When "Mario Lanza: Greatest Operatic Recordings" (SEPIA 1274) was released in February 2015, Lanza fans were delighted, for this compilation disc was said "to do justice to his much misrepresented recording legacy". Now, in response to requests from around the world, we gather some more Lanza operatic recordings; some never before released commercially ("Qual occhio al mondo"), some private ("Aria sconosciuta" and "Questa bocca tua"), some live ("Lasciatemi morire" and "Gi� il sole dal Gange") and some radio broadcasts ("Vesti la giubba") etc. To form a Volume 2 compilation, lovingly presented in re-mastered sound including Lanza rehearsing and warming up his voice.

A prestigious name since it came into being in 1945, the Philharmonia was established by legendary producer Walter Legge as a high-calibre house orchestra for EMI. It's history of collaboration with the world's greatest musicians includes numerous landmark recordings now in the Warner Classics catalogue. The performances here cover the period between 1946 and 1964. Conducted by such figures as Karajan, Furtw�ngler, Toscanini, Klemperer, Giulini and Cantelli, they have been extensively remastered from the original tapes, gaining a new immediacy. As a further bonus, this collection includes a recording from 2018 and a CD of music and interviews that provides fascinating insights into the Philharmonia's relationship with four major conductors.

2019 release from the jazz tenor saxophonist. "I've been fortunate to have performed with so many wonderful musicians in the past but I live in the present and it hasn't stopped. I certainly enjoy what I'm doing these days." The consistently intriguing Seven Rays is yet another accomplishment in Jerry Bergonzi's productive and significant career. It finds the great the saxophonist reveling in jagged, tightly coiled phrases and steeped in remote harmonic progressions. His angular riffs, unexpected silences and big, barreling low pitches continue to underline how personal Bergonzi's approach to jazz is. Yet the charismatic nature of his delivery and the steely brilliance of his tone proves so compelling that his art speaks eloquently to both the esoteric theoreticians and the most casual of listeners.

A fount of harmonic ingenuity, melodic integrity, and rhythmic authority, Jerry Bergonzi has long been a standard-bearer of sorts for the jazz community. A prolific composer prone to taking deep dives that put serious theory into profound practice, his discography is filled with smart and imaginative originals that twist and turn in unexpected fashion. But a passion for standard gems of yesteryear, the lingua franca of jazz, also fires his creative impulses and figures into his work. In fact, the tried-and-true classics serve as a source of limitless potential for his horn. This follow-up to his Spotlight on Standards session once again features Bergonzi's slightly off-center take on the tenor-organ-drums trio format while the songs on this set list function as both reminders about Bergonzi's eminence in the jazz world and love letters from the man to the music. "I just adore the melodies of these tunes. I love standards. People always tell me, 'Man, you've got to make more records like this,'" Bergonzi says, "and I'm happy to oblige. I'm just delighted that Savant is totally behind me and this music."

Black Magic Man is arguably the pivotal Joe McPhee release. It bridged the span between the regional and the international, bypassing the national altogether. Recorded in the same sessions that produced Nation Time, Black Magic Man consists of music not chosen for that LP. Like it's much-feted sister, technically it falls under the domain of CjR, Craig Johnson's herculean effort in support of McPhee. An erstwhile painter, Johnson became a self-taught audio engineer, acquiring equipment expressly to document McPhee's music. In December 1970, five years after Johnson and McPhee had met, they recorded two days of activity -a concert followed by an additional day of recordings-at Vassar College where McPhee was teaching in the Black Studies department. About half of the material was used to make Nation Time. While they had planned to issue a follow-up, the money wasn't there, so the tapes sat dormant. "Fast-forward five years-Werner X. Uehlinger, a Swiss businessman who worked for Sandoz Pharmaceuticals, contacted Johnson while on a trip to the US, and over dinner with McPhee, they discussed putting out some of the unused tracks from the Nation Time sessions. With this casual encounter in 1975, Hat Hut Records was inaugurated. The new label's maiden release was Black Magic Man, dubbed Hat Hut A, the first in what would become Hat Hut's letter series. Along the way, the series would feature seven Joe McPhee records, including the first four in a row." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

BALANCE

Joe McPhee's first international release, Black Magic Man, was issued on the newly formed Hat Hut imprint in 1975. It was a watershed moment for the 35-year-old musician. Based in Poughkeepsie, New York, he was too far away from Manhattan to have participated extensively in the Loft Jazz happenings of the decade. European exposure, however, would give McPhee an alternative circuit, something of an escape route from the trappings of American cultural myopia. In support of the new record for this Swiss label, McPhee invited John Snyder on a European tour in October 1975. Snyder was a synthesizer player with whom McPhee had made the duet LP Pieces Of Light, released a year earlier on CjR. The two musicians developed an extensive repertoire, playing diverse spaces in the Hudson Valley. Geographically close gigs were a plus, since it took extra energy to hoist Snyder's ARP 2600. "McPhee and Snyder were invited to play at the Willisau Jazz Festival in Switzerland. If you compare this live record with Pieces Of Light, a studio effort, it's considerably more open. South African drummer Makaya Ntshoko is rolling thunder on the choral 'Voices,' shuffling under Snyder's bubbly beat on 'Bahamian Folksong.' It is quite a special combination, enough so that Hat Hut chose to release it as their next LP, Hat Hut B in their alphabetical series. The Willisau Concert represents the sound of Joe McPhee opening up, opening out, expanding his field of operations to include new figures, fresh experiences, new continents of sound." -John Corbett (excerpt from the liner notes)

Brimming with melodic insight and still able to raise the roof with his intensity, Anderson's sonic vocabulary is now completely his own. * Down Beat from the review of "On the Run, Live at the Velvet Lounge" (DMK #534). This second installment of live recordings made at Fred's own club feature the tenor saxophonist supported by the young, fiery trumpeter Maurice Brown making his first appearance on CD, as well as Chicago Underground's Jeff Parker on guitar and Chad Taylor on drums, and bassists Tatsu Aoki and Harrison Bankhead.

Sonny Stitt was well-known for the ability to play saxophone fast, with authority over the most difficult of chord progressions. Sonny recorded his first session as leader in 1946 for Savoy with Kenny Dorham, Bud Powell and Kenny Clarke. In 1950, he made the first of many recordings with Gene Ammons, an association that would last through three decades and produce what is probably his best known records, including "Boss Tenors" from 1961. "It's Magic," from 1969, is a wonderful reminder that Sonny Stitt could burn bebop (check out the marvelous rendition of "Four") and make the hair on the back of your neck stand up when he played a moving ballad (as on "Body And Soul"). with Don Patterson, organ and Billie James, drums.

Live in Detroit with Yusef Lateef, Barry Harris, Ber 1955.

Europe 1966 is a box set consisting of live performances from free jazz visionary Albert Ayler. Each of the 4 LP's highlights some of the most magnificent moments on this European tour, showcasing Ayler and his bandmates at the height of their powers. The release includes performances from Berlin, L�rrach, Stockholm, and Paris, all of which occurred within a two week span. Ayler's masterful band on this tour included his brother Donald on trumpet, Michel Samson on violin, William Folwell on double bass, and Beaver Harris on drums. These performances have been remastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering. The package also includes a 12 x 24 fold-out insert, featuring liner notes from John Litweller and photos from the tour.

Sun Ra's Arkestra was at it's most radical during this period, alternating simple chants with very outside playing and dense ensembles. Although no precise date is given, these five cuts are thought to have been documented circa 1967-1968 by Sun Ra (piano) and his Arkestra in New York City, where the band was in residence at the time. First released for Record Store Day 2014, the title is now available on gold vinyl, pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.

Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an "acquired taste", with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra's grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like "Time After Time," "Easy to Love," and "But Not for Me". Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; "Can This Be Love?" was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra's longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer's Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963. The album was mastered for vinyl by Dave Gardner at Infrasonic Mastering, and pressed on metallic gold color vinyl at Pallas Group in Germany.

Vinyl LP pressing. "Twelve days after Louis Armstrong died, his old friend Earl Hines recorded a solo tribute to the great trumpeter/vocalist. This album, one of three that Hines recorded in a two-day period, features eight songs associated with Satch including "Struttin' with Some Barbeque," "A Kiss to Build a Dream On," "Someday You'll Be Sorry" and two versions of Armstrong's theme "When It's Sleepy Time Down South." This set should be of particular interest to Earl Hines collectors for the pianist rarely performed most of these songs, and he gives fresh heartfelt renditions to the standards" (ORG Music / AMG). Available on vinyl for the first time in decades, the historic recordings were remastered for the format at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany.

Us is a compilation of rare material from Sun Ra and his Arkestra, drawing from tapes recorded between 1963 and 1970, taken from both live and studio performances. The space-age jazz shaman conjures up a variety of styles and moods along the way. The album has been remastered, and pressed on audiophile-grade vinyl at Pallas in Germany.

