Customer Reviews

Private Astronomy: A Vision of the Music of Bix Beiderbecke

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was afraid that I was going to hate this CD. After all, those of us who love (or even know about) Bix's "Modern Suite" have had precious little to listen to, apart from Ralph Sutton's evocative piano solos (which, so far as I know, haven't made their way yet to CD) and Bunny Berigan's 1938 ensemble arrangements for "In a Mist," "Flashes," and "Candlelights" (plus "Davenport Blues"). My worry was that a bunch of folkies (Geoff Muldaur, Loudon Wainwright III, Martha Wainwright, et. al.) would turn this project into something precious or surround the "Suite" with hokum nonsense. Well, I was dead wrong. Muldaur's chamber arrangements of the instrumental pieces are both respectful of the originals and beautifully evocative in their own right. And the other "period" material, with spirited playing by some top-flight jazz musicians, is neither gimmickry nor filler. The biggest surprise was how well Muldaur's extraordinary vocals complement this material: Who needs Bing when you've got Geoff to sing "Waiting at the End of the Road"? And the same can be said for Martha Wainwright's wonderfully saucy rendering of "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth the Salt of My Tears." This is a terrific project, fully realized. It's already in heavy rotation on my CD player.

Don't pay any attention to the crabbypants, crusty jazz purists who are poo-poohing this disc. They're simply being humorless and unimaginative, which pretty much puts them in 180-degree opposition to this lovely little record. I liked this a lot. It was very sweet, very creative and very listenable, and if it (gasp!!!) doesn't sound exactly like Bix Beiderbecke did, well golly! Why not go buy a Beiderbecke album as well, and quit carping about how this "doesn't live up to" the man, the myth and the legend? There's really no reason we can't enjoy BOTH the original music and this warm, intelligent tribute to Beiderbeck's restless genius. They each have a lot to offer. I, for one, look forward to listening to this record for years to come.

First the good news: the music is wonderful. Great playing, and a terrific mix of standard jazz styles (There Ain't No Sweet Man, in particular) with Beiderbecke's chamber explorations. It's definitely worth many listenings.

The not-so-good news. I didn't think it was technically possible to only put 43 minutes of music on a compact disk. Seriously, the album seems awfully short for the money.

In the town where I grew up, there was a summer when someone painted (with a brush, no spray paint at that time) the words "Bix Lives" virtually everywhere. I asked everyone I could think of if they knew who this "Bix" was ... finally, it was our Postmaster (a pretty fair ragtime piano player) who told me that the "Bix" painted everywhere referred to a jazz cornetist named Bix Biederbeck. I never heard anymore about that, and my public-school music teachers weren't really very forthcoming.

I heard about this disc on Public Radio. I had to order it from Amazon because my local music store was at something of a loss when it came to Geoff Muldaur and Mr Biederbeck. What drew me mostly were some remarks that Bix had drawn some of his later influences from composers like Maurice Ravel and Claude DeBussy. I really wanted to hear this!

I have finally found MY FAVORITE cd ... this has handily surpassed every other favorite I've EVER had. It's simply beautiful ... sometimes wistful, occasionally melancholy, and always a delight.

As a long-time listener and fan of Bix Beiderbecke, my interest was piqued by all the rave reviews I started seeing and hearing about "Private Astronomy"...New York Times, Wall Street Journal, All Things Considered, the Bix website and on and on. So, I finally got off my duff and ordered a copy. This single act was the best thing I've done for myself in the last decade. Geoff Muldaur has created a masterpiece! The chamber arrangements of Bix's piano pieces are exquisite. In all my years (and there are too many of them) I have not heard anything like them...it's as if Bix had escaped his early death, grown up and chosen to arrange the pieces in just this way. Goodness, I can see him smiling in heaven! The songs with big band arrangements and Wainwright and Muldaur vocals capture the spirit of the era in just the right way. Retro arrangements they are not. They are as fresh as a daisy..as if Muldaur were transported from the late twenties to give us the real thing in his own way. I highly recommend this album. For the historic importance of the chamber arrangements alone, "Private Astronomy" rates 5 stars!

