Sophisticated Lady Jazz Qrt - Sophisticated Lady - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

After a pilgrimage to Rocamadour I had the idea of composing a clandestine work which could be prepared in secret and then performed on the long-awaited day of liberation. With great enthusiasm I began Figure Humaine and completed it by the end of the summer. I composed the work for unaccompanied choir because I wanted this act of faith to be performed without instrumental aid, by sole means of the human voice. -Francis PoulencInchThe day the Americans arrived, I triumphantly placed my cantata on the studio desk, beneath my flag, at the window.Inch-Francis PoulencInchFrancis, I never heard myself. Francis, I needed you to understand me.Inch-Paul eluardI believe that great art is often the product of great difficulty and tribulation, in many cases for the artist themselves. I also think art borne out of a time of societal turmoil can be even more profound, and can shed light today on what it was like to live and endure through tragedies of the past.Figure Humaine is one of the ultimate artistic achievements from a time of turmoil. Composed by Francis Poulenc in 1943 in occupied France, it was composed in secret, inspired by the resistance poems of the surrealist poet Paul eluard (poems that were distributed under plain cover during the occupation). It is one of the most profound pieces in the a cappella choral repertoire, if also one of the most difficult. Scored for double choir in six parts each, it is a vocal gauntlet which requires unmatched concentration and musicianship from every singer involved to mount a successful performance. Given that the piece was written at a time when victory was by no means assured, I believe that the difficulty of the work was intentional; to be worthy of the expressive task of communicating eluard's wartime thoughts, I think Poulenc believed that a choir must possess outstanding commitment, dedication, and skill.Because of it's chall

More jazz records should be like Sophisticated Lady Quartet-relaxed yet focused, tradition-based yet modern, elegant yet conveying a sure sense of swing. The recording is so pure that you almost feel as if you're eavesdropping on four musicians who seem completely in their element while performing, in a one-take environment, a set that's evenly split between previously rehearsed arrangements and performances where they had one chance to turn a composition into a memorable piece of music. No splicing or editing here-just a live-in-the-studio recording where the mood, playing and sonics are so solid that that jazz lovers will wish that the mostly-classical tag Yarlung wandered over to this side of the street more often. -Jeff Wilson, The Absolute SoundThe Sophisticated Lady Jazz Quartet's debut recording should be of great interest to fans of forward-looking straight ahead jazz. Each of the four musicians is excellent both as soloists and in ensembles, the music that they perform ranges from melodic versions of standards to lyrical originals and freer explorations, and their subtle playing keeps one guessing. This CD is well worth exploring and I certainly recommend it.-Scott Yanow, Los Angeles Jazz SceneLook out Brubeck, Sophisticated Lady's remarkable debut should perhaps be re-titled TAKE ONE. Why? Each tune was captured in one take!The 60 minute CD also celebrates Yarlung's audiophile venture into JAZZ with a splatter of Chet Baker's seductive, kicked-back Californication daubed with a drizzle of Miles at his mellowest.No matter how busy your day, an evening spin through this one will definitely move your mood.-David Thomson, Record Collector News Album Tracks 1. Bicycles 2. Simpler Times 3. Bop Be 4. Stumbling 5. Los Barriles 6. Blue Corn Moon 7. Hello My Name Is 8. Left Coastin' 9. For Sebastian 10. Flutterby Girl 11. Secret Love 12. Sk

ELECTRIC DIRT (Dirt Farmer Music/ Vanguard Records) is the second album in the last two years from American musical treasure Levon Helm. It's predecessor, the GRAMMY.-winning DIRT FARMER, his first solo LP in a quarter century, followed Levons near-miraculous recovery from throat cancer, and as such represented a new lease on life for the legendary artist, who rose to prominence as the drummer and vocalist for Levon and the Hawks, which later became the Band. Electric Dirt again finds Levon steeped in tradition in his connection to the land and those who live by it, but this record goes deeper and wider, incorporating gospel, blues and soul elements in a bracing collection of originals and carefully chosen outside songs. As with Dirt Farmer, multi-instrumentalist Larry Campbell took the reigns as producer and the album was recorded at the BarnLevon Helm Studios. Album Tracks 1. Tennessee Jed 2. Move Along Train 3. Growin' Trade 4. Golden Bird 5. Stuff You Gotta Watch 6. White Dove 7. Kingfish 8. You Can't Lose What You Ain't Never Had 9. When I Go Away 10. Heaven's Pearls 11. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free