“Without music, life would be a mistake” – Friedrich Neitzsche

Seriously Good Music is back!  Enjoy the selections, and let us know what you think.

“Got the Keys to the Kingdom: Live at the Village Vanguard” – Chris Potter (2023)

Saxophonist Chris Potter leads a quartet on this album, recorded live at the iconic Village Vanguard jazz club. Potter is joined by Craig Taborn on piano, Scott Colley on bass and Marcus Gilmore on drums.  The album offers varied programme of selections, combining energetic rhythms with lovely melodies, all beautifully performed.  Several of the tracks feature outstanding solos by Potter, Taborn and Colley. Standout tunes for me are the opener, “You Gotta Move” by Mississippi Fred McDowell, Billy Strayhorn’s “Blood Count”, and the title track, “Got the Keys to the Kingdom”. Highly recommended.

“Mirrors” – Jeanine De Bique (2022)

Renowned Trinidadian soprano, Jeanine De Bique, explores heroines of baroque opera in her debut solo recording, “Mirrors”.  De Bique presents Handel’s female characters from Roman history and Greek mythology through arias from his operas.  These she juxtaposes with versions from other baroque composers, offering each as a reflection on the other.  The album opens with the sparkling clarity, precision and speed of Gaun’s “Tra le procelle assorto”.  However this brilliance doesn’t outshine the plaintive beauty of the slower arias like Handel’s “Se pietà di me non senti” and Broschi’s “Mi restano le lagrime”.  De Bique’s voice and singing throughout are simply wonderful, and she is splendidly supported by the Concerto Köln, under the baton of Luca Quintavalle.  Highly recommended

© 2023 Wayne Butcher. All Rights Reserved.