Nov 3, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #36: Boccherini Guitar Quartets by José Miguel Moreno and La Real CámaraJosé Miguel Moreno is a wonderful classical guitarist — in fact, he is even more than that, he is a virtuoso on several historical stringed instruments, including the lute, the vihuela, the theorbo, and the baroque guitar. …Guitar3 min readGuitar3 min read
Oct 27, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #35: The Köln Concert by Keith JarrettI’m tempted to bet $5 that if you take the LP cover of any first pressing of Keith Jarrett’s The Köln Concert (1975, ECM Records), pry it open and stick your nose inside, what you smell — along with the musty odor of old cardboard — will be the same…Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Oct 26, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #34: Children’s Songs by Chick CoreaAfter yesterday’s delightful solo piano album by Claudio Arrau, I decided to spend the remainder of this week listening to pianists, alone. You are a rare and lucky parent if: Your child can play any of Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs Your child enjoys listening to Chick Corea’s Children’s Songs It…Music2 min readMusic2 min read
Oct 25, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #33: Iberia by Claudio ArrauWhen I see classical music LP covers from the 1940s and ’50s like the one above, on labels like Columbia, Decca, EMI, and RCA, I have absolutely no apprehension about the quality of the musicianship or the recording. The Mid-20th Century recording industry was still firmly in the age of…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
Oct 21, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #32: The Fabulous Johnny CashA slim volume of poetry from a lost — and better — America. The Fabulous Johnny Cash (1958) is the country icon’s first album on his new record label, Columbia Records, following his initial success at Sun. …Music3 min readMusic3 min read
Oct 19, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #31: Obras Breves Españolas by Andrés SegoviaIf you want to be carried away to a different time and place, listen to this beautifully played guitar album. After more than a century since Andrés Segovia’s concert debut in Europe, and the many classical guitar virtuosi that have come in his wake, it’s hard to grasp what an…Guitar2 min readGuitar2 min read
Oct 18, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #30: Jutta Hipp with Zoot SimsAfter yesterday’s thick dense unfiltered Dunkelweizen, Jutta Hipp with Zoots Sims went down like a bright crisp refreshing Pilsner. This album falls right into my ideal zone for jazz record perfection; here are a few of my criteria: no singing no bass solos no drum solos 4–8 tracks runtime less…Jazz4 min readJazz4 min read
Oct 17, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #29: The Bad Plus by The Bad PlusI’ve heard this band before. Many times. They weren’t called “The Bad Plus”, and none of the players on today’s album, The Bad Plus, by The Bad Plus, were in the band. But I’ve heard this band. Many times. Most often, the venue is a dark basement bar, somewhere in…Guitar4 min readGuitar4 min read
Oct 14, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #28: Synchronicity by The PoliceI’m glad The Police went out on a high note. On this, Sting and I agree. August 18th 1983, The Police played a sold out show for over 70,000 fans at New York City’s Shea Stadium, just a couple of months into a worldwide tour supporting their latest album, Synchronicity…Músic4 min readMúsic4 min read
Oct 13, 2022Member-onlyThe Midnight Album, #27: Ghost in the Machine by The PoliceWhatever I spent on this album (on cassette!) in 1981 — $5.99? $7.99? — it was worth every penny just to hear the hair-parting “thwack!” of Stewart Copeland’s high-and-tight snare drum on “Spirits in the Material World”. If you don’t think a snare drum alone can make a song…Music4 min readMusic4 min read
