New Music reBlog

Phil Kline, Around The World In A Daze (Starkland)
The journey begins right outside the window of composer Phil Kline’s apartment on the Lower East Side. On “The Housatonic at Henry Street,” the sounds of a summer evening meet Kline’s own electronics in the opening of his surround-sound DVD Around The World In A Daze. Kline’s work is probably the first major piece to be written specifically for surround sound of a home theater experience. The track “Svarga Yatra” is a Himalayan journey of sorts, and the work goes on to circle the world even as it encircles the listener. At the end, you find yourself at a Central African watering hole with Kline’s trademark boomboxes and 15,000 African gray parrots. –picked by John Schaefer
[Amazon]

Various Artists, Joe Gibbs: Scorchers From the Early Years, 1967-73 (VP Records)
Also in this week’s picks: a new double-CD set by late Jamaican reggae producer and record-label owner Joe Gibbs. It kicks off with one of the first hits from the rocksteady genre: “Hold Them” by Roy Shirley. In the early years of his career, Gibbs crossed paths with early reggae stars like Delroy Wilson, Peter Tosh, and the producer-singer Lee Perry, who with Dennis Alcapone weighs in with a trash-talker called “The Upsetter.” –picked by Joel Meyer
[Amazon]

Korngold: Violin Concerto / Schauspiel Overture / Much Ado About Nothing Suite . Philippe Quint, violin; Mineria Symphony, Carlos Miguel Prieto. (Naxos)
The old joke about the Korngold Violin Concerto is that it contains more corn than gold. It’s a glittering showpiece, but it also sounds a bit like overripe movie music, with ravishing romantic themes. And why not? Erich Wolfgang Korngold was a master Hollywood composer who also wrote some sophisticated music for the concert hall. This new recording by Philippe Quint makes the case perfectly. Korngold’s Violin Concerto isn’t all luscious, swooning melodies. There are some virtuosic fireworks in the finale as well. This new recording of Korngold also features conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leading the Mineria Symphony in the composer’s other work. –picked by Brian Wise
[Amazon]