Seen from Above

Seen from Above

ASIN: B00004WK51

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin's résumé includes membership in ensembles led by Gary Burton, Santi Debriano, Danilo Perez, and big-band leaders George Gruntz and Maria Schneider. Yet his own records (Seen From Above is his second) merely allude to this multifaceted lineage and mostly bristle with energy that tumbles and roils with unpredictable rhythms. Like Michael Brecker, McCaslin gathers tenor saxophone steam with brisk, repetitive riffs and then darts and skitters with artful assurance. His quartet is rounded out with kindred spirits: guitarist Ben Monder and bassist Scott Colley have both recorded as leaders under the Arabesque imprint, and drummer Jim Black is a whimsically intrepid timekeeper best known for his work in Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio. The title cut and "Mick Gee" bustle and roam like turbocharged minisuites, flitting through dissonant avant-bop, harmonic shadings, and even some spangled funk and blues grooves with a joyful due diligence. Yet there's also the moody ballad "These Were Places," a lilting rendition of Kurt Weill's "September Song," and "Strange Pilgrim," which features McCaslin and Monder playing shivery, quivering tones that hang like an ocean fog over the steady anchor of Colley's bass line. --Britt Robson

From Jazziz
For something completely different, turn to Donny McCaslin, the 33-year-old tenor saxist who freely admits "I'm not a purist," and proves it admirably on Seen From Above (Arabesque). McCaslin's attitude has served him well so far: He's had extended stints with such similarly open-minded leaders as Gary Burton, Mike Mainieri, Maria Schneider (though he does not appear on the album discussed above), and most recently Danilo Perez. Here he leads a quartet comprising sidemen from the Downtown New York scene - guitarist Ben Monder, the versatile bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Jim Black - all of them better known than himself. McCaslin, however, leaves no doubt that he belongs in such elevated company.

The music is uniformly excellent. McCaslin's eight original compositions range from the edgy, jazz-rock opener "Manresa," to the beautifully focused ballad "These Were Palaces," to the strutting "Second Line Sally," which treads the blues-rock-roots turf owned by John Scofield. The last track - a duet with bassist Colley of the Kurt Weill standard "September Song" - gives McCaslin a chance to tap into his more traditional roots. But before long he's dissecting the chords with an arpeggiated scalpel borrowed from saxist Benny Wallace. In every case, McCaslin offers Olympian solos that combine muscular performance and artistic grace. Always a busy player, he's moved from mere facility to true exploration, giving his most flamboyant passages the ballast they once lacked.

Seen from Above,Donny McCaslin,Arabesque Recordings,Jazz,Jazz Music,Pop

As Seen from Above
Average customer rating:

A phenominal debut album

As Seen from Above
Dianogah
Manufacturer: Ohio Gold Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD
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Breaking Parole

ASIN: B000008UM7
Release Date: 1997-11-18

Customer Reviews:

A phenominal debut album.......2006-04-13

Dianogah's first record lays the groundwork for what this band is all about, two outstanding bass players and a kick ass drummer. The interplay between the two basslines is truly something to marvel at. You also get more songs with lyrics on this one than on their next two albums. Spiral Bound is one of my favorites. Everyone should listen to this band!

Average customer rating:

Donny McCaslin rocks!
A great record showcasing four talented musicians.
McCaslin sizzles

Seen from Above
Donny McCaslin
Manufacturer: Arabesque Recordings
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Give And Go
Soar
The Way Through
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Sabino

ASIN: B00004WK51
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Manresa
Seen From Above
Second Line Sally
These Were Palaces
Mick Gee
Strange Pilgrim
Going To The Territory
Frontiers
September Song

Amazon.com

Tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin's résumé includes membership in ensembles led by Gary Burton, Santi Debriano, Danilo Perez, and big-band leaders George Gruntz and Maria Schneider. Yet his own records (Seen From Above is his second) merely allude to this multifaceted lineage and mostly bristle with energy that tumbles and roils with unpredictable rhythms. Like Michael Brecker, McCaslin gathers tenor saxophone steam with brisk, repetitive riffs and then darts and skitters with artful assurance. His quartet is rounded out with kindred spirits: guitarist Ben Monder and bassist Scott Colley have both recorded as leaders under the Arabesque imprint, and drummer Jim Black is a whimsically intrepid timekeeper best known for his work in Dave Douglas's Tiny Bell Trio. The title cut and "Mick Gee" bustle and roam like turbocharged minisuites, flitting through dissonant avant-bop, harmonic shadings, and even some spangled funk and blues grooves with a joyful due diligence. Yet there's also the moody ballad "These Were Places," a lilting rendition of Kurt Weill's "September Song," and "Strange Pilgrim," which features McCaslin and Monder playing shivery, quivering tones that hang like an ocean fog over the steady anchor of Colley's bass line. --Britt Robson

