February 11–18, 1999
disc quicks
Clipper Erickson, piano
An American Journey: Piano music by Roy Harris, Rubin Goldmark, Quincy Porter, John Work, Nathaniel Dett, George Gershwin
(Direct-To-Tape Recording Co.)
This all-American recital ranges from the very familiar (Gershwin) to the somewhat obscure (Harris, Porter, Dett) to the nearly forgotten (Goldmark, Work). All of the composers share a bright, propulsive energy and a fondness for broad, lyrical melodies. Harris and Goldmark capture the sound of the American frontier in a way that avoids clichés (Roy Harris, after all, invented much of the vocabulary of "cowboy" music). The pieces here by John Work and Nathaniel Dett highlight the neglected world of black American academic music from the first part of the century, which featured spirituals, African dances and other original material. The music of Porter stands out in this collection as the most European-sounding, and Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" needs no further comment.
Philadelphia pianist Clipper Erickson plays all of this music superbly, calm and caressing when called for, and explosive and brilliantly virtuosic by turn. The recording, as usual from this South Jersey label, is vibrant and realistic.
