Volume 12 - Issue 9 - June 2007

~~~~~~~~~ofnote-lifting from his teacher Rimsky-Korsakov'soperaMlada. (I find it quite inexplicable thatthe pastiche of the liminal ballet Petrushka is nevermentioned in this regard.) Tilson Thomas is excellentat explaining Stravinsky's grotesque, multi-layeredorchestral effects and cubist formal procedures.The theatrical aspects of the score andits scandalous premiere are also well-covered, includingsome marvellous footage of the JaffreyBallet's re-construction ofNijinsky's unprecedentedchoreography. The DVD includes concert performancesof the complete score along with excerptsfrom The Fire bird ballet. Visit the "KeepingScore" interactive web site for much more onthis project and additional DVDs - you are unlikelyto encounter these worthy documentarieson Buffalo's WNED outlet amidst their constantfund-raising, stale Britcoms and excruciating eveningswith Andre Rieu.Daniel FoleyConcert Notes: The Toronto Symphony performsStravinsky's Fireworks on June 6 & 7 andThe Rite of Spring on June 13 & 14. The LuminatoFestival includes dance interpretations ofboth The Rite of Spring and Petroushka in variousperformances June 6 - 9.Stefan Wolpe, Volume 4Robert Aitken; James Avery;Heinz Holliger; Ensemble SurPlusBridge Records 9215Berlin-born composerStefan Wolpe isn 'ta household name formost of us, despitehis significance in thehistory of twentiethcentury music; butthe Stefan WolpeSociety and BridgeRecords are nobly doing their best to remedy thissituation. This fourth CD of his music featuresthree works for oboe and piano, one piece forflute and piano, and a quartet for oboe, cello, pianoand percussion.Written for the celebrated oboist Josef Marxin the late '30s, the sardonic, humourous and expressiveoboe/piano pieces reflect an eclectic varietyof influences: Les Six on one hand, Hindemithand Co. on the other, or so it sounds to me. ThePiece in Two Parts for Flute and Piano, writtenalmost twenty years later, has a more experimentalsensibility and makes use of some extendedtechniques; and the Piece for quartet (1955)sounds positively aleatoric - I did occasionallywonder if a toddler had been let loose amongstthe percussion instruments, so delightfully eccentricare some of the effects.Wolpe 's music isn't an easy listen, but it is alwayscarefully considered and of rich integrity,and receives performances of the highest calibrehere. Heinz Holliger, Robert Aitken and JamesAvery are virtuosos of the highest rank, and theFreiburg-based Ensemble SurPlus plays brilliantlytoo. This musical excellence is matched by theengineering of this recording, and by the comprehensiveprogram notes of Austin Clarkson.Alison Melville58Out of the BlueNexus and Fritz HauserIndependent NEXUS 10814(www.nexuspercussion.com)Having met at Stockholm's1998 InternationalPercussionFestival, Torontobasedpercussion ensembleNexus andSwiss percussionistFritz Hauser fellmadly head overheels with each other'smusic. Six years down the line, Nexus performedin tandem with Fritz Hauser at Nashville'sPercussive Arts Society International Convention."Out of the Blue" captures two pieces from Nashvilleperformance along with one piece put to tapeat University of Toronto's Walter Hall. The albumfeatures three pieces, one solo Nexus, onesolo Hauser and one a true collaboration betweenthe two.The solo Nexus piece is the most march-likeout of all three pieces included here. Striding with astrict, army-like precision, the piece The Army 214features a masterful military parade percussion rollwith a beat that just won't quit. The closing sectionof the piece - "Crazy Army" - touches on sambaterritory and features heavy use of cow bell. FritzHauser's piece is much more subtle. For the firstfew minutes, Hauser is locked in a tight multi-rhythmicpattern on the toms. Then, he spends a gooddeal of time on shimmering cymbals-scrapes, lightfizzles and finally, for the last ten minutes, builds upsteam to release a multi-layered rhythmic orgasm.The centrepiece of the record - 25 minute Outoft he Blue - is a masterful collaboration betweenHauser and Nexus. In the words of Hauser, "Improvisingwith Nexus is like having 10 extra armsand ears and being surrounded by about 150 yearsof musical experience." This is exactly what thetwo factions bring forth. Nexus' disciplined approachbrings about a more serene approach fromHauser, while his hyper-activity forces Nexus toplay with extra vigour. An excellent record allaround, one that should bring new followers forboth factions.Tom SekowskiJAZZ AND IMPROVISEDTwo for the RoadArlene Smith; Mark EisenmanIndependent RDRCD9596(www.arlenesmith.ca)Intimately recordedin the Loach homestudio, this recordingbrings veteran singerArlene Smith andpiano powerhouseMark Eisenman togetherfor a lovelylounge session withsimply voice and pianoaccompaniment. Even without a rhythm section,Eisenman 'splaying is a model of consummatetaste, providing plenty of solid rhythmic andWWW. THEWHOLENOTE.COMharmonic support for Smith's easy-going smoothdelivery.Without the distraction oflarger forces, onecan easily appreciate this duo 's artistry and alsothe beauty of the great representation of songs,both well-known and less-familiar, including numbersby Gershwin (But not for me), Ellington (Donothin' 'ti/ you hear from me), Porter (Down inthe depths on the 90th floor), Kem (Remindme), Mancini (Two for the road), and others.With this particularly well-suited repertoire,Smith croons with a worldly sincerity, especiallyin the ballads, like I can~ get started (written byVernon Duke and Ira Gershwin) and Skylark (acollaboration ofHoagy Carmichael and JohnnyMercer), which exude that warm feeling of beingwritten especially for her. Such a beautiful fit.Having said that, she also demonstrates a gutsysassy side in the bluesy swinging Baby, Baby,don 'cha go 'way mad. This recording is full ofpleasant surprises.Frank NakashimaRio BossaPaul Donat; Mike Murley; Kevin TurcotteIndependent BM 170107(www.pauldonat.com)Like many NorthAmerican musiciansbefore him, bass andguitar player PaulDonat is having alove affair with Brazilianmusic, specifically,bossa nova.This sensual, rhythmicmusic has a way of getting into a person'sblood and staying there, and it first infected NorthAmerica in the early ' 60s, when Stan Getz madea hit out of Jobim's Desafinado. But it's not aone-way street. North American music - jazz andblues - has helped shape bossa nova, too, andwhat we get is the best of both worlds; complexharmonies, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and melodiesideally suited to soft, vibrato-free voices, breathysax and nylon-string guitar.Donat has written al I eight tunes on the discand he is heavily indebted to Jobim and the newermasters of traditional bossa, with whom he playedand studied during his years living in Rio de Janeiro.Donat shares vocal duties with Claire Shaw,the resultant interplay reminiscent of Joao and AstrudGilberto. Mike Murley brings his considerabletenor sax skills to a number of the tunes, mostnotably the high energy Breakfast Samba, whileEvan Shaw turns in an appropriately restrainedalto performance on lpanema Breeze. KevinTurcotte on trumpet and tlugel horn, Gord Sheardon piano and Alan Heatherington andAnil Sharma,who take turns on drums and percussion,round out the band. In all "Rio Bossa" is a fun,jazzy trip to the clubs and beaches of Brazil.Cathy RichesSing In Me MuseMichael McClennanIndependent MM2007CD(www.michaelmcclennan.com)An accomplished bassist and recently named theSOCAN/lAJE Emerging Composer, Calgary na-) UNE 1 -J ULY 7 2007