Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto; Symphony No.83, "La Poule"
Michael Haydn: Concertino for Trumpet & Orchestra; Serenade in B-flat; Concertino for Clarino
Wolfgang Bauer, trumpet; Württemberg Chamber Orchestra; Ruben Gazarian, conductor.
MD&G 1395-56
Format: Hybrid Multichannel SACD

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When I began collecting LPs, it seemed that half the performances in the catalog were by the Württemberg Chamber Orchestra under the baton of its founder, Jörg Faerber. It was a good orchestra that showed promise, and that promise has been fulfilled: The Württemberg is now a superb chamber orchestra the equal of any other. Add to this an amazing trumpet soloist, perfect music, and impeccable sound, and you have a disc to treasure. Trumpeter Wolfgang Bauer can play all of the virtuoso passages with ease, has a golden yet focused tone, and has composed his own cadenzas for these works. Conductor Ruben Gazarian and the orchestra members back him 100% in vital performances full of the joy of playing great music. The sound is warm yet highly detailed, with just-right balances. The orchestra in Joseph Haydn’s famous concerto contains trumpets in addition to the soloist, and their interplay is heard here more clearly than in any other recording….Rad Bennett

American Orchestral Works (Music by Barbara Kolb, Aaron Jay Kernis, Michael Hersch, John Corigliano, and John Harbison)
Grant Park Orchestra; Carlos Kalmar, conductor.
Cedille 90000 090
Format: CD

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According to the notes accompanying this CD, Chicago’s Grant Park Festival, which runs for ten consecutive weeks each summer, is the sole remaining free, municipally funded outdoor classical music series in the US. All of the works on this disc were written within the past 12 years. John Corigliano’s Midsummer Fanfare was composed and premiered in 2004 by the GPF Orchestra to celebrate the festival’s move to a new summer performing home, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. The fanfare is the lightest work here; the other music is much tougher to listen to, but still rewarding. The performances seem committed and right on the mark, and the recording is big yet detailed. Though these are live recordings, the applause has been edited out. The terrific sound seems to owe much to the recording venue, the Harris Theater for Music and Dance, in Millennium Park. This is only the second commercial recording to be made there, but once word gets out, I can assure you it won’t be the last….Rad Bennett

Les Claypool: Of Whales and Woe
Prawn Song PSR-0011-2
Format: CD

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This time, Primus bassist Les Claypool has outdone himself. It has been a busy year for the creative workaholic: he’s written, directed, and starred in his first feature film, and released a novel and several concert videos. Most significant, however, is the release of his first solo album, Of Whales and Woe. The disc weaves a convincing nautical theme, though it’s not till you’re adrift in the middle of the ocean, no land in sight, that you realize what a wild voyage it will be. "Lust Stings" laments the discomfort of a sailor’s STDs, and "Rumble of the Diesel" takes one into the belly of the boiler room, where engine effluent oozes forth. The funk/punk slap-style of Claypool’s bass guitar fills the space with ultimate bass. Though the creative inclusions of vibes, sitar, and marimba are gracious, in actuality they provide little more than theatrical effects next to the driving force of Claypool’s raucous rhythms. It seems as if every work Claypool has touched has been golden, but as the first track on this new album suggests, there’s always room for "One Better."…Shannon Holliday

Medeski Scofield Martin & Wood: Out Louder
Indirecto IR-01
Format: CD

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When John Scofield recorded his hit Verve album A Go Go in 1998, he hired three equally talented musicians to act as his backing band -- John Medeski, Billy Martin, and Chris Wood. This time around, Medeski Martin & Wood, successful in their own right, brought Scofield on board to record Out Louder. The resulting improvisational quartet has produced stunningly cohesive results. From the opening drum roll of "Little Walter Rides Again" to the funky guitar lick that follows, the album is straight up both MMW’s and Scofield’s alleys. The songs are tight yet improvised, and explore a variety of genres. Not the least is a cover of John Lennon’s "Julia," a tune easy to foul with kitschy arrangements. The four cover the tune elegantly and soulfully, highlighting Medeski’s organ and Scofield’s guitar. The album is enhanced by clear, crisp sound for all instruments, even the reverberating organ….Katherine Silkaitis

Lonesome Spurs: Lonesome Spurs
Cleopatra CLP1643-2
Format: CD

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The Texas rockabilly duo Lonesome Spurs sallies forth on this, their eponymous debut, eager to prove their stuff. And tuff stuff it is: Lynda Kay Parker (lead vocals, tenor guitar, kick drum) and Danny B. Harvey (electric guitar, backing vocals) jive harmonically and stylistically. Honky-tonk guitar and simple rhythmic stomp (from a homemade kick drum made of a Samsonite suitcase) constitute their sound’s basic recipe, but it’s the originality and southern swank of Parker’s voice that sets the duo a notch above similar acts. Recorded live in the studio with no overdubbing, Lonesome Spurs is raw rockabilly, energetic and authentic. Highlights include the slick finger-pickin’ instrumental "Lonesome Spur Stomp," as well as other original numbers such as "Ride Straddle Saloon" and "Other Side of Farewell." If you’re turned off by the assertion on the CD cover, "The White Stripes of Country!," give the Spurs a chance to prove that they’re not -- their own identity is a bit more intriguing than the comparison might imply….Shannon Holliday