Category: Music

It’s not a promising start when you’re standing in the second row of singers and you can barely hear James Levine’s comments over the pounding rain.

To back up: I’m at Tanglewood this week, and we’re up to our eyeballs in water as we prepare for the Gurrelieder performance on Friday. So far it’s playing out weatherwise like a replay of last year, though I feel much more part of the group this time around. (It helps that I already know the music too.)

Hopefully it will dry off soon. Then I can relax and enjoy myself a little.

Boston.com: Obituary: Lorraine Hunt Lieberson; her luminous voice lifted Boston Symphony Orchestra, transported listener. I had the rare privilege of singing in the chorus behind Ms. Hunt Lieberson during the Gurrelieder this spring. She stole the show, quietly stepping on stage during the tenor’s penultimate aria in the first half to announce the downfall of his love and set the stage for the rest of the action.

I got word this weekend that our performance of the Gurrelieder on Friday at Tanglewood will be prefaced by the fourth movement from the Brahms Requiem, “Wie lieblich sind deine Wohnungen” (known in many churches by its English title, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place”). We rehearsed it last night on stage and chills went up my spine. I can’t think of a more appropriate tribute for an artist who moved so many lives with her voice.

Lisa and I took today off and we’re heading out in a little while to see the new, improved James Levine leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in the opening concert at Tanglewood. Should be fun. In his honor, I’m bending the rules a little and doing a shuffle of all-classical tracks—not that they’ll be all-orchestral, given how my collection goes.

1. Dieter Goldmann (Frederic Chopin, composer), “Nocturnes Op. 27/2 Des-Dur” (Masters’ Classic: Chopin #2)
2. Hilliard Ensemble (William Byrd, composer), “Mass for Four Voices: V. Agnus Dei” (Masses for 3, 4 & 5 Voices)
3. The Sixteen (François Poulenc, composer), “Un soir de neige, II” (Chansons francaises)
4. Peter Schickele and the New York Pick-Up Ensemble (P.D.Q. Bach, composer), “II. Andante alighieri” (Concerto for Two Pianos vs. Orchestra, S. 2) (Two Pianos are Better Than One)
5. Gewandhausorchester Leipzig (Franz Liszt, composer), “Les Préludes, S 637” (Liszt: Les Préludes, Hungarian Rhapsody)
6. Hilliard Ensemble (Carlo Gesualdo, composer), “In II Nocturno, Responsorium 2” (Gesualdo: Tenebrae)
7. Hilliard Ensemble, “Three songs of St. Godric: Crist and Sainte Marie“ (Sumer is icumen in (Chants médiévaux anglais))
8. Steven Drury (John Cage, composer), “Suite for Toy Piano” (In a Landscape)
9. Les Violons du Roy (J. S. Bach, composer), “Sinfonia” from the Peasant Cantata, BWV 212 (Bach: Secular Cantatas)
10. Theatre of Voices/Paul Hillier, “Sangilio (Organ Solo)” (Hoquetus)

A big day indeed: it’s finally sunny (cause for celebration in and of itself), it’ Friday, it’s the end of the quarter, and we’re about halfway through the year. Our company shipped some major products this week, though for various reasons the press release won’t be out until the second week of July. And I have some other news that will have to wait until Monday, for various reasons.

In the meantime, it’s a good sort of day to sit down and shuffle through the iPod and see what comes up:

1. Bob Dylan, “Hurricane,” (Desire)
2. TartanPodcast, “Sleepy Sunday Show #10”
3. Moby, “Memory Gospel,” (Play: The B Sides)
4. Eva Cassidy, “Songbird,” (Eva By Heart)
5. M. Ward, “Oh Take Me Back,” (Transistor Radio)
6. Neko Case, “Knock Loud” (Fields and Streams compilation)
7. Robert Shaw Festival Singers (Arnold Schoenberg, composer), “Friede auf Erden (Peace on Earth), Op. 13” (Evocation of the Spirit)
8. John Coltrane, “Blue Trane (alternate take),” (Blue Trane)
9. Clem Snide, “Moment In The Sun” (The Ghost of Fashion)
10. The Stills, “Love and Death” (Logic Will Break Your Heart)

I think Last.fm wants to be for music what LibraryThing is for books. Because it’s track and playcount focused, it’s a different experience. But I think if it could give me a similarity list for the contents of my library, it would probably turn up my Seattle friend Tom Harpel, on the basis of his recent Favorite Records list. Thanks for the listening suggestions—I’ll have to check the thirteen albums on the list that aren’t already in my library.

