A Fistful of Music

Music Newsletter for the Hiram College Library Community

September 2006

     Welcome back to campus and to a new issue of A Fistful of Music, bringing you news of all the latest additions to our continually growing collection of music CDs.  This year, we will have a particular emphasis on music created by artists from Northeast Ohio.  You should see some local favorites and, as usual, lots of music you never knew existed.  We now have over 6,000 CDs in all genres, and we'll keep adding more.  We hope you like the new format of the newsletter.  If you don't, well, too bad.

     If by any chance you are interested in record albums, we have a substantial collection of LPs housed in the Center for Educational Technology, in the lower level of the Library.  We have over 6,000 albums, mostly classical music, but with a sprinkling of other styles too.  They can be checked out, just like our CDs.  Don't have a turntable?  We have several right next to the collection, so you don't have to go very far to listen.  For a description of the music collection, see http://library.hiram.edu/Music_Collection.htm

     If you have any suggestions about what we should add to the collection, please don't hesitate to e-mail us, or write down your comments in the notebook that sits on top of the CD cabinets in the Schneider Room.  We can't promise we'll buy everything, but we'll consider even the most outrageous requests.  Any comments, questions or demands can be sent to Jeff Wanser, wanserjc@hiram.edu.

 

Pop/Rock:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments Built to Spill You in Reverse Pop B868 Y83 Latest release from this indie rock band.  Links:  Built to Spill |  AllMusicGuide The Contours The Very Best of the Contours Pop C768 V620 Underappreciated Motown group with only a couple of hits, but lots of good tunes. Links:  AMG Melissa Etheridge Brave and Crazy Pop Et36 B739 Her 2nd release, from 1989.  Links:  Etheridge  |  AllMusicGuide John Frusciante Shadows Collide with People Pop F944 Sh12 The guitarist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers has been putting out solo releases.  Here's one.  Links:  Frusciante | AllMusicGuide Gnarls Barkley St. Elsewhere Pop G531 Sa22 Rap/soul collaboration between Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo, which will tell you nothing if you don't know them already.  Links:  Gnarls  |  AllMusicGuide Gerald LeVert Private Line Pop L577 P939 Line up for some smooth contemporary soul from this Cleveland son of one of the O'Jays.  Links:  LeVert | AMG Shannon McNally Geronimo Pop M232 G319 Second CD from this alt/pop singer songwriter & anthropology major.  Links:  McNally  |  AMG Lee Oskar So Much for Love Pop Os4 So10 Former member of the group War, Oskar specializes in funky harmonica.  Links:  Oskar | AMG Michael Penn Free-For-All Pop P380 F875 Singer/songwriter's 2nd CD, from 1992.  Links:  Penn | AllMusicGuide Pere Ubu New Picnic Time Pop P413 N420 1979 experimental post-punk from this Cleveland band.  Links:  Pere Ubu |  AllMusicGuide Sir Douglas Quintet The Best of the Sir Douglas Quintet Pop Si76 B464 Fronted by Doug Sahm, this Texas band melded Tex-Mex stylings with Cajun and British invasion sounds.  Links:  Sir Douglas  |  AllMusicGuide Sleater-Kinney All Hands on the Bad One Pop Sl22 Al51 No, it's not their latest.  This one's from 2000. We can't seem to keep up.  Links:  S-K | AMG Michael Stanley American Road Pop St25 Am35 Recent release from Hiram's own rock star (Class of 1970).  Links:  Stanley  |  AllMusicGuide Suga Free The New Testament: The Truth Pop Su31 N420 2004 release by this West Coast rapper.  A social document, not for the easily offended. Links: AMG Widespread Panic Ball Pop W633 B210 2003 effort from this jam band with Southern roots.  Links:  Panic  |  AllMusicGuide

Folk/Country:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments C.J. Chenier & his Red Hot Louisiana Band Hot Rod Folk C421 H797 1990 outing from this offspring of Zydeco King Clifton Chenier.  Links:  Chenier  |  AMG Kenny Chesney When the Sun Goes Down Country C425 W574 We're a little behind on Kenny, too.  This one's from 2004.  Links:  Chesney  |  AMG Country Current Country Current Live Country C832 C832 A subgroup of the U.S. Navy Band, devoted to country music, these are selections from their 2003 concert tour.  Links:  Current Robbie Fulks Couples in Trouble Country F957 C832 Fulks is a little bit country, a little bit alt-rock, and mostly Americana.  Links:  Fulks | AMG Alan Lomax Alan Lomax: Selected Writings, 1934-1997 Folk L837 Al11 No, he doesn't sing, but there are songs on here. This CD accompanies a book of his writings about folk music. It includes field recordings and excerpts from radio shows.  Links:  Lomax Roger Martin Live: Back from the Dead Country M365 L744 1995 concert recording by this Cleveland-based country singer.  Sorry, no links. Kim Richey Glimmer Country R399 G498 She's from Dayton, but that's not why we added this CD.  She sings, too.  Links:  Richey  |  AllMusicGuide Joanne Shenandoah & Peter Kater Life Blood Folk Sh45 L626 Traditional Iroquois songs and chants put to music by Kater and sung by Shenandoah.  Links:  Shenandoah | AMG

International:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments Capercaillie To the Moon Int C171 T550 Original compositions of Celtic fusion, from 1996.  Links:  Capercaillie  |  AllMusicGuide Nico Flores y su Banda Puro Mazatlán Voy Navegando Int F663 V948 Group from the West coast of Mexico.  Links:  AllMusicGuide Remmy Ongala Songs for the Poor Man Int On3 So58 Afro-pop/Soukous star from Zaire.  This was his first internationally distributed CD, from 1990.  Links:  Ongala  |  AllMusicGuide Beto Quintanilla Libertad de Expression Int Q45 L615 Corrido king from Nuevo Leon.  Links:  Quintanilla (in Spanish)  |  AllMusicGuide Marvin Santiago Adentro Int Sa59 Ad35 High energy salsa, partly recorded at Bayamón Prison in Puerto Rico, where he resided at times.  Links:  Santiago  |  AMG Simba Wanyika Pepea Int Si42 P391 Kenyan band with rumba roots.  Links:  Simba  |  AllMusicGuide Andy Statman & David Grisman Songs of Our Fathers: Traditional Jewish Melodies Int St29 So58 Multitalented instrumentalists get together and explore their roots.  Links:  Statman  | AMG  |  Grisman  |  AMG Väsen Gront Int V442 G898 Swedish folkies with a modern twist.  Links:  Väsen  |  AMG   The Rough Guide to the Music of Scandinavia Int R755s Compilation of Scandinavian music, folk and not-so-folk.  Links:  Rough Guides  |  Scandinavian Folk Music Guide

Blues/Gospel:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments Jeannie Cheatham A Jeannie & Jimmy Cheatham Sampler Blues C410 M472 This CD accompanies Cheatham's autobiography, Meet Me with Your Black Drawers On:  My Life in Music.  She grew up in Akron. Bill Jackson Long Steel Rail Blues J132 L850 Jackson started playing blues guitar in the 1930s, but wasn't recorded until the 1960s, which is what's here.  Links:  AMG Eddie Kirkland Have Mercy Blues K635 H298 Electric blues by this Jamaican-born guitarist.  He seems to enjoy wearing turbans and other exotic headgear.  Links:  Kirkland | AMG Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe Memphis Minnie & Kansas Joe: 1929-1934 Recordings in Chronological Order, Vol. 4, 1933-34 Blues M519 M519/4 One from a series of compilations from Document Records, Minnie was both a vocalist and Delta-style guitarist.  Kansas Joe was her husband and accompanist.  Links:  Minnie  |  AllMusicGuide Omar & the Howlers Muddy Springs Road Blues Om1 M883 Two additions by this Texas blues band fronted by Omar Kent Dykes. Omar & the Howlers World Wide Open Blues Om1 W893 They seem to be more popular in Europe than the U.S.  Go where the money is.  Links:  Omar  |  AllMusicGuide Fenton Robinson Somebody Loan Me a Dime Blues R562 So52 1974 release by this Chicago blues guitarist.  Links:  Robinson | AMG

Musicals/Film Music:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments Michael Nyman The Essential Michael Nyman Band FilmMus N990 Es74 Among other things, Nyman composes film music, and did the scores for The Cook, the Thief, His Wife, & Her Lover, Prospero's Books, and other movies.  This is a compilation of material from several of his scores.  Links:  Nyman | AMG Kurt Weill Lost in the Stars Musical W429 L899 Original cast recording from 1949, based on Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country, with lyrics by Maxwell Anderson.  Links: Weill | Anderson

Jazz:

