• Music

    Kosta T – крип

    Kosta Trokai is a Russian violinist whose work I’ve followed for several years now.  He has a massive catalog behind him and it straddles comfortably between classical music and free improvisation.  

  • Music

    Borut Kržišnik – Lightning

    I have a proud history with Slovenian composer and guitarist Borut Kržišnik.  Many years ago, I ran a small record label of note called Falçata-Galia, and I launched the label with his album Stories From Magatrea.  He has continued to make amazing music since then, and is currently exploring the point where contemporary classical music and soundtracks collide.  This release is from 2013.  I wish him continued success.

  • Music

    Vadim Neselovskyi – Odesa: A Musical Walk Through a Legendary City

    Odessa is a city that both Ukraine and Russia, as well as its many Jewish and even Tatar inhabitants, claim to be its own.  Never mind the political hideousness of today, and let me present you with one of the most fascinating releases I’ve heard in contemporary classical and jazz scenes. Vadim Neselovskyi is a pianist who hails from Ukraine, and has collaborated with giants such as Gary Burton, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and John Scofield, among others.  This paean to the city of his birth is a magnificent blend of modern classical music and the sort of jazz which…

  • Music

    Reinier van Houdt – drift nowhere past / the adventure of sleep

    Going through Twitter contacts on my account (which will be changed soon, as I want an account that will only concentrate on music and not any other of my pursuits), I came across the name of a label whose work always left me impressed, but whom I had forgotten about, Erstwhile Records.  Jon Abbey and Yuko Zama have run this label for years, but it looks like Yuko is branching out and running a new label called elsehwere music. Perusing the catalog, I found a release by Dutch pianist Reinier van Houdt which left me suitably impressed.  From the release’s…

  • Music

    Valgeir Sigurðsson – Kvika

    Icelandic composer Valgeir Sigurðsson is a classical composer who has developed into the country’s leading light in terms of modern classical music. From his Bandcamp site: “Valgeir has become a master of sound to get lost in. Through his layering of his collaborators’ instrumental and vocal parts and a nuanced balance of electronic and organic sound, KVIKA is a perfect collection of moments that last only as long as they need before taking us elsewhere. After his award winning album Dissonance, it is a measure of his artistic inclinations that he looks to a shorter form of music making. Where…

  • Music

    Adrian Copeland – If This Were My Body

    Sublime.  There’s no other word for it.  If you enjoy modern classical music, especially by composers like Gorecki, Ligeti or Penderecki, Canadian composer Adrian Copeland has something here which will appeal to you, with long, mournful drones, sparse instrumentation, and a rough, melancholic feel to the tracks.  Track 4, Heir to the Ember Sun, was my favorite track, as it stays within the classical realm, but adds elements and a pop structure that reminded me of the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. A fine album.  

  • Music

    Jóhann Jóhannsson – Drone Mass

    Though it’s been four years, the loss of Jóhann Jóhannsson due to an overdose has left a massive hole in contemporary classical music, drone, experimental music, post-rock and so many other genres his work touched on. This opus, performed by the legendary Paul Hillier and backed my ACME, is as close to heaven as some of us might ever get.  The vocals are haunting, mournful, but sound totally in place since we begin the Western Holy Week as celebrated by Catholics and non-apostolic churches.  Bleak and beautiful.