Freedom Suite

Freedom Suite

ASIN: B000000Y45

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
By 1958 Sonny Rollins was already able to claim the jazz high road as a tireless innovator who chose to test the mainstream's boundaries. Freedom Suite made his place in the vanguard all the more stable. Rollins slimmed his ensemble down to a trio--as he had done a few months earlier on his Village Vanguard live recordings (see volume 1 or volume 2). But Rollins turned the trio to his own extended work, this CD's title suite, and his horn playing thrived under the extensions. "Freedom Suite" is a winding, episodic piece, full of stair-climb segues and solos that seemed to be collective with drummer Max Roach. And its political implications were fully externalized in the title, declaring Rollins's position on the burgeoning civil rights movement. Rollins didn't altogether give up the standards or show-tune repertoire, however, staying in the pop-music ring with Noel Coward's "Someday I'll Find You." --Andrew Bartlett

Freedom Suite,Sonny Rollins,Ojc,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite
Average customer rating:

We STILL Insist!!!

We Insist! Max Roach's Freedom Now Suite
Max Roach
Manufacturer: Candid Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Deeds, Not Words

ASIN: B00008EX7B
Release Date: 1988-01-01

Tracks:

Driva'Man
Freedom Day
Triptych: Prayer-Protest-Peace
All Africa
Tears For Johannesburg

Customer Reviews:

We STILL Insist!!!.......2007-02-14

This little known gem is probably the most potent recording to come out of the early days of the civil rights movement. It should well be known as the soundtrack to the movement. Mr. Roach delivers a beautiful musical journey through the African American experience in 5 parts.

Track 1 Driva' Man -Our story begins on the plantation with Driva'Man. Abbey Lincoln provides a wonderfully piercing vocal that reveals the disdain of being a victim of Driva'Man,the overseers'/slavemasters' brutality. The percussive slaps, done to mimic the sound of a whip, accents her vocals. Coleman Hawkins, the great tenor saxophonist delivers a great solo on this track.

Track 2 Freedom Day -The estatic feeling of joy and disbelief is felt as Ms. Lincoln's voice floats aimlessly as Max Roach & the rhythm section accelarates to speeds that depicts overjoyed Africans running to spread the news of freedom.

Track 3 Triptych: Prayer, Protest, Peace - This is the centerpiece of the recording and still the most moving. Max Roach plays the drums and Abby Lincoln provides the vocals. It is sectioned into 3 parts. The first, prayer, is a hymn-like humming over a sort of drum roll; the second part, protest, bursts from the quietness of the first part with chaotic drumming, and the screaming voice of Ms. Lincoln. Her voice depicts the anger, frustration, and fury of a people who constantly have to struggle for basic human rights in a so called "free" society. Part 3 is a return to calmness, Ms. Lincoln sings & hums as though she is exhausted but healed and it evolves to a singing that has a more freer sound while Max Roach carries throughout with his excellent drumming.This song in itself is a journey. It is a wonderful testament to the power of music as a communicating language, not just something to dance to.

Track 4 All Africa, in my opinion is the door that opens after the baptism of Triptych. It is a return to home, so to speak. As Mr. Roach and the band is joined by OLANTUNJI, the great Africa drummer, Abbey sings the history of the drumbeat, then commences to do a role call of all the African nations from the Bantu to the Watusi before the drummers go into some serious African rhythms.

Track 5 Tears for Johannesburg picks up where the African drumming stops with a hypnotic bass line that sets up a polyrhythmic, multi-tempo tune that once again Ms. Lincoln beautifully floats over wordlessly humming a melody that gives the feeling of redemption even though it is a lament for the brothers and sisters in Johannesburg, S. Africa.

This is a recording that should be remembered as a potent piece of history in relationship to the civil righs movement era. It is probably not as well known because after it was recorded and released, Max Roach was blacklisted and the recording eventually went out of print, in which is still is today. It took me forever to find a copy 2 years ago, now it's here on amazon; Get it before it disappears again!

