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Jazz/Blues

Modern Orchestra The Knights Will Release First Album, Tour with Bela Fleck

Cutting-edge New York orchestra The Knights have been signed by Warner Classics, and their first album, "the ground beneath our feet," is due to be released Jan 26.The Knights began with brothers Eric and Colin Jacobsen, staging impromptu chamber music readings with their friends at their home while they were music students. Since then, the orchestra has risen and been hailed as “the next generation of classical music.” They have been known to play with big names in the classical and indie music scene, such as Bryce Dessner, guitarist of the band The National.The new album will explore the concerto grosso form, a Baroque form in which musical material is passed between a small group of soloists and a full orchestra. Colin characterizes the relationship between these two musical groups as a “party within a party.”Their "ground beneath our feet" will pair examples by Bach, Haydn, Stravinsky and Reich with world-premiere recordings of two collaboratively composed concertos. True to their collegial creed, the title track is a genuine group composition, collaborative from inceptions to interpretation.The CD release is timed to coincide with The Knights’s extensive, upcoming, seven-state, East Coast tour, where they will be joined by 15-time Grammy-Award-winning banjo artist Bela Fleck.
By Jaime Prisco

  • 'Glass & Blood' Will Highlight Philip Glass's Bloodiest Film Scores; Michael Riesman and Chase Spruill Perform

    Le Poisson Rouge will be presenting “Glass & Blood,” concert works from the bloodiest film scores by Philip Glass. The New York premiere of this show with include new suites from "Dracula," "Candyman" and "The Hours" for violin and piano.Michael Riesman will be on piano with Chase Spruill playing the violin. Riesman, a multi-talented composer, conductor, keyboardist and record producer, has also been the musical director of the world-renowned Philip Glass Ensemble since 1976. He has had a long-standing relationship with Philip Glass and has conducted the Oscar-nominated scores "Notes on a Scandal," "The Truman Show" and Martin Scorsese’s "Kundun."This concert comes at a perfect time, with Glass’s score for the 1992 film "Candyman" recently being released on vinyl. One Way Static announced this long-awaited vinyl pressing and started sending out a limited edition of copies to anxious fans in late October.
    By Jaime Prisco

  • Jazz Heavyweight Fred Hersch Recounts Harrowing Medical Ordeal in New DVD 'My Coma Dreams'

    For renowned jazz pianist Fred Hersch, a medical ordeal has become the topic of his new DVD "My Coma Dreams," a single actor-driven theater piece accompanied in large part by instrumental music. The disc comes out Monday, Dec. 8, in recognition of World AIDS Day.A most unfortunate medical peril, the 90-minute narrative covers the eight dreams Hersch recalled after regaining consciousness from a coma in 2008. And after he was rehabilitated, he conveyed the surreal dreamscape to his friend, librettist and composer Herschel Garfein.If you were not aware, back in June 2008 Hersch fell ill and was confined to his bath tub, where he was rushed to the hospital immediately.Once he reached St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village, he was in septic shock. The doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and organ failure, and he was induced into a coma for eight weeks.Nine months later he had made a full recovery, and by January was playing at the Village Vanguard — quite the resilient composer.
    By Ian Holubiak