Friend, former colleague and now fellow inside the arts contributor, Frank Almond is someone who’s always been “plugged in”. A little known fact is that his brother Cliff is a phenomenal drummer with an international career. Frank’s On the Go list I would describe as an eclectic and high energy mix!…….
Frank who can be found on Non Divisi and on his site is the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony and one of the four concertmasters of the Seattle Symphony. We met in 1994 and worked together for one season at the Fort Worth Symphony. I remember driving to run-outs with him and frequently hearing the words hey listen to this! We have stayed in touch ever since then and two seasons ago we did the Bruch together in Springfield which was a big hit with our audience. It was great to reconnect with him on stage. Frank has a rich beautiful sound. Listen to samples here of his recent recording with William Wolfram. He sent me a long list of music he’s listening to right now.
Here are some highlights:
Radiohead – In Rainbows. Their self released album that down-loaders could get for whatever price they wanted! Check out the song Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Strauss – Metamorphosen the Zinman, Tonhalle Orchestra version
Aimee Mann- who defines the “independent artist” success story after starting as a back up singer for Cyndi Lauper on True Colors. Watch this clip of Save Me from the soundtrack of Magnolia
Will Owsley – The Hard Way is a Beatlesesque album from this Guitarist who has worked for many years with Amy Grant. Click here for samples.
Bill Evans Trio – Bill Evans at Town Hall. One of the most influential Jazz Pianists of the 20th century, this is how Miles Davis described him in his autobiography:
“Bill had this quiet fire that I loved on piano. The way he approached it, the sound he got was like crystal notes or sparkling water cascading down from some clear waterfall.”
Listen to a sample of Beautiful Love
Holst – The Planets. The particular recording he recommends is with Rattle and the Berlin Phil and includes some other planetary compositions from Colin Matthews, Brett Dean and others. This is a landmark version although I like Dutoit’s with Montreal also.
Raconteurs- Consolers of the Lonely. This is a brand new album released just a few weeks ago. We’ve all heard of the “garage band”, well this group was formed in an attic one summer when Jack White (of the White Stripes) and Guitarist Brendan Benson got together. Listen to a sample of the high energy title track
Steely Dan- Aja. So from a few weeks ago to over 3 decades ago, this is a fusion classic! Hear Home at Last.
Beethoven – Trio Op. 70 No. 2 the classic Beaux Arts Trio recording which is on a 5 disc set . It is available for download also.
Cliff Almond- Topics. Frank’s brother a prolific Drummer who has worked with the likes of Patti LaBelle and Manhattan Transfer and many other huge stars. Listen to some of his work (including some tracks from Topics) on his site’s look and listen page
There are many more selections including albums and songs by the Beatles, Wayne Krantz, Foo Fighters and Michael Penn. Frank with his dual concertmaster duties definitely personifies someone who is On the Go!
I am excited to announce that we will have a guest blogger on Friday, someone that truly works towards the goal of the audience connection…I will keep it a surprise till then!