Composer/Artist Title Call # Comments Don Cherry Where is Brooklyn? Jazz C424 W574 1966 release from this avant-garde trumpeter.  Pharaoh Sanders helps out on sax.  Links:  Cherry  |  AllMusicGuide Commodores Jazz Ensemble Three Shades of Blue Jazz C737 T413 Another subgroup of the U.S. Navy Band, this one doing big band stuff.  Links: Commodores Miles Davis The Cellar Door Sessions, 1970 Jazz D295 C330 Recorded over several nights at the Cellar Door nightclub in 1970, featuring Keith Jarrett and John McLaughlin.  Links: Davis | AllMusicGuide Dave Douglas Strange Liberation Jazz D745 St81 This trumpeter got all kinds of awards in 2004 for this release.  Links:  Douglas | AllMusicGuide Andrew Hill Andrew!!! Jazz H550 An25 More avant-garde work by this pianist, from 1964.  Links:       Hill  |  AllMusicGuide Sean Jones Eternal Journey Jazz J725 Et26 Straightahead trumpet playing from this young man from Warren.  Links:  Jones | AMG Mingus Big Band Tonight at Noon... Three or Four Shades of Love Jazz M663 T614 The band continues without Mr. Mingus, who died in 1979, playing his compositions, and other stuff.  Links:  Mingus Big Band  |  AMG Evan Parker The Eleventh Hour Jazz P224 El27 Accompanied by the Electro-Acoustic Ensemble.  For the truly adventurous jazz fan. Poncho Sanchez Afro-Cuban Fantasy Jazz Sa55 Af85 Some of the best of this Latin drummer's work, from 1998.   Links:  Sanchez  |  AMG Jimmy Scott Mood Indigo Jazz Sco84 M770 2000 release from this Cleveland vocalist, who after decades, still sings in his unique, ethereal style.  Links:  Scott  |  AMG Laura Varcho Desire Jazz V422 D460 This Akron-area jazz chanteuse has put together a nice collection of standards.  You can catch her just about any week playing in the area.  Links:  Varcho  Jiggs Whigham & Gene Bertoucini Jiggs & Gene Jazz W576 J562 Perhaps more widely known in classical circles, this trombonist and guitarist got together to do a batch of jazz standards.  Yellowjackets Like a River Jazz Y38  L627 1992 release by this smooth jazz group.  Links:  Yellowj  |  AMG

Classical:

Composer Title Call # Comments Johann Sebastian Bach Easter Oratorio / Osteroratorium Clas B122 Ea77 Performed by the Motettenchor Pforzheim, &  Südwestdeutsches Kammerorchester Pforzheim, conducted by Rolf Schweizer.  Links:  Bach | Schweizer Johann Sebastian Bach Motets / Motetten Clas B122 M856 Performed by the Ensemble Vocal de Lausanne, directed by Michel Corboz.  Links:  Bach | Corboz Chris Brubeck Convergence Clas B830 C769 Three compositions by the son of Dave Brubeck, performed by the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Paul Freeman, with Frederica von Stade doing some singing, and Chirs playing bass trombone.  Links:  Brubeck  |  CZNO Jacques Du Phly Second Livre de Pièces de Clavecin Igou D926 P594 18th-century harpsichord works performed by Byron Schenkman.  Links:  Du Phly  |  Schenkman César Franck Piano Quintet in F Minor; Violin Sonata in A Igou F847 Q45 Romantic chamber works performed by the Schubert Ensemble.          Links:  Franck | Schubert Ensemble Howard Hanson Symphonic Music of Howard Hanson Clas H198 Sy68 Two suites and a symphony, performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, conducted by Erich Kunzel.  Links: Hanson | Kunzel Roy Harris Chamber Music Igou H243 C355 Three works from the 1940s, performed by the Third Angle Music Ensemble.  Links: Harris | Third Billy Joel Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano Clas J591 F217 What's he doing here?  Well, he thought he'd try his hand at serious composition, and the results are in the Romantic or Impressionistic vein.  Performed on the piano not by Mr. Joel, but by Richard Joo.  Links: Joel | Joo Mieczysław Karłowicz Orchestral Works, Vol. 2 Igou K146 Or1/2 Three works by this late Romantic composer, including his Symphony No. 7, performed by the BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda.  Links:  Karłowicz | BBC Phil. | Noseda Nicholas Lens Flamma Flamma: The Fire Requiem Clas L548 F612 Modernist requiem performed by the Belgian Radio & Television Choir, with accompanying soloists and instrumentalists, including the composer on keyboards.  Links:  Lens  James MacMillan Seven Last Words from the Cross Clas M228 Se82 The title work and two shorter pieces performed by Polyphony, & the Britten Sinfonia, conducted by Stephen Layton.  Links: MacMillan | Britten Sinfonia | Layton Felix Mendelssohn The Piano Trios Clas M522 P573 Romantic chamber works performed by the Florestan Trio.  Links:  Mendelssohn | Florestan Christopher Montgomery Callisto: An Opera-Oratorio in Three Acts Clas M766 C134 Performed by Alarm Will Sound, conducted by Clay Greenberg. This is a brand new work, first performed at Dickinson College this year, and based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.  Enjoy.  Links: Alarm Will Sound Giuseppe Verdi Aida Clas V584 Ai21 Classic performance by the Orchestra & Chorus of the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma, conducted by Zubin Mehta, and featuring Birgit Nilsson and Grace Bumbry.  This is in an oversize format, so look for it in the display.  Links: Verdi | Mehta | Bumbry | Nilsson Artist Title Call # Comments Sharon Bezaly From A to Z, Vol 2 Igou B469 F925/2 We have Vol. 1, so we thought we'd continue.  Solo flute works by composers ranging from the 18th century to today, whose common denominator is last names beginning with B or C.  Links: SB György Deri À la Carte Igou D445 Al11 Modern cello works by ten composers, with hardly any Bs or Cs.  Sorry, no links. John Dornenburg Solo Viola da Gamba Igou D735 So47 Eight works by composers from the 17th and 18th centuries.  Links:  Dornenburg Wesley Parrott & Matthew Glandorf The Philadelphia Organbuilder Igou P249 P530 2-CD set of programs on three different organs in the Philadelphia area.  Links:  Glandorf Vasari Singers Anthems for the 21st Century Igou V440 An86 New choral works commissioned by this group, conducted by Jeremy Backhouse.  Links:  Vasari Singers   Composers' Voices from Ives to Ellington: An Oral History of American Music Clas P421 C738/ A 2-CD set to accompany the book by Vivian Perlis and Libby Van Cleve.  Links: Perlis & Van Cleve   French Trios Igou F889 Works by Debussy, Fauré, Tournier, Chausson, & Ravel, performed by Gaby Pas-Van Riet, flute, Gunter Teuffel, viola, & Xavier de Maistre, harp.  Links: Pas-Van Riet | Teuffel | Maistre

