Revisiting Saturn: WWUH Jazz 

Happenings in 2014

by Chuck Obuchowski

WWUH Jazz Music Director 

Has it really been 20 years? On June 1, 1994, I hosted my first Tuesday Morning Jazz show on WWUH - at least I think so; that's the earliest playlist I have on file. Whatever the exact date, I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to share thousands of jazz recordings with our listening audience over the years; to have been able to interview many outstanding musicians - from aspiring students to venerable old-timers; and to have made the acquaintance of some of the finest jazz listeners on the planet. What more could a jazz junkie want? I look forward to continuing these activities for as long as my WWUH colleagues will put up with me.

Overall, 2014 proved to be a good one for jazz programming on WWUH. Our live broadcasts of the Monday Night Jazz Series in Hartford's Bushnell Park went off without a hitch, even when inclement weather forced the music indoors to the Asylum Hill Congregational Church. Thanks to the WWUH volunteers who sold station t-shirts and chatted with concert-goers every week; thanks to our broadcasters and engineers who promoted and presented the shows; thanks to the Hartford Jazz Society for producing the series - and for collaborating with us on the broadcasts; and special thanks to all UH listeners whose contributions at fundraising time made the broadcasts possible.

On a somewhat melancholy note, we retired the WWUH Jazzline in 2014. Longtime listeners may recall hearing recorded announcements which encouraged them to phone "the bop line" for details about upcoming jazz events - the number was often referred to as "768 - 5-B-O-P." 

In the pre-internet era, calls were plentiful. It wasn't uncommon to get a busy signal on one's first attempt, especially on Thursdays, when renowned jazz players would come to Hartford to perform with the house rhythm section at the 880 Club. But now much of what used to be listed on the prerecorded phone messages is available at the click of a button or the touch of a screen; with so few people utilizing the service, we could no longer justify the time and effort required to compile the weekly announcements. Mucho gracias to Thursday night jazz announcer Bill Measom for having produced the Jazzline almost every week since 1995! 

We bid adieu to Jazz Jayne and extend our gratitude to her for hosting Tuesday Accent on Jazz during much of the past decade; thanks are also in order for her ongoing work in our record libraries. And a hearty "welcome back" to Jazz Officer Spaak, who recently returned to Earth, and to the WWUH airwaves, as host of Friday Morning Jazz.

As for Out Here & Beyond, my weekly jazz program (Tuesdays, 9 a.m. - noon), it was a pleasure to hear from so many of you during my Sun Ra "Sun-tennial," a musical celebration of everyone's favorite Saturnian keyboardist, which aired on May 20. Herman "Sonny" Blount was born - or arrived, some would say - in Birmingham, Alabama on May 22, 1914. The response was even more overwhelming following my remembrance of bass player and vocalist Jack Bruce, who died at 71 on October 25. Three days later, Connecticut bassist David Stoltz joined me in the WWUH studios to reminisce about his association with the Scottish rock star, and to spin some of the great jazz sides on which Bruce had performed.

My Favorite Jazz Recordings of 2014

Although I've always been suspicious of "10-best" lists, I do enjoy looking back at the end of each year to determine which jazz releases have made the greatest impression on me. As a child during the golden era of "top 40" pop music, I perused those charts weekly to see how my favorite songs were faring. At age 11, I began compiling my own lists of favorites, so it was easy to slip back into that habit when I became a radio announcer in my 20s.

Please be aware that the following list is merely an audio snapshot of where I'm at right now. Next month or next year, my tastes and opinions may have shifted. Nonetheless, these 10 recordings are ones which I am confident I'll continue to believe are deserving of attention. They are listed in alphabetical order by artists' surnames, not in order of preference.

Jason Adasiewicz's Sun Rooms - From the Region 

(Delmark Records)

Ever since Sun Ra's Arkestra touched down in Chicago over 60 years ago, the Windy City has hosted a fertile avant garde jazz community. Vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz is part of the latest wave of Chicago improvisers who are committed to exploring new musical directions. 

From the Region is actually this trio's third release, and the first to feature bassist Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten. Drummer Mike Reed, a longtime collaborator, keeps things swinging, even during the most abstract moments. Although his compositions may be unfamiliar to the listener, Adasiewicz's distinctive style of playing is sure to captivate.

