Label - Speakers Corner Records
Speakers Corner Records GmbH is a German label well known for their high quality reissues, mainly focused around Jazz and Classical music.
Speakers Corner Records LPs are produced from high quality lacquer masters with laboratory precision.
Speakers Corner Records uses the Neumann VMS 80 coupled with an Ortofon DSS-732 cutting head to produce studio quality sound reproductions.
To minimize mechanical wear and temperature interferences, takes great care to control the cutting process such as replacing their ruby cutting heads every 20 hours.
The cutting process is overseen by industry legend cutting engineers such as Kevin Gray, Rainer Maillard, Willem Makkee, Tony Hawkins, Maarten de Boer, and Ray Staff to ensure the high quality available.
Speakers Corner Records
Speakers Corner Records GmbH is a German label well known for their high quality reissues, mainly focused around Jazz and Classical music.
Speakers Corner Records LPs are produced from high quality lacquer masters with laboratory precision.
Speakers Corner Records uses the Neumann VMS 80 coupled with an Ortofon DSS-732 cutting head to produce studio quality sound reproductions.
To minimize mechanical wear and temperature interferences, takes great care to control the cutting process such as replacing their ruby cutting heads every 20 hours.
The cutting process is overseen by industry legend cutting engineers such as Kevin Gray, Rainer Maillard, Willem Makkee, Tony Hawkins, Maarten de Boer, and Ray Staff to ensure the high quality available.
Speakers Corner Vinyl
Performer: Paul McCandless (cl, hn, ob); Ralph Towner (flh, g, p, perc); Collin Walcott (g, perc), Glen Moore (b)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Elektra
+ Description
If there was ever a group that successfully amalgamated Asian and African music with jazz and classic, then it was surely Oregon. With a wide range of instruments and the musicians’ unusually receptive ears for everything here, there and everywhere, Oregon certainly enjoyed the optimal prerequisites. John Towner, Paul McCandless, Glen Moore and in particular Colin Walcott laid the foundations for their music in the musical heaven of their time. Oboe, cor anglais, bass clarinet, six- and twelve-string guitars, piano, flugelhorn, percussion, bass, sitar, tabla – such a versatile range of instruments – lent the nine numbers their, until then, rarely heard sound colouring and mark the transition from the band’s more hippy-like, country sound when they recorded for the Vanguard label to their later classic sound when signed to ECM. In this respect, "Roots In The Sky" is an important contemporary document in the world of music between 1970 and 1980. A rare black disc on which there is much to discover! This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: December 1978 at Longview Farms, North Brookfield, MA., and April 1979 at Columbia Recording Studios, New York, by David Greene Production: Oregon
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Performer: Lee Konitz (as); Warne Marsh (ts); Ronnie Ball, Sal Mosca (p); Billy Bauer (g); Oscar Pettiford (b); Kenny Clarke (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Atlantic
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What a great rhythm group! A dream comes true: Oscar Pettiford and Kenny Clarke – and then Billy Bauer on the guitar and alternately Ronnie Ball (UK) or Sal Mosca (USA) on the piano. No wonder that things really take off when these masters of improvisation from the Lennie Tristano school get going. In June 1955, in the Atlantic studio, standards provided the starting base for the long and wonderfully sophisticated improvisations by Lee Konitz and Wayne Marsh, who were at that time pupils of the great Chicago maestro. Although the numbers are declared as own compositions, such as "Background Music" and "Ronnie’s Line", they are actually none other than adaptations of "All Of Me" or "That Old Feeling" – but at the very highest level. Lee Konitz always called this 'The Twelfth Step'. The repertoire is enriched by seldom-heard compositions by the great Oscar Pettiford. 'Time-keeping' – a neologism of prime importance for jazz musicians – is the most important element in "Donna Lee" and "There Will Never Be Another You" – and there is no better drummer for this music than Kenny 'Klook' Clarke, who lived in those days in the USA before moving to Paris in 1956 where there was no racial discrimination. Of course, you can buy these recordings on various digital discs. But that can’t be compared to a superb black disc and a cover with lines notes by the famous Barry Ulanov. Just one thing more: one of the musicians is still on the road. Lee Konitz is often to be heard and seen somewhere in Europe. Despite his almost 91 years! This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: June 1955 at Coastal Studios, New York City, by Tom Dowd in mono Production: Nesuhi Ertegun
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Performer: John Lewis (p); Milt Jackson (vib); Percy Heath (b); Connie Kay (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Atlantic
