WRUV Reviews

Violinist Thomas Zehetmair performs Paganini’s 24 caprice for solo violin with aplomb. Used as exercises by violin students, Zehetmair feels these are truly original artistically, and purportedly, Paganini transfixed his audiences when performing. Track 24 is well-known. All are short, most under 3 mins. Play any!

Jerome Lowenthal on piano and the London Symphony Orchestra perform Concertos no. 1, 2, 3, and Concert Fantasy. Concerto no. 1 is very familiar, no. 2 is not familiar with American audiences according to the liner notes, so worth playing. These are passionate, virtuoso works generally long in length (14 mins. Movement 2 of Concerto no. 2 is particularly lovely (”Slavic seduction” according to the pianist).

Andras Schiff performs Bach’s Six Partitas–7 parts per partita so 2 CDs of lovely works. Unfortunately, no track listing so you don’t know what you played.

Former Swervedriver member, Adam Franklin’s Spent Bullets retains some of the bands sonic waves.  More mellow but still retaining a lush sound with reverb guitars and good lyrics, the mood is more somber.  So listen to swervedriver when you get to the party and listen to Spent Bullets when you get home and wind down from a night of raging.

Canadian rocker Josh Reichman is back with his first full length cd.  Crazy Power is a good name for this album.  This album is very upbeat, quirky and blends the genres of rock, alt,and a bit of jazz with a kitchen blender.  A former member of the Tangiers, he seems to be trying to make a clean break and make a sound of his own.  Each song has it’s own sound but the unusual genre blend and quirkiness remain throughout.  This album probably won’t have mass appeal but it’s inventiveness is worth a listen.

DJ Shantel and his Bucovina Club Orkestar (from Germany) play ‘dance floor friendly gypsy music’ (aka Balkan pop). The music is entertaining and very popular in Europe this year.

Award-winning master slide guitarist plays a fusion of Karnatic (south) and Hindustani (north) Indian music on a self-designed chaturangui (guitar), accompanied by his brother on tabla.

Debashish & his brother played a great show at the UVM Recital Hall on 9/20/09

A second amazing CD from this Afrobeat band with Burlington roots. The band is trying lots of new things, including more vocals. Same great band, but refreshingly reinvented.

Track #6 is about their old house at 540 S. Willard St.
Will be filed under Local Music when it leaves the new music section.

All volunteer street “bateria” (percussion band) in the best Brazilian tradition. Three long & one short track recorded downtown on New Years eve ‘07.

Will be filed under Local Music when it leaves the new music section.

Debut CD of NY-based vocalist originally from Cordoba, Argentina. Features some impressive contemporary reinterpretations of music by some well-known Latin American composers.