The Mitchell-Ruff Trio: The Catbird Seat

CML call number: CD/JAZZ/Mitchell
Contents: The Catbird Seat (by Dwike Mitchell), Street of Dreams (by Sam M. Lewis and Victor Young), So in Love (by Cole Porter), Con Alma (by Dizzy Gillespie), Gypsy in My Soul (by Clay Boland and Moe Jaffe), I'll Remember April (by Gene De Paul, Don Arye, and Pat Johnston).
Personnel: Dwike Mitchell, piano; Willie Ruff, bass; Charlie Smith, drums.
From the liner notes by George T. Simon: "Mitchell, a Floridian who graduated from the Philadelphia Musical Academy, and Ruff, an Alabaman who earned his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Music at Yale (they once played together in Lionel Hampton's big band) joined forces last year with Smith, a New Yorker, who has played for Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington and Billy Taylor, at a New Haven club called The Playback. It was founded by Ruff himself, 'because we needed a place in which we could work out things the way we wanted to. …'"
Recorded live at The Playback in 1961; re-released on CD in 2002; added to our collection in honor of Mr. Ruff's visit to our library Nov. 5, 2005, when he delivered a talk on the history of music.

Gilbert & Sullivan: HMS Pinafore; The Pirates of Penzance

CML call number: CD/OPERA/Sullivan
Personnel: Malcolm Sargent, conductor. In Pirates of Penzance: George Baker as Major General Stanley; Peter Dawson as The Pirate King; Stuart Robertson as Samuel; Derek Oldham as Frederic; Leo Sheffield as Sergeant of Police; Elsie Griffin as Mabel; Nellie Briercliffe as Edith; Nellie Walker as Kate; Dorothy Gill as Ruth. In HMS Pinafore: Henry A. Lytton as The Rt. Hon. Sir Joseph Porter K.C.B.; George Baker as Captain Corcoran; Charles Goulding as Ralph Rackstraw; Darrell Fancourt as Dick Deadeye; Elsie Griffin as Josephine; Nellie Briercliffe as Hebe; Bertha Lewis as Mrs. Cripps.
L. E. Cantrell wrote in a review at Amazon.com: "Excellent historical Gilbert and Sullivan … Source: The first [electrical] recordings of 'The Pirates of Penzance' (recorded February-May 1929) and 'HMS Pinafore' (recorded February-June 1930). The original issues were on 78s. … Considering the great age of the performances, the sound is generally amazingly good."
Released on CD in 2003, newly added to our collection at a patron's request.

Mozart: Flute Concertos 1 & 2, Concerto for Flute and Harp

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Mozart
Personnel: Emmanuel Pahud, flute; Marie-Pierre Langlamet, harp; Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Claudio Abbado.
From the notes by Julian Haylock: "Mozart … traveled to Paris. … [H]e attempted to ingratiate himself with several members of the French aristocracy, including a certain Comte de Guines. The Count's flute playing was 'incomparable' according to Mozart, and his harp-playing daughter 'magnifique.' … The Count subsequently expressed an urgent desire to have some music written for both himself and his daughter. The resulting Concerto possesses considerable charm, although according to his mother, Mozart only scored it for both instruments … in order to avoid having to write two individual pieces. … Somewhat ironically under the circumstances, it is one of the composer's longest concertos and one for which he retained a particular affection."
Released in 2000, new to our collection. Our thanks to the anonymous donor!

Scissor Sisters: Ta-dah

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Scissor
Chuck Arnold wrote in People: "Scissor Sisters had both hipsters and homemakers cutting a rug with their 2004 self-titled debut (which gave this New York City outfit the biggest-selling album in the U.K. that year). Now they've put their boogie shoes back on for their second CD, Tah-dah [sic], which is as delightful as its title. Don't be fooled by the melancholy sentiment of the disco-fied first single, 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin''; cowritten by Elton John (who also plays keyboards), it's got the kind of irresistible bounce that would shake anybody out of the dumps. Even when they leave the dance floor — on tracks like the atmospheric, Duran Duran-esque 'The Other Side' … — Scissor Sisters exhibit sharp pop instincts" ("Picks & Pans: Music," 10/2/06, p. 56).
Eric Steuer wrote in Wired: "This NYC quintet's snappy mix of disco and glam rock shamelessly evokes '70s hitmeisters like the Bee Gees, Queen, and Elton John (who collaborated on this collection's sugary-sweet 'I Don't Feel Like Dancin''). Innovative melodies and witty lyrics make these fun-loving drama geeks sound like much more than mere homage" ("Play," 10/06, p. 68).

