Country Evening

Track Listings

1. Gymnopédie No. 3

2. Andante [From Brandenburg Concerto #2]

3. Concerto Grosso, Opus 6, #8 Adagio

4. Concerto for Lute and Strings, Largo

5. Concerto for Clarinet in a Major, Adagio

6. Prelude #1 [From the Well Tempered Clavichord]

7. Piano Concerto #21 in C Major, Andante

8. Flute Concerto in D Major, Largo

9. Sonatina in C Major, Adagio

10. Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia (Moonlight Sonata)

11. Air Form Overture #3 in D Major

Country Evening,Anastasi,Real Music,Contemporary Instrumental,New Age,New Age / Meditation

Country Evening

Tracks:

Once In A Very Blue Moon
Looking For The Time (Workin' Girl)
Deadwood, South Dakota
More Than A Whisper
I Would Bring You Ireland
Roseville Fair
Workin' In Corners
Trouble In The Fields
The Wing And The Wheel
From A Distance
Love At The Five And Dime
Spin On A Red Brick Floor

Amazon.com essential recording

Nanci Griffith first built her audience through intimate, well-timed, and energetic concerts. This live set, recorded in August 1988 at the legendary Anderson Fair in Houston, contains her best performances of originals like "Workin' in Corners," "The Wing and the Wheel," and "Love at the Five and Dime," as well as songs by Bill Staines, Eric Taylor, and Julie Gold, songs she helped bring just shy of fame: "Roseville Fair," "Deadwood, South Dakota," and "From a Distance." Griffith learned her craft and got her chops down at Anderson Fair, and her gift for narrative shines brilliantly in her (often hilarious) between-song stories, and her unaffected, twangy whisper. She's backed by the subtlest and most sympathetic of bands, the Blue Moon Orchestra, and there's nary a misstep, a rare thing for a live album. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Memories.......2007-05-17

Great CD! My mom and I used to drive around in our old camry listening to this (audio cassette) when I was younger. I recently purchased this CD for her as a present since our tape got eaten up a long time ago. Nanci is great appeals to all listeners in my opinion.

Beautiful CD.......2007-05-09

I love this CD! Great songs and Nanci's voice sounds great. The backup band is very tasteful. I highly recommend this.

From the first to last song, this is a masterpiece.......2007-04-21

A moving series of songs intertwined with Nanci's set up stories, from first to last this is a great CD. The pace and tempo of songs ebbs and flows carrying you on Nanci's well crafted journey. From the romantic "More Than a Whisper" and the enchanting "I Would Bring You Ireland" culminating in the fast paced, toe-tapping, vibrating "Spin on a Red Brick Floor", this is a collection to enjoy and treasure.

Same Material - Much more impressive recording.......2007-03-22

God this is a great album. Nanci Griffith is a national treasure.

Emerging on the wobbly legs of a foal in the late 70s, with anonymous production from people who didn't understand how to package her mousy persona, what MCA sold us was a cutesy, virginal, perky gal. This is not where Nanci's presence is now. If I play one of the early MCA CDs for someone, I know the first question will be "Are you sure this is the right speed?" because she has a high, nasal delivery. Griffith hung in there and has become a deeply affecting & personal singer-songwriter. Without changing terribly much about her voice, and singing the same songs at her live shows, and on this cd, Griffith has transformed both herself and the material. A tribute to taking your licks and developing your delivery/voice at live shows.

Usually live versions of studio songs suffer by comparison. Not here! Stripped of the earlier folky instrumentation and resung as a wiser, older woman, some of these songs become astonishing. In other hands, her standard topics (spinsters, wallflowers, living alone) would be ruminating or miserable, but Nanci's talent is to make anyone love these songs; witness Pearl Jam fan below, and I'm a young urban guy.

She pulls emotional devastation out of the one-two punch of "Working in Corners" and "More than a Whisper" in newly austere, stripped down versions. Both of them embody a "hanging in there despite my pain & regret" mood. I have a hard time getting to the other songs, which are almost all great, in deference to these two; over and over.

My favorite cds complement her voice with minimal, calm orchestrations. When a producer steers her back to over production, I've not enjoyed them as much. I allow myself to forget this CD (and Flyer) every now and then, so that I can rediscover them again. The impact of a fresh listen has never diminished. Both provide a rich pick me up.