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The famous critic and jazz expert Ralph J. Gleason quite rightly mentioned two highly distinctive men in his liner notes – John Donne and Pablo Picasso. Almost four hundred years and a great deal of seawater separate the two exceptional artists from England and Spain. Nevertheless the four black US-Americans who make up the Modern Jazz Quartet bridge the gap between time and continents effortlessly. And what’s more, blues is also to be heard – and bebop! And evergreens from the Broadway shows of the Thirties too! In contrast to some of the other rather more dawdling and laid-back MJQ LPs, "Fontessa" offers diversified and intense music. Nothing is routine, perhaps because the drummer Connie Kay had replaced Kenny Clark just one year previously. But maybe too because Milt Jackson’s blues influence inspired John Lewis perceptibly to forget all about discipline. All seven numbers are true gems. But if you want a special hint, just listen to "Bluesology". Well, perhaps the present author is too much of a Milt Jackson fan. Be that as it may, the music magazine "Rolling Stone" gave this LP a five-star rating! This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: January and February 1956 by Rudy Van Gelder in mono Production: Nesuhi Ertegun
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Performer: Jackie McLean (as); J.R. Monterose (ts); Mal Waldron (p); Charlie Mingus (b); Willie Jones (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Atlantic
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It was a fairly ordinary quintet that entered the Audio-Video Studios in New York City on 30 January 1956: one tenor saxophone, one alto saxophone, a pianist, a drummer and ... you guessed: an extraordinary man on the double bass! Not just an instrumentalist, but also an imaginative composer, wayfarer between all kinds of jazz, arranger and enfant terrible. The Suite "Pithecanthropus Erectus" is – among other things – programme music. Having learned to walk upright, having achieved alleged superiority over animals, and having caused devastation, the destruction of mankind’s natural resources follows. The composer Mingus gives his fellow mankind/musicians the widest possible freedom, which all exploit to the full both in interplay and in the solos. Bedded down in noise and sound collages, the piece is the result of an experimental workshop. The Gershwin classic "A Foggy Day" takes on the role of intermediary between the jazz styles of the 1930s and free jazz. And in "Profile Of Jackie" and "Love Chant" the arranger calls for his soloists to go to the very limits of their artistic improvisation. Charles Mingus was certainly not an easy person to deal with for his family, friends and fellow musicians. But that fades into the background when it comes to such outstanding music. Luckily, we outsiders can once again enjoy the music of this genius 60 years after the studio recording, in its original format. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: January 1956 at Audio-Video Studios, New York City by Tom Dowd & Hal Lustig in mono Production: Nesuhi Ertegun
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Performer: Charles Mingus (b); Curtis Porter (as, ts); Jimmy Knepper (tb); Wade Legge (p); Dannie Richmond (dr); Jean Shepherd (voc)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Atlantic
+ Description
Who hasn't got an ancient, worn-out copy of "The Clown" on his shelf, with a tatty cover and torn inner sleeve? Or maybe one of the rare re-releases made of cheap, thin vinyl with dreadful graphic art? And if you haven't heard this gem for a long time, despite the flood of Mingus LPs, CDs and downloads on the market, then you really should seize this opportunity to do so. "The Clown" was, and still is, an absolute must-have for every jazz collector. The small ensemble, only five musicians, came into the New York Atlantic Records studio in March 1957 to record music exclusively composed by the double bassist. Over the next 15 years, three of them were to be heard in numerous concerts with other ensembles. But the original recordings on this LP were the most deeply concentrated, the most versatile, and quite simply the best of all. The more so because the label attached great importance to optimal studio conditions and allowed the instrumentalists plenty of time to make the recordings. In the present new release, "The Clown" can be enjoyed to the full from the very first note of "Haitian Fight Song" up until the words »William Morris Sends Regrets« in the title work. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: Februay and March 1957 in New York City by Tom Dowd and Larry Hiller in mono Production: Nesuhi Ertegün
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Performer: "Miles In Berlin" - Miles Davis (tp); Wayne Shorter (ts); Herbie Hancock (p); Ron Carter (b); Tony Williams (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Columbia
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It's 1964 and the first Berlin Jazz Festival is about to reach its absolute peak: the final concert on the night of Friday, 25th September by Miles Davis. And the European subsidiary of Columbia Records, CBS, couldn’t wait to release this legendary event on LP. The new quintet, for the first time with Wayne Shorter on the tenor sax (and not yet as composer), thrilled and roused the audience in the Philharmonie from the first minute to the very end. The classics "Miles(tones)", "So What" and "Walkin’" were performed at an astonishingly fast pace, the ballads were tender and dreamy. Such a magical atmosphere was rarely evoked at later concerts, which was probably due to the excellent acoustics of the large concert hall. The audience were also seated behind the stage, so Miles couldn't turn his back provokingly on people; sometimes he just squatted on the stage. However, this didn’t prevent him from performing his solos lyrically and tenderly, most of them finely nuanced, soft and gentle, yet audible right into the furthest corner. The rhythmic structure created by the young drummer Anthony Williams provided the necessary excitement. Miles at the top of his form, an enthusiastic audience, impressive acoustics and, to top it all, excellent recording technology and a fantastic pressing on virgin vinyl - what more does a jazz fan want? Now’s the time to dig out your credit card!
