and “Wash This Way” (a takeoff on “Walk This Way” referencing netilat yadayim).

Now we have much better-sounding stuff from Jews exploring Jewish identity while using hip hop and traditional Jewish music (however that’s defined) as a more fluent vernacular:

Give Jewish punk 10 years and I expect great things.

Euge Groove Smooth News coming up…

Western New York by the Numbers
(courtesy “Buffalo Spree”)
-Erie County has over 100 million trees.
-As of 2005, there were 82 butterfly species in Erie County.
~Western New York encompasses 8 counties (Allegany, Cattaraugus, Chautaqua, Erie, Genesee, Niagara, Orleans, Wyoming). It includes 252 municipal jurisdictions (11 cities and 164 towns containing 77 incorporated villages) and 5 Native American reservations.
 -When built in 1914, Lockport’s metal deck Big Bridge over the Erie Canal was the widest bridge in the world, at 399 feet. It has since been surpassed.

Big Birthdays
~1911 Mahalia Jackson born in New Orleans, “With her powerful, distinct voice, Mahalia Jackson became one of the most influential gospel singers in the world and is the first Queen of Gospel Music. She recorded about 35 albums (mostly for Columbia Records) during her career, and her 45 rpm records included a dozen “golds”—million-sellers. She had a contralto voice range.” Mahalia was a 4-time Grammy winner; her signature song was “Take My Hand, Precious Lord”, and back in the late 40’s, she sold over 8 million copies of “Move On Up A Little Higher”. She passed away on January 27, 1972 of heart failure and diabetes complications.
~1917 Felix the Cat, cartoon character created in the silent film era; rebirthed, redesigned and began airing on American TV in 1953.
~1946 Pat Sajak Chicago, TV host (Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak Show) 
~1947 Hilary Rodham Clinton born in Chicago.  

~1963, Born on this day in Jamestown, NY, Natalie Merchant.

Late Night Humor
(from recent Conan shows)
~In Pennsylvania, police arrested a man inside of a convenience store after they noticed he had a bag of marijuana stuck to his forehead. The guy was relieved because he’d been trying to find his pot for two days.
~Rain is predicted for the next couple of days in Los Angeles, and forecasters are warning that the rain could cause significant mudslides. On the bright side they’re pretty sure the mud won’t catch fire.
~A former employee of Oprah Winfrey is claiming that she was wrongfully terminated and is suing Oprah for $75,000. After hearing about it, Oprah said, “$75,000? That is adorable.”
~This weekend, President Obama plans to appoint his administration’s first openly gay ambassador, David Huebner. Huebner will serve as the U.S. ambassador to Barbra Streisand.
~Marijuana activists in California are determined to get enough signatures for a proposal on the ballot to legalize pot. In fact, they’re going to get right on that just as soon as “Scooby Doo” is over.
~Forbes magazine is reporting that Oprah Winfrey lost $400 million last year. Oprah is claiming she didn’t “lose” the $400 million, she just forgot which jacket pocket it’s in.

SnJ Smooth News
(from www.smoothjazznetwork.com)
~”During much of 2008 and early 2009, smooth jazz saxophonist Euge Groove joined Tina Turner on her 50th anniversary worldwide Tina: Live in Concert Tour in one of the top-grossing tours in recent years, according to Billboard magazine. Today, October 20, you can catch the show as a DVD/CD package from the show’s stop in Holland is being released. In Tina Live, Turner, along with Groove on sax, performed to more than 70,000 people at the show. It’s also available on just DVD or as a CD only.
Directed by David Mallet, the footage is filmed in HD and mixed in 5.1 surround sound. At over two hours long it features many of her best-known songs including, “What’s Love Go to Do With It,” “The Best,” “Private Dancer,” “Proud Mary” and “Better Be Good to Me.”
The tour was a reunion for Groove and Turner, as he also performed in Turner’s band during a tour in 2000. He recalls meeting Turner late in 1999 before that tour. “She just starts going into me. I want you to do this and this and this, and jump up and down and dance and I’m like … Oh my gosh, what have I gotten myself into? But that’s her personality. She knows what she wants, and she’s going to let you know what she wants, and there’s only one way to do it – the way that she wants. But here’s the other side of that that’s great. She was always right. People would think that she was not right or try to tell her to do something else, and she would stick to her guns and ultimately in the end she was right every time.”
Groove currently has a Smooth Jazz Top 20 hit with “Slow Jam,” and releases a new CD called Sunday Morning on October 27.”