Jeff Ballard Trio - Time's Tale (Okeh)

Ballard is probably best known for his work with piano giants Chick Corea and Brad Mehldau. Time's Tale, featuring guitarist Lionel Loueke and saxophonist Miguel Zenon, marks the first time the veteran drummer has fronted a group. The lack of a bassist - and the fact that Ballard is using a customized drum kit - set this session apart from anything else in his discography. Add to that Ballard's choice of compositions: a few originals, one each by Bela Bartok and George Gershwin, several free improvisations, and a cover of "Hangin' Tree" by Queens of the Stone Age. On the latter, guitarist Loueke channels his inner Hendrix to amazing effect.

 Perhaps this album's greatest strength is its unique blend of cultural influences: Zenon hails from Puerto Rico, Loueke is a native of Benin in West Africa and American Jeff Ballard employs percussion instruments and hand drums from across the globe. The resulting music brims with memorable melodies and rhythmic surprises.

Henry Butler - Steven Bernstein & the Hot 9 - Viper's Drag (Impulse)

This recording captures the joy, the humor and the spirit of jazz as it was played in the early 20th century - all the while liberally incorporating musical insights, techniques and influences of jazz as it is played in 2014. But don't worry: pianist/composer Butler and trumpeter/arranger Bernstein love and respect their Fats Waller and Jelly Roll Morton source material, so they've been careful to retain the essence of these old classics. 

It's great to hear New Orleanian Henry Butler returning to jazz music with such gusto; Crescent City comrades Reginald Veal and Herlin Riley, on bass and drums respectively, are ideal accompanists. Most of the others in the Hot 9 are members of Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra, where they're accustomed to wearing many musical hats. Viper's Drag also features a number of brilliant solo "vignettes" from violinist Charlie Burnham and  reed player Michael Blake. 

Old meets new down at the dance hall - blaring horns, crazy rhythms, and the joint is jumpin'!

Oran Etkin - Gathering Light (Motema)

Gathering Light is a musical travelogue imbued with deep spiritual dimensions. Two years ago, clarinetist Etkin visited his native Israel; a 500-year-old story he heard in Jerusalem inspired this album's title. The story suggests that - in order for us to mend our broken world - we must collect the divine light of ancient times, which has been scattered throughout the world. Etkin embarked on an international tour shortly afterward, "gathering light" in the form of music. He adapted ballads and traditional tunes from several countries while on tour: a lullaby from Japan, a folk song from Indonesia, a Yiddish lament from a Belgian expatriate.  

Etkin's cross-cultural sonic journeys are further enhanced by the inclusion of African guitarist Lionel Loueke. Bassist Ben Allison, a New Haven native, and drummer Nasheet Waits offer solid rhythmic support, providing a springboard for some outstanding trombone work by the criminally underrated Curtis Fowlkes. At a time wrought with prejudice and fear, it is heartening to encounter music that celebrates each of the shades of light which combine to form humanity's rainbow.  

Jimmy Greene - Beautiful Life (Mack Avenue)

It's impossible for me to discuss this music objectively. I've known Jimmy Greene since he was a teenager. During his Hartt School years, he was a guest in the WWUH studios on numerous occasions. As his career progressed, the budding saxophonist maintained ties with friends and family in the Hartford area. On a summer evening in 2012, I recall chatting with Jimmy at a festival in Bushnell Park; Ana was fast asleep, cradled in his arms. Several months later, she and 19 of her classmates were dead, victims of the Sandy Hook School shooting.

How does a parent bear this kind of loss? Where does one turn for solace? For answers?

Jimmy turned to God ... and then to music. Eventually, with the assistance of compassionate friends and colleagues, he created this recording, a loving dedication to the "beautiful life" of his daughter Ana.

Moreover, Beautiful Life has the capacity to touch almost anyone who is willing to give it at least one close listening. Some may be put off by the Christian prayers and hymns woven into Ana's story. Others might find the children's choir just a little too sweet. 

And that's why it's important to listen closely; we are hearing about Ana's life, often from the perspective of a six-year-old. To define our beautiful lives, some of us will prefer a favorite Shakespeare quotation to the Lord's Prayer. Or perhaps a couple verses from an old Elvis Costello song. The point is to acknowledge the uniqueness and the sanctity of each human life. Not particularly religious? You don't need to profess belief in a particular deity in order to join this celebration of Ana's life.

