Yuko Mabuchi moved to the United States from her native Japan only recently, but when she plays American jazz she speaks the language perfectly. We love Yuko’s sense of rhythm and melody, and her improvising feels like she was born in Detroit or New York City. Her technique reminds one of some of Yuko’s music idols like Oscar Peterson, Herbie Hancock and Monty Alexander. But beyond her talent for traditional jazz, one can also hear flavors of American R&B, Hip-Hop and Blues, which Yuko loved as a teenager. This album’s associate producer and Yarlung special advisor Billy Mitchell describes Yuko’s playing as “funky from the heart,” and he means that as an enormous compliment. Yuko was born in Fukui, on the west coast of Japan, north of Kyoto. She studied classical music and the piano starting at age four, and continued her studies at the AN Music School in Kyoto, where she was a jazz piano student of Kunihiro Kameda. Yarlung first heard the Yuko Mabuchi Trio at Catalina Bar and Grill in Hollywood and offered to record their debut album the next day. This live concert recording session took place in Cammilleri Hall, the same concert venue designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, where Yarlung recorded Sophisticated Lady jazz quartet in 2014. Jazz pianist and educator Billy Mitchell served as associate producer.

Fusing a modern-day pop sensibility with sleek and timeless jazz chops, singer, trumpeter and songwriter Bria Skonberg returns with her second album for OKeh Records, With a Twist. The album is a collection that pays tribute to legendary ladies of song while offering her take on songs by Leonard Cohen and Ed Sheeran, along with three of her own compositions.

John Rutter’s Magnificat for soprano soloist, choir, and orchestra was written in 1990. The text, based on the prayer ascribed by St. Luke to the Virgin Mary on learning that she was to give birth to Christ, is extended by the interpolation of Marian prayers and poems chosen by the composer. This album is a re-issue of the original recording featuring The Cambridge Singers, the City of London Sinfonia, soprano Patricia Forbes, and John Rutter conducting. While the canticle Magnificat has often been set to music as it is a regular part of Catholic vespers and Anglican evensong, this particular work is one of a few extended settings- this work has seven movements. Rutter drew influence from J. S. Bach’s Magnificat, which also structures the text in movements of different character. Rutter’s Magnificat was composed on commission by MidAmerica Productions, a concert organization in New York performing in Carnegie Hall with a choir of 200 selected voices from all over the United States. The piece has a distinct Latin flair, as Rutter was also inspired by “jubilant celebrations of Mary in Hispanic cultures.”

Vaughan Williams withdrew or destroyed many works from his earliest period, but with its haunting opening and luminous polyphonic textures he considered The Solent as amongst his ‘most important works’. The Fantasia is his earliest known piece for solo instrument with orchestra and contains some of his most bravura writing, contrasting with the graceful geniality of the Suite. Depicting a sublimely pastoral scene and now one of the best loved pieces ever written, Vaughan Williams called The Lark Ascending a ‘romance’, a term reserved for his most profoundly lyrical utterances.

Sony Music and Madison Gate Records proudly announce the release of the soundtrack for season 1 of The Crown, the Netflix original series, available on November 4, 2016. All 10 episodes of the first season of the series will premiere the same day on Netflix. The album features Hans Zimmer’s main title theme for the series as well as Rupert Gregson-Williams’ original score.

For as long as I can remember, music has been part of my life. Through music, I have expressed myself and travelled the world; it nourishes me every day. 2017 marks both the 40th year of my musical career and the 20th anniversary of La Pietà. This recording is also my 40th. With so many round and festive numbers, and after so many musical encounters with you, I owed this recording to you. I therefore thought I would listen to the many requests I get to record another album of film music – and in fact go one better and do a double album. There is so much incredible material to choose from, but I found myself drawn to music that is at once beautiful, powerful, and evocative, even when removed from its original context. Some of these melodies are rather sweet; others are more salty. Together, they cover an entire range of emotions. I personally researched this repertoire and selected a variety of fi lm score excerpts with the notion of taking a fresh look at the original versions and adding a new dimension with my violin and the wonderful musicians of La Pietà. I also worked closely with arrangers and composers of this new recording. They have my gratitude and admiration. I also wish to thank the team at Analekta for their trust over the years, their support, and their world-class expertise. But my raison d’être as a musician is my audience, and it is to you that I dedicate this 40th – though I guess since it’s a double, 41st – album. Thank you for listening all these years! Angèle Dubeau, O.C., C.Q., DFA

REVIEW:

The contents of this set are identical to RCA’s previous Previn RVW reissue, and the discs do not appear to have been remastered. André Previn’s Vaughan Williams symphony cycle arguably is the best such offering on the market today, particularly given the difficulty of finding the similarly fine Handley and Slatkin sets domestically (or at all!). In contrast to Boult’s famous EMI set, where his all-knowing conducting (he was a lifelong friend of the composer) occasionally takes on a relaxed and autumnal air, Previn’s consistently vibrant renditions reflect his fresh encounters with the music.

Not to say that he’s always faster–Boult is noticeably quicker in many instances–yet, especially in the case of Nos. 3 and 5, Previn sounds more energized and involved despite his slower tempos. Previn also has at his disposal the London Symphony, which provides exceptionally robust playing throughout. Case in point: compare the LSO’s playing in Previn’s potent and dramatic No. 6 with Boult’s generally listless London Philharmonic in the same work.

Previn’s gripping Sinfonia Antarctica and his profoundly atmospheric A London Symphony rank among the finest versions available. However, Previn must yield to Boult in A Sea Symphony, where Boult’s grandiose vision and EMI’s ravishing recording make a tremendous impression. RCA’s sound, except for a dry and edgy No. 8 (did the master tape deteriorate?) is generally clear and well-balanced, with plenty of impact. Factor in the bonus works–the Violin concerto “Concerto accademico”, the Tuba Concerto, and the “Three Portraits” from The England of Elizabeth–and you’ve got a handsome package of memorable, recommendable performances. The bargain price makes it all the more irresistible.

-- ClassicsToday (Victor Carr, Jr.)

The 1921 musical comedy, Shuffle Along, was a soaringly successful Broadway show. Contained inside this show are songs that would eventually become staples in the repertoire, such as “I’m Just Wild About Harry” and “Love Will Find A Way.” This musical also served a civil purpose. As an all black musical, the show desegregated theaters all across the country. This album is being release alongside the April 2016 revival of the show, and features Tony Award-winning stars such as Brian Stokes Mitchell and Audra McDonald.

REVIEWS:

This fascinating release combines original recordings made in the acoustic era by members of the Shuffle Along company in conjunction with later performances, primarily by Noble Sissle and Eubie Blake, who wrote all the music and lyrics. It is, of course, by no means perfect, but it is representative of what was considered a landmark show in the history of black theater and the first “jazz” musical to hit Broadway...

Singer and lyricist Sissle was originally a drum major and vocalist for Lieutenant Jim Europe’s “Hellfighters” 369th Infantry Band in World War I...not even the Original Dixieland Jazz Band had yet made an appearance in New York. To them, jazz was what we now call “hot ragtime.”

Nevertheless, Shuffle Along remains a vitally important historical moment in the history of black entertainment. It was the first all-black show to have a wide appeal to white audiences, first gaining attention at the Howard Theatre in Washington for two weeks, then moving to the 63rd Street Theater in New York City in May before racking up 504 performances(!) at the Cort Theater on 48th Street. The cast included several names that would become famous over the next few years such as Adelaide Hall, Florence Mills (who replaced Gertrude Saunders after the first year), Fredi Washington and Paul Robeson—none of whom recorded anything from the show!—and a very young Josephine Baker in the chorus line.

-- The Art Music Lounge

Hearing a composer conduct their own work offers the potential for fascinating interpretive insights and comparisons, all the more so when the composer in question is one of the most-influential names in 20th century music. Presented in this 3 CD boxed set are some of the composer’s most important works, including the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in C, Dumbarton Oaks, Violin Concerto in D, and more. The collection also features a number of world renowned soloists, including Charles Rosen, Isaac Stern, Benny Goodman, and Philippe Entremont.