I can honestly say I’ve never been so glad to get to the end of a week as I am today. Of course it’s not over; I have a stack of calls and meetings this afternoon. But as I look at the window in my new office at work I can already feel my blood pressure dropping. Bring it on, rainy weekend! I pwn j00z!

1. Mitch Hedberg, “Candy Bars” (Mitch All Together)
2. Beth Orton, “Absinthe” (Comfort of Strangers)
3. They Might Be Giants, “Narrow Your Eyes” (Apollo 18)
4. Brodsky Quartet (George Crumb, composer), “Black Angels I: Absence: Threnody II. Black Angels (Tutti)” (Death and the Maiden)
5. Choir of Trinity College, “Gloria sei dir. v. 3” (In Dulci Jubilo)
6. Charlie Haden and Pat Metheny, “Message to a Friend” (Beyond the Missouri Sky)
7. Luscious Jackson, “Under Your Skin” (Fever In Fever Out)
8. Sufjan Stevens, “Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois” (Illinoise)
9. The Velvet Underground, “White Light/White Heat” (White Light/White Heat)
10. The MDH Band, “Satellite of Love (reprise)” (The Million Dollar Hotel)

Hat tip to reader Kate, the blogging intern at MASS MoCA, who commented on a recent post that unfrozen rockers Mission of Burma will be playing a gig at MassMoCA on Saturday, July 1:

Mission of Burma has an upcoming show you may want to check out. It’s at MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), Saturday July 1 at 8:00 pm. It will be outdoors in Courtyard C if the weather permits, otherwise in the Hunter Center. Tickets are $22 advance, $26 day of show.

If you’re not familiar with MASS MoCA, it’s in North Adams, in northern Berkshire County. Directions are available on our website at www.massmoca.org.

Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the box office, (413) 662-2111.

Normally I don’t really post commercial advertisements in this space, but hey, it’s Burma. Thanks to Kate for the info.

As long as I’m posting the funk today, a note about Funky16Corners, which has just moved to WordPress.com. I gave the blog a shout last year after its appearance in BoingBoing and have been a regular listener since. Now that it’s off Blogger.com and on a more stable and modern platform, maybe Larry can take it to the bridge and create a full-on Funky16 Podcast.

So I get all jazzed up about Funkadelic and what does the iPod turn out for the Friday Random 10? With two exceptions, the most unfunky collection of tracks that never moved a booty. Somewhere Sir Nose is laughing. At least Gil Scott-Heron and the Felaesque Talking Heads track are holding him at bay.

1. The Mendoza Line, “Throw It In the Fire” (Fortune)
2. Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (Evolution (And Flashback))
3. Gemma Hayes, “Day One” (Night On My Side)
4. Brodsky Quartet (Dmitri Shostakovich, composer), “String Quartet No. 12 in D flat Major: I. Moderato” (Shostakovich: String Quartets 11, 12, 13)
5. Talking Heads, “Double Groove (unfinished outtake)” (Remain in Light)
6. Paul Westerberg, “Looking Up in Heaven” (The Wired Cd)
7. Robert Shaw Chorale, “Medley: Good Christian Men, Rejoice; Silent Night; Patapan; O Come, All Ye Faithful” (A Festival of Carols)
8. Dave Brubeck Quartet, “Pick Up Sticks” (Time Out)
9. R.E.M., “What’s the Frequency, Kenneth?” (Monster)
10. My Computer, “Hole in the Road”

As if eMusic’s value proposition wasn’t already compelling (subscription prices as low as $0.22 a track, DRM-free 192bps MP3 downloads, a wide catalog of jazz, indie rock, and classical offerings), there’s now an even more compelling reason: many of the classic Funkadelic recordings on the Westbound label are now available for download from eMusic.