Ana only lived a short time, but thanks to her parents' memories, and to her dad's music, this little girl is still able to impart valuable life lessons to us two years after her death. 

Jimmy sought the help of a fair number of A-list improvisers to convey various facets of his daughter's Beautiful Life. But clearly each guest checked his or her ego at the door; yes, there are a number of lovely vocal and instrumental passages on this recording, but you certainly won't hear any flashy solos or cutting contests during these songs.

However, the leader sounds positively euphoric as his tenor sax, soprano sax, and flute - thanks to overdubbing - engage in a playful dance as the last track, "Little Voices," begins to wind down; meanwhile, a choir comprised of Ana's former classmates in Winnipeg, Manitoba are singing the phrase "remember me" over and over. Taken in tandem with the call to loving action which begins the piece, this song serves as testimony that love can indeed win, as the Greenes have been reminding the world since January 2013. 

One last observation - while Jimmy Greene's salute to his daughter is certainly a noteworthy achievement, it is not without precedent. In 2010, pianist Kenny Werner issued No Beginning No End on the Half Note label. Werner's daughter Katheryn had been killed in a car accident in 2006. At first, he couldn't write at all, but gradually Werner began channeling his emotions into the creation of a five-part suite for chamber orchestra. Once that was completed, he began work on a string quartet. Although the pianist has been a highly regarded jazz player for decades, this project called for something more structured. 

In the end, Werner opted to add several improvising soloists to the lengthy suite, including his friend Joe Lovano, whose contributions brought some jazz elements into the picture. Ultimately, No Beginning No End received the Guggenheim Fellowship Award later in 2010.                         

Russ Johnson - Still Out to Lunch! (Enja/Yellowbird)

Eric Dolphy's Out to Lunch is acknowledged as one of the most significant jazz recordings of the 1960s. Although most of its compositions have been covered at one time or another, none has entered the standard jazz repertoire. Trumpeter Russ Johnson's decision to reexamine this classic album in its entirety was a bold - some might even say foolish - move, but Still Out to Lunch! proves to be a resounding success.

That's due in large part to the fact that Johnson and his band mates have avoided trying to approximate any of the original solos or arrangements from Dolphy's February 1964 session. [For an example of what can happen when someone performs a note-for-note re-creation of a jazz masterpiece - in this case, the 1959 Miles Davis album Kind of Blue - check out a 2014 release called Blue by the band Mostly Other People Do The Killing.] 

No cheap nostalgia here; Johnson's quintet blaze their own circuitous trails through the skeletal framework of the five Dolphy tunes which comprised Out to Lunch. In so doing, they've captured the freewheeling spirit of the original while adding new perspectives and directions .

Pianist Myra Melford covers the territory assigned to Bobby Hutcherson's vibraphone in 1964; her contributions are among this record's finest moments. Reed player Roy Nathanson is no Dolphy clone, nor does he play bass clarinet or flute, yet his creative solos are an integral part of this 21st century Lunch date. Similarly, Johnson generates plenty of trumpet excitement without once resorting to any Freddie Hubbard licks.

As a bonus, this quintet tackles two Dolphy compositions that Eric never got around to recording during his tragically short life. The Russ Johnson Quintet - with Orrin Evans subbing for Melford - performed much of this material during the historic Eric Dolphy: Freedom of Sound celebration/seminar at Montclair State University in New Jersey last May. That two-day event was the uniquivicable highlight of my concert-going experiences in 2014. 

Adam Meckler Jazz Orchestra - When the Clouds Look Like This (self released)

Definitely the dark horse of my 2014 favorites list; before this record arrived at WWUH in September, I'd never heard of Meckler's ensemble - and I didn't recognize a single name among the 21 musicians who perform on  When the Clouds Look Like This. The band is based in the Minneapolis - St. Paul area. Meckler, a trumpeter, penned all the compositions on this, their debut release.

