Clever Marketing

Symphony Orchestras are going through a rough time. Ticket sales are diminishing and with a greying audience they are feeling the need to get some fresh blood in the seats. To do this, some orchestras are resorting to some really clever marketing techniques. The Copenhagen Philharmonic is one of those. You may have seen their first attempt at this, it wen’t pretty viral.

They took the popular flash mob idea, and applied some of Maurice Ravel’s Bolero. Needless to say, it received a lot of attention. Not to let up on a good idea, in the beginning of May, they released another video, receiving more than 3 million views in under a month.

Some clever marketing?

Some More Staff Picks by Alex

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky

This collection puts together a huge amount of Stravinsky’s work. What I like about it is that every group either features Stravinsky as a soloist or as the conductor. The result is a series of recordings that highlight the sounds Stravinsky created in a way I haven’t seen elsewhere. Sometimes cast of as a bit of a vanity play by the composer, this nonetheless provides a good look at what he intended when writing his music.

CD 3247

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First Impulse

The Creed Taylor Collection: 50th Anniversary

This collection celebrates the work Creed Taylor did in bringing about the Impulse label. It does this by providing CD’s of Impulses first 6 LP’s. These releases cemented Impulse as a heavy hitter in the Jazz charts in the 60′s. With this collection, not only do you get the music but a spiffy booklet containing the original liner notes and more!

The first part of the collection is my favorite, containing the reunion of J.J. Johnson and Kai Windig. The CD is a combination of two LP’s: The Great Kai & J.J.: Brand New, Swinging Together Again and The Incredible Kai Winding Trombones. Kai and J.J. are a great duo, bridging together Bop and Swing in a fashion that is unmistakable. Creed Taylor doesnt skimp on the Rythm either. The CD features plenty of stuff from Bill Evans, Art Taylor and Sticks Evans.

I would be remiss however, if I did not mention the other albums in the collection. Next up is the classic Ray Charles album Genius + Soul = Jazz followed by Out of the Cool by the Gil Evans Orchestra

But wait, it gets even better!

It also has the Oliver Nelson Sextet playing the album The Blues and the Abstract Truth, Coltrane’s quartet playing Africa/Brass. You really can’t go wrong with this collection.

CD 9349

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Debussy: Complete Orchestral Works Vol. III

Not much to say about this one. It contains  three great piano works (Orchestrated by Caplet and Büsser) on top of the Danses sacrée et profane. Great works, performed well.

CD 6124

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BWV 1080: J.S. Bach’s “Art of the Fugue”

I give up! I really like the Art of the Fugue. Last time, I posted a recording by the Pittsburg Symphony Brass. This one is a more traditional recording, performed by Gustav Leonhardt and Bob van Asperen.

CD 6565

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Head Hunters: Herbie Hancock

Herbie Hancock, Bennie Maupin, Paul Jackson, Harvey Mason, Bill Summers.

Need I say more?

CD 9546

New recordings added to the National Recording Registry

The Library of Congress’ National Recording Preservation Board has added twenty-five recordings (as it does every year) to the National Recording Registry, which aims to protect and preserve recordings that “are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.”

This year, there’s the usual slate of historic recordings, like an Edison cylinder designed to play inside of a doll and radio broadcasts of Edward R. Murrow and the Native American cultural program, “Indians for Indians;” important moments in classical music, like Bernstein‘s debut with the New York Philharmonic, and Fritz Reiner conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in Strauss’ “Also Sprach Zarathustra;” and a heavy dose of pop music – Prince’s Purple Rain made the cut, as did Donna Summer, Parliament, the Grateful Dead, the Sugarhill Gang.

The full list is as follows. Bolded items are recordings we own – either on CD or streaming:

1. Edison Talking Doll cylinder (1888)

2. “Come Down Ma Evenin’ Star,” Lillian Russell (1912)

3. “Ten Cents a Dance,” Ruth Etting (1930) 

4. “Voices from the Days of Slavery,” various speakers (1932-1941 interviews; 2002 compilation)

5. “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” Patsy Montana (1935)

6. “Fascinating Rhythm,” Sol Hoopii and his Novelty Five (1938)

7. “Artistry in Rhythm,” Stan Kenton and his Orchestra (1943)

8. Debut performance with the New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein (Nov. 14, 1943)

9. International Sweethearts of Rhythm: Hottest Women’s Band of the 1940s (1944-1946)

10. “The Indians for Indians Hour” (March 25, 1947)