Average customer rating:

One of the best
An Orchestral Extravaganza
Exquisite!
Guilty pleasure
Rutter... without words

Distant Land: The Orchestra Collection

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000D9YAE
Release Date: 2004-01-13

Tracks:

Distant Land
What Sweeter Music
Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
Candlelight
Lord, Make Me An Instrument Of Thy Peace
The Lord Bless You And Keep You
A-Roving
I Have A Bonnet Trimmed With Blue
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Third Movement: Can't Buy Me Love/The Long And Winding Road

Customer Reviews:

One of the best.......2007-01-09

I was thoroughly pleased with this purchase. One of the best CD's in my collection. Very soothing to listen to. I was never a great Beatles fan, but listening to this rendition of their works was extemely pleasing.
I highly recomend it.
Dan Barber

An Orchestral Extravaganza.......2006-07-03

John Rutter is one of today's leading composers and arrangers of music for chorus and orchestra. Some of his best works are featured in this instrumental album played with a lush flavor. But the highlight is a concerto arrangement of top Beatle's songs played in a symphonic mode featuring two pianos. You have the feel of the great master composers and the fun of listening to an unbelievable transition from rock to classical. Eleanor Rigby, Hey Jude, and Can't Buy Me Love sound like they're straight from Carnegie Hall Steinways. A most unusual and beautiful instrumental album.

Exquisite!.......2005-11-30

Ever since I heard the Beatles Concerto being used to help raise money on our local NPR station, I had to have Distant Land. Needless to say, I coudn't get the Orlando NPR people to give me any help, wouldn't answer my eMail requests for the source, so it took some searching to add the disc to my collection.
It's like Sterling on Siver.............CTP

Guilty pleasure.......2005-08-21

I have sung many of Rutter's choral works and arrangements, but I never knew that he had done orchestral works until I heard the Beatles Concerto on the radio. I had to have this album, and I was not disappointed. Distant Land is inspiring, the other works are very pleasurable, and as an old baby boomer Beatles fan, I just love to sing along with the concerto, even if he did steal shamelessly from Chopin and Rachmaninof for some of the piano interludes. I have searched for a copy of the score, but I can't yet find it.

Rutter... without words.......2005-08-05

Beautiful instrumental setting. Distant Land (the first track) is surely the highlight of the album. The Five Meditations are also very pleasant to listen to. The suite for strings is great to if you like a little bit of "Modern influence". The Suite Antique is fun but sometimes it sounds "awkward" as the "baroque style" instrumentation and the "contemporary" musical themes clash from time to time. The Beatles Cto is a curiosity. Great if you like to collect all these type of Beatles arrangements (baroque style, classical style, string quartet settings, etc.)

Average customer rating:

Kunzel does it yet again!
Movie Music
More than Beautiful!!
This is the one you should own
You'll never get tired of this!

Beautiful Hollywood
Erich Kunzel , and Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Manufacturer: Telarc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000003D24
Release Date: 1997-09-23

Tracks:

Feather Theme From Forest Gump
Main Theme From A River Runs Through It
Robert and Mary From Rob Roy
'We Meet Again' From Jerry McGuire
The Ludlows From Legends Of The Fall - Paul Patterson
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Customer Reviews:

Kunzel does it yet again!.......2004-11-23

Kunzel & The Cincinnati Pops do a great job everytime, and this is no exception. I'm telling you, if you ever thought that purely intrumental/orchestral was unattractive, this will change your mind. Never a disappointment!

Movie Music.......2002-12-12

If you love that music from all those movies you've seen, then this is the CD you want! It is fantastic!! I want more!! I hope Erich Kunzel will come out with some music from older movies and maybe some TV programs. Listening to his music is better than watching the movie.

More than Beautiful!!.......2002-12-11

This is the absolute best CD they ever put together! And that is saying a lot as we are very picky about what music we like. This is the kind of music that makes you 'feel' deeply. It encourages you to dream big and love living! Forget the grooves, drums and bangs and listen to something incredibly beatiful! You won't be sorry for the money invested in this one bit of sanity in such a hectic world.

This is the one you should own.......2002-10-27

If you are looking for just one solid collection of memorable movie themes, this is it. Other CDs mix marches and fanfares with quieter tracks, which makes for a jarring listening experience at times. This CD, however, has a consistent feel all the way through. Melodic, calming, and, best of all, interesting. These movie tracks weren't selected simply for their sound, but also because they are GOOD. You get the best of the best: James Horner, Alan Silvestri, Jerry Goldsmith, John Williams, Ennio Morricone, and Randy Edelman.

You'll never get tired of this!.......2001-05-30

This CD is absolutely one of the best of Eric Kunzel! I have a passion for movie scores/soundtracks and i must say he did a really good job on this. Listen to this and close your eyes and you'll find yourself immersed in the movies from which the music was taken from. I had my friends listen to this and they all got copy or will get a copy. If you're into this kind of music, believe me you'll keep on playing it, again and again.

