BROKEN WING

The three original Chet Baker In Paris albums, originally released on Barclay Records, have been remastered from the original master tapes and presented on 180g vinyl in single sleeves with original jackets and liner notes. Volume 2 was recorded on October 24, 1955, just three days after Twardzik's passing due to an overdose. Chet leads his quartet with Jimmy Bond (the only one left from his original accompanying trio), young French pianist Gerard Gustin and Swedish drummer Nils-Bertil Dahlander

Digipak. A superb 1988 quartet studio performance recorded just 3 months before Chet's death, featuring audio transferred from the original tape reels.

BREAKDOWN LANE: FREE SOLOS & DUOS 1976-1998

J'AI DEUX AMOURS: THE COLLECTION 1926-60

Chet Baker - Two a Day Recorded on December 29, 1978 at the Ch�teau d'H�rouville with Jean-Louis Rassinfosse on bass, Jeff Brillinger on drums and Phil Markowitz on piano, then mixed at Studios Davout on December 8, 1979, Two A Day has not been reissued on vinyl since 1980. This little-known but remarkable album from Chet Baker brings together instrumental and vocal tracks, all infused with the swing and emotional depth that define his finest recordings. To fully highlight the qualities of this masterful session, a high-quality remastering has been carried out, restoring the warmth and intimacy of the legendary Ch�teau d'H�rouville studios, which also hosted artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd.

Limited double hand-numbered 180gm vinyl LP pressing housed in gatefold jacket. Chet Baker showed with his music that little bit of dark substance that exists in the human being - the shadow side - just as very few other jazz musicians have been able to do. However, such a reading that looks for traces of anguish and self-destruction in every note - and which has also been translated into a couple of films - has ended up overshadowing something very important: namely, that Chet Baker was a top-notch jazz musician, the creator of a unique and personal poetics, an interpreter who did not wallow in his own torments but who also knew how to take less introspective paths, including a superfine and very lively swing. In this final phase of his career, Baker often liked to have groups without drums with him because, in addition to allowing him to maintain a muffled volume in his singing and trumpet playing, the drumless situation guaranteed him greater freedom. Only the double bass player was left to keep time, a role here entrusted to a solid Knauer. In Ferrara, a sensitive French pianist, Michel Graillier, took the stage; in those years he was looking for a synthesis between the energy of McCoy Tyner and the harmonic language of Bill Evans. Finally, the presence of a piano allowed Stilo to limit the use of the other harmonic instrument, the guitar, in favor of the flute.

Chet Baker showed with his music that little bit of dark substance that exists in the human being - the shadow side - just as very few other jazz musicians have been able to do. However, such a reading that looks for traces of anguish and self-destruction in every note - and which has also been translated into a couple of films - has ended up overshadowing something very important: namely, that Chet Baker was a top-notch jazz musician, the creator of a unique and personal poetics, an interpreter who did not wallow in his own torments but who also knew how to take less introspective paths, including a superfine and very lively swing. Chet Baker's music had characteristics of it's own. Of a bebop nature in the fast pieces, he had in solos that complex and pulsating way that characterized this style. He differed from it in the soft timbre of the trumpet, which rarely indulged in the "flare-ups" typical of the boppers, and above all for the insistent use of pauses. These were precisely one of the cornerstones of his musical language. In the ballads the trumpeter-singer expanded them to the point of absurdity (and so did with the notes), making them spaces charged of meaning, as can be seen in the somber I'm a Fool to Want You, made famous by Billie Holiday, and also in the serene In a Sentimental Mood. In this final phase of his career, Baker often liked to have groups without drums with him because, in addition to allowing him to maintain a muffled volume in his singing and trumpet playing, the drumless situation guaranteed him greater freedom. Only the double bass player was left to keep time, a role here entrusted to a solid Knauer. In Ferrara, a sensitive French pianist, Michel Graillier, took the stage; in those years he was looking for a synthesis between the energy of McCoy Tyner and the harmonic language of Bill Evans. Finally, the presence of a piano allowed Stilo to limit the use of the other harmonic instrument, the guitar, in favor of the flute.