11. “Hula Medley,” Gabby Pahinui (1947)

12. “I Can Hear It Now,” Fred W. Friendly and Edward R. Murrow (1948)

13. “Let’s Go Out to the Programs,” The Dixie Hummingbirds (1953)

14. “Also Sprach Zarathustra,” Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (1954, 1958)

15. “Bo Diddley” and “I’m a Man,” Bo Diddley (1955)

16. “Green Onions,” Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962)

17. “Forever Changes,” Love (1967)

18. “The Continental Harmony: Music of William Billings,” Gregg Smith Singers (1969)

19. “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” Vince Guaraldi Trio (1970) (CD 5057)

20. “Coat of Many Colors,” Dolly Parton (1971)

21. “Mothership Connection,” Parliament (1975) (CD 9430)

22. Barton Hall concert by the Grateful Dead (May 8, 1977)

23. “I Feel Love,” Donna Summer (1977)

24. “Rapper’s Delight,” Sugarhill Gang (1979) (CD 3410)

25. “Purple Rain,” Prince and the Revolution (1984)

New Stuff

New CDs

Narong Prangcharoen – (CD 9721)

Dialogue en Francais - French Masterpieces for Horn & Piano – Bernhard Scully, French Horn and Joanne Minnetti, Piano (CD 9722)

Song of the Black Swan – Works Inspired by Nature – Aletheia Duo: Jonathan Keeble, Flute & Ann Yeung, Harp (CD 9723)

Jesus Christ Superstar – staring Paul Nicholas with the 20th Anniversary London Cast recording (CD 9720)

New Scores

Beethoven - Sextet in Eb major, Opus 71 - for 2 Clarinets, 2 Horns and 2 Bassoons (M657 .B43 op.71 1950)

Holmstrand – Percussion Instrumentation Guide for Symphony Orchestras (Ref. ML128 .P23 H75 2004)

The 16-Bar Theatre Audition – 100 Songs Excerpted for Successful Auditions - TENOR (M1507 .S67 2003)

The 16-Bar Theatre Audition – 100 Songs Excerpted for Successful Auditions - BARITONE/BASS (M1507 .S68 2003)

Vocal Arts DC concert: Gidon Saks, bass-baritone, May 30th

This is it: the last Vocal Arts DC concert of the 2011-2012 season! It’s bass-baritone, Gidon Saks performing Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Shostakovich, Ibert, and R.R. Bennett. See the website for full bio and program details. May 30th, 7:30pm, Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.

As usual, students get a great deal ($15 tix) if they email Robert at robertsheehan@vocalartsdc.org. Music students get an even better deal ($0 tix). If you haven’t made it to one of these concerts yet, this is your last chance this season to take advantage of this marvelous deal.

Helen’s Friday Staff Picks

Picks for when you just need to stick your head in the sand for a while…

Miles Davis

• Bitches Brew (CD 4674)

the Beatles

• Revolver (CD 5296)
• Rubber Soul (CD 5296)

Steve Reich

• Music for 18 Musicians (CD 6046)
• Different Trains (CD 280)

Cene’s Staff Picks: School’s Out Edition

Welcome to the first staff picks of the summer session. We’re open all summer, so if you’re still in town, swing by and check out some music.

Bert Jansch – “The Best Of…” (CD 9713)

Scottish guitarist, Bert Jansch, was a leading figure in the British folk revival of the 1960s and ’70s, both as a member of the Pentangle and as a solo performer. This new arrival is a wonderful place to start, anthologizing some of his best work from earlier in his career.

Eddie Palmieri – Vamonos Pa’l Monte (CD 9619)

Latin jazz piano legend, Eddie Palmieri, put out this fantastic salsa album in 1971. It combines a (mostly) traditional salsa approach with more forward-looking elements liberally added to the mix. His powerful band handles the complex rhythms with ease and brio, resulting in a record that’s equally suitable for listening or for dancing.

Glenn Branca – Symphony No. 5 (CD 9498)

Branca’s fifth symphony – “Describing Planes Of An Expanding Hypersphere” - from 1983 is loud, heavy, droning, and seems to go on forever. That either excites you, or sends you running; there is no in-between.

