Track Listing
1. C Jam Blues
2. Solitude
3. Mood Indigo
4. It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
5. Lush Life
6. Just Squeeze Me (But Don't Tease Me)
7. Things Ain't What They Used to Be
8. Caravan
9. Take the "A" Train
10. Cotton Tail
11. Sophisticated Lady

Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Bill Charlap (piano); Peter Washington (bass); Kenny Washington (drums).
Recorded at Nola Recording Studios, New York, New York on July 28 & 29, 1999. Includes liner notes by Harry Allen.
Personnel: Harry Allen (tenor saxophone); Bill Charlap (piano); Kenny Washington (drums).
Liner Note Author: Harry Allen.
Recording information: Nola Recording Studios, New York, NY (07/28/1999/07/29/1999).
Photographer: Junichi Takahashi.
Allen's tenor sax sound is perfectly suited for the music of Duke Ellington. His literate, traditional approach and occasionally Stan Getz-ian breathy tones go to the heart of Duke's melodic and harmonic concepts. Pianist Bill Charlap is excellent through and through, while bassist Peter Washington and drummer Kenny Washington are dutiful in attending to their swing. Several of these tracks are read pretty straight, as the ballad "Lush Life," the easy swinger "Just Squeeze Me," the Afro-Cuban to bop "Caravan," and the air-filled "Sophisticated Lady." But the band changes up the rest. At the least extreme, "Mood Indigo" is easy swing as opposed to balladic; "Take the A Train" is slowed way down with Allen and Charlap only, while the pianist plays the melody while Allen's tenor counter-swipes licks on "C Jam Blues." More adapted is the slow tick-tock to bossa of the usual wall-melting ballad "Solitude," and a low-down, lugubrious bluesy swing with Charlap loading up on the intro and melody of "Things Ain't What They Used to Be," with Allen's stacatto stopped accents. At their most energetic, the quartet charges hard and trade eights during the up-tempo workout "Cotton Tail," whereas Allen and bassist Washington in duet need no other instrumental accoutrements in order to rhythmically fire up "It Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Swing." This is most likely Allen's best batch yet, for he is a great interpreter rather than innovator. Duke did all the inventing necessary here, and this true collective quartet is hard to top.

Kurt Masur approaches the symphonies easily and gracefully. He is capable of a gesture of proper grandeur, as at the opening to No. 1, but on the whole he treats them more lightly... The delightful Scherzo to No. 3, marked moderato, is played rather solemnly by Sawallisch, where Masur touches elegantly on its Leindler grace and its easy flow up and down the arpeggios. Opening No. 4, Sawallisch responds to the very Beethoven-like scoring with similar grandeur of utterance; Masur is quieter, seeking out the Romantic tinge in the bassoon and middle string phrases...

-- Gramophone [9/1976]
reviewing the original LP release

This selection is available for a limited time as a special import.

Brahms: Symphonies Nos. 1 -4 (Arturo Toscanini, Vol. 4)

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 8 DE WAAR

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 7 DE WAAR

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 6 DE WAAR

MAHLER: SYMPHONY NO 2 DE WAAR

"...chamber music-making of high seriousness and high integrity that allows Bach's timeless music to speak for itself."

- BBC Music Magazine, [October 2008]

"...eloquently thought through and beautifully sung with the perfect sense of dramatic character:.. Sung with peerless vocal beauty and remarkably sensitive ornaments."

- Gramophone Magazine (About the Canadian counter tenor, Daniel Taylor.)

Miss Verrett...comes into her own in the Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov songs. Her essentially lovely voice warms to these and I found them all most enjoyable... I hope Miss Verrett...will some day give us a recital of Russian songs, including some by Borodin and Mussorgsky, for she responds so sympathetically to those included on this disc...

-- Gramophone [6/1968]
reviewing the original LP release

-----

...I enjoyed hearing the immense sincerity she already brought to An die Musik and to Die Allmacht, a song calling for the dramatic power of an opera singer. The Russian items, sung in the original, are also deeply felt and here the unaffected style is very welcome. Needless to say the spirituals are superbly done, particularly Oh, Glory!, which I used, not long ago, for a radio profile of this artist. Witness shows off her excellent rhythmic sense and diction in English. Alleluia is technically secure, but the piece calls for a brighter voice. The accompanist is no great asset and as recorded sounds clangy. I do hope RCA will soon give us a new recital from this rich-voiced mezzo; she deserves as much.