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Performer: Beethoven: Sonatas for Piano and Violin Nos. 5 & 9 – Lew Oborin and David Oistrach
Genre: Classical
Label: Philips
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At first sight Beethoven’s Violin Sonatas appear to occupy only a subordinate role when placed alongside his great symphonic works and the piano sonatas. While the earlier works in the genre were viewed in their time with scepticism due to the “rare difficulty” and “learnedness” of their piano part, the later sonatas however display an increasingly marked independence of the violin part. For this reason, the A major Violin Sonata (which was dedicated to the French violinist Rodolph Kreutzer), and the so-called
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Performer: Nathan Milstein and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
Genre: Classical
Label: DGG
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Tchaikovsky: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra / Mendelssohn Bartholdy: Concerto for Violin and Orchestra op. 64 Although he has lived in the USA since 1929 and even took on American citizenship in 1942, Nathan Milstein is often referred to as perhaps the last “Russian” among all Russian violinists due to his art of playing – which is governed wholly by intellect. This does not mean that Milstein plays in an academic or cool manner; his art is thoughtful and controlled – in the very best sense of the meaning. And this should certainly not be equated with “deliberateness”. On the contrary. Milstein’s tremendous virtuosity, particularly in the fiendishly difficult final movements of Tchaikovsky’s and Mendelssohn’s concertos, takes both works to new heights. Although never a forceful presence since he employs relatively little vibrato and thus achieves a slender tone, Milstein’s playing is filled with amazing assertion and luminance, and is quite fascinating for its extraordinary purity. And this is precisely what enhances his interpretation of these two great classical concertos, lending them a legendary grace, a feeling of rightness – that there is no other way. The Vienna Philharmonic with their great tradition provide support of the first order, and Claudio Abbado proves once again that he is a more than circumspect master of the baton.
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Performer: The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Herbert von Karajan
Genre: Classical
Label: DGG
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Richard Strauss: "Also Sprach Zarathustra" The opening fanfare from Richard Strauss’s "Also sprach Zarathustra" ("Thus spoke Zarathustra") is known to everyone since it was 'rediscovered' in Stanley Kubrick’s film "2001: A Space Odyssey" and consequently employed time and again in TV ads. At the turn of the century, however, renowned music critics asked themselves whether they should even bother to listen to the rest of the work, a symphonic poem, which – they presumed – was a narration in music of Nietzsche’s book. In what is probably his most famous orchestral composition, Strauss, however, freely associated the words of the Saxon poet and philosopher when putting them into music by using the key of C major to depict nature, and the greatly contrasting key of B major for humanity. Once again Herbert von Karajan proves himself a distinguished tour guide through the wistful, secretive and bleak sound world through which Strauss has his questing hero wander. And the Berlin Philharmonic thank him with captivating, meltingly beautiful violins, deep growling basses, and steely winds. One recalls with pleasure the legendary leading violinist Michel Schwalbé, who plays the solo part with immense feeling and profundity. Enhanced by a perfected analogue recording technique, this disc is a wise choice when it comes to Strauss.
