Tag: QQQ

Dec232009 by Chris Holmes2 Comments
2009 – The year in recorded musical performances

2009 – The year in recorded musical performances

Music
I swear that each year I have less and less time to spend listening to new music.  It seems like a losing battle anymore to keep up with all the new albums coming out, but I have to keep trying.  So rather than pontificate on the albums of the past year - as I've been known to do - I'm going for brevity in an attempt to get more done.  And I'm adding one new feature to this year's year-end music wrapup (and future releases as well), by introducing a grading system.  Here's the rundown: Dig It - You can safely part with your hard-earned money for this and not feel like a sucker. Download It - Still worth a listen, but you'll probably want to just download it and cherry-pick the best tracks. Ditch It - If you can find something of lasting value, you're a better person than I. Got
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Feb42009 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
In Concert: Andrew McKenna Lee and QQQ

In Concert: Andrew McKenna Lee and QQQ

Music
In celebration of two new CDs from New Amsterdam Records, four of the label's acts took to the stage last Friday night at Joe's Pub, located in New York City's über-artsy NoHo district.  Despite having already heard music from three of them, I still wasn't sure what to expect from the evening.  After all, classical guitarists and modern chamber groups are not the types of shows I usually see in the Big Apple. The evening got off to a rather interesting start as, one by one, the three members of opening act Janus took the stage and contributed a few lines to a spoken word loop that comprised the vocal foundation for a piece called "I Am Not (Blank)".  It was a rather startling way to begin a performance to say the least.  The trio's style (comprised of viola, harp, and flute) is not for
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Jan272009 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Album reviews: Unpacking the Trailer… & Gravity and Air

Album reviews: Unpacking the Trailer… & Gravity and Air

Music
It's certainly too early to predict whether or not 2009 will best last year in terms of quality musical output, but a pair of new releases from the fledgling New Amsterdam label already has it off to an interesting start.  The imprint, which opened its doors in January 2008, has become a showcase of sorts for a diverse group of artists based in the greater New York City area. The first of these acts with a new release is QQQ, a modern chamber quartet made up of two husband-and-wife teams (Dan Trueman on Hardanger fiddle, Monica Mugan on classical guitar, Beth Meyers on viola, and Jason Treuting on percussion). When I gave a spin to the group's debut album, Unpacking the Trailer..., the first comparison I thought of was with Build, another New Amsterdam act.  QQQ's style of music is a
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