Chet Baker At George Jazzcaf� was recorded live in 1983 at George Jazzcaf� in Arnhem, the Netherlands, and at New Morning, Paris France. Dutch Jazz pioneers Wim and Ria Wigt had the privilege of supporting Chet's lifestyle by offering him a steady series of concerts that suited his way of living and traveling. The line-up often changed, depending on the tour. These four live recordings were made during a memorable run with two outstanding musicians from Copenhagen: veteran pianist Duke Jordan and bassist Jesper Lundgaard. The album offers a first selection from the tapes of a tour which took place at George Jazzcaf� in Arnhem and New Morning in Paris. Chet Baker performs "Walkin'," "Solar" (written by Miles Davis) and "Star Eyes" all three recorded at George Jazzcaf� as well as "September Song" recorded at New Morning. All tracks are available on CD for the first time. Booklet includes liner-notes by Wim and Ria Wigt, an original review published in the Dutch newspaper de Gelderlander in 1983 and an excerpt from the book George Jazzcaf�: An Arnhem Legend 1974-1996 released in 2024.

Chet Baker - Two a Day Recorded on December 29, 1978 at the Ch�teau d'H�rouville with Jean-Louis Rassinfosse on bass, Jeff Brillinger on drums and Phil Markowitz on piano, then mixed at Studios Davout on December 8, 1979, Two A Day has not been reissued on vinyl since 1980. This little-known but remarkable album from Chet Baker brings together instrumental and vocal tracks, all infused with the swing and emotional depth that define his finest recordings. To fully highlight the qualities of this masterful session, a high-quality remastering has been carried out, restoring the warmth and intimacy of the legendary Ch�teau d'H�rouville studios, which also hosted artists such as David Bowie and Pink Floyd. The LP edition features hot gold foil numbering.

Michael Tilson Thomas’s first version [of Symphony no 3] with the LSO on Sony boasted the best contralto of all in Janet Baker and a wonderful coupling of Baker singing the [Rückert-Lieder].

-- Tony Duggan, MusicWeb International

At first glance, it may seem odd to couple Mahler's most exalted work with one that ranks among his most personal and tragic. Sony could have issued the symphony alone on a single disc, but chose not to for a very good reason: This is an excellent Kindertonlieder with both Lenny and Janet Baker at their absolute best. Dame Janet recorded this work earlier with Barbirolli, but here she's far more detailed in her phrasing and declamation of the text. Bernstein is also at his best - underling all of the dark, grim noises in the lower registers of the orchestra. As for the symphony, this was always considered a great performance, but had been criticized for its less than stellar sonic qualities at the climaxes (read: distortion). Sony has gone a long way towards remedying things by transferring the work at a lower level. As a result, the huge endings for both Parts I and II have much greater bloom and expanse than previously. Although Bernstein's vocalists are not as great as those in the Solti recording on an individual basis, they do work better as an ensemble -- witness the passage for the three penitent women in Part II. This is a triumph for all concerned. --Barry Guerrero, ClassicsToday.com

Classical Music

Sir Adrian Boult was a supreme interpreter of Elgar’s music, winning accolades and awards for performances and recordings. Boult championed his music throughout his conducting life following the composer’s prophetic words in a letter to Boult in 1920: “I feel that my reputation in the future is safe in your hands.” This release represents the only existing film of Boult conducting The Dream of Gerontius filmed in Canterbury Cathedral in 1968. This performance features a stellar cast of soloists: Dame Janet Baker, a leading interpreter of The Angel in The Dream of Gerontius, who recorded the role twice, John Shirley Quirk who, with Boult, recorded a definitive interpretation of Peter in The Kingdom, and Peter Pears, who recorded the work in 1972 under the direction of his close friend Benjamin Britten. This film uses the original BBC master which is far superior to the poor copies which have been in circulation over the years. This was the first classical music production filmed in color, for which Brian Large had secured eight out of the nine color TV cameras existing in the UK at that time. The film also includes a one hour documentary on Sir Adrian Boult as a bonus. The film was originally produced in 1989 to celebrate Sir Adrian Boult’s 100th anniversary.

Classical Music

Track Listing
1. Well You Needn't
2. These Foolish Things
3. Star Eyes
4. Somewhere Over the Rainbow
5. Pent-up House
6. Blues in the Closet

Personnel: Chet Baker (trumpet); Bobby Jaspar (tenor saxophone, flute); Amadeo Tommasi (piano); Rene Thomas (guitar); Benoit Quersin (bass); Daniel Humair (drums).

Recorded in 1962. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.