-- Gramophone [6/1973]
reviewing an LP reissue of this recording

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“I believe in working and in being good.” - Shirley Verrett

"On stage Miss Verrett presents both a stunning physical appearance and a stunning voice. Vocally her range is large, and her voice is exceptionally expressive and memorable. She works on dramatics – conveying the meaning of the words – and strives equally hard, and equally successfully, to sustain a flowing musical line. She has mastered the subtlety of Schubert songs and the coloratura of Mozart’s “Alleluia.” The hymns and spirituals which she has been singing since childhood, and which she still loves to do, she obviously sings from the heart."

- Mary Campbell
quoted from the program notes for this album. 1965

"Brahms, a splendid pianist, had a special diffidence regarding chamber music for strings alone. He fussed endlessly with the string quartet medium and said in later years that he had written twenty before producing one good enough to publish – and at that, he published only three. He was forty by the time he allowed the first two to see the light of day, and they had occupied him for some eight years.
Perhaps Beethoven’s shadow, of which he was acutely conscious, loomed too heavily in this area. Brahms felt less hesitant writing for a medium Beethoven had never touched: he turned out two string sextets in his late twenties and early thirties.

All this puts a special focus on the two String Quintets. By the time Brahms wrote them (Op. 88 in 1882 and Op. 111 in 1890) he was at the peak of his powers. Whatever internal dilemmas he had faced had been successfully resolved, and also he had learned that a string quintet with two cellos – so memorably employed by Schubert – was not to his liking. But Brahms was always partial to dark coloring, and it seems natural that he would be strongly drawn to the dark-hued viola quintet."

— Excerpt from the original liner notes from ARC1-4849 by Shirley Fleming

"Harvested by Bartók, Kodály and a few others from 1904–5 on, [the authentic folk music of the Hungarian peasant], with its characteristic melodic contours, provided the leaven for a generation of Hungarian composers to create an entirely new musical ethos. There were other influences upon Bartók, among them those of Debussy, Stravinsky and Schoenberg; he also investigated and allowed his music to be colored by folk music other than Hungarian, especially Romanian, Slovakian and Arabic. But it was from Hungarian music itself that he drew the strongest sustenance, Hungarian peasant music that had for generations rubbed shoulders with, influencing and being influenced by, the music of neighboring peoples. “Race purity” in music, he believed resulted in musical poverty: the richest hoard of folk music is fructified by the music it comes into contact with...

Notable in the quartets from No. 2 on is an unprecedented interest in extending stringed-instrument techniques. Before Bartók composers had been content to write mainly within the traditional virtuoso limits, and even Paul Hindemith, a string player himself, had little interest in going beyond the normal or conventional bowing and fingering procedures. These did not satisfy Bartók, who demanded unusual multiple stops, unorthodox fingerings, several different types of pizzicato and glissando and a whole arsenal of special effects that have revolutionized the string player’s approach to his instrument – all despite Bartók’s never having played any but keyboard instruments.

But the importance of his achievement lies not in the ingenuity of the writing or the novelty of the style but in the strength and persuasion of the works that resulted. In all these quartets musical logic prevails; the materials are distinctive and memorable, their manipulation magisterial, and the combination produces an unparalleled series of masterpieces, each with its individual delights – and its individual problems for players and listeners alike."

— excerpt from the original liner notes from ARL3–2412 by Halsey Stevens

Tracks:
1. OISTRAKH/MUNCH/BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - (1-3) SYMPHONIE EN SI BEMOL MAJEUR/ B FLAT MAJOR / B-DUR, OP.20
2. OISTRAKH/MUNCH/BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - (4) POEME
3. OISTRAKH/MUNCH/BOSTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA - (5-7) INTRODUCTION ET RONDO CAPRICCIOSO

2015 album from the R&B veteran and former Gap Band member. Wilson has received seven Grammy nominations and multiple awards throughout his career; he was named Billboard magazine's # 1 Adult R&B Artist and has had eight # 1 records that topped the Billboard Urban Adult Contemporary radio chart. Last year, Wilson received a Grammy nomination for the song "If I Believe" in the gospel category; he was also an NAACP Outstanding Album Award winner for the album LOVE, CHARLIE. Plus, BET presented to Wilson a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.

2017 release from the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and producer. Coming off the success of his 2014 breakthrough album Mali Is..., this project will explore the revolution of the artist expanding outside his traditional sound while maintaining his R&B core. Recently, Mali released the Salaam Remi-produced track "Gonna Be Alright" as the lead single from the project. An inspirational and upbeat mood permeates the record, drawing the listener into Mali's melodic wave of motivation.

