THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 3, 1994 TAG: 9407020018
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E7 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Album reviews
LENGTH: Medium: 97 lines
Gluck, ``Orfeo ed Euridice'' (Philips) - For years, this opera has been heard in a corrupt version that represents the work of several editors, among them Hector Berlioz. The original, first heard in Vienna in 1762, was one of a series of works in which Gluck attempted to rid Baroque opera of its excesses. It is this version John Eliot Gardiner presents with the period-instrument English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir.
The Vienna ``Orfeo'' is a swift, streamlined retelling of the familiar Orpheus story. The emphasis is on drama, and there is little in the way of padding. Gardiner's orchestra finds color, texture and sharp rhythms, avoiding the static, ponderous quality often associated with Gluck's music.
The soloists are strong. Sylvia McNair displays passion and a lovely voice as Euridice. Cyndia Sieden is a lively, accurate Amor. But the main burden is on countertenor Derek Lee Ragin as Orfeo. Those used to the sound of a mezzo-soprano in this role may need a period of adjustment. However, there is no denying that Ragin (who appears frequently with the local group Capriole) sings with tremendous control and flexibility. He beings a gentleness to the part that is quite moving.
- Paul Sayegh
Cleo Laine, ``Blue and Sentimental'' (RCA) - Cleo Laine likes to sing ``Anywhere I Hang My Hat Is Home.'' It could be a boast of her ability to sing anything from Shakespeare's sonnets to blues.
As a follow-up to her 1991 ``Jazz'' CD, Cleo has hung her hat in a dark corner, where she spins intimate tales of love lost and found.
Intimate is the key word here. Laine, who often shows off her five-octave through vocal pyrotechnics, is surprisingly understated. And her erstwhile producer, musical director and husband John Dankworth clothes these 13 selections in soft-focus arrangements and horn playing. Those who prefer the more spirited Cleo may be disappointed.
Cleo gets some first-rate help. Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan delivers neat solos on ``Afterglow,'' and ``Dreamsville,'' while jazz vocalist Joe Williams pops up on the Irving Berlin classic ``What'll I Do.'' Pianist George Shearing adds to the delicate ``Not You Gain'' and ``Love Comes and Goes.''
But it's Cleo's voice - reigned in a tad more than necessary - that shines throughout these mini-dramas, especially ``The Lies of Handsome Men'' and the title tune.
- M.L. Lake
Larry Bright, ``Double Standards'' (Clean Music Records) - Drummer Larry Bright's C.M.R. debut is a little gem among the avalanche of major label jazz releases. Bright is clearly a talent deserving of wider recognition. Unlike the exponents of bombast, he's quick of hand and light of touch. There is a certain joie de vivre about his drumming and cymbal work.
On this largely fusion outing, Bright is joined by guitarist Frank Gambale, keyboardist Haakon Graf and bassist Gary Grainger, among others.
Gambale shines melodically on the title tune, his nimble fingering set against a smooth cushion fashioned by Graf and Grainger with just enough rhythmic lumps.
``Watch the Drums Talk'' is Bright's lone nod to hip-hop. Rappers True Born chant ``Watch Larry talk with the drum'' and offer a mini history lesson on drums and drumming, while trumpeter Ivan Smart gets in soft-focused, Miles Davis-style licks.
- M.L. Lake
Tommy Flanagan, ``Lady Be Good . . .For Ella'' (Verve) - I've never much cared for Ella Fizgerald. Never quite understood what it is about her that makes many worship at her feet.
She doesn't have a great voice, or a wide range. Quitely frankly, her seeming detachment leaves me cold.
Which makes it all the more surprising that pianist Tommy Flanagan's tribute to Ella should strike such a warm, receptive chord with me.
``Lady Be Good. . . For Ella'' is a double treat: the first musical tribute to Ella, as well as - believe it or not - Flanagan's first major label release as a leader in a 37-year recording career during which he has made more than 100 recordings.
For 10 years - from 1968 to 1978, when he returned to the trio format - Flanagan was pianist and musical director for The First Lady of Song. Theirs was a musically synergetic relationship.
And this recording clearly demonstrates why. Flanagan's out of the bebop tradition, a pianist, nevertheless, with strong lyrical roots. For example, his warm, melodic piano on the Gershwin brothers' ``Oh, Lady, Be Good,'' is at once sure-footed and sensitive. Bassist Peter Washington and drummer Lewis Nash, who have rounded out his trio for the past two years, are tastefully supportive throughout this and other tracks.
What Flanagan and Ella have in common is a certain control. It's as if they've drawn a musical circle beyond which they dare not venture. The result, of course, is that even when Flanagan romps along as he does on ``How High the Moon'' there is a kind of controlled kinetics, with nary a wasted note.
I'm not quite sure why it works with Flanagan and not with Ella. Maybe because the warm, expressive piano work of Flanagan (his major influences are Bud Powell, Art Tatum and Nat King Cole) are more endearing than Ella's lithe, but distant emoting.
Maybe Ella knew what she was talking about when she summed up Flanagan's worth in a word: ``Genius.''
M.L. Lake MEMO: To hear excerpts from these recordings, call INFOLINE at 640-5555 and
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