REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Brahms Two Piano Concertos Dimitris Sgouros, piano, with Emil Tabakov conducting the Sofia Philharmonic; 1 plus- 51 000; 2 CDs, recorded 1999. Sgouros plays with commendable musical feeling the two very powerful Concertos, still among my top five in this genre. Tabakov and his players provide exciting support, making this […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Archie Bleyer Music from the Pajama Game Cadence, EP 4054/5, two ep 45s, recorded 1954. After serving seven years as Arthur Godfrey’s music director, Archie Bleyer (1909-1989) was unceremoniously fired almost the same day in 1953 as Julius LaRosa. Meanwhile, Bleyer had founded Cadence records where he would be developing […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Beethoven Emperor Concerto and Symphony No. 5 Sunwook Kim, pianist (in the Emperor), and Myung-Whun Chung conducting the Seoul Philharmonic; Deutsche Grammophon- 481 031-2, CD, recorded live January 17-18, 2013. I have lost track of how many recordings I own of both of these Beethoven masterpieces – ones that continue […]
Beach Boys Spirit of America Capitol- SVBB 511384, two stereo LPs, released 1975. Spirit of America collected 23 tracks consisting of earlier Capitol hits that were not part of 1974’s anthology, Endless Summer; it also contained a few album cuts regarded as worthy of inclusion and two rare 45 gems –1969’s Break Away and a […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Rick James Give It to Me, Baby Don’t Give Up On Love Gordy, G 7197F, released 1981, seven-inch 45. Rick James (1948-2004) hooked up with a group known as the Mynah Birds during his adolescence, one of his fellow members being Neil Young. His music career would thrive but also […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates The Captain and Tennille Love Will Keep Us Together/Gentle Stranger A t M- 1672, seven-inch stereo vinyl 45, recorded 1975. This highly successful duo, married for 39 years until 2014, were both keyboardists, Toni Tennille playing with the Beach Boys for one to two years and jokingly referred to as […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Teresa Stich-Randall Preiser 93458, CD, recorded July 31st, 1956. Born and raised in Connecticut, Teresa Stich-Randall (1927-2007) had a major career of over 30 years, starting in the U.S. but mainly centered in Europe, as a soprano performing opera, and other forms of vocal classical music. To me, her fame […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Gloria Gaynor I Will Survive Substitute; Polydor PD 14508, stereo seven-inch vinyl 45, released 1978. Born in 1949, Gloria Gaynor grew up in Newark, New Jersey, living in poverty but commenting in her memoirs about a happy childhood with food on the table, lots of laughter and music emanating from […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Roy Brown Roy Brown and New Orleans R & B; JSP Records JSP7756, four CDs, Recordings from mid-’40s to early ‘50s. Three New Orleans musical legends are given major representation in the above collection. They are Roy Brown (1920 or ’25-1981), Dave Bartholomew (1918-), and Professor Longhair (1918-1980), each of […]
REVIEW POTPOURRI by Peter Cates Robert Farnon Robert Farnon Concert London, LPB 126, ten inch vinyl mono LP, recorded 1949. Canadian-born, composer/conductor Robert Farnon (1917-2005) recorded numerous albums of the most imaginative mood music arrangements, a quality of work equalled, in my experience, only by Percy Faith, Paul Weston, Nelson Riddle, and Andre Kostelanetz. The […]