Die Berliner Mauer 1961 1989

The flagship band for East German rock, Puhdys formed officially in 1969 in Oranienburg, although members of the band had been working together since 1965. The band name was made up of the first letters of the initial members' first names, which at the start featured Peter Meyer on keyboards, Udo Jacob on drums, Harry Jeske on bass, and Dieter Herttrampf on vocals and guitar…

These performances derive from two quintet concerts in Germany: early, 1953 (first 5 tunes) and December, 1961 (remainder). Dizzy is in prime form on both occasions. The first band (his undistinguished New York group of the time, Bill Graham with a few short bari solos) stays in the background, allows Diz to shine. The second quintet carries more weight with Lalo Schifrin (piano), Leo Wright (alto), and Mel Lewis subbing on drums. Schifrin was just coming into prominence as Dizzy's musical director, and he brought a lot of Latin energy and authenticity into the band. He had premiered his tango "Long Long Summer" a few weeks before at the Monterey Jazz Festival. Schifrin also takes some virtuosic piano solos. Typically an understated accompanist, Lewis steps forward and stirs things up though he doesn't actually solo…

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross made their debut on Columbia in 1959, and this CD contains not only all of the music from their first CBS album, but five titles from two later records. This set has many memorable classics from the great singers Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks (the top vocalese lyricist) and Annie Ross. Highlights include the upbeat "Charleston Alley," a remake of Ross' "Twisted," the heated "Cloudburst," Hendricks' humorous "Gimme That Wine," "Summertime" (a recreation of Miles Davis' version with Gil Evans), and "Come on Home." Although Lambert, Hendricks and Ross only lasted a few years, their influence on other vocal groups was enormous. This set is a perfect place for collectors to begin to explore their vocal magic.

Nicanor Zabaleta was one of the foremost harpists of the 20th century, as important to the advancement of the harp as Segovia was to the guitar. At the age of seven, Zabaleta's father, an amateur musician, bought him a harp from an antique shop. The young Nicanor soon began taking lessons from Vincenta Tormo de Calvo, who was on the Madrid Conservatory faculty, and with Luisa Menarguez. At 17, he began studies in Paris; among his teachers there were Marcel Tournier and Jacqueline Borot.