Nanci Griffith is profound without being pompous. After a listen you want to write her a thank you note.

(Note: This review focuses on her emotional depth, but she's also darned funny & charming on this cd.)

My wife wont let me have hers........2007-03-13

This is the second copy of this cd I have purchased. It is the first of many Nancy cd's and my wife has the other. I just had to have my own.

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)

Average customer rating:

Great CD
Simply the Best
Inconsistent, but mostly excellent
"Celebration" is not strong enough a word
A maginificent evening, a magnificent album

Sondheim - A Celebration at Carnegie Hall (1992 Concert Cast)
Stephen Sondheim , Betty Buckley , Paul Gemignani , Patti LuPone , Liza Minnelli , and Bernadette Peters
Manufacturer: RCA Victor Broadway
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Side By Side By Sondheim (1976 Original London Cast)
Sondheim Evening: A Musical Tribute (1973 Concert Cast)
Send in the Clowns: The Ballads of Stephen Sondheim
Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall / Liza Minnelli, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Glenn Close
Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall

ASIN: B000003FDW
Release Date: 1993-02-23

Tracks:

Symphonic Sondheim: Sweeney Todd--orchestra, Jerry Hadley ("Johanna"), Eugene Perry,Herbert Perry ("Pretty Women")
Evening Introduction--Bill Irwin
Loveland/Getting Married Today--Ensemble, Jeanne Lehman, Mark Jacoby, Madeline Kahn
Waiting for the Girls Upstairs--George Lee Andrews, Michael Jeter, James Naughton/Love, I Hear--Michael Jeter/Live Alone and Like It--James Naughton
Someone Is Waiting--Richard Muenz/Symphonic Sondheim: Barcelona--orchestra
Being Alive--Patti LuPone
Good Thing Going--The Tonics
Losing My Mind/You Could Drive a Person Crazy--Dorothy Loudon
Our Time--Boys Choir of Harlem/Children Will Listen--Betty Buckley
Anyone Can Whistle--Billy Stritch
Water Under the Bridge--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch
Back in Business--Liza Minnellli, Billy Stritch, Ensemble

Tracks:

Symphonic Sondheim: Comedy Tonight--Bill Irwin, orchestra
Sooner or Later--Karen Ziemba
Pretty Lady--Mark Jacoby, Eugene Perry, Herbert Perry
Green Finch and Linnet Bird--Harolyn Blackwell
The Ballad of Booth--Patrick Cassidy, Victor Garber
Broadway Baby--Daisy Eagan
I Never Do Anything Twice--BETTY
With So Little to Be Sure Of--Jerry Hadley, Carolann Page
Not a Day Goes By--Bernadette Peters
Remember?--Ron Baker, Peter Blanchet, Carol Meyer, Bronwyn Thomas, Blythe Walker (Quintet)/A Weekend in the Country--Kevin Anderson, George Lee Andrews, Mark Jacoby, Beverly Lambert, Maureen Moore, Susan Terry, Quintet
Send in the Clowns--Glenn Close
Old Friends--Liza Minnelli
Sunday--Bernadette Peters, Broadway Chorus

Customer Reviews:

Great CD.......2006-08-06

This is a wonderful double CD of fabulous musical numbers performed by theatre greats and directed by a legandary musical director.

Simply the Best.......2005-06-29

First, to the person who criticizes the recording b/c of "Broadway Baby." Daisy Egan (who sings in in this recording) sounds like she's 10 becuase she IS young. She had just appeared on Braodway in Secret Garden and won a Tony for it. It's a joke...Broadway BABY...hello, it's a joke.

In a compilation of songs like this you're always going to have tracks that you prefer over others, but the majority of the renditions in this CD are great. This is simply one of the best collections of Sondheim out there. You get interpretations that span from "classical" (Green Finch), to bordering on insane (Anything Twice). This is to demonstrate how versatile this composer really is.

In my opinion, some of the best renditions are "Not a Day Goes By," "Anyone Can Whistle", "Girls Upstairs Medley," "Losing My Mind/Drive a Person Crazy," and "Weekend inthe Country." Makes me wish I had been there to witness it first hand.