In other Music Notes
~1951, Born on this day in Cincinnati, Bootsy Collins, bass player, James Brown, Parliament, Funkadelic, Bootsy’s Rubber Band. “Collins’ bass playing is driving, rhythmic and groovy, and has been very influential in the development of funk. His characteristic juicy sound, produced by envelope filters (for example the Mutron), is one of his distinguishing traits as a bass player. He also uses highly syncopated 16th note patterns combined with a very strong slap technique, highly influenced by Larry Graham.
Bootsy’s bass patterns are often up-front in the mix and more often than not, drive the song (rather than the guitars or horns).”
~1961, Bob Dylan signed with Columbia Records.
~1984, 19-year-old John D. McCollum killed himself with a .22 caliber handgun after spending the day listening to Ozzy Osbourne records. One year later, McCollum’s parents took court action against Ozzy and CBS Records, alleging that the song “Suicide Solution” from the album Blizzard of Ozz contributed to their son’s death. The case was eventually thrown out of court.
~1985, Whitney Houston went to No.1 on the US singles chart with ‘Saving All My Love For You’, also a No.1 hit in the UK.
 ~1991, legendary American promoter Bill Graham was killed when the helicopter he was flying in hit a 200′ utility tower in Sonoma County, California.

Your Fab Four Fact Fix
~1965, Queen Elizabeth II presented The Beatles with their MBE’s at Buckingham Palace, England. According to John Lennon, The Beatles smoked marijuana in one of the palace bathrooms to calm their nerves.

Firsts
~1869 1st American steeplechase horserace (Westchester, NY)
~1825 Erie Canal between Hudson River & Lake Erie opened
~1863 Worldwide Red Cross organized in Geneva

In Case You Give a Rat’s Rear End
~”Pi is the most recognized mathematical constant in the world. Scholars often consider Pi the most important and intriguing number in all of mathematics.”- From RandomHistory.com

They Walk Among Us…and Ask Questions
(from coolsig.com)
~Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift?
~Do files get embarrassed when they get unzipped?
~Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?
~Do Lipton employees take coffee breaks?
~Do stars clean themselves with meteor showers?

Thanks for coming by today
Hope I helped your Monday a wee-bit.

Mahalia Jackson (October 26, 1911 – January 27, 1972), renowned American gospel music singer

After a two-week hiatus, ettg is back!

Wayne Marshall over at wayneandwax and Ben Tausig over at Weird Vibrations have both recently taken up the role of sound in U.S. military and police operations.  While I checked out the role of music in torture a while back, these gentlemen are investigating another, potentially more-harmful phenomenon: the use of sound as physical force to control protesters and crowds–not to mention warfare.  Just as Joshua was able to bring down the walls of Jericho with ear-splitting trumpet blasts (see the incomparable Mahalia Jackson’s explanation below), the vibrations that are the essence of sound can cause severe damage at high decibel levels.

During the recent G20 protests in Pittsburgh, police used sound cannons (aka LRADs, Long Range Acoustic Devices) to disperse and control the protesters.  These weapons are capable of producing sound that is intensely focused and well above the human threshold of pain, thus running the risk of producing permanent hearing loss in those targeted by the weapon.  Weird Vibrations breaks down the questionable use of these devices:

This is something of a loophole in the ethical treatment of protesters – the human body cannot tolerate sound in excess, but exposure leaves no (visible) scars. Perhaps in a wiser moment, we’ll take stock of the emotional distress such conditions can produce, of the long-term hearing loss that can occur with misuse of the machines, of potentially dangerous levels of stress, and of the disturbing political asymmetry such technology facilitates between a government and its citizens. But for now, sound cannons are perfectly legal.

