The Vortex Jazz Club, 11 Gillett Square, London N16 8JH | Bookings 020 7254 4097 | Enquiries 020 7993 3643 | Email Info at Vortex

CD reviews

New cd releases

 

Browse CD reviews

A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z 

Join the Vortex
email list

To receive monthly gig details, news and ticket offers.



RSS feeds

For news, gig and CD reviews and information about the club.

Click on the link below to get the subscribe address
Vortex news

For more informaton about RSS see the
RSS help pages

The Classical Jazz Quartet

Play Tchaikovsky/Play Bach

Kind of Blue 10011/10012

Reissued on Kind of Blue after a run on Vertical (5507-2/5508-2 to be precise), these poised, elegant, highly crafted recordings catch four masters bringing all their skill to Bob Belden arrangements that (in his words) 'highlight [the] cool nature' of the originals 'yet find the warmth and charm that has been wrapped up in formality and let the music breathe with life that relates to the musicians themselves'.

Thus, the irresistible fleet swing of the self-explanatory 'Groove of the Sugar Plum Fairy', or the bebop-laced visit to the Andante of Brandenburg Concerto #2, is judiciously balanced against more overtly formal material in which, for instance, the marimba is chosen because its 'diminutive acoustic delay is similar to the clavichord' (Invention #4 in D Minor).

The two albums are an unalloyed delight, containing surprisingly hard-edged, muscular music rather than the uneasy mÁlange of formality and breeziness that might easily have resulted from such a process; all the participants (pianist Kenny Barron, vibes player Stefon Harris, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Lewis Nash) shine, but special mention should be made of Carter: throughout, he exudes intimate familiarity with the material, while injecting it with wit, energy and imagination. Highly recommended.