Average customer rating:

4 1/2 A Musical Analysis: Superb Improv within Basically COnventional Structures
One of the best.
Forward Thinking Hard Bop Par Exellence!
Essential
Another Rollins' classic

Freedom Suite
Sonny Rollins
Manufacturer: Ojc
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000000Y45
Release Date: 1991-07-01

Tracks:

The Freedom Suite
Someday I'll Find You
Will You Still Be Mine?
Till There Was You (take 4)
Till There Was You (take 3)
Shadow Waltz

Amazon.com

By 1958 Sonny Rollins was already able to claim the jazz high road as a tireless innovator who chose to test the mainstream's boundaries. Freedom Suite made his place in the vanguard all the more stable. Rollins slimmed his ensemble down to a trio--as he had done a few months earlier on his Village Vanguard live recordings (see volume 1 or volume 2). But Rollins turned the trio to his own extended work, this CD's title suite, and his horn playing thrived under the extensions. "Freedom Suite" is a winding, episodic piece, full of stair-climb segues and solos that seemed to be collective with drummer Max Roach. And its political implications were fully externalized in the title, declaring Rollins's position on the burgeoning civil rights movement. Rollins didn't altogether give up the standards or show-tune repertoire, however, staying in the pop-music ring with Noel Coward's "Someday I'll Find You." --Andrew Bartlett

Customer Reviews:

4 1/2 A Musical Analysis: Superb Improv within Basically COnventional Structures.......2007-01-24

Perhaps as well-known for its political implications/reflections as it is for its music, "Freedom Suite" is probably the first attempt by a hard bopper at the "long from" --extended improvisation lasting more than the usual 3-5 minutes. In my opinion, the master (other than the semi-classical aesthetic of Ellington, who frequently used terms such as "Suite" and "Concerto"), the master of the form is composer/bassist Charles Mingus. In contrast to these two giants, Rollins works within a trio format, thus presenting a heavier burden on each musician. Fortunately, ROllins' trio has three greats, Rollins, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Max Roach on drums. Bottom line: This is an excellent, although not "essential" (whatever that vague term means) album that's worth your time and money if you're a fan of Rollins, post-bop, the long-form, or generally consider yourself a jazz fan. What follows are more extended notes on the cuts, especially the 19-minute "Freedom Suite."

The first movement of "Freedom Suite" (19 minutes, 17 seconds) begins with a simple, fairly light riff, with drums and bass filling in between restatements. Then Sonny Rollins improvises against the riff's rhythm and harmonies--one can still hear the basic melodic structure as well. Rollins fluid sound contrasts in an interesting way with the sharply percussive, punctuated rhythm section. As is frequently the case, the improvisations move further from the basic theme, but he still makes this center a home. Bassist Petitford has an excellent, nimble solo, and then Rollins plays, this time sounding more like the rhythm section, with shorter bursts of sound introducing an exciting yet economical Max Roach solo. IN short, the first movement is fairly conventional structurally and sonically, it seems like a warm-up.

We're soon treated to a different theme, somewhat more anguished and blues-based, with superb bowed bass backing Rollins thoughtful flights and bursts. He changes tempo suddenly, and the anguish is both softer and more sullen, more thoughtful. The tone is very satisfying, neither overly dry, nor so rich that it would overshadow the emotional impact. Rollins melody and tempo conveys both bitter feelings and a sort of yearning/quiet hope. Much of it is beautiful.

The third movement has a curious energy, with the band prowling around some mysterious territory, searching, stopping, then taking off in a different direction altogether. It feels like a trapped tiger running quickly through a labyrinth, speeding and altering course. It's a very short but effective section. The final section is much more hard-boppish, propelled nicely by the tight rhythm of Roach and Petitford, with several energetic long lines by Rollins. The three band members take memorable turns, complementing each other superbly. The mood does suggest a measure of increased freedom, a breakout, with the ultimate outcome unknown In a final, elegant, statement, Rollins seems to suggest the dignity of his dream.

Things are understandably more casual on "Someday I'll Find You," (4:35) with Rollins sounding somewhat dryer (although not even approaching Jackie McLean's tone). It's most notable for the tight playing and hard bop aesthetic, and some excellent, varied drumming patterns from Max Roach. They return to the melody in the final 45 seconds or so. "Will You Be Mine" is somewhat in the same vein, with a Mingus-like conclusion. There are two versions of the lovely "Till There Was You," fans and musicologists will note that these are Take 4 (4:54) and Take 3 (4 :55). Both are slow, with Rollins playing some interesting solo breaks. I found Take 3 more satisfying, Rollins blowing a smooth, very confident sound against a "cooler" bass and drums. The tones are somewhat rounder, and the more subtle background gives Rollins' statement a clearer voice. The final cut show Rollins in a more contemplative mood, with a fine, rich Petitford solo, out of which Rollins voices snippets of sound, like fragments of some larger riff. Then, as if often the case here, he concludes on a mellow tone.

