The Whole Music Experience

Petra Mullejans and Kristian Bezuidenhout Mozart Sonatas for fortepiano and violin Harmonia Mundi Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart needs little introduction to this blog or to anyone seeking the healing effects of music. "The Mozart Effect" both a book by Don Campbell and a concept from the late Doctor Alfred Tomatis, (the famous ear nose and throat specialist), caused Mozart's popularity to rise among young mothers, children with disabilities, and students on a quest to raise their IQ levels. And other medical miracles have also been accredited to the music of Mozart, a child prodigy and genius who died a pauper while still in his early thirties. While I tend to favor Mozart's concertos, Clarinet Concerto in B-flat major , Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major and Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-flat major , along with Mozart's operas, I am delighted to review, Mozart Sonatas for fortepiano and violin performed by German violinist Petra Mullejans and South African pianis...

Philippe Herreweghe and Collegium Vocale Ghent J.S. Bach's Jesu, deine Passion Harmonia Mundi Richard Egarr and Academy of Ancient Music J. S. Bach Bradenburg Concertos Harmonia Mundi Just in time for the Lent season, Harmonia Mundi released J.S. Bach's Jesu deine Passion (Cantatas BWV 22, 23, 127 and 159) . Similar to Handel's Messiah , these cantatas focus on the passion of Christ and performances of the cantatas commemorated the Lent/Easter calendar. You will also find gorgeous arias sung by soprano (Dorothee Mields), alto (Matthew White), tenor (Jan Kobow) and bass (Peter Kooy). And these arias are backed by baroque instruments. The CD booklet explores the history behind the cantatas and provides translation of the arias in several languages. You will also find biographical information of the conductor, the choir, instrumentalists, and soloists. The cantatas set a somber atmosphere, especially in comparison to the Brandenburg Concertos also reviewed he...

Oreka tx Nomadak tx World Village When we forget how wonderful and magical the world is, a collective of musicians come together to remind us of the musical language we share in common. The collective project, Nomadak tx lead by a pair of Basque txalaparta players (percussive instrument similar to a xylophone), that go by the name Oreka tx. This exotic recording brings together nomadic musicians from Saamiland, the Saharan desert, Mongolia and India to perform along side a little-known instrument from Basque Country. The first track, Lauhazka combines txalaparta with Saami yoiks, Mongolian throat singing, Indian gypsy and Saharawis chants. The second track does a bit more of the same, but reminds me of Finnish music with its fiery fiddling. Think of this recording as a new wave of Silk Road music, this time with a greater emphasis on indigenous music. The last time, I experienced this type of collective was when I heard the Saami recording Frozen Moments (DAT) a few years ago...

Ablaye Cissoko + Volker Goetze Sira Obliqsound Imagine the clear tones of a jazz trumpet mingling with the shimmering notes of the West African harp, (kora) with no other distractions. While there are many West African-European or North American fusion projects, many worthwhile, this is the first time I have heard jazz trumpet along side the kora. The result of this musical marriage falls nothing short of spectacular. I know little about jazz trumpeter Volker Goetze and Griot kora player Ablaye Cissoko since I only just heard of them a couple of weeks ago. However, I have become intimate with this recording, Sira (named after Ablaye's daughter). The trumpet playing reminds me of some of Miles Davis' work, but also Terrance Blanchard from New Orleans. The kora playing is also masterful and breathtaking as are Ablaye's vocals. The musical passages played on horn, kora or sung possess thoughtfulness and eloquence. Some of these passages also play in my thoughts a lon...

Sweet Honey in the Rock Experience 101 Appleseed Recordings It is hard for me to imagine someone who has not heard of the a cappella group Sweet Honey in the Rock. This group of African-American women vocalists has been around for over 35 years dishing up a delicious brew spiked with African wisdom and mother comfort. Sweet Honey in the Rock's Experience 101 teaches children how to live, grow and become well-rounded world citizens. The songs are aimed at children, but the child in each of us will be delighted by these a cappella tunes backed by hand percussion. Although Sweet Honey in the Rock precedes a cappella and vocal polyphony groups such as the Italian ensemble Faraualla and the Belgian-based Zap Mama, comparisons would not be too far fetched. Sweet Honey in the Rocks has more in common with Zap Mama than Faraualla, but the singers possess the verve and passion of both ensembles. These women, based out of Washington DC, also share much in common with the West Afric...

I have been thinking a lot lately about how we have let various industries control our lives. Now the economy is crumbling, but the old economy which destroys the environment, treats people like disposable slaves and reaps a profit through sheer madness for only a handful of elites was not healthy for any of us. And certainly the planet and its other inhabitants have suffered enough under the weight of the old economy. Time to let it go and embrace the new. It's true that the arts are suffering because of the tight-wallet syndrome. Many people consider art a non-essential, but what if we as artists treated this era as a time of community building? I am suggesting that people not run out and buy those high definition televisions, but instead turn off the television sets, forget all those computer games and gadgets, including the iPod which just isolates people from one another. Get out of the house, go to a concert, a live storytelling event or even a book signing at a book...