LRADs operate in the threshold between normal listening, where vibration is mild enough that we experience sound as essentially immaterial, and where we can readily pay attention to communicative and aesthetic content (music, language, texture), and extreme sonic exposure, where vibration is felt as a force throughout the body. The sound cannon is far enough along this spectrum that we react involuntarily to its painful volume, but not so far along that we lose life or limb. It’s pretty brilliant, in a mad scientist kind of way.

wayneandwax expands the conversation by reminding us that sound is an inherently physical medium, though we do not always perceive it that way under normal conditions–that extreme frequencies and decibel levels can pass right through us, moving us (and not in the metaphorical sense!) and shaking up our insides until we’re severely messed up.

These two concepts taken together–torture music and sound as weapon–will hopefully serve as a wake-up call to folks who think music is just about aesthetics and emotional expression: though we’d like to think some things are incorruptible and without inherent meaning, that’s just not the case.  Keep your eyes open for how music can be used in questionable ways–and bring a pair of these along to your next protest in case they bring out the LRADs.

These are the five albums I’m currently into:

Son Volt – American Central Dust. Their most country album in 10 years. Incredible.

Nick Lowe – Rose of England. This is album is a lot of fun. Normally I would hate to use that word to describe an album, but for some reason it fits. A hard one to find on CD (I’ve got it on cassette). The last track melts my face.

The Beatles – Let It Be…Naked. The sans-Phil Spector remastering. I like it better than the original. Don’t Let Me Down at its original speed is great. Was Lennon trying to play that lapsteel with a spoon? but it works.

Bob Dylan – Oh Mercy. Bobby Z in the 80s. Tasty.

Mahalia Jackson – 16 Most Requested Songs. Walk in Jerusalem is one of those songs I usually have to listen to twice in a row.

What are you listening to?

I can never tire of listening to Mahalia Jackson, here’s a clip of her singing one of my favourite hymns, Just a Closer Walk With Thee:

‘The sun is God’

(Said to be Turner’s last words)

Debs and Angie both went down with Swine Flu this week. I began to think about the apocalypse again.  The birch seeds are blowing across my garden path and burrowing into the rubber seals of my car windows. Great dark swirls of lapwings have taken to the air above the fields along the beach road. Dozens of goldfinches are nervously harvesting the seeds from tattered windblown thistles along the fence lines that run inland towards Newsham and New Hartley. The days are closing in. Darkness is on its way.

Lily burst into the office. It must have been Tuesday. She strode across the room like a Valkyrie.

‘That bloody woman does my head in!’ she said. ‘I’ve had to walk out or I’d have killed her!’

Pippa, Jodie, Jules and Michelle all glanced at her briefly in a very matter of fact way. They said nothing. Lily does this sometimes.

‘Who are you seeing?’ I asked. I was nibbling on one of the Thornton’s Mini Caramel Shortcakes that Jules had brought in from home to save herself from excess or waste.

‘Maybellene Twichell’ Lily replied, throwing her long blonde hair back like a palamino’s mane and adopting a haughty but subtly self-mocking stance. Lily does this too sometimes. Her moods have a dramatic quality about them, like the weather in the mountains.

‘Ah,’ I said. ‘The Mouse Lady. So what’s up now – more evidence of spells and potions?’

‘No,’ Lily said, in a clipped way. ‘No. Polly has gone missing now.  That’s two down, one to go.’

‘So Penelope didn’t ever turn up, then?’

‘Of course she bloody didn’t.  Maybellene says that she saw next door’s tabby, Mr Bilbo, in her garden the other night and fears the worst. Of course she didn’t seem the slightest bit bothered by this possibility. If they were mice I’d be beside myself, wouldn’t you?’

I nodded. ‘So have you spoken to the cat yet?’

‘No, not yet,’ Lily replied, now suddenly distinctly more reflective. ‘I’m interviewing him tomorrow. But I can tell you now Mr Bilbo will have nothing to say on the matter.  My guess is Mr Bilbo will not have laid a paw on either of these mice. My guess is that Maybellene has already delivered them to childless couples for transformation. That woman makes my blood boil some times. She’s as slippery as an eel, that one. And oh so smug with it.’ Lily paused briefly and then asked,’ If Mr Bilbo says he didn’t take these mice, do you think we’ll have enough to start proceedings on Priscilla?’

‘I shouldn’t think so,’ I replied. ‘But why not run it past legal. You never know. How’s Pearl, by the way.’

