BSO On Your Doorstep: Ottery St Mary – Let’s Dance: From Baroque to Bowie

Sweet Upbraiding

I had the pleasure last night of seeing the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra’s brass octet playing at St Mary’s Church in Ottery St Mary. This is a wonderful venue both in its beauty and acoustics, the sound of horns making resonant impact from the latter and also gracing the former with some glorious sweet music.

The BSO On Your Doorstep: Ottery St Mary – Let’s Dance: From Baroque to Bowie is supported by Villages in Action who exist to ‘bring theatre, music, dance, circus, spoken word, storytelling, puppetry and poetry from around the world to our rural communities’, and our BSO community visitation in the town of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s birth played an eclectic set in the place which was once that young boy’s actual playground.

I enjoyed everything performed. And though a Bowie interpretation didn’t transpire (yes, I had expected and was a little disappointed!) the folk songs covered were the ‘sweet music’ I mentioned earlier, and ample compensation. There were two Welsh folk songs in the set, the first of which STC may well have purred poetically ‘It pours such sweet upbraiding’, but my favourite of the night was a sensuous Scarborough Fair.

Disturbing Music 7

 

Baby Rose - Through and Through, album review

More of the Same Depths

My review of Baby Rose’s first album (here) made the attempt to describe her unique vocal as ‘resonant, warbling vocal depths’ and I am happy with that – happy too that it's the defining quality of this subsequent release. That said, I’ll add these vocal descriptions from the bandcamp page for this album – ‘uniquely rich voice’ and ‘deep expressive contralto’ – as well as this biographical observation about her ‘being bullied for her lower vocal register throughout her childhood and teen years’ because all of this focuses on the innate talent she brings to the music: especially in the triumph over that childhood experience. It is again enhanced with soulful and jazzy backdrops, all heavily thundered by deep bass lines, as well as the hip-hop tropes here and there. It is both funky and soothing. Going to the bandcamp page here will allow you to listen to the music and read more of the background story. This is an album I have already returned to again and again.

A perfect sample of the pure vocal impact is Stop the Bleeding - with a peculiar James Bond movie score feel... 

 

No Face Music 65

 

Nashville Ambient Ensemble - Light and Space, album review

When the Music Speaks for Itself

Of course it is ironic to write a music review that urges ‘the music speaks for itself’, but it prompts me to avoid close analysis – or even just of some details – for an ambient sound that is more about emotive impact than anything else. It is pervasively melodic, and pervasively soothing – though this may reflect a need and experience I have felt today on this second listen. The collection of songs is also pervasively pretty, and this mainly in the sweeping play and tone of the violin by Alicia Enstrom; the occasional ethereal vocal/’voice’ from Deli Paloma-Sisk adds a substantial layer of calm to this. One specific observation: the partnership of synth and violin on Crystalline is sweetly sublime.

 

Details and to get, go here