Aaron Alexander & Julian Priester: Conversational Music

nversational Music is a collaborative effort between established jazz artists Aaron Alexander and Julian Priester, both highly regarded for their talent with their respective instruments (drums and trombone).

 

The title of the album, Conversational Music, is aptly titled, since the structure of the music tends to be that of a back-and-forth dynamic between the drums and the trombone; the songs are like a conversation taking place between the instruments.

 

Conversational Music is a fitting title on another level, too. Alexander and Priester met over two decades ago when Alexander was a student at Seattle’s Cornish College for the Arts, where Priester was an instructor. Conversational Music is the first time the two have worked together in more than 15 years and, as such, can be taken as a musical conversation between the artists themselves...MORE

Eugene Marlow's Heritage Ensemble: Celebrations

Eugene Marlow’s Heritage Ensemble has made its name with its jazz renditions of pieces from the Hebraic songbook, as well as Israeli folksongs.

 

Now, being unfamiliar with both those categories of song, I can’t really give input as to how well the songs on Celebrations are covered, or what (if any) changes to pacing or tempo were made to the songs by the Heritage Ensemble.

 

Being an instrumental album, though, familiarity with the music of Celebrations as it is traditionally done isn’t a necessity. Even without having a basis for comparison, Celebrations can be appreciated as a top-notch jazz album.

 

Celebrations presents a variety of jazz styles, ranging from the hip, almost Latin-flavored take on “Chanukah, O Chanukah,” whose instrumental focus is the saxophone, to the soft, piano-dominant “Halleluyah.” Regardless of the style, the Heritage Ensemble delivers flawlessly.

 

Not only is the instrument-playing itself superb, but the Heritage Ensemble presents the songs in such a way that they feel like they are meant to be jazz songs, rather than jazz covers of religious songs or folksongs....MORE

Koldasee: Messiah/I See a Land/I Believe

Christian group Koldasee is back with their second remastering of their album Messiah: Cradle That Rocked the World.

 

Koldasee originally released Messiah in 2008 as 9-track album. In 2009, they released a remastered version of the record, with five new tracks added to it. This time around, Messiah features 12 songs.

 

Messiah is, as a concept, a Christmas album. However, don’t expect it to be like other Christmas albums you’ve heard. You aren’t going to be getting a record full of your favorite Christmas classics.

 

Instead, being a Christian group, Koldasee steered away from the traditional Christmas songs that are covered and re-covered on a yearly basis to put the focus on their own, original songs.

 

These tracks take Christmas music in a very different direction from the holiday music we’re all familiar with, that laud Christmas as a time of snow and presents. The emphasis is entirely on Jesus being the reason for the holiday, and how that fact should be remembered.

 

Musically, the vocals on Messiah are really what make the album. The backing instrumentals are fine, and the variation between songs is just ok. But the vocals add something else....MORE

Coupled with Koldasee’s remastered album Messiah comes the DVD I See a Land. Now, calling it a DVD is a little misleading.

 

Yes, I See a Land is in DVD format, but it’s not a DVD like you would think, with a menu and options and several things to watch on it. Instead, I See a Land contains only the music video for the song “I See a Land.”

 

And it’s a little bit of a silly video at that.

 

“I See a Land” is a very patriotic, heralding America as being the land of angels and a place that God has smiled upon.

 

There’s nothing wrong with that.

 

There’s also nothing wrong with the fact that, to accompany that sentiment, the music video is rife with images of American landmarks, men and women in military uniforms, and farmers working the land, connecting us back to America’s roots.

 

The silly part of the video comes from the backstory that is apparently supposed to go with the song....MORE

 

Along with Koldasee’s remastered album Messiah comes the DVD I Believe.

 

The DVD contains nothing more than the music video for the track “I Believe” (found on Messiah), but is delightful in its 3 minutes and 47 seconds.

 

The song is all about the joy of Christmas and recognizing Jesus as the reason for the season.

 

As such, the music video is full of Christmasy footage, such as snow falling, kids playing in the snow, and families opening presents.

 

It’s not the highest-quality made video, but that just adds to its appeal...MORE