‘She’s fine, I think. No fur, no facial or dietary changes.  In fact I think it may be that she is already her mother’s apprentice. It may be too late already for Pearl.’

Hmmm,’ I said, shaking my head thoughtfully, ‘that’s a shame.’

I emailed John Sultan and updated him on the disappearance of Polly. He replied tersely: ‘Okay. Thanks.’  John’s not a rich or nuanced communicator. This is pretty much the answer he gives to every email.

‘Hi John. The world’s turned to a strawberry tart.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’

‘Hi John. There are seventeen extraterrestrial beings in the office and they’re turning all the staff into small china teapots.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’

‘Hi John.  A shopkeeper on Woodhorn Road is buying new-born babies from strung out heroin addicts from North Seaton and feeding them to his pet tiger.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’

‘Hi, John. There are tanks on Station Road, bombers over Lintonville Terrace, and my eyes have turned to turpentine.’

‘Okay. Thanks.’

I drove through the silent regiment of traffic cones on the Spine Road and up the slip road towards the Laverock Hall. The light was grey and white, the fields were yellow and rust. Already leaves have fallen from the trees. I was listening to Richmond Fontaine’s latest album, “We Used To Think The Freeway Sounded Like A River”. It’s predictably excellent. Willy Vlautin is a songwriter with unusually sophisticated narrative skills. His work is sometimes described as Carveresque. These are songs of anomie and dysfunctional relationships; their narrators inhabit a landscape that is almost irretrievably post-traumatic. Perhaps at one level these songs map a psychological meta-narrative – the collapse of character against environment into character against self. Something tragic and dehumanizing has happened here, but yet there’s something about the sharing of this experience in a song that offers a remedy of sorts, a kind of humanizing openness.

When I got in I discovered Margaret was on the telephone to Brenda. I went into the kitchen. About half a dozen or so of her clocks were gathered on the kitchen table. A yellow duster lay beside them. De Kooning was sitting among them, like a slightly bemused black druid. I made myself a cappuccino and took him through to watch the six o’clock news. Nick Clegg was on. I wondered if I should go for walk before tea.

‘How’s Brenda?’ I said to Margaret when she came through with a cup of tea to watch the weather.

‘She’s troubled,’ Margaret replied. ‘She doesn’t think Tristan really wants to find work. He goes out every day and tells her he’s out looking for work.  He goes out every morning at nine, comes back every night at half five. He acts as if he’s working, but says he isn’t. Brenda doesn’t know what to make of it. She doesn’t trust him. She wants to support him but doesn’t want him to make a fool of her.’

Nick Clegg popped up again, like a robin on a Christmas card. I picked up my book on Ivon Hitchens and began flicking through it.

‘Tristan’s a creature of habit,’ I said.

‘Brenda thinks he’s seeing someone else,’ Margaret said.

Kettles and frying pans crossed my mind.

‘Who?’ I said. ‘Does she drive a bus?’

Margaret scowled. ‘She’s not sure who it is,’ she replied.

‘Ah.’

‘But she has an idea.’

‘She has an idea?’

‘Yes, she has. She thinks it might be a woman from South Beach Estate. One of her clients said she saw his van there on a couple of occasions.’

‘It wasn’t Mrs Byro, was it?’

‘It might have been, yes. Why?’

‘I just wondered. Which road was Tristan’s van allegedly seen in?’

‘I’m not sure. One of the bird streets, I think.’

‘Curlew?’

‘It might be, yes.’

‘Or was it Avocet?’

‘Perhaps.’

‘Or Osprey?’

‘Yes, maybe.’

‘Or Eider?’

‘I’m not sure. It might have been Dunlin.’

‘Hmmm,’ I said, wondering if perhaps Mrs Byro was the femme fatale herself and had lobbed in the South Beach idea to throw Brenda off the scent. It was an very odd thought. Tristan’s a Trostskyite.

‘It wasn’t Albatross by any chance, was it?’ I said.

‘No,’ Margaret replied. ‘I’m pretty sure it wasn’t that one.’

Lily interviewed Mr Bilbo on Wednesday, as planned.

‘How did it go?’ I asked.

‘Okay,’ she replied, in a resigned sort of way. She obviously hadn’t got much.

