Appalachian Journey: Yo-Yo Ma/Edgar Meyer/Mark O'Connor

[Alex2507]

I Netfixed the concert DVD and thought of our absentee New Found Lander: GO-NAD!. He says he likes cello and this Yo-Yo guy seems to be pretty good at playing the big violin. My advice is to not watch the video except maybe to get a look at the performers at the beginning and then again when the guest performers, James Taylor and Alison Krauss get introduced. I've had about enough of James Taylor but Alison Krauss' voice is as sweet as pie.

I think the recording quality is pretty good because you can hear a guy cough a couple of times and it sounds like he's in your room. I played the DVD on 2 systems and could see the strengths and weaknesses of both systems. That big bass sounds much nicer on on the 2.2 nearfield system.

Letting this play as background music on like the 2nd or 3rd playing helped me realize that there wasn't anything I could think of that I would have rather been listening to. I think most folks would be okay with a rental but GO-NAD! should just buy it.

 

[Adam]

Thanks, man. Good review. I just checked out Amazon for it. The DVD and remastered CD are just about the same price. The SACD, like a lot of SACDs, isn't readily available anymore - bummer.

I didn't see it listed on the Amazon page - is the DVD stereo or surround sound?

As for that guy coughing in your room, just ask Doug to cover his mouth. Oh, wait...

 

[Alex2507]

The DVD is both surround and stereo. I listened to both but on two different systems so I can't differentiate the quality of one over the other because the systems are so different and I don't want to hear it for the 5th time in 24 hours.The pic I used is from Amazon but I'm not sure if it's the CD or DVD. Maybe they're the same.

 

[Swerd]

Thanks for the heads up on this. I like bluegrass & classical. You said the recording is good, so I put the DVD version on my Amazon wish list.

 

[Alex2507]

You said the recording is good, so I put the DVD version on my Amazon wish list.

Uh-oh ... now I feel like my subjective opinions are about to be put to the test. ... but yeah, I can't imagine not liking this with your appreciation of classical and Hill Billy being played on a Song Center. Just don't watch it until after you hear it. The Netflix reviews all pooh-poohed the video part. It just kept my eyes too busy to let me enjoy what those three guys had spent a life time gettin' good at.

 

[dkane360]

Although I haven't heard Appalachian Journey, it's probably similar to the Goat Rodeo Sessions. Goat Rodeo shares a few of the same artists (Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer). It's probably my favorite album of the last few years

 

[Swerd]

Uh-oh ... now I feel like my subjective opinions are about to be put to the test. ... but yeah, I can't imagine not liking this with your appreciation of classical and Hill Billy being played on a Song Center. Just don't watch it until after you hear it. The Netflix reviews all pooh-poohed the video part. It just kept my eyes too busy to let me enjoy what those three guys had spent a life time gettin' good at.

There's no accounting for taste . Some other CDs I've listened to lately and liked a lot:

Chirpin - The Persuasions

Dedicated - Steve Cropper

 

[highfigh]

Look for Strength In Numbers, too. I saw them on Austin City Limits a long time ago and it's some great playing. Edgar Meyer's on that, too.
Strength in Numbers - Slopes - Live - YouTube

 

[skizzerflake]

I Netfixed the concert DVD and thought of our absentee New Found Lander: GO-NAD!. He says he likes cello and this Yo-Yo guy seems to be pretty good at playing the big violin. My advice is to not watch the video except maybe to get a look at the performers at the beginning and then again when the guest performers, James Taylor and Alison Krauss get introduced. I've had about enough of James Taylor but Alison Krauss' voice is as sweet as pie.

I think the recording quality is pretty good because you can hear a guy cough a couple of times and it sounds like he's in your room. I played the DVD on 2 systems and could see the strengths and weaknesses of both systems. That big bass sounds much nicer on on the 2.2 nearfield system.

Letting this play as background music on like the 2nd or 3rd playing helped me realize that there wasn't anything I could think of that I would have rather been listening to. I think most folks would be okay with a rental but GO-NAD! should just buy it.

I'll have to check out that video. I've had the CD around for a long time, and have always been in awe of O'Connor and Ma. O'Connor can basically play fiddle in almost any imaginable genre (country, cajun, Texas swing, 20's jazz, bluegrass, and even Asian Indian) better than anybody else on the planet. A few years ago, I had the honor of meeting him in a pre-concert talk/music demo prior to a Baltimore Symphony concert. Both the pre-event and the concert were amazing. This guy not only plays everything, but he makes it seem like it's no effort. He performed as part of several of his symphonic compositions that, I assume, can only be played by him. I doubt that there are many violinists/fiddlers who can so successfully cross genres. Unlike Ma, who is somewhat of a household name among classical musicians, O'Connor is less well known, but IMO, ought to be some sort of National Treasure.

 

[highfigh]

I'll have to check out that video. I've had the CD around for a long time, and have always been in awe of O'Connor and Ma. O'Connor can basically play fiddle in almost any imaginable genre (country, cajun, Texas swing, 20's jazz, bluegrass, and even Asian Indian) better than anybody else on the planet. A few years ago, I had the honor of meeting him in a pre-concert talk/music demo prior to a Baltimore Symphony concert. Both the pre-event and the concert were amazing. This guy not only plays everything, but he makes it seem like it's no effort. He performed as part of several of his symphonic compositions that, I assume, can only be played by him. I doubt that there are many violinists/fiddlers who can so successfully cross genres. Unlike Ma, who is somewhat of a household name among classical musicians, O'Connor is less well known, but IMO, ought to be some sort of National Treasure.

I read and interview/article about O'Connor in the late '70s or early '80s. He had competed in fiddle and flat-picking competitions when he was a kid- by the time he was 13, he was no longer allowed to compete in either and was made a judge because he always won.

 

[skizzerflake]

I've heard that story and believe it. I like the fact that he continues to identify himself as a fiddle player. He is the Paganini of the fiddle.

 

[ErnieM]

That is a great album!

I also have Heartland: An Appalachian Anthology and Appalachia Waltz. These three, along with some Miles Davis (Kind of Blue, In a silent way, etc) make up the majority of what I listen to during long airplane trips.

When I say "long," I mean from Chicago to Asia, usually a 14 hour initial leg followed by one or two "shorter" legs of 4 to 6 hours