Nothing gets you through the drudgery of a cold, pandemic-quarantined February day like discovering a trove of great new music. With that in mind, we asked faculty with the UW-Madison Mead Witter School of Music to give us the lowdown on the latest releases that are currently rocking their worlds, and they were more than happy to offer some sweet musical candy for our ears. Break out the AirPods and crank up the Alexa!
(We’ve included audio and/or video links to each suggestion. If you enjoy what you hear and see, consider supporting the artist.)
JAZZ
Tone Poem by Charles Lloyd & the Marvels
Recommended by Chad McCullough, Jazz Trumpet Professor
Few musicians have achieved "guru" status like Charles Lloyd. Since his early days with Cannonball Adderley, his early ensembles presenting jazz behind the Iron Curtain, and into today, his music constantly both reflects the current times, and forward-thinking evolution.
Charles Lloyd - Ramblin' [YouTube]
FOLK-POP
Album No. 8 by Katie Melua
Recommended by Teryl L. Dobbs, Ph.D.,Professor and Chair, Music Education
Katie Melua singer, composer and musician from the United Kingdom by way of Kutaisi, Georgiareleased her eighth album in October 2020 smack in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Melua's music combines her Brit-pop-folk background with a keen sense of storytelling, which is amplified by her cool-yet-sensual vocals and complex arrangements. While not flashy, Album No. 8 provides a much-needed musical tonic at any time for listeners, but especially one during pandemic times to get through a cold February.
INDIE ROCK
Collapsed in Sunbeams, Arlo Parks
Recommended by Brandon Quarles, Associate Lecturer of Classical Saxophone
The debut album by 20-year-old Arlo Parks has been in heavy rotation for me since its release earlier this year. Some of the tracks recall the 90s R&B/hip-hop arrangements of artists like Lauryn Hill while others evoke the airiness of Radiohead's In Rainbows. Standout tracks include "Hurt", "Caroline", and "Hope" whose chorus of "you're not alone" is a comforting message for these trying times.
Caroline - Arlo Parks (Official Lyric Video) [YouTube]
Collapsed in Sunbeams (Album) [Spotify]
SYMPHONY
Smyth: The Prison, performed by Sarah Brailey
Recommended by Paul Rowe, Professor of Voice
Mead Witter School of Music doctoral student Sarah Brailey has been nominated for a 2021 Grammy Award for Best Solo Vocal Album for this world premiere recording of Dame Ethel Smyth’s dramatic symphony for soprano, bass-baritone, chorus and orchestra. Premiered in 1931, it was Smyth’s last major work, completed as she was growing increasingly deaf. The piece is a dialogue between a prisoner and his soul, as he searches for meaning at the end of his life. Smyth ran in an illustrious circle of composers, including Brahms,Tchaikovsky and Clara Schumann. Her opera, Der Wald, was the first work by a woman to be performed at The Metropolitan Opera in 1903. However, she failed to receive widespread recognition for her music during her lifetime. Smyth’s music was criticized for being too masculine but also for “lacking feminine charm.” This recording and nomination are long overdue recognition of this formidable composer.
The Prison: No. 15, Death Calls Him. Gloring, He Obeys the Summons [YouTube]
OPERA
Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers, featuring baritone Will Liverman and pianist Paul Sánchez.
Recommended by Mimmi Fulmer, Professor of Voice and Opera
Will Liverman is one of the most compelling singers of our time, and he has selected music that connects the listener with leading Black composers and poets. Mr. Liverman's vibrant, powerful and moving voice reaches out over any-size speaker to share the thoughts, beauty and struggle in these songs. Many listeners will have heard spirituals but not be aware of the tradition of art songs by Black composers. The songs include pieces by iconic composers Margaret Bonds, Henry Burleigh and Robert Owens, as well as 40-year-old Shawn Okpebholo's “Two Black Churches.” Liverman commissioned this piece, which he recently performed at his Kennedy Center recital.