Super deluxe box set includes the remastered album on CD in vinyl replica sleeve, companion audio on two CDs in card wallet, remastered album on 180gm vinyl in a sleeve replicating first pressing, companion audio on double 180gm vinyl, high-def audio digital download card of all content, hard bound, 72+ page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia and high quality print of the original album cover. The first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered. The appropriately titled Coda was Led Zeppelin’s final album of studio recordings. Released in 1982, it was comprised of eight unreleased tracks recorded between 1970 and 1978. It peaked at #6 on the album charts and has been certified platinum in the U.S. Coda is the only Led Zeppelin deluxe edition to include two companion discs, featuring 15 tracks recorded between 1968 and 1974. The oldest song in the collection is also perhaps the most interesting. The frenetic blues jam Sugar Mama was recorded in 1968 at Olympic Studios during sessions for the band s eponymous debut. The song was completed but never officially released until now. Baby Come On Home from the same session is also included in the set. Also included is the previously unreleased St. Tristan s Sword, a rollicking instrumental recorded during the Led Zeppelin III sessions in 1970.

Jazzhus Montmartre in the summer of 1965 Dexter Gordon spent most of his evenings performing at Jazzhus Montmartre packed with his loyal fans. This is the fourth volume from those unforgettable five evenings taped by the Danish Radio and made available for the broader audience for the first time by SteepleChase. “…. absolutely essential live transcriptions…” (Mark Gardner)

Internationally renowned flutist Ulla Miilmann is the recipient of numerous awards and prizes including the prestigious “Flute-Talk” competition in Chicago and the Gold Medal at the Danish All Music Competition, among others. Flutist Ulla Miilmann was born in 1972 in Denmark. She received her Bachelor of Music at North Carolina School of the Arts in 1992. During her college years, Ms Miilmann was already selected as representative of Denmark in the European Broadcasting Union "Concerts for Young Soloist". Currently she is the principal flutist of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Miilmann was nominated for the GRAMMY award for her performance of Ole Schmidt's Concerto for flute and string orchestra. Together with the elite instrumentalists of Denmark: Søren Johannsen on harpsichord and Kjeld Lybecker Steffensen on Baroque cello, Ms Miilmann interprets the complete flute works by J. S. Bach including the Partita in A minor for solo flute.

In his new album “Lookin’ Up” Dick Oatts teams up with his colleague and friend of 34 years, veteran trombonist John Mosca. Dick Oatts notes, “I’ve always liked the way alto sax and trombone blend together and I’ve always been meaning to do a CD with John but the music was never quite right for it. So I sat down over the holiday break and wrote the music around John, the alto and the trombone.” Derek Taylor of Master of a Small House describes Dick Oatts’ previous release “Two Hearts (SCCD 31694) as “testament to Oatts’ improvisatory powers”.

Unanimously hailed by the critics ever since their release in 2000, these recordings offer a chance to follow Schubert's development in the field of the piano trio, from the youthful Sonatensatz (1812) to the immense masterpieces of his maturity. The Sunday Times wrote, "The Wanderers take us on an exhilarating emotional rollercoaster ride, with a wonderful sense of conversational repartee in the fast outer movements and rapt expressions of wonderment in Schubert's sublime, songful slow movements."

A brilliant sequel to the highly acclaimed Standard Issue (SCCD 31439) of 1998, this volume has a welcome addition of pianist Harold Danko on three of the five tracks. In the warm atmosphere of live house, the band gets extra energy from the appreciative audiences. Dick Oatts’ personal sound on alto sax (and tenor sax on one track) is once again a real treat for all listeners.

Ronnie Cuber (b. Dec. 25, 1941 in Brooklyn, New York), recognized as one og the most important baritone saxophonists in jazz today, has been composing, arranging and leading his own groups since 1959. His powerful command of the instrument led him to perform and record with amazing array of influential artists in almost all thinkable range of musical spectrum. Yet, this is the very first of basic jazz trio album by Ronnie Cuber, which should have a special place in his discography. “There is not one of his records that contains any half-hearted playing or musical skating. When he plays, it’s serious creative business and he tells a story. If you pick up anything under Cuber’s name, you’re guaranteed a winner …. This recording, ”Ronnie”, released on SteepleChase records, is one of the most vivid and personal saxophone playing ever done on a baritone saxophone. This CD is a shining example of Cuber’s big, beefy baritone sax tone and a fluent technique that is a one of a kind match between the gritty, down-home feeling of R&B and the advanced harmonies of bebop.” (JazzTimes on SCCD 31680 “Ronnie”)

