Himself a viola player, Adrian Jones constructed his six-part concerto Nybyggnan, a folk music saxophone concerto in chamber music format, using a set of newly written tunes in a folk idiom imbued with elements from jazz, heavy rock and classical music. Written for chamber forces it also forges a bridge between the folk and chamber music scenes. Nybyggnan was composed for Daniel Reid, a saxophonist and something of a pioneer in Swedish folk music. Also heard are Mr. Reid’s own Rings on Water as well as Adrian Jones arrangement of the traditional Tingsmarschen (‘The District Court March’).

This is the extraordinary recording debut of jazz phenomenon Anaïs Reno, who made it in 2020 at the age of 16. Reno has already won accolades for her dedication to the Great American Songbook. She recently received the Julie Wilson Award, and in 2019 won the Mabel Mercer Foundation competition for high school students. For this album she has chosen 12 tunes by two master writers: Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and Billy Strayhorn 1915-67), creators of some of the most challenging and sophisticated material in the Great American Songbook. Reno combines beloved hits such as "Mood Indigo," "Take the 'A' Train," "Lush Life" and "Caravan" with lesser-known but equally memorable tunes like "A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing" and "It's Kind of Lonesome Out Tonight," all backed by a stellar group of jazz musicians led by pianist Emmet Cohen, who also did the arrangements with Reno. "I have a very personal relationship with these songs," says Reno. "Somehow I believe that the music of Ellington & Strayhorn understands me. This is why I want to honor it." Acclaimed jazz historian Will Friedwald, who has written the liner notes for the 12-page booklet, comments that "At 16, Anaïs achieved what precious few adults ever accomplish: namely, to actually enhance our appreciation and enjoyment of the Ellington-Strayhorn canon. Whether working together or separately, the two of them were always on the same page, both metaphorically and literally. And now, so is Anaïs Reno."

Selmer Paris endorsed artist Cory Barnfield enjoys a busy and successful career. His playing has been described as: “having a warm and expressive sound that speaks melodies easily with complete control of the full range of his instrument. There is a unique intimacy to his playing that is a delight to the listener. His fingers are precise, and rapidly allowing the music to flow unimpeded to the listener’s imagination no matter how difficult or easy. His articulation on saxophone is superb.” (Saxophone Journal) He frequently performs with the Kentucky Opera and the Louisville Symphony Orchestra, and his recordings can be heard on multiple labels. He is a champion of new music and has commissioned several pieces from composers. One such work is included on this album: Peter Felice’s “Shadows of Paris.”

Born in Debica on November 23, 1933, Krzysztof Penderecki studied composition with Artur Malawski and Stanislaw Wiechowicz at the State Higher School of Music in Krakow (1954-58). In 1959 three of his works won him the top prizes at the Young Composers’ Competition of the Polish Composers’ Union. A year later, he captured the attention of Western critics with Anaklasis, performed at the Donaueschingen Festival. Penderecki’s international position was consolidated in the 1960s thanks to such pieces as Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, the St. Luke Passion, and Dies irae. This release in the Polish Sinfonia luventus Orchestra’s Penderecki series features his Concerto per viola ed orchestra (version for saxophone, 2015), and his Concerto per violin ed orchestra no. 2 Metamorphosen (1995).