Peter Erskine and Vienna's JAM Music Lab All-Stars celebrate the music of two iconic Viennese composers who, after moving to Hollywood in 1929 & 1934, transformed the dynamics of film as they set the standards for movie scoring. Through their work on Gone With the Wind, King Kong, and many dozens more, their role in shaping popular culture since is legion. First exposed to the music in the late '70s as he was touring with Weather Report, Erskine heard Joe Zawinul playing a beautiful melody and learned it was by Korngold, a fellow Viennese composer. He was moved to search out transcripts and recordings ever since. With his artist-in-residency at Vienna's cutting-edge JAM Music Lab University, his desire to reimagine this music in an improvised jazz setting finally became a reality. "… Erskine and the Jam Music Lab All-Stars demonstrate virtuosity, versatility and a keen attention to detail… creating a fitting tribute to the most influential figures in 20th-century music." The New York City Jazz Record
Billy Strayhorn's music has been an essential part of DiMartin's repertoire since the beginning of his forty-five year professional music career. He recalls, "My first encounter with Strayhorn's music was through an older cousin who gave me a recording of Chet Baker and Russ Freeman's version of Lush Life and requested that I learn the tune." DiMartino was just 15 years old at the time (ironically, Strayhorn's age when he wrote the piece0> John has been entranced with the composer's music ever since.
The Rough Guide to the Music of Kenya and Tanzania is a world music compilation album originally released in 1996. Part of the World Music Network Rough Guides series, it focuses on the music of Kenya and Tanzania, two countries which share Swahili as a common language. The release was compiled by Phil Stanton, co-founder of the World Music Network. Artwork was designed by Impetus.