Born three decades ago, this 18-piece big band made a particular name for themselves with their reverently irreverent arrangements of Frank Zappa compositions. Here, though, they offer something tasty for jazz heads and rock lovers alike: inspired big-band arrangements of "Eleanor Rigby," "21st Century Schizoid Man," "The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys," the Crazy World of Arthur Brown's "Fire," the Beatles' "Don't Bother Me," Radiohead's "The Tourist," Miles Davis's "Nardis" and more, from Jethro Tull to Green Day! Cuneiform.
The New Winter Songbook is a collection of twenty-one songs by a diverse range of composers, featuring contemporary musical settings and lyrical responses to the winter season. Whilst more traditional winter themes do recur within the songs - those of cold, loss, stillness, grief and darkness - those of belief, faith, and hope, offer an emotional counterbalance. Each individual composer approaches and explores these themes from their own perspective, lending their voice to a musical tapestry, expressing what it means to reflect upon and celebrate the season of winter today.
If the Fates allow - Music by Purcell & his contemporaries
BIS
SACD
$21.99May 23, 2025
On her first solo recital for BIS, Gramophone Award-winner Helen Charlston performs a selection of songs by the English composer Henry Purcell, some very well-known, others less so, as well as pieces by other composers of the period such as John Blow, John Eccles, Christopher Simpson and Daniel Purcell, Henry's son. Her choice focuses on songs that tell stories exploring the struggle between heart and mind: do we fall in love through reason or because fate destined it to be so? Concerning her special relationship with Purcell, Charlston explains that she finds herself making space for his songs in almost every programme she creates. She adds that his addictive music holds a power over her she cannot and does not want to escape, and this specific programme is a special acknowledgement of the fact that Purcell's music has become an essential part of her identity as a singer. For this release, Helen Charlston is joined by the ensemble Sounds Baroque: Julian Perkins (harpsichord/organ), Jonathan Manson and William Carter (theorbo/baroque guitar), three musicians whose expertise and love for this music, she says, overflow in every note they play.
Rising star pianist/composer Noah Haidu's resplendently expressive Standards celebrates the 40th anniversary of the release that launched Keith Jarrett's great Standards Trio and arrives on the heels of Haidu's two recent acclaimed Sunnyside albums, most notably 2021's SLOWLY: Song for Keith Jarrett. Featuring Haidu with bassists Buster Williams and Peter Washington, drummer Lewis Nash and guest saxophonist Steve Wilson, Standards is, in part, the soulmate to SLOWLY, which DownBeat called "a stunning and heartfelt tribute." After Haidu, Buster Williams and Billy Hart recorded it's last two songs - "But Beautiful" and "Georgia on My Mind" - Williams said, "Those two standards were beautiful, got any more?"
BLUES BY JAZZ GILLUM SINGING PLAYING HIS HARMONICA
FOLKWAYS RECORDS
CD
$17.16May 30, 2012
An influential figure in the growth of the Southern blues tradition, William "Jazz" Gillum (1904-1966) had the kind of life from which the blues spring. Orphaned, starved, threatened, shot at, beaten, and discriminated against, Gillum's style, as heard throughout this recording-and as described in the liner notes-is unsurprisingly "sometimes harsh, sometimes poetic, with it's expressive delayed beat and strong rhythm, and it's bitterness tinged with nostalgia." He is joined on this album by Arbee Stidham (vocals and guitar) and Memphis Slim (organ and piano), associates from his early professional jobs in Chicago in the 1930s. Liner notes include song lyrics and a biography of Gillum, who lived and sang the blues his whole life.
Limited edition of 750 numbered copies on light green coloured 180-gram audiophile vinyl. Philadelphian jazz legend Benny Golson, an American bebop/hard bop jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and arranger, has had a long and storied career. He has played with luminaries such as John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, and Art Blakey, to name just a few. His credentials are rock solid and his skills as a tenor sax legend are undisputed. With his 1978 album "I'm Always Dancin' to the Music," Benny Golson takes a unique turn. Known primarily for his hard bop roots and classic compositions like "Whisper Not" and "Killer Joe," Golson steps into the realms of jazz-funk and disco with this release, reflecting the musical trends of the late 1970s. The title song is a stellar dance groove, holding heavyweight status among underground soul, funk, and jazz aficionados-a true 'rare groove' indeed. Produced by George Butler, whose credentials are no less than impressive, it's no wonder the instrumental hook of this title song has been sampled many times by artists such as Naughty by Nature, Logistics, Leona Lewis, and many others. Everything about this album-music, engineering, mastering-is top-notch, making this somewhat of an audiophile release as well. This is a real hidden gem and well worth seeking out!