Unlike other reviewers I'm not a connoisseur of Bix Beiderbecke's work, so I had no preconceived idea of how this music should sound. Not a purist, I just find the music delightful on its own merits. I've been a fan of Geoff Muldaur's remarkable voice since his early days with the Jim Kweskin Jug Band. After a long hiatus from performing and recording, he came back strong in 1998 and 2000 with Secret Handshake and Password. Ive seen him perform twice in the past couple of years. It's obvious that he has taken very good care of his voice, his musical tastes are eclectic but impeccable, and he's quite a musical historian. Private Astronomy is Muldaur's conceptualization of Beiderbecke's music. He assembled an exceptional group of classical and jazz musicians for the Beiderbecke instrumentals. Interspersed with the instrumentals are songs by other composers of the era (including Jimmy McHugh and Irving Berlin). I like the mixture of vocals and instrumentals. It adds diversity and eliminates the potential monotony of unrelieved instrumentals. The total effect is lovely and evocative of the Art Deco/Prohibition era. Muldaur's beautiful solos on "Waiting at the End of the Road" and "Clouds" are poignant. He also sings as part of the Harmony Boys trio (with Loudon Wainwright III and Greg Prestopino)on "Take Your Tomorrow" and "Futuristic Rhythm", both upbeat, joyful tunes. Martha Wainwright gives a spot on performance of "There Ain't No Sweet Man That's Worth the Salt of My Tears". I hit the replay button every time I hear it. Her second solo, "Singin' the Blues", is less perfect, with some uneveness in her intonation and vocal quality. "There Ain't No Sweet Man" is definitely the better performance. A particular delight is Loudon Wainwright's high energy performance of "Bless You Sister" backed by the Harmony Girls (Martha Wainwright, and Geoff Muldaur's daughters). When I listen to it in the car it makes me want to roll down the windows and open the sun roof. I highly recommend this recording

As soon as I heard about this CD, I knew I had to have it. Still, I was a little afraid when ordering it that it wouldn't live up to my expectations. All my fears were immediately erased when the disc arrived and I eagerly opened it and put it in the CD player. What sound! Not only is the disc marvelously recorded technically speakking, but the content is equally spectacular. Geoff Muldaur has given new life to these old pieces, featuring brand new arrangments that accurately reflect the 1920s/1930s style. The new arrangements provide a fresh look at these pieces, instead of another note-for-note recreation of a record that has already been made. Of particular interst to me are his Futuristic Ensemble recordings of Bix's solo piano compositions: "In A Mist," "Candlelights," "Flashes," and "In The Dark." Here, these have been skillfully adapted for wind ensemble and the result is breathtaking. There will never be another Bix, and Muldaur recognizes that. He has captured the essence of Bix, but transformed it into something all his own. The disc is on the short side at slightly over 40 minutes, but it's one I find myself listening to over and over again. Well worth it!

I love this CD. For those of you who like the jazz of the earlyish 20th century, this can't be beat. People who like Pink Martini may enjoy this album. I love it so much that I purchased extra copies for some of my family.

I didn't take to this CD right away--sometimes you're not in the right frame of mind for something. It was ALL MY FAULT! Once I had my ears on right, I was swept away. The arrangements are so fun, so unexpected, so sonorously inviting and whimsical they can't help but make you smile. The delicate interplay of horns just melts in the air. The singing is first rate, too, and those songs are a kick. I've been a fan of Muldaur's from Kweskin, too. This album is reminiscent of his renditions of Brazil, Having a Wonderful Time and Dardenella, tunes I still cherish. Another reviewer mentioned his recent CDs and I'd add that Beautiful Isle of Somewhere, a live CD from a solo show in Bremen, Germany, is a gem--own it if only for the title track, sung as an acapella encore.

Wow, what a CD. The chords, the compositions are beautiful. The musicians are cream of the crop, and their intonation unbelievable. You'll feel like you're sitting in on the band, and a fantastic band to boot, when you listen to this CD. You'll feel as though you just left a live jazz club after this one.

The "Clouds" piece is particularly poignant, and the group plays it perfectly.

Can't say enough about how surprised I was in getting this CD. Didn't know what to expect, but certainly didn't expect such a fabulous and rich sound. If you like good jazz from a group that's in tune, exhibits great musicianship, has a inate sense of rhythm , and just seems to have fun on this CD, this one's for you.

Mr. Muldaur, more please !