Your humble blogger listeneth, and therefore writeth:Sounding Point--Julian Lage--First CD. First Grammy nomination. This twenty-something former child prodigy--he performed with Narrows alum David Grisman when he was 10 years old--has released an interesting collection of tracks, mostly original compositions, featuring Bela Fleck and Chris Thile, that crosses genres, but mostly remains in the jazz realm. This is all instrumental, so to ensure you don't miss the artistry you need to CRANK IT UP! While Mr. Lage is a guitar guy, the recording benefits from the prominence of pianist Taylor Eigsti, particularly on the last track "All Blues," written by Miles Davis. Mr. Eigsti is also a twenty-something former child prodigy by the way. If you appreciate instrumental music as more than background buzz, this CD should be to your liking.
Splendor in the Grass--Pink Martini--Jazzy, campy and fun, Pink Martini is an Oregon-based group, more an orchestra, with ties to Massachusetts, specifically Harvard University. That's where the founder, keyboardist Thomas Lauderdale (relative of Narrows fave Jim Lauderdale??) and singer China Forbes hooked up and started exploring their diverse musical passions. The result is this interesting, somewhat nostalgic collection of tracks that sound like post-World War II pop, or something from a 1966 James Bond film, or maybe the New
Seekers--sometimes they sound about about two notes from breaking into "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing" or Astrud Gilberto's "Girl from Ipanema"! One more Massachusetts tie: they cover Fall River native Joe Raposo's "Sing," a hit for the Carpenters and featured on Sesame Street. (The Narrows has honored the late Raposo with a commemorative display.) Open your ears and maybe your mind, and you'll get a kick out of this CD! Currently on Billboard's Jazz Chart.
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