Gershwin Blue

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra / Raymond Leppard - American Dreams: Barber's Adagio & Other American Romantic Masterpieces
Chadwick, Barber, Foote, Carpenter, Canning, Carmichael & Gershwin
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 230 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: Decca # 458 157-2 | Country/Year: Europe 1999 | Genre: Classical

…Leppard and his Hoosiers nevertheless do an exquisite job on everything. The orchestral sound itself is beautiful, the shaping of phrases lovely and detailed, and the overall flow of each piece unimpeded. Leppard knows how to tell the musical tale, especially evident in the Gershwin, which can pall in less committed performances. Based on the Chadwick and Foote, I especially want to revisit Leppard's Dvorák and Tchaikovsky.

Given the depth, range and quality of the Deutsche Grammophon catalogue, it’s hardly been difficult to put together another anthology of great recordings and great artists. The structure is as before – here are 53 original albums (including three double-sets), featuring the great names of Deutsche Grammophon’s recording history, presented, once more, in alphabetical order of artist. Claudio Abbado leads off with a complete Carmen and Krystian Zimerman rounds off with his memorable account of the Chopin Ballades.

EKSEPTION is a Dutch band that was famous during the late sixties/early seventies for the way it combined themes from classical composers with contemporary rock and jazz in a blend of dominating, virtuoso keys and trumpet plus sax(es). The story of EKSEPTION as we know it begins when they won the first prize at the Loosdrecht Jazz Festival in 1968, and they were rewarded with a record contract with Philips.

This CD reflects the finest of the fifties and remains timeless. You will hear early Brubeck when life was new and everything fresh. His early sidemen were really into it. This group had its own passport to inner space. You get fun and serenity both on this CD.

The recordings in the present set are typically fluent, compelling De Franco music in a first-class small combo setting. “I never abandoned the idea of being able to experience a somatic feeling in addition to the intellectual experience of modern music. Both are essential. You gotta have both—the cerebral and the feel, the funk. Individually De Franco and Harry “Sweets” Edison blow with the confidence and assertiveness that have become their hallmarks. Kessel takes care of business, lying quietly in the background until it comes his turn to solo, then leaping out to have his say. Jimmy Rowles, Herbie Mann, Bob Hardaway, and the rest of the men playing here are deeply swinging in healthly, mainstream fashion…

Thelonious Monk - The Complete Black Lion and Vogue Recordings (1989) {3CD Set Mosaic MD3-112 rec 1954, 1971}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 620 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 403 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 52 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1954, 1971, 1989 Black Lion / Vogue / Mosaic Records | MD3-112
Jazz / Bop / Modal Jazz / Piano

The recordings gathered in this package have been issued in a multitude of ways and are available in a number of configurations. The audiophile jazz label Mosaic Records issued The Complete Vogue Recordings/The Black Lion Sessions on vinyl initially, later releasing the title as a slightly expanded three-CD package. Chronologically, the earlier of the two sets consists of the Vogue recordings from June 7, 1954. The Black Lion sides are divided between a second batch of solo works as well as a trio session – featuring Al McKibbon (bass) and Art Blakey (drums) – both of which were cut on November 11, 1971.

Michel Legrand - Anthology (2013) {15CD Box Set EmArcy–Universal Music France 5345569}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 5.83 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 2.62 Gb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 346 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2013 Universal Music France / EmArcy | 534 556 9
Classical / Jazz / French / Songwriter

Autumn 2013 marks Legrand's great return to the music scene: two concerts with Natalie Dessay at The Olympia in Paris (October 28th and 29th) followed by a tour through France and Europe, and also his first memoirs, Rien n'est grave dans les aigus, to be published by the Cherche-Midi Editeur. To tie in with these events, Universal Classics & Jazz France has undertaken the most ambitious, abundantly prolific and extravagant record-project ever devoted to Michel Legrand: a 15CD boxed-set which brings together every face and aspect of every domain on the Legrand continent; in other words, songs, jazz, original film-soundtracks, symphonic works, musicals…