Django Hdtt

McKaya McCraven is not your typical jazz drummer. No indeed he is not–his music spans so many generations of jazz. He and his groups are always pushing the boundaries of jazz and in an unique way. Case in point, here he is found with a quartet (drums, vibes, bass and cello) of world class musicians playing rhythmic layers and textures of sound somewhat reminiscent of Miles’ “In A Silent Way”. Further enhancing the experience, the sound was captured on the highest quality equipment using a custom Studer 8-track tape deck and world-renown vintage tube microphones. The result is a recording of startling presence and of natural sound. Many have commented that the vibes and drum sound on this recording are as good as ever recorded. Combined with an original, yet easy-to-listen-to performance, this is a true gem of modern jazz and a true delight for those interested in the highest quality sound.

Leopold Stokowski was one of the greatest conductors of all time. Born in London on April 18, 1882, he started his musical career as an organist. In 1903, he took the post of principal organist at St. James’ Church in London, situated in a small side off the famous Piccadilly. Although only 21 years old, he became soon well-known and after two years received an offer from St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York, which he accepted enthusiastically. The congregation loved him, particularly for his uncommon musical repertoire.

In the early days of Stereo, record companies were always looking for ways to show off the capabilities of this new format. One musical genre that met with great success was instrumental pop, and especially percussive releases…

Featured on drums is Joe Morello of Dave Brubeck fame, and top percussionists Bobby Christian and Gary Burton with some very tasty vibes work. Robert Wessberg is outstanding on tubaphone (a soft marimba-like instrument). Wessberg, incidentally, is the Schory band's number one percussionist on tour and a master of all percussion instruments. The orchestra is sizable with full brass and woodwind sections and everybody doubling like mad.

The Mahler Seventh comes not from a commercial recording but from someone connected with the Concertgebouw Orchestra. Made in 1983, it is of excellent fidelity but also suffers somewhat from the stridency problem. Possessed of the two mysterious “Night Music” movements with the devilish scherzo in between, plus a gangbusters rousing conclusion in the key of C, the Seventh has been my personal favorite Mahler symphony for some years. The Dutch audience is very quiet in spite of this being an exciting live recording.

Since its original release, Jochum's performance has consistently been a prime recommendation for this much-recorded piece, listening to it again in the superbly remastered sound, one can easily hear why. He pays great attention to detail - particularly with regard to tempo and articulation - yet the performance as a whole has a tremendous cogent sweep and the choruses have terrifiс power. The more reflective sections are not neglected, however, and movements such as "Stetit Puella", with Janowitz sounding alluring and fey, have surely never been more sensitively handled. Stolze is ideal as the roasted swan and Fischer-Dieskau encompasses the very varied requirements of the baritone's music with ease. In spite of the presence of more than 30 rivals in the catalogue, this distinguished performance, authorized by the composer and now sounding better than ever, easily retains its place at the head of the queue.

Charles Münch and his orchestra are utterly persuasive in their view of the work and thanks to HDTT, they are with us again in wonderful, near-analogue sound. Incidentally, this 1962 version is rarely seen on a reissue, the 1956 version is the one thats almost always used.

George Frideric Handel's "Alcina", "Ariodante" and "Il pastor Fido" (The Faithful Shepherd) were cornerstone of Sir Thomas Beecham’s so-called ‘lollipops’ and are beautifully rendered here. These recordings represent some of Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields with Sir Neville Marriner's earliest, dating from 1970 and 1971.

As intended, this album presents alto sax specialist Paul Desmond as never featured before, with the backing of a string orchestra. The record, filled with such beautiful jazz standards as "My Funny Valentine", "I've Got You Under My Skin", and "Body and Soul", is very rich in texture, yet subtle and mellow overall in mood. It's unyielding purpose: to soothe the souls of its listeners. Desmond's style and tone shine with an alluring quality, and the record is filled with melodies that don't fail to stimulate the sophisticated jazz listener.

Leopold Stokowski was one of the greatest conductors of all time. Born in London on April 18, 1882, he started his musical career as an organist. In 1903, he took the post of principal organist at St. James’ Church in London, situated in a small side off the famous Piccadilly. Although only 21 years old, he became soon well-known and after two years received an offer from St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York, which he accepted enthusiastically. The congregation loved him, particularly for his uncommon musical repertoire.