Recent Releases No. 77 (CD Reviews)

by Karl Nehring 

Sky of My Heart. William Byrd (1540-1623): Ecce quam bonum, T 96; Ivan Moody (1964-2024): Canticum Canticorum I - I. Surge propera amica mea; II. Descendi in hortum meum; III. Ego dilecto meo; John Tavener (1944-2013): The Lamb; Becky McGlade (b. 1974): Of the Father’s Love Begotten; Akemi Naito (b.1956): Tsuki no Waka; Paul Moravec (b. 1957): The Last Invocation; Darest Thou Now, O Soul; Byrd: Agnus Dei from Mass for Four Voices*; Andrew Smith (b. 1970): Katarsis; Nico Muhly (b. 1981): My Days*; Orlando Gibbons (1583-1625): The Silver Swan*. New York Polyphony (Geoffrey D. Williams, countertenor; Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor; Andrew Fuchs tenor; Craig Phillips bass) with *LeStrange Viols (Loren Ludwig and John Mark Rozendaal, treble viol; Kivie Cahn-Lipman, tenor viol; Zoe Weiss and Douglass Kelley, bass viol). BIS-2719 SACD 

Although New York Polyphony is a vocal group new to me, it has been performing since 2006. NYP started recording for BIS in 2012, with Sky of My Heart being its seventh release on the label. According to the liner notes – and as you can certainly gather from a glance at the program above – “bridging a gap between historical and modern music is a hallmark of its performances that has not only earned New York Polyphony two GRAMMY nominations but also helped to move early music into the classical mainstream.” Supporting New York Polyphony on three tracks are LeStrange Viols, a group of American viol players that takes its name from a manuscript collection of consort music assembled by the 17th-century English nobleman and musical antiquarian Nicholas L’Estrange. There is always something delightful about hearing music presented by a small, disciplined set of voices, especially when recorded in lifelike fidelity such as afforded these musicians by the BIS engineering team. That clarity holds up when the viols join in; the Byrd Agnus Dei, for example, is utterly breathtaking. The CD booklet includes brief notes on the music plus texts for the lyrics. For fans of small-scale choral music, this is a highly recommendable release. 

Words Fall Short. Joshua Redman: A Message to Unsend; *So It Goes; Words Fall Short; Borrowed Eyes; **Icarus; Over the Jelly-Green Sea; She Knows; ***Era’s End. Joshua Redman, tenor and soprano saxophones; Paul Cornish, piano; Philip Norris, double bass; Nazir Ebo, drums; with *Melissa Aldana, tenor saxophone; **Skylar Tang, trumpet; ***Gabrielle Cavassa, vocals. Blue Note 00602475915096

Some may recall a brief review the appeared in Classical Candor a few months ago of a concert performance by jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman and his band. At that time, the band (Redman, Cornish, Norris, Ebo, and Cavassa) was touring to promote Redman’s previous album, Where Are We, a collection of songs highlighting the American experience and geography. On the aptly titled Words Fall Short, the emphasis is on instrumentals, with Cavassa (who has been touring this summer with her own band) appearing on only one tune. This time around, Redman is offering us an instrumental album featuring his band cutting loose on his compositions. It is especially fun to hear Redman and guest tenor star Melissa Aldana (whose albums as a leader are well worth seeking out) trading licks on So It Goes. (How wonderful it would be for these two tenor titans to someday record an entire album together – is there any possibility that could actually happen?) On the track Icarus, trumpeter Skylar Tang adds some extra punch to the proceedings as he sometimes doubles Redman’s sax, sometimes steps out to solo, and drummer Ebo also really drives things along with plenty of kinetic energy. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention pianist Paul Cornish, whose melodic touch is evident right from the opening track, and bassist Philip Norris, who kicks off the title track with a thumping bass solo. Although vocalist Cavassa is featured on only one tune, her contribution is a valuable one, bringing bittersweet pathos to Era’s End to close out the album. All in all, Words Fall Short is another solid effort from a modern jazz master.