George Frederick McKay: Violin Concerto, Suite on 16th-Century Hymn Tunes, Sinfonietta No.4, Song Over the Great Plains
Brian Reagin, violin; National Radio Symphony of Ukraine; John McLaughlin Williams, conductor.
Naxos 8.559225
Format: CD

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The discovery here is George Frederick McKay’s Violin Concerto of 1940, a neoromantic work that is lyrical, eloquent, and thoroughly American. That it is relatively unknown while the equally impressive Violin Concerto of Samuel Barber is often played seems a hazard of location. McKay lived in the Northwest quadrant of the US, where he taught for many years at the University of Washington, in Seattle. The concerto is a major work, its energetic outer movements framing a second movement of luminous lyrical beauty. The charming Suite on 16th-Century Hymn Tunes for double string orchestra is based on tunes by French Renaissance composer Louis Bourgeois and is something of an American counterpart to Warlock’s Capriol Suite. The Sinfonietta No.4 is astringent and angular yet still lyrical, and the Song Over the Great Plains for piano and orchestra, based on a meadowlark call, demonstrates McKay’s great love of nature. The performances are virtuosic, polished, and heartfelt, but the recorded sound is often roughhewn. The perspective is close-up and the upper strings are a bit distorted, though the woodwinds are crisp and clean. It’s not bad, but not up to Naxos’s usual standard. Still, the price is right, and everyone should make an effort to hear McKay’s glorious violin concerto. This first recording should point the way to many more….Rad Bennett

Jordi Savall: Tous les matins du monde (original soundtrack)
Jordi Savall, Fabio Biondi, Christophe Coin, Montserrat Figueras, Maria-Cristina Kiehr, Rolf Lislevand, Pierre Hantaï, Jérôme Hantaï, Le Concert des Nations.
AliaVox AVSA9821
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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Alain Corneau’s opulently photographed Tous les matins du monde, filmed in 1991, tells the story of the mystical and obscure baroque composer Sainte Colombe (his first name has not survived) and his relationship with his more famous student, Marin Marais. The music for the film was entrusted to this century’s greatest bass viol player, Jordi Savall, who is heard on more than half of the tracks playing music of Marais or Colombe, either as soloist or in duet with fellow viol player Christophe Coin. Other tracks include music by Lully and Couperin, contemporaries of Marais. The results are ethereal and elegant. Couperin’s Troisième Leçon de Ténèbres à 2 voix, featuring sopranos Montserrat Figueras and Maria Cristina Kiehr, is the perfect antidote after experiencing some jarring episode of contemporary living. The recording is large, rich, and full, with plenty of presence and healthy reverberation in the rear channels. It seems to fit the film, with sound a bit bigger than life. The package contains an unusually attractive booklet, with many color photographs from the movie….Rad Bennett

John Pizzarelli: Knowing You
Telarc SACD-63615
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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John Pizzarelli sings less like a great jazz artiste than like the guy next door. His art is so unassuming that a song’s every word comes through with genuine meaning. I have heard the lovely melody of "The Shadow of Your Smile" what seems a zillion times, but this is the first time the lyrics actually registered. The same goes for "Knowing You," "I Just Found Out About Love," and "How Long Has This Been Going On?" There are other great songs here that we don’t hear often enough, such as "Say It (Over and Over Again)" and "That Face," as well as "The First Hint of Autumn," a lovely instrumental impression written by Pizzarelli. The singer is joined on different tracks by such jazz greats as Ray Kennedy (piano), Ken Peplowski (clarinet), and two more Pizzarellis, Bucky and Martin. The overall tone is one of improvisation and relaxed communication -- laid-back in the best sense of that term. The sound is a bit too reverberant for my taste, though others will like it. Perhaps it was meant to add to the casual yet entirely meaningful "home-movie" nature of this set, which carries intimacy to a new level….Rad Bennett

Jesse Dayton: Country Soul Brother
Stag 006
Format: CD

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Jesse Dayton and his late-2004 release, Country Soul Brother, are unique. Influenced by some great soul and maverick country singers, Dayton belts ’em out a bit like Tom Jones -- especially on "All Because of You." Country long ago invaded the turf of rock’n’roll, and Dayton makes further inroads here, clearing land with rock-style Fender Rhodes organ and Ramones-like tempos that have got him tagged as "turbo-country." He takes on The Cars’ "Just What I Needed," though he and skilled guitarist Redd Volkaert might have challenged the original’s solos more assertively. Brian Thomas’s solid pedal steel, banjo, and dobro stake out the country and bluegrass territory. But this blend of genres is no hodgepodge -- it’s a tight weave. Add Dayton’s competent songwriting, and he promises to remain a fiery phenomenon for years to come….David Cantor

Jay Geils: Jay Geils Plays Jazz!
Francesca/Stony Plain APCD 1306
Format: CD

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Anyone who’s heard guitarist Jay Geils’s two discs with Magic Dick, Bluestime (1994) and Little Car Blues (1996), won’t be surprised to hear that Geils has made a jazz record. The earlier discs showed the influence of swing as much as of Chicago blues, and Geils’s solos demonstrated keen knowledge of and affection for Charlie Christian. Jay Geils Plays Jazz! opens with "Wholly Cats," a Benny Goodman gem that helped cement Christian’s reputation. Geils has Christian’s old tube-amp tone nailed, but his solo is more homage than mere copy. Scott Hamilton, Crispen Cloe (of the Uptown Horns), and others play some great horn lines throughout the disc, and Al Wilson’s Hammond B3 is a delight. A high point of the disc is a version of Bob Wills’ "I Hear You Talkin’ to Me" in which solos are traded among Geils, Frankie Blandino on console steel guitar, and Jerry Miller on mandolin. I wish the drummer had cut loose more -- he gives the disc a tentative feel that drags things down a bit. The liner notes inform us that "No digital devices were used in the recording of this album," and it has a warm, vibrant, detailed sound. Jay Geils has approached this music with reverence; now that he’s proved he can play it, maybe next time he can relax a bit more and hire a harder-swinging drummer….Joseph Taylor