The title refers to the first Chicago jazz clarinetist Volly DeFaut, a former member of the famous New Orleans Rhythm Kings, who also recorded with Jelly Roll Morton, Muggsy Spanier and the Gene Goldkette Orchestra. Russian-born jazz pianist Art Hodes is the leader for these 1972 recordings which also feature Truck Parham, bass; Barrett Deems, drums; and on two songs Nappy Trottier, trumpet and George Brunis, trombone. Volly DeFaut passed away in 1973 making these his very last recordings. (Previously deleted:12/1/04. Original release date:7/22/93)

Art Hodes' career as a pianist (and journalist) started in the 1920s & continued into the 1990s - eight decades! He recorded for Decca, Mercury, as well as what he liked to call "the modest labels." These blues-drenched solo piano performances celebrate the music of jazz' greats, many of who Art knew well, including Louis Armstrong. Part of Delmark's Euphonic series, this album was recorded in 1976 & 1978. 13 of the 15 songs are previously unissued performances.

W. Jodie Christian-pno, Malachi Favors-bs, Albert "Tootie" Heath-dms & perc.

His first album from 1969, plus 4 never before released tracks, 60 min. Total.

W. Dizzy Gillespie, Ben Webster, Max Roach+ 1944.

Stitt makes magic w. organist Don Patterson & drummer Billy James on 9 tracks.

Also known as Jazz by Sun Ra, this 1956 LP was the first widely distributed album by this experimental-jazz trailblazer. It took many critics years to fully apprehend the harmonic and rhythmic inventions of Brainville; Transitions; Possession; a Call for All Demons; Street Named Hell, and more!

BLUES ON HIGHWAY 49

This album's sound & style is similar to the route Mitchell chose on his "Hey Donald" album, mainly because he uses the same quartet, minus Malachi Favors, who was replaced by Reggie Workman; the remaining players are Jodie Christian & Albert Heath.

Originally released on Sackville recordings in 1974 as "The Roscoe Mitchell Solo Saxophone Concerts", this historical reissue has been remastered and contains the same material as the original, which is primarily solo concerts from Montreal, Michigan and Pori, Finland recorded in 1973-1974. It captures Roscoe Mitchell in a very important period in his development as a musician as he started exploring his own solo voice again after a very productive period with the Art Ensemble of Chicago. It beautifully displays his virtuosity and range on the different horns in the saxophone family, and many of the melodies he explores in these recordings were expanded on in his later works. It is truly a peek into how some of his elaborate compositions may have begun.

Blues Hit Big Town contains the historic first recordings of Junior Wells. Junior was still a teenager at the time of the first session and between sessions replaced Little Walter in the Muddy Waters band. In a Down Beat review Pete Welding said "In their power, directness, unerring taste and utter consistency of mood, these may well be the most perfectly distilled examples of Wells' music ever recorded, taking their place alongside of those of Waters, Walter, Wolf and other masters of the period. Five stars." Blues Hit Big Town captures genius emerging from one of the greatest blues personalities and harmonica players of all time.(Previously deleted:3/1/03. Original release date:4/1/92)

The follow up to Hoodoo Man Blues (DMK 612), this classic Chicago blues album is now re-issued in an expanded digipak, "Deluxe Edition" containing unissued performances and a 16-page booklet with many never-before-seen photos. The Godfather of Blues, Junior Wells is accompanied by Buddy Guy and Louis Myers, guitar; Otis Spann, piano; Earnest Johnson, bass; Fred Below, drums. Recorded December 30, 1969 and January 8, 1970 the five extra performances include "Rock Me Baby", an alternate take of "I Could Have Had Religion", "Junior's In Charge" a eight-minute improvisational studio jam with lots of Otis Spann and more, 73 minutes. With new notes by producer Bob Koester. A must have for blues lovers.

Chicago tenor sax legend Anderson performs with Hamid Drake and Harrison Bankhead.

Nine-string guitarist's first full album of classic country blues from 1958, feat. J.D. Short-gtr/harmonica on 4 songs.

Pianist Art Hodes' career lasted eight decades, starting in the late 20s and continuing into the 90s. Friar's Inn, near Van Buren and Wabash, was where the legendary New Orleans Rhythm Kings played Chicago in the early 20s. Their series of classic recordings for Gennett ushered in the early Chicago decade of jazz recordings. Hodes had long wanted to do a recording in honor of that early group and brought George Brunis and Volly DeFaut, both members of NORK in the 20s, to the studio for this 1972 session. On CD for the first time, this release features Barney Bigard and Barrett Deems.