Chango Spasiuk Pynandi Los Descalzos (Barefoot) World Village In the Americas a rich stew of indigenous, African and European music exists, and especially in South American countries such as Brazil and Argentina. While many of us have heard tango performed on the smaller version of a squeeze box (bandoneon), the standard accordion also plays its role in Argentine music. In the deft hands of Argentine accordionist Chango Spasiuk (who I first heard on the Rough Guide to Argentina several years ago), the European instrument bridges the gap between European, American indigenous and African music. On this accordion-driven recording Pynandi Los Descalzos African rhythms support regional and European classical music, even a baroque violin appears on Mejillas Coloradas . The album is all acoustic with strings, double bass, accordion, Afro-Latin percussion, guitar and vocals on one track, Viejo Caballo Alazan . The recording features regional dance music, although more of the folkloric...

Gianluigi Trovesi All' Opera Profumo Di Violetta ECM New Series Do not let the title of Italian reedman Gianluigi Trovesi's All' Opera fool you. While operatic favorites act as the jumping off point for this Italian project, this recording feels more like falling down a rabbit hole. Baroque meets post modern and sometimes within the same track. Trovesi joined with the amateur Italian wind and percussion orchestra Filarmonica Mousike, violin-cello player Marco Remondini, percussionist Stefano Bertoli and conductor Savino Acquaviva to produce this whimsical recording. While you will hear fragments of opera music by Rossini, Bizet, Puccini, Verdi and Monteverdi, you will also hear hints of Spanish habanera, hints of John Coltrane's Giant Steps and playful passages that recall the late Italian composer Nino Rota (most famous for his soundtracks for The Godfather and Fellini's earlier films). Trovesi proves his finesse as a clarinet and saxophone player by bri...

missing images Federico Mondelci Favorite Italian Movie Music Delos The Tiptons Sax Quartet Laws of Motion independent release Also mentioned: Spanish Brass & Italian Saxophone Quartet Although I have been listening to horn music for most of my life, (as we all have), only recently have I noticed its healing power. One reason I find horn ensemble music in particular healing is that these ensembles cover low, medium and high ranges, thus creating a wonderful avenue to balance chakras. The Italian Saxophone Quartet, one of its founders, Federico Mondelci and Spanish Brass perform a variety of genres from Italian movie music, early, classical, and jazz. While The Tiptons Sax Quartet covers various shades of jazz and world music, including its rousing traditional Gypsy Rom Yugo A Go Go . Saxophone virtuoso Federico Mondelci teams up with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra and conductor Costantine Orbelian on the recording Favorite Italian Movie Music . Mondelci performs ...

Staying in Tune--Marjorie de Muynck Sound Healer and musician Marjorie de Muynck ( pronounced Monk) recently published Sound Healing (Vibrational Healing with Ohm Tuning Forks ). I have found this book to be user-friendly and easy to follow. The book is loaded with a wealth of vibrational and sound information and it comes with an instructional DVD. The following conversation took place via e-mail. WME: You are performing fascinating healing work with tuning forks based on musical concepts and vibration. What were the main turning points in your life that led you to exploring healing musical vibrations and working with tuning forks? MM: I’ve been fascinated with tuning forks since I was a kid. My father gave me my first tuning fork back in 1963 to tune my guitar and being an explorative child I sounded the tuning fork on my body. This was before modern tuning forks were used in this manner so it was clearly explorative. Over the last few decades there have been findings t...

  Missing cover image El Tanbura Between the Desert And The Sea World Village The ancient Simsimiyya (Egyptian harp) possesses mysterious origins. According to the liner notes for Between The Desert And The Sea , the harp either derived from the shell of an unfortunate turtle that swum too far up river or it derived from mesmerizing sirens. Its sound is mesmerizing especially when backed by hearty call and response vocals and polyrhythmic traditional percussion. El Tanbura is a collective of veteran Egyptian master musicians (harp players), philosophers, singers and fishermen. It also contains multi-generations of musicians whose music revolves around Sufi verses and folk melodies. And what I love most about this recording is its acoustic instruments. There are no programmed drums edging their way into traditional music, nor have the edges of this stunning music been polished for mass appeal. I find the songs on Between The Desert And The Sea compelling and magical. Thi...

  Missing image Diego Amador rio de los canasteros World Village The first time I saw jazz-flamenco fusion piano was when I watched the Latin music documentary Calle 54 several years ago. I found Spanish jazz pianist Chano Dominguez's flamenco fusion breathtaking. The next time I heard piano performed on a flamenco recording was on a piece by Estrella Morente where she sang over solo piano. Again, I found the inclusion of piano on a flamenco piece stunning, even amazingly beautiful. The multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Diego Amador also marries jazz and flamenco piano. But he does not just play piano on his CD rio de los canasteros , he also plays guitar, sings, and plays bass. It's not so far-fetched that he would eventually fuse Latin jazz with Andalusian music. His first musical stint while he was still a child, was playing drums for his older brothers' flamenco-rock band, while honing his talents on piano and other instruments. His first CD on the World Vil...