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Performer: Mstislav Rostropovich and the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa
Genre: Classical
Label: DGG
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The world of music expects something special from the dedicatees of major compositions, especially when the honoured person himself performs the work either on stage or in the recording studio. Among such personages is Mstislav Rostropovich, the great maestro of the cello, who studied and successfully collaborated with Dmitri Shostakovich while still a student at the Moscow Conservatory and who later gave the premiere performances of his Cello Concertos. The Cello Concerto No. 2 from 1966 was composed around the same time as the highly emotional choral Symphonies Nos. 13 and 14 and displays a similar character of gloom and grim drama. The soloist presents the dark theme out of the depths and soon enters into brighter regions full of aggressive layers of sound. A wild conflict between soloist and orchestra follows, whereby the forced gaiety of the cello rages. As a contrast, the soloist is in perfect harmony with the piano in Glazunov’s "Chant du Ménestrel". Supported by warm chords, Rostropovich lets his instrument soar to the heights in a cultivated and thoughtful fashion and proves once again that he is truly a great interpreter of Russian music. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: August 1975 at Boston Symphony Hall by Hans-Peter Schweigmann Production: Thomas Mowrey
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Performer: Georges Bizet
Genre: undefined
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
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The recording was made in New York City. The 3-LP set comes in a hinged box made of thick cardboard and includes a 4-color, 12” x 12”, 70-page perfect bound book featuring the full libretto; profiles of the conductor and performers; and many photos. The set includes printed, poly-lined, audiophile-grade inner sleeves to hold the LPs. The album is on the prestigious TAS list, a list of the greatest audiophile recordings compiled by the editors of The Absolute Sound magazine.
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Performer: Sir Neville Marriner; Pepe Romero and the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Genre: Classical
Label: Philips
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Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez, Concierto Andaluz. The frenetic applause with which both the public and the experts greeted the Concierto de Aranjuez for guitar and orchestra, composed in 1940, is certainly astounding – one would have thought that 20th-century music was dominated chiefly by composers of twelve-tone music and the avantguardists. Rodrigo, however, remained faithful to the Classical three-movement form, employed a late-Romantic orchestral colouring, and followed in the tradition of Spanish composers who, perhaps more than any others, won their inspiration from the folkmusic of their native country. The whole work is full of the exotic magic of Spanish folkmusic, whereby the rhythmic drive of the first movement – reminiscent of clicking castanets – is particularly fascinating. Fortunately not only the composer but also the conductor and orchestra have taken care that the gentle tones produced by the world famous guitarist Pepe Romero are clearly to be heard. In addition, the listener is treated to a performance of the rarely recorded Concierto Andaluz for four guitars, composed in 1967. Once again the Romeros demonstrate that they are not only amazingly virtuosic musicians but are also worthy dedicatees of this unique work. Last but not least, PHILIPS balance engineers have produced a superb recording: Rodrigo himself was absolutely delighted with it – and this opinion one can well endorse. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: July / August 1978 by Wilhelm Hellweg / Production: Wilhelm Hellweg
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Performer: Miles Davis (tp); Barney Wilen (ts); René Urtreger (p); Pierre Michelot (b); Kenny Clarke (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Sam Records Fontana
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In 1957, Miles Davis is in Paris for an engagement at the Club Saint-Germain and a wonderful concert at the Olympia Theatre. Once in Paris, Miles came into contact with many members of the modern existentialist cultural environment in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Près. These include the director Louis Malle who had just finished his first movie : "Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud". Jean-Paul Rappeneau, a Jazz fan and Louis Malle's assistant at the time, suggested asking Miles Davis to create the film's soundtrack. A private sceening has been organized. On December 4 1957, Miles Davis brought three French Jazzmen - Barney Wilen on tenor saxophone, René Urtreger on piano, Pierre Michelot on bass and his american compatriot Kenny Clarke on drums - to the recording studio Le Poste Parisien without having them prepare anything. Miles Davis only gave the musicians a few rudimentary harmonic sequences he had assembled in his hotel room. This recording was made at night in a most informal atmosphere. The soundtrack was not released on it's own in the USA but ten songs from this soundtrack were released as one side of the album "Jazz Track" which received a 1960 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Performance, Solo or Small Group. "Ascenseur Pour L'échafaud" has become a great achievement of artistic excellence.
