The Big City

In One Wind, how bright a shadow!

gtra1n — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 13:31:01 +0000

An odd record, one that has moments of promise and excitement but is crippled by confusion. Driven at its core by jazz musicians who lean more towards the progressive, compositional end of the spectrum, the band makes claims to sophisticated … Continue reading →

Dvorak: Symphony No. 8, Symphonic Variations

gtra1n — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:26:57 +0000

An absolutely stellar live recording. Sir Charles Mackerras was a master in this repertoire (as he was with Janacek, and Mozart operas and symphonies, and so many other music). The conductor died in 2010, after a career that spanned recordings … Continue reading →

Debussy: Orchestral Works Vols. 5 and 6

gtra1n — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:13:52 +0000

Debussy, not only one of the greatest but one of the very most important composers in the history of Western classical music, wrote a relatively small number of orchestral works. Of those, the most famous ones like La Mer and … Continue reading →

Nguyên Lê, Songs of Freedom

gtra1n — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:24:32 +0000

When I was in a shambling improvising group back in the late ‘80s, we played a gig one evening at the old Lunch For Your Ears record store, in SoHo. As we were waiting to start, some incredibly ear-opening, kick-ass … Continue reading →

What A Difference Many, Many Days Make

gtra1n — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 20:26:06 +0000

And even more hours. I’ve been unhappy with this blog’s design for a while, and so I’m tearing it down and building it back up again. Functionality should all be here still, and simplifying everything is the way I’m going … Continue reading →

Elgar: Enigma Variations

gtra1n — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 21:48:06 +0000

I am not, nor have ever been, fond of Elgar. He was a solid, Romantic composer, but forgettable to my ears, and seemed to have a reputation based on some underserved special pleading for the quality of English music from … Continue reading →

Karlowicz: ‘Rebirth’ Symphony Op. 7

gtra1n — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:35:00 +0000

Incredibly attractive Romantic symphonic music from a composer who would be unknown outside of Poland if it weren’t for the thinking and efforts of Naxos, who have made a huge quantity of fine music from little known composers available to … Continue reading →

All Year, Permanent Blackness

gtra1n — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 15:05:34 +0000

Because, stupid fucking assholes, the day the first unlucky slave landed on these shores was a lucky day for America, indeed (h/t Duke Ellington).

Cabinet of Curiosities

gtra1n — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 06:48:01 +0000

The tinkering under the hood continues (it seems like it will never end, but it will, I promise, I think I’ve solved all my technical issues), and the music continues, so have some Friday links and miscellany: ‘“After tax, that’s … Continue reading →

Seven Day Weekend

gtra1n — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 06:14:58 +0000

There’s an overblown and overhyped sporting event this weekend, but this time, it matters a lot to me, because I saw this play as it happened, and I’ve remained a Jints fan through thin and thick. And after some truly … Continue reading →