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Dee Dee Bridgewater, ELEANORA FAGAN (1915-1959): TO BILLIE WITH LOVE FROM DEE DEE (DDB/Emarcy, $17.98) – Singer Dee Dee Bridgewater recently brought her tribute to Billie Holiday to Strathmore, and the program of songs is finally on CD. Hear striking arrangements of “Your Mother’s Son-in-Law,” “Lover Man,” “God Bless the Child,” and other songs associated with Billie. Dee Dee’s all-star band is led by arranger Edsel Gomez on piano, Christian McBride on bass, Lewis Nash on drums, and James Carter on saxophones and bass clarinet.
Peter Gabriel, SCRATCH MY BACK (Real World, $15.98) – Peter Gabrile’s somber, orchestra-backed covers of tunes by Neil Young, Paul Simon, David Bowie, Regina Spektor, Arcade Fire, Lou Reeed, Magnetic Fields, Arcade Fire, and more.
Stile Antico, MEDIA VITA: JOHN SHEPPARD (Harmonia Mundi, SACD $19.98) – The English chamber vocal group Stile Antico released Song of Songs last year: a program featuring music by Palestrina, Gombert, and Lassus, among others. It was a breakthrough CD, winning Gramophone Magazine’s Best Early Music Album, and was on many year-end best-of lists. The group’s follow-up spotlights the Tudor master John Sheppard.
Rafal Blechacz, CHOPIN: THE PIANO CONCERTOS (Deutsche Grammophon, $18.98) –Last week, Polish pianist Rafal Blechacz amazed Washington audiences with his recital at the Kennedy Center (see Philip Kennicot’s review). Hear Blechacz's new CD, featuring Chopin’s Piano Concertos, backed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.
PATTI SMITH’S JUST KIDS and HORSES
I just finished reading Patti Smith’s great memoir, JUST KIDS (Ecco, $27). The book describes the dual artistic apprenticeship of Patti and Robert Mapplethorpe in late 1960s and early 1970s New York. The book features appearances by Sam Shepard, Harry Smith, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and many other mentors, friends, and collaborators. Patti’s unique combination of poetry and rock and roll culminated in her first record, HORSES (Arista, $11.98), released in 1975, with a beautiful cover shot by Mapplethorpe (the photo session is described in the book).
WIN TICKETS FOR GILBERTO GIL AT LISNER
Gilberto Gil is a giant in Brazilian music. Singer, songwriter, he was a leading figure of the Tropicalia and MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) movements, and he’s still making great music today. He’ll be at Lisner Auditorium on Saturday, February 13, accompanied by his son, Bem, and cellist/arranger Jacques Morelenbaum.
Lisner is giving away a pair of tickets to the concert.
To enter the drawing, email: Agoldinger@politics-prose.com , with GILBERTO and your FIRST NAME in the subject field.