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Performer: Pilar Lorengar, Stuart Burrows, and other soloists, the Chicago Symphony Chorus & Orchestra conducted by Sir Georg Solti
Genre: Classical
Label: Decca
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Beethoven: Symphony No. 9, op. 125 It was clear from the start that Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, with its air of solemnity in the final chorus, which calls for brotherly love just as the New Year comes in, would become a musical part of our world’s cultural legacy. Hundreds of minds, Beethoven researcher Karl Nef prophesied, have been set in motion by this music in the most varied ways, and it will continue not only to bestow pleasure upon countless thousands, but also to stimulate mental life right at the most fundamental level. There are certainly only a very few truly cerebral interpretations which stand out from the fathomless mass of recordings. One of those upon which “The Absolute Sound” journal has stamped its coveted seal of approval is the recording with Georg Solti and his perfectly honed symphony musicians from Chicago. Here, this usually somewhat daring baton-wielder plumbs the very depths of the score and allows Beethoven’s rich abundance of ideas to ferment into a great whole. The four soloists prove their worth as first choice for the richly detailed and balanced synopsis of this fissured work. They captivate us as much in the solo as in the group singing with their natural and expressive intonation. The dry, very present sound highlights the fact that this is an artistic performance at the highest level. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: May 1972 in the Krannert Centre of the University of Illinois, Chicago, by Kenneth Wilkinson and Gordon Parry Production: David Harvey
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Performer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem, K. 626 - Soloists, the John Alldis Choir and the BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Colin Davis
Genre: Classical
Label: Philips
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Among all those sacred compositions that deal with the end of life, Mozart’s Requiem penetrates one’s heart and soul like no other apocalyptic work. One reason for this is surely the rather mysterious story surrounding its composition, a mixture of truth and legend, which arose during the arduous last months of the ailing Salzburg composer. Although the various developmental stages and the extent to which Mozart’s pupils participated in the composition may never be fully clarified, the mystical power of the enigmatic fragments remains constant to this day. Sir Colin Davis lends an immediate relentlessness to the sounds of despair that is already apparent in the tense, pulsating opening bars, and which is taken to the very limits of playability in the climactic "Dies irae". While the swift tempi might appear rather surprising, they serve to dampen any sort of opera-like sentimentality of which many recordings are guilty. The consolatory timbre in the vocal parts make them come across as oases of calm in the prevailing atmosphere of biting cold, fearsome drama, and flickering hope, all of which breathes musical life into this mass for the dead. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: September 1967 at Watford Town Hall, London, by Martin Vos Production: Harold Lawrence
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Performer: The London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Igor Markevitch
Genre: Classical
Label: Philips
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Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 Does it make sense to revive an early stereo recording of one of the most recorded works and put it on the market again? Certainly a valid question when one considers the enormous number of recordings of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. But when one listens to the Russian maestro’s mature work, it become quite clear why there is such a flood of recordings – although one often has the feeling that they are taking part in a musical Olympics, trying to go faster or louder, rather than achieving musical depth. With his unfailing, meticulous analysis of the score, Markevitch demonstrates just how much substance lies between the fateful, morbid fanfares on the brass at the beginning, the phantasmal arabesques of the pizzicato third movement, and the explosive, intoxicating finale: a dancelike verve that is reminiscent of his opera "Eugene Onegin" which was composed at the same time, the rising up and ebbing away of the passionate melodies, and the close-knit interplay of the voices allow us to share in the elation and enthusiasm Tchaikovsky felt during the work’s composition. But why this particular recording? Because Markevitch shows that the key to a thrilling Tchaikovsky recording lies neither in sheer force nor superficial exaltation and a swift tempo, but in resoluteness, great perceptiveness for the melodies, and a passion for detail.
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Performer: Beaux Arts Trio
Genre: Classical
Label: Philips
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Franz Schubert: - Piano Trios in B flat major, op. 99, D 898; in E flat major, op. posth. 148, D 897; in E flat major, op. 100, D 929; in B flat major, D 28 Anyone who takes an interest in Schubert’s late works will sooner or later come across cliché-like interpretations of his music that have been associated with a foreboding of his early death. Robert Schumann on the other hand was more objective when he looked at the score of Schubert’s two great Piano Trios: he characterised that in E flat major as effectual, masculine and dramatic, and the sister work in B flat major as languishing, feminine and lyrical. Both masterpieces have in common highly varied movements, which must be approached with great insight, a deeply felt sustained lyricism, and a courageous approach as regards the bold themes. That this recording with the Beaux Arts Trio has taken on a benchmark status might well lie in the fact that the three musicians amalgamate romantic fire with analytical aplomb which results in Schubert pure. With their non-stop ebb and flow of melodies, wonderfully indulgent sound colouring and a fiery tour de force through the miraculously winding harmonic paths, the Beaux Arts Trio prove themselves to be among the very best of all Schubert interpreters. Having taken their final bow at a concert in Leipzig in September 2009 after 54 years, the time is certainly ripe for an audiophile re-release of this superb recording.