Although Rollins doesn't master the much vaunted "long form" as well as Mingus, Freedom Suite (the composition, not the album), conveys emotion, and shows improvisorial abandon within its structure. That structure is a little too constrained, although that may be due partially to the 3-piece band (as opposed to the nonets, etc., employed by Mingus). Although Rollins, at this early, stlll primarily post-bop stage, doesn't take the chances that Mingus did, his probing, exploring sounds and expression are mostly compelling, and the band is superb. Recommmended.

One of the best........2006-08-31

Great two sessions from early 1958 with perfect production by great Orrin Keepnews. From his artistic peak with his legendary trio. With Till There Was You which plays Beatles some years after and great The Freedom Suite I feel like the band is playing in my room. Must for every jazz fans.

Forward Thinking Hard Bop Par Exellence!.......2004-03-24

Something was definitely in the air in the late 50s. Though the dominant musical style in jazz was hard bop, with its bluesy amalgam of bop phrasing and 30s swing styles, many instrumentalists seemed poised to break into new territory. Coltrane was developing his complex harmonic practices in his work with the Davis Quintet and on his first solo albums. Monk was developing his quirky style into something that didn't quite fit into the prevailing bop style. Cecil Taylor had already recorded his first ground-breaking albums. In this list of "proto free jazz" classics one name often gets forgotten, that of Sonny Rollins. Perhaps it's because Rollins' music was still so tied to standards and bop phrasing, and it doesn't sound "out" the way many of the others do. But Rollins' musical concept is at least as far reaching as any developed in the late 50s, and this album is testimony to that fact.

The Freedom Suite is an example of Rollins' pioneering work in the saxophone trio genre, a genre that he was one of the first to develop. Backed by an outstanding rhythm section of underrated bassist Oscar Pettiford and the brilliant Max Roach, Rollins' "pianoless" group paved the way for the sax power trios of Ornette Coleman, Sam Rivers and Albert Ayler in the 60s. Lacking the harmonic straightjacket that a chordal instrument lays over jazz, this setting allows Rollins free reign to create his astonishing improvisations. Whether using reworked standards like Till There Was You, or Will You Still Be Mine, or his ambitious, multi-movement Freedom Suite, Rollins the improviser dominates the disc. And his profoundly logical, deeply structured and yet infectious bop phrases never disappoint.

Most impressive on the disc is the title cut. The Freedom Suite is a nearly 20 minute work, based on several jazz heads cut and arranged with overall form in mind. The compositions themselves are deftly written and catchy...but they also exhibit an underlying unity. They form a backdrop over which Rollins can unfold his unique approach to improvisation. Rather than following the boppers into greater and greater harmonic abstraction, Rollins takes a melodic approach, one that is amazingly logical and yet emotionally satisfying. Though the work is certainly not free jazz, there is a sense in which Rollins, Pettiford and Roach play the melody of the tune rather than the harmony. Though there are changes that are kept throughout the improvisations, the structuring devices are melodic and related to the compositions. In many ways, this is the most radical aspect of Rollins' work of the 50s. It leads directly to the innovations of the Coleman groups just a year later. In fact listening to The Freedom Suite and then one of Coleman's Trio discs like the Golden Circle sessions helps to show how experimental Rollins was at this time...and how rooted in tradition Coleman is. It is but a short jump from one to the other.

But this album is not only historically important...it cooks as well. Roach is as inventive a drummer as there is, and his playing here is some of the best work he's done. Most of Rollin's improvisations are in reality duo improvs with drums. There are few drummers who are as tasteful, forceful and musical as Roach. Pettiford is a wonder here. He is an able foil to Rollins both melodically and harmonically. His walking lines are inventive, strain the harmonic structure sometimes, but never break it. His duo with Rollins on Till There Was You is remarkable. This is some of the best, and most joyous playing of the hard bop era. It's a classic album and one that every jazz fan should own.

Essential.......2000-12-28

This record is easily in the top five in my collection, and quite possibly one of the greatest jazz recordings ever by three of the greatest players on their individual instruments. Usually on a record there are some songs I'll like more than others, but 0on this one they are all brilliant in their own way. If you like Sonny, Roach, or Chambers, this is a must.

