The Best Music in the Whole World July 2007

The Five Best for July

Back again with the best music in the whole world. This month we have reduced our picks to five. Our tracking software told us that we received a lot of visitors, but we are still looking for your comments (worldspiritmusic@gmail.com) and your suggestions. So here goes the best five pieces of humanity’s sweet music.

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One: Last month we went out on a limb and picked the best of Beethoven, this month we start out with the best of Mozart. You all know the story of Mozart, the child prodigy who toured Europe with his father, Leopold, entertaining the nobility with his incredible gifts at the piano. To be sure, there are all the great symphonies, the operas, the string quartets, but we think it is in the piano concertos that you find the greatest of Mozart’s music. There is K271, No.9, sometimes called the “Jeunehomme” and considered by many to be his first masterpiece. There is the No. 21 which now days is called the “Elvira Madigan” concerto because of its use in the Swedish movie of the same name. Our favorite is K466, the No. 20 and in particular the second movement, Romanze. Such a beautiful theme. Listen to some of it. There are many fine recordings. The Martha Argerich, the Alfred Brendel with Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, but our favorite is an older recording by Guiomar Novaes that is still available as a two disc set from Vox.

Two: While we writing about piano music, we pick our second best from the world of Jazz. The “Love Theme from Spartacus” by Bill Evans from Conversations with Myself. Of the many great Jazz pianists none had such a great lyrical gift and sense of melody as Bill Evans. Recorded in 1963, Coversations was a very popular jazz release. Sidney Bichet in his unique recording of “The Sheik of Araby” and Lennie Tristano with his 1955 track “Turkish Mambo” had used overdubbing before, Evans’ recording was a considerable artistic achievement. The “Spartacus Love Theme” is one of the most beautiful jazz performances you will ever hear. Listen for yourself.

Three: “Imidiwan Winakalin” by Tinariwen from Aman Iman, Water is Life. The group Tinariwen is a product of the desert region of Mali and of the Tourareg people. But, the music beginnings were created in exile as the central government of Mali for many years fought a war with the Touraregs and try to subdue these nomadic peoples. Their music is a wonderful synthesis of indigenous music and Western music. It’s essence is a combination of wonderful mesmerizing vocals and very exciting and vigorous use of guitars. Here is a sample. Another exciting result from the exposure to Western ears of the music of the Touraregs is The Festival in the Desert which has become an important venue for all the music of Mali. You can access Tinariwen’s site here and also find out more about The Festival in the Desert here Another group that will reward your listening is Tartit. Wonderful vocal music.

Four: “When Sorrows Encompass Me ‘Round” Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerman. When listening to Tommy Jarrell and Fred Cockerman you are listening to the very finest “old-timey” music. The spring from which their music comes arises from the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia and goes back to the 19^th century. Tommy Jarrell’s highly animated and syncopated bowing give a grand lift and dance pulse to his playing and his wonderful singing can really get a hold of you. Fred Cockerham is one of the finest clawhammer banjo players ever and plays in the archaic fretless style.. Together they make some of the finest traditional music you will ever hear. Listen to a selection. You can get this recording at County Sales, the best source of Bluegrass and Old-Timey music in the world.

Five: “Hearing Solar Winds” by David Hykes. This is the purest music you will ever hear. It is singing about the forces of creation and the awareness of the spirit life. Recorded in 1982 at the Thoronet Abbey, it continues to astound the ears, the minds, and souls of all who listen to it. This singing is a whole universe of vibrations, all ringing together to produce a fundamental tone. Listen. This recording is available from WorldSpiritMusic. You can learn more about David Hykes, the Harmonic Choir, their workshops, their concerts and their other projects here.

The Best Music in the Whole World June 2007

The Six Best for June

In this page we intend to humbly come before you and offer you the six best pieces of music from the whole world. Call it our version of “desert island discs”. In addition we will come back each month and present another offering of the best pieces of music from the whole world. So come back each month we will tell you about the best of humanity’s sweet music. The order of these pieces implies no particular ranking. Here goes

One: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7, the second movement, marked Allegretto. You’re saying that Beethoven was one of the greatest composers of all time; there is the Symphony No. 5, perhaps the greatest symphony ever composed, the Choral Symphony No. 9, the Moonlight Sonata, the list of great works is staggering and perhaps only surpassed by Mozart & Bach. How can you choose one work? We do and the allegretto is our favorite.