Track Listing
1. Body and Soul
2. When Day Is Done
3. Bouncing With Bean
4. April in Paris
5. Angel Face
6. I Love You
7. There Will Never Be Another You
8. Little Girl Blue
9. Bean Stalks Again, The
10. Have You Met Miss Jones?

Personnel includes: Coleman Hawkins (tenor saxophone); Thelma Carpenter (vocals); Benny Carter (alto saxophone, trumpet); Eustice Moore, Budd Johnson (alto saxophone); Fats Navarro, Jimmy Nottingham, Tommy Lindsay, Joe Guy (trumpet); Jimmy Buffington (French horn); J.C. Higginbotham, J.J. Johnson, Urbie Green, Jack Satterfield (trombone); Julius Baker, Sid Jekowsky (flute); Danny Polo (clarinet); Phil Bodner (oboe); Hal McKusick, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn (reeds); Marty Wilson (vibraphone); Gene Rodgers, Hank Jones (piano); Lawrence Lucie, Chuck Wayne, Barry Gailbraith (guitar); Johnny Williams, Milt Hinton, Oscar Smith, Jack Lesberg (bass); Walter Johnson, Max Roach, Osie Johnson, Art Herbert (drums); Phil Kraus (bells).

Recorded between October 11, 1939 and January 20, 1956. Includes liner notes by Ira Gitler.

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

On APRIL IN PARIS, the king of tenor saxophone plays in myriad musical settings recorded over three decades. Hawkins' inimitable dark-toned sound is documented over these ten tracks. However, his classic recordings from the '30s and '40s demonstrate his legacy best. Whether it is "Body and Soul" or "Bouncing With Bean," Hawk's woody, vibrato-laden approach is in full bloom.

Songs such as "There Will Never Be Another You," "Little Girl Blue," and "Have you Met Miss Jones?" are enhanced by the delicate and lush sound of a string orchestra. Hawkins, known for a thick, almost abrasive sound, plays lighter and more romantically (a la his friend Lester Young) on these tracks.

Track Listing
1. Four
2. Four - (alternate take)
3. St. Thomas
4. St. Thomas - (alternate take)
5. I Remember Clifford
6. I Remember Clifford - (alternate take)
7. 52nd Street Theme
8. 52nd Street Theme - (alternate theme)
9. Bluesongo - (bonus track)
10. Jungoso

Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone); Thad Jones (cornet); Herbie Hancock (piano); Bob Cranshaw, Ron Carter (bass); Roy McCurdy (drums); Candido (congas).

Producer: George Avakian.

Reissue producer: Orrin Keepnews.

Engineers include: Ray Hall.

Recorded at RCA Victor Studios, New York, New York between May 14, 1962 and April 14, 1964. Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews.

This CD is what too few "previously unreleased" collections are: a well-documented, well-annotated recording with a purpose and a point of view. In a thoughtful essay, producer Orrin Keepnews discusses what these early Sixties recordings of Rollins reveal about the tenorist's approach to repertoire and improvisation and, more pragmatically, about his relationship to the recording studio and to record companies in general. Each of the first four tunes can be heard in two different versions. "Four" was recorded both with a trio (with Roy McCurdy on drums and Bob Cranshaw on bass) and a quartet (with Herbie Hancock on piano and Ron Carter replacing Cranshaw on bass)

The versions of "I Remember Clifford" and "52nd Street Theme" were recorded with Hancock on piano and Thad Jones on cornet added to the basic trio. "Bluesongo" and "Jungoso" are trio pieces with Rollins, Cranshaw, and Candido on congas. Keepnews explains that these two cuts, which were originally released on the album WHAT'S NEW in 1962, have not been reissued anywhere else recently (unlike the balance of the material from WHAT'S NEW) and have consequently been included here.

BRAHMS: PIANO CONCERTO NO 2, 5

SOPHISTICATED LADY DUKE ELLIN

"Heifetz's recorded legacy is particularly rewarding for reasons other than the simple fact that he was a great violinist. He obviously liked to get away from standard repertoire and explore the byways of violin literature. He gave much attention to music of his own time—nothing too 'modern', mark you; and he clearly enjoyed the experience of playing chamber works with other great artists....

This charmingly slight early work [Beethoven's Serenade] is played with much affection and warmth, as is the even less substantial, even rather empty Spohr concerto...Spohr's Double Quartet, well recorded in 1968, has much more character than the concerto. Here Heifetz very much blends in with his colleagues, and if he is in charge of the extremely alive, superbly played performance it is not apparent in the final result."

