1. William Parker: For Those Who Are, Still (Aum Fidelity/Centering)
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
I have been an admirer and observer of William Parker for a quarter century, but nothing prepared me for the impact of this three-disc set's final CD, which features an orchestral composition, Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still, which ranks high among the best orchestral music of the 21st century, and I'm including classical composers. In other words, don't cringe while imagining the usual jazz-with-strings hack job. There are moments in Ceremonies for Those Who Are Still -- particularly when the choir is singing Parker's poems of life and loss and creation -- when the grandeur of the year's most fashionable jazz album, Kamasi Washington's The Epic (also a three-cd set) comes to mind, but the difference -- the reason Parker's set ranks much higher -- is that his orchestrations are vastly more contrapuntal, colorful, individual, and just plain daring.
- 1/3/2016
- by SteveHoltje
- www.culturecatch.com
Muhammad Ali: A.K.A. Cassius Clay (1970) Direction: Jim Jacobs Written by: Bernard Evslin Narration: Richard Kiley Muhammad Ali: Made In Miami Review The best of the trio of documentaries mentioned in my Muhammad Ali: The Greatest post was Muhammad Ali a.k.a. Cassius Clay, made in 1970 by boxing promoter Jim Jacobs and narrated by Richard Kiley. Jacobs' film is the most stylistically daring of the three: in addition to breaking the fourth wall, it depicts Ali — with boxing trainer Cus D'Amato — examining film highlights of himself and other boxers. Unfortunately, after the 30-minute mark, a.k.a. Cassius Clay devolves into yet another hagiography. The documentary needed more comparisons to Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, and other fighters of the past to make it interesting. Like Muhammad Ali: The Greatest and Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami, a.k.a. Cassius Clay focuses on the 1960s and...
- 9/16/2011
- by Dan Schneider
- Alt Film Guide
Miles Davis and Australia do not seem like two things that go together. Those, however, who caught an acting performance by the jazz master in Rolf de Heer's1991 film Dingo know better. On March 6, Australian fans will have a rare opportunity to listen to a live performance at the Sydney Opera House of Davis' score from the 1971 documentary, Jack Johnson. Davis' former sideman and one of the world's greatest jazz drummers, Jack DeJohnette, will do the honours on the night. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, Jack Johnson was directed by boxing enthusiast - and future manager of Mike Tyson - William Cayton, who used archive newsreel footage to portray the extraordinary life of Johnson, the world's first African American Heavyweight Champion.
- 2/22/2011
- FilmInk.com.au
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