Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 74

12 Spotlight Santa Cruz Sentinel Friday, Nov. 27, 1987 1 Mutic Hot platters of Christmas wax 1 1 i i i TT smoothly flowing, unfettered treatment. It wound in a single line until it got to "Give us this when the voices divided into cascading strettos, (closely staggered entrances). Taken from a setting for solo voice and piano, Badarak's new arrangement for chorus and organ offered a lush texture for the melody to nestle into. Thompson's energetic setting of "The Last Words of David" (taken from Samuel XXIII) took off with lightning bolts shooting up from underneath.

The music's course took in varietal expressions in great detail and the chorus kept up well. Thompson's exceptional vocal part-writing rang out clear and strong, as gratifying no doubt for the singers as it was for the audience. The words got through, as did the message. Kudos to Yalenda Listmann accompanying on organ. She underpinned the bustling obligatos of Thompson's score with relaxed dispatch.

As in the works of Badarak, Mozart and Britten, she lent supple support and stalwart consistency. Of the evening's highlighted works, the Mozart came off the better. The music's accessible nature and rhythmic vitality exerted a more persuasive argument than the Palestrina, which was low-key and haunting. The countenances of the Mozart were sunny and forthright. Palestrina's five-movement mass, on the other hand, didn't come out and grab you; you had to go to it.

There were some lovely finds tucked away in Mozart's "Vespers" that were brought to light by soloists Patrrice Maginnis, soprano, and Diana deTar, alto. Both came through with fine singing and Maginnis particularly got to spread her wings in the latter movement. For a community chorus concert, there was a lot of good music-making. Elbow grease and passion were generously applied, but a less demanding lineup would've made a stronger impact. One hopes that the Santa Cruz Chorale's present repertoire enjoys the benefits of further time and exploration, because more profound musical experiences seem just around the corner.

Starr form the rhythm secton, and as might be predicted the sound is subtle but spectacular, so well-formed that you're tempted to play each cut twice, to make sure it was really as good as it seemed; each time, it is. This smoothness of arrangement allows Harrison to sing without straining, which means that his voice is more pleasant than at any time since "All Things Must his vocal subtlety leaves more room to hear his and Clapton's guitars which in turn sounds magically sweet and weeping. The two side-openers, "Cloud Nine" and "Devil's Radio," might be some of the best two-guitar rock ever recorded. There seems to be an even more important reason why this is such a good George Harrison LP, though, and that's the new relationship the artist seems to have with himself. Whereas several years ago George was fond of responding to or suggestions, with self-important, rigid Hare Krishna ideology is your voice allowed to be hoarse on the recording?" asked one hapless interviewer several years ago.

Replied Harrison: "God controls everything, even down to the the artist now looks at himself more ordinarily. "I play a little guitar, write some songs and make some movies," he comments in his bio, "but none of those things are the real me. A very large slice of the real George Harrison is present on this record, though, and whoever is responsible, a hearty thanks. PAUL WAGNER BECAUSE one-half of all recordings are sold in the holiday season, record companies tend to release many of their strongest titles especially titles by artists who have generated nostalgia value at this time of year. To help sift through some of the thousand-or-so records we'll suddenly see in store bins this month and next, we've compiled descriptions of some of the more major offerings, and will continue doing so during the season.

Here's the first installment, and happy hunting! SWING OUT SISTER: "It's Better to Travel," Polygram Records We first heard Swing Out Sister on one of those in-flight airline music programs featuring British deejays who sputter while they speak and were impressed. Judging by one cut, they seemed like an all-white, jazz-trained version of the Miami Sound Machine. Now, having heard the LP, they still do. A jazzrock trio featuring Martin Jackson on percussion, Andy Connell on keyboards and Corinne Drewery on vocals, they're backed by string and horn sections and a dozen or so other musicians playing vibes and bongos and triangles and the like. What does it all add up to? Tight, jazz-song rhythm music; Sade without the moaning; music for films like "The Sandpipers" or "The Girl with the Green Eyes." From the first-cut single "Breakout" to the last tune, this is a consistently warm, well-conceived and balanced record, recommended for rock-and-jazz-lovers, whom it'll make very happy.

STEVE WINWOOD: "Chronicles," Island Records This is a "best-of" LP featuring 10 of the artist's most popular songs, all from his solo LPs "Steve Winwood" (1977), "Arc of a Diver" (1980), "Talking Back to the Night" (1982), and last year's "Back in the High Life." What's included, and what's left out, is (as usual) contestable the inclusion of "Spanish Dancer" and omission of "Night Train," for instance. Harder to fathom is the reason why "Back in the High Life" (the single cut) itself is left out, unless it's in expectation of a future "Chronicles II." But taste is subjective, isn't it? The most impressive thing about this LP, though, is how consistently musical it is; how Winwood whose strong voice and long-standing reputation could easily allow him to slide into lazy writing habits continues to produce moving, satisfying, honest tunes year after year. This is a pleasant record by a good artist, recommended to anyone who's looking for a tasteful gift or warm set of musical memories. GEORGE HARRISON: "Cloud Nine," Dark Horse Records Don't let the awful first single My Mind Set on from this LP fool you it's the best Harrison record in many a year. Some of the reasons for that are musical.

Eric Clapton, Elton John, Gary Wright, Jim Keltner and Ringo Chorales gets in the mood By PHILIP COLLINS Sentinel Correspondent THE Santa Cruz Chorale set the holiday season in motion with a pair of concerts last weekend at First Congregational Church in Santa Cruz and All Saints Episcopal Church in Watsonville. The program was dubbed "Four Centuries of Sacred Choral Music" and the featured selections, for the most part, glowed with a jubilant nature. Mary Lynn Place Badarak, director and founder of the Chorale, gave her group and the audience a nicely varied jaunt through yuletide flavors and resonances. The concert was built upon two major works "Missa Brevis" by Palestrina and two movements from Mozart's "Vesperae Solennes de Confessore" K.339. The Palestrina and Mozart pieces were centered in the program, with intermission in between.

Around the outer edges were Britten's "Jubilate Deo," two Advent Motets by Poulenc, "The Last Words of David" by Randall Thompson and Badarak's own setting of "The Lord's Prayer." All in all, it was a lot singing for any group especially an amateur one and the diverse challenges of the repertoire were met with uneven accomplishment. Some of the smaller works went smoothest, particularly Badarak's "The Lord's Prayer" and Thompson's "The Last Words of David." Perhaps it was no coincidence that they were the only American works on the program. "The Lord's Prayer" was a SEE COCOANUT GROVE THANKSGIVING WEEKEND MEfS IMS POT QUICK, EASY AND UNIQUELY SANTA CRUZ ALL YEAR Boardwalk Unlimited Ride Pass. First time offered! Enjoy an ENDLESS SUMMER with one pass that gives unlimited (. rides any operating day from now through December 31, 1988.

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