Customer Reviews

Nightwatch

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When 20th Century recordings are finally vetted for their originality and strength, Nightwatch will be on the short-list for the finest inprovisational recording--on any instrument, in any genre--ever made. I challenge anyone to listen to this Paul Halley without being gob-dropping blown away. Exalted, almost terrifying, Nightwatch moves through a dreamworld of emotion and lyric beauty. Paul Halley's playing is focused, tense, expectant. It's about as far away from mood music as is humanly possible and yet Mr. Halley invites us into his themes without pretense. It's as if he is inviting us to transcend our humanity and step into the realm of the holy. That he is doing so "off the cuff" is even more amazing.

It's a shame that many, many more people are not exposed to Halley, Eugene Friesen, and the whole Paul Winter crowd. Admirers will also enjoy Eugene Friesen's and Halley's mutual projects.

I would call this recording a must-have for organists and connoisseurs of organ music. These stunning improvisations, often based on beloved plainsong hymn melodies and aimed originally at a teenage audience, are outstanding in their musical integrity combined with warmth and popular appeal-- quite a precarious feat to accomplish. Amazingly, Paul Halley regularly demonstrated equal gifts as liturgical organist, choirmaster, and jazzman.

Summoning into life an awesome acoustical space, the great organ in the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine was justly one of the most famous and admired instruments in the U.S. Note the past tense, as at present it is unplayable, smoke damage from a fire in the building in 2001 clinching decades of neglect in maintenance. There are plans for its eventual renovation, however. Of the many recordings of this organ that I have heard, this one, by its legendary titulaire from the '70s/'80s, is by far the most inspiring memoir of a glory that once was and, please God, has not departed forever.

Remastered Gramavision classic from 1982 features the British organist improvising five solo flights inside St. John the Divine Cathedral in New York. Drawn from a Friday night city concert series, Halley was forced to be compact and efficient for a young audience, but by no means did he trim the content sails. "Remarkable" would safely describe Halley's gift here for progressing, naturally unified, unimprovably logical extemporization, which often departs gently and proceeds, level by level, upward to spectacular heights. Four of the five pieces reach, seemingly, as far as one can on an instrument, in the shortest time (- as little as seven minutes, as long as twelve). After decades of listens, several of these cogent, organic, harmonically brilliant performances, especially the title track, still invite discovery and wonderment. Beginning with dewdrops, ending with oceans, Halley is the mariner of the dark night and speaks the chapters where journey awakens as joy. Play loud, add candles, and dance in the arms of the Creator.

Clearly, there is no organist recording today who has the level of talent that Paul Halley posseses.It's almost as if you're not listening to an organ, but sharing an experience that is truly remarkable! You need to play this cd everyday to awaken all your senses.I hope the powers-to-be read this, because 38 minutes of this incredible music is not enough. I hope more releases are planned for the near future.

I just received the item and listened to it almost immediately. There are no qualms on the power and inspiration of Mr Haley's music, but, after all those glowing reviews, someone has to emphasize the fact that there are only 38 minutes of music on this CD. For some buyers, such as I, who ponder value, this does count.
So, if you like powerful solo organ music, harmonically lush, you are in good ground. But the producers of this CD can certainly do better than offer a "half-CD of music" at more than the average market price: new and used.
I am frustrated that, at this juncture, only one review mentions the short iming. But, more so, annoyed at myself for not having read all reviews!

I've sat in the dark for untold hours, listening to Paul Halley improvise on the great organ at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. And I'm not even a communicant! I'm simply one among thousands who have undertaken the pilgrimage once or twice a year to catch Paul Winter's solstice concerts there. It's quite an eerie feeling, knowing that you are among roughly 3000 attendees filling this space, yet in an environment so quiet, save for the music, that you could hear a pin drop. This is one measure of the effect that Paul Halley's improvisations can have on listeners.

While Halley is no longer associated with either the Cathedral or the Paul Winter Consort (having gone on to do some splendid things in the area of choral performances), we at least have this one album of his solo improvisations to remind us of his unique genius and skills. We of course also have many of his improvisations, made as a key member of the Consort, recorded for posterity on several Paul Winter Consort albums, but this one is rather special insofar as it is the only one available that exhibits Halley's solo work during the time he was the Cathedral's organist.

As Halley explains in his nicely-written booklet notes, Nightwatch is the name given to an ongoing series of Friday night organ-demonstration events (instituted originally by him and now in its 24th year) as part of a weekend youth worship program (carried out through the school year), specifically for high schoolers. The improvisations captured here are more than "just a demonstration of the great organ," though. They have been carefully selected to exhibit musical values well beyond merely the "demo" value of hearing the organ "speak" its remarkable qualities.

All five of these works are excellent, and the sound, digitally remastered from tapes for a 1982 LP, is splendid. Of the five works, I do think that one stands out above the others: the final track, titled "Dawn/Sunrise," based on the Latin plainchant, "Adore Te, Devote." This is a work that is clearly dear to Halley's heart, inasmuch as it appears - only slightly transmogrified - as "For the Beauty of the Earth" in Paul Winter's "Missa Gaia" and in a wonderful setting for flute and organ that appears on "Free as a Bird," an album featuring flautist Rhonda Larson playing several Halley compositions and arrangements. This particular improvisation captures virtually the full range of timbres and coloristic capabilities of the great organ, from the softest flue stops to the brilliance of the unique state trumpet stop, said to be the most powerful on any organ extant.

The booklet notes also include a comprehensive overview of the organ by its curator, both in terms of its stoplist and its history, as first an E. M. Skinner organ and later as an Aeolian-Skinner organ when it was rebuilt and totally revoiced by G. Donald Harrison.

I have only one complaint about this album (preventing me from giving it a 5-star rating), and that is its very short running time, more than a full minute less than 40 minutes. Surely, with over nearly a decade of Nightwatch performances under Halley's aegis, it should have been possible to come up with an additional 20 or 30 minutes of music for inclusion. Nonetheless, the album is remarkable for what it is: a prime example of an artform - organ improvisation - that hopefully is presently (and once again) in the ascendency.

Bob Zeidler

I first heard this on tape in 1989, after visiting the Cathedral. I would not generally describe myself as a fan of "organ music," but this is not organ music. No category helps one guess what this music might sound like. It's powerful, beautiful, subtle, uplifting and crushing and peaceful all at once -- like the great organ and the cathedral itself. The cathedral is really an integral part of the instrument, and it's obvious that Halley knows it well.

When I first heard this, I thought I was in heaven. The musical content and the sound was unbelievable. This is a must listen-to for people of every age. Its hip, classical and jazzy all in one cd.