If you love Sondheim and enjoy hearing Broadway performers, get this CD. A great recording.

Inconsistent, but mostly excellent.......2004-03-21

I am sure no knowledgeable person would deny how absolutely perfect all these songs are. However, the performances on this album are extremely inconsistent. It will go from an excellent rendition (Waiting for the Girls medley, Sunday, With So Little To Be Sure Of, Sooner or Later, Green Finch, Send in the Clowns, Pretty Lady) to the weird (I never Do Anything Twice), to the bad (Broadway Baby, Our Time). I still have absolutely no idea how they managed to butcher one of the best songs ever written--Good Thing Going--and turn it into smooth jazz elevator music. Why would they give Broadway Baby to someone who sounds like she's 10? That said, Liza Minelli, Glenn Close, Karen Ziemba, Dorothy Laudon and the "Waiting for the Girls" performers are all very good. And ending with Bernadette Peters and "Sunday" ends the set on a absolutley fabulous note.

"Celebration" is not strong enough a word.......2003-04-30

This review is by Crosley.

I have been a major Sondheim fan for quite some time, and I finally obtained a copy of this album. I was blown away by the excellent cast and phenomenal selection of music. It is obvious how much work went into this production, considering that this is the live recording of a one time show, and it's flawless. The songs cover all of his shows with the exception of "Passion," which was released 3 years after this show. Also, the shows for which he wrote only lyrics are ommited, like West Side Story, Gypsy, etc. Thus, you can find material from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Anyone can Whistle, Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Pacific Overtures, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Merrily we Roll Along, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, and Assassins.

There are two striking things about this CD (besides the music and performers themselves). First of all, some of the songs are completely stylistically reworked. The most obvious are "Good Thing Going" and "I Never do Anything Twice." Both are traditionally very ballady with a piano accompaniment, but here they have been redone as jazzy tunes. The result is excellent. Such reworkings demonstrate that Sondheim writes music for virtually any style, and in these cases, across several styles. It's a great example of his variety. The other interesting thing is how many songs have overlapping melodies of songs from different shows. Case in point, "Our Time" and "No one is Alone" are sung seperately by the Harlem Boys Choir and Betty Buckley (the original Grizabella in Webber's atrocious "CATS," although Buckley was excellent) respectively, and then combined. Putting these two songs together offer different meanings to each, and the music is only enhanced. Another example, the trio of "Waiting for the Girls Upstairs," "Love, I Hear," and "Live Alone and Like It" are sung in that order, and then the latter two are combined. Again, the meanings of the songs change, this time in an almost narrative style, and offering different takes on love in the same montage. Lastly (at least for this review, there are more), Dorothy Laudon's (the original Ms. Hannigan in Annie) combination of "Losing my Mind" and "You Could Drive a Person Crazy" is brilliant. Those who are familiar with these songs will wonder how exactly they fit, but trust me, they do. She swtiches back and forth between melodies to create a number that starts poignant and beautiful, and soon moves to become uproariously funny. Both the song reworkings and overlapping melodies of unrelated songs are all for the better.

I recommend this recording to anyone wanting to get better acquainted with some of Sondheim's best work, or those already familiar who want to hear a tour de force of phenomenal music. It has been said that Sondheim is a masterful lyricist (which he is), but lacks real talent for music. This CD is the final proof that such critics are wrong. His music may take a few listenings to get into, contrary to Webber or Wildhorn, but unlike those two, he doesn't cater to the audience. He challenges them to think outside of traditional musical theater in a glorious repertoise of shows that reach for a smarter, more sophisticated form.

A maginificent evening, a magnificent album.......2001-12-16

There's something to be said for the first concert you ever see at Carnegie Hall. I was fortunate enough to have this be my first. This entire evening was devoted to his genius and the performers did not disappoint.

This wonderful double CD shows off the best and brightest of the musical theatre composer and it is, as one person put it, "an embarassment of riches." With songs from his finest works done in amazing arrangements (listen to that harmony in "We Had a Good Thing Going"!) combined with fabulous performers this is a Sondheim lovers delight.

