Jack Rasmussen

To discover the origins of rock & roll, one has to return to the music of the 1930s and '40s, when the blues and rhythm & blues ruled the airwaves. The musical geniuses of these genres were primarily African American, although a few Anglo artists crossed over into the earthy music played in dance halls and on the radio. Few of these artists cashed in like their spiritual descendants a generation later. Nonetheless, they have left a legacy in song of their rich tradition. This CD is part of a series that traces the colorful history of rock & roll to its source. Making an appearance are New Orleans R&B giants Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew. Other well-known artists include B.B. King, Wynonie Harris, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Louis Jordan, Champion Jack Dupree, and the Sons of the Pioneers…

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Apart from Grieg, no Scandinavian composer has written for the piano with more individuality and insight than Nielsen. Right from the very outset of his Five Piano Pieces, Op. 3, there is no doubt that his is an individual voice. The first emerges from a Schumannesque innocence to speak with personal accents, but all five are strong on humour and character. Nielsen’s greatest piano music is clustered into a period of four years (1916-20) with his final thoughts in the medium, the Three Pieces, Op. 59 of 1928 being composed in the immediate proximity of his Clarinet Concerto, music that already breathes the air of other planets. With the exception of Leif Ove Andsnes, no pianist of international standing has championed it on record, and apart from John Ogdon and John McCabe it has been the almost exclusive preserve of Nordic artists. True, the American scholar Mina Miller, who edited the autographs for the Hansen edition, recorded a complete survey in 1995 – also for Hyperion. But although Schnabel was the dedicatee of the Suite, Op. 45, he never broke a lance for it on the international scene. The Suite is not only Nielsen’s greatest keyboard work but arguably the mightiest ever written in Scandinavia. Martin Roscoe is right inside this music and guides us through its marvels with great subtlety and authority.