Jones returns to her roots – Lang Lang shows new side with CD

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This cover image released by Blue Note shows ‘Day Breaks’, a release by Norah Jones. (AP)
This cover image released by Blue Note shows ‘Day Breaks’, a release by Norah Jones. (AP)

NEW YORK, Oct 6, (AP): During his musical career, classical pianist Lang Lang has tackled some musical titans like Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. Now he’s gleefully taking on Jay Z.

The Chinese superstar has recorded a new crossover album in which he tries to capture the spirit of New York, including doing a cover of the rapper’s “Empire State of Mind,” with its lyrics “Welcome to the melting pot, corners where we selling rock.”

“I’m really always curious to hear different kinds of music and different kinds of music-making,” said Lang Lang. “I think it’s important to show the other side that we are creative people.”

His 10-track CD “New York Rhapsody” has versions of “Tonight” from the musical “West Side Story,” “Moon River” from the film “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” Danny Elfman’s theme from the “Spider-Man” movie and the Eagles’ “New York Minute.”

It’s a bold move even for a musician who has tried to push classical music out of its elite, frumpy bubble and embrace other kinds of sounds. For that, Lang Lang acknowledges being encouraged by projects from other crossover stars like Luciano Pavarotti and Yo-Yo Ma.

Traditions

“All those things are so inspiring because they are still following in the traditions and they are still treasuring the traditions, but, at the same time, putting out a statement to the world like, ‘Hey guys. Try this flavor.’ I like that attitude,” he said.

Lang Lang, who has been a friend of Herbie Handcock for a number of years, recorded a version of the song “Rhapsody in Blue” with the jazz icon in 2012 but it took longer to find other collaborators and the right producer for an entire album.

In the end, he enlisted Andra Day, Jason Isbell, Jeffrey Wright, Kandace Springs, Lindsey Stirling, Lisa Fischer, Madeleine Peyroux and Sean Jones. Grammy Award-winner producer Larry Klein, who has worked with Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman and Joni Mitchell, came onboard to pull it all together. He did so at first a little reluctantly.

“I’m not a big fan of the genre of classical crossover records. And that’s putting it mildly. I don’t think I’ve ever liked one,” he said. “I really thought, ‘Oh, God. There’s about 3,000 ways to do this wrong and maybe one way to do it right.’”

Klein came up with the idea of a tone poem for New York, with Klein explaining the significance of some songs to Lang Lang and the pianist, who has shared stages with Metallica and Pharrell, pushing into other genres. At one point, Lang Lang wanted to do a Lil Wayne song.

“The best thing that I can say about him is that he’s an insatiably curious guy. He’s an open soul,” said Klein. “It was a big growth experience I think for him to learn about all sorts of things and for me as well because he challenged me in some areas.” (A concert special from Lincoln Center will air on PBS on Nov 25.)

Encountered

Lang Lang first encountered classical music as a 3-year-old watching “Tom and Jerry” cartoons and by age 5 was performing in concerts. A few years later, he was chosen to attend a prestigious conservatory in Beijing.

The one-time prodigy is now 34 with a matinee-idol popularity in the classical world. He gets occasional criticism from more conservative listeners for his dramatic playing style, but there’s no denying his skill and influence. In China, the so-called “Lang Lang effect” is credited with encouraging over 40 million children to learn to play the piano.

In person, he’s funny and relaxed. A sports nut who travels constantly, he has lent his name to perfumes, watches and sneakers. He embraces social media, lends his efforts to teach kids music and wants the classical world to learn from sports, fashion and the entertainment.

“We need to be a little edgier,” he said. “Of course we will keep playing Beethoven and we will keep playing Mozart and we will keep playing Chopin. That’s what we do. At the same time, we need to inspire the world.”

 Norah Jones, “Day Breaks” (Blue Note Records)

Fourteen years later, we’re still a deeply polarized nation. Those who loved Norah Jones’ breakout debut album, “Come Away With Me,” will enjoy “Day Breaks.” It’s music for the coffeehouse crowd that prefers songs sung in an indoor voice.

As for those who found Jones’ early work too mellow, they’re unlikely to applaud the return to her roots. She’s again serving up intimate ballads in a sultry alto with hints of jazz, and while the music is pretty, it’s also pretty polite.

There’s a disconnect when pulling down from the cloud new music so grounded in the last century, especially the singer-songwriter heyday of the 1970s. “Flipside” echoes Joe Jackson, “It’s a Wonderful Time for Love” borrows from Van Morrison and “Don’t Be Denied” covers Neil Young.

On her original tunes Jones sings about alcoholism (“Tragedy”), deceit (“Sleeping Wild”) and a relationship giving off the wrong kind of heat (“Burn”), but she never raises the temperature herself. Standout drummer Brian Blade manages to boost the energy level at times, as do horn arrangements on a few cuts, but Wayne Shorter’s squawky soprano sax seems jarring.

Jones’ frequent piano solos, like her vocals, are lovely but restrained. Many listeners will likely find lovely to be plenty.

Phish, “Big Boat” (JEMP Records)

Phish will not be remembered for its studio releases and “Big Boat” shows why.

Bookended with a couple of duds, obfuscating some real gems in between, the Vermont-based jam band’s 13th official studio effort is an uneven affair. It will leave longtime fans scratching their heads at some of the choices made while doing little to persuade anyone new to the scene to pay attention to Phish’s studio output.

To be sure, there are songs worth remembering. “Waking Up Dead,” by bass player Mike Gordon, is a standout as are songs the band worked out live before recording, most notably “No Men in No Man’s Land.” Keyboardist Page McConnell appears to channel outsider musician Daniel Johnston in the refreshingly ragged ditty “Things People Do.”

But “Friends,” the track that kicks off “Big Boat,” is an overproduced disaster that sounds more like a Pink Floyd outtake. “I Always Wanted It This Way” also sounds like a Floyd cast-off, and not in a good way.

Then there’s “Petrichor,” the orchestrated closer named for the pleasant smell that comes after a rainfall following dry weather. At 13 minutes, it goes on about 10 minutes too long, and isn’t all that pleasant.

“In a world gone mad, world gone mad,” Trey Anastasio sings on “More,” a jaunty rocker that should really spring to life onstage. “There must be something more than this.”

Indeed.

 

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