V/A – Chicago/The Blues/Today! (CD 513, 514, 515)

This three-volume set from 1966 brought the contemporary Chicago blues scene to a wide audience, and is credited with accelerating the blues revival. It features slide players like Johnny Shines and J.B. Hutto, harmonica great, Junior Wells, and blues mandolin(!) player, Johnny Young, among many other great players.

Meredith Monk – Turtle Dreams (CD 9697)

This is my favorite Meredith Monk record. The title track’s spare instrumentation serves to highlight the daring and dramatic four-part vocals, which swoop from shrieking highs that make the hair on your arms stand up, to contrapuntal chattering, to moments of melody that stick in your head for days. The shorter pieces are awfully nice as well.

On a note of trivia: fellow New York composer, Julius Eastman, is one of the organists on the first track.

Welcome to Summer!!!

Congratulations – we finally finished! Finals are over, juries are done, papers are turned in and we are home bound! (or DC bound with an unpaid internship and part time, underpaid job)

To the seniors, the soon-to-be graduates, CONGRATULATIONS! We wish you well with your next steps.

To the juniors, the rising seniors, holy crap! One year left!

To the sophomores, the new upperclassmen, get ready for a crazy 2 years!

To the freshmen, the no-longer freshmen, congrats! You finished (and passed) your first year of college!

For those hanging around DC, I’ve compiled a list of our very fabulous DC & summer music CDs. These  all have to do with either:

• A) local DC music culture/musicians/style
• B) SUMMER
• C) DC in the summer…

So ENJOY and have a GREAT SUMMER BREAK!!!!

The Beat – Go Go’s Fusion of Funk & Hip Hop (CD 3136)

for those who didn’t now, Go Go is a style of music that came out of DC. Although it’s not hugely popular around the rest of the world, it is definitely a big part of the culture here.

The Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (CD 5079)

because every summer needs some beach…and some boys…and some beach boys.

Marvin Gaye – What’s Going On (CD 3345)

great musician from D.C.

Duke Ellington - (CD 5519) More Great Hits (CD 2032) Symphony No. 1 Afro-American (CD 5820) Symphony No. 2 Song of a New Race (CD 1131)

did you know he was from D.C.? Yeah…figured, after all we do have the Duke Ellington Bridge.

New Arrivals: May 3

1. Putomayo Presents the Carribean (Various Artists) – CD 9718

2. Putomayo Presents World Reggae (Various Artists) – CD 9717

3. Putomayo Presents North African Groove (Various Artists) – CD 9716

4. Putomayo Presents Mali (Various Artists) – CD 9715

5. Leo Kottke Live (Leo Kottke) – CD 9701

6. Rejoicing in the Hands (Devendra Banhart) – CD 9702

7. The Black Babies (Devendra Banhart) – CD 9703

8. Oh Me Oh My…the Way the Day Goes By The Sun is Setting Dogs are Dreaming Lovesongs of the Christmas Spirit (Devendra Banhart) – CD 9704

9. Devil’s Got Your Tongue (Abbey Lincoln) – CD 9705

10. Songs My Father Taught Me (Pepe Romero) – CD 9706

11. Road to the Sun (Sharon Isbin) – CD 9707

12. Lost Blues and Other Songs (Palace Music) – CD 9708

13. “Everything is gonna work out fine” (Jerry Douglas) – CD 9709

14. Best of the Vanguard Years (John Fahey) – CD 9710

15. Both Sides Now (Joni Mitchell) – CD 9711

16. Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev) – CD 9712

17. The Best of Bert Jansch (Bert Jansch) – CD 9713

18. Putomayo Presents Nuevo Latino (Various Artists) – CD 9714

19. The Complete Atlantic Sessions (Willie Nelson) – CD 9719

Enjoy!

Helen’s Staff Picks

Radiohead - Kid A  (CD 4176) & the Bends (CD 2324)

This group will CHANGE YOUR LIFE…forever.

Marimolin - Combo Platter (CD 9350)

I had to add one saxophone album to the mix…I played Combo Platter for my junior recital, it’s a great piece, hard to play, sometimes hard to listen to, but also a lot of fun!

Parliament - Mothership Connection  (CD 9430) & The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein (CD 9555)

If you have not listened to Parliament…then you have not yet lived.

Bjork - Biophilia (CD 9524) & Homogenic (CD 3759) & Post (CD 4393) & Debut (CD 5248)

Life changing music…life changing concepts…life changing woman.