Heart of The Wild

The Heart of the Dragon ensemble and Chinese composer Jiang Li present this elegant union of 'East meets West'. Featuring the sophisticated Chinese xiao and the Dai nation's joyous hulusi, they seamlessly blend a range of traditional Chinese music with western drums, bass, guitar, piano and strings. The result is a beautiful amalgamation of classic Chinese heritage, Dai nation folk history and western influence.

The Cookers are a young group of oldsters, seven esteemed jazz veterans of some 60s and 70s years of age whose experience and ongoing creativity now offer their latest development. Often a gathering of jazz greats produces nice, somewhat nostalgic but not distinctive recordings; this one is different. These artists are true colleagues who worked with each in other ensembles, and while leaders of their own bands, they can mesh into the composition. Two trumpets, Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, are joined with two saxophones, Donald Harrison on alto and Billy Harper on tenor. Bass, piano, and drums are the forte respectively of George Cables, Cecil McGee, and Billy Hart.