The iconic music of Thelonious Monk has inspired generations of instrumentalists and vocalists. The composer's singular style offers challenges ideal for interpretation. Organist Gregory Lewis has long been a Monk acolyte and specialist who is always in search of a new way to frame Monk's work. On Organ Monk Sings, Lewis joins forces with vocalist, lyricist, producer, and artistic director Raina Welch (professionally known as Ms. Raina) for a dramatic and original program of Monk compositions. Gregory Lewis is recognized as a Monk scholar and is best known for presenting Monk's repertoire on the Hammond organ. Seeking new ways to highlight Monk's music, Lewis began exploring the integration of voice into his long-running Organ Monk project. A longtime fan of vocalists who had tackled Monk's music, including Carmen McRae and Abbey Lincoln, he sought a collaborator who could bring something distinctive and fresh to the tradition. Lewis and Welch connected through New York's vibrant music circuit, and their musical chemistry developed naturally through performance, conversation, and a shared commitment to the Black American musical lineage. A classically trained vocalist, Ms. Raina studied at Long Island University Brooklyn and Temple University, refining her technique under the mentorship of soprano Alba Quezada Bloomgarden and mezzo-soprano Dr. Lorie Gratis, with advanced mentorship from soprano Christine Moore Vassallo and Grammy-nominated vocalist Carla Cook. In her crossover journey, Cook's influence grounded Ms. Raina's phrasing, rhythmic placement, and storytelling in the lineage of vocal innovators such as Carmen McRae, Abbey Lincoln, Leon Thomas, and Eddie Jefferson, preparing her for the interpretive and technical demands of Monk's work. Over time, Ms. Raina's engagement with Monk's repertoire deepened through Lewis's perspective as an organist and her own study of the Monk vocal tradition shaped by McRae, Lincoln, Thomas, and Jon Hendricks. The two artists discovered a shared creative vision to reimagine Monk's body of work through the voice, not as novelty but as narrative. Ms. Raina led the project's artistic direction, curating repertoire, shaping the dramatic arc, and co-producing the sessions alongside Lewis. Drawing from her classical discipline, she conceived Organ Monk Sings as a sonic play, a narrative suite exploring love, loss, and revelation through Monk's compositions. Her original lyrics for "Let's Cool One" extend Monk's vocal lineage through a modern lens, merging his compositional wit with personal narrative and emotional depth. The project unfolds in four acts, mirroring the structure of a stage work with overture, scenes, interludes, and grand finale. The track sequence itself tells a story that moves from romantic infatuation to heartbreak, introspection, and renewal. A performance at Arthur's Tavern in New York's Greenwich Village at the end of 2024 proved pivotal, featuring saxophonist Jerry Weldon and drummer Nasheet Waits. Their sensitivity and attention to detail made for an ideal performance, making them the natural choice for the recording sessions held in June 2025 at Tedesco Studios in Paramus, New Jersey. Organ Monk Sings features Gregory Lewis on Hammond B2, Jerry Weldon on tenor saxophone, Nasheet Waits on drums, and Ms. Raina on vocals. The program spans eighteen Monk compositions and runs approximately sixty-two minutes, moving fluidly between solo organ, duos, trios, and full quartet settings. Ms. Raina selected the repertoire, including several pieces Lewis had never previously recorded. She crafted a cohesive dramatic sequence, incorporating instrumental tracks as overtures and interludes. Heard as a whole, the program unfolds like a tragic love story, beginning with infatuation, moving through turmoil, and ending in quiet reflection.

At once poet and virtuoso, Paul Lewis has rapidly established himself as one of the leading Schubertians of his generation. This boxed set assembling the Viennese composer's major mature works for solo piano - Piano Sonatas, Wanderer Fantasie, Moments Musicaux, Impromptus and Drei Klavierstucke - is sure to become one of the milestones of the modern discography.

Ramsey Lewis Trio The In Crowd (Verve By Request Series) One of the first soul jazz icons of the mid-'60s, Ramsey Lewis recorded The In Crowd over three days during a 1965 club date at the Bohemian Caverns in Washington, D.C. Highlights from this lively collection include the bluesy "Since I Fell For You," the groove on "Tennessee Waltz," and the infectious title track, a cover of Dobie Gray's Top 40 hit. Verve By Request Series features transfers from the analog tapes remastered on 180g vinyl pressed at Third Man in Detroit. 180grAm Vinyl - Transferred from Analog Tapes - Ramsey Lewis - piano / Eldee Young - bass, cello / Red Holt - drums

Everybody has literal and figurative homes. There are the physical places where heads are laid at night and then there are the feelings, people, activities, or spaces that provide a feeling of the comfort of home. Gregory Lewis has found a musical home delving into the Hammond organ and the music of the great composer/pianist Thelonious Monk, a practice that has allowed him opportunities to play with extraordinary musicians and visit amazing places, and his new recording Organ Monk Going Home brings all of these aspects to bear. // As Gregory Lewis did find out, it is possible to go home again. The organist took the inspiration gained from a trip to Africa, his ancestral home, to revisit relationships with longtime friends and collaborators, Kevin McNeal and Nasheet Waits, and to further his explorations of the music of Thelonious Monk on Organ Monk Going Home.

2023 release. World-renowned actor Damian Lewis is set to release his first ever (mostly) self-penned record. Mission Creep is a collection of rootsy, rock and jazz-tinged songs that evinces a deep love of music, and a deep need to communicate. With music being Lewis' first love, spending much of his years busking and performing music before his success in acting (and following a string of sold out shows), this record has been years in the making and is a welcome return to the world of music.

2023 release. World-renowned actor Damian Lewis is set to release his first ever (mostly) self-penned record. Mission Creep is a collection of rootsy, rock and jazz-tinged songs that evinces a deep love of music, and a deep need to communicate. With music being Lewis' first love, spending much of his years busking and performing music before his success in acting (and following a string of sold out shows), this record has been years in the making and is a welcome return to the world of music. VINYL LP

Paul Lewis completes his exploration of Schubert's sonatas, begun almost twenty years ago, with three early masterpieces. The Sonatas D.537 and D.568 display the daring and freshness of their youthful creator, while with D.664, dazzling in it's artless charm, he already opens a window towards new musical horizons.

Saxophonist and composer James Brandon Lewis possesses an inspiring energy. His deep curiosity and the thrill he gets from discovery are crucial facets of his personality, and qualities that guide his art. Over the last half-decade he's emerged as one of the most exciting figures in jazz and improvised music, a voracious listener who rejects stylistic hierarchies and one that has feverishly explored new ideas and embraced fresh motivations with every new project. Inspired by molecular biology James Brandon develops a special system for a surprising and beautiful music with his Quartet with drummer Chad Taylor, pianist Aruan Ortiz, and bassist Brad Jones. He has taken the idea of a "Molecular Systematic Music" to heart in the formulation of the compositions featured on the stunning debut album by this quartet.

Paul Lewis's recording of the complete Beethoven piano sonatas at once took it's place as one of the great modern sets. To celebrate twenty years of collaboration with the British pianist, harmonia mundi invites you to rediscover some of the finest sonatas from this monument, each with it's own unique character. A splendid opportunity to admire Paul Lewis's infinite range of touch, with it's combination of rigor and imagination, which brings out all the poetry of these famous works.

Paul Lewis explores the world of late Brahms, wherein the old master, far from growing more sedate, deploys a palette of infinite colors and sensibilities in his last four collections for solo piano. By turns tender and dazzling, intimate and tempestuous, these pieces appear to us as their composer's final confidences, entrusted to a crepuscular diary.

Kevin Puts is one of America’s most exciting and important composers. His first opera, Silent Night, with a libretto by Mark Campbell, was commissioned by Minnesota Opera. It premiered in 2011 and went on to win the Pulitzer Prize. A work profound and sweeping emotional power, it has since entered the modern operatic repertoire with remarkable speed, enjoying world-wide performances. The opera is based on Christian Carion’s screen-play for the 2005 French war film Joyeux Noël, and its fictionalized subject is the series of Christmas truces on the Western Front in 1914.

REVIEWS:

American composer Kevin Puts’ first opera, Silent Night, with a libretto by Mark Campbell, was commissioned by Minnesota Opera, the house where this live recording was made. The opera's subject is the Christmas truce on the Western Front in 1914.

Various languages are used in the opera, German, French, English, Italian, and even Latin.

Puts and Campbell have packed the serious theme into a complex score, very colorful and modern in style, with painfully dissonant and wonderfully lyrical moments. Overall, the opera is good for an impressive musical experience, though the question is whether the visuals of the theatrical experience are missing from the audio recording. On the other hand, with just the audio there is more focus on the music, and it is, after all, quite expressive and convincingly performed in this live recording.

-- Pizzicato

As we have already heard in his orchestral works, Puts is a highly compelling and innovative orchestrator, and here he is equally compelling in the field of opera where he works within the conventions of solos, duets and choruses. They are then brought together by the British-born conductor, Courtney Lewis. It is not the type of story you can enjoy, but the opera, which takes two hours, must rank amongst the most outstanding staged in recent times. Add to this the ideally balanced recording, and it becomes self-recommending. The twin disc comes with English. This, and the slim two disc jewel case with notes on the artists, is then presented in a cardboard box.

– David's Review Corner (David Denton)

The American jazz singer and actress who made her Broadway debut as a teenager and became known as the voice of Chiquita Bananas, Monica Lewis performed with Benny Goodman, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis, among others. She performed on the inaugural episode of Ed Sullivan's television variety show in 1948 and continued to perform jazz and pop hits for decades. Lewis made something of a comeback in the early 1980s and released the classic album "Never Let Me Go" in 1982. The album features many of the best West Coast jazz players including Tom Scott, Lee Ritenour, Dennis Budimir, Victor Feldman, Abraham Laboriel, Chuck Domanico, Harvey Mason, Paulinho da Costa and many others. The classic album is presented here, with all tracks newly remastered for this exclusive release.

There is music that seemingly possesses mystical qualities, transcending the temporal; qualities that musicians seek in order to reach higher planes in the subconscious and to communicate between collaborating sound makers and their listeners. Exploring these paths in music typically leads musicians to other like-minded individuals in search of the sublime. // Jazz history is rife with examples of these musical seekers. Saxophonist John Coltrane and pianist McCoy Tyner come to mind immediately. Guitarist Ray Suhy and pianist Lewis Porter come together on their new recording, Transcendent, under the influence of these wayfaring heroes to create music that reaches magical heights of musical interaction. // Porter has been well known in the New York City jazz scene for some time. Porter has also played an important part in advancing the music's legacy as a scholar. He has written important books on the subject (including the impressive John Coltrane: His Life and Music) and has been a professor and director of Rutgers-Newark University's Jazz History program. // Guitarist Suhy came to jazz early in life, as he was introduced to the music of Miles Davis and Coltrane during his formative years. He attended Berklee College of Music and the New School before moving back to Maine, where he taught and became involved professionally with bands ranging from metal to jazz. Now based in New Jersey, Suhy is best known as the lead guitarist in Six Feet Under, a widely touring and influential death metal band.

Brahms' fascination with music of the 16th to the 18th centuries was nurtured during his appointment in Vienna as conductor of the Singakademie. His own choral compositions had gradually moved from an almost pastiche Renaissance style towards a fully mature, Romantic approach, culminating in his large-scale choral masterpiece Ein deutsches Requiem. This performance is sung in a new English translation prepared by Lara Hoggard that fits the original German declamation and with the piano four-hands accompaniment written by Brahms himself.

Sir Malcolm Sargent was regarded as Britain's 'ambassador of music' and made many overseas tours as both principal and guest conductor of leading British orchestras and choirs. His energetic and efficient work to popularize classical music made him a household name. Sargent was a skilled conversationalist, and a popular member of Radio's wartime informational programme 'The Brains Trust'. He was knighted in 1947. On the present release, he is heard at the helm of the BBC Symphony Orchestra and a cast of stellar soloists as they perform Berlioz's The Damnation of Faust, and Dvorak's Te Deum. The Berlioz performance is a BBC Broadcast which was made live from the Royal Festival Hall on February 25, 1953, and the Dvorak is a BBC Broadcast which was made live from the Royal Festival Hall on May 26, 1954.

Double vinyl LP pressing of this release containing stunning new recordings arranged especially for some of the world's most exciting musicians including The Piano Guys, 2CELLOS, Lang Lang, Till Bronner, Lindsey Stirling and others. The Classics is a stunning 2016 album from the world's most exciting film composer, Hans Zimmer. The album features back-to-back blockbuster hits including the iconic music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Academy Award-winner The Lion King, the powerful and evocative theme from The Dark Knight Rises and the Platinum-selling "Now We Are Free" from Gladiator. This incredible collection is a must-have for all fans of the most in-demand composer in Hollywood. Hans Zimmer has scored more than 120 films, which have, combined, grossed over 24 billion dollars at the worldwide box office. He has been honored with an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, three Grammys, an American Music Award and a Tony award.

The Modern Jazz Quartet was formed in 1952, largely by the rhythm section of the Dizzy Gillespie Band. When these recordings were made, John Lewis was still trying to develop the Modern Jazz Quartet as a jazz chamber group, attempting to make a unique style of jazz, free of cliché. The motto of the MJQ was “Change your attitude.” Each of the thirteen tracks on this album show the ensemble’s unique and dignified style. As Andre Francis wrote of the group, the musicians are “a sensitive instrument which vibrates in the same universe of sound, achieving a communion unique in the world of jazz.”

Many eminent 20th-century composers have been fascinated by the expressive capabilities of the harpsichord, and this selection unites the instrument's traditional idioms with progressive and highly personal sensibilities. Sir Lennox Berkley's music evinces a distinct French influce, while Howell's Clavichord is a series of musical portraits of the composer's distinguished friends. Gavin Bryars has deep roots in the avant-garde, but After Handel's "Vesper" is virtuosic yet expressive, while John Jeffrey's Four Little English Dances are delightful tributes to the harpsichord's lyricism. Christopher D. Lewis performs.

In 1976 George Lewis' association with Muhal Richard Abrams and the AACM led to recordings with Roscoe Mitchell, Anthony Braxton and a tour with Count Basie. Gradually his startling musicianship and the time-honored jazz virtues of a mellow tone and driving sense of rhythm, harnessed to a soaring imagination and technique became known to a growing number of listeners. Lewis came to play at A Space in Toronto his first solo concert and record this album. On "Toneburst (Piece for Three Trombones Simultaneously)", Lewis overdubbed all three trombone parts in the studio. The rest is solo.

Its style falls a good distance from the historical niceties of our modern era’s historically informed performance standards, but yet it still lands squarely in the most enjoyable listen category. Sir Colin Davis is near the beginning of his brilliant career to come when this Glyndebourne Festival live 1960 production of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte was staged. He leads a cast including Richard Lewis, Pilar Lorengar, Heather Harper, Geraint Evans and Hungarian bass Mihaly Szekely as Sarastro, whose formidable presence on opera house stages had been overwhelming audiences since the 1920s.

With music by Leonard Bernstein and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, On The Town enjoyed a successful Broadway run during the 1940s. The London production opened at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1963 and starred Elliott Gould along with Don McKay, Carol Arthur, Andrea Jaffeand Gillian Lewis. The Original London Cast Recording of On the Town has never before been available in the U.S.

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Starring in the London production was Elliott Gould, not long after he closed on Broadway in I Can Get It for You Wholesale – his big break as a musical leading man, which was an even bigger break for his wife-to-be Barbra Streisand. Gould played the happy-go-lucky Ozzie (a role created by Adolph Green). As Gaby, the lovestruck hero, the London production featured Don McKay, a Broadway singer/dancer with an attractive, boyish voice who had been the first Tony in the hit West End staging of West Side Story. The trio of sailors on leave was completed by another American, Franklin Kiser, as the nai?ve but determined Chip. A favorite in West End musicals like Salad Days, Gillian Lewis played Claire de Lune (Betty Comden in the original production), and American Carol Arthur was Hildy, the raucous cab driver unforget- tably created by Nancy Walker. American audiences know Arthur as a comedic actress (Blazing Saddles) and as the wife of comedian Dom DeLuise, but on this recording she belts out Hildy’s show-stopping, double-entendre-laced “I Can Cook, Too” with joyous abandon.

The London recording preserved much of Bernstein’s dance music, though some arrangements were updated and smoothed out – “I Can Cook, Too,” for instance, loses its fractured-big-band musical setting. Best of all, the London recording lets us hear this spectacular score with the charm of a cast that was performing the show onstage at the same time. With its Coplandesque ballet music and hyperkinetic invention, the score, oddly enough, may the most challenging aspect of On the Town. The London recording reminds us it is a challenge full of rewards – a heartfelt masterpiece, hilarious and zany, with romantic longing and unbridled hope lurking just beneath the gleaming surface. Maybe its time has come?

-- From the liner notes by David Foil

CAST
Ozzie – Elliott Gould
Chip – Franklin Kiser
Gabey – Don McKay
Hildy – Carol Arthur
Claire – Gillian Lewis
Diana Dream – Meg Walter
Workman – Howarth Nuttall
Policeman – Lewis Henry

MUSICAL NUMBERS:
1. Opening: 10:55
I Feel Like I’m Not Out of Bed Yet – Workman
New York, New York – Chip, Gabey, Ozzie and Chorus
Miss Subways – Policeman, Workman, Chip, Gabey, Ozzie and Chorus
2. Taxi Number: Come Up to My Place 2:15 – Hildy and Chip
3. Carried Away 3:15 – Claire and Ozzie
4. Lonely Town 5:07 – Gabey
5. I Can Cook Too 2:49 – Hildy
6. Lucky to Be Me 2:44 – Gabey
7. Dance: Times Square (Finale Act I) 5:14
8. Night Club Sequence: 4:59
So Long Baby – Chorus
I Wish I Was Dead – Diana Dream
You Got Me – Hildy, Ozzie, Claire, Chip, Gabey
9. Dance: Imaginary Coney Island 8:11
10. Some Other Time 3:48 – Claire, Hildy, Ozzie, Chip
11. Real Coney Island, Finale 4:01

Also available on Blu-ray

“The Tutto Verdi series, in its goal of being complete, makes it possible to not only hear but see performances of works one seldom encounters outside of Parma...One does not have to be a Verdi completist like me to find a lot to enjoy in Tutto Verdi. The rarities are worth knowing to expand your sense of the composer’s output. The seven operas with Nucci are fascinating on so many levels, not the least of which is that his younger colleagues respond to his work not by being in awe but by allowing themselves to dig deeper and bring their performances to a higher plain than they imagined they were capable of. What would Peppino say?” – Fred Plotkin, WQXR

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Giuseppe Verdi
TUTTO VERDI – The Operas, Vol. 3 (1855–1893)
(11-DVD Box Disc Set)

I Vespri Siciliani (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2010)
Simon Boccanegra (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2010)
Un Ballo in Maschera (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011)
La Forza del Destino (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011)
Don Carlo (Teatro Comunale di Modena, 2012)
Aida (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2012)
Otello (Salzburg Festival, 2008)
Falstaff (Teatro Regio di Parma, 2011)

Bonus:
- Introduction to each opera

Picture format: NTSC 16:9
Sound format: PCM Stereo / DTS 5.1
Region code: 0 (worldwide)
Subtitles: Italian, English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean, Japanese
Running time: 20 hours 41 mins (operas) + 1 hour 27 mins (bonus)
No. of DVDs: 11 (DVD 9)

What a great disc this is: three delightful contemporary works for harpsichord and orchestra, easy on the ear, but clever and consistently interesting. John Rutter’s Suite Antique might be English Poulenc. The tunes are captivating, and the “antique” element needs to be taken with a large grain of salt (the “waltz” is subtitled “A Jazz Waltz”). The writing for flute and strings is immaculate, graceful, and sounds like great fun to play, while the keyboard solo takes excellent advantage of the instrument’s sparkling timbres and ability to delineate rhythmic patterns with gentle persistence. The performance is also terrific, as fine as the composer’s own, with John McMurtery an excellent flute soloist with a firm, round tone.

Glass’ Harpsichord Concerto also has plenty of arresting harmonies and a wide range of textures. The outer movements chug along with unquenchable vitality, and even touches of humor in the finale, while the central slowish movement makes imaginative play with a variety of melodic shapes. It’s extremely visual: you can almost see the music as it unfolds. Glass takes full advantage of the harpsichord’s natural ability to act both as soloist and accompaniment, with the result that the music’s shifting layers consistently entertain through, and not despite, the usual abundance of repetition.

As for the Françaix, the Concerto begins with two contrasting toccatas, followed by a songful andantino, minuet, and finale. It’s a zesty romp that brings the disc to a wholly winning close. Christopher D. Lewis plays a bright, sweet-toned harpsichord with minimal mechanical clatter. His digital dexterity proves very satisfying, and he’s excellently balanced against the extremely capable West Side Chamber Orchestra under Kevin Mallon. This is one of those discs that you might overlook, but you’d be missing a real treat. I’ve already played it several times just for pleasure, and so will you.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

(2-CD set) This best of set was picked from 52 George Lewis CDs issued by GHB - Jazzology group. This collection covers the clarinetist's entire recording career from the 1940s to the 1960s. Musicians included are Bunk Johnson, Kid Howard, Elmber Talbert, Kid Thomas, Baby Dodds, Joe Watkins, and George Guesnon.