‘Did he talk to you okay?’

‘Oh yeah, he was fine. A really well mannered and polite little chap. Straight as a die too.’

‘So?’ I said. ‘Come on then, what did he say? Has he been in Maybellene’s garden or was she just telling porky pies?’

‘Yes, he says he’s been in a few times.’

‘Ah ha! And?’

Lily frowned. ‘Mr Bilbo says he feels uncomfortable in Maybellene’s garden. He says there’s something odd about it. He never stops there, but he has to pass through it to get to Mrs McMurdo’s garden. Mrs McMurdo lets him sit in her greenhouse and she has catmint planted in her border.’

‘So what does Mr Bilbo say is so odd about Maybellene’s garden? Is it full of dead mice, for instance?’

‘No,’ Lily said. ‘That’s the odd thing. Mr Bilbo says he has never seen any evidence whatsoever of even one mouse in Maybellene’s garden. He says it’s the only garden he’s ever been in that’s like that.  Don’t you think that’s strange?’

I nodded slowly. ‘It is strange, yes. But what does it tell us?’

Lily shrugged and shook her head.

‘Okay, so what else did he say? Has he ever heard or seen anything odd?’

‘He says he’s heard them singing.  At first he says he thought it was a Mahalia Jackson record, but then he glimpsed Maybellene through the kitchen window. Mr Bilbo says Maybellene sings a lot and that he can hear her even if he’s in the next street. She sings spirituals.’

‘Spirituals?’

‘Yes, you know – Go Tell It On the Mountain, I’m On My Way to Canaan’s Land, Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen, that sort of thing.’

‘Did Mr Bilbo mention those particular songs?’

‘Yes, he did actually. Do you think they are telling us something?’

I shrugged and shook my head.

‘So other than the Mahalia Jackson syndrome, which isn’t really that unusual, I guess, and the garden with no mice, was there anything else he mentioned which might be important?’

‘He said the garden smells strange.’

‘It smells strange? In what way? What does he say it smells like?’

‘He doesn’t know. He says it isn’t a smell he likes. He says it could be snakes.’

‘Snakes?!’ I said. ‘He definitely said that?’

‘Yes,’ Lily said. ‘He said the smell could be snakes.’ Lily looked sheepish.

‘You suggested that to him, didn’t you?’ I said. ‘You asked him a leading question, didn’t you?’

Lily nodded.  Her head drooped in shame, her long hair closng around her face like crematorium curtains. ‘Yes, I did,’ she said.

‘Lily,’ I said. ‘What on earth were you thinking of? That’s not like you.’

‘I know, I know,’ she said, looking up at me, wide-eyed and beseeching. ‘I know. But that bloody woman really gets under my skin. I know she’s up to something, I just bloody know it. I was so hoping Mr Bilbo would give us something.’

I was in Keswick last weekend. On Saturday I walked around Derwentwater and up over Catbells. It drizzled a bit around the middle of the day, but for the time of the year I couldn’t complain. On Saturday night I went to the Theatre by the Lake to see a production of an adaptation of one of P G Wodehouse’s novels – Summer Lightning. It was written in 1929. The characters have typically unlikely Wodehouse names – Percy Pilbeam, Sir Gregory Parloe-Parsloe, Galahad Threepwood and Hugo Carmody.  The men were all dapper and dandy – striped blazers, brightly coloured waistcoats, pastel ties, tan brogues and all that.  This novel was published just three years after the General Strike of 1926. Of course such events unfolded in a completely different universe to that inhabited by Wodehouse’s characters. The men who in those days worked (or didn’t) in the dirty dark world of the pits and shipyards of Blyth never ever dressed like this. I never saw a striped blazer in my granddad’s wardrobe. My grandma was never a flapper girl. But oddly enough I found myself taking a strange liking the style of the male characters. As soon I got back went on to the Veggie Shoes site. I really must get myself some tan brogues.

