July 24, 2015
Cumulus
Chris Brokaw
Dræmhouse
Narwhal- Seattle
After a lovely dinner at Restaurant Zoë , Karen and I wandered over to Narwhal, an over-over-decorated venue in the downbelow of the Unicorn.
Cumulus has recently picked up two members of Dead Bars, John Maiello (singer for Dead Bars, drummer here) and C.J. Frederick (drummer (mostly) for Dead Bars, guitar here). The sound of the band is solid and muscular, which contrasts nicely with singer Alexandra Niedzialkowski's interesting soprano timbre. Something of a Betty Boop twang made me think of another local she-minstrel, Whitney Ballen, though Alex's voice is pitched down a step or so.
Chris Brokaw centered his sound on the lowest three strings of his guitar. He sang, among other things, a nicely understated version of Stagger Lee. A quick poke on-line reveals a guy who's been around for a while doing some interesting things, only some of which is remotely like pop music.
Dræmhouse filled in all the high partials that were underutilized in Chris's set and jacked them through effects pedals into quite the roiling mass of sound. It was great to see Emma Danner of Red Ribbon holding down the bass end. All that and the stage was lit up with Christmas lights draped with table cloths.
Recorded
July 20, 2015
Sonata in E-flat Major op. 27 #1 (quasi una fantasia) - Beethoven - Walter Gieseking
Performed at a comparatively slow tempo, for clarity's sake. This works especially well in the 2nd movement, where the particularities of the figuration are evident even at the end where the upper part slips an eighth off the beat.
Grande Polonaise Brillante op. 22 - Chopin - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Charles
Mackerras, Emanuel Ax
Pleasantries in which the ornamentation reveals occasional deflections, or sudden, brief windows into other, darker spaces.
Die Lorelei - Liszt - Mikhail Rudy
Very nearly, for a moment, the prelude to Tristan.
Symphony in C Major (#2) - Schumann - Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz
1st: From various sides, we approach, windingly, the shining castle. 2nd: the comic domestic, with much bustling; 3rd: Sehnsucht; 4th: the triumphal happy home.
July 21, 2015
Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre - Wagner - Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Ormandy's rational clarity inflicted on Wagner's gothic monstrosity. It actually works pretty well.
Symphony in C minor op. 68 (#1) - Brahms - Sinfonie-Orchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks, Wilhelm Furtwängler (October 27, 1951 - Hamburg)
The kettledrum at the opening is actually terrifying.
Graduale 'Os Justi' - Bruckner - Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum
Great and terrible things happen in pitchwork at pianissimo.
July 22, 2015
The Stars and Stripes Forever - Sousa - Philip Jones Ensemble, Elgar Howarth
Booster pageantry.
Concerto in C minor (#2) - Rachmaninoff - London Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Kissin, Valery Gergiev
Soft landings, head to pillow. All sonority filled in always.
July 23, 2015
Symphony #7 - Mahler - New Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
An attempt to dance with grace and charm in Jupiter's gravity. A forced march dragging the baggage of history. Uprooted isolation, motives slide in like knives, insinuating themselves, prying apart the layers. The grand spectacle of all there is: now in 70mm contrapuntal widescreen! There is a certain Walter Mitty play going on here. The hero looks around him and sees domestic charm. He looks in-round him and reflects the cosmos.
In Session at the Tintinabulary
July 20, 2015
Banned Rehearsal 890 150720 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer
On the porch again.
July 21, 2015
Trio 150721 - Keith Eisenbrey
Radios, drum set, nylon string guitar.
July 23, 2015
Trio 150723 - Keith Eisenbrey
Tamtam, glockenspiel, viola
July 24, 2015
Trio 150724 - Keith Eisenbrey
Toy organ, upright grand piano (in need of tuning), and steel string acoustic guitar with pickup (played through an amp).
After a lovely dinner at Restaurant Zoë , Karen and I wandered over to Narwhal, an over-over-decorated venue in the downbelow of the Unicorn.
Cumulus has recently picked up two members of Dead Bars, John Maiello (singer for Dead Bars, drummer here) and C.J. Frederick (drummer (mostly) for Dead Bars, guitar here). The sound of the band is solid and muscular, which contrasts nicely with singer Alexandra Niedzialkowski's interesting soprano timbre. Something of a Betty Boop twang made me think of another local she-minstrel, Whitney Ballen, though Alex's voice is pitched down a step or so.
Chris Brokaw centered his sound on the lowest three strings of his guitar. He sang, among other things, a nicely understated version of Stagger Lee. A quick poke on-line reveals a guy who's been around for a while doing some interesting things, only some of which is remotely like pop music.
Dræmhouse filled in all the high partials that were underutilized in Chris's set and jacked them through effects pedals into quite the roiling mass of sound. It was great to see Emma Danner of Red Ribbon holding down the bass end. All that and the stage was lit up with Christmas lights draped with table cloths.
Recorded
July 20, 2015
Sonata in E-flat Major op. 27 #1 (quasi una fantasia) - Beethoven - Walter Gieseking
Performed at a comparatively slow tempo, for clarity's sake. This works especially well in the 2nd movement, where the particularities of the figuration are evident even at the end where the upper part slips an eighth off the beat.
Grande Polonaise Brillante op. 22 - Chopin - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Charles
Mackerras, Emanuel Ax
Pleasantries in which the ornamentation reveals occasional deflections, or sudden, brief windows into other, darker spaces.
Die Lorelei - Liszt - Mikhail Rudy
Very nearly, for a moment, the prelude to Tristan.
Symphony in C Major (#2) - Schumann - Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Gerard Schwarz
 |
| Ormandy |
July 21, 2015
Magic Fire Music from Die Walküre - Wagner - Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Ormandy's rational clarity inflicted on Wagner's gothic monstrosity. It actually works pretty well.
Symphony in C minor op. 68 (#1) - Brahms - Sinfonie-Orchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks, Wilhelm Furtwängler (October 27, 1951 - Hamburg)
The kettledrum at the opening is actually terrifying.
Graduale 'Os Justi' - Bruckner - Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks, Eugen Jochum
Great and terrible things happen in pitchwork at pianissimo.
July 22, 2015
The Stars and Stripes Forever - Sousa - Philip Jones Ensemble, Elgar Howarth
Booster pageantry.
Concerto in C minor (#2) - Rachmaninoff - London Symphony Orchestra, Evgeny Kissin, Valery Gergiev
Soft landings, head to pillow. All sonority filled in always.
Symphony #7 - Mahler - New Philharmonia Orchestra, Otto Klemperer
An attempt to dance with grace and charm in Jupiter's gravity. A forced march dragging the baggage of history. Uprooted isolation, motives slide in like knives, insinuating themselves, prying apart the layers. The grand spectacle of all there is: now in 70mm contrapuntal widescreen! There is a certain Walter Mitty play going on here. The hero looks around him and sees domestic charm. He looks in-round him and reflects the cosmos.
In Session at the Tintinabulary
July 20, 2015
Banned Rehearsal 890 150720 - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey, Steve Kennedy, Aaron Keyt, Neal Kosály-Meyer
On the porch again.
July 21, 2015
Trio 150721 - Keith Eisenbrey
Radios, drum set, nylon string guitar.
July 23, 2015
Trio 150723 - Keith Eisenbrey
Tamtam, glockenspiel, viola
July 24, 2015
Trio 150724 - Keith Eisenbrey
Toy organ, upright grand piano (in need of tuning), and steel string acoustic guitar with pickup (played through an amp).
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