Beck: The Information

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Beck
Contents: Elevator Music, Think I'm in Love, Cellphone's Dead, Strange Apparition, Soldier Jane, Nausea, New Round, Dark Star, We Dance Alone, No Complaints, 1000BPM, Motorcade, The Information, Movie Theme, The Horrible Fanfare / Landslide / Exoskeleton.
Personnel: 36 musicians are listed with credits ranging from "String Players" to "Speak 'n Spell." The credit for Beck himself reads in part, "Vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, melodica, piano, organ, keyboards, programming, effects, scratching, sitar, bass, harmonica. …"
Wired wrote: "Beck and longtime producer Nigel Godrich laid the groundwork for this fun, funky album during some 2003 jam sessions. They shaped the best material into songs, and the results feel both sharp and spontaneous. (Bonus points for the accompanying DVD and stickers that let CD buyers create their own customized covers.)" ("Play: Reviews," 10/06, p. 88).
We decided to leave the stickers inside the jewel case and see if the patrons who borrowed the album would use them to customize the covers for us. They did a wonderful job!

Jimmy Buffett: Live at Fenway Park

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Buffett
Contents: Disc 1 (CD): Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes; The Great Filling Station Holdup; Pencil Thin Moustache; Fruitcakes; License to Chill; Son of a Son of a Sailor; Boat Drinks; Brown Eyed Girl (written by Van Morrison); Volcano; Why Don't We Get Drunk; Sweet Caroline; Hey Good Lookin'; Pascagoula Run; One Particular Harbour. Disc 2 (CD): Respect; Gypsies in the Palace; Grapefruit Juicy Fruit; Come Monday; Jolly Mon Sing; Take Me Out to the Ball Game; It's Five O'Clock Somewhere; Cheeseburger in Paradise; Coast of Carolina; Cuban Crime of Passion; A Pirate Looks at Forty; Piece of Work; Margaritaville; Fins; Scarlet Begonias (written by Jerry Garcia and Robert Hunter); Southern Cross; Defying Gravity. Disc 3 (DVD): Take Me Out to the Ball Game, Jump in Line, License to Chill, Boat Drinks, Fruitcakes, Son of a Son of a Sailor, Why Don't We Get Drunk/Sweet Caroline, Respect, Jolly Mon Sing, Coast of Carolina, Cuban Crime of Passion, Southern Cross, Defying Gravity. Recorded in September 2004 at Fenway Park baseball stadium in Boston. Jimmy Buffett's website is at http://www.margaritaville.com/

Kenny Chesney: The Road and the Radio

CML call number: CD/COUNTRY/Chesney
Contents: The Road and the Radio (written by Kenny Chesney and Casey Beathard), Living in Fast Forward, Who You'd Be Today, You Save Me, Summertime, In a Small Town, Beer in Mexico (written by Kenny Chesney), Freedom, Tequila Loves Me, Somebody Take Me Home, Like Me.
Personnel: Kenny Greenberg, B. James Lowry, John Willis, acoustic guitar; John Jorgenson, baritone guitar; John Willis, nylon string guitar; Pat Buchanan, J. T. Corenflos, Kenny Greenberg, John Jorgenson, electric guitar; Larry Paxton, Michael Rhodes, bass; Paul Leim, drums and percussion; John Hobbs, Randy McCormick, piano; John Hobbs, Steve Nathan, synthesizer; Randy McCormick, Wurlitzer; Rob Hajacos, fiddle; Tim Hensley, John Willis, banjo; Dan Dugmore, Steve Hinson, Mike Johnson, steel guitar; Samuel B. Levine, saxophone; Chris Dunn, trombone; Jeff Bailey, Steve Patrick, trumpet; Jim Horn, baritone saxophone; Wyatt Beard, Melonie Cannon, Buddy Cannon, Tim Hensley, background vocals.
Artist website: http://www.kennychesney.com/