Tracks:

Time Don't Run Out On Me
Shame On Me
That's The Way It Goes
A Love Song
Save The Last Dance For Me
Somebody's Always Saying Goodbye
Insensitive
Snowbird
Croonin' Medley
What Would It Take
You Needed Me
Could I Have This Dance
Danny's Song

Customer Reviews:

WONDERFUL LIVE-RECORDING!.......2006-01-25

Anne Murray can sing and record anything she wants because of
her great gifts and talent; everything from evergreens and
jazz-standards to pure country and rock.
This live-recording from Canada is truly great and she is also
brilliant doing small-talk between some numbers, the songs are
wonderfully arranged and Anne is just fantastic on all the songs
from this concert!
I will also warmly recommend this concert on DVD!

WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT ?.......2003-05-30

Anne Murray rock ? She certainly does on this one. The opening version of "Time Don't Run Out On Me" proves Anne still has what it takes to deliver a powerful pop song with great emotion. Her performances of " That's the Way Love Goes" and "Shame on Me" proves she can rock with the best of them-not to mention her irresistible duet with fellow Canadian Bryan Adams "What would it Take" . There are still sweet ballads included- "Somebody's always Saying Goodbye" is a good case and point and Jann Arden's performance of "Insensitive" with Anne on backing vocals is just perfect. This is an awesome live CD-Get it now....

Awesome.......2001-02-27

This is, quite possibly, the best live album I have ever heard. It is just like being at the concert. The only thing that this album lacks is about 20 tracks. I wish that it was longer. Other than that, you cannot go wrong.

Serendiptiy Strikes Again.......2001-01-22

I received this CD about 2 years ago as part of a prize package on a phone-in contest on a local TV station. I'd never bought an Anne Murray record before, although of course, being a Canadian growing up in the 60's & 70's I couldn't help but be steeped in her songs.

What great luck to receive this album! I absolutely love it! I listen to it on headphones at work, and never get tired of it. Anne's voice is wonderfully mature, and although slightly raspy (especially at the beginning of the concert), never degenerates into coarseness. Her straight delivery and measured phrasing let the beauty of the songs and the natural quality of her voice take the spotlight. The band and backing vocals are superb.

The duet "What Would it Take" with Bryan Adams is my favourite (even though I don't like Bryan solo and always change the station when he comes on the radio). The slight gravel in Anne's voice works particularly well on this one. Who could have thought Canada's Songbird could rock like that?

This CD would definitely rate 5 stars if, as previous reviewer pointed out, it had been issued as the complete concert special on a 2 CD set. As it is, a solid 4 stars and a great mellow listen anytime.

Soul Music

Serendiptiy Strikes Again.......2001-01-22

Tracks:

Barnyard Song - Sam Hinton
Must I Go Bound - Sam Hinton
Arkansas Traveller - Sam Hinton
See, See Rider - Mississippi John Hurt
Stagolee - Mississippi John Hurt
Spikedriver Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
Coffee Blues - Mississippi John Hurt
Diamond Joe - Jack Elliott
Walk Right In - The Rooftop Singers
Un Canadien Errant - Ian & Sylvia
Woke Up This Morning - Freedom Singers
Oh, Freedom - Joan Baez
Te Ador: Ate Amanha - Joan Baez
Wagoner's Lad - Joan Baez
Blowin' In The Wind - Bob Dylan
We Shall Overcome - Freedom Singers

Amazon.com

Much more than a nostalgia excursion, this CD stands as a critical document of late 20th century American culture. Don't expect a stodgy history lesson, however. The music from the 1963 festival is rousing and bell-clear. Jack Elliott gives a gutsy performance of "Diamond Joe" and Mississippi John Hurt's set is a triumph, especially the signature "Coffee Blues" and "See See Rider." The intimacy and excitement is palpable, even though much of the audience had never heard these songs, let alone seen this country-blues master. But it's the finale that's most remarkable, even if today it sounds surreal: Dylan and the folk elite--including Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul & Mary--singing "Blowin' in the Wind." An honestly moving moment, though not one that would last. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Piece of History now Preserved.......2002-01-12

Got this for my dad who was at this concert and it really took him back. Good sound quality and classic performances.