We continue our popular and successful series devoted to the biggest chart records of each calendar year in the early chart era as we focus on 1946, the sixth full calendar year of the Billboard Best Sellers chart - the chart was launched in July 1940 - and the second year to feature both a Most Played in Juke Boxes and Most Played by Disc Jockeys charts as well. This great value 98-track 4-CD set comprises every record which peaked in the Top 10 of the Best Sellers and Disc Jockey charts during the year, plus those which reached the Top 7 of the Disc Jockey chart - the DJ chart often had several records tied at each position.
2012 album from the Jazz pianist. 'Memory is a funny thing. Sometimes a sound, or a smell, or a picture can remind US of something we had long forgotten. For me, the key to many memories will always be a song. The sixties were a very turbulent time in the Twentieth Century, and music was beginning to change with the events that were reshaping the world. We heard Broadway show music, rock and roll, soul music, blues, fusion and many things that were new to us. The songs on this album are varied in style and sound, but I hope they will remind you of some happy times and events of the sixties, in your life.'
Wesla Whitfield is known for her deft sense of swing and incisive ballad readings. Now she returns to release IN MY LIFE, a gorgeous collection of 15 wonderful works by such diverse composers as Leonard Bernstein, Vernon Duke and Lennon/McCarney.
Vinyl LP pressing. Original soundtrack to the 2017 motion picture. The Greatest Showman is a bold and original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and the sense of wonder we feel when dreams come to life. Inspired by the ambition and imagination of P. T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman tells the story of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a mesmerizing spectacle that became a worldwide sensation. The Greatest Showman is directed by exciting new filmmaker Michael Gracey, with songs by Academy Award winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (La La Land) and starring Academy Award nominee Hugh Jackman. Jackman is joined by Academy Award nominee Michelle Williams, Zendaya, Zac Efron and Rebecca Ferguson.
Just in time for the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II on 25 October 2025, cpo is releasing the complete recording of a comedy that will itself celebrate it's 130th anniversary on 4 December. In Waldmeister, the undisputed king of the waltz once again pulls out all the stops and delivers a delightful comedy whose scandalous mix-ups ultimately dissolve in a high-proof punch. It's distinctive taste features a hero with a botanical title (Galium odoratum) and a series of evergreens - above all, the leitmotif and proverbial "Trau schau wem" ("Trust, but check"), which is enthusiastically taken up by friend and foe alike. This live recording was made during the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz's guest performance in Vienna and whose new production contributed to this year's Austrian Strauss celebrations.
2020 collection. On this very personal selection - mostly up-tempo numbers and brilliantly arranged pop - you will find rarities and greatest hits. Among them her smash hits 'What A Diff'rence A Day Made' (she sang makes instead of made), 'September In The Rain', 'Mad About The Boy' as well as the two duets with Brook Benton: 'A Rockin' Good Way' and 'Baby (You Got What It Takes)'! Rarities such as the hard-to-find Mercury single 'Honky Tonky', which was released in 1958 under the pseudonym The Queen, are also included With this Juke Box Pearls edition from the great Dinah Washington we are erecting a small but fine memorial. This compilation of 29 songs does not follow a chronological order, but it outlines the great career of the artist, who died far too early.
A memory of family evenings, this album created with the renowned musician and producer Rob Mounsey goes far beyond a simple recital: it is an intimate gathering, at the crossroads of ancestral recollection and musical imagination. Yiddish song, Romantic lied, opera arias, jazz, and Broadway musicals: a tenor already well-versed in early music ventures here across continents, generations, and repertoires. Each piece becomes the echo of a story shared between nostalgia, invention, and transmission.
Founded in 1953 by Bob Koester, Delmark Records continues to record jazz and blues under his leadership. This special celebratory CD package features previously unissued performances by blues legends and new songs from Delmark's current line-up of exciting talent. Tracks include an unissued Junior Wells song from the South Side Blues Jam session featuring Otis Spann; Magic Sam from a 1968 live performance, a sneak preview of the full CD slated for November; an alternate take from the Little Walter Trio featuring Muddy Waters which has never been on CD; Toronzo Cannon, Studebaker John, Linsey Alexander, Quintus McCormick, Lurrie Bell, Eddie C. Campbell and much more.
Radiophonie vol 15 is a collection of trailers broadcast in 2023-24 by various Radio France channels. France BLEU package, specially composed by Pascal Obispo and James Gravity; France Inter theme songs rearranged by Christophe Minck, Clement Ducol, Clement Leotard, Alexandre Finkin and many others.