Miscellaneous:

Artist/Performer Title Call No. Comments United States Navy Band 75th Anniversary Collection Misc Un3 Se82 A 4-CD set featuring different styles of music performed by the Band.  Includes marches, sea songs, jazz, and country music. Links: Navy Band

Web Sites to Watch:

Americana Music Association Roots music lovers, unite!  For folks who like the stuff that falls between popular music categories. Bach Cantatas Website Texts, translations, scores, discussions, and links. BBC Radio 2 Awards for Folk Music British folk music, or folk-like music (folk-pop), with occasional nods to others. BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music Links to winners and nominees in all categories. 50 Albums That Changed Music Here's something to get your blood boiling.  The Guardian, a British newspaper, has published a list of the most important albums. We have about half, depending on how you count. J.S. Bach: Texts of the Complete Vocal Works Offers texts and English translations for Bach's cantatas and all the other stuff he wrote. Juno: Canada's Music Awards Yes, there is music in Canada, and they give awards for it. Loeb Music Library Digital Scores Collection Harvard strikes again!  Digital images of scores by Bach, Mozart, and Verdi.  MusicMoz Claims to be a "directory of all things musical."  Take a look. The 111 Greatest (Anglo-American) Folk Music Artists Here's something sure to stir the blood and start arguments among folk fans everywhere.  Even in the top ten, we disagree endlessly, but you can't argue with Charles H. Smith, Ph.D., now can you?  One More Once Subtitle: A Centennial Celebration of the Life and Music of Count Basie.  Timeline, photos, essays, jukebox. Show Music on Record Database from the Library of Congress of Broadway music recordings.

The Obits:

Naushad Ali (1919-2006) Bollywood film music composer. Desmond Dekker (1941-2006) Jamaican reggae/ska star. Miguel Diaz (1961-2006) Cuban conga player, and member of Irakere. Hamza El Din (1929-2006) Egyptian musician and composer. Floyd Dixon (1929-2006) West Coast blues/R&B musician. Maynard Ferguson (1928-2006) Trumpeter and big band leader. Freddie Garrity (1936-2006) Lead singer for Freddie & the Dreamers, 60s pop group. Joyce Hatto (1928-2006) Pianist who specialized in Liszt and Chopin. Jessie Mae Hemphill (1923-2006) Mississippi blues singer and guitarist. Duke Jordan (1922-2006) Jazz pianist, worked with Charlie Parker. Bismillah Khan (1916-2006) North Indian musician, master of the shehnai, or oboe. Arthur Lee (1945-2006) Rock singer, leader of the 1960s group Love. Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006) Influential avant-garde composer. John Mack (1927-2006) Principal oboe of the Cleveland Orchestra, 1965-2001. Billy Preston (1946-2006) Keyboardist who played with the Beatles, the Stones, and everybody else. Cheikha Rimitti (1923-2006) Prominent Algerian Rai singer.  One of the earliest women to sing in the genre. Hilton Ruiz (1952-2006) Latin jazz pianist. Moacir Santos (1926-2006) Brazilian jazz composer and arranger. David Schnaufer (1952-2006) Mountain dulcimer player. Elizabeth Schwartzkopf (1915-2006) Famed opera singer.