It’s been another good weekend weatherwise. I rode my bicycle over the fields to Bebside and then up the Heathery Lonnen to the Three Horse Shoes. There seems to be a unusually high number of berries on the trees and hedgerows this year, more than I can ever recall seeing in any previous year. I went up through Cramlington and Nelson Industrial Estate to Beaconhill and then down Arcot Lane, the broken track already littered with dry brown leaves. Sometimes the wind picked them up and swirled them into sudden vortices, like dogs chasing their tails. I went through Dudley and then back down to Seghill on the road, the wind at my back. I came over the fields to Newsham. It was feeling a little colder. Some kids had set fire to some trees and grass along the track that follows the route of the old railway line to New Delaval. The place is bone dry. It hasn’t rained much for weeks now. 

.

Sometimes, as in yesterday’s performance by Sam and Dave, more is more. Other times, as here, what drives a performance is the power of restraint.

Mahalia Jackson, joined by Nat King Cole, “Steal Away,” TV performance, 1957

**********

lagniappe

“Without a song, each day would be a century.”—Mahalia Jackson

*****

In the baseball/music trivia department, I learned yesterday, while listening to the radio broadcast of the Cubs/Giants game, that both of Barry Zito’s parents worked with Nat King Cole—his mother as a singer and his father as a conductor/arranger.

Blogosfera evanghelică reflectează mai nou asupra urii care otrăveşte inimi, discursuri, postări, comentarii. Pe unii îi otrăveşte din interior, pe alţii din exterior. E mai grav primul caz. Cert este că puţini sunt cei care pot să-şi păstreze izvoarele vieţii curate (Prov. 4:23).

Fiindcă Dănuţ M. o pomenea recent pe Mahalia Jackson, m-am gândit să dedic unul dintre emoţionantele ei cântece tuturor celor care se simt (sau chiar sunt) priviţi cu ură. De ascultat şi de meditat, mai ales la versurile  următoare (transcrise aproximativ):

When my folks would slay me
And this they try to do
Lord, don’t touch ‘em
But within their heart
Make ‘em give their life to you.

Though the great Wattstax show held in Los Angeles in 1972 is often called the “Black Woodstock,” the Harlem Cultural Festival lays claim to the distinction of having actually taken place right around the time of the hippie Woodstock up at Yasgur’s farm. With a lineup that boasted Nina Simone, B.B. King, Stevie Wonder, Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln, the Staples Singers, Mahalia Jackson, and Sly & The Family Stone (the only performer to bridge the two festivals, as far as I can tell) you’d think there be a hell of a documentary film about this event, and boy would you be wrong. Even though 50 hours of footage were shot, nothing has been released beyond a few scraps, such as this segment from Nina Simone’s blazing performance, which turned up a few years ago as a DVD bonus on The Soul of Nina Simone. Can somebody explain this to me?

It’s Sunday, man, so I figured I’d think about showing you some Church jams.  Then, after I thought about it, I decided that yes, I will show you a Church jam.  By Church jam I just mean a totally awesome example of religious music.  Man, you know what I mean, man.  Like, whoaaaah.  Mahalia Jackson can really sing and when she puts her talents to work on Abide with Me, well, you just sorta feel that life is wonderful, man.  So enjoy.

- Jack Input

perfect 'za

Today I came across one of those articles that offered a comparison of the nutritional values of pizzas at national chain restaurants. Take just a moment to ingest that basic premise, if you will…

You’ve seen this kind of thing.

As a serious pizza fanatic I couldn’t resist finding out which fared best (and, of course, worst) – and, on the morbidly curious side – how many of these nefarious bad-boy pies I have personally consumed.

Not that many, it turns out. I admit the discovery leaves me with a mix of gratefulness and some measure of disappointment. For every sodium-laden, fat-drenched unearned calorie saturating the ones that ranked (BAD, very bad. Bad. Right?),  I envisioned an equally sumptuous, completely cheesy and delicious piece of pizza perfection (mmmmmm).

I dwelled for a while on the path (artery?) not taken, and ultimately decided my longevity was probably better off for the missed experience. I guess.

Articles like this pop up fairly frequently. Part of the larger nutritional awareness movement underway now, popularized with books like Eat This, Not That! Thousands of Simple Food Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds–or More!

Since I couldn’t spend the next half hour wading in melted pizza bliss I refocused (much more healthful) to consider what my choices would be for a recorded music equivalent: “Hear This, Not That! Simple Sound Swaps that Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Wasted Hours–or More!”