Most tellingly, Christmas songs render the joy and anticipation of children at Christmas time. + The children’s choir “SingsalaSing” of the Landesakademie for young musicians in Baden-Württemberg, Ochsenhausen, sing 26 traditional and new yuletide songs from Germany and its neighboring countries. + This CD is part of the “Lieder Project” an effort that promotes and benefits singing with children. + It emphasizes quality and is designed especially for children. + Proceeds from the Lieder Project are donated to causes furthering singing with children.
1. Overture 2. March of the Kings 3. Bourrée en Étoile 4. Traveller's Prayer 5. Le Grand Lustukru 6. Nöel Nouvelet 7. Guillô, Pran ton Tamborin! 8. Aro Que Nostre Seigne Es Nat 9. Muwashah Jalla Men Qad Sawarak 10. Darj Bayyati 11. Stella Splendens 12. Gaudete 13. Veni, Veni Emanuel 14. The Angel Gabriel from Heaven Came 15. What Shall I Give to the Child? 16. L'Homme Armé 17. Riu Riu Chiu 18. Bourrée Chainee de Rivarennes 19. Le Sommeil de l'Enfant Jésus 20. Amen 21. Sing We Noel
The Magnificat is the Virgin Mary's song of praise to God after one of the Bible's greatest wonders: the angel Gabriel visiting her with the message that she is to be the mother of God's son. + In his setting composer Kim André Arnesen expresses the feelings Mary must have felt: wonder, devotion, gratitude, joy, humility, hope and compassion. + God's selection of an unknown woman living in poverty to be the mother of His son is a bottom-up view of the world if ever there was one - and Arnesen sees the Magnificat as offering support and hope for all people struggling against adversity or in need of strength. + Musica Celestis portrays the ceaseless praising of God by angels in heaven. + Aaron Jay Kernis builds his work around a fairly simple melody that he remolds in a series of variations. + The intensely beautiful and mostly barren Hardangervidda mountain plateau inspired Ola Gjeilo to write Tundra, while his Song of the Universal expresses unabashed optimism, exuberance and poet Walt Whitman's unwavering confidence in our deeper humanity - all through the prism of a big, warm, beating heart.
This CD contains music pianist Teddy Wilson recorded on June 4,1967 in Manchester while on tour in England. Here he's joined by bassist Peter Chapman and drummer Johnny Richardson. Song include "Undecided," "Satin Doll," "Medley: Sophisticated Lady/Take the a Train," "Honeysuckle Rose" and others.
The one thing all but one of the works on this recording have in common is that they were used in a motion picture, though only six of the eleven songs were written for a specific movie. They cover a fairly long period of cinematic history with Charlie Chaplin's timeless classic, "Smile" being heard in the earliest and latest films on the list: Modern Times (1936) and Joker (2019). It is interesting to note that the album's leader and drummer, Richard Baratta, was an executive producer on Joker. With this Hollywood connection, Baratta's life has been somewhat cinema-centric, but he actually started out as a jazz drummer, working with Butch Morris, Billy Bang, Hal Galper and others. Today Baratta has returned to his jazz roots and his colorful, propulsive drumming is a real highlight of this recording, a follow up to his 2020 release, Music in Film: The Reel Deal. You won't find any lengthy, indulgent solos here but you will smile approvingly at his keenly executed flourishes and mini-breaks. Back in the studio with Baratta is Grammy-nominated arranger and pianist, Bill O'Connell, his years of Latin jazz experience influencing a number of tracks. Alto saxophonist Vincent Herring also returns providing an athletic lead on many selections and some coruscant solo work. With guitarist Paul Bollenback and bassist Michael Goetz rounding out the rhythm section and Paul Rossman providing some additional percussion colors, Richard Baratta takes you on another imaginative, jazz-filled trip to the movies. But you'll have to supply your own popcorn.
Tony Alonso’s first Christmas recording has much to offer. The selections include fresh new arrangements of many Christmas favorites plus original material by Alonso, John L. Bell, and Liam Lawton. There is also a real “chestnut” among the titles, which may have passed you by. “Child of Light,” by Dan Kantor (composer of GIA’s popular “Night of Silence”), is a delightful quodlibet using the beloved tune greensleeves and featuring a lush string arrangement. This title was published in 1990 but has never appeared on a recorded collection. Other highlights include “From the Cradle to the Cross,” an original carol by Alonso set in a bluegrass style. This haunting text reminds us of the life that Jesus led and modeled for us all. The collection features two songs in Spanish: one a fresh arrangement of the traditional carol “Alegría” and the other a Latin arrangement of “Ding Dong Merrily on High.” John Bell’s new text, “We Do Not Know,” will enlighten your perception of the timeless Christmas story, and Lawton’s soaring refrain found in “Noel, Noel” will stir your soul. Alonso, Bell, Kantor, Lawton—old songs, new songs—English and Español. This is a treasure!