Digitally remastered by Joe Lopes and Jay Newland (September 1991, BMG Recording Studios, New York, New York).

This is part of the Bluebird Records Masters of Jazz series.

Chet Baker's good looks and somewhat halting delivery made him seem the James Dean of jazz. However, behind the youthful charm and celebrity image of his early years, he was a musician who transcended such sub-genres as "bebop" or "cool." In fact, SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW is testament to the fact that Baker's musical output can't be easily pigeonholed.

On this 1962 release, we hear the legendary trumpeter on uptempo versions of "Blues in the Closet," the little-known but cleverly penned Oscar Pettiford tune, and an inventive version of Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't," where Baker slowly builds his solo until he explodes into a deluge of ascending and descending chromatic flourishes. Although Baker was much more than just a ballad player, intimate versions of "These Foolish Things" and the title track, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" add an air of dreaminess to one of Baker's most distinctive albums of the '60s.

This unusual album shows the contemporary trombone in a rich variety of guises – dramatic, lyrical, flirtatious, solemn, capricious and many more – in four recent concertante pieces for trombone and symphonic wind band, demonstrating the striking versatility of the instrument. It’s an international undertaking, too: the soloist is English, the band and conductor American, and the composers American, Danish, Dutch and English, all four writing in a language that is direct and immediate. Brett Baker is viewed internationally as a leading brass performer and educator. One of the most often recorded brass soloists, he is passionate about encouraging composers to write pioneering new repertoire. Brett is Programme Leader for Musical Arts at the University of Salford. He continues to be an ambassador for Michael Rath Brass Instruments and is Principal Trombone of the Black Dyke Band. He is Festival Director of both the Singapore and Thailand Low Brass Festivals and is a Past President of the British Trombone Society.

DUPRE: Works for Organ, Vol. 13

Oliver Davis graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in 1994 and has since composed numerous concertos, ballet scores, albums, soundtracks and television scores working with many of the major London orchestras. The Infinite Ocean was composed for choreographer Edwaard Liang and was commissioned by San Francisco Ballet for the Unbound festival, 2018. Liang requested the work to be in six sections and to feature a solo violin. The aim of Arcadia was to create a piece which evoked an idyllic serene place. Gemini was specifically composed for violinist Kerenza Peacock and was designed to explore the contrasting styles of her playing.

The Suite for piano and orchestra was written for Huw Watkins on piano and heavily involves thematic development throughout. Inferno began life as a short orchestral sketch, which gradually evolved into a full, single-movement piece. Lastly, The Elements was commissioned by The Hanke Brothers, who specifically wanted a piece describing the four elements. The ensemble containing piano, viola, recorder and tuba, produces a unique timbre, and the piece explores the possible various aspects of this timbre.

In this historic release, the great lyricist of Fiddler on the Roof, She Loves Me, and the Pulitzer Prize-winning Fiorello! shares with musical theater fans 53 of his "hidden treasures" - rarely heard songs from 17 musicals, with many songs performed by Harnick himself and his late composer-partner Jerry Bock.

Three cuts feature Harnick as recorded just last year for this special collection, and other archival recordings star three-time Tony Award-winner Audra McDonald, Brian d'Arcy James, Hugh Martin, Charlotte Rae, and more. This 2-CD set is a grand celebration of Harnick's 90th birthday on April 30th and the 50th anniversary of Fiddler on the Roof. That musical's iconic "Sunrise, Sunset" is being released for the first time in its original demo recording by Bock and Harnick.

The deluxe package includes a 60-page booklet with extensive notes by Harnick and a foreword by famed Broadway producer Harold Prince, who comments: “This magnificent set is testimony to Sheldon’s extraordinary gifts, and to his place in the pantheon of Broadway musical creators.”

Fascinatin' Rhythm

Classical Music

This 32-disc box set collection brings together 12 classic live Royal Opera performances – Tosca, Otello, Cosi fan Tutte, Madama Butterfly, Meistersinger, Don Giovanni and half a dozen more - spanning a period of over forty years, from 1955-97. The set includes many of the world’s greatest operatic performers of the era: Jon Vickers, Joan Sutherland, Janet Baker, Victoria de los Angeles, Cesare Siepi, Sena Jurinac, Boris Christoff, Tito Gobbi, Kiri Te Kanawa, Zinka Milanov and Franco Corelli, amongst others.

