Oct 9 2015
The Wayne Horvitz free download series: “You Were Just Here (for Philip)” from Way Out East
Wayne Horvitz created two Gravitas Quartet albums, the companion pieces Way Out East and One Dance Alone, and served up just about the most compelling mix of Jazz and Classical music I’ve ever heard. Centerpiece is the trumpet of Ron Miles, whose sound is a pure distillation of heartbreak. Even when he’s turning up the temperature, Miles emits a quavering vulnerability that makes each note sound honest and sincere. In a chamber jazz setting like on Way Out East, he’s given plenty of room to express those sentiments. With Peggy Lee’s cello and Sara Schoenbeck’s bassoon adding lovely moodiness to Horvitz’s compositional template, the quartet glides through a series of thoughtful expressions and delicate sentiments.
There are tracks like “Ladies and Gentleman” and “A Remembrance…” that bubble with avant-garde bassoon gurgles, pensive trumpet sighs, sharp cello lines, and twittering piano notes. Others, like “Way Out East” and “Berlin 1914,” have a slow meander as serene as a walk in the park and as a warm as a fireplace on a winter afternoon. But most, like album-opener “LB” and this week’s free track “You Were Just Here (for Philip),” include both approaches, and effect an intoxicating contrast of beauty and scar, of fresh pure snow and sharp glistening ice.
You can download that track either by hitting the “download” button on the audio player below or by going directly to Horvitz’s Bandcamp page. The added reward of downloading from the Bandcamp page is that Horvitz has been writing something about each track in the free series and posting it there.
Your album personnel: Wayne Horvitz (piano, electronics), Ron Miles (trumpet), Peggy Lee (cello), and Sara Schoenbeck (bassoon).
Released in 2006 on the Songlines Recordings label.
Available at: eMusic | Amazon: CD & MP3
Explore more of Wayne’s music on his Bandcamp page.
(and probably iTunes, too)
Apr 13 2019
Take a tour of the Mr Morezon label by downloading their free sampler
The Mr Morezon label has been on my radar for a number of years now. They only release a few albums each year, but each one has its own unique qualities and makes a pretty strong impression on me. For instance, the John Fahey-inspired recording by The Bedmakers was one of my favorite albums last year.
So, spend your Saturday digging through this free sampler and find what might become your next favorite album.
The album is retailing at Name Your Price, so take them up on their offer and put an amount of zero in the purchase amount field. There’s nothing stopping you from sending along some cash with your purchase or, instead, if you find you’re enjoying the sampler, then circling back later to it if you’re so inclined (you can always purchase the album a second time and give money that time).
However, the best way to show your appreciation for the sampler is to buy one of the albums featured on it. That, ultimately, is what these free samplers are meant to do… provide listeners a budget-friendly introduction to the label’s music, figuring you’ll hear something you like on it from one (or more) of the ensembles, and that’ll lead to an album purchase(s).
And be sure to check out some of the Mr Morezon recordings that have been featured here on Bird is the Worm.
You can download from the embedded player above or you can go grab it at the Mr Morezon bandcamp page. And while you’re there, you can check out all the other music they’ve got on that page.
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By davesumner • Free Music • 0 • Tags: Free Music, Mr. Morezon