Another Rollins' classic.......2000-12-04

Sonny Rollins leads a trio including his tenor, Max Roach on drums, and Oscar Pettiford's bass for this inspired session from 1958. Dominating this cd in time and musical achievement is the title track "The Freedom Suite". In his liner notes jazz critic Orrin Keepnews describes this extended piece as "In one sense... the reference (of freedom) is to the musical freedom of this unusual combination of composition and improvisation; in another it is to physical and moral freedom, to the presence and absence of it in Sonny's own life and in the way of life of other Americans..." This is a truly ambitious and inspired work, whatever feelings may have been driving the men behind it. The Freedom Suite is comprised of several movements, flowing from intense and driving to soft and sombre, then back again. Clocking in at nearly twenty minutes this performance is made even more impressive by how Rollins, Roach, and Pettiford keep the music even and never bog down or produce a throwaway lick. This is another classic from an intensly creative period of Sonny's career, and could easily be one of the best of all time. The final five tracks are more conventional fair, but the trio keeps up the pace. While not as striking as the title track these two standards and two waltzs still offer inspired performances. Rollins really digs into a laid back duet with Pettiford on two takes of "'Till There Was You", and almost recalls Lester Young on "Shadow Waltz". Every album Rollins cut between 1951 and his first retirement in 1959 is worth getting including this one. "The Freedom Suite" is one of those pieces of music that requires mulitple listenings to fully digest, and rewards the effort tenfold. Highly recommended.

Average customer rating:

Wonderful Piece of Americana
A Great Recording of Great Choral Works
One of my favorite CD's
Disappointing

Testament
Leonard Bernstein , Aaron Copland , Howard Hanson , Ronald A. Nelson , Randall Thompson , Dallas Wind Symphony , and Turtle Creek Chorale
Manufacturer: Reference Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Thompson: Frostiana; Testament of Freedom
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ASIN: B000001595
Release Date: 1993-03-09

Tracks:

Behold Man
Song of Democracy
The Pasture (Frostiana)
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening (Frostiana)
Allelujah
The Promise of Living (The Tender Land)
Simple Gifts
Make Our Garden Grow
The Testament Of Freedom: The God Who Gave Us Life
The Testament Of Freedom: We Have Counted The Cost
The Testament Of Freedom: We Fight Not For Glory
The Testament Of Freedom: I Shall Not Die Without A Hope

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful Piece of Americana.......2007-01-27

I bought, and was very disappointed in, the New York Choral Society's recording of "Testament of Freedom" a couple of years ago. The diction was indisctinct, the voices were overpowered by the instruments, and the sound in general left a lot to be desired. I was delighted when I accidentally stumbled on this CD and found out that "Testament of Freedom" was included.

The Turtle Creek Chorale does an excellent job with the title piece. The vocal sound of the group is wonderfully rich, and the balance between the instruments and voices is about as good as you can get with a piece that calls for such a large instrumental ensemble. Plus, I prefer the men's choir arrangement of "Testament," largely because I remember singing it for Region Choir auditions over 10 years ago. My only complaint is that in some parts of "We Have Counted the Cost," it's hard to understand the words if you don't already know them; same thing with "We Fight Not For Glory." But these are minor quibbles.

"Testament" is a must-own CD for any American music lover, as it feautures the work of a criminally-underperformed composer. It's worth buying for the performance "Testament of Freedom" alone, although all the tracks are excellent, particularly the "Alleluia". 5 out of 5.

A Great Recording of Great Choral Works.......2006-01-02

I had to write this review because it is a crime that this wonderful CD has a ho-hum overall rating just because one of the two previous reviewers didn't bother to find out what it was before he ordered. Yes, Amazon had it mislabled (it's better now, but still misleading by putting Bernstein's name first), but I had no trouble figuring out that it was a men's ensemble. In fact, that's the primary reason I chose this CD.

The feature work on this CD is the "Testament of Freedom" by Randall Thompson. For this work, Mr. Thompson chose to set various writings of Thomas Jefferson to music. In doing so, he has helped preserve these sometimes forgotten texts and at the same time, demonstrated why he is one of America's best loved choral composers. Unfortunately, there are not many recordings of this work, and many of those you'll find are sung by mixed choirs. This work was intended for, and sounds best when sung by, a men's chorus. That alone sets this CD apart.

The biggest weakness of this recording is the balance between the wind ensemble and the chorus. In the forte sections, the chorus gets drowned out a bit. That's always a danger in master works, particularly when you pit voices against winds. However, I found this to be a minor flaw and have heard much worse examples.