-- Gramophone [9/1990]

Rescued from the vaults, ArkivMusic reissues a long lost Christmas Treasure! The Musical Christmas Tree from Morton Gould is an orchestral holiday classic. Featuring Holiday standards, this unique release includes many of Morton Gould's own arrangements as well as original compositions written for the holidays, including "Winter" from the Burchfield Gallery and "Skiers Waltz" from the Cinerama Holiday Suite.

Recorded between 1959 & 1975. Includes liner notes by Joseph F. Laredo.
Digitally remastered by Bill Lacey.

Track Listing
1. Hey, Pretty Baby
2. Seventh Avenue Express
3. Walking Slow Behind You
4. Mister Roberts' Roost
5. Don't You Want a Man Like Me
6. South
7. You Call Yourself a Jungle King (I Found Out You Ain't a Doggone Thing)
8. Sophisticated Swing
9. House Rent Boogie
10. Basie's Basement
11. Brand New Wagon

Personnel includes: Count Basie (piano); Jimmy Rushing (vocals); Preston Love, Rudy Rutherford, C.Q. Price, Earl Warren (alto saxophone); Paul Gonsalves, Buddy Tate (tenor saxophone); Jack Washington (baritone saxophone); Ed Lewis, Snooky Young, Harry "Sweets" Edison, Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham, Gerald Wilson (trumpet); Bill Johnson, Ted Donnelly, George Matthews, Eli Robinson, George Washington (trombone); Freddie Green (guitar); Walter Page (bass); Jo Jones, Butch Ballard (drums).

Recorded between January 3 and December 12, 1947.

But for the fact that it only has 11 tracks, this mid-priced compilation (not to be confused with the identically titled Bluebird collection covering Basie's early-'30s recordings with the Bennie Moten band) could easily get the highest rating. And this could be the place to start for any rock fans wondering what Basie was about, at least some of the time. This disc shows Basie and company (especially singer Jimmy Rushing) working in an R&B mode, doing such songs as Willie Dixon's "You Call Yourself the Jungle King (I Found Out You Ain't a Doggone Thing)," "Hey, Pretty Baby," "Brand New Wagon," and "Walking Slow Behind You." Rushing and the band sound like they're pushing toward Chess Records' turf. And the astonishing thing is that they pull it off -- if these records had sold in any serious number, Basie and Rushing might have had a whole second career in R&B, right up there with Big Joe Turner. There's a minimum of annotation, and not all of the sound is quite perfect -- amazingly, the 1991 remastered "Basie's Basement" featured here has a click or two in evidence, for which there's no excuse. But the sound quality everywhere else is pretty much beyond reproach, and there's also one number here, "Mister Roberts' Roost," a laidback instrumental prominently featuring Basie's piano, that's otherwise unavailable.

Stoltzman plays in a uniquely personal style - bent notes and microtonal slides in near vocal effects. Magical!

Richard Stoltzman could be claimed as the James Galway of the clarinet. He has developed the personality of the instrument in new ways, often drawing on jazz effects, in what he regards as an American tradition. And he has a considerable following. He has recorded major pieces like the Corigliano Concerto (RCA, 4/89), but in this collection he's simply relaxing.

He starts with an ingenious arrangement of Gershwin's piano pieces, the Three Preludes, where the few extra effects in both clarinet and piano are completely idiomatic. Then there's Bernstein's early Sonata, another American classic, which Stoltzman has now recorded in Sid Ramin's orchestration (RCA, 12193).

W. T. McKinley makes his debut in the British catalogue with a recent, rather overblown, fourmovement Sonata and so does Clare Fisher with Sonatine. There's nothing very individual in either work, but Stoltzman obviously enjoys playing them. The real gems come when he goes deeper into jazz, especially Jimmy Rowles's The Peacocks, which was used in the soundtrack of Round Midnight. This brings out everything in Stoltzman's unique style - bent notes and microtonal slides in near vocal effects. Magical!

Dick Hyman is another jazz pianist and composer. He has recorded a complete Joplin and has written rags himself. His Clarinata is a red-hot encore with a soupy middle section. Finally Stoltzman plays his own arrangement of Amazing Grace, starting unaccompanied, and very touching it is too. Altogether an attractive collection, well recorded, with some uniquely personal playing.

-- Gramophone [9/1996]

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE VOL 1