NEWPORT LIVE.......2001-02-03

this was a great era prior to the outbreak in southeast asia it literaly set the stage, for the protest songs soon to follow a great nostalgic view of the past

Copland: The Young Pioneers (The Complete Music for Solo Piano)

Average customer rating:

American Piano Music
Copland's Growing Musical Style
great music

Copland: The Young Pioneers (The Complete Music for Solo Piano)
Aaron Copland , and Leo Smit (piano)
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Dances | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

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Copland the Modernist
Copland: Music For The Theatre/Piano Concerto
Copland: Symphony No3; Symphony
The Copland Collection: Orchestral Works, 1948-1971
American Classics: Barber: COMPLETE PUBLISHED SOLO PIANO MUSIC

ASIN: B000002AR2
Release Date: 1994-08-23

Tracks:

Scherzo Humoristique: The Cat and the Mouse (1920)
Piano Variations (1930)
In Evening Air (1966)
Passacaglia (1922)
Piano Sonata (1939-1941): I. Molto moderato
Piano Sonata (1939-1941): II. Vivace
Piano Sonata (1939-1941): III. Andante sostenuto
Midday Thoughts (1944-1982)]
Proclamation (1973-1982)
Three Moods (1920-21): 1. embittered (November 14, 1920)
Three Moods (1920-21): 2. wistful (January 8, 1921)
Three Moods (1920-21): 3. jazzy (July 1921)

Tracks:

Petit Portrait (1921)
Sentimental Melody (1926)
Piano Fantasy (1926)
Four Piano Blues (1955-57): 1. Freely Poetic
Four Piano Blues (1955-57): 2. Soft and Languid
Four Piano Blues (1955-57): 3. Muted and Sensuous
Four Piano Blues (1955-57): 4. With Bounce
Midsummer Nocturne (1947)
The Young Pioneers (1935)]
Sunday Afternoon Music (1935)
Down a Country Lane (1962)
Night Thoughts (Hommage to Ives) (1972)

Amazon.com

Most of this set was recorded for LP in 1978, but Leo Smit returned to the studios in 1993 to add some recently discovered short pieces. Smit, a friend of Copland and a composer himself, plays all of Copland's piano music with great comprehension. He sustains the flow throughout the difficult half-hour Piano Fantasy, though he doesn't create as much excitement in the Piano Variations as the composer did in 1935 on 78s (now on Pearl GEMM CD 9279). Much of Copland's piano music is occasional works or pieces for students, but the major works in the set make it well worth hearing. --Leslie Gerber

Customer Reviews:

American Piano Music.......2007-02-12

It was a pleasure to hear the complete piano music of Copland. Pianist Leo Smit brings pleasure and enlightment to the listeners ear. Who better than an American pianist to interpret the music of Copland.

Ellis L. Marsalis, Jr

Copland's Growing Musical Style.......2001-11-06

Leo Smit has done more than just give us a complete collection of the piano music of Aaron Copland. In doing so, he has also given us a sizeable record of Copland's growth as a composer stretching from the angry tones of the Passacaglia and the Piano Variations, to the majestic and sometimes poetic Piano Fantasy, and beyond. The two CD's also showcase Copland in his many moods, sometimes light hearted and fun as in the Scherzo Humoristique and the second movement of the Piano Sonata, or sometimes nostalgic as in Down a Country Lane or the third movement of the Piano Sonata. This is a must-have for all Copland fans.

great music.......2000-06-03

A great buy for anyone who loves Copland or American contemporary music. Absolutely beautiful.

Average customer rating:

Somewhat disappointing

Hymns Through the Centuries 2
Recorded Sound , R. Osborne , J. Reilly Lewis , and Cathedral Choral Society
Manufacturer: Gothic Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Similar Items:

Hymns Through the Centuries
Hymns Triumphant 1 & 2
Be Still My Soul: The Ultimate Hymns Collection
Best Loved Hymns
Abide With Me

ASIN: B00007K2GE
Release Date: 2003-01-07

Tracks:

