Arthur Bliss: String Quartet No.1; Conversations for Flute, Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello; String Quartet in A Major
Maggini Quartet; Nicholas Daniel, oboe/cor anglais; Michael Cox, flute/alto flute.
Naxos 8.557108

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Arthur Bliss came from the union of an American businessman and his English wife. He was born in England and remained there most of his life, coming to prominence between the World Wars. The public knows him best for his colorful orchestral score for the movie Things to Come, but he wrote in almost all forms. The String Quartet No.1 was written while the composer was living in America for a time, and was premiered at Berkeley. An energetic work, it mixes harmonic adventure with overt lyricism. The Magginis play it to a turn and the sound is close up without making the players appear overly aggressive. The other two pieces are of less import, but highly enjoyable. This is what Naxos does best; the label presents worthy yet neglected music at a price point low enough that everyone can investigate it.  

Gene Harris: Ballad Essentials
Concord Jazz CCD-2170-2

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Though Concord Jazz continues to produce new recordings, such as the recently reviewed CDs by Karrin Allyson and Keely Smith, the company has started going through its archives in order to compile new collections from older material. One series this approach has created is called Ballad Essentials. Its ninth disc is devoted to keyboard player Gene Harris, who passed away in 2000. This is mellow, candlelight jazz at its best. The approach is always passionate and romantic when playing such standards as "Angel Eyes," "Sweet and Lovely," and "That’s All." Most of the cuts have a well-deserved spotlight passage for guitarist Ron Escheté. Organist Jack McDuff duos with Harris on "You Don’t Know What Love Is," and Scott Hamilton and Harris duo on "At Last," without any other musicians in attendance. Considering the depth of expression the pair reaches, the others are not missed. The recorded sound is very good throughout, although the sessions range from 1989 to 1997. This consistency is a tribute to the Concord producers and engineers, who have recorded great-sounding discs for a very long time.

Soundtrack: Gods and Generals (Original Score)
Bob Dylan, Mary Fahl, Paddy Maloney, Mark O’Connor, John Frizzell, Randy Edelman.
Sony 87891

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Gods and Generals is the recently released prequel to the highly successful Gettysburg. Ronald Maxwell again ably directs and the music is once more divided between folk-period material and a newly composed score. Composer Randy Edelman is on hand, as he was in the first movie, to provide sweeping, arching, heroic melodies for the orchestra to play, though this time he shares honors with John Frizzell. The two together prove less successful than Edelman was alone. Violinist Mark O’Connor, Sony’s king of crossover, provides the lion’s share of the source music and also plays violin solos in the score composed by Edelman and Frizzell as well. Piper Paddy Maloney of the Chieftains joins him at times. Bob Dylan and Mary Fahl provide poignant new songs, "Cross the Green Mountains" and "Going Home," which are contemporary yet fit into the movie’s period. The recorded sound on the orchestral tracks is rich and full, if somewhat lacking in depth, but the songs and simpler tunes are heard through a marshmallow haze that is atmospheric to the point of removing detail and clarity. In what I think is a first, the bonus disc is a DVD that contains music videos of the Dylan and Fahl songs, a trailer for the movie, and deleted scenes that focus on period music.

Erasure: Other People's Songs
Mute 9198

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Cover albums are not usually my bag. I find that many "tribute" albums intend to direct the spotlight on a floundering band. With Erasure, it’s different. The duo’s decision to cover "Solsbury Hill" certainly holds some meaning for Vince Clarke -- whose own experience leaving Depeche Mode mirrors Peter Gabriel’s departure from Genesis. Like Gabriel, Erasure has never been into the celebrity of their occupation -- they’re just musicians who love music and love making good music. However, this CD isn’t just about Gabriel; Clarke and Bell give a satisfying nod to the genius of producer Phil Spector and many one-hit wonders that graced the '60s and '70s. My personal favorites, in addition to "Solsbury Hill," are "Ebb Tide" and "Video Killed the Radio Star." I won’t say I enjoyed every song on this any more than I would the average pop recording, but I did appreciate the genuine respect Erasure pays to those who influenced them.

Crooked Fingers: Red Devil Dawn
Merge 522

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I wouldn’t have expected a band named Crooked Fingers to deliver such a delicate collection of songs, but singer/songwriter Eric Bachmann does so with Red Devil Dawn. Bachmann couples his Bruce Springsteen-like voice with steady rhythms and sweet strings for some truly mesmerizing and emotional arrangements. Think Springsteen crossed with Jars of Clay or the equally impressive Coldplay. Songs like the heartbreaking "Don’t Say a Word" and "Disappear" have a theatrical quality that triggers your mind to conjure up visuals. On the other hand, songs like "You Threw a Spark" and "Angelina" add optimism to the melancholy by upping the tempo and the spirit. Recording quality leans toward a very dry and slightly raw presentation without any apparent harshness. Ultimately, every song supports Red Devil Dawn as a wonderful piece of work.