Kit Clayton: Nek Sanalet

Navona Records is proud to present SUBLIMITAS, a symphonic album bringing to life the posthumous works of composer Michael G. Cunningham. Performed by the Janáček Philharmonic Orchestra, Cunningham’s 5th and 6th Symphonies soar with spirited flair and clarity. These works are thoughtfully paired with his Mountain Poem, a jubilant and moving piece composed with musical peaks and valleys that simulate a thrilling adventure. As a composer whose works span 11 previous Navona Records releases, the works presented on SUBLIMITAS make for a delightful final parting gift from an artist who showed an unwavering dedication to sharing his music with the world.

Composed in feverish bouts interrupted by long periods of inaction, Hugo Wolf’s Italienisches Liederbuch was brought to completion in 1896. The 46 songs are settings of poems in German by Paul Heyse, after Italian folk songs – miniatures with a duration of less than 2 minutes in most cases. Heyse’s collection numbered more than 350 poems, but Wolf ignored the ballads and laments, and concentrated almost exclusively on the rispetti. These are short love poems which chart, against a Tuscan landscape, the everyday jealousies, flirtations, joys and despairs of men and women in love. Heyse’s translations often intensify the simple Italian of the original poems, and in their turn, Wolf’s settings represent a further heightening of emotion. Miniatures they may be, but many of the songs strike unforgettably at the heart.

Pianist & composer Gerald Clayton explores the impact and abstraction of time on his ravishing 2nd Blue Note album Bells On Sand, which features contributions from mentor Charles Lloyd on saxophone, father John Clayton on bass, longtime friend and peer Justin Brown on drums, and new collaborator MARO on vocals. “Each musician on the record represents a different aspect of the axis of time and its shifting sands,” says Clayton. “My father and Charles Lloyd, who has been a mentor figure to me, reflect new permutations of my past, and the lineage of elders who have shaped my development; Justin Brown, being my contemporary and musical brother, represents my present; and MARO represents the future—she is part of the next generation, and points to a brand new collaboration.” The music includes new originals, pieces by Catalan composer Federico Mompou and Gerald’s uncle Jeff Clayton, as well as two stunning solo piano versions of the standard “My Ideal.”

Clayton-Thomas revisits the music of his youth on Blue Plate Special, his first all-blues effort; in addition to a pallid remake of the Blood, Sweat and Tears hit "Lucretia MacEvil," he also tackles songs by Willie Dixon, Freddie King and Albert Collins.
David Clayton-Thomas fronted Blood, Sweat & Tears during their popular peak, singing the hits "You've Made Me So Very Happy," "And When I Die," "Hi-De-Ho," and his composition "Spinning Wheel." The latter suggested the musical ambitions he harbored and after the group's hot streak cooled in 1972, he set out on a solo career that he quickly put on ice so he could return to the group in 1975…