An admirable performance of a rare work.

‘The worst libretto Handel ever set … the construction is clumsy, the characterisation incredible,’ wrote Winton Dean, with his typical panache, in his and Merrill Knapp’s classic book on the earlier Handel operas. Never mind: if one is prepared to accept that Handel’s dramatic muse sometimes nodded, and just enjoy the music for what it is, Silla is amply worth a hearing. It had its first English revival in spring 2000, in the Handel series that Denys Darlow directs at the Royal College of Music, and the present recording is a by-product of those performances.

The opera, probably Handel’s shortest, dates from 1713 and seems, oddly, to have been written for a private performance at the main London opera house in honour of a new French Ambassador – although there is no certainty that the performance actually took place. The plot, an absurd farrago about the Roman dictator Sulla (‘Silla’ is the Italianised form), here a ruthless murderer who makes unsuccessful grabs at two of the three women in the cast (the third is his wife) and then suddenly repents, seems decidedly inappropriate for a festive occasion, or indeed any occasion at all. It’s the kind of libretto that has got baroque opera a bad name. Its sole merit – and this is quite important – is that it does allow opportunities for a considerable range of musical expression.

Curiously, however, Handel doesn’t seem to have been fully alert to those opportunities. Sulla himself, for example, gets music more amiable than so odious a character seems to deserve (including a truly lovely ‘sleep song’, with recorders), and the music for his wife Metella is often absurdly at odds with the text and her situation. But there are many attractive numbers, notably some telling music for the two pairs of lovers who find themselves threatened by Sulla’s importunities – Lepido and Flavia have two duets, the second a miniature but intensely poignant F minor Adagio, while Celia grieves the (supposed) death of her Claudio in a heartfelt G minor sarabande.

The mainly youthful cast here – these performances traditionally give opportunities to promising young singers – are very successful and I am sure we will hear a lot more of some of them. Rachel Nicholls sings Metella’s music in a pleasant, natural and very even voice, strong and resolute in the big aria that ends Act 2. As Celia, Elizabeth Cragg shows a lighter voice with a hint of an attractively grainy quality; Natasha Marsh’s full and rounded voice rings out to excellent effect in Flavia’s arias.

Except for the brief appearance of ‘Il Dio’, an odd kind of god who encourages Sulla’s ferocity in his dream vision (ably taken by Christopher Dixon), there are no true male voices. Lepido is sung by Joanne Lunn in a fresh, bright voice, accurate and rhythmic; Claudio is taken by Simon Brown, a capable and fluent countertenor with a strong and clear top register and much subtlety in handling details of stress and timing. He has a fine aria with trumpet to end Act 1. Sulla himself is sung by a Handelian of considerable and obvious experience – a fine model for the young members of the cast: James Bowman shows his knowledge of how to shape and colour Handel’s lines and (as in the fiery Act 2 aria) to sing forcefully and still musically. The voice rings well even if the lower register now has a little less character.

All the singers add a little, generally discreet ornamentation in the da capo sections. Denys Darlow, as always, conducts in a direct and unaffected fashion, showing consideration for the singers and understanding of Handel, with a good range of tempos and with spruce, lively rhythms. Handelians will not want to miss this chance of hearing a rare work admirably performed.'

-- Stanley Sadie, Gramophone [3/2001]

Featuring performances from Grammy-winning soprano Susan Narucki with New York's acclaimed Talea Ensemble, Poems of Sheer Nothingness presents world premiere recordings of vocal music by American composer Aaron Helgeson, introducing two new works that combine ancient poetry with music of the here and now. The first, "Poems of sheer nothingness," presents a song cycle commissioned by Narucki based on the poetry of early French troubadours and sung in their original Occitan, a beautiful yet almost forgotten romance language now revived in five intimate chamber settings for soprano, flute, clarinet, violin, cello and piano. The second, "Notes on a page (of Sappho)," offers a musical reincarnation for soprano and eleven instruments of poetic fragments by provocative and erotic Greek poet Sappho in an English translation by Canadian poet Anne Carson. Both works feature archaic song texts whose once-florid music is now lost, leaving Helgeson's surreal and evocative sonic imagination and Narucki's subtly expressive voice to fill in the gaps made by the decay of time and memory. The result is a collection of vocal music that simultaneously once was, and could be again.