What does it sound like?:

Here are the facts – this is a live recording of Judy Dyble and the Band Of Perfect Strangers. They are accompanied by the Ad Hoc strings. The performance was at St Barnabas’s Church in Cambridge, in September 2016.

I thought I had heard very little of Judy’s work. I’m sure I have heard her album as a member of Fairport Convention and probably some Trader Horne. Beyond that I thought I was ignorant, but according to Wikipedia (I don’t have any biography or sleeve notes to go with this) she retired from music in 1973, with a few appearances at Fairport reunions being her sole output until she returned to the music business in 2003. So it seems that there is not that much of a gap in my knowledge given that much of her catalogue since 2003 has only had limited release. Looking at Discogs the eight albums she has made since she returned in 2003 have been released on fairly obscure, independent labels.

So, potted history aside, what’s the album like, you want to know.

Can a record be too polite? In a song titled Silence, Judy sings (albeit with respect » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Stefano Bollani is a dazzling Italian jazz pianist whose lengthy CV includes work with Chick Chorea, Bill Frisell, Pat Methany, a fifteen year collaboration with trumpeter Enrico Rava and multiple performances with several classical orchestras. He is adventurous in any setting: solo, duo, trio, small band, big band or full orchestra. And a chameleon able to adapt to any musical style: stride, be-bop, fusion, free, classical. He seems to be capable of almost anything and to possess an unlimited range.

He fell in love with Jesus Christ Superstar at the impressionable age of fourteen. The music we obsess over in our teens stays with us. I can understand how Bollani was drawn to the musical. As an Italian, he would have been indoctrinated with Catholicism. At fourteen, he was at a stage in life when many start to pose some questions. The notion of Jesus as a rock star appeals to rebellious youth. Plus, the sympathetic depiction of Judas and Mary Magdalene may well have piqued his curiosity, let alone the wonderful melodies and powerful guitar riffs.

This album is an adaptation of the score for solo piano. The only vocal is on » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

Modest Mussorgsky’s Pictures At An Exhibition is well known to many Afterworders because of Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s version, released at a budget price. In 1874, Mussorgsky composed the piece for piano as a tribute to his friend, architect and artist, Viktor Hartman, who had died suddenly from a brain haemorrhage. He was inspired by an exhibition of 400 of Hartman’s paintings, two of which were owned by Mussorgsky himself. Ravel was commissioned to orchestrate it in the early 1920s for the huge orchestras that were in vogue at the time. He adds colour and drama to Pictures At An Exhibition, confirming his reputation as a virtuoso orchestrator.

François-Xavier Roth’s Les Siècles philharmonic orchestra use period instruments to recreate famous performances as faithfully as possible. He often revisits the original transcripts to tease out essential details. For a large orchestra, Les Siècles is surprisingly nimble and uncluttered, deploying its power sparingly and with precision. As a result, Pictures At An Exhibition is vigorous and theatrical. The horns and woodwinds are particularly impressive and the strings rich and luxurious. It’s just how it should be.

Ravel’s La Valse is a distorted waltz. Written in 1920, » Continue Reading.