A fascinating project initiated by Hilliard Ensemble tenorist John Potter with producer Manfred Eicher, which re-examines the beautiful songs of the great sixteenth century composer from a present-day perspective. Potter: "This is the first time anyone's approached Dowland not from an 'early music' angle, but simply as music. We're working with Dowland as though he were still with us." The subject matter of the songs, with despair and 'alienation' uppermost, is entirely pertinent for our times, and the exceptional ensemble ranged around John Potter restores an improvisational flexibility to the music.
British multireed player John Surman has enjoyed a long career, making significant marks in free jazz, modal, and fusion, and also developing his own distinctive blend of folk and jazz elements. His ability to bridge styles has even extended to 1999's treatment of Renaissance-era composer John Dowland's songs, In Darkness Let Me Dwell with the Hilliard Ensemble's John Potter. Coruscating is another unusual venture, with Surman and regular associate bassist Chris Laurence improvising on eight of Surman's compositions with the string quartet Trans4mation. There's a seamless beauty here, composition and improvisation becoming one. Beginning with the baroque clarity of melody on "At Dusk," Coruscating develops often dark, looming textures. While Surman has made his baritone fly, here he emphasizes intense lyricism, whether with a true, full-bodied, baritone sound or a light upper register. "Stone Flower" is dedicated to the great Ellington baritonist Harry Carney, and Surman's breathy, overtone-rich sound invokes Carney's own recordings with strings.
"This music comes from far away. It was surely heard in Gothic and Romanesque cathedrals, in the Roman catacombs or in Daniel's lion's den. It is a music that does not seek to convince, to overwhelm, to incite revolt - it gently insists on its differentness, its distance from all actionan and triumphant modernity; it speaks of many things that are lost - but of many more things that are merely hidden, and therefore not lost. " (Peter Hamm)
On An Evening with John Patitucci & Andy James, two gifted performers join forces to conjure an intimate evening of captivating music. At a time when jazz aficionados around the world have been starved for musical experiences, the album recreates the sultry atmosphere of a candlelight nightclub as some of the most revered musicians in modern jazz perform classic standards.
La-La Land Records proudly presents, in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment and Warner Music Group, HARRY POTTER – THE JOHN WILLIAMS SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION, a limited edition, 7-CD box set containing Academy Award-Winning composer John Williams’ newly remastered, restored and expanded scores for the first three films in the HARRY POTTER series: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002) and HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004). This deluxe presentation is composer approved and contains a bounty of previously unreleased music, featuring a total running time of just under eight hours (7:57). Housed in an attractive hardcover slipcase, this limited edition release of 5000 units.
La-La Land Records proudly presents, in association with Warner Bros. Entertainment and Warner Music Group, HARRY POTTER – THE JOHN WILLIAMS SOUNDTRACK COLLECTION, a limited edition, 7-CD box set containing Academy Award-Winning composer John Williams’ newly remastered, restored and expanded scores for the first three films in the HARRY POTTER series: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE (2001), HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS (2002) and HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN (2004). This deluxe presentation is composer approved and contains a bounty of previously unreleased music, featuring a total running time of just under eight hours (7:57). Housed in an attractive hardcover slipcase, this limited edition release of 5000 units.