Album Reviews

Bassist and composer Michael Formanek's ECM debut is an intriguing affair in which musical chances are taken and the performances have an edgy unpredictability. He's joined by pianist Craig Taborn, altoist Tim Berne and drummer Gerald Cleaver who share his affinity for the cutting edge of contemporary jazz. Between them, they produce hard-driving readings of originals. The centrepiece is the 17-minute Tonal Suite, which is very powerful, but the closing Too Big to Fail, with a blistering duet between Berne and Taborn, runs it close. AV

Cyrus Chestnut: Spirit (Jazz Legacy Productions) 12.99

This is a very appropriately-titled CD from the fine pianist Cyrus Chestnut, whose music in recent years has been increasingly informed by his faith. Here he is solo, reflecting on a group of favourite hymns, as well as other uplifting songs, including Ellington's Come Sunday and Paul Simon's Bridge Over Troubled Water. Chestnut is a powerful and resourceful player, and there is nothing cloying about any of these tracks. Instead, they are firm, unsentimental, often beautiful and possessed of an emotional intensity that can be compelling. AV

Castelnuovo-Tedesco: Shakespeare Overtures (Naxos 8.572500) 13.99

Often described as a composer who wrote too much for his own good, the Italian-born Castelnuovo-Tedesco had a life-long fascination with Shakespeare, his nine overtures ranging from the tuneful Taming of the Shrew to the Hollywood-inspired Antony and Cleopatra. Highly colourful orchestration brought to life and placed on disc for the first time by the Hull-based conductor, Andrew Penny, and the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. High volume setting needed, the second volume scheduled for next month. DD

Bartok: String Quartets Nos. 3 & 4 Weiner: String Quartet No. 3 (Praga PRD/DSD 250228) 13.99

There is no shortage of Bartok quartet recordings, but this is very special. It comes from the Parkanyi Quartet, their long and deep knowledge of the music displayed in razor sharp rhythms, high impact virtuosity and impeccable technique. Everything so gripping I would only ever want these performances. Leo Weiner belonged to the late-Romantics, his lyric, playful and beautiful Third quartet, only adding to the thought that the Parkanyi is a remarkable group. DD