Customer Reviews:

Donny McCaslin rocks!.......2002-09-29

You've heard him on Dave Binney's records (Lost Tribe, Lan Xang, Dave Binney), but here he is doing his own thing, with his own group of musicians. Donny is an incredibly skilled tenor saxophonist with a wealth of technical prowess and creativity. The teaming up of Donny with Ben Monder (check out the first solo on the record), Scott Colley (one of NYC's hottest bassists for progressive jazz), and Jim Black expresses a powerful blend of hard-hitting rock sonorities with the rhythmic and melodic language inherent in the jazz tradition. Well done!

A great record showcasing four talented musicians........2000-11-15

Donny McCaslin [tenor saxophone] is joined here by Ben Monder [guitar], Scott Colley [bass], and Jim Black [drums]. The disc is comprised of eight McCaslin originals performed by the quartet, plus a duet on "September Song" by McCaslin and Colley. The tunes tend to be characterized by simple, catchy phrases, and rely on clever rhythmic support from Colley and Black. This is an ideal setting for this quartet, as they use these foundations to leap forward with some very energetic improvisations. Particular high points are the uptempo "Second Line Sally," and the band's beautiful cohesion on the ballad, "These Were Palaces." The music is as thoughtful and articulate as one would expect from such talented musicians; at the same time, it is very engaging, and the exchanges assure the listener that these four enjoyed making this music as much as one could enjoy listening to it.

McCaslin sizzles.......2000-11-12

Donny McCaslin establishes himself as a tenor saxophone artist to be reckoned with in this release. Sizzling ensemble work, blazing runs, this is one of the best tenor led quartet outings of recent memory.

Jim Black displays why he is one of the top jazz drummers out there, guitarist Ben Monder is the perfect foil for McCaslin, ripping off lines, with distortion effects and harmonics that stand out. And Scott Colley, well he's Scott Colley, one of the finest bassists working today.

Tracks:

Song For Athene (Alleluia)
Reggel (Morning)
Dieu! Qu'il La Fait Bon Regarder
La Nuit En Mer
Bois Meurtri...
Ite Missa Est
Alleluia
Simple Gifts
How The Soul Speaks To God
Winds Of May
O Love, Be Fed With Apples While You May
The Coolin (The Fair Haired One)
Earth Seen From Above
Other Worlds Revealed
Hark, I Hear The Harps Eternal
Shenandoah - Steven Rogino
All The Things You Are
Make Our Garden Grow

Customer Reviews:

"Come with me, under my coat".......2002-12-31

"And we will drink our fill..."

These are the first two strophes of Samuel Barber's "The Coolin," one of the three songs in his choral song cycle "Reincarnations." A friend recommended that I listen to this song, someone who had fond memories of singing it but who had yet to hear a satisfactory recording of the work. Given the enthusiasm, even exuberence, that she displayed regarding the singing, I thought it important enough - and only fair - that I seek out the best possible performance of the work. So I ended up acquiring three CD's, all containing "The Coolin" (and two containing the full set of "Reincarnations" songs). Having listened now to all three, it is easy for me to state that this CD contains the hands-down winner. And to further add that the other two Barber songs in the cycle really don't measure up to this one, so the absence of them on this release is no great loss to me.

Set to a love poem by the early-20th century Irish poet James Stephens, "coolin" is a lock of hair (or "curleen") that grows on a young girl's neck, an expression seemingly equivalent to "sweetheart." Stephens goes on to say, "I sought to represent that state which is almost entirely a condition of dream wherein the passion of love has almost overreached itself and is sinking to a motionless languor." Barber's beautiful setting of the poem reflects that aim totally, and the singing of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra Chorus captures the passionate languor perfectly.

The album - billed as "a choral journey through the twentieth century" and meant to spotlight the excellence of the chorus - is interesting both in terms of what it includes and what it overlooks, in terms of choral classics. The opening track contains a truly fine performance of John Tavener's "Song for Athene" (made famous as the recessional at Princess Diana's funeral although written some years earlier upon the death of a friend of Tavener). If you want a fine performance of this particular Tavener work but are not sure whether you want an album full of his works, look no further.

