Appalachian music reviews

This is the follow-up to an earlier collection called - you've guessed it - Appalachian stomp Bluegrass classics. That compilation (which I've already reviewed) includes all the traditional bluegrass songs that are famous outside bluegrass circles including Blue moon of Kentucky, Foggy mountain breakdown, The ballad of Jed Clampett, Rocky top and Duelling banjos.

This collection mainly focuses on songs that are regarded as bluegrass classics by bluegrass fans but are generally not known by the public, except for two songs that are bluegrass covers of non-bluegrass songs. Fox on the run was a top ten UK pop hit for Manfred Mann in the late sixties but has become a bluegrass standard. City of New Orleans is a folk-country standard, which has been recorded by many fine singers including Willie Nelson, Judy Collins, Lynn Anderson and John Denver. Now you get the chance to hear a bluegrass version by the Seldom Scene.

The other songs here feature some of the biggest names in traditional bluegrass including Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley brothers (including Ralph, whose recent albums have done so much to widen the appeal of bluegrass music), Mac Wiseman, Jim and Jesse, The Osbourne brothers and the Country gentleman. Alison Krauss closes the set with one of her early recordings.

If you enjoyed the previous volume, you will love this. If you haven't heard the other volume, buy that first.

This CD is totally rocking! There is not a bad song on it. It has a lot of variety. Just a great buy.

Dulin's 2003 release, "Atmospheres", has more of the same New Age flavor. With this release, he uses Synthesizers to acompany his solo piano work. The difference is clear on the tracks, "A Song for Jan" and "Night Rhythms". I enjoyed the latter track as it has a little Bossa Nova beat and compliments the recording. He's one of the more talented musicians on the New Age circuit. It was an pleasant experience!

"Atmospheres" is pianist Michael Dulin's second release of original piano solos. After a long career in the classical music field as well as acting as producer of music for others, Dulin is emerging as one of the brightest stars in the new age/ambient genre. Calling his music "inner music - music that balances and centers and replenishes," his pieces are soothing enough to stay in the background to set an easy mood, and yet are complex and challenging enough to be consistently interesting and rewarding for the active listener. Dulin's playing "chops" are impeccable, and the tone of the Steinway he recorded the music with is crystal clear. Most of the tracks have washes of synth instrumentation for color, but this is definitely a piano album.

The title track opens the CD with a quiet melody that is enlivened with shimmering runs up and down the piano keyboard. Both pensive and serene, the piece is a very elegant opening. "Once Upon a Time" is a bit more wistful and dreamy - very gentle and sweet. "Mirage" is more ambient, with a beautiful flowing quality and a sense of moving forward. "Bedtime for Little John" is a simple, cozy lullaby that spills over with innocence. "Nocturne" is absolutely gorgeous - cool and peaceful, and very atmospheric; very definitely a "night song," as the title implies. "The Highlands" is a bit more structured, and could easily be a movie theme - a beautiful melody. "Morning Clouds" is fluid and tranquil without any hard edges. And then there is my favorite track, "Night Rhythms." This piece is much more "smooth jazz" than classical, and it pulls me in every time. It has the easy-going pace of the rest of the CD, but is more rhythmic and has a sense of fun. It surprised me the first time I listened to the album, but I just love it!

"Atmospheres" is destined to be one of my "Top 10 for 2003," I'm sure, and Michael Dulin has become one of my favorite contemporary composers. Very highly recommended!

Jim Clark's disc of original poetry and traditional music (he sings and plays guitar, dulcimer, harmonica, and banjo) demonstrates his commitment to Appalachian culture, both in its art and legacy. Warm, worthwhile, intimate, and poignant, these performances satisfy.

I have had the opportunity to listen to Buried Land by Jim Clark and think it is a wonderful CD. I am a banjo player and also know Jim Clark personally. His music is outstanding and his banjo style unique! I would recommend this CD to anyone who likes folk and bluegrass music. The poetry is also wonderful.

Perfect. The best performance of the best music.