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Performer: " The Turn Of A Friendly Card" - Andrew Powell (arr, cond); Alan Parsons, Eric Woolfson (keyb, voc); Ian Bairnson (g); David Paton (b); Stuart Elliot (dr, perc); and the Orchestra of the Munich Chamber Opera Care conducted by Sandor Farcas
Genre: Pop
Label: Arista
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Although numerous doubts abounded that concept albums with thematic focus were not what people wanted to hear, Alan Parsons’ somewhat egomaniacal projects always found a broad public. Of course one can listen to the perfectly styled sound of the music which this man created at the mixing console and concentrate on its programmatic contents or wallow in its esoteric tonal depths. But you don’t have to, for Parsons’ velvety mixture of ballads and rock numbers will get your ear’s nerve ends tingling without lyrics and themes. The album "The Turn Of A Friendly Card" includes two of Parsons’ very best songs: "Time", with its beautiful harmonies, and the gently swinging "Games People Play" which opens with Empire fanfares. That the instrumental tracks find favour with almost all rock fans is hardly surprising because the music more often than not emulates the driving sound of Brit Rock rather than bombastic “sonic soufflés” (Rolling Stone). But be that as it may, the title certainly holds its promise. The sales figures for this album clearly show that this ‘friendly card’ has definitely turned up trumps for Alan Parsons. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: 1979 by Alan Parsons Production: Alan Parsons and Eric Woolfson
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Performer: Alan Parsons (keyb); Eric Woolfson (keyb, voc); Andrew Powell (arr, cond); Ian Bairnson (g); Mel Collins (sax); David Paton (b, g, voc); Stuart Elliot (dr, perc), orchestra & chorus
Genre: Pop & rock
Label: Arista
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"Eye In The Sky"
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Performer: Thelonious Monk (p); Al McKibbon (b); Art Blakey (dr)
Genre: Jazz
Label: Pure Pleasure
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Alan Bates took Thelonious Monk into the studio for his first trio recording in fifteen years with his old sidekick Art Blakey. It has been said often enough that Blakey is the ideal drummer for Monk, and one has only to hear them together again after all this time to realize the truth of the statement. If Blakey at times seems to push the pianist almost too hard, that is in fact the nature of their musical relationship. And, throughout the session, Blakey appeared to be vying with the producer in alternately cajoling and coercing Monk into fulfilling various requests from the small invited audience. Recording: November 1971 at Chappell Studios, London, by John Timperley Production: Alan Bates
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Performer: Paavali Jumppanen (p)
Genre: Classical
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
+ Description
Jean Sibelius: Impromptu in B minor, op. 5 No.5 / Richard Wagner: Isoldens Liebestod (transcr. Franz Liszt) / Ludwig v. Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, op. 109 The Finish pianist Paavali Jumppanen is well known as an interesting and versatile artist for his interpretations of both works for piano solo and chamber music. His repertoire ranges from classical compositions for piano up to the avant-garde. In recent years he has performed the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in several concert cycles. Paavali Jumpannen chose the repertoire for his first Direct-to-Disc recording with several aspects in mind: »I wanted to include those compositions for which I feel a special affinity in this new and exciting project. At the same time, I wished to put together a programme which would revive memories of the ‘Golden Age’ of the gramophone record.« Recording: January 2012 at Meistersaal, Emil Berliner Studios, Berlin, by Stephan Flock and Maarten de Boer Production: Rainer Maillard & Stephan Flock
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Performer: Efrain Oscher (fl, arr, cond); Rhodri Clarke (p); Juan Manual Gonzàles (v); Pablo Bercellini (vc); Johane Gonzáles (b)
Genre: Pop & rock
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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Performer: Kinan Azmeh (cl) and the Mendelssohn Kammerorchester Leipzig concucted by Aurélien Bello
Genre: Classical
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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"Occident & Orient" Kinan Azmeh: "Wedding", "November 2" / L. v. Beethoven: "Marcia Alle Turca" / Peter A. Bauer: "Persia" / and other works
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Performer: Efrain Oscher (fl); Nigel Shore (o); Dario Marino (cl); Rhodri Clarke (p); Juan Manual Gonzàles, Rodrigo Bouzá (v); Luis Cordero jr (va); Pablo Bercellini (vc); Johane Gonzáles (b); Cruz Marin Rosas (cuatro)
Genre: Pop & rock