There are three songs in French (by Debussy, Badings - actually a Dutchman - and Poulenc). For me, the Badings song ("La nuit en Mer," from his "Three Breton Songs" of 1948) is one of the true "sleepers" in this album, a work I'd hardly expect to run across under normal circumstances and a beautful one at that.

Needless to say, there is a lot of "Americana" here as well, including an arrangement of Aaron Copland's harmonization of the Shaker hymn "Simple Gifts" for chorus and piano, an Alice Parker setting of "Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal" and a simply drop-dead-gorgeous setting of "Shenandoah" by J. Erb (no first name provided in the notes). Two fine inclusions are a wonderful setting of Jerome Kern's "All the Things You Are" (breathtaking in its harmonic daring) and the evergreen "Make Our Garden Grow" from Bernstein's "Candide" (the album "closer").

In addition to the Tavener work, the century's end is well-represented by Allen Jay Kernis ("How the Soul Speaks to God"), Morten Lauridsen ("O Love, Be Fed With Apples While You May" from his "Mid-Winter Songs") and Conrad Susa ("Winds of May" from his "Six Joyce Songs").

This is an eclectic collection, as individual for what it does NOT include as for what it does. For example, there is not a single song by Charles Ives (who wrote well over 150 of them, many of them beautiful), or by William Schuman (another prolific songwriter). England is represented only by Tavener, and therefore there are none of the fine songs written by John Rutter and Benjamin Britten. And there is nothing to represent 20th-century Scandanavia. (For example, though Einojuhani Rautavaara is mentioned in the booklet notes and has written many fine songs, none are included here.) Nevertheless, I hardly think that choral fans will be disappointed with the selection provided (chosen, I would guess, by both the chorus itself and by its conductor, Vance George).

Vance George certainly has the proper bona fides (mentoring under both Robert Shaw and Margaret Hillis, herself a Shaw acolyte), and he has developed the San Francisco Symphony Chorus to an enviable level (as can be demonstrated by the fine support they provide for a number of orchestral/choral works conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas). Clearly, this chorus must number among the top half-dozen currently supporting major orchestras in the U.S.

The recorded sound quality is mostly excellent, although a few of the tracks don't seem to be representative of the usual Delos mastery of capturing sound in difficult acoustical environments. But, then, Davies Hall (the home of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra) is quite well-known for its tricky acoustics.

The booklet notes - by Laura Stanfield Prichard - are good for what they are. The organization of the notes follows neither the strict chronology of the works nor the actual playing order. But the notes do a reasonable job of describing the works themselves, save for any mention whatsoever of Jerome Kern or of the arranger who provided the drop-dead-gorgeous setting of "All the Things You Are."

But, despite these nitpicking minor criticisms of mine, if you are - like me - a choral junkie, you'll want this album in your collecction. For all the good reasons I've highlighted above. And most especially for Sam Barber's "The Coolin."

Bob Zeidler

Exceptional tone and quality.......2001-06-05

Symphony choruses don't often get to shine outside the spotlight of the orchestras they're associated with, but this collection shows off the high level of quality that the SF Symphony Chorus brings to all their performances. I've never heard a better recording of the Alleluia, which many choruses attempt -- but few can pull off.

Exceptional tone and quality.......2001-06-05

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CD Issue of and old favourite
Release on CD

Blessed City: Hymns from Worcester

Manufacturer: Griffin (Qualiton)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B00005KAU7
Release Date: 2001-05-29

Customer Reviews:

CD Issue of and old favourite.......2002-08-24

For those who like hymns sung by an Anglican cathedral choir with organ accompaniment, this is an excellent choice. You should be aware, however, that 17 of the items were previously available on Abbey Records LP "O Praise Ye The Lord" MVP808. The 18th item is not a hymn but a motet - "Faire is the heaven" by William Harris.

Release on CD.......2002-08-21

For those who like recordings of favourite hymns by Anglican cathedral choirs, this is an excellent recording. Prospective purchasers should be aware however that all the hymns on the record were originally released on an Abbey LP in 1979 under the title "O Praise Ye The Lord". There is one addition - the motet "Faire is the Heaven" by William Harris which brings the total listening time to 54:01.

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