Diane Hidy Clementi

On the occasion of his 80th birthday, Die Schachtel is proud to present "Punctum Contra Punctum", a deluxe compact disc box dedicated to Aldo Clementi, one of the most important figures of Italian music of the 20th Century. Born in Sicily in 1925, he studied piano and later composition under the guidance of teachers such as Goffredo Petrassi and Bruno Maderna, who also introduced him to electronic music at the RAI Studio of Phonology in Milan.

Aspiring to Parnassus, the mythological mountain home of the Muses, Jean Rondeau explores the possibilities of the harpsichord in music composed over more than 400 years – much of it for the piano. He pays tribute to the Austrian composer Johann Joseph Fux, who in 1725 published the original Gradus ad Parnassum, an influential treatise on counterpoint, and to Muzio Clementi, whose similarly titled collection of piano studies came a century later. The theme continues with Debussy’s Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, an affectionate parody of Clementi from the Children’s Corner suite.

The songs on Diane Warren: The Cave Sessions Vol. 1 joins a beyond-impressive songwriting resume that includes countless staples of modern music history. The list of legends and icons Warren has written for, from Aretha Franklin to Willie Nelson to Cher, is jaw-dropping. But she also continues to work with many of today’s most popular acts, including Beyoncé, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Christina Aguilera, Snoop Dogg, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, Andra Day, Demi Lovato, Common, Janelle Monáe, Zendaya, Emeli Sandé and Mickey Guyton. She’s penned nine #1, thirty-two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

This CD features a logical combination: singer Diane Schuur with the Count Basie big band. In what would be longtime rhythm guitarist Freddie Green's final performance, Schuur and the Basie ghost band (under the direction of Frank Foster) perform material that includes her standards (such as "Deedles' Blues" and "Climbing Higher Mountains"), Dave Brubeck's "Travlin' Blues" and the Joe Williams-associated "Everyday I Have The Blues." Unfortunately, the Basie band is mostly used in accompaniment without any significant solos, but Schuur sounds quite comfortable in this format and her voice is in prime form.

Artists are liminal figures — they cross thresholds and collapse boundaries between past, present, and future. In THE NEW EPOCH, three musicians from the Boston Artists Ensemble interpret works by French composers Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, and Lili Boulanger, infusing these pieces with unprecedented freshness and clarity. Each celebrated in their own right, cellist Jonathan Miller, violinist Lucia Lin, and pianist Diane Walsh join forces in every duo setting possible from this assortment of instruments. Exploring works written at the threshold of the First World War — with the world crossing into the violent twentieth century and composers reacting with music that looked both nostalgically back and innovatively forward — they underline the commonalities between each composer’s unique voice and reinterpret this music for our turbulent present. Each celebrated in their own right, cellist Jonathan Miller, violinist Lucia Lin, and pianist Diane Walsh join forces in every duo setting possible from this assortment of instruments. Exploring works written at the threshold of the First World War –– with the world crossing into the violent twentieth century and composers reacting with music that looked both nostalgically back and innovatively forward –– they underline the commonalities between each composer’s unique voice and reinterpret this music for our turbulent present.

Long frustrated by the release schedule restraints of conventional labels, electronic new age Renaissance man David Arkenstone joined with his wife, Diane, to create Neo Pacifica, a label releasing a wide variety of creatively diverse expressions. One of the label's highlights is introducing vocalist/keyboardist Diane as a composer and artist in her own right. With David's composing and production assistance, Diane creates what comes across as a continuous, unbroken musical piece, but is actually comprised of eight thoughtful compositions. The promise of trance in the album title might imply that this will be something of a formless musical experience, but all the ethereal effects (which include her whispery, seductive voice chanting like our subconscious) are given a solid musical foundation, complete with drum machine groove and reasonably memorable synth or piano melodies…

Diane Maltester and Nancy Bachmann take listeners on a mesmerizing musical journey with WILD SWANS. Contemporary composer Nancy Bachmann’s exquisite music entices listeners with an artist’s pallet of expressive and progressive sounds. Released under Navona Records, this extraordinary album showcases Bachmann’s compositions for the superbly talented clarinetist, Diane Maltester.