Aphex Twin: Richard D. James Album

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Aphex
Contents: "The First Side": 4, Cornish Acid, Peek 824545201, Fingerbib, Corn Mouth, To Cure a Weakling Child, Goon Gumpas, Yellow Calx; "Second Side": Girl/Boy Song, Logon Rock Witch, Milkman, Inkeys, Girl/Boy (£18 Snare Rush Mix), Beetles, Girl/Boy (Redruth Mix). "Written and produced by me [Aphex Twin, i.e., Richard D. James]."
According to Wikipedia: "Richard D. James was born to Welsh parents … in 1971. … He started producing music at the age of 12 … The first Aphex Twin album … was released in 1992. … In 1995 … he began releasing more material composed on computers, and embraced a more drum and bass sound mixed with a nostalgic childhood theme and strange computer generated acid lines."
Kelefa Sanneh wrote in the New York Times: "In 1996, he released 'Richard D. James Album' (Warp), named after himself, which solidified his reputation as one of Britain's greatest electronic composers. …" ("Playlist: Bubbly Confections and Reckless Jams," 11/6/05).
Caution: coarse language occurs on one track ("Milkman").

Robert Pollard: Normal Happiness

CML call number: CD/POPULAR/Pollard
Contents: Accidental Texas Who, Whispering Whip, Supernatural Car Lover, Boxing About, Serious Bird Woman (You Turn Me On), Get a Faceful, Towers and Landslides, I Feel Gone Again, Gasoline Ragtime, Rhoda Rhoda, Give Up the Grape, Pegasus Glue Factory, Top of My Game, Tomorrow Will Not Be Another Day, Join the Eagles, Full Sun (Dig the Slowness).
Personnel: Robert Pollard, vocals, guitars; Todd Tobias, guitars, guitar leads, bass, drums, keyboards; Chris Sheehan, synthesizer and piano on two tracks; produced by Todd Tobias.
Artist website: http://www.robertpollard.net/
Wired wrote: "The former frontman for Guided by Voices could always churn out flawless pop; now he's found the self-control to include just the sparkling gems, not fractured experiments" ("Playlist," 10/06, p. 90).
The Times of London wrote: "16 dynamic, direct, two-minute guitar-pop songs, with enough concealed twists to make most modern rock music seem stupid. Four stars" (10/8/06).

The Hold Steady: Boys and Girls in America

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Hold
Eric R. Danton wrote in his Hartford Courant blog, Sound Check: "'Boys and Girls in America' represents the Hold Steady's creative pinnacle so far: pungent storytelling with healthy doses of heart and wit, killer guitar riffs, a more prominent role for the piano and, this time, actual singing from Craig Finn. … [T]he Hold Steady's characters adhere … to the alternative-community ethos of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road,' which inspired the title: 'Boys and girls in America have such a sad time together,' narrator Sal Paradise observed in the Beat classic. … It's an album about not fitting into the mainstream, and looking for acceptance elsewhere, even if it means creating a situation where that can happen. It's powerfully resonant. It also doesn't hurt that 'Boys and Girls in America' is among the catchiest albums released this year. Or last year. … 'Boys and Girls in America' is that rare album that, regardless of its commercial fortunes, encapsulates the American experience (or AN American experience, at any rate) in a way that makes it an immediate classic. It's … sort of an album version of the Great American Novel … [and] the best album of 2006."