I recommend this CD for all who love choral music and particularly for those who have yet to experience the music of Randall Thompson. It is also interesting to note that the words of Thomas Jefferson, written so long ago, still ring true in these trying times (especially the third and fourth passages).

(The following acquired from http://www.turtlecreek.org/music/linerpages/testament.htm)
Lyrics:

The Testament of Freedom
Text: Thomas Jefferson

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

---A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774)

We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive them from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail heredity bondage upon them. Our cause is just. Our union perfect. Our internal resources are great...We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favor towards us, that His Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength, and been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers which we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves.

---Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (1775)

We fight not for glory or for conquest. We exhibit to mankind the remarkable spectacle of a people attacked by unprovoked enemies, without any imputation or even suspicion of offense. They boast of their privilege and civilization, and yet proffer no milder conditions than servitude or death. In our native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright and which we ever enjoyed until the late violation of it; for the protection of our property, acquired by the honest industry of our forefathers and ourselves; against violence actually offered; we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.

---Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (1775)

I shall not die without hope that light and liberty are on steady advance... And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them... The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them.

---Letter to John Adams, Monticello (1821)

One of my favorite CD's.......2005-08-10

The actual title of this CD is Testament, and the principle performing group is the Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale. I am perplexed by Amazon's listing this magnificent recording under a generic descriptive title and then naming the accompanying Dallas Wind Symphony as the only "performer." Someone must have been asleep at the wheel.

Now to the recording itself -- I love choral music, and am especially drawn to male voices. I even enjoy hearing all-male college glee clubs singing their boisterous drinking songs. What a joy then to happen upon this recording which features strong, well trained voices in addition to exquisite pieces of music, some of which are among my favorites. The highlight of the CD for me is Randall Thompson's, "Testament of Freedom." The CD is worth its price just for this one 24-minute jewel. The rest is like tasty icing on a cake.

Disappointing.......2002-02-20

I was disappointed with this album. First, it did not notice that the Turtle Creek Chorale is an all male ensemble. ... Secondly, the quality of the recording is poor. The sound is muddy and lacks brightness. I had to turn my stereo way up just to hear it. The orchestra sounds great, but the mix of the voices is very poor. I definately do not recommend.

Average customer rating:

Freedom Suite
Rascals
Manufacturer: Collector's Choice
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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See
Search and Nearness
Once Upon a Dream
Collections
Groovin'

ASIN: B000OYC1P4
Release Date: 2007-08-28

Tracks:

America the Beautiful
Me And My Friends
Any Dance'll Do
Look Around
Ray Of Hope
Island Of Love
Of Course
Love Was So Easy To Give
People Got To Be Free
Baby I'm Blue
Heaven
Adrian's Birthday
Boom
Cute

Average customer rating:

Forerunner to Sky

The Essential Collection

Manufacturer: Metro Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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The Essential John Williams
The Ultimate Guitar Collection
Classic Williams: Romance of the Guitar
Essential Guitar: 33 Guitar Masterpieces

ASIN: B0009S2GNM
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Tracks:

Romanza
Theme From Z
El Tuno
Dance Of The Living
Portrait
Lisa Larne
Wave
Feelings
Duet For Guitar And Koto
Dance Of The Emperor's Clouds
The River God
All At Sea Minor
Lorelei
JSB
Travelling
Horizon
Vacatina
A Derrin Dhu

Tracks:

Air On A G String
Because
Sarabande
Bach Changes
The Height Below
Raga Vilasakhani Todi
Nuages
Woodstock
If
Sans Souci
Cavatina
Dance Of The Dead
New Sun Rising
Pomegranite
Spanish Trip
Sambalaya
Good Morning Freedom
From The Top

Customer Reviews:

Forerunner to Sky.......2006-02-23

This CD is really a compilation of the 3 "experimental" albums John Williams did before his venture with the Prog Rock group Sky. So if you are a classical purist then you might not like this CD. Otherwise, it's a rare combination of songs from "Changes", "The Height Below", and "Travelling" - the 3 albums that eventually led to Sky. Also, a few songs from his work with Cleo Laine are thrown in.

The overall style of this CD is like a soundtrack (such as the music from "The Deer Hunter"). But it still features great guitar work as well (several from Bach). Williams' playing is clean and crisp - whether he is playing a straight classical piece or doing an accompanyment. You will see he is accomplished in both roles with this CD. Classical purists might consider this "light weight" but the rest of us call it accessable and interesting.