Peal Bells
Jesus, My All, To Heaven Has Gone
Our Thanks We Give For Love And Hope
In The Bleak Midwinter
Creating God, Your Fingers Trace
Rejoice, Ye Pure In Heart!
Let All The World In Every Corner Sing
Ar Hyd Y Nos (Organ Solo) - Eric Plutz
Of The Father's Love Begotten
Come Down, O Love Divine
Spirit Of God, Descend Upon My Heart
God Is Love
What Wondrous Love Is This!
All My Hope On God Is Founded
Leoni (Carillon Solo) - Edward M. Nassor
O God Of Our Divided World
Christ, Mighty Savior, Light Of All Creation
Breathe On Me, Breath Of God
I Vow To Thee, My Country
The Day Thou Gavest, Lord, Is Ended
Lord Of All Hopefulness
O Brightness Of The Immortal Father's Face
O Praise Ye The Lord!
Hyfrydol (Bagpipe Solo) - John G. Sprague

Customer Reviews:

Somewhat disappointing.......2005-09-25

There are some unique and interesting songs of this album. Unfortunately the performance does not shine. I found the singing and accompaniment a bit slow and monotonous and uninspired. Furthermore, it was difficult to understand the words at times (indistinct enunciation). There are a few exceptions: tracks 3, 4, 9, 20, 21 I gave 3 stars in iTunes; all the rest got two stars or less. If you want beautiful, traditional choral music, I recommend any of the albums featuring the Cambridge Singers over this collection.

Average customer rating:

Peaceful Evening
David and Steve Gordon
Manufacturer: Sequoia Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Environmental | New Age | Styles | Music

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Misty Forest Morning
Garden of Serenity
Soothing Sanctuary
Garden of Serenity II
Sanctuary

ASIN: B000008QVT
Release Date: 1998-08-25

Tracks:

Dusk
Changing Hues
Under A Painted Sky
Amethyst And Amber
Deepening
Circle Of Warmth
Nightflyer
Gentle Breeze
Radiant Sea
Healing
Evenglow

Album Description

This soothing music surrounds you with the deeply calming moods of a perfect sunset. You experience a warm quiet feeling of grand piano, acoustic guitars and wooden flute along with actual sounds of early evening in the country. The music and nature sounds transport you to magical places of serenity under painted twilight skies. The harmonious interplay of David's Piano and Steve's acoustic guitar brings quiet majesty and healing relaxation of nature's most cherished moments into your life anytime you want.

Average customer rating:

Piano Music for Children

Manufacturer: Divine Art
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

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ASIN: B0001J3U02
Release Date: 2005-02-22

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A Welcome Addition to the Stanley Brothers Catalog
Intimate, one-of-a-kind portrait of bluegrass legends
A sweet, stripped-down, informal recording
rawboned performance of straight-ahead traditional music

An Evening Long Ago: Live 1956
The Stanley Brothers
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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The Stanley Brothers and The Clinch Mountain Boys: The Complete Mercury Recordings
Earliest Recordings: Complete Rich-R-Tone 78s (1947-1952)
The Complete Columbia Stanley Brothers
The King Years 1961-1965
Saturday Night & Sunday Morning

ASIN: B0001MDPBI
Release Date: 2004-03-23

Tracks:

Handsome Molly
East Virginia Blues
The Story Of The Lawson Family
Dream Of A Miner's Child
Come All You Tenderhearted
Poor Ellen Smith
Darling Do You Know Who Loves You
Shout Little Lulie
Bound To Ride
Meet Me Tonight
My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane
Little Bessie
Train 45
John Henry
Little Birdie
Drifting Too Far From The Shore
Orange Blossum Special
Nine Pound Hammer
Feast Here Tonight
Tragic Love

Amazon.com

Quite possibly the bluegrass album of your dreams, this was recorded at the fertile midpoint of a two-decade partnership that ended when Carter Stanley died in 1966. Lead singer-guitarist Carter and tenor harmony singer-banjoist Ralph were always the purest of the defining bluegrass groups, their stark sound and songs coming from some haunting place deep in the mountains. Rather than the machine-gun picking and frenetic vocals of many of their peers, they relied on a meditative, still-waters-run-deep approach in which serenity co-existed with deep sorrow. This set was recorded at a Bristol, Virginia, radio station around midnight, after the Stanleys had completed a full day of radio shows and personal appearances; rather than repeat their usual repertoire, they reached back for personal favorites (the Monroe Brothers' "Drifting Too Far from the Shore") and traditional songs ("John Henry") from their childhoods. In doing so, they embodied, with grace and fire, a way of life already fading even then. --John Morthland

