Mahiru Nari At Noon (1978)

Don Ellis' final record as a leader (he passed away from a bad heart in Dec. 1978) is a worthwhile effort. Ellis' large orchestra (four reeds, eight brass, one keyboard, two bassists, two drummers, two percussionists and a string quartet) performs six of the leader's originals and, although none of the songs are all that memorable, there are many fine solos. The main players are trumpeter Ellis, Ted Nash on tenor, alto and clarient and trombonist Alan Kaplan.

For a period in 1977-78 (after the death of altoist Paul Desmond), pianist Dave Brubeck had a quartet with his sons keyboardist Darius, drummer Dan and Chris on bass and trombone. