Awadagin Pratt's First CD, 'A Long Way From Normal,' is Reissued by ArkivMusic.com

[A Long Way From Normal; Awadagin Pratt, piano; EMI Classics 55025 (1994)]

AfriClassical has written frequently of Awadagin Pratt's new CDs this year. The pianist joined cellist Zuill Bailey on a highly-charged Telarc release, Johannes Brahms, Works for Cello and Piano. Eternal Evolution came next, with four works of contemporary composer Judith Lang Zaimont performed by Awadagin Pratt and the Harlem Quartet on the Navona label.

Previous recordings are also being reissued. They include his first recording, A Long Way From Normal, whose title is a sly reference to Normal, Illinois, where he was raised. This release is EMI Classics 55025 (1994), now reissued by Arkiv for $16.99. The composers represented on the disc are Franz Liszt, César Franck, Johannes Brahms and Bach/Busoni. For those who enjoy the economy of used CDs, Amazon Marketplace offers 25 used copies of the original CD for as little as 99 cents.

ArkivMusic.com

“Awadagin Pratt Bio

Awadagin Pratt is a musical triple-threat performer, being the Peabody Conservatory's first student awarded simultaneous performance degrees in three areas: piano, violin, and conducting. However, he spends the majority of his professional career as a pianist performing as soloist, as collaborator in chamber music projects, and as educator at a variety of programs, whether at schools or festivals.

“Pratt's father's family in Sierra Leone valued education and everyone was taught to play piano or organ, as well as play sports. The same ideals were passed on to Pratt, who learned both piano and violin as a child, and despite being a ranked tennis player and offered sports scholarships, entered the University of Illinois at the young age of 16 to study music. After graduating from Peabody, Pratt was awarded first prize at the prestigious Naumberg Competition in 1992. He was the first African-American artist to win that honor, and it was the first time he felt financially secure as a performer. Pratt received a lot of favorable and deserved attention following this, including being signed to an exclusive contract with EMI and then receiving an Avery Fischer Career Grant in 1994. A low piano bench, dreadlocks, and dress casual performance attire are his signature, with the last intended to make classical music less intimidating to the general public. Admirers note that when he performs, the music and his interpretation take precedence over any other aspect. His first recording was titled A Long Way from Normal, referencing his childhood in Normal, IL. Other recordings include Live from South Africa, a disc of Beethoven sonatas, and 2002's Play Bach with the St. Lawrence String Quartet.”

'Duke Ellington: Mainly Black' released on CD in 'EMI American Classics' Nov. 22, 2010

[Duke Ellington: Mainly Black; EMI American Classics EMI 411192 (2010) (73:22)]

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899-1974) was an African American composer, pianist and band leader. He is profiled at AfriClassical.com. Duke Ellington was born into a middle-class family in Washington, D.C. on April 29, 1899. Although best known for composing, leading and performing about 2,000 "big band" jazz pieces, Ellington also composed orchestral, chamber and solo piano works in the classical genre. His classical music has gradually gained new listeners in recent years due to recordings on CD.

The CD Duke Ellington: Mainly Black is part of the EMI American Classics series and was released on Nov 22, 2010. The full title is: Duke Ellington: Mainly Black: Black, Brown and Beige / Harlem / Sophisticated Lady / Isfahan / Take the 'A' Train, according to Amazon.com. HBDirect.com has a list price of $13.98. Amazon.com Merchants sell the disc new from $7.62. Billy Strayhorn composed Take the 'A' Train. Duke Ellington wrote Black, Brown and Beige, Harlem, Sophisticated Lady and Isfahan. The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. The total time of the recording is 73:22.

Black, Brown and Beige is orchestrated by Maurice Peress, who has conducted the American Composers Orchestra in Four Symphonic Works by Duke Ellington, released as Nimbus NI 2511 (2008). Peress writes: “The narrative Black, Brown and Beige is Ellington's philosophical metaphor for black survival in a white world.” “An enigmatic and complicated work, made all the more difficult to fathom by the disarmingly comfortable tonal palette and rhythmic flow of a jazz band, Black, Brown and Beige is a signature piece for Ellington, but rarely performed. It was, after all, a first attempt at a long, sustained work – originally 57 minutes in length – by a master of the short form.” “In 1963 he allowed it to be published in score form, to my knowledge the only extended work of his so honoured during his lifetime. It was shortly after that I met Duke and proposed the idea of a version for symphony orchestra.”