Customer Reviews:

A Welcome Addition to the Stanley Brothers Catalog.......2005-01-17

Originally released only as a private pressing and sold only at concerts, this 1956 recording is a welcome addition to the Stanley Brothers catalog. As explained in the liner notes by producer Larry Ehrlich, "after a long day of radio shows, barn dances, hog auctions and the like," Ehrlich took Carter and Ralph Stanley into the WCYB studios around midnight and set up a mike and turned on the tape recorder. Accompanied by Curly Lambert on mandolin and Ralph Mayo on fiddle, what transpires is nothing short of magic.

These twenty tracks were recorded in a single take and run the gamut from the uptempo numbers like "Meet Me Tonight" to death-song ballads like "The Story of the Lawson Family" to gospel numbers like "Drifting Too Far From the Shore." There are also a number of instrumentals, many of which are banjo showcases for Ralph Stanley like "Shout Little Lulie" and "John Henry."

If you are a fan of bluegrass music in general or the Stanley Brothers in particular, this is a welcome addition. [Running time - 47:30] VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Intimate, one-of-a-kind portrait of bluegrass legends.......2004-04-14

It's a nice surprise when archivists dig up something new on well-known; doubly so when the material expands our view of their careers. This disc, previously only available on vinyl at Ralph Stanley's gigs, provides welcome new details on the roots of one of bluegrass music's greatest acts.

In 1956 the Stanley Brothers were at the height of their powers, with a repertoire that had expanded across a series of records for Mercury. This performance, recorded in an off-air Bristol, Virginia radio studio is an intimate recitation of their roots, laid down with no audience beside the engineers, and with no planning beyond a career's worth of practice. The brothers wander easily through their catalog - all first takes, with no set list - testifying to the power of brotherly bonds and countless nights on the road.

The brothers' stage and radio performances have been well documented (notably by Copper Creek's out-of-print 11-disc "Stanley Series" and Rebel's "On Radio"), but this private recording is something very different. Without no audience to please, the Stanley's ad-libbed a song list weighted heavily towards their personal favorites - songs not often included in their stage or recording repertoires, and only three of which they'd previously waxed. Their selections reach back to folk standards learned in childhood and formative works by the Delmore and Monroe Brothers.

Highlights include tales of family tragedy, "Come All You Tenderhearted" and "The Story of the Lawson Family," both chilling in their knowing details of death and murder, and a stupendous duet of "Orange Blossom Special." The latter, in particular, shows off the brotherly bond that allows their vocals to careen in tandem around the song's mountain curves. Ralph's banjo drives the solo "Shout Little Lulie" (reportedly the first song his mother taught him) and "Little Birdie."

This intimate snapshot stakes The Stanley Brothers' claim as among the greatest harmony duos in bluegrass history. Carter Stanley's voice defines the high, lonesome sound of bluegrass, and combined with his brother's tenor harmonies, the two voices stick together like magnets. Carter's introductions provide occasional context, but mostly the brothers focus on each other. Mandolin player Curly Lambert adds additional harmonies, and fiddler Ralph Mayo adds the aching blue notes to this superb volume of mountain soul.

A sweet, stripped-down, informal recording.......2004-04-09

Simply sublime. Recorded in an after-hours session at Bristol, VA radio station WCYB, this twenty song set captures bluegrass legends Ralph and Carter Stanley at the peak of their fame, in March, 1956, playing in a relaxed, informal setting that emphasizes the their softer, folkier side. Station engineer Larry Ehrlich asked the brothers to play some of their favorite traditional songs, and while they still wound up performing several of their own original songs, the bulk of the album is material that were a little off the beaten track for the Stanleys, and has a haunting quality that will make you sit up and take notice. Although many of these tunes would become part of their regular repertoire, these versions have a more subdued, old-fashioned feel than in their more polished, popular studio renditions. On shorter instrumental numbers such as "John Henry," the band shows that size isn't everything: in 76 seconds they rip through the melody, with some notably slick banjo playing by Ralph, with dazzling accompaniment throughout; even goofy novelty numbers like "My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane" show the breadth of the band's entertainment repertoire. Mandolinist Curly Lambert and fiddler Ralph Mayo provide some sweet, understated accompaniment... Nice stuff!