This album is an absolute joy to experience! The recording proves to all who may doubt, that brass quintet is a medium capable of musical miracles! The pieces here are taken from the orchestral repetoire and have been arranged for five brass voices. Trumpeter Rolf Smedvig and his ensemble perform in a manner that is always immaculate, tasteful and above all, musical. The precision of the enemble playing here is in a word, astonishing. On track #1, 'Procession of the Nobles', for example, there is a moment where the 2nd trumpet begins an ascending line that is overtaken and completed by the 1st trumpet. The transition is so liquid and seemless that the casual listener will not even be aware that the line wasn't played by one person! Tubist Samuel Pilafian offers a lovely arrangement of Copland's 'Simple Gifts' that shows off a wide range of sound from soft and sweet to bold and grand. Another favorite is the joyous 'Slavonic Dance No. 8' with its rollicking, sunny feel and inspiring dynamic contrast. Brass enthusiasts, purchase this recording with confidence! It is amazing!

I bought this CD to provide me with another dimension to my studies of period events. It truly contains a wealth of music, and takes it place as an important addition to my musical library. Living in the Mt Vernon area, I often travel with the CD playing while visiting historical places, and it provides a wonderful companion to "set the mood" for the myriad locations in the area. The quality of the sound is remarkable, the musicians superb, and the breadth of song selection provides a musical landscape for the period. Highly recommended!!

I first heard the "Colonial America" CD by Hesperus when I visited Monticello recently (the home of Thomas Jefferson) where they were playing the songs in the gift shop. Imagine my dismay to find that only one cassette tape was left of the fabulous music of Hesperus; however, that tape held me spell-bound all the way home, from Virginia to North Carolina.

It was an incredible journey from the past that has stayed with me since, and every day I drive that one hour back and forth to work. This music has changed everything about the trips, and I can't wait for more.

Thanks to Amazon.com I was able to buy all three CD's, including "Early American Roots," "Colonial America" and the incredible "Celtic Roots" with the most beautiful violas imaginable.

Thank you Hesperus! Please play more!

Novels and movies like Cold Mountain, Oh Brother Where Art Thou? and Song Catchers are showing the growing interest in traditional music and this recording hits the mark. It is music from the days of early America--the time when the first colonists come to America. You can hear the fiddle playing tunes still popular in the Appalachian mountains today and also hear shape note music arranged by Hesperus as wonderful instrumentals. The music takes you to a time when folks were making music in their homes-before TV, before the internet! This recording is good for teachers or educational purposes too- with informative liner notes. All the music is played on folk and early music instruments and it's lively and an enjoyable listen.

I truly believe that both Pete and Chris have captured the real John Denver in this CD. From Country Roads, to Rocky Mountain High, this CD is sure to lift up your spirit and please even the biggest John Denver fans like me. You will not be let down.

This is an excellent sequel to Colors in Time Vol 1. Pete and Chris are outstanding musicians and they really shine on this cd. Great to listen to to relax. Close your eyes and let the music take you.

Here are definitive performances of music by American composers Aaron Copland and Morton Gould, conducted by the composers themselves. These were originally issued on separate RCA Victor "Living Stereo" recordings in 1960 and 1961; typical of RCA recordings of that era, they had exceptional sound.

Aaron Copland conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra in his concert suites from the ballet "Appalachian Spring" and the opera "The Tender Land." He succeeded in getting top-notch performances from the Bostonians and left us a wonderful musical treasure.

"Appalachian Spring" is among Copland's greatest works and won the Pulitzer Prize for Music. Choreographed by dancer/choreographer Martha Graham, the complete ballet is seldom heard but is available on an RCA Victor CD with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra in the fully orchestrated version. The ballet was originally performed with only 13 musicians and Copland himself made a recording of that original scoring for Columbia (later reissued on Sony). This writer had an opportunity to attend a performance of the ballet by the Martha Graham group in 1975, with the composer conducting the San Jose Symphony; what a special treat it was to see Copland and Graham together. She made a memorable entrance in the San Jose Performing Arts Center as she wore a long, flowing, red, chiffon dress.

This is one of Copland's very few recordings for RCA; he was long associated with Columbia and recorded many of his works for them, usually in London with British orchestras.

Some have said that Copland was not a great conductor; that may be so, but these recorded performances are among his best and compare well with other recordings by other conductors. I always especially liked Copland's setting of the Shaker tune "Simple Gifts;" it is quite moving and magnificent. CBS used this setting as the theme for some of its special news broadcasts in the 1950's and 1960's.

A special treat is the suite from "The Tender Land." This writer sang the lively tune "Stomp Your Foot" with the San Jose State Men's Glee Club in 1968; it's wonderful to hear a fully-orchestrated version of the song. There is also some very emotional and quite tender music in the suite. The Boston musicians play with great sensitivity.

Morton Gould recorded a suite from his 1948 ballet "Fall River Legend." The full ballet score can be heard on an Albany Records CD. Gould compiled the best moments from the score, depicting the tragic events in Fall River, Massachusetts, in the early 1890's, in which Lizzie Borden was accused of murdering her parents. The music was quite nostalgic and exuberant.

This CD also includes the two middle movements from Gould's popular "Latin American Symphonette." The second movement is quite haunting and seductive, while the third movement is jubilant and highly syncopated. The performances of Gould's music here are all very good. Gould also was generally associated with Columbia Records and wrote music for a number of CBS radio broadcasts. The original RCA Victor LP also included his piano concerto, "Interplay," which is another memorable and quite original work.

I always have thought that Copland's The Tender Land is probably one of the hidden treasures in American classical music. It's a beautiful piece of music, especially Acts 1&3. You will not be disappointed in this from one of America's most beloved composers.

I used this CD as part of a dance history class on American Modern Dance, in conjunction with a DVD on dance pioneer Martha Graham. The music stands alone, and my students got a bit of music history along with their dance history.

I bought it as a gift and the receiver LOVED it and plays it frquently.

This CD is one of my favorites in my classical collection. Several years ago, I borrowed this recording from the library, and enjoyed it so much that I went out and bought my own Copland CD. I got the CD containing the New York Philharmonic's performance of Appalachain Spring (conducted by Bernstein), but was sorely disappointed. After a few months of searching (this was pre-Amazon days), I tracked down this CD and bought it. The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra is superb. I highly recommend this CD for any Copland fan, or anyone who wants to have a "token" classical CD.

I feel that this CD is exceptionally beautiful. "The Appalachian Spring" was simply gorgeous. The fast movements had a pure crispness to them that makes them most excellent, and the slow movements had such a beautiful style that it pulls at the human emotions. The only problem I have with this CD is the recording of "The Red Pony Suite", which I feel that the intonation is a bit off. But other than that, this CD is excellent, and I would definately recommend this collection of Copland.

Most people forget that Copland and Stravinsky were contemporaries and that they had more than one thing in common. Stravinksy made music for the theatre and Copland did the same for the filmindustry. His most wellknown work reminds of film music, Appalachian Spring is a major opus, moving and timeless it evokes the impressions of an overwhelming nature. But his works that have connections with Latin-American music are his most original ones. Rodeo is a captivating piece of music, full of rhythm. Here we hear what inspired Bernstein, even more so in El salon Mexico and The Red Pony-suite. What makes these 2 CD's extra attractive is their immaculate sound reproduction. Listen to the full orchestra in Rodeo, if you have decent Hi-fi-equipment you will experience sound depth and clarity that are unusual for non-HDCD recordings.

The LAGQ are fine players, and the music here is first rate as a summary of what they do, or for any purpose. HOWEVER, the transfer to CD on my disc was very poorly chosen, so that the top octave and a half was mostly missing (worse on some pieces than others, though). This takes the snap! out of guitar strings and notably attenuates your ability to tell what the 4 are doing with guitar timbre and the like. So, if you have wide-range audio gear, you might want to look elsewhere for an introduction to these players.

Recently I learned about LAGQ and bought this album. I have been impressed by the arrangements and interpretation, the texture, innovative touches and originality. It is a treat!

Not until recently did I know about this guitar four. Hearing a number of their songs on internet classical radio, I decided I'd try this one.

What a great surprise --- their arrangements of Copeland to Sousa to Praetorius are excellent and in taste. I'll be venturing into their other works.