Since his retirement in 2013 from the professorship at the prestigious Rutgers University, where he led its jazz department, pianist/composer/educator Stanley Cowell has been increasingly active on the scene both in concerts and recordings. This new album with a featured program of Christmas melodies (Xmas Suite) will be introduced to the audience at New York’s Smoke Jazz & Supper Club. “…it's a great pleasure to hear Stanley Cowell's It's Time: a finely crafted collection of mostly originals that is at once sophisticated, both aggressive and pensive, and simply fascinating to listen to.” (Greg Simmons – AAJ on “It’s Time” SCCD 31740)

Super Deluxe Boxset Includes the Deluxe Two CD Edition, the Double 180GM Vinyl LP Pressing, High-Def Audio Digital of All Content at 96KHZ/24 Bit, a Hard Bound 80 Page Book Filled with Rare and Previously Unseen Photos and Memorabilia and a High-Quality Print of the Original Album Cover. Digitally Remastered Edition of the British Rock Quartet's Fourth Studio Album, Originally Released in 1971. Although the Album Was Untitled, It Is Commonly Referred to As Led Zeppelin IV. Produced By Guitarist Jimmy Page, It Was Recorded Between December 1970 and March 1971 at Several Locations, Most Prominently the Victorian House Headley Grange. The Album Features Many Stone Cold Classics Including 'Black Dog', 'Rock and Roll' and 'Stairway to Heaven'. In 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Formed Led Zeppelin, One of the Most Influential, Innovative and Successful Groups in Modern Music. The Band Has Sold More Than 300 Million Albums Worldwide with a Celebrated Catalog.

ÆTERNUM is a tribute to music's infallible steadfastness against the mundane adversity of human existence. Brazilian-born pianist Eliane Rodrigues convinces with her forceful, furious interpretations of keyboard works by Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven – among them the latter's Fifth Symphony, grippingly arranged by Rodrigues herself. Rodrigues, who currently teaches piano at the Antwerp Conservatoire, is well-known for her prolific output of recordings. ÆTERNUM stands out not only for its celebration of Beethoven and his respected predecessor J. S. Bach, but also for the pianist's ability to uncover the hidden layers of well-known repertoire pieces. The listener encounters a Beethoven of unparalleled vehemence, but also, hauntingly, sees the veil lifted from Bach's sublimity, usually hidden in plain sight. When it comes to the struggle of the limits of individual existence with its desire for the eternal, this is the clearest example one could imagine. The secret star of the album, however, is Rodrigues' Brahmsian arrangement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5. The pianistic interpretation of her own arrangement is strikingly Romantic, not Classical: there is no trace of the straight, light-fingered piano technique of the era, but instead a truly Late-Romantic force which is quite appropriate for the subject. Beethoven, who himself was known for his powerful playing style, might very well have approved. But Rodrigues goes even further and infuses her rendition with an abundance of late 19th-century rubato, driving the music to an awe-inspiring frenzy. It's a truly futuristic approach, and possibly how the composer might have imagined his works to be played, had he lived half a century later. ÆTERNUM, Latin for "everlasting," pays appropriate tribute to this years' jubilarian Beethoven and his great proto-colleague J. S. Bach: the works on this album have stood the test of time, and it's not unlikely that Rodrigues' interpretation thereof will as well.

Howard Shelley's survey of the piano music is an undoubted highlight of the Mendelssohn revival. In this, the final instalment of the series, he focuses on late works and posthumous publications.

Schubert: Piano Sonatas D664 769a & 894 - Stephen Hough - The late G major sonata followed such landmarks as the 'Great' C major symphony and Schubert's last string quartet, and explores similarly expansive terrain; the A major is an earlier, genial work. These frame the brief D769a fragment, which adds to the uniqueness of Stephen Hough's marvellous recital.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein and singer-songwriter Tift Merritt join forces for the first time in Night, a unique collaboration merging classical, folk, and rock worlds, exploring common terrain and uncovering new musical landscapes.

Night features new songs written especially for the duo by Brad Mehldau (I Shall Weep at Night) and Patty Griffin (Night), as well as Tift Merritt's own songs (Only in Songs, Still Not Home, Colors, Feel of the World), and classical selections (an arrangement of Schubert's Night and Dreams, Bach's Prelude in B minor). The album also includes the world premiere recording of The Cohen Variations by Daniel Felsenfeld, a solo piano piece commissioned by Dinnerstein based on one of her favorite songs, Leonard Cohen's Suzanne.

