News From New Amsterdam Records

New Amsterdam Records is at the heart of the New Music environment

First, the New Am web site has been re-designed and it is really spiffy.

Second, there is a new site, New Amsterdam Presents, about which we are told, “…For up-to-date information about the New Amsterdam community, including our recording artists as well as our ever-expanding list of concerts and other events, please visit NewAmsterdamPresents.com.

And, oh yes, some music!!

Jody Redhage – of minutiae and memory

“As the recipient of the 2005 Hertz Grant, Jody began developing her “singing cellist” project–writing and also commissioning a repertoire for her voice and cello from some of New York’s most talented emerging composers. All Summer in a Day, the CD culmination of this commissioning/recording project, was originally released in 2007 on New Amsterdam Records and has been called “a freewheeling, slightly edgy and altogether ‘different’ kind of musical experience…highly rewarding and worthwhile” (Dave Lewis, All Music Guide). Jody spent 2009 going in and out of the studio, recording more pieces for her voice, cello, and electronics. The updated album, of minutiae and memory (featuring a few tracks from the original 2007 release and many new compositions) is the compelling result.

The album includes eight immersive, nuanced premiere recordings of compositions from some of today’s most talented young “indie classical” composers: Missy Mazzoli, Ryan Brown, Anna Clyne, Stefan Weisman, Paula Matthusen, Wil Smith, Derek Muro, and Joshua Penman. The tracks have been carefully curated by Redhage to flow effortlessly from piece to piece, and the album’s extremely high production value lends an alluring sheen to each track.”

itsnotyouitsme – everybody’s pain is magnificent

“itsnotyouitsme consists of two prolific, highly regarded New York musicians: violinist/composer Caleb Burhans and guitarist Grey McMurray, each of whom has an extensive musical output in a variety of ensembles and musical idioms. They formed the ensemble itsnotyouitsme in 2003, fusing and distilling their eclectic mutual inspirations, including the likes of J.S. Bach, Brian Eno, and Pink Floyd. Since its inception, the duo has carved out a unique niche at the intersection of chamber music, jazz, and post-rock musical scenes with their breathtaking, genre-defying instrumental soundscapes.

Following itsnotyouitsme’s first two critically acclaimed albums is everybody’s pain is magnificent, an 88 minute double-disc album that serves as a mature and well-honed artistic statement. Like the duo’s first two albums — walled gardens and fallen monuments — which were lauded by critics for their idiosyncratic ambient sound worlds generated by copious melodic looping, everybody’s pain is magnificent enraptures the listener with its dense textural landscapes. The emphasis on slowly shifting harmonies and polished timbres represents a marked departure away from the group’s earlier Philip Glass-inspired additive process minimalism and toward a more abstracted soundworld of flowing textures.”

yMusic – Beautiful Mechanical

yMusic is a group of young performers who are actively engaged and equally comfortable in the overlapping classical and pop music worlds (Alex Sopp, Hideaki Aomori, CJ Camerieri, Rob Moose, Nadia Sirota, and Clarice Jensen). Its unique instrumentation includes a traditional string trio as well as the distinctive combination of flute, clarinet and trumpet. This exciting composite of sounds has sparked a burgeoning repertoire of commissions from some of today’s most important artists.

Beautiful Mechanical, the group’s focused and stunning debut album, features compositions by indie- classical all-stars Annie Clark (St. Vincent), Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond), Ryan Lott (Son Lux), Gabriel Kahane, and New Amsterdam Records co-founders Sarah Kirkland Snider and Judd Greenstein. The compositions are assured and fervent yet tender and humane, the performances delicate yet fiercely virtuosic, making for a cohesive album that stands as a manifesto of what music-making in the 21st century can – and should – be.”

Please give yourself a lift by visiting the new web sites.