The AMO is one of a growing number of large ensembles that are not concerned with big band - or even jazz - conventions. Meckler's orchestra delights in blending elements of rock, classical and funk into their expansive sound. Maria Schneider and - more recently - Darcy James Argue have led the way for bands like the AMO, but Meckler and company seem to be carving out a distinct niche for themselves. Many of these pieces unfold like short stories, changing tempos and moods as they progress. From the controlled chaos that launches "Beautiful Beatrice" to the ethereal impressionism of the title piece, the AMO charts a number of intriguing sonic courses - yet never loses its bearings. The attentive listener will find much to appreciate here.

Jim Norton Collective - Time Remembered: Compositions 

of Bill Evans (Origin)

For years, multi-reedist Jim Norton has been studying the compositions of Bill Evans, the influencial pianist who pioneered a new trio sound beginning int the late 1950s. Realizing that Evans had produced a fascinating - if neglected - body of work, Norton began formulating the idea for this project two years ago. He assembled a 12-piece ensemble comprised of dedicated Bay Area jazz players.

At first glance, Norton's project seemed destined to fail. After all, Evans clearly preferred small group settings for his work. Furthermore, why would you undertake such a project without using a piano? True, guitarist Scott Sorkin demonstrates harmonic concepts quite similar to Bill's, but really ... But Norton persevered, and eventually, his reworking of this material bore some very tasty fruit. 

In fact, Time Remembered turned out to be one of the most alluring releases of 2014. The arrangements are brilliant, especially the variety and creative use of woodwind voicings. And the compositions themselves will probably bring more attention to that aspect of Evans' artistry, since listeners will be exposed to such different settings for the tunes.

Arturo O'Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra - 

The Offense of the Drum (Motema)

At a time when there is so much divisiveness in the world, artists like pianist/bandleader Arturo O'Farrill remind us of that if we embrace and celebrate the diversity of our many cultures, everyone will benefit. Our understanding of one another - and our respect for each other - will grow.

For this album, O'Farrill invited an eclectic array of guest artists to take turns collaborating with his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra. Consequently,we're treated to some unlikely interactions. Notably, during "We Came," DJ Logic's electronic sound effects punctuate Chilo's spoken-word celebration of the Puerto Rican diaspora - while O'Farrill's orchestra provides a dramatic rhythmic backdrop. Elsewhere, Columbian harpist Edmar Castaneda spins euphoric tales of South America; saxophonist Donald Harrison gives props to New Orleans, granddaddy of melting pots, and throws in some Cuban sauce for good measure. Even pianist Vijay Iyer, son of Indian immigrants,is afforded ample time to solo, and to spar playfully with the sax section.   

Wilson Quartet + John Medeski - Gathering Call (Palmetto)

It's hard to think of another contemporary jazz drummer who's more versatile - or more energetic - than Matt Wilson. The guy leads three distinctly different ensembles; he's a regular sideman in at least two others; and astonishingly, the 50-year-old "rhythmatist" still manages to squeeze in dozens of guest appearances and studio sessions every year.

Wilson has often exhibited his most daring musical ideas in a quartet format. While Gathering Call is not without moments of edginess and freedom, the vibe here is generally lighter and friendlier than on his past quartet sessions. That may be due in part to the addition of pianist John Medeski, an old buddy from Matt's Boston days. The two really sink their teeth into straightforward swingers like Duke Ellington's "Main Stem" and Charlie Rouse's "Pumpkin's Delight."

The closest this quartet gets to Medeski Martin & Wood territory is its cover of Beyonce's "If I Were a Boy," which pushes the envelope briefly during Jeff Lederer's inspired tenor sax solo. Far more interesting are the Matt Wilson originals, which might well include more outward bound improvisations in a live setting. 

It's Time!  Mark Time, that is.  Make your New Year's Resolution to spend Time with Ambience (or is it, Ambience with Time.......oh, nevermind!) on Sunday mornings.  We will continue to explore unique sounds within and without the Ambient genre, including the Erdenklang Musikverlag label (now-defunct German electronics).  StoryTime (approximately 11:00 am) will return with Celestial Navigations' "Space Racer" series for many weeks to come.  Join us for a space-ially relaxing and alternative listening experience, Sunday mornings, from 9:00 am til 1:00 pm.  