The Symphony No. 7 was premiered in 1813 and it marked the real arrival of popular recognition that Beethoven was the greatest living composer. It was also the last time Beethoven conducted as his hearing was almost gone and during the rehearsals he could not keep his place. Wagner described this music as the “apotheosis of the dance”. Indeed, the music constantly flows and there is a sheer physicality that infuses the score. The second movement is stately, elegant, rhythmic and hypnotic. Listen for yourself. This recording is conducted by Benjamin Zander. Our favorite performance dates from the 50s and was conducted by Bruno Walter; it use to be available on Columbia’s Odyssey series. The Zander can be purchased at ArkivMusic, a fine source for classical music with excellent service.

Two: “ Prelude in Rast” from the CD “Ode to Flowers” by the Hamavayan Ensemble. Rast is an Arabic music scale and you can find a basic introduction to Arabic music scales here. This 3 minute piece is played on the kamancheh and the robab; the robab is a lute like instrument fro Iran, Afghanistan and India and is the ancestor of the North Indian sarod and the kamancheh is a Persian and Azeri instrument related to the violin. The performers are Saba Alizadeh and Nima Alizadeh. The Hamavayan Ensemble is from Iran and is headed by Hossein Alizadeh. His CD “Endless Vision” was nominated for a Grammy in 2006. “Prelude in Rast” is one of the most profoundly beautiful pieces we have ever heard. Listen to our sample of “Prelude in Rast”.

Three: “Cheikhna Demba” from “New Ancient Strings” by Toumani Diabate and Ballake Sissoko. The kora is one of the greatest musical instruments With its 21 strings in two parallel rows, this harp-lute is unique to the Mande people of West Africa who once ruled the great Mali empire. This music is some of the finest string playing you will ever hear. The tunes weave an intricate tapestry of ornamental variations, lyrical melodies and flowing rhythms. Find yourself a quiet place and let this music flow over you; it is a wonderful experience to listen to these two instruments dance around each other. This music also takes its inspiration from an LP entitled “Cordes Anciennes” which was recorded in 1970 and was performed by the fathers(both kora masters of their day)of Diabate and Sissoko. Listen to a selection from “Cheikhna Demba”. “New Ancient Strings” is available from Amazon at this link and the older LP has been transferred to CD and is also available here.

Four: “Pather Panchali or the Song of the Little Road” In the 60’s, we in the West started to discover the music of the world, but also discovered the cinema of the world. What Kurosawa was to Japanese cinema, Satyajit Ray was to Indian cinema. Pather Panchali is the first movie of the Apu Trilogy. These films follow the story of a young boy named Apu from boyhood in a Bengali village to adulthood in Calcutta where he finds love, tragedy and redemption. Not only did Ray direct these films, but he also composed the very fine music. The theme from Pather Panchali is here played as a haunting duet between Ravi Shankar on sitar and Bud Shank on flute. This version is from an LP released many years ago called “Improvisations” on the World Pacific label which was one of the first music labels to bring Asian music to American ears. It has been transformed to CD and can be purchased here. Listen to “Pather Panchali”.

Five: “Balcony Rock” Dave Brubeck “Jazz Goes to College”. Many jazz performances will be included in our best of lists. We would like to start with “Balcony Rock” from the Dave Brubeck-Paul Desmond Quartet from 1954. This quartet improvised with a freedom and daring such as few musicians ever produced. This is a plain old blues. It starts with Desmond’s alto sax; his tone is one the smoothest sounds you will ever hear. Then Brubeck comes in and plays 12 of the most astounding choruses of the blues to ever emerge from the piano. Towards the end they play a fugue and the end with a beautiful duet. This is 12 minutes of wonderful music. Our sample is short, but we hope it gives you an idea.

