The delight in listening to Count Plays Duke is in hearing new arrangements of familiar songs that then come at you from a fresh angle. Till You Hear From Me. Swing music can come off fairly shallow, like an annoying peck on the cheek from an old aunt, but the Count Basie Orchestra gives us a long, warm, wet kiss that creates both a fiery anticipation for more while being satisfying enough in itself. The six-man a cappella group Lionheart has developed a worldwide reputation through performances of medieval, renaissance and contemporary vocal works. On Paris 2000 they execute 18 different chants from 12th century France with elegant discipline and impeccable tonal combinations.
Gregorian chant exudes a feeling of sacredness and formality.
Organum is a technique where parallel voices at octaves above or below the main chant are used to decorate or amplify the plainchant theme. Motet uses polyphonic voice to combine music with sacred texts and conductus is a more uniform chant with all voices singing equally. It is interesting to note that the 12th century organum technique relies on the use of perfect intervals that eventually served as the basis for the rock guitar power chord. Each of the songs on Paris 2000 has a subdued power that seems to originate from the cavernous center of a Gothic cathedral where the vocal deliveries gain strength from the architecture's merging of mathematics and art. As with many spiritual-based rituals, the full enjoyment of this CD requires focused attention.