"jesús Heredia

To celebrate its 50th Anniversay, harmonia mundi presents 50 masterworks in the development of Western classical music, performed by undisputed masters in their field. This set features over 36 hours of music (all complete works, no excerpts) of music in audiophile-quality sound, elequently packaged in a deluxe boxed set and offered at a very low price. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a discerning connoisseur, you will be thrilled to experience the sonic triumphs of the world's most innovative independent label.

To celebrate its 50th Anniversay, harmonia mundi presents 50 masterworks in the development of Western classical music, performed by undisputed masters in their field. This set features over 36 hours of music (all complete works, no excerpts) of music in audiophile-quality sound, elequently packaged in a deluxe boxed set and offered at a very low price. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a discerning connoisseur, you will be thrilled to experience the sonic triumphs of the world's most innovative independent label.

Saxophonist and flutist Jorge Pardo finds common ground between the romantic warmth of flamenco and the harmonic density of jazz on his fourth solo release. There's some synthesizer influence, but the electronics do not overwhelm either the Afro-Latin rhythmic foundation or the expressive playing displayed by Pardo, alto flutist Fernando Bravo, and guitarists Augustin Carbonell and Gerardo Nunez. Sometimes things get a bit lush, but Pardo and his comrades retain enough instrumental fire and energy to keep the date from becoming bogged down or overly sentimental.

Flautist/saxophonist Jorge Pardo is a leading proponent of nuevo flamenco. On his fifth release, he pushes the envelope, presenting jazz standards and pop alongside more traditional compositions. "Caravan" lends itself well to rhythmic interpretations, but the arrangement degenerates midway into a dark-toned muddle. "'Round Midnight" and "Michelle," presented simply with flute and guitar, fare better, coming across as pleasant, "light jazz" renditions. The balance of the compositions are mostly by Pardo, and make his case more persuasively.

Ten songs of Paco de Lucia played by Jorge Pardo (sax and flute) and Chano Dominguez (piano) and accompanied by Javier Colina (bass), Tino di Geraldo (drums) and Luis Dulzaides (congas, bongos and chekere).