Lux

Friedrich Lux (1820–95) was one of those musicians who formed the fabric of musical life in nineteenth-century Germany: though he worked away from the major cities, as conductor, teacher, organist, organiser and composer, he was an indispensable element of the communities in which he worked. His large body of organ music, as good as unknown before now, brings together elements of the musical language of Bach, Mendelssohn and Schumann, in works that range from the intimate to the grandiose.This second volume brings some of his many transcriptions to the fore.

In 2005 the Classics Chronological Series, in a continuous effort to reissue the complete recordings of boogie-woogie piano ace Meade "Lux" Lewis, released a fourth volume containing material dating from between 1946 and 1954. Opening with a solo Lewis set recorded by Norman Granz for the Mercury label at a Jazz at the Philharmonic concert inside of the Embassy Auditorium in Los Angeles on April 22, 1946, this delightful album also features the work of bassist Israel Crosby and drummer Louie Bellson. These are some of Lewis' very best recordings; the tonal palette is richly varied as he pays homage to his influences and contemporaries in the pantheon of classic blues and boogie-woogie piano. They include Pete Johnson, Albert Ammons, Cow Cow Davenport, Jimmy Yancey, Clarence Pinetop Smith, Hersal Thomas, and Freddie Shayne.

This 2 CD collection brings together the entire 1980’s recorded output of synth pop pioneers, Fiat Lux. The original “Hired History” album – and indeed all of the bonus tracks – are appearing on CD for the very first time.

Do you realize that all these Meade Lux Lewis records almost didn't happen? After making his one three-minute side for the Paramount label in December of 1927, Lewis went back to driving a cab in Chicago. And his record didn't sell. So that could have been the end of the story. But in November of 1935 John Hammond looked him up and begged him to get back on the scene. And so began a remarkable career. This chronological survey of Meade's earliest work is delightful. Each successive version of the "Honky Tonk Train Blues" is sharper, more polished. There's always something bubbling away under the surface of the Meade. Everything he played came out slightly wicked. This man played a lot of piano in bars. Nobody could play like this who hadn't come up in an environment like Chicago during the 1920s…