Staff Picks Format: Music CD

Fire & grace by Alasdair Fraser and Natalie Haas [Music CD]

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A fantastic collection of new and old Scottish fiddle tunes, with Alasdair Fraser on fiddle and Natalie Haas on cello. Alasdair Fraser is a master and Natalie Haas’s cello playing his perfect complement. Natalie plays beautiful counterpoint, but she has also mastered the fiddler’s “chop”, and uses it effectively in her driving rhythmic accompaniments. Having listened to this recording I find it difficult to understand why the cello is not used more often in this style of music!

The complete Flanders & Swann by Donald Swann and Michael Flanders [Music CD]

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I fell in love with the songs of Michael Flanders and Donald Swann as a teenager when I discovered At the Drop of a Hat among my parents neglected collection of LPs. I couldn’t imagine any songs more wonderfully silly than “The gnu song” and “The reluctant cannibal”, and Flanders and Swann’s delivery was charismatic, charming, more than a little endearing. The same album also contained the wonderfully clever “Ill wind”, which consisted of an amusing text set to the music of a Mozart horn concerto—complete with a cadenza. I was hooked.

The Complete Flanders and Swann contains all those familiar songs from At the Drop of a Hat, as well as songs from At the drop of another hat, The bestiary of Flanders and Swann, and some previously unreleased material. I recommend it!

Nice Place To Be by The Fawns [Music CD]

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Catchy, easy to groove to pop with lots of gentle melodies and enchanting beats.

Garden State Soundtrack [Music CD]

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From the Shins to Simon and Garfunkel to Iron and Wine this soundtrack has lots of shining moments.

Gentleman Ruffin by David Ruffin [Music CD]

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Ex-Temptation David Ruffin was is in mighty fine form on this 1980 solo offering. Don’t be afraid of the disco production and don’t hesitate to dust off your dancing shoes.

Dans Les Airs by Le Vent du Nord [Music CD]

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I picked up this CD because of the album cover—I was intrigued because one of the band members was shown playing the hurdy gurdy. As it turns out, there is some great hurdy gurdy playing, but there is much more: wonderful vocal harmonies, great fiddling, Québécois foot percussion, and always infectious melodies and driving rhythms. A great album.

Strangest dream by Popcorn Behavior [Music CD]

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A local contra dance band, Popcorn Behavior plays wonderfully danceable tunes drawing from a range of traditions. This album also contains some songs, which are every bit as good as the dance tunes which surround them. A great album.