That includes the absolute masterpiece Maggot Brain, the fine self-titled album, the political party album America Eats Its Young, and the finest album title ever, Standing on the Verge of Getting It On, which features some really tasty Eddie Hazel guitar work as well as the stone classic “Jimmy’s Got a Little Bit of Bitch in Him.” Missing are Funkadelic’s earlier classic “Free Your Mind…And Your Ass Will Follow,” and the late “One Nation Under a Groove,” “The Electric Spanking of War Babies” and “Uncle Jam Wants You.”

There’s a lot to explore in what is there, though. Standing on the Verge and Maggot Brain alone should keep me occupied for weeks. Now if y’all will excuse me, I need to free my mind.

New at Art of the Mix: a low moon caught in your tangles. As odd as it sounds to say it about a mix with MF Doom and McLusky, it’s a mix about love. And Sleestaks.

I can’t stop grinning. This may be because I arrived home after 2 am this morning because of delays flying back from my business trip in Milwaukee and therefore am operating on a massive sleep deficit. But it may also be because of the juxtaposition of “Hey Ya!”, “Word Up” and “The Rubbers Song.” Heh.

1. Louis Armstrong, “2:19 Blues” (Louis Armstrong of New Orleans)
2. Elvis Costello, “You Turned to Me” (North)
3. Neko Case, “Knock Loud” (Canadian Amp)
4. Shannon Worrell, “Jefferson’s Lament” (The Moviegoer)
5. Neko Case, “Things That Scare Me” (Blacklisted)
6. Cameo, “Word Up” (Word Up!)
7. OutKast, “Hey Ya! (Radio Mix)” (The Way You Move/Hey Ya! [single])
8. New York Chamber Symphony, Gerard Schwarz (Richard Strauss, composer), “V. Le Trophée” (from Divertimento (after Couperin) (Schoenberg: String Quartet Concerto/Strauss: Divertimento)
9. The Postal Service, “Against All Odds” (Against All Odds [single])
10. The Pharcyde, “The Rubbers Song” (Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Blue)

After nine and a half months (!) of progress, two hard drives with a total of three-quarters of a terabyte of usable space, and over a thousand CDs, my project to rip all my CDs to losslessly compressed digital files is finished. There are other projects ahead, metadata updates (I have over two thousand tracks in my library with no year, for instance) and ripping obscure vinyl to name two. But the heavy lifting is over.

How heavy was the lifting? Heavy enough that I prepared a separate page with all the statistics and charts. But here’s the summary:

• Tracks: 13,978
• Total time: 42 days, 2 hours, 40 minutes, 51 seconds
• Disk space: 312.81 GB
• Artists: 1081
• Albums: 1029

Would I do it again, knowing what I know now about the time involved and the effort? Yes, in a heartbeat. I’m learning more about music all over again just by listening to things that I hadn’t pulled out in months, thanks to the ability to listen via shuffle (yes, life is random). Plus I can start reclaiming some space from the mass of disks that consumed a massive corner of my basement (don’t worry, they were elevated above the flood stage).

I don’t know why it took a month for me to notice, but my favorite independent rock station (outside of the one that works at in Richmond), KEXP in Seattle, started a blog last month. Like the station itself, the blog is highly eclectic, a mix of straight-ahead promotion, coverage of in-studio events, station news, MP3 blogging, and general silliness. They’re not shy about pointing to their listeners either, though I think I would have to point to this live account from the Goldfrapp in-studio appearance under any circumstances. Alison Goldfrapp made me blush, indeed.

I’ve written in this space before about Mission of Burma—both about their recent limited edition singles and the live show where I saw them open for the Pixies. I got their new release, The Obliterati, last week, which came with a limited edition concert DVD. And damned if the show they filmed wasn’t from that December 2nd show at the Tsongas Arena, opening for the Pixies.

I haven’t really had the time to absorb the show in detail yet; hell, I haven’t finished listening to The Obliterati all the way through. But I did see enough of the DVD to note that yes, the live show was just as amazing as I remember it, and yes, the crowd was about as sessile as I wrote.

It’s a heckuva present to get a memento of that memory, though. Thanks, guys.