Music I'm Enjoying Now 2

The Suspicious Cheese Lords: Thanks to Don Laub for reminding me about this D.C.-based male a capella group (numbering 13-15 voices) who have released three world premiere recordings of sacred music of the Renaissance - by Carpentras in 2002, Ludwig Senfl in 2005, and Jean Mouton in 2007 (all of them available from CD Baby, a terrific distribution house for independent musicians). The first two were recorded in the acoustically glorious Franciscan Monastery in northeast D.C. The self-released CDs are beautifully produced and packaged, with musicologists' liner notes that are illuminating. Transporting.

Pat Metheny & Anna Maria Jopek, Upojenie: In the early Seventies, on a study tour and "roots" visit to Krakow, I was first exposed to the vibrant world of Polish jazz. Although the Iron Curtain was firmly in place, every young person seemed to tune in to DJ Willis Conover's Jazz Hour on the Voice of America. Young Poles' main connection with Western musical culture was through Conover's playlist, artists like Coltrane and Miles and Wes Montgomery. On a subsequent trip in 1977, I got to know some Polish jazz journalists, and starting writing for a Warsaw-based magazine, Jazz Forum, that was published in three languages. That was about the time that Pat Metheny was capturing attention for his first two ECM albums, and I had the pleasure of doing the first (so far as I know) internationally published interview with Pat for Jazz Forum. (He was a terrific, and enthusiastic, interview.) That's why it was a special treat to see Metheny team up with vocalist Jopek and other contemporary Polish jazz artists on this CD of originals, reworked Polish folk songs, and Metheny tunes of the Nineties retrofitted with Polish lyrics. Recorded in 2002 but just released in the States last year, this is a worthy addition to Metheny's extensive discography.

Jason Vieaux, Images of Metheny: And speaking of Metheny, his work is reimagined by the terrific classical guitarist Jason Vieaux on this 2005 tribute album. Metheny's distinctive sound limits the number of artists who try to "cover" him, but Vieaux brings wonderful dimension to these solo acoustic interpretations, particularly the sensitive opener "Every Day (I Thank You)" and a gorgeous take on "The Bat" (By the way, we met Jason at a recent house concert, and he told us that Metheny is still delightful and accessible, and that he had invited Jason to his New York apartment to compare notes when Jason was working on this CD.)