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Morton Gould Conducts

Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B000007NHG
Release Date: 1998-05-26

Tracks:

Sym On Marching Tunes-Quickstep
Fall River Legend-Cotillion
Phil Waltzes Latin-American Symphonette
Phil Waltzes Latin-American Symphonette: Rhumba
Phil Waltzes Latin-American Symphonette: Tango
Phil Waltzes Latin-American Symphonette: Guaracha
Phil Waltzes Latin-American Symphonette: Conga
Festive Music: Fanfare
Festive Music: Interlude
Festive Music: Dance
Estancia Ballet-Ste: The Land Workers
Estancia Ballet-Ste: Wheat Dance
Estancia Ballet-Ste: The Cattlemen
Estancia Ballet-Ste: Final Dance-Malambo
Fanfare For Freedom
Windjammer-Main Title

Average customer rating:

GREAT BUY!

Crossing the Line

Manufacturer: Summit(Classical)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

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Swing Low Sweet Clarinet
Five Seasons
Beautiful Love
Mean What You Say
French Portraits

ASIN: B0002T2PZC
Release Date: 2004-09-07

Tracks:

Il Convegno, Divertimento For Two Clarinets And String Quintet
Noodle 1: Jumping In
Original Duos: Allegro
Original Duos: Andante Grazioso
Original Duos: Variazioni
Original Duos: Rondo
Noodle 2 'Freedom'
The Leblanc Suite: With Humor
The Leblanc Suite: Ballad
The Leblanc Suite: Ragtime
Noodle 3 'Loosey Goosey'
Sonata: For Two Flutes: MVT. II -Cantabile
Jazz Fantasy: For Two Clarinets: Slow
Jazz Fantasy: For Two Clarinets: Moderate
Jazz Fantasy: For Two Clarinets: Slow
Jazz Fantasy: For Two Clarinets: Fast
Jazz Fantasy: For Two Clarinets: Slow
Noodle 4: 'Blue Noodle'
Hallucinations
We Will Meet Again
Blue Monk
Andre De Sapato Novo

Album Description

Crossing The Line is a labor of love. It's about two guys having fun, adding totally free improvistions between several selections. Larry Combs and Eddie Daniels are legendary masters of their craft. Combs, aside from being one of the best orchestral clarinetists in the world, is a fine jazz player. He played with Chuck Mangione before joining the Chicago Symphony.

From "Ponchielli," (featuring the Chicago String Quintet) and the Pleyel duets to Gordon Goodwin's "Leblanc Suite" and William O. Smith's "Jazz Fantasy" this is a serious musical joyride!

Customer Reviews:

GREAT BUY!.......2005-06-24

I recently met Eddie Daniels and Larry Combs at the Oklahoma University Clarinet Symposium and WOW! They are both amazing characters at what they do. First off, Larry Combs is a classical clarinetist who has been Principle Clarinet in the Chicago Symphony since the early 70's. Eddie Daneils is a Jazz Clarinet player, but yet he still plays classical just as well as Larry Combs. Well, Larry and Eddie met eachother at a Clarinet Convention MANY years ago, and since then they have been great friends. These people are LEGENDARY! They will be in the clarinet recording archives probably until the day I die, which will be a looong time. This album is worth the the money, I suggest it for anyone who is a fan of EITHER or BOTH of these fabulous clarinetists. The Duos by Ignaz Pleytel are phenominol! They are beautiful! And whats even funnier is they play noodles, which is unedited made up on the spot music, which makes the whole experience even more interesting because they just follow each other with whatever they can come up with on the spot. Buy this album if you are a clarinetist, you won't regret it!

Average customer rating:

I keep coming back to this one...
Fresh take on a classic.
As Astounding as the Rollins Original

Freedom Suite
David S Ware
Manufacturer: Aum Fidelity
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

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Corridors & Parallels
Wisdom of Uncertainty
Threads
Live in the World
Flight of I

ASIN: B00006JNF4
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Tracks:

Track 1
Track 2
Track 3
Track 4

Customer Reviews:

I keep coming back to this one..........2005-06-25

I know nothing of the original, and bought this only because I read several good reviews and my local record store had it. The first few minutes I thought oh no, what have I bought, more screeching noise. But into part two it really came together; this is on the first listen. Now that I know the piece well, even the "screeching" in the first part are just fine; very powerful sounds indeed. And the piece as a whole is extremely satisfying. I'm probably not the only one who is compelled to compare this against A Love Supreme. I actually enjoy this every bit as much. Folks say there was no piano in the original, which is hard for me to imagine. The piano is fabulous and adds so much. This whole work from beginning to end remains a huge treat for me every time I hear it.

