A forgotten Baroque composer given a modern twist, and interpreted by the big pop voices of today. Contemporary artists like Natalie Merchant and Madeleine Peyroux reinvent the music of France's great 14th century composer and poet, Guillaume de Machaut Brilliant conductor and Grammy winning arranger-producer, Robert Sadin, conceives an album that blurs boundaries as it crosses centuries and cultures, drenching songs more than 600 years old in the sounds of Brazil, Africa, and jazz.
K**W
Five Stars
great delivered as requested.
T**N
Imaginative
It's not going to be a favorite in my collection, but the concept is quite intriguing (thus my purchase of it) and it's executed fairly well. The voices are well chosen for the material and the instrumentals are impeccable.
R**Y
this is mostly Machaut. It is done very well.
This recording has prompted me to write my first review. I am a NUT for Machaut. I own everything I can by/about him. Today I bought this album from a chain, new, and I have listened to the first 4 tracks. They are wonderful. A majority of Machaut's songs exist as one melody line plus lyrics. These are treated here as any decent pop or jazz musician would treat a standard tune, with chords, instrumentation and percussion/rhythm invented newly for the occasion.WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE??The problem is that Machaut/early music lovers like myself don't even know about this CD. Apparently it sold very poorly (released 2009). I SAY "BUY IT".Really.
T**P
Great Stuff!
I love jazz and early music, among other things, and must say that this is one of the most creative and underrated albums I have ever heard. Every re-imagining is outstanding, and imo, this cd should set the blueprint for other projects like this to come! 5 stars!!!
