There are new videos out from Aleksey Igudesman and Richard Hyung-ki Joo, aided and abetted by Gidon Kremer.
Tag: Music
Whole lotta Liszt
In a discussion of anime involving classical music, the writer at Transientem included links to several animated versions of Liszt’s second Martian Hungarian rhapsody, including performances by Tom & Jerry
Enjoy everything
It looks like there never will be an anime of Yotsuba&! It may be just as well. Movie adaptations of favorite books are invariably inferior to the originals, no matter how skilled the adaptors, and that probably goes for anime versions of manga as well (I wonder if I would like Cardcaptor Sakura as much if I were familiar with the manga). To assuage your disappointment, there does exist a soundtrack for Yotsuba&!, here and here. (Technically, they’re “image albums” inspired by the manga.) The music is by Masaki Kurihara and the Kuricorder Pops Orchestra, the same crew reponsible for the Azumanga Daioh soundtrack. ((There is quite a bit more music for Azumanga Daioh out there that has never been released in the USA, including a second OST album that is nearly as good as the first.)) Here’s a suite from the first Yotsuba&! album, titled “??????????????” which the Google translator renders as “I stand little risk of saliva.”
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While I’m on the subject of music, here are a couple of a capella pieces that caught my ear. The first is from the Kaiba soundtrack. The second you should all recognize.
Update: Actually, Yotsuba&! has been animated, after a fashion:
Bulgar, sher and freylekh
You can find good music in the most unlikely places, e.g., Klezmer on an anime weblog.
Hammers, strings and keys
I’ve got about fifteen CDs of music freshly digitized from my ancient vinyl, or about thirty LPs’ worth. That’s enough for now. Here’s one last batch of old favorites that I haven’t heard in years.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Sally Go Round the Roses.mp3[/mp3]
Metamora, “Bicycling to Sassor/Rhubarb”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Bicycling.mp3[/mp3]
Argent, “Lothlorien”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Lothlorien.mp3[/mp3]
Colosseum, “Bring Out Your Dead”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Bring Out Your Dead.mp3[/mp3]
Update: Here’s the original version of “Sally Go Round the Roses” from 1963.
Horns and harps
Here are some more tunes rescued from ancient vinyl. Let’s see how heterogenous a collection I can assemble.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Papirosn.mp3[/mp3]
Ann Heymann, “Baltiorum/Charlie’s Fancy”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/BaltiorumCharliesFancy.mp3[/mp3]
Back Door, “Vienna Breakdown”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Vienna Breakdown.mp3[/mp3]
1947-2008
Update: This is the tune I wanted to post yesterday, but I couldn’t find a good video. Note the meter.
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Manic Depression.mp3[/mp3]
Hot licks, horns and hippos
These past several days I’ve spent most of my spare time digitizing ancient vinyl, rediscovering many old favorites in the process. Here are a few examples:
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Long Come A Viper.mp3[/mp3]
Dreams, “New York”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/New York.mp3[/mp3]
Robin Williamson and His Merry Band, “Zoo Blues”
[mp3]http://tancos.net/audio/Zoo Blues.mp3[/mp3]
Gallery additions
Musical curiosities
The “Touhou Project” is a family of shooting games. According to what I’ve read, they are mostly the work of one person, “ZUN,” who, as “Team Shanghai Alice,” writes the code, draws the art and composes the music. They are noteworthy for their complex bullet patterns and large casts of pretty girls. ((if you don’t mind cockeyed mouths)) I don’t have any particular interest in playing the games, but I was curious to note that the very active Touhou doujin community includes many musicians who record their own versions of ZUN’s music in various styles. Most I’ve sampled have been okay but nothing more; I forget them as soon as I’ve heard them. One album did catch my ear, though. It has the perfectly comprehensible title “Cubical Another Perspective Has Violated Systematically” and was recorded by something called “Cytokine.” Here’s a sample:
It’s no substitute for ELP, but what we have here is good, old-fashioned prog rock.
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No only is Polysics one of the most energetic bands around (they’d be the world’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll band if only Hayashi could carry a tune), but they are also one of the most uncompromisingly intellectual:
Steve Morse’s favorite Benedictine
Xanadu, Kansas
Robert posted “Kublai Khan” today. I just happen to have here a damsel with a dulcimer. She’s Wenzhuo Zhang, who took first place in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship at Winfield Saturday. Although Zhang lists her address as Fredonia, NY, I believe she’s originally from Beijing, and she plays the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin. Here’s a view of her instrument, showing the multiple bridges.
Here’s one of the pieces she played in the competition.
Oldternative tunes and more
The crowds were smaller than usual at Winfield, and the camping and campground picking were off-site this year, but the music as as good as ever. I’ve got a bunch of pictures and some field recordings to survey and edit. Until then, here are some videos of this year’s discoveries, The Wiyos ((This actually was their second year at Winfield, but I missed them last time.)) and Doug Smith.
What happens when you combine Irish dancing with Talk Like a Pirate Day?
Cutlass dancing.
My friends and I stopped at the relocated Carp Camp on the way home from Winfield last night. Here’s a bit of the music we heard:
The sound isn’t wonderful (crank it up), but it might give you an idea of the energy flowing there.
There will be many more pictures of Winfield and Carp Camp when I have time to sort and edit everything in the camera.
Animated music
Cartoon Brew notes that today is the centenary of Raymond Scott‘s birth, whose music is “genetically encoded in every earthling.” If you spent your childhood Saturday mornings watching Bugs Bunny, you know this tune.
Here’s a radio show about Scott, featuring Irwin Chusid and Scott’s music.
I wonder if the PC police would let anyone get away with this nowadays.
Arrrrgh, etc.
I heard yesterday that one of the great progressive rock bands, Gryphon, has reunited to record a new album and perhaps give some concerts after disbanding more than thirty years ago. I just did a little searching to verify that. While the main Gryphon fansite does announce their reunion, their MySpace page states that it’s been suspended. Grrr.
Here’s an example of the sort of music I’d been hoping to hear more of, their “Glastonbury Carol”:
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If you have things to do and have absolutely no time to spare, don’t click here. (My best so far is 466 528 576 pounds of fish, plus logs, boots and cell phones.) (Via Dale.)
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Kids, be your favorite martyr for Halloween. (Via large furry animals.)
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Warmth. (Via a small furry animal.)
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To put the Democratic convention in perspective, read Dave Barry. His coverage begins here.