Six: “Wondrous Love” Here we choose a song from the Sacred Harp tradition. This song first appeared in 1835 from a collection entitled The South­ern Har­mo­ny and Mu­sic­al Com­pan­ion published by William Walker. It has been a favorite in many “shape-note” singing conventions ever since. The beauty of the song is such that many other artists have performed the song. Here are the lyrics:

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul!

What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,

To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down, sinking down,

When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,

Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.

To God and to the Lamb Who is the great “I Am”;

While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;

While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;

And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;

And through eternity, I’ll sing on.

There is strong faith in redemption in this song. The sample we have is from Jean Ritchie from an album she did on Sire many years ago. There are many other wonderful versions: Chanticleer has a great version. Another version worth having is by Martin Simpson, the English guitarists. His version is just guitar and some background strings. It is available for download at eMusic.

Let us know if you enjoy these lists. Make suggestions of your own and we will publish them. Don’t forget to include links. If you wish to buy or download any of this music, we have some suggestions. E-Music is a great place for downloads, instead of paying for each song you pay for a monthly quantity. Very good for world music, jazz and classical. If you wish to buy classical CDs, we strongly recommend Arkiv Music. If you wish to buy world music, CD-Roots is absolutely the best place. Of course, we would like you to look at what we have to offer. The very finest spiritual and sacred music. Look at our Tibetan page, our Sufi page, our new releases and our music from Iran. Great music and very informative, too. Expand your musical and spiritual horizons.

Punk Mediaeval

In music there has always been the tension between the score and the interpretation. Did the composer want his music to be played strictly by the score or did he want the musicians who came after him to interpret his score with their own sensibilities. This is a very complex question. For instance, with the creation of the phonograph record and later the compact disc, a musical performance becomes frozen in time and in many ways this is unnatural. When it comes to blues and jazz there can be no such thing as definitive performance; it goes against the nature of the music. When it comes to Western classical music a definitive performance is also problematic. But when it comes to early music, Renaissance music and mediaeval music the performer is truly at sea. Why?

The written score with markings for keys, tempo, rhythm, etc is a comparably new development. Many mediaevil scores do not even specify the instruments to be used. Also, this music wasn't written for the concert hall; it was written for the church, the court, social gatherings and dances. The classical music concert and even the conductor are really not more than 200 years old..

Concerts and recordings of early music is really quite new and didn't get started until the 1950s. Noah Greenberg's New York Pro Musica's recording of the “Play of Daniel” was an early hit. David Munrow's brief career in the sixties and seventies, he released over 50 albums and died at 24, did very much to advance the cause of early music.One of my favorite groups from that period was Thomas Binley's Early Music Quartet; their two recordings of the Camino de Santiago are wonderful recordings if you can find them. This is music informed by scholarship. Add in the movement to play this music on original instruments and you come as close as you can to hearing the music as it might have been played hundreds of years ago.

There is another way; update the music and interpret it with modern sensibilities. Here are four groups who do just that with with varying degrees of scholarship and interpretation.

Baltimore Consort:

The Baltimore Consort has just entered into it's 26^th season. This group approaches the repertoire in the style of a folk chamber ensemble. They are especially devoted to the dance music and popular music of England, Scotland and France. This is music that was very much a part of people's lives; played and sung for individual entertainment and dances. Their recording “A Trip to Kilburn” presents music from Playford's Tunes and their Ballads. John Playford (1623-1686) was the premier publisher of English dances and ballads. Here's is what the New Yorker has to say, “Few early music players have more fun than the Baltimore Consort, who through their performance, take the position that echoes of renaissance secular music are still to be found in modern folk practice”. In Custer LaRue, they also benefit from having one of the sweetest voices to be heard anywhere.

Ensemble Galilei:

The Ensemble Galilei are five women who do early music and Celtic music. The have released eight recordings with a considerable breadth of repertoire. “Come Gentle Night” features the music of Shakespeare's world; “From the Isles to the Courts” has music from Spain to England, “A Winter's Night” features carols from all over Europe and is subtitled “Christmas in the Great Hall”, in their newest recording “Alta” trademark repertoire choices abound- a mediaeval set of dances is followed by an Irish march and there is a wonderful tribute to the music of Turlough O'Carolan. The Washington Post said of them “Virtuoso technique, an instinctive feeling for the idiom, and the courage to improvise”.