Louis Andriessen: Writing to Vermeer

CML call number: CD/OPERA/Andriessen
Personnel: De Nederlandse Opera; Schönberg Ensemble and Asko Ensemble; Susan Narucki, soprano; Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano; Barbara Hannigan, soprano.
Russell Platt wrote in the New Yorker: "In Louis Andriessen's recent 'Writing to Vermeer,' the personal and political are kept separate. In 1672, Vermeer's wife (the soprano Susan Narucki), his mother-in-law, and his favorite model sit at desks writing fictional letters to the artist while a chorus of young women brings to life the quotidian activities of the household. The opera ends not with Vermeer's eagerly awaited return but with the flooding of the stage. The libretto is by Peter Greenaway, whose penchant for violence is fulfilled in brief electronic interludes (by the composer Michel van der Aa) evoking other events in Holland's 'year of disasters'; these form islands in the flow of Andriessen's post-minimalist music, which is lulling and disturbing by turns. The CD format of this Nonesuch release makes it hard to gauge the opera's ultimate effect, but the performance, conducted by Reinbert de Leeuw, is incisive, sensual, and alert."

Aaron Neville: Bring It On Home … The Soul Classics

CML call number: CD/R&B/Neville

Contents: Rainy Night in Georgia (featuring Chris Botti); Ain't No Sunshine; (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay; Stand By Me; You Send Me; Respect Yourself (featuring Mavis Staples); When a Man Loves a Woman; Let's Stay Together (featuring Chaka Khan); It's All Right (by Curtis Mayfield); People Get Ready (by Curtis Mayfield; featuring David Sanborn and Art Neville); My Girl (by William Robinson, Jr., and Ronald White); Ain't That Peculiar (by Robert Rogers, William Robinson, Jr., Marvin Tarplin, and Warren Moore); A Change Is Gonna Come (by Sam Cooke).
Ralph Novak wrote in People: "On his latest, Neville applies his wondrously vibrant voice to soul classics like 'You Send Me,' 'My Girl' and 'People Get Ready.' While imbuing these gems with his own style, he also gives a nod to the artists who made them hits: There's a little Otis Redding in '(Sittin' On) the Dock of the Bay,' Brook Benton in 'Rainy Night in Georgia' and Ben E. King in 'Stand by Me.' Mavis Staples joins in on a powerful version of the Staple Singers' 'Respect Yourself,' while Chaka Khan turns up on a rousing rendition of 'Let's Stay Together.'"

Mozart: The Secret Mozart

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Mozart
Anne Midgette wrote in the New York Times: "In 'The Secret Mozart' … Christopher Hogwood offers a range of works — from a four-handed sonata to a little piece the 12-year-old composer doodled on the back of a program — on three different 18th-century clavichords, one of them Mozart's own. … Clavichords are hard to record, in part because it's hard to get a sense of scale. On this CD the only indication of the smallness of its tone is the largeness of the auxiliary noises: the performer's inhalations, or the rising and falling of the keys with a haze of clicks. Still, there is a sense of intimacy: partly because of the distinctive metallic sound, partly because some of the works Mr. Hogwood offers are more jottings of spontaneous ideas than polished final products. Among the nicest inclusions are the Andante and Five Variations in G (K. 501) and the Sonata in D (K. 381) for four hands, which Mr. Hogwood plays with the keyboard restorer and builder Derek Adlam. They are reminders of the social aspects of music at a time when two people might sit down at the clavichord as if to play a game, making music not for an audience but for each other."

Birdmonster: No Midnight

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Birdmonster
Contents: Skeleton Suit, Balcony, 'Cause You Can, Alabama, The Bar in the Back of the Basement, No Midnight, Sparrow, Of Mice, What's With Your Brain?, All the Holes in the Walls, Ice Age, Ball of Yarn, Spaceman.
Artist websites: http://www.birdmonster.com/ (See also MySpace page, http://myspace.com/birdmonster; band blog, http://birdmonster.blogspot.com/)
Personnel: Zach Winter, drums, cello; Peter Arcuni, vocals, guitar; Justin Tenuto, bass, Rhodes, melodica, banjo; David Klein, guitar, piano.
Wired wrote: "Even if singer-guitarist Peter Arcuni wasn't a former Wired staffer, we'd still be extolling the virtues of these versatile and passionate indie rockers who made it big via MySpace" ("Playlist," 9/06, p. 72).
They appeared Sept. 18 on Minnesota Public Radio, which describes the band in terms of "a D.I.Y. ethos" and "punk-with-banjos music."

