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An American Rhapsody / Calefax
PENTATONE

An American Rhapsody / Calefax

$19.99

Details

Composer
Various
Artist
Calefax Reed Quintet
Format
CD
Label
PENTATONE
Released
Mar 17, 2023
Catalog #
PTC5187046
UPC
8717306260466

About

The reed players of Calefax go on a musical road trip across the United States on An American Rhapsody. The programme captures several iconic composers from different periods and backgrounds, ranging from Florence Price, Henry Burleigh, George Gershwin, Samuel Barber and Moondog to Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Billie Strayhorn, Stevie Wonder and Kinan Azmeh. Taken together, these pieces reflect America’s kaleidoscopic diversity and its rich yet complex culture and history. The album is a declaration of love to a country that Calefax has frequently visited over the last two decades and continues to fascinate. An American Rhapsody is Calefax’s fourth PENTATONE release, after Bach’s Musical Offerings (2020), Dido and Aeneas (2019) and Hidden Gems (2018).

REVIEWS:

The disc opens with a bravura account of Rhapsody in Blue (arranged by Hekkema), immaculately played, that manages to make you unaware of the absence of the supposedly crucial solo piano. It’s dark, sexy, and the opening clarinet slide is to die for. Equally revelatory is Althuis’s arrangement of Barber’s Excursions, a work for solo piano that fattens up nicely when padded out by woodwinds. The slow blues second movement is dreamy, while the chattering finale breathes the spirit of jazz. Florence Price’s Piano Sonata actually sounds like it must have been written for these forces, so effortlessly does it flow.

The rest of the disc includes music by jazz composers—from Duke Ellington’s “In a sentimental mood” to Billie Holiday’s “God Bless the child”—and pop musicians like Stevie Wonder’s uber-smooth “Overjoyed.” Moondog’s “New Amsterdam” is the mood indigo finale to a silken and stimulating slice of Americana.

-- Musical America

The precision with which Calefax plays, and the balance they achieve in their playing, didn’t arrive overnight but is instead the result of many years playing together. This is one musical road trip across the United States you’ll definitely want to take.

-- Textura

Tracklist 19 tracks

  1. 1 Molto moderato - 04:55
    Track
    1
    Title
    Molto moderato -
    Duration
    04:55
    Composer
    George Gershwin
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  2. 2 Con moto - 04:37
    Track
    2
    Title
    Con moto -
    Duration
    04:37
    Composer
    George Gershwin
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  3. 3 Tempo I - 01:53
    Track
    3
    Title
    Tempo I -
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    George Gershwin
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  4. 4 Andantino moderato con espressione - 02:35
    Track
    4
    Title
    Andantino moderato con espressione -
    Duration
    02:35
    Composer
    George Gershwin
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  5. 5 Leggiero 03:07
    Track
    5
    Title
    Leggiero
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    George Gershwin
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  6. 6 III. Allegretto grazioso 02:53
    Track
    6
    Title
    III. Allegretto grazioso
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Henry Thacker Burleigh
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  7. 7 IV. Allegro 02:01
    Track
    7
    Title
    IV. Allegro
    Duration
    02:01
    Composer
    Henry Thacker Burleigh
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  8. 8 I. Un poco allegro 03:13
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Un poco allegro
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Samuel Barber
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  9. 9 II. In slow blues tempo 03:58
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. In slow blues tempo
    Duration
    03:58
    Composer
    Samuel Barber
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  10. 10 III. Allegretto 02:44
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Allegretto
    Duration
    02:44
    Composer
    Samuel Barber
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  11. 11 IV. Exuberant and joyous barn dance 02:16
    Track
    11
    Title
    IV. Exuberant and joyous barn dance
    Duration
    02:16
    Composer
    Samuel Barber
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  12. 12 II. Andante 05:29
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    05:29
    Composer
    Florence Beatrice Price
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  13. 13 I. Andante - Allegro 07:15
    Track
    13
    Title
    I. Andante - Allegro
    Duration
    07:15
    Composer
    Florence Beatrice Price
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  14. 14 God Bless The Child (arr. E. Dolphy and R. Hekkema for reed quintet) 07:57
    Track
    14
    Title
    God Bless The Child (arr. E. Dolphy and R. Hekkema for reed quintet)
    Duration
    07:57
    Composer
    Arthur Herzog Jr., Billie Holiday
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  15. 15 Satin Doll (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet) 03:49
    Track
    15
    Title
    Satin Doll (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet)
    Duration
    03:49
    Composer
    Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  16. 16 In a Sentimental Mood (arr. O. Boekhoorn for reed quintet) 04:36
    Track
    16
    Title
    In a Sentimental Mood (arr. O. Boekhoorn for reed quintet)
    Duration
    04:36
    Composer
    Duke Ellington
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  17. 17 Overjoyed (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet) 04:06
    Track
    17
    Title
    Overjoyed (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet)
    Duration
    04:06
    Composer
    Stevie Wonder
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  18. 18 Airports 07:14
    Track
    18
    Title
    Airports
    Duration
    07:14
    Composer
    Kinan Azmeh, Raaf Hekkema
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet
  19. 19 New Amsterdam (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet) 04:31
    Track
    19
    Title
    New Amsterdam (arr. R. Hekkema for reed quintet)
    Duration
    04:31
    Composer
    Moondog
    Performer
    Raaf Hekkema
    Ensemble
    Calefax Reed Quintet