A must-have for all sci-fi fans, Galaxymphony II - Galaxymphony Strikes Back, a symphonic space journey. Travel the universe with the best tracks from Apollo 13, Avatar, Blade Runner, Gravity, Interstellar, Star Trek, Star Wars, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and The Mandalorian.

Celebrating the union of classical and jazz, LSO Live's latest release encapsulates the very best of the two genres with an irresistible selection of works by Bernstein, Stravinsky and Golijov, conducted by Sir Simon Rattle. Argentinian tango and jazz course through Golijov's vibrant Nazareno. Superstar piano duo Katia and Marielle Labeque are flanked by brass, percussion and cellos in this special arrangement for two pianos and orchestra by Gonzalo Grau. LSO Principal Clarinettist Chris Richards steps into the spotlight in Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto. The work is an era-defining amalgamation of jazz and classical, reflecting back the variety of a rapidly changing world, at turns frenetic and agitated, mournful and bluesy. This fluidity extends into Bernstein's Prelude, Fugue and Riffs - an exuberant display of contrasting musical ideas, harmoniously intertwined together.

Opalescent is a new recording by the Grammy-winning Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) that reflects the luminous nature of music. Dedicated to the memory of Australian composer Phillip Houghton, it features his pieces Opals and Wave Radiance, exploring the synesthetic intermingling of light and sound. Other works include Andrew York's Hidden Realm of Light, shimmering with propulsive grooves and bright splashes of color. Kevin Callahan's Alki Point captures the undulating currents and jazzy undertones of Seattle's early settlement site. In homage to the visionary fingerstyle legend Michael Hedges, Matt Greif arranged Aerial Boundaries, Hedges' ethereal anthem. Chorale by Frederic Hand transforms the guitar quartet into an a capella choir, in a lyrical style both profound and uplifting. Robert Beaser's exquisite Chaconne reveals aspects of it's unfolding harmonic pattern within multifaceted shards of light. Finally, Tilman Hoppstock, through his doppelganger Alan Willcocks, creates an imagined exhibition of Impressionist paintings in his Suite Transcendent.

First CD issue of Tishchenko's Ballet 'The Twelve' based on Alexander Block's famous text

Vladimir Jurowski is one of today's most sought after conductors. His London Philharmonic Orchestra performances from Stravinsky's catalogue span his 20 year association with the Orchestra, culminating in him including Stravinsky's Jeu de cartes in the program of his final concert as Principal Conductor in August 2021. This recording, the first of a three volume Stravinsky series, features two cornerstone works. The Firebird featured in Jurowski's first scheduled concert conducting the LPO back in March 2002 and this recording comes from a 2018 Royal Festival Hall performance, described as "a masterpiece" by the Evening Standard. The Rite of Spring comes from an earlier Royal Festival Hall concert in 2008. Stravinsky's music in the hands of Jurowski delivers a focus and clarity that is beautifully preserved and realised on these recordings.

The final volume of the complete Sibelius Symphonies from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Owain Arwel Hughes contains the ever popular 5th coupled with the beautiful less well known 6th, and the ground breaking single movement 7th, the composer's final word on the symphony. His 8th, apparently completed, was consigned to the fire by Sibelius. The first volume in this cycle was made a Gramophone Editors Choice and was praised for the performances, interpretation and the recorded sound.

Domingo Hindoyan's exciting program of French repertoire includes early and late orchestral masterpieces by Debussy, Roussel's sumptuous and brilliantly scored 2nd ballet suite from Bacchus et Ariadne, and the rarely heard and spectacular La Peri, subtitled Poem Danse by the highly self-critical but brilliant Dukas.

History, heritage, and fate combine in this recording from Gianandrea Noseda and the London Symphony Orchestra, bringing together the music of Tchaikovsky and Rimsky-Korsakov. Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony, brimming over with drama and emotional intensity, charts a course from darkness to a final, life-affirming glimmer of optimism. Composed in 1888 and conducted by Tchaikovsky for it's November premiere that year, the symphony makes use of a recurring main 'Fate theme' to bring together the work's four movements. Rimsky-Korsakov dug deep into Russian legends and folk tales for his opera. "The Legend of the Invisible City of Kitezh". Follow the mythical, magical story of the 'Russian Atlantis' in this orchestral suite, told through the composer's glittering orchestral palette.