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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In Venezuela, at any gathering, musicians will take out their instruments and play traditional music for hours. This is a wonderful tradition, deeply missed when Venezuelan musicians go to live abroad. One of the triggers for the creation of Bolivar Soloists was the need to play our music, share it with our colleagues and perform it for audiences around the world. The original tunes have very distinctive characters and evoke simple but powerful emotions. It was a true challenge to bring these tunes into to a classical format trying both to keep the essence of the original and create a classical work to give it a faithful frame. These pieces convey the spirit of Venezuelan music making but also appeal to classical audiences who will enjoy the fine playing and fantastic musicianship. After their debut record with music from Astor Piazzolla for Berliner Meister Schallplatten, the Bolivar Soloists make their second LP with a new formation: flute, oboe, clarinet and string quintet. Powerful and flexible, this ensemble is joined by the Cuatro - Venezuelan national instrument, a four-stringed guitar - which plays a very important role in this repertoire. The players, who come from South America and Europe, became very intimate with the music, allowing them to perform it with great rhythmical accuracy but with freedom and spontaneity. As this performance was recorded direct to disc, leaving no possibility of post-production, audience were invited to the studio to create the right atmosphere and make the musicians feel at home. Recording: May 2013 at Emil Berliner Studio 1, Berlin, by Stephan Flock Production: Rainer Maillard & Stephan Flock
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Performer: Meta 4
Genre: Classical
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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Jean Sibelius: String Quartet In D Minor, op. 56 ("Voces intimae")
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Performer: Natacha Kudritskaya (p); Marcelo Nisiman (bandeon); Daniel Rowland (v); Alberto Mesirca (g); Zoran Markovic (b)
Genre: Pop & rock
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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Astor Piazzolla: Tangos del Ángel y del Diablo - ChamberJam Europe
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Performer: "Paris - Berlin" - Joscho Stephan Trio (Joscho Stephan (lead-g); Volker Kamp (b); Sven Jungbeck (rhythm-g)
Genre: Pop
Label: Berliner Meister Schallplatten
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For roughly 20 years now, the guitarist Joscho Stephan has been performing as a gypsy swing musician on both a national and international level. Forming a trio with Volker Kamp on the double bass and Sven Jungbeck on the rhythm guitar, he feels himself drawn to the musical legacy of the “Hot Club de France”, the legendary ensemble which Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli brought to life in the Thirties in Paris. Having made numerous CD productions, it was more or less a matter of course to make a recording under the very same conditions as Django Reinhardt and all renowned swing and jazz musicians had experienced up until the end of the 40s –, namely Direct-to-Disc! The A-side boasts the title “Paris”. Alongside his own compositions ("Train To Paris" and "Valse de la Mer") we find such Django classics as "Are You In The Mood", and the numbers "Songe d’Automne" and "Vous et Moi", which are also evergreens from the gypsy swing genre. The B-side is an homage to the recording location and the recording studio (EBS) which is associated with it: Berlin. Not only are such hits to be heard as "Mein kleiner grüner Kaktus" (as an up-tempo swing number), "Hallo, kleines Fräulein" and "Bei Dir war es immer so schön" (by Theo Mackeben), but also "Kein Schwein ruft mich an" from the great Max Raabe. "Wes Berlin" by Joscho Stephan brings the LP to a close in a final bow to Wes Montgomery, ending our journey from Paris to Berlin. Recording: June 2018 at Studio1 of Emil Berliner Studios, Berlin, by Stephan Flock Production: Rainer Maillard & Stephan Flock
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Performer: Cassandra Wilson (sardo, g); Kevin Breit (voc, man, g, bjo, bouzouki); Olu Dara (tp); Rhonda Richmond (voc, p); Mark Peterson (b); Xavyon Jamison (dr); Jeffrey Haynes (perc); a.o.
Genre: Jazz
Label: Pure Pleasure
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"Belly Of The Sun" Cassandra Wilson continues to move down a highly eclectic path on "Belly Of The Sun", the somewhat belated follow-up to "Traveling Miles". While displaying a jazz singer's mastery of melodic nuance and improvisatory phrasing, Wilson draws on a variety of non-jazz idioms -- roots music, rock, Delta blues, country, soul -- to create a kind of earthy, intelligent pop with obvious crossover appeal. Her core band includes guitarists Marvin Sewell and Kevin Breit, who blend marvelously, Sewell mostly on mellow acoustic and Breit adding atmospheric touches on electric, 12-string, and slide guitars, as well as mandolin, banjo, and even bouzouki. Bassist Mark Peterson and percussionists Jeffrey Haynes and Cyro Baptista provide a superbly sensitive rhythmic foundation. But because Wilson returned to her home state of Mississippi to record most of this album, she made sure to book some time with local musicians. Thus guitarist Jesse Robinson guests on (and co-writes) the funky "Show Me a Love", and the octogenarian pianist "Boogaloo" Ames plays an unpolished yet utterly heartfelt duet with Wilson on the classic "Darkness on the Delta". Other guests include drummer Xavyon Jamison, trumpeter Olu Dara, pianist and vocalist Rhonda Richmond (who penned the slowly swaying "Road So Clear"), guitarist Richard Johnston, backup vocalists Patrice Monell, Jewell Bass, Henry Rhodes, and Vasti Jackson, and the children of New York's Middle School 44. Wilson delves into vintage blues with Mississippi Fred McDowell's "You Gotta Move" and a brief yet dynamic rendition of Robert Johnson's "Hot Tamales". But the best tracks are the rock/pop covers: the Band's "The Weight", Bob Dylan's "Shelter From the Storm", James Taylor's "Only a Dream in Rio", Jobim's "Waters of March", and Jimmy Webb's "Wichita Lineman" (a 1968 hit for Glen Campbell). Wilson and band are in peak interpretive form on these ethereal reinventions. While her own lyrics may not rise to the level of a Robbie Robertson or a Bob Dylan, her versatility and focus come through clearly on the originals "Justice", "Just a Parade" (a collaboration with neo-soul rookie India.Arie), and the Caribbean-tinged "Cooter Brown".