Joglaresa:

With Joglaesa we become much more adventurous. I recently heard a recording of theirs on WTJU-FM, one of best radio stations in the country for music lovers and available on line, on the way home and I decided I must have this recording. They are a five person ensemble and they are joined from time to time by a dozen other musicians. The approach the repertoire with a sense of pageantry and drama. They play with heart. But, they don't forget the scholarship. Their use of Arabic tunings and the vocal stylings of Africa, Spain and the Middle East points to the broad influences that exist in the music. I would love to see them live. They have two Cds; one is ”Mediaeval Songs of Mary Magdalen” the other is “Ballads of Love and Betrayal”.

Mediaeval Baebes:

Now we are taking rock and roll early music. The Mediaeval Baebes have established themselves as the most provactive ensemble in early music today. It helps that they are all very beautiful. The music certainly uses modern sensibilities and production values. But, in many ways they tap into the original intent of the music. Again, this music was not created to be listened to by a reserved, respectful concert audience. It was vital music that spoke to the spiritual and earthly desires of it's listeners. There is also an aspect of feminism and the powerful woman in their performance and choice of material. To see how far they have taken it, they performed on the Lilith Fair tour and they have a music video for song “Temptasyon”

Our next article will be devoted exclusively to Rootsworld and CDRoots which is absolutely the best place to purchase and learn about “world music”. Their motto is “listening to the planet” We will give a little history and plenty of examples of the depth and breadth of music you can purchase through them.

Verve Vault Series

Verve Vault Series

Years ago, I managed a record store in Cleveland, Ohio. There was a Verve release we could never keep in stock: either someone bought it or someone shop-lifted it. The LP was “Bumpin” by Wes Montgomery and the song everybody wanted was “Bumpin on Sunset”. In those days, Wes Montgomery was quite popular and his collaboration with the producer Creed Taylor set the template for a style of pop jazz that is still around today.
Recently, I have been scrolling through the Verve Music Group site and looking at their Vault Series; a large collection of out-of-print albums that have been digitally released on I-Tunes. Wow! There is an incredible amount of great music here that covers every style of jazz. From the funk stylings of Bill Doggett to the avant garde sounds of Archie Shepp. To give a small taste of what’s available, here is a list of ten albums:


Anita O’Day–“Live at Mister Kelly’s” O’Day was a hard-swinging vocalist and from the 40s to the 60s she recorded over 20 albums for Verve. This album is a live performance from Chicago’s Mr. Kelley’s. Real nice versions of “But Not For Me” and “Star Eyes”.

Art Blakey-“The Complete Art Blakey on Emercy” Blakey was an exciting drummer and his bands were the springboard for many fine musicians including Horace Silver, Donald Byrd and Wayne Shorter to name a few. This album features Gigi Gyrce and great version of his tune, “Minority”.

Alice Coltrane-“World Galaxy” One of her strongest releases. Recorded in 1971, it is a continuation of John and Alice Coltrane’s explorations of “spiritual music”. It has a wonderful version of “Love Supreme” and the voice of Swami Satchinanda over the music of “Galaxy in Satchinanda”.

Joe Harriott-“Indo Jazz Fusions I and II” A bit obscure but one of my favorites in this collection, is Joe Harriott’s attempt,
with a number of fellow English musicians, to fuse jazz and Indian music. He succeeds. This album is well worth another listen. This is “world music” long before the genre became the force it is today.

Gil Evans-“Into the Hot” Evans, the great arranger for Miles Davis, made two albums for Impulse; one was called “Out of Cool” and it is well worth another listen and the other was “Into the Hot” which features the relentless piano work of Cecil Taylor.

George Russell-“Jazz in the Space Age” Russell, like Evans, was an innovator both the small groups and with orchestra. Done around the same time as his wonderful LP “New York, New York” which features the poetry of Jon Hendricks, “Jazz in the Space Age” features a large orchestra and such solists as Bill Evans and Bobby Brookmayer.