If you had to choose – I hope you don’t – between the Istvan Kertesz/London Symphony or Kubelik/Berlin Philharmonic recordings of the Dvořák 9th symphony – which would you pick? Very difficult to say, or even make a compelling case for recommending one over the other. They’re both benchmark performances of the work.

Same idea with Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, in the 1961 studio version vs. some of the live ones, like the 1963 Newport recording. You have to hear both. In personnel alone, the tune takes on very different colors with the Newport group, where bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Roy Haynes replace Steve Davis and Elvin Jones from the original studio ensemble. Add to that the live dynamic and there’s really no comparison here.

But sometimes these choices are more clear, and that’s the launching point for this edition of Trading Fours. Save yourself the empty calories and wasted time wading through disappointing, unfulfilling listening. Check these out.

#1 – Beethoven’s complete symphony cycle (Herbert Von Karajan) – The infamous, narcissistic, perfectionist, genius – choose your adjective – German conductor Herbert Von Karajan recorded four complete Beethoven cycles in his long career. The first set was recorded from 1953-56 (w/The Philharmonia Orchestra); the next from 1961-2 (with his favorite orchestra, the Berlin Philharmonic); a third came along from 1975-77 (Berlin Phil.); and the last was recorded from 1982-85 (yet again with Berlin). Assuming you’ll want to get one of these (only one) and save the rest of your budget for the next three recommendations here – which Beethoven set to pick? You want the second set, released in 1963, for how it so completely embodies one single word: firepower. These recordings reveal a young Von Karajan as a powerful leader capable of getting the very most from his orchestra. There is a rawness and urgency present here that gives each symphony a thrilling edginess. The longer he worked with Berlin the smoother and more synthesized their sound became, until you get to the 1980s (recordings his like two “Adagio” CDs come to mind) and it’s so rich and refined it’s beautiful, but very nearly drained of the personality that makes the 1963 set so special. Don’t be misled by the ‘newer (recent) is better’ perception when it comes to choosing recordings. This outstanding 1960s set is how you want to hear Beethoven.

#2 – “Good News” – 100 Gospel Greats – Need the Word? Sure you do. Every good music collection needs some great gospel. Choosing one recording isn’t easy, there are a lot of artist collections and anthologies available. I’ve chosen Good News for its variety, its depth and range, and – honestly – its disproportionate value for the modest price. Let me back up just a minute: the UK’s Proper Records is a terrific company, the self-described “home for roots music on the net”. A quick A-Z review of their roster reveals everything from Gene Autry and Chet Atkins, to Thelonious Monk and the Mills Brothers to “Zah, Zuh, Zaz: an Introduction to Cab Calloway”. They license music from the artist archives, and reissue it in nicely packaged, highly curated, very affordable collections. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of their boxes going for more than $25-30 retail, and even if you don’t find a cheaper used or discount copy, it’s still worth every bit of that. Think of it this way: when you spend $25 for this set, if you follow the iTunes model of .99 cents per tune, you’re getting 100 songs here for roughly .25 cents apiece. Can’t beat it.

Good News is a 4-CD, 100-song set that works its way chronologically from the earliest material (1926: the Birmingham Jubilee Singers) to the most recent on disc 4 (1951: Five Blind Boys of Mississippi) and makes a lot of important stops along the way with artist like Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and many earlier groups in the Southern gospel ‘jubilee’ and ‘harmony’ traditions. It’s fun. It rocks. And if it’s the only gospel you have in your collection I’m convinced you’ll be completely happy with it.

#3 – City of Dreams: A Collection of New Orleans Music – One of the big labels for New Orleans artists is Rounder Records. Since the very beginning in 1970, their focus has been the sound of America: blues, bluegrass, folk, jazz, Cajun, and various other (African, Caribbean) world genres. Don’t all of those styles, together, also describe the unique confluence that informs the sound of the Big Easy? They sure do. You’ll hear all of those influences in the label’s recent City of Dreams anthology, with favorites like Marcia Ball, Irma Thomas, Ruth Brown and the Professor Longhair to the deeper cuts that really inform the heart of the collection. Like Eddie Bo’s soulful Hard Times, Bo Dollis’ Shoo-fly, and highlights from New Orleans piano legends James Booker and Tuts Washington, whose touching Do You Know What It Means? closes out the collection as the last track on the last disc. You’ll find that Dreams holds a good sampling of second-line brass band music, Delta blues, r & b, funk, and a whole lotta soul. There’s no way one single anthology – any anthology -  could wrap its arms comprehensively around all of the complex cultural influences at play in the music of a city like New Orleans. (Not that there are any other cities like that.) But this collection goes a long way to offer more than the usual superficial “best of” hit parade, it satisfyingly digs deeper to reveal much of the underlying artistry of the N.O. ’sound’.

