Customer Reviews

Twelve Songs (SPKG)

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Charles Ives' songs are almost always given the European style of lieder recital treatment; e.g., Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and "Winterreise", or even Thomas Hampson and Dawn Upshaw singing Aaron Copland. But, if you've heard Ives himself sing his own, "They Are There", you know well enough that subsequent performances would easily be the stuff of vigorous embellishment. In that spirit, Theo Bleckmann and Kneebody have stepped up to the plate - with extreme prejudice!

These readings are more than mere interpretation, they're a paradigm shift - a hundred-year leap to a place where the traditional roll of singer has gone beyond genre. If, when you listen, you attempt a mental pigeonhole (jazz vocal, legitimate voice, new age whatever) you run the danger of limiting your understanding of what's happening here. What's jazzlike is a sense of being in the moment, free of assumptions about the next few seconds. And from the tradition of lieder singing, Theo sings beyond mere technical considerations to plant a flag; i.e., he claims these songs as his own - inhabits them.

There is no doubt in my mind that Ives would have loved this. There are technological considerations he would have instinctively embraced, especially in light of, for example, his quarter tone pieces. Here the electronics are as integral with Kneebody's conception and execution as the emerging piano-forte was to Mozart. But what of the vocal?

Theo has benefited from being among the late 20th century singers who have changed what it means to sing in a performance setting. In-concert sound reinforcement, and its recording corollary, allow for an intimacy unheard since 19th century salon recitals. Theo makes the most of this; here as elsewhere, his vocals are exquisite, nuanced and often transcendent.

The boldness of this take on Ives arouses broad expectations. What, for example, would Bleckmann do with Mahler's "Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen" or the Kindertotenlieder? I'd pay money to hear that! And what would happen if he tackled Hans Werner Henze's or Anton Webern's songs? It's delicious just to contemplate such a thing.

Here's proof that the singer need not sing BIG in order to make a major impact on the lieder repertoire. I truly never thought I would hear "Like a Sick Eagle" that would blow my hair back (if I had hair) the way Jan DeGaetani's did three and a half decades ago. But, here it is - welcome to the future, everyone!

I love this disc. I think the power of Bleckmann's voice is that he doesn't fall back on jazz cliches of singing. He's one of the few modern jazz singers that really make me pay attention to lyrics and melodies. I think if you're looking for jazz convention, then this disc will indeed disappoint. But if you're looking for jazz in its true modernist sense, then this disc is a winner.

For many singers, interpreting the music of Charles Ives comes with equal amounts of joy and difficulty. Ives wrote songs that are both technically complex and almost child-like in their enthusiasm (especially when they are about matters either traditionally spiritual or patriotic). But as is the case with Charles Ives songs, they are very 'modern' harmonically and often times quirky, chromatic and demanding for a lesser singer to pull off. Imagine taking all those challenges and still re-imagining some of Ives best songs. The divinely talented Theo Bleckmann and the jazz chamber group Kneebody do just that in 'Twelve Songs'. Rich and nuanced and always compelling, Bleckmann 's voice makes every lyric count and the arrangements put together by Theo and Kneebody pay tribute to Ives without ever being condescending or too clever. A beautifully conceived selection of songs by an American master, performed with absolute heart, soul and respect.

Theo Bleckmann and Kneebody's 12 Song's by Charles Ives is an audacious and joyful revelation. It takes truly unique and original artists like these to reinterpret the work of Ives in a way that, without dumbing it down one iota, makes it not only accessible, but alive and current to the layman's ear. Thankfully, Theo Bleckmann has never been troubled by such ludicrous labels as "jazz' or 'legit' 'singing. He just gives us the sound of truth in the moment as it appears to him - and this music is overflowing with that truth and beauty.

If there is one thing that is antithetical to music and its enjoyment, it is expectation. If, as a listener, you expect music to be played a certain way, to have a certain structure, to fit a certain preordained definition, then you will only listen to music that fits those criteria, and you will miss the best part of the art even in that music. If, as a performer, you play or sing with those expectations in mind, you will hamper your expression and cripple your muse. Charles Ives was one of the earliest and most notable examples of someone who did not approach music with expectations--who actively sought to subvert expectations. That quality has always been exceeding rare, so we are indeed fortunate to have Theo Bleckmann, because he is another of those rarest of creatures. His singing reflects no style, no training, no preconceptions. It is music itself and nothing more. Couple that with a voice of unearthly purity, and you have the recipe for rapture. And rapture is exactly what this recording produces. Unlike Ives, Bleckmann is not subversive; he is, in a sense, above that. Subversion is intentional, and Bleckmann sings without intention--a most unusual and remarkable thing to hear, and hearing him makes you realize just much every other performer is tainted by it. Another benefit of lack of style and intention is that the meaning of the lyrics come through far more strongly, with no preconceived expression layered on top to compete with them.

For the same reason, as some other reviewers here have noted, musical category is moot here, and trying to parse it is a waste of time. Better to sit back, let go of your expectations, and be carried away.

Theo Bleckmann and Kneebody have reimagined the quirky, off-kilter songs of Ives in a very original way. After years of hearing these great songs in conventional "art song" deliveries, in their rarely heard orchestral garb, and also in some gnarly versions (Ives' own hoarse barks), it is refreshing to hear them stylized, bent out of their usual genre. To me the most effective arrangements are "The Cage" with its futurist angularity accentuated in this scoring, "Feldeinsamkeit" and "Weil' mir auf" with Bleckmann's delicious and caressing German, and "Like a Sick Eagle" which explores the chromaticism of the original and even amplifies it. I would hope that this recording might introduce new listeners - coming from diverse musical tastes - to Ives' great songs and possibly lead them to hearing them as sung by Helen Boatwright, Jan De Gaetani, and other great interpreters from the past.

This album is beautiful and its Grammy Nomination well deserved! Bleckmann and Kneebody create a complete transformation with these interpretations of Ives' songs through their combined musicality and creativity. Bleckmann's beautifully tender and lyrical voice and Kneebody's grooves and soundscapes work in perfect harmony while giving new meaning to Ives songs that I have heard many times over. Just incredible!