Brass Roland

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was not only a brilliant conductor – having served with the New York Philharmonic for several decades beginning in 1943 – but was also recognized as one of the 20th century's most lauded composers. In that respect, few if any have contributed as significantly to classical music in the context of the American experience. It could likewise be contended that his contributions to the Broadway stage solidified the formerly intransigent chasm existing between symphonic and popular music. In honor of what would have been Bernstein's 85th birthday, Sony Music created a pair of mid-priced sets celebrating the maestro's accomplishments. A Total Embrace: The Composer (2003) offers more than three and a half hours of highlights spanning nearly a quarter-century.

With John Clark (french horn), John Eckert (tpt). All brass front line. Includes three Knepper compositions, two standards, one by Hanna.

By 1968, Waters was no longer reaching black audiences, who were mostly listening to soul music by that time, and he also wasn't selling records to more than a relatively small cult of white blues enthusiasts. Meanwhile, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, and Cream were selling millions of records each using licks and sometimes songs learned from Waters. Previously, in 1966, Chess Records had recorded Waters' Brass and the Blues, trying to make him sound like B.B. King, and this time Leonard Chess' son Marshall conceived Electric Mud as a way for Waters to reach out to the Rolling Stones/Hendrix/Cream audience. Recorded in May of 1968, Electric Mud features Waters in excellent vocal form, running through new versions of old songs such as "I Just Want to Make Love to You," "She's Alright," "Hoochie Coochie Man," "Mannish Boy," and "The Same Thing"…

The patron saint of neglected instruments, Hindemith composed more than 30 sonatas for very diverse resources – including, unusually, such instruments as the bass tuba and double bass. Among the more obscure combinations is the Sonata for Althorn and Piano, which opens this arresting new disc, and stands out further for including a spoken dialogue between the two players (here, Teunis van der Zwart and Alexander Melnikov) at the start of its finale. Sonata-starved trombonists also value Hindemith’s contribution to their repertoire, but as Gérard Costes shows, this is not merely Gebrauchsmusik (utility music), useful only to performers themselves. Played with blazing tone by Jeroen Berwaerts, the Trumpet Sonata emerges with particular brilliance. These three brass sonatas generally come across with more subtlety than on the well-known recordings by Glenn Gould and friends. Anchoring this new project, Alexander Melnikov is a superbly thoughtful and questing pianist.

The Blind Boys Of Alabama - Down In New Orleans (2008) {Time Life M19548}
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© 2008 Direct Holdings Americas / Time Life | M19548
Gospel / Black Gospel / Jazz / Soul / Blues / Southern Gospel / Contemporary Gospel

Down in New Orleans is a gospel album by The Blind Boys of Alabama, released in 2008. It won Best Traditional Gospel Album at the 51st Grammy Awards. At the Dove Awards of 2009, the album won Traditional Gospel Album of the Year, and the track Free at Last won Traditional Gospel Recorded Song of the Year. The Blind Boys of Alabama recorded in New Orleans for the first time in their almost 75 year history. Amongst the musicians supporting include legendary pianist/producer and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Allen Toussaint and The Preservation Hall Jazz Band. After performing together for over six decades, The Blind Boys of Alabama have enjoyed one of the more striking comebacks in recent memory.