HurdAudio Rotation: Blood, Scelsi and Eroica

James Blood Ulmer: Birthright. 2005. Hyena Records: TMF 9335.

James Blood Ulmer: vocals, guitar, flute

Ulmer brings his voice and his guitar while Vernon Reid records this deeply soulful, undiluted blues experience. There's plenty of jagged, rough edges in this sound and the world-weary tone makes for some uncompromising expression. Ulmer's blues persona speaks of hard fought truths, observations of imperfections and righteous words from one who knows the devil. The very sound seems to melt into a haze of emotional turmoil.

Giacinto Scelsi: 5 String Quartets/String Trio/Khoom. 1988. WDR/Salabert: MO-782156.

Giacinto Scelsi: composer
performances by:

Arditti String Quartet:
Irvine Arditti: violin
David Alberman: violin
Levine Andrade: viola
Rohan de Saram: cello

Michiko Hirayama: soprano
Frank Lloyd: horn
Maurizio Ben Omar: percussion
Aldo Brizzi: conductor

Here's another disc from my "essentials" list. Giacinto Scelsi is a composer I feel particularly close to and this collection of chamber music cuts a clear path through his progression as a creative force. The Arditti String Quartet, as usual, does an outstanding job with this cornerstone of 20th century string quartet literature.

Of particular interest in this collection is Scelsi's String Quartet no. 1 from 1944. It was written before he underwent his profound creative transformation that led to the austere sound that he is known for today. And it is fascinating to hear where he was as a composer before developing his unique sonic thumb print. String Quartet no. 1 is a substantial work that barely hints at the creative development in store for the works that follow. It is a non-tonal, contrapuntal work that ultimately transforms into a tonal language in the final moments of this 30-plus minute piece. This transition traces a parallel line of Scelsi's overall creative development from the "modernism" of his contemporaries into the focus on sound that would make him into an icon, and a major influence on my own generation of composers.

String Trio from 1958 is representative of Scelsi's focus on coloring single tones with exquisite detail. Listening to the chronological order of these pieces through string quartets 2 through 5 and Khoom for soprano and six players reveals a blossoming of that sound and meditative sensibility that took place in the 41 years that followed that first string quartet. This is beautiful, essential listening.

Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 in E flat major (op.55) "Eroica", performed in 1994 by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The International Music Company: 205297-305 (disc 2). Conducted by Guenther Herbig.

There are few warhorses as well worn (and beaten) as the "Eroica." And this performance is recorded with great clarity so one can drink in the totality of each familiar nuance. It's a luxury to hear it in its entirety given the way it is often fragmented and segmented in the numerous chance encounters one has with this work from the worlds of advertising and background music.