Ensemble Micrologus - Cantigas de Santa Maria

I'm thankful to this recording for opening my eyes to medieval music. Books such as Barbara Tuchman's Through A Distant Mirror may bring your imagination back in time to a good degree, but there is nothing like music to thoroughly immerse yourself in the ethos and aesthetics of a distant past.

These 13th century songs to the Virgin Mary are an excellent escape from the normal musical fare of the Christmas season. They bring you back to the court of Alfonso X of Castile. The language being sung is a mix of medieval Portuguese and Spanish. I included a PDF of the introduction. It gives brief historical background and a description of the wild assortment of wind, string, and percussion instruments used in the recording.

For more information, please see Greg Lindahl's wonderful page, including facsimiles of the original manuscripts as well as dozens of other related links. Lindahl is an active participant in the Society for Creative Anachronism. I've been told many times that I should also be an active member. Maybe one day.

In the meantime, Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year!

Download here (no password):
http://www.mediafire.com/?2jdvnydb6vuvz5h

Cheers,
Angus

Sandy Bull - E Pluribus Unum

I was looking for something way out of the ordinary to post, and here it is. Sandy Bull's E Pluribus Unum, from 1969, is a wild mix of Americana, blues, and middle-eastern trippiness. The album consists of two long, laid-back instrumental tunes, definitely worth a spin. You can either purchase an Amazon MP3 copy or click here for a slightly lower bit rate from my collection.

Cheers,
Angus

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Trio - To A Brother

To A Brother is an album well worth knowing, one of many featuring Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (1946-2005). The other two members of the trio are Ulf Wakenius on guitar and Adam Nussbaum on drums. All three worked together brilliantly to produce this recording, released in 1993 and sadly not currently in circulation. You'll hear great variety, reflective and energetic moments side-by-side. When it cooks, it sizzles. Wakenius is a great jazz guitarist. As for Pedersen, he had the rare talent of being able to use all four fingers on his right hand to play the upright bass, a nearly impossible task. And boy, could he play! Listen for yourself...

Download here (no password):
http://www.mediafire.com/?aocqfhzafrb8p9g

One of Pedersen's most legendary musical partnerships was with the great Oscar Peterson. The two were close friends and produced some classic recordings together, available through Amazon. Two I highly recommend are Great Connection and Trio, the latter with Joe Pass.

Cheers,
Angus

1x.com - Great Photography!

If you're looking for great photography on the web, check out 1x.com. There are several categories of photos for every style and taste, and each of the artists are given recognition for their work. Many of the photos would make great desktop backgrounds, while others are just plain excellent artistic expressions.

You can register and post your own work. I'll have to search through the archives to see if I have photos worth sharing on the site.

Cheers,
Angus