Brass Roland

The Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra under John Storgårds offer a fascinating program of two major orchestral works by Alexander Zemlinsky (1871–1942) as world premiere recordings.

Arranged by Billy May, Come Swing with Me! was Frank Sinatra's final swing session for Capitol Records. The album falls somewhere between the carefree Come Fly with Me and the hard-swinging Come Dance with Me!, borrowing elements of the humor of Fly and the intense, driving rhythms of Dance. Recorded without strings or saxes, the brass-heavy sound of the album was noticeable, but it wasn't nearly as distinctive as the ping-ponging stereo effects of the album…

George Braith - The Complete Blue Note Sessions (2001) {2CD Set, Blue Note Connoisseur CD Series 24558 rec 1963-1964}
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© 1963-64, 2001 Blue Note / Capitol | 7243 5 24558 2 9 | 24-bit remaster
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

The use of multiphonics in jazz has been mastered by very few players, and while at times shrill and thin, can be enlivening and exciting. Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Albert Mangelsdorff set the gold standard, while several trumpeters like Rayse Biggs and Corey Wilkes have tried it with two brass instruments, and contemporary saxophonist Jeff Coffin gives it ago. George Braith holds a singularly unique place in the pantheon of these stylistas, following the path of Kirk in playing two saxophones while combining bop and soul-jazz. This set represents the complete works of Braith on Blue Note in 1963 and 1964 from the albums Two Souls in One, Soul Stream, and Extension.

Jim Hall - Youkali (1992) {CTI Records 67226-2}
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© 1992 CTI Records | 67226-2
Jazz / Cool / Post Bop / Guitar

Guitarist Jim Hall gets the late-period Creed Taylor CTI treatment on the generally rewarding Youkali set. Extensive overdubbing was used so Chet Baker (who died in 1988) magically appears on three of the six selections. Also teamed with Hall on some numbers are Grover Washington, Jr. (on soprano and tenor), Donald Harrison on soprano, the wordless vocals of Carmen Cuesta (on "Youkali"), a brass section, and various other instruments arranged by Jim Pugh and Don Sebesky. Through it all, Hall plays quite tastefully as usual. The six songs ("Youkali" is a lesser-known Kurt Weill tune and Hall composed the moody "All Across the City") are superior, the arrangements work well, and the guitarist makes all of this work quite worthwhile.

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.