1939

The radio recordings between 1939 and 1945 with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Wilhelm Furtwängler are among classical music’s most compelling sound documents. Created at the peak of the collaboration between orchestra and conductor, Furtwängler’s artist personality is conveyed more vividly than anywhere else. What can be heard is music in which inspiration and the expressive will know no bounds and in which, not least, the existential experience of the Second World War reverberates. For the first time, the Berliner Philharmoniker are releasing a complete edition of these recordings on 22 CD/SACD.

There is something carefree and joyful about the music of Django Reinhardt; something that comes bubbling to the surface every time he begins a wild run of notes on his acoustic guitar. Of course the swinging style of Stephane Grappelli's violin doesn't hurt. Nor do great songs like "Tea for Two," "My Melancholy Baby," and "Jeepers Creepers." Swing 39 captures 17 tracks by the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, including a number of alternate versions, on the eve of Grappelli leaving the group (because of the war). Two bouncy versions of "Jeepers Creepers" start things off, and while the pacing of both cuts is similar, each guitar solo is fresh and fundamentally different. Reinhardt creates endless variety through his ability to solo with chords or single notes, bend strings, and constantly alter the tempo…

Curtis Mosby and Henry Starr - Recorded On The West Coast And London, 1924-1939 (1996) {Jazz Oracle BDW8003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 286 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 170 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 39 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1924-39, 1996 Jazz Oracle | BDW 8003
Jazz / Early Jazz

Most of this CD is the complete output by Curtis Mosby & His Dixieland Blue Blowers, one of the top jazz bands active in Los Angeles in the 1920s. Although the soundtrack from its appearance in the 1929 movie Hallelujah is not here, this disc has the first-time release of two numbers from a scratchy 1924 test pressing. Otherwise, the eight selections and four alternate takes from 1927-1929 are full of spirit and strong musicianship, with highlights including "Weary Stomp," "Whoop 'Em Up Blues," "Blue Blower's Blues," "Hardee Stomp," and three versions of "Tiger Stomp."

Rosa Ponselle - The 1939 Victor and 1954 'Villa Pace' Recordings (1996) {3CD Set Romophone 81022-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 771 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 516 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 15 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1939, 1954, 1996 Victor / Romophone | 81022-2
Classical / Vocal / Historical

Legendary soprano Rosa Ponselle recalled these sessions taped by RCA in her Baltimore home as the only time she enjoyed making records. Fourteen years after her abrupt retirement from opera, her voluptuous instrument (ruby red in the '39 Victors and now tinged with purple) soars to better advantage in the amplitude of her spacious music room than within the cramped confines of the recording studio. Whether in Beethoven, Schubert, Debussy, Mozart, or Tosti songs, or chestnuts like "Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes," the vocalism is always informed by Ponselle's musical intelligence and sense of style. Romophone brings together all the material from these home sessions, including 75 minutes of music not issued by RCA, plus a promotional interview that reveals a warm, down-to-earth persona quite different from your typical diva stereotype. Ponselle fans need no encouragement to acquire this set.