“Bud was a genius piano player–the best there was of all the bebop piano players.” - Miles Davis “If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself" – Bill Evans Bud Powell 1962 is something we at SteepleChase have been obsessed with for a while. The previous release SCCD 36040 “Bud Powell 1962 Copenhagen” was from the recordings made at the Danish Radio Concert Hall and Jazzhus Montmartre. What we have here is from the same year from the fabled Golden Circle where SteepleChase’s 5-volume releases At The Golden Circle come from. The Swedish part of this release were recorded two days prior to those SteepleChase releases. Bud Powell travelled on to Oslo Norway the same year to perform some memorable tracks captured here before going back to USA for the last time.

Bud Powell was “the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano" (Herbie Hancock) and “the greatest be-bop piano player in the world “ (Hampton Hawes). Though his life was short and troubled (1924 – 1966), Bud found some solace and tranquillity during the years (1959 – 1963) he lived in Europe (mostly in Paris). The recordings that make up this album are from March and August of 1962 from Danish Radio Concert Hall and Jazzhus Montmartre in Copenhagen. However battered mentally and physically the man was, here’s the clear evidence of his genius more intact than generally believed.

Despite it's title, Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, composed in 1890, owes more to the Russian tradition than to the Italian school. Full of strong contrasts, very intense, and extremely demanding for the performers, it is one of the cornerstones of the string sextet repertoire. Nine years later, with a vigor rivalling that of Tchaikovsky's work, Schoenberg composed another masterpiece of the genre, Verklarte Nacht. This dark and feverish musical tableau, inspired by Robert Dehmel's poem of the same name, takes Romantic expression to it's apogee. The Oistrakh Quartet, featuring four of today's most outstanding Russian musicians, is perfectly at home in these two great works, recorded with the violist Daniel Austrich and the cellist Alexander Buzlov.

The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs awarded a rosette to Stephen Hough’s earlier Gramophone Award-winning Hyperion recording of Mompou, and this successor is equally fine. Música callada comprises twenty-eight exquisite miniatures, brief in duration yet rich in allusion: music which makes its mark with subtlety, understatement and a unique economy of means.

REVIEW:

Hough is the ideal guide to the music of Mompou. He wholly inhabits the music’s mystical atmosphere, its holy simplicity. Exquisite sensitivity is matched by a steely strength. Sounds coalesce and insist on their presence, before disappearing into the ether. Austerity blends with warmth.

— BBC Music Magazine

Super Deluxe boxset includes the deluxe two CD edition, the double 180gm vinyl LP pressing, high-def audio digital of all content at 96kHz/24 bit, a hard bound 80 page book filled with rare and previously unseen photos and memorabilia and a high-quality print of the original album cover. Digitally remastered edition of the British Rock quartet's fifth studio album, originally released in 1973. Containing some of the band's most famous songs, including 'The Song Remains the Same', 'The Rain Song' and 'No Quarter', HOUSES OF THE HOLY became a huge success, and was certified eleven times platinum by the RIAA. In 1968, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant formed Led Zeppelin, one of the most influential, innovative and successful groups in modern music. The band has sold more than 300 million albums worldwide with a celebrated catalog. The band rose from the ashes of the Yardbirds, when Page brought in Plant, Bonham and Jones to tour as the New Yardbirds. In 1969, Led Zeppelin released it's self-titled debut. It marked the beginning of a 12-year reign, during which the group was widely considered to be the biggest rock band in the world.

The narrative of the last hours of Christ's life by the German poet Barthold Brockes inspired Telemann to write one of the most powerful Passion settings of the early eighteenth century. In 2009, Rene Jacobs revealed this somewhat neglected masterpiece in all it's splendor, arousing justified enthusiasm from press and music-lovers alike. This is now a benchmark version.

Distinguished pianist/composer Stanley Cowell (b. 1941 Toledo, Ohio) embarked on his jazz career in the mid-60s. Ensuing his rapid raise to the prominence Stanley Cowell made indelible contribution to jazz over the next 60 years. Even though he’s been dedicating more time in educating younger generation and composing for classically oriented larger ensembles since the 80’s, he stayed close to jazz releasing 15 albums for SteepleChase. His latest album here from October 2019 finds this stately Professor Emeritus cutting loose at the famed Keystone Korner in Baltimore with his handpicked two-horn quintet plus a guest vocalist Sunny Cowell. “The Cowell album portrays a fascinating piano stylist with many ingredients under his fingers. The programming, like Cowell’s lines and contrary motion, flows beautifully…The set confirms Cowell as a melodic and harmonic delight and a clever dealer of rhythmic wild cards. It’s good to have this update.” (Kirk Silsbee – DownBeat **** SCCD 31809 Reminiscent)

Bach's devotion to the organ, and his desire to excel on it, is without question but whereas much of his output was written with a specific purpose or occasion in mind, the toccatas and fugues are less easily categorized. Almost all of them date from Bach's Weimar years (1708-1717), when he had the most opportunities to play the organ, although he may have revised them in Leipzig (after 1723). Their elaborate nature belies the fact that Bach had to be careful about showing off: in 1705, while temporarily in Leipzig, he had been censured for an over-long organ prelude before Communion and in 1706 he had attracted the ire of the Arnstadt authorities by confusing the congregation with complicated chorale accompaniments. Organist Elena Privalova presents a program of these works, beautifully recorded at the Riga Cathedral.

Review

Elena Privalova concentrates on the Toccata and Fugue works that date from Bach’s Weimar years of 1708-1717. It is a matter of record that such elaborate music was by no means always welcome during church services, so one can imagine these pieces being delivered perhaps at the end of formalities, sending the congregation out into the world in a wash of inspired but complex organ sound. These are all glorious works, and perhaps the only criticism one could have of such a programme is that it is rather relentlessly glorious. There are of course some contrasts of registration, but “the richest possible texture” forms the majority from beginning to end, which is of course in the nature of this particular programme. You may find yourself wanting to pick out a track or two rather than blasting through the whole CD in one go, but the temptation to whack up the volume and stir up the dust in your listening room is powerful indeed.

Elena Privalova’s technical prowess and stylish musicality is very much in evidence throughout. She is rhythmically accurate and doesn’t rush, but nor does she avoid brisk and exciting tempi, for instance in BWV 564, the rasping bottom end of the pedal solo in the opening Toccata of which is also a highlight. The D minor “Dorian” Toccata and Fugue BWV 538 is one of the more famous pieces here, and Privalova delivers that ‘demonstration’ quality that the virtuoso Bach might have employed while testing and giving organs their thorough workout.

The programme ends with that most famous of all organ works, the Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 but, while that dramatic opening has become something of a classical music cliché this is a work that never fails to fascinate when you listen properly. It is nice to find it at the end of the recital rather than the beginning, forming a suitable climax rather than an impressive opening. Privalova is less reverential than many, swiftly joining each section in a fantasia-like fashion that doesn’t wait around for us to get bored, and reminding us of this composer’s amazing inventiveness (there are of course arguments that this may not be a Bach original) with the sheer quantity of ideas that pass by on this most special of musical conveyor-belts.

This is a very fine Bach organ CD that has been superbly recorded and with playing that is both musically insightful and technically magnificent, and you can also add this to your collection in the knowledge that it is free of gimmicks or annoying mannerisms. I had a look around for a single disc release that covers the same music and came up with Kåre Nordstoga’s recording on Simax Classics PSC1152. This is another fine release, though made on a slightly smaller-scale instrument. Your own taste will dictate which you prefer, though for me that gorgeous adagio of BWV 564 has more expressive weight with Privalova. This kind of detail, along with the sheer impact of the recording as a whole, makes this something of a winner.

--MusicWeb International (Dominy Clements)

A contrafact is a method of composing a new melody and arrangement on a pre-existing musical composition using its chord progression. In jazz, one of the most famous examples is “Hot House” (Tadd Dameron) based on “What Is This Thing Called Love?” (Cole Porter). Baritone saxophonist Gary Smulyan has been intrigued by this particular way of composition for a number of years. His first album on SteepleChase last year SCCD 31844 “Alternative Contrafacts” is a superlative example of his interest. Here on this new release “Our Contrafacts” is a collection of new contrafacts by contributed by each member of the trio. “While there are occasional short solos by Wong and Green, the focus throughout is on Smulyan, who has yet to record an unworthy record or play an uninspired chorus. His passionate sound and fresh ideas make Alternative Contrafacts a set well worth picking up, particularly by straight ahead jazz collectors.” (Scott Yanow – NYC Jazz Records on SCCD 31844)