Titles: Titles

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Titles
Personnel: Brad Amorosino, vocals and guitars; John Miller, drums; Adrian Van de Graaff, bass; Jp Chirdon, additional vocals; James Dennis, additional guitar.
Contents: Pink Pair of Shoes, Sucking the Life, Empty Hotel, Lazy Vacation, Balloons, Dust, Biologically, Cash for Art, Lab Rat, Sex in Your Pockets, Blocks of Memory, Been a Long Day; all songs by Titles. Striking cover artwork by Pj de Villiers.
Brian LaRue wrote in the New Haven Advocate: "Titles' debut full-length tumbles and clatters all over the place, offering 43 minutes of hazy, organized chaos. Imagine a weird indie rock time warp in which Pavement circa 1994 covered Karate circa 2000, with all the requisite lurchy rhythms, careening guitar leads, pregnant pauses and deadpan singing. Slowly, very slowly, Brad Amorosino's earthy guitar arpeggios unfold. His leads skitter about, his voice strains into semi-melodic desperation. The band plays as though it's about to fall over from fatigue. That creates a compelling atmosphere, and it makes the punchier songs that much more striking."

John Coltrane: One Down, One Up

CML call number: CD/JAZZ/Coltrane
Ben Ratliff wrote in the New York Times: "In the spring of 1965, John Coltrane's quartet played several gigs at the Half Note Club in Manhattan, some of which were recorded for WABC-FM radio. … On 'One Down, One Up' … — the radio recordings from two nights at the Half Note — we're about six months before the last phase of Coltrane's career. … Here his quartet is still intact, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Jimmy Garrison on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. … [I]t is the band at its peak, each member contributing an equal part to the sound, playing hard and loud and at the top of his imagination. If there was ever a place to marvel at the connection Coltrane had with Jones — a connection that drove the band — this is it. Each of the four pieces is remarkable, but the killer is 'One Down, One Up,' in which the band reduces to just saxophone and drums for a 15-minute stretch, and then reduces even further because Jones's bass-drum pedal breaks midsong. It doesn't matter. Coltrane and Jones are singing through their instruments in their own complex, dense language, with Coltrane's rapid, jagged phrasing and Jones's layered rhythm. …"

Foo Fighters: In Your Honor

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Foo
Contents: Disc 1 (all amplified): In Your Honor, No Way Back, Best of You, DOA, Hell, The Last Song, Free Me, Resolve, The Deepest Blues Are Black, End over End; Disc 2 (all acoustic): Still, What If I Do?, Miracle, Another Round, Friend of a Friend, Over and Out, On the Mend, Virginia Moon, Cold Day in the Sun, Razor; all songs written by Foo Fighters.
Artist website: http://www.foofighters.com/
According to the website, "The Foo Fighters consist of Taylor Hawkins on Drums, Nate Mendel on Bass, Chris Shiflett on Guitar … and Dave Grohl on Guitar and Vocals."
Rolling Stone selected this set as one of "The Top 50 Records of 2005" and wrote: "The Beatlemaniac in ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl runs riot, with grace and melodic detail, on the unplugged set. The amplified half could have used more power-pop-with-spikes like 'Resolve,' which answers the nagging question: How would Nevermind have sounded if it had been made by Cheap Trick?" (12/29/05-1/12/06).

