More for your iPod

Check out some golden oldies from my own personal past (I was doing some basement cleaning and one thing led to another), in the classical realm:

Stravinsky:

1. L'Histoire du Soldat
2. Pulcinella Suite
3. Octet for Wind Instruments

If you check any of these out, check out Stravinsky conducting the Columbia Chamber Ensemble, in particular of L'Histoire. Charles Brady is on cornet, and Charles was one of Ray Sasaki's teachers (my trumpet prof at U of I). It is near flawless playing. Ray told me a story (that I hope is true!) worth repeating: Brady was practicing his triple and double tonguing on a famous phrase in "Marche Royale" that Stravinsky wrote as slurred. Stravinsky overheard him before the session and asked what he was doing. Brady responded sheepishly he was just practicing and not to worry, he'd slur it as written on the recording. Stravinsky said, no, he liked it better tongued. And that's the way it's done now (bedeviling all of us who then had to learn it that way).

Oh, and check out, on the jazz side, two more interesting covers from saxophonist Bob Berg: Michelle (Beatles) and Something in the Way She Moves (James Taylor). Not to mention Maynard Ferguson's 1972 big band cover of JT's "Country Road".