rawboned performance of straight-ahead traditional music.......2004-04-02

Stanley Brothers fans will really rejoice at the release of "An Evening Long Ago - Live 1956." The session was recorded by Larry Ehrlich at the WCYB radio studios in Bristol, Virginia on March 24, 1956. It was originally released as a private pressing for friends only and sold only at concerts. Musicologists will recall that the inagural broadcast from Bristol of the Clinch Mountain Boys' "Farm and Fun Time" took place only about ten years earlier, on December 26, 1946. The band made about $2.25 apiece that evening, but the postcards, letters and invitations to play rolled in. The station's listeners were ready for the Stanleys' post-war mountain music, and the musicians were ready to oblige, as well as to capitalize on the exposure, publicity and income that the show brought them. They left Bristol a few times for shows in North Carolina, West Virginia, Louisiana, Kentucky, but they'd always return to Bristol. At the time, their career in music had some ups and downs while they were travelling the countryside in their Cadillac. The Brothers were successfully recording for Rich-R-Tone and Columbia. In 1951, despite their success, Carter and Ralph quit the music business and went to work at Ford Motor Co. in Detroit. Soon after, Carter was back in music singing lead with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys. Ralph was in a serious auto accident in Tennessee. Finances were tight. Ralph (and Pee Wee Lambert) built rooms in the old Stanley country store and attended an agricultural instruction course with plans to become farmers.

These are the kinds of things that the Stanley Brothers were facing in life when they accompanied Curley Lambert (mandolin), Ralph Mayo (fiddle) and Larry Ehrlich (recording engineer) to the radio studio around midnight to record live around one microphone. Around that time, they were using either Bill Lowe or Doug Morris on bass, but the session unfortunately took place without a bass-player. The set starts with Larry saying, "Let `er roll." As with many live recordings, you get spontaniety, energy, and even a few comments or ambient noises. You can hear a door closing on "Meet Me Tonight," Carter's introduction to the 1928 murder tragedy near Danbury, N.C. for "The Story of the Lawson Family," Ralph whoop it up a bit on "My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane," and a few throats clearing now and then.

It's interesting to note that, with a few exceptions, many of these songs are among the first recorded renditions of them for the Stanley Brothers. Little Birdie, Orange Blossom Special, and Tragic Love are some songs that had been recorded prior to March, 1956. For a few others, I am not sure if they were ever recorded by both Carter and Ralph (prior to Carter's untimely death in 1966) unless they appear on other live recordings from the era. A check of Gary Reid's preliminary discography of the Stanley Brothers doesn't indicate early versions of Dream of a Miner's Child, Poor Ellen Smith, Darling Do You Know Who Loves You?, Bound to Ride, My Long Skinny Lanky Sarah Jane, John Henry, and Feast Here Tonight. I would need to also research their live recordings from 1947 to 1966, and it's likely that Copper Creek Records has released some or all of these songs on their multi-album series taken from live radio shows.

Customer Reviews:

A Gem!.......2007-03-18

I've owned this disc from its original 1993 issue since shortly after it came out; now it is available on Hyperion's budget label, Helios. I had never heard of the Hungarian pianist Livia Rév, but she quickly became a favorite and I've since bought everything of hers I could find. I did not originally think I would be playing this collection of miniatures very often. Indeed, I think I got the CD primarily because I wanted to hear the unfamiliar Bartók and Jolivet pieces. I soon found that I reached for this disc often and here it is some fourteen years later and I still do. (In fact, the reason I came here to Amazon today to write this brief review is that I had once again listened to the disc last night and was charmed all over again.)

None of the music here is particularly virtuosic. But it is all beautiful. The tone of Rév's piano is particularly rich and marvelously recorded. And she is an exceedingly sensitive and musicianly player. There are subtleties of inflection, dynamics and rubato that make every piece, no matter how familiar, interesting and engaging.

But I must break off writing here because I want to go back and listen again to the last five pieces here, by composers I imagine most of us have never heard: the Pole, Milosz Magin, and the Slovenian, Janez Maticic.

Scott Morrison

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