Violinists on Old Ideas - questions

[MarieM]

Most of the reviews applaud the production value on Old Ideas. For instances from a 5 star review:

“Lush female harmonies still carry refrains and colour his monochrome tones, but they float on the organic pulse of a live band, that plays with gentle restraint, and weaves flowing violin, trumpet and harmonica melodies in among the glistening pearls of Cohen's epigrammatic phrases,” writes Neil McCormick of The Telegraph (UK). And further: "The music is perfectly matched, neither heavy nor overwrought, it glides by, easy on the ear and on the soul, but opening up to reveal looming depths. It is, in short, and as we might have expected, a work of genius. Sometimes the old ideas are the best."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/musi ... eview.html

[metrichansen]

And I never never claimed hé was sloppy

[JudasPriest]

If the trumpet solo on Amen isn't real, it's got to be the best synth job ever to appear on a Leonard album? Could it be a sample as distinct from a synthesiser? Altho in that case, surely the lift would have to be credited?

[tomsakic]

That trumpet on "Amen" is great, like, the best instrumental on the whole album, beside Neil Larsen's Hammond B3 in Different Sides. Tom-Waits-like piano in "Anyhow" is also mostly welcomed.

I read credits three times and still couldn't believe that it is uncredited trumpet OR that it's "arranged and programmed by Leonard Cohen" so he plays it in Pro Tools. He said in an interview two weeks ago that he plays all on "Amen" except drums and violin, so that is true.

And I am fascinated by the fact that when Leonard FINALLY got a "proper, real producer" - that's Patrick Leonard - that producer's contribution in real instruments is way bellow Leonard's own programming on "Amen" and his own blend of live instruments and Pro Tools on other songs. Patrick Leonard music and production sounds like he's badly trying to imitate Dear Heather CD, especially songs like "Because of" and "Villanelle for Our Time". In that sense, this album is indeed a logical follow-up to cycle opened with Ten new Songs and natural follow-up to Dear Heather. 2Aen", e.g., was recorded 2007, and it's interesting to hear how low was LC's voice *before* the tour and after Dear Heather.

[tomsakic]

If the trumpet solo on Amen isn't real, it's got to be the best synth job ever to appear on a Leonard album? Could it be a sample as distinct from a synthesiser? Altho in that case, surely the lift would have to be credited?

LC already programmed a saxophone on song "Undertow" on Dear Heather CD, so... that was also great. But maybe the sound itself is a sample - e.g. on Dear Heather's "There for You" Sharon programmed oud and she said she was using Hans Zimmer's sample collection for ProTools (which includes oud samples as well).

[TipperaryAnn]

That's not a trumpet - that's LC battling it out on the keyboard - clumsily like on "Tower"

You MUST be joking! There is no comparison....

[TipperaryAnn]

“Lush female harmonies still carry refrains and colour his monochrome tones, but they float on the organic pulse of a live band..."

On one track only, apparently - "Darkness". I love the sounds on this album, so I'm not complaining - it's just intruiging to know which sounds are "real" instruments and which are not.