Music Recommendations

     Today, I wanted to do a little something different with the review post.  Instead of reviewing or recommending books, I wanted to recommend a few of the Jazz, Classical and Religious recordings that I have been enjoying lately.
      As I have mentioned in the past, Jazz and Classical are my favorite types of music.  One of my very favorite Jazz records is "To Bird With Love" by clarinetist Eddie Daniels.  Every track on this recording is superb, but I especially like his version of "East of the Sun".
     I am also a big fan of Dave Frishberg.  I enjoy his vocals, but I also think he is an excellent pianist.  His CD "Dave Frishberg By Himself" gives ample opportunity to hear some fine Jazz piano.
     Last years release by Heads of State called "Search For Peace" was my choice for Jazz album of the year.  This group of Jazz veterans is in fine form.  It is another album where every track is well worth listening to over and over again.
     For those of you who aren't that familiar with Jazz, I would recommend listening to Miles Davis' recording "Kind of Blue" and Dave Brubeck's "Time Out".  Also, take the time to listen to what I think is the best Jazz recording ever -- "The Blues and the Abstract Truth" by Oliver Nelson.  This record features trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonist Eric Dolphy at their finest.

     On the Classical side, I have been listening to a lot of Ralph Vaughn Williams lately.  He, Benjamin Britten, Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky are among my very favorite composers.  There are a number of great recordings of Ralph Vaughn Williams' work on the EMI label.
     There are a number of recordings of Rachmaninoff's Symphony Number 2 and his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini that I enjoy.  Try to find the Rachmaninoff piano pieces as recorded by Phillipe Entremont.  They are excellent.
     Benjamin Britten's Simple Symphony is a nice piece.  I got to hear that piece performed live awhile back.  The orchestra did a magnificent job.

     Finally, I would heartily recommend the works of John Rutter in the religious music department.  When I was in the college choir, we performed Rutter's Requiem.  I've not really heard a Rutter piece that I did not like.  Try to find Rutter compositions performed by the Cambridge Singers.