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Performer: Cassandra Wilson (voc); Don Byron (cl); Olu Dara (c); Brandon Ross, Chris Whitley (g); Charlie Burnham (v, mandocello); Kenny Davis, Lonnie Plaxico (b); Tony Cedras (acc); Lance Carter, Bill McClellan (dr, perc) a.o.
Genre: Jazz
Label: Pure Pleasure
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"Blue Light ‘Til Dawn" Cassandra Wilson started out as a jazz singer, doing gigs with several innovative bands (including Brooklyn's experimental M-Base collective) and at the same time recording typical jazz-singer let-me-entertain-you stuff - "Night and Day" and "Blue Skies" and shooby dooby dooby. Eventually the Mississippi-born New York–based vocalist, who reigned among the elite jazz singers of the 1980s, became restless, and began to look beyond torch songs for inspiration. So she looked outside of jazz for inspiration. In interviews, she's recalled how she began seeking new challenges for her voice, a mighty instrument blessed with husky overtones and an alluringly smoky woodish hue. She began to integrate gospel and blues and pop songs into her performances, eventually assimilating them into music that blurs genre distinctions entirely. "Blue Light 'Til Dawn" is the first album to capture that shift. It features wondrously spare, molasses-slow versions of Robert Johnson ("Come On in My Kitchen", "Hellhound On My Trail"), Philly soul (Thom Bell and Linda Creed's "Children Of The Night,"), pop (Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey"), and torch song ("You Don't Know What Love Is"). Working with a small group of inventive New York jazzers, emphasizing hand drums and percussion over trap set, Wilson cultivates the opposite of dazzle - hers is an inviting, shadow-filled sound that calls from a lonesome bayou. Atmosphere dictates everything that happens on these tracks, and helps knit together pieces from disparate ends of popular music. It also guides Wilson's vocals: Her sullen "Hellhound" wanders far from typical blues woe, yet winds up an apt, weary summation of it all the same.
Performer: David Lindley (voc, g, b, v, lute); Jackson Browne, Jorge Calderón (voc); Garth Hudson (horns); Curt Bouterse (dulcimer); Bob Glaub, Reggie McBride (b); William 'Smitty' Smith, Billy Payne (org); Ian Wallace (dr); Ras Baboo (perc, voc, acc)
Genre: Pop & rock
Label: Asylum
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When David Lindley commenced on his solo career with "El Rayo-X" in 1981, he had already established himself as a studio musician in numerous venues. His competent playing, which he had long cultivated in performance with Jackson Browne, Linda Ronstadt and Crosby & Nash, is concentrated here on this album like an x-ray beam. And what is more: the multi-instrumentalist worked on his early, forgotten attempts on the banjo and fiddle and took himself right up to the strings of the steel guitar. Here are just a few examples of the many styles which are gathered here together on this album: After the off-beat reggae rhythm of "She Took Off My Romeos" follows one of the greatest guitar hits of the 80s – "Bye, Bye Love". Then comes "Mercury Blues" with its magnificently sharp and swift-paced guitar playing. Not only the rhythmic mix but also the instrumentation follows a cleverly devised plan and is tailor-made for each number. "Quarter Of A Man", a subtle colourful dance on the bass line, is just as impressive as the pointed jabs of the well-established organ in "Ain’t No Way". All in all, this is a lavishly produced rock album of its time and well worth the listening today. This Speakers Corner LP was remastered using pure analogue components only, from the master tapes through to the cutting head. More information under www.pure-analogue.com. All royalties and mechanical rights have been paid. Recording: 1981 at Record One, Los Angeles, by Greg Ladanyi Production: Jackson Browne and Greg Ladanyi
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