Fresh take on a classic........2004-05-16

Covering standards is standard operating procedure in jazz circles. Covering entire albums, on the other hand, is a conceptual feat attempted by very few. Re-interpreting an entire suite though, doubling it in length and adding additional instrumentation to it, all the while holding true to the spirit of the original is yet rarer still. But this is exactly what saxophonist David S. Ware and his powerhouse quartet have pulled off with their re-imagining of Sonny Rollins' seminal Freedom Suite.

Rollins' 1958 suite was originally broken into four sections and played by a stripped down trio of sax, bass and drums. Ware has inserted free improvisational segues between these sections and augmented the classic trio lineup with pianist Matthew Shipp. It is a brave and interesting move. Anyone aware of Ware's background knows that Rollins took him under his wing when he was young and was one of his earliest and most influential teachers. This album can be interpreted as Ware's way of coming full circle with his influences.

The David S. Ware quartet has been regarded as one of the most fearsome and unbridled free-jazz working groups to come around in the past dozen years or so. But Ware has always had a place for the classic jazz tradition in his music. It's when he melds those traditions that his approach seems most radical, and so it is with this album. Here Rollins' structures are used merely as jumping off points for the quartet's more spirited and unfettered excursions. Working off Rollins' solid melodic structure gives Wares' recording a more accessible sound often unheard on his albums.

Where previous recordings of the David S. Ware Quartet have been more singularly focused on the tumultuous sounds of '60s free jazz best exemplified by the classic works of late-period Coltrane and Ayler, this album finds the quartet at cross roads. To say that Ware's interpretation of Rollins' masterwork is an improvement on the original would be outright jazz blasphemy. But to say that it is one of David S. Ware's best and most accessible albums is neither hype nor hyperbole.

As Astounding as the Rollins Original.......2004-03-30

Remaking a classic disc is always a dicey prospect. Inevitably the project has the aura of a tribute album and comparisons to the original flow naturally and are usually not terribly flattering. It is particularly difficult to attempt such a project when the subject of the project is a figure of the monumental stature of Sonny Rollins and the work you are redoing is one of the most impressive and ambitious of the tenorman's works of the 50s. That David S. Ware has managed to turn in an individual performance with this material would be astounding enough. That he has created a disc that lives on its own, without needing the references to the Rollins disc is a major achievement.

Rollins' original Freedom Suite was released in 1958, at the height of the saxophonist's most creative period. The album was one of Rollins' first studio trio albums, and conspicuous for it's lack of a harmonic instrument. The way from the original Freedom Suite to the work of Ornette Coleman in the 60s was just a short jump indeed. Ware has taken the compositions from the first and most ambitious cut on the album and arranged them for his quartet, one of the finest working ensembles in free jazz today. The Rollins' heads are rethought, playing up their similarity to the compositions of Ornette Coleman and other great jazz composers of the 60s. Shipp is given material that compliments the original compositions while keeping the harmonic structure open. He is back to his best style of playing, highly intellectual and "constructivist" blocks of sound. It is a welcome return from his ill advised dabbles with electronica. Parker of course is a wonder...as always. There is no finer bass player working today. His tone is as substantial as a redwood an his musical energy fairly pulses through the speakers. The grooves that he locks down with Guillermo Brown are infectious. Brown is uniformly good, though has never to my ear reached the heights of inventiveness that Susie Ibbara brought to the group

Ware is amazing on this album. It is the complete return to form from the post-Ayler wonder that was hinted at on Corridors and Parallels and a much fiercer performance than his work on the Sony albums. Ware's tenor is gigantic in sound. He has a sharp edged tone that own not a little to Sonny Rollins, but his approach to improvising is closer to late Coltrane and Ayler. He seems to live somewhere in between the conventional western tempered scale and the pure sound of Ayler. It's a fascinating and very individual approach to the instrument and the results are always arresting and often reach the transcendent. Soon into the work you forget the references to the Rollins original and accept the album on its own terms.

The only down side of this recording is the length. Ware, Shipp and others of their circle have moved to shorter albums in recent years. I'm not sure if this is conscious or unconscious, but this album clocks in at just less than 40 minutes. This is probably understandable, given the nature of the project, which is tightly focused around the Rollins composition, yet it is noticeably short and of course, the price is not reduced accordingly. This to me is a small quibble. The music on the disc more than makes up in quality what it lacks in quantity. But the trend should be noted and probably arrested if possible. Continued short album times will do very little to build the kind of audience that Ware and his group deserve.

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