#4 – Vivaldi’s Four Seasons (Rinaldo Alessandrini/Concerto Italiano) – This an interesting one, with some surprisingly divisive opinions to consider and navigate in choosing the recording that’s right for your collection. The most popular music Vivaldi wrote, it’s lovely and lyrical and there’s probably no part of it you wouldn’t recognize, even out of context. That speaks to the music itself. But, for performances of the Seasons, take a look at ArkivMusic where there are more than 200 recordings currently available. Which one of those 200+ is the right one for you? That’s where the controversy enters the picture. Ongoing academic research and discovery in the area of  ‘period’ performance practices has led to the divided house that now exists in regard to how this music is actually played. With vibrato (for many years the standard for Western classical music) or without (as it would have been performed and experienced in the pre-Baroque and Baroque eras, when this music was written)? With a big, full-bodied modern orchestra, or with the smaller chamber ensemble that would have been the standard in Vivaldi’s day? Tuned to the “440″ pitch standard of the contemporary concert orchestra, or, to the “415-419″ of the Baroque era? On modern instruments, or with the actual instruments (and faithful replicas thereof) from the Baroque?

You just wanted a nice recording of the Four Seasons. You didn’t know there would be so many decisions involved to find one. OK, well, before I recommend this one for you I will mention that I tend to prefer the ‘period’ performances, with their lighter touch, transparent textures, and often slightly faster tempi. There are wonderful recordings of the Seasons that find something of a balance, featuring modern instruments and orchestras with a soft ear toward the ‘authentic performance’ sensibilities: recordings with violinists Gil Shaham, Gidon Kremer, Joshua Bell, Julia Fischer are very nice and meet that standard to my ear. There are period ensembles that offer very nice, if not wildly adventurous performances: the English Concert, the Academy of Ancient Music, and the Raglan Baroque Players are of this variety. Then there are “the Italians”; groups that follow the ‘period’ performance path and offer raw, viscerally exciting readings that strip away the accumulated years of varnish and offer the music in a bracing, fresh context. (Which is kind of funny, really, when you consider the ‘fresh’ context is a style hundreds of years old!) Ensembles like Europa Galante, La Stravaganza, Il Giardino Armonico, Accademia Bizantina, and the Venice Baroque Orchestra fall into this second camp. So do Concerto Italiano, with their director Rinaldo Alessandrini.

At the great risk of planting my flag irreversibly in the ‘period’ music camp, it is this last recording I am recommending. Unapologetically. There is much color, nuance, and capacity for a new listening experience, even in pieces like these you’ve already heard many times. It takes the right recording to make that point. I’m offering this one as my choice because it gave me that experience the first time I heard it (and, in repeated listening). I heard – actually heard – Vivaldi anew again in this lively, articulate, passionate recording with the Concerto Italiano. That doesn’t happen very often.

I can’t offer this suggestion as THE definitive, one-and-only Four Seasons recording, because that would presume I had heard them all (not the case). And, there’s so much diversity in the different performance styles among the many groups who have recorded these concertos. But it’s sure a good place to start, and if you like it, and you decide you really only need one Four Seasons in your archive, it would be an equally fine place to stop.

(By the way, for a concise history of tuning practices, take a look at this article.)

That’s it for this edition of Trading Fours. We started with pizza and ended with Vivaldi (so it goes!), and what I hope will be some very satisfying listening experiences for you. Happy Labor Day weekend!

Trading Fours is an occasional series here designed to build your music library and share ideas about favorite recordings, in the long tradition of learning about music from friends. If you have picks to share leave a comment here. Send me your four choices along with a quick explanation of the theme that holds them together. I’ll do the rest and get them posted here to share with everyone else.