Booklyn-based composer, bandleader, and guitarist Chris Jentsch specializes in jazz and contemporary improvisational forms. As a composer he has received grants and commissions from organizations like the Maelstrom Percussion Ensemble, the Penfield Commission Project, American Composers Forum, the Composers Assistance Program of the American Music Center, and more. He has consistently received stunning reviews- “Jentsch is more than just a seasoned musician; he’s a composer who can convey his ideas on a grand scale.” (AllAboutJazz) “He’s proof that music jazz critics term ‘important’ can also be awfully enjoyable.” (Hot House Magazine) Fractured Pop also features Jentsch’s fellow musicians Jim Whitney, John Mettam, and Matt Renzi.

Buffalo, New York was once the buckle of the Hammond B-3 Belt – the center of a circuit of urban clubs stretching from Philadelphia and NYC all the way to Chicago. The Queen City was home to legendary joints where national stars like Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff were heard along with up and coming locals like Buffalo’s own Dr. Lonnie Smith. On Walt Sopicki Trios: B3X3, Buffalo guitarist Walt Sopicki puts on the B-3 Belt with three of the latter-day legends of the Hammond from the region: Joey DeFrancesco, Doug Riley, and Bobby Jones. His first disc as a leader, Sopicki fully realizes his dream gig of melding his personal approach to modern jazz guitar with the classic sound of the mighty B-3. Recorded over a series of sessions with drummer Vito Rezza and producer Jim Krawczyk, B3X3 is a unique contribution to the 21st c. organ trio canon.

The Czech composer Josef Suk (1874-1935) wrote his String Serenade in E Flat, op. 6 at age eighteen, urged by his teacher Antonín Dvořák to “write something joyful”, as Suk was prone to melancholy and predisposed to minor keys. It’s a sunny and substantial work. Tchaikovsky’s famous Serenade in C, op. 48 was written at the same time as his even more famous 1812 overture. String Orchestra Gems pairs the works of these two Slavic composers, whose common bond is Dvořák (he being a colleague and supporter of Tchaikovsky as well), thus offering a fresh look at the musical thinking of both composers.

Atonement' Presents Four 21st C. Works By Four Composers Born in the Decade Between 1962-73. Jennifer Higdon, a Major Figure in Contemporary Classical Music, Is Represented Here By Her Clarinet Sonata (2011). A Recipient of a Pulitzer Prize and a Grammy in the Same Year, She Enjoys Several Hundred Performances a Year of Her Works. Composer and Arranger Kieren MacMillan's Substantial and Oft-Performed Catalogue Includes Musicals, Chamber Operas, Film and Theatre Scores, Pieces for Solo Instruments and Ensembles, Concert-Length Multidisciplinary Works, and More. 'The Country Wife' (2013) Is a Setting of Dana Gioia's Poem of the Same Name for Voice and Instruments. Kenji Bunch Has Received Worldwide Acclaim from Audiences, Performers, and Critics Alike for His Unique Brand of New American Music, Described By Him As Locally Sourced Sounds Derived from Uniquely American Art Forms in Combination with My Classical Training and Personal Vocabulary That Honors the Past While Suggesting New Possibilities. His Four-Part 'Cookbook' (2004, Rev. 2006), for Viola and Piano, Is Heard Here. Evan Chambers Is Currently Prof. Of Composition at the University of Michigan. His Works Have Been Heard in Concert Halls Across the Us, and Have Been Recognized and Awarded Numerous Prizes. His Three-Part 'Atonement' (2013) Closes This Disc.

“Penneys offers an extraordinary collection of performances displaying an astonishing control over piano sound. It is absolutely gorgeous and full of unimaginable colors. She sings through the instrument, seemingly without effort. Her playing is simply revelatory.” – American Record Guide

This glorious recording celebrates the revered legacy of music written for trumpet and organ with world premiere recordings of new works that harken back to centuries of repertoire inspired by various liturgies and secular traditions. Virtuoso trumpeter David Kuehn, his brother, Daniel and noted organists, Calvert Johnson, Kenrick Mervine and composer/keyboardist Peris Vehar present a stunning display of sound, melody and color.

These 2 violin concertos are inspired by the diversified cultural aspects of Puerto Rico. Guillermo Figueroa performs with I Solisti di Zagreb.

This release features contemporary works for clarinet and piano from American composers including world premieres of Abbie Betinis' "Nattsanger" and Roshanne Etezady's "Bright Angel", inspired by the architectural structures of Mary Jane Colter in the Grand Canyon; Libby Larsen's "Licorice Stick" and Joan Tower's "Fantasy... Those Harbor Lights".

A monumental set of 33 variations built from a simple waltz theme by Anton Diabelli. A stunning performance of a legendary masterwork by one of the great pianists of our time. Pianist Gabriel Chodos has been a revered New England Conservatory faculty member for a quarter-century.

Take a step into a life dedicated to music, chamber music, the guitar, and how the paths of 2 remarkable people converged into one of the most important guitar duos of our time. This DVD contains interviews, performances, historic video, and photos.

Pablo Garibay

Nostalgia: Music from Brazil, Venezuela & Argentina

Schubert Sonatas

Beethoven: Hammerklavier - Schumann: Kinderszenen

The six sonatas featured in this recording are neo-Romantic pieces by composers who lived well into the twentieth century. Almost all are youthful works by composers in the first flowering of their careers. Both the Strauss cello and the Barber violin sonatas were begun with the composers were still in their teens, and most of the others are the work of composers in their twenties. The sole exception is Dohnanyi's violin sonata, which was completed with the composer was in his thirties. This is the world premiere recording of the corrected version of the Samuel Barber Sonata for Violin and Piano- sections of the third movement were originally published and recorded in the wrong order.