Be prepared for some challenging, off-the-beaten path choices, including a new tradition.
Michael Ullman
Fuse Best of 2013 — Music
Arts Fuse Critics pick the best in music albums this year. Feel free to agree, disagree, and add your own favorites.
Classical CD Review: Pianist Leon Fleisher — A Box Set of Greatness
Leon Fleisher was part of an outburst of great North American pianists. Many were ill-fated, but, as this commanding box set proves, Fleisher stayed the course.
Fuse Jazz Review: The Jussi Reijonen Quartet — Fascinating Eclecticism
Jessie Reijonen’s eclectic and spacious approach to jazz is a deliberate attempt to investigate, not necessarily fuse, his disparate roots.
Fuse Jazz Review: Pianist Marc Cary — A Virtuoso Yarnspinner
Pianist Marc Cary came to Sculler’s to play the neglected compositions of celebrated singer Abbey Lincoln.
Fuse News: The Late Jazz Pianist Marian McPartland, A Powerhouse Musician and Educator
Marian McPartland, who died on August 20 at the age of 95, was many things: a charming, gracious, and also tough-minded woman, an educator and mentor to many, an author, a business woman, and, lest we forget, a powerhouse musician.
Fuse News CD Review: Pianist Chick Corea’s Extroverted “Vigil”
According to Chick Corea, this recording contains first impressions of the compositions that he’ll be playing with his band on upcoming tours. It’ll be interesting to hear how these tunes and this group develops.
Fuse News: Grace Notes for Pianist Cedar Walton
The late Cedar Walton was part of some of the most potent bands in the history of jazz, most famously Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers.
Classical CD Review: An Inspiring 80th Birthday Tribute to Conductor Claudio Abbado
This attractive, inexpensive box set dedicated to Claudio Abbado contains a rich gathering of lucid, colorful recordings, among the most accomplished modern performances of symphonies that are absolutely central to the repertoire.
Jazz CD Review: “Occupy The World” — Creatively Complicated Orchestral Music
Over five extended compositions, composer and trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith leads a new large ensemble, TUMO, creating a challenging but engaging world of sound that combines composed elements with strong soloists and group improvisation.