Uxia Eterno Navegar World Village Galician vocalist Uxia's Eterno Navegar could not have entered my life at a better time. The blend of Portuguese fado, Brazilian, Cape Verdean and Galician musical traditions possesses the fragrance of lemons and the taste of olives. And the lush array of instruments which includes regional, traditional, classical and jazz standard instruments, are beautifully arranged by producer-pianist Paolo Borges and Uxia. Certainly this recording is warming up my home and my life during one of the worst winters I have ever experienced. For those of you not familiar with Galicia, it is a region in Spain that borders the Atlantic. The people of Galicia speak their own language, are of Celtic origin and the infamous "El Camino" ends in Galicia, at Santiago de Compostela. The other mentioned regions, Brazil, Portugal, and Cape Verde share the Atlantic Ocean in common. Restless themes of traveling by sea and befriending neighboring countries fr...

  cover image missing Omara Portuondo Gracias World Village Gracias by Cuban chanteuse Omara Portuondo (Buena Vista Social Club), celebrates 60 years of making music. The 78-year old vocalist shines on this album proving that like wine, women vocalists also grow better with age. This charming collection of songs features delightful duets. O que Sera features Brazilian Chico Buarque, Amame como soy features fellow Cuban Pablo Milanes, the title track features Jorge Drexler and Drume negrita features Cameroon bassist and vocalist Richard Bona. So for those folks out there who enjoyed Omara's duet with the late Ibrahim Ferrer will be thrilled with this new recording. Other guest musicians include Omara's granddaughter, Rossio Jimenez, Cuban pianist Chucho Valdez, percussionist Trilok Gurta, and Cachaito Lopez, among other stellar talent. The sunny album was produced by Ale Siqueira and Swami Jr. Omara personally chose all the tracks which include favorites from her...

Kaila Flexer & Gari Hegedus Teslim Next Village Music It takes a global village to make an album these days, or at least culturally speaking. A few years ago fusion projects were a novelty item, but today, it appears to be a brave new world where musicians forge new paths over bridges built between cultures. Jewish violinist Kaila Flexer and lutenist Gari Hegedus (who I first heard as part of the duo Stellamara), combined their musical passions on Teslim . On this recording, the musicians gleaned from Turkish modes, Sephardic songs, while also adding Celtic, Armenian and Greek music to the mix. This all-acoustic album which features violin, viola, various lutes and exotic percussion, also includes the Swedish national treasure, a nyckelharpa performed by Vasen's Olov Johansson ( Stone's Throw ). The musician popped into the studio while he was traveling through and contributed to the global village sound. This exotic collection of songs, both traditional and newly c...

Aage Kvalbein & Iver Kleive Comfort Me Meditation for Cello and Piano Kirkelig Kulturverksted I don't know about you, but this time of year, when darkness falls on the northern hemisphere of the earth, I need more time to relax. While the heat of the summer sun lends itself to spicy Latin and African music, the winter cold, sends me seeking a warm comfortable place to rest my feet and indulge in a good novel. And also the idea of "comfort music" (similar to comfort food), appeals to me as I hunker down and wait for the first signs of spring to emerge. Norwegian cellist Aage Kvalbein and Norwegian pianist/organist Iver Kleive were thinking along those same lines. Certainly living so close to the Arctic would send anyone seeking a good fire to toast one's feet and music to warm one's thoughts. This duo takes the chill out of winter on their second recording together with KKV, Comfort Me (Meditation for Cello and Piano). This chamber music album features...

Solveig Slettahjell with Tord Gustavsen & Sjur Miljeteig Night in Bethlehem Kirkelig Kulturverksted Most of the time a title such as "Night in Bethlehem" would describe songs sung about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. However, Norwegian chanteuse Solveig Slettahjell's album, Night in Bethlehem literally referred to those nights in a special Bethlehem church where Slettahjell, pianist Tord Gustavsen and trumpeter Sjur Miljeteig recorded sacred songs. The press notes recalled, "After the pilgrims had left the church for the evening and the monks in the Franciscan monastery had retired for the night, the three Norwegian artists spent some creative hours each night in the church." And this nightly church visit in the holy city was captured in jazz-tinged Christmas carols, both traditional and contemporary. You can literally feel the hush tones of the church (built on the site where Jesus was born), along with the rich timbre of the church piano, Milje...

  image missing Kayhan Kalhor Brooklyn Rider Silent City World Village I have over the years heard several recordings by Iranian kamanche master Kayhan Kalhor. The first recording to capture my ears was the recording, Rain by Ghazal which casted an enchanting spell over me. I have also heard his work with The Dastan Ensemble and his recording The Wind with Erdal Erzincan. Kalhor has proven not only his mastership over his exotic instrument, but also his adaptability to a variety of musical genres. That is not to say that he performs his instrument in a variety of genres, but that he fuses his tradition with those from other cultures. And since I have grown to admire Kahlor's work, I feel excited when I see his name gracing yet another CD cover. On Silent City , once again we see Kalhor fusing Persian classical music with another music tradition--European classical meets the Silk Road. The musicians in Brooklyn Rider fall into an experimental-avant-classical style, that ...