What I was listening to - Vol #1

Schubert: Die Klaviersonaten, Pianist: Christian Zacharias, EMI Classics, 1995 (5-65483-2)

My best friend got me the wonderful 5 CD set as a graduation gift.  This is a set of Schubert piano sonatas performed by the incredible Christian Zacharias.   If you are a fan of piano work, I would highly recommend this.  Of course, if you don't like Schubert, then there isn't much we can do.  I found this collection of pieces to be sophisticated enough to keep my attention for quite a while.   In fact, I don't think I've heard them enough to fully appreciate the works.

Beethoven: The Middle String Quartets, The Tokyo String Quartet, BMG Classics released under the RCA VICTOR RED SEAL, 1993 (60462-2-RC)

This was another gift given to me which I will forever appreciate.  This set of recordings of Beethoven's string quartets (Opp 59, 74, and 95) are simply *superb*.   I have been continually working on listening to Op 59 and 74 to fully appreciate the sophistication and beauty of these pieces.  I have yet to make it to Op 95.  This 3 disc set has provided me with hours of great music.   I still have a long way to go, but if you're a string quartet fan, this is a must for your collection.  This same group has also recorded the early quartets (Op 18 Nos 1-6, Quintet Op 29 with Pinchas Zukerman, and Op 14 No 1) and the late quartets (Opp 127, 130, 131, 132, 133, and 135).  Although I have not heard anything about these recordings, if this one is any indication, I should go out and get the others!

Stanley Jordan - Flying Home, EMI-Manhattan, 1988 (7-48682-2)

I recently have gone back through my collection and began listening to Stanley Jordan again.  Right now I'm working on what was his second major release, Flying Home.  This album had a majority of Stanley Jordan originals, plus a very nice rendition of the great old Led Zep classic, "Stairway to Heaven".  What made this CD nice, was that Jordan moved away from just using the two-handed fret tapping style which made his first album "Magic Touch" a big success.  Here he combines that style with some more traditional guitar playing approaches.   It makes for a great combination.

Boney James - Seduction, Warner Bros., 1995 (9-45913-2)

I first heard Boney James when I was still in Los Angeles.  Don't laugh, but I was channel surfing and ran across a benefit concert sponsored by the radio station KTWV (The Wave).  Now this was back in the days when KTWV was still primarily New Age.  Anyway, I came across in the middle of the set and I was impressed.   The only problem was I had missed the intro, so I had no clue as to who these guys were!  I subsequently heard "them" on the radio and learned "their" name - Boney James.  Great!  Well, needless to say, I subsequently found out that it wasn't a group, but a single guy; Boney James the sax player.  I wonder if Steely Dan had this problem, but in the opposite direction? Anyway, "Seduction" is his third release and I would have to say that this is probably the best work he has done to date.  As sax players go, he has his own sound which hasn't been heavily copied from others.  One cut on this CD, "Washington Bridge", has a nice piano cameo by Bob James.  My favorite cut on this CD....the title track.

The Crusaders - The Golden Years, GRP Records, 1992 (GRD-3-5007)

I have always been a big fan of the Crusaders, even though they went through some pretty dry spells every once in a while (remember the album "Ghetto Blaster"?).   Anyway, this is a 3 CD set which brings together selected cuts from 1962-1982.   For any fan of the original Jazz Crusaders or what eventually became The Crusaders, this is a great collection of their tunes.  Do you all remember that Larry Carlton was a Crusader before he really hit the big time?  There is a great mix of jazz on this collection.  1982 marked the departure of Nesbert "Styx" Hooper from the group.   Apparently, Joe Sample considered this the end of the Crusaders and this explains why the collection ends that year.  Joe Sample and Wilton Felder continued to record as The Crusaders, releasing "The Good and Bad Times", "Life in the Modern World" and "Healing the Wounds" (all three very good CDs) but I would have to agree that The Crusaders basically died in 1982.  For Jazz fans, this is a must for your collection.

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