Bruckner: Symphony No. 5

CML call number: CD/CLASSICAL/Bruckner
James R. Oestreich wrote in the New York Times: "Given Bruckner's tendency to revise and cut his symphonies, whether eagerly or grudgingly, on the advice of presumably well-meaning colleagues, which version of a given symphony represents his original, final or otherwise definitive wishes? … The issues are especially fraught with regard to the Third Symphony, which appeared recently on a Tudor CD, part of the latest wave of Bruckner recordings. … Another of the new recordings, Christian Thielemann's reading of the Fifth Symphony … is altogether less problematic, partly because the reputable editions of the Fifth show fewer discrepancies. As for the big pauses, fewer here [than in the Third Symphony], Mr. Thielemann approaches them head-on, lengthening them, he writes in booklet notes, 'to increase the tension.' And this … is an excellent recording, drawn from Mr. Thielemann's first concerts as music director of the Munich Philharmonic last year. This orchestra has vast experience with Bruckner from its days under Günter Wand, Sergiu Celibidache and before, and it greeted its new boss with a resplendent performance" (7/10/05).

Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall

CML call number: CD/JAZZ/Monk
Steve Futterman wrote in the New Yorker: "Jazz fans have long been obsessed with the pianist Thelonious Monk's short-lived 1957 band, which featured John Coltrane on tenor saxophone, and, while a handful of vibrant studio recordings exist, the quartet was never captured live. Or so it seemed. Then the archivist Larry Applebaum, working through tapes at the Library of Congress, stumbled upon a haphazardly marked Voice of America recording of a Carnegie Hall benefit concert. The astonishing results are now available. … From the first notes of the Carnegie Hall show … the chemistry between Monk and Coltrane is palpable. Monk, riding on a restrained swing groove laid down by the drummer Shadow Wilson and the bassist Ahmed Abdul-Malik, whittles his vinegary single notes and off-kilter runs down to a choice few; Coltrane, in contrast, attacks chord changes as if each note were money in the bank. His full-throated choruses on 'Blue Monk' and double-time charge on the standard 'Sweet and Lovely' are as exhilarating as they are prescient" ("Jazz Notes: Unburied Treasure," 10/3/05, p. 22).

Nouvelle Vague: Bande à Part

CML call number: CD/POP/Nouvelle
Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in the New Yorker: "For almost a decade, musicians have been borrowing things from the nineteen-eighties. … But, until now, acts haven't borrowed that many songs. In 2004, a French band called Nouvelle Vague — the producers Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux — released a self-titled album of eighties hits performed by singers whose first language was not English, and who had never heard the songs they were assigned to sing. The results were diverting within a narrow stylistic range; the songs, whether originally by Depeche Mode or the Buzzcocks, became frisky bossa novas. For their wonderful second album, 'Bande à Part' (Luaka Bop), the aesthetic has been widened beyond Brazilian sounds, though the arrangements remain acoustic. When the Cramps released 'Human Fly,' in 1979, it was a campy sci-fi joke rendered as fuzzy garage rock. Nouvelle Vague turn the song into slinky cabaret. The singer coos as she sings 'buzz buzz' and 'I'm an unzipped fly,' a bit like Marilyn Monroe, but without the pose of innocence, and backed by the band from Tom Waits's 'Rain Dogs'" ("Pop Notes," 9/4/o6).

Boredoms: Seadrum / House of Sun

CML call number: CD/ROCK/Boredoms
Sasha Frere-Jones wrote in the New Yorker: "Yamataka Eye has been leading the Japanese band the Boredoms for almost twenty years. … The Boredoms no longer play the spastic music that made their reputation. (They stopped doing that in 1995, when Eye, during a recording session, started chanting the same pattern over and over. "I had seen the sun rise," Eye told me. "I started thinking about my position in relation to the sun. I also thought that the sun made a sound. … I had an idea of what the sound would be like.") Their songs have evolved from short yelps into long exhalations — drones built around drum patterns that repeat for ten minutes or more — but the end result is not so different. Their music has never been rooted in a particular rhythm, vocal style, or genre. What the Boredoms do is capture a specific energy, and move around in it until they’ve exhausted its possibilities. … [Their] most recent album, 'Seadrum / House of Sun' (2005) … was recorded on a beach and consists of two compositions, each lasting more than twenty minutes. (On the album, some sounds were recorded underwater: the tide came in.)" (8/7/06)