Coleman Hawkins, Roy Eldridge & Johnny Hodges-“Live at the Village Gate” Three giants of jazz doing such tunes as “Satin Doll”, “Perdido” and “Caravan”. Enough said.

Machito- “Afro-Cuban Suite” Long before Ry Cooder discovered Cubam music, the be-bop musicians, particularly Dizzy Gillespie, brought Afro-Cuban rhythms into jazz. The LP was one of the first serious attempts to combine the music of Cuba with jazz. A very exciting adventure and it features Charlie Parker.

Shirley Scott-“Roll Em” Shirley Scott, the great jazz organist, pays tribute to the big bands. The list of musicians on this album is truly incredible. The arrangements are by Oliver Nelson and the band includes the likes of Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Clark Terry, Phil Woods and Grady Tate.

Does that list whet your appetite? There are many more gems available in this series. Look what you can get from the late, great Clifford Brown alone.
There are over a dozen albums of Clifford Brown available in this series, six of them from his collaboration with Max Roach. We will leave you with a list of other artists that are generously represented in the Verve Vault Series:
Count Basie, Betty Carter, Bud Powell, Stan Getz, Jimmy Smith, Oscar Peterson, Quincy Jones.
So fire up that computer and start downloading. Get whole albums or just your favorite cuts. Makes for a very tasty mix CD.

Next time around, Discovering Music will go in a different direction. Check out our article entitled “Punk Medieval” and we will tell you about a number of groups that are bringing a new fresh sensibility to the performance of “early music”.

A Rough Guide to Turkish and Persian Music

A Rough Guide to Turkish and Persian Music

Asia Minor; the bridge between the West and the East, the genesis of our first cities and civilizations, the path to Cathay after the Romans discovered a taste for silk, the birthplace of many Sufi saints and a fertile ground for much music. We offer a rough guide(with apologies to the brand name) to music from Turkey, Iran and points East down the Silk Road.

Axiom of Choice; Formed in 1992 by guitarist, composer and Artistic Director Loga Ramin Torkian and co-producer and percussionist Mammad Mohsenzadeh, the ensemble’s goal is to define a new sound within the context of Persian music. They were soon joined by vocalist Mamak Khadem whose prodigious vocal talent complemented the original compositions of Torkian. The group I would compare them to is The Chieftains. Like the Chieftains, they approach their music with a chamber music like quality with an emphasis on tight, balanced arrangements. Also, they attempt to synthesize various traditions into something new. Every element in their music, including the use of electronics, is balanced just right.

Their first album “Beyond Denial” (X-Dot 25) was described as “Near Eastern art music, deeply moving and utterly beautiful” by Rhythm. Their second release “Niya Yesh” (Narada World) became the winner of NAV’s best contemporary world music album in 2001. They were nominated Best Recombinant World Music Ensemble in 2001 by the LA Weekly Music Awards. Their third album “Unfolding,” also on Narada World, is inspired by the Persian poet, mathematician, and astronomer Omar Khayyam and embraces his mystical poetry and vision.

Sample

You can learn more and purchase “Unfolding” from WorldSpiritMusic

Shahram Nazeri: Shahram Nazeri is one of Iran's most popular singers and a master of the Persian classical and Sufi repertoires. You can learn more about Nazeri and find excellent information about Persian music at Kereshmeh Records. “Voice of Endearment” is a highly recommended recording. Made with the Shams Tanbur Ensemble, it combines Nazeri’s wonderful voice with the spiritual Kurdish Tanbur music of Iran. The one strong impression you will take away from listening to Nazeri is the sweetness of his voice. Highly recommended for anyone interested in Sufi music or spiritual music. You can learn more, listen to samples and purchase at Kereshmeh Records.

