1056

Ralph Towner & Gary Burton - Matchbook (1975) {ECM 1056}
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© 1975 ECM Records | ECM 1056 / 835 014-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Folk Jazz / Modern Postbebop / Guitar / Vibes

This set of duets by vibraphonist Gary Burton and guitarist Ralph Towner features a logical matchup, since both musicians are open to folk melodies and are generally quiet improvisers. In addition to six Towner originals and Burton's "Brotherhood," the set has thoughtful versions of "Some Other Time" and "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat." More tempo and mood variation would have uplifted the otherwise fine music.

Les Sonadori - Cantate Violini! (Florid early baroque songs & polyphony) (2019) {Passacaille 1056}
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© 2019 Passacaille | 1056
Classical / Renaissance / Early Baroque / Period Instruments

The most beautiful polyphonic canzoni, chansons, motets and madrigals, were used like today’s pop standards in the 16th century; musicians would improvise on them, tailoring their playing and imagination to each other. The colourful and varied selection of works on this recording is made up of different combinations of voices and instruments. A special aspect, a kind of renaissance violin band stands at the centre of this project: ensembles of violins were generally used to accompany certain moments in the Mass, at banquets, receptions, princely entertainments, entries into cities and palaces, diplomatic negotiations and sacred and secular processions as well as the long hours of dancing that followed the evening meal in northern Italy from the 1530s onwards, until the 1580s and 1590s announced the arrival of the new baroque style.

Wim Mertens - Close Cover (1986) {Windham Hill Records WD-1056}
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© 1986 Windham Hill Records | WD-1056
Avant-Garde / Minimalism / Neo-Classical / Contemporary Instrumental

Compiled from Mertens's solo and group projects recorded during the early to mid '80s, this Windham Hill collection offers an overview of his textural, multilayered style of minimalist composition.

Maria João Pires (b. 1944) recorded this recital some years ago; it is thankfully back in the catalog now, finally available again after so many years, thanks to Apex. There are many aspects of the recording which show their age considering the general approach to Bach on the piano in the year 2013—the slower tempos in the fast movements, the thicker orchestral textures, the expressive use of rubato, the numerous hairpin phrasings, especially in the strings. Yet the performances hold up well simply because Pires and Corboz are so in tune with the characters of each of these individual works.

Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhaus Orchester, Leipzig follow the international success of their recording of Gershwin's piano concerto in F with five of Bach's best loved concertos for keyboard, a recording which has already stayed 7 weeks in the Italian Pop charts. The soloist is young Iranian-born Bach specialist Ramin Bahrami. Well known on the international concert platform, Ramin Bahrami studied with the legendary American Bach pianist Rosalyn Tureck, the artist who perhaps more than any other brought the composer's keyboard works to the attention of the public through her research and recordings.