A Vibraphone Dialogue Like No Other.
Glow, which is dedicated to the late vibraphone master Dave Samuels, is a landmark recording that redefines what’s possible in jazz vibraphone performance. Featuring two of the world’s most accomplished mallet percussionists—David Friedman and Tony Miceli—this album is not just a duet; it’s a revelation. It’s the first jazz album composed entirely of vibraphone duets, and it succeeds where others have hesitated: by solving the long-standing challenge of sonic overlap and range limitation.
What sets Glow apart is its innovative approach to range and texture. The vibraphone, with its three-octave span, presents a unique challenge when paired with another of its kind. Historically, artists have sidestepped this issue by pairing vibes with marimba, which offers a broader tonal palette. But Friedman and Miceli dared to go where others faltered: two vibraphones, no safety net.
Their solution? Instant arranging—a dynamic, real-time negotiation of register and role. If Miceli plays a melody in the upper octaves, Friedman anchors the sound in the lower range. If Miceli shifts to the middle, Friedman “sandwiches” him with left-hand bass and right-hand treble. This constant awareness of spatial and harmonic placement creates a rich, layered sound that feels orchestral despite the duo format.
Each player adjusts not only to avoid clashing but to enhance the other’s voice. The result is a seamless interplay where melody, harmony, and rhythm breathe together.
(Friedman's) music often stems from personal, social interaction, and this kind of music finds it's way into people's hearts... - Ha'aretz. Saxophonist and composer Amit Friedman is a guiding light in the Israeli jazz scene. His inspiringly lyrical compositions are arranged with his group of master musicians in mind and are rooted solidly in the jazz tradition, along with rich influences of the Middle East interwoven throughout. In the liner notes to "Unconditional Love," Amit recounts the story of his late father taking him, as a young teen, to New York and a night at the Blue Note. Implied is a great sense of gratitude for all of those influencing his life, and with the album's dedication to his father, offers the inspiration behind this collection of performances. Between the fiery "Home At Last," the subtle Bossa, "Alma," with vocals and lyrics by Brazilian vocalist Joca Perpignan, "Rill-Rool," the sweeping duo with pianist Tom Oren, the hard-swinging "Blues for Jackito," or the one cover, the melodic "Junk" by Paul McCartney, Friedman displays a deep connection to 'the moment,' his audience, and those who inspire him. "... Friedman's "Sunrise" is one of those rare albums that I want to blast from the rooftops, convinced that if the whole damn world could just hear it, the planet would be a much happier place." - DAVE SUMNER, BIRD IS THE WORM
CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA BRASS LIVE • Chicago SO Brass & Percussion • CSO RESOUND CSOR 901 1101 (64:46)
WALTON Crown Imperial. G. GABRIELI Sonata pian e forte. Canzon duodecima toni à 10. Canzon No. 2 septemi toni à 8. J. S. BACH Passacaglia and Fugue, BWV 582. GRAINGER Lincolnshire Posy. REVUELTAS Sensemayà. PROKOFIEV Romeo and Juliet: The Montagues and Capulets; Dance; Death of Tybalt
Many orchestral cognoscenti have long considered the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to have the finest orchestral brass section in the world; certainly, it ranks among the top three or four. All hail, then, to a disc that features the CSO brass players in all their refulgent splendor. Various arrangers are responsible for the versions performed here: Joseph Kreines for the Walton and Prokofiev, Eric Crees for the Bach, Timothy Higgins for the Grainger, and Bruce Roberts for the Revueltas. All but the Gabrieli are also credited with conductors, drawn from the ranks of the performers: trombonist Jay Friedman for the Walton, trumpeter Mark Ridenour for the Bach and Grainger, trombonist Michael Mulcahy for the Revueltas, and hornist Dale Clevenger for the Prokofiev. The members of the CSO brass section are also supplemented (in which selections is not specified; I hear them playing only in the Revueltas) by two more CSO members—clarinetist John Bruce Yeh and bassist Roger Cline—plus an additional three trumpeters, three trombonists, a tubist, and a percussionist as ringers. All of the arrangements are deft and colorful; the playing, needless to say, is exquisite. The recorded sound is suitably brilliant; the booklet provides a list of the participating instrumentalists, color head shots of the CSO members, and brief essays on the CSO brass section and the conductors. All fanciers of brass ensembles will want to snap this item up forthwith; others may find it an entertaining treat as well.
Originally created as an invitation by Rolling Stone magazine in 1977, as part of a gala issue celebrating the magazine's move from San Francisco to New York, which featured literary and art contributors honoring it's new home. Cage constructed his waltzes as a series of 49 multi-colored triangles superimposed on the Hagstrom map of New York City, each point derived by the use of chance operations. Wanting to celebrate Cage's memory, Don Gillespie decided to collect the sights and sounds from the locations specified in "49 Waltzes." This ambitious project of filming Cage's 147 specific locations in New York's five boroughs took one year to complete.