Hossein Alizadeh & Djivan Gasparyan: “Endless Vision” A master of Persian classical music, Alizadeh plays a shurangiz, a plucked lute that he has modified into an instrument of his own invention; Gasparyan, an Armenian, plays a duduk. What these two have done in this live recording is create a real “world music”. Too much world music is diluted ethnic music grafted on to Western production values. “Endless Vision” is a real synthesis of different traditions to create something new and vital. More about this recording can be found at World Village Music.

“In The Mirror of the Sky” : Kayhan Kalhor , Ali Akbar Moradi and Pejman Hadadi have taken the traditions of Kurdish and Persian music, two traditions historically related, yet on different paths of development, and combined them into a new and exciting musical genre.

For a taste of this exciting music, listening to the opening of “Showgh”.

Kayhan Kalhor plays the kamencheh, a spike fiddle ancestor of the medieval rebec and modern violin. A member of the Persian/Indian ensemble Ghazal, he was nominated for two Grammys in 2003. His collaborator, Ali Akbar Moradi, is a singer, teacher, composer and renowned exponent of the Kurdish tanbur, a long-necked pear-shaped lute with 14 gut frets. This is another World Village Release and you can learn a bit more and purchase it at WorldSpiritMusic.

Ghazal: “The Rain” This wonderfully recorded ECM live disc also features Kalhor with Shujaat Khan and tabla virtuoso, Sandeep Das Ghazal is truly an Asia Minor “supergroup” combining traditions all along the Silk Road. In fact, their previous CDs are entitled “Lost Songs of the Silk Road” and “As Night Falls Along the Silk Road”.

The playing and singing are some of the finest in the world. In fact, Shujaat Khan has just released a CD on the Navras label, a CD where he sings the songs associated with the great Qawwali master
Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan

As always, you can learn more and buy this wonderful music at WorldSpiritMusic.

Other recordings worth investigating:

The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan- from Smithsonian Folkways. The Silk Road: A Musical Caravan offers a glimpse of the rich musical life that an intrepid and curious traveler like Marco Polo might find in the lands of the Silk Road today.

The Silk Road Ensemble: Yo Yo Ma’s ensemble explores the music of the long, wide band of land from Turkey to China brought wealth and knowledge in both directions. For centuries after Marco Polo, the trade made Central Asia the main point of contact between West and East and created a unique and influential arts scene still flourishing today.

If you are, in any way, serious about collecting and hearing “world music” you must become a serious fan of Cliff Furnald’s Rootsworld.

“I like the music I carry and I hope to offer you a crack in the window on the world, a small earful of the incredible music being made far away from the mainstream. The CDs you will find here are often personal favorites, unusual music that often defies a simple naming of genre. Some is very traditional, from places you hear little about, and ought to hear more. Some is extremely avant garde, making its own rules as it goes. My favorites combine deep traditional roots with wild and innovative energy. What they all share is a human touch, a personality that goes beyond the mere making of music and into the very heart of art. That's a mighty high plateau to rise to, but I think the music you will find here attains that goal.”

He does have his passions: namely Nordic and Italian music, but the depth and breathed of what Rootsworld carries is truly astounding. The prices and service are excellent, also. In particular, his newsletter( for a nominal $20 a year) is well worth it. The reviews are concise and informative. We highly recommend shopping for world music at Rootsworld.

We also recommend Afropop Worldwide. Afropop was launched by NPR as a weekly series. It was the first of its kind and, years later, the program has expanded its vision to include the music and cultures that encompass the entire African Diaspora. Now known as Afropop Worldwide (APWW), the program is still the standard for both the curious and the connoisseur. Hosted by one of Africa 's best-loved broadcast personalities, Georges Collinet, and produced by Sean Barlow for World Music Productions, Afropop Worldwide is currently distributed by PRI Public Radio International to over 100 stations in the U.S. The series is also heard in Europe and Africa

They offer a pod cast, a store to buy a number of titles and are the force behind Calabash Music where you can download music from all over the world and also know that your purchases are supporting the artists and not the record companies.

We hope you enjoyed this weeks entry “A Rough Guide to Turkish and Persian Music”. Next week, we will tell you about some wonderful jazz releases of vintage music from the Verve Vault series. The next week, we will explore the difficulties of downloading classical music and what some are doing to change that.