Jan 1

1777 Micah Hawkins

1843 Nikolay Nikolayevitch Lodyzhensky

1865 Giuseppe Ferrata

1878 Edwin Franko Goldman

1885 Roland Diggle

1889 Tadeusz Jarecki

1892 Miklós Radnai

1896 Maurice Jacobson

1898 Viktor Ullmann

1907 Erich Schmid

1918 Willem Strietman

1930 Werner Heider

1940 Laszlo Sary

1948 Bernadette Speech

1953 Kevin Hanlon

Jan 8

1668 Jean Gilles

1725 Antonino Reggio

1788 Archduke Rudolph (Johann Joseph Rainer)

1792 Lowell Mason

1812 Sigismond Thalberg

1822 Alfredo Piatti

1846 William Wallace Gilchrist

1852 Jean Gabriel Marie

1896 Jaromir Weinberger

1905 Giacinto Scelsi

1912 Rudolf Escher

1914 Charles Borromeo Mills

1924 Benjamin Lees (Lysniansky)

1924 Robert Starer

1937 Robert Moran

1943 Ric (Hans Eric) Graebner

1951 Paul Dresher

1955 Friedemann Schmidt-Mechau

1957 David Lang

1964 Robert Maggio

1969 Frank Lee Sprague

1974 Joakim Zelmerlööw

1981 Andrea Casagrande

Jan 15

1648 Henry Aldrich

1871 Bertram Shapleigh

1878 Johanna Muller-Hermann

1893 Ivor Novello (David Ivor Davies)

1908 Roberta Bitgood

1909 Elie Siegmeister

1914 Artur Santos

1922 Silvano Picchi

1955 Peter Coukis

1960 Jeremy Beck

1960 Aaron Jay Kernis

1964 Osmo Tapio Everton Räihälä

Jan 22

1649 (bapt) Pascal Collasse

1707 Carl Hockh

1709 Joseph Riepel

1727 Claude-Benigne Balbastre

1729 Guiseppe Luigi Tibaldi

1748 Lewis Edson

1753 Peter Fuchs

1756 Vincenzo Righini

1779 Stefano Pavesi

1781 Francois-Antoine Habeneck

1815 Ferdinand Christian Wilhelm Praeger

1824 Josef Leopold Zvonar

1842 Charles Henri Marechal

1855 Ernst Kullak

1861 Karel Stecker

1870 Charles Arnold Tournemire

1871 Leon Jessel

1882 Ernesto Drangosch

1886 John Joseph Becker

1897 Josef Stanislav

1898 Alexander Abramsky

1898 Gustav Paulson

1900 Franz Salmhofer

1901 Hans Erich Apostel

1903 Robin Humphrey Milford

1916 Henri Dutilleux

1921 Arno Arutyunovich Babajania

1923 Leslie Bassett

1923 Friedrich Zehm

1929 Petr Eben

1939 Alan (Treadwell) Silva

1949 Dean Drummond

Jan 29

1703 (bapt) Carlmann Kolb

1711 Giuseppe Bonno

1715 Georg Christoph Wagenseil

1782 Daniel-Francois Auber

1782 Frantisek Tucek Scigalski

1801 Johannes Bernardus van Bree

1824 Karl Freiherr von Perfall

1852 Sir Frederic Hymen Cowen

1862 Frederick 'Fritz' Theodor Albert Delius

1864 Adolf Philipp

1869 Andrey Vladimirovich Scherbachov

1871 Eduardo Lopez-Chavarri y Marco

1871 Desiderius Demenyi

1873 Charles Henry Mills

1874 Robert Lach

1876 Havergal Brian

1876 Ludolf (Karl Henrik) Nielsen

1884 Juhan Aavik

1889 Rudolf Mauersberger

1889 Francisco Santiago

1890 Marguerite Canal

1893 Edric Cundell

1893 Martian Negrea

1898 Fernand Quinet

1900 Marko Tajčević

1924 Luigi Nono

1928 Bengt Hambraeus

1934 Paul Gutama Soegijo

1943 Timothy Andrew James Souster

1961 Janet Owen Thomas

1971 Matthias Pintscher

1979 Jonathan Saggau

Feb 5

1534 Giovanni de 'Bardi, Count of Vernio

1748 Christian Gottlob Neefe

1810 Ole Bull

1862 Felipe Villanueva

1864 Carl (Albert Hermann) Teike

1865 Harvey Worthington Loomis

1866 Rossetter Gleason Cole

1868 Lodewijk Mortelmans

1882 Felice Lattuada

1902 Bronislaw Kaper

1909 Grazyna Bacewicz 

1909 Lode (Lodewijk) van Dessel

1918 Kara Karayev

1929 Luc Ferrari

1939 Patric Standford

1943 Ivan Tcherepnin

1951 Elizabeth Swados

1953 Laurence Sherr

1967 Sonia Jacobsen

1988 Jirayr Shahrimanyan

Feb 12

1567 (bapt) Thomas Campion

1639 (bapt) Juan García de Salazar

1753 (bapt) Lambert-François Godecharle

1760 Jan Ladislav Dussek

1886 Gustav Lazarus Nordqvist

1888 Victor Kolar

1898 Roy Harris

1907 Roberta Martin

1923 Mel Powell

1931 Caecilia Andriessen

1955 Michael Repoulis

Feb 19

1743 Luigi Boccherini

1762 Friedrich Franz Hurka

1841 Elfrida Andree

1841 Felipe Pedrell

1863 Emanuel Moor

1877 Louis Aubert

1880 Arthur Shepherd

1886 George Luther Foote

1906 Louis Gesenway

1906 Grace Williams

1913 Alvin Etler

1923 Donald Lybbert

1924 André Charles Jean Popp

1926 Gyorgy Kurtag

1955 Willem Wander van Nieuwkerk

Feb 26

1677 Francesco Nicola Fago

1770 Anton Reicha 

1822 Franz Strauss

1825 Hans Balatka

1825 Hieronymus Weickmann

1834 Aleksander Zarzycki

1877 Russell Alexander

1879 Frank Bridge

1884 Dina Appeldoorn

1905 William Russell

1924 Mark Bucci

1948 John George Bilotta

1957 Les Marsden

1958 Tim Ewers

1963 Marco Trevisani

1965 Juan Trigos

1970 Michael Sidney Timpson

1987 Christopher Shaver

Your "lyric theater" program

with Keith Brown

programming selections

for the months of January and February,  2015 

Sunday 1-4:30pm

Troubled Island

 SUNDAY JANUARY 4TH

Maderna, Satyricon  

       Lyric theater programming begins the new year with a good old-fashioned Roman orgy rendered into operatic form. Perhaps you remember the Fellini film Satyricon (1969), the famed Italian director's take on the satirical novella by Petronius.  Satyricon the opera (1973) is the work of Bruno Maderna (1920-73), who wrote a quantity of film music. A native of Venice, Maderna became an associate of Luciano Berio;  he and Berio were pioneers in the new field of electronic music in Italy. Taped electronic effects are in the prelude to his Satyricon opera. In 1998 it was revived at Venice's famous Teatro La Fenice in co-production with Theater Basel of Switzerland.  Jurg Henneberger directs the orchestra of Teatro La Fenice,with a cast of four vocal soloists, none of whom are Italian.  The live recording was released in 2001 on two CD's under the Italian Mondo Musica label.  Petronius' tale is partly declaimed, partly sung in English language translation, with some interspersed Latin quotes, plus other sung and spoken passages in Italian, French and German.  

SUNDAY JANUARY 11TH 

Shostakovich, Katerina Ismaelova  

       This opera is Shostakovich's 1963 revision of the 1935 Katerina Ismaelova, which was in turn a reworking of his previous operatic black comedy Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk (1934).  Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-75) is perhaps the one most significant Russian composer of the Soviet era. Lady Macbeth was overwhelmingly successful both in Russia and in foreign parts.  Then Stalin walked out on a performance.  Pravda condemned it as anti-Soviet and it was banned from the stage in the USSR for twenty seven years.  Shostakovich had quickly prepared a new version of the opera that enhanced the humanity and emotions of the female lead. Leskov's story about the husband-killer dates from Czarist times. Shostakovich's Lady Macbeth pitted illicit love against the stultifying Soviet bureaucracy and omnipresent police.  The new Katerina Ismaelova focuses on Katerina's plight and treats Leskov's tale as a downright tragedy.  

       After Stalin died Katerina was finally premiered at the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater in Moscow.  That production was reproduced for recording in 1967 for the Soviet record label Melodiya.  Gennady Provatorov directs the chorus and orchestra of the Danchenko Musical Drama Theater.  EMI picked up the Melodiya recording and issued it in the West on three Angel stereo LP's.  I have broadcast an EMI recording of the original Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk three times, most recently last year on Sunday, January 19th.  Listen today for my first time-ever presentation of Katerina Ismaelova.   

SUNDAY JANUARY 18TH
 

SUNDAY JANUARY 25TH   

PREEMPTED by broadcast of a University of Hartford women's basketball game.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 1ST    

PREEMPTED by broadcast of a University of Hartford women's basketball game.

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 8TH
PREEMPTED

SUNDAY FEBRUARY  15TH

Still, Troubled Island, Highway One, USA 

       This Sunday we observe February as Black History Month with the broadcast of  two world premiere recordings of the operas of William Grant Still (1895-1978).  This African-American composer wrote nine operas(!).  One of them, Troubled Island, written in 1938, became the first opera by a Black American to be produced by a major American opera company.  The libretto of Troubled Island  was prepared by Harlem Renaissance literary great Langston Hughes. The "troubled island" in question is the Caribbean isle of Hispaniola, more specifically that part of it known as Haiti.  Set in the year 1791, the opera deals with the political career of Jean Jacques Dessalines (1758-1806) and the corruption of his leadership in the Haitian revolution.  He declared himself emperor of an independent Haiti, but was assassinated by opponents.  

       The Met repeatedly turned down Still's score.  Troubled Island was finally produced by the New York City Opera and was recorded live in performance on March 31, 1949.  Julius Rudel conducted the NYC Opera orchestra and chorus.  The old recording is in pre-hifi 1940's monaural sound.  It has been transferred into compact disc format as an audio download from the House of Opera website.  The music of Troubled Island might remind you of Still's contemporary Giancarlo Menotti- unabashedly late Romantic, with Still's own infusions of "negro" melody and rhythm.  I'm reminded of Frederick Delius' impressionistic Voodoo opera Koanga (1897).  The general public may remember hearing Still's original music and orchestrated arrangements for movies and television,notably the hit TV shows Gunsmoke and Perry Mason.

        Keep listening for Highway One USA (1963), a domestic tragedy with libretto by the composer's wife Verna Arvey.  The action of this one act/two-scene opera is placed in the 1940's in a cottage adjacent to a mom-and-pop operated gas station. The station lies along the main drag in a small Southern town. This world premiere recording was released on a single CD in 2005 through Visionary Records of Greenville,NC. The recorded sound is state-of-the-art digital stereo.  Philip Brunelle directs the St. Olaf Orchestra of Minneapolis, with the Vocal Essence chorus. The four cast members of Highway One, USA  are African Americans.  (The cast of Troubled Island had in its leading roles white singers in blackface.)    

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 22ND

C. P. E. Bach, Magnificat  

       Lyric theater programming this Sunday begins later at three PM or just past the hour, the cutback in the timeslot due to an early afternoon basketball game broadcast.  Ash Wednesday fell on February 18th, so this is the first Sunday in Lent, the forty day penitential period in the Christian calendar leading up to Easter Sunday.  In old Catholic Europe the opera houses traditionally closed for the duration of Lent.  In keeping with that tradition, over the next six Sundays I will be presenting oratorios and various vocal works derived from the general Judeo-Christian music heritage.  Over several decades of Lenten programming I have aired recordings of the Magnificat.  There's a new and excellent recording of Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's 1749 setting of those familiar verses from the Gospel according to Luke.  It came out in 2014, the tricentennial year of the composer's birth, through the German Harmonia Mundi record label on a single compact disc.  Hans-Christoph Rademann conducts the period instrument ensemble Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin and the RIAS Kammerchor (the Chamber Chorus of Radio Berlin) with vocal 

soloists.

       The two recordings of the operas of William Grant Still come on loan for broadcast from Rob Meehan, former classics deejay here at WWUH and a specialist in the alternative musics of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.  Rob also loaned me his CD copy of Maderna's Satyricon.  The Telemann opera comes out of my own collection of opera on silver disc. The other featured recordings in this two-month period of programming are derived from our station's ever-growing library of classical music CD's.  Thanks as always to Kevin O'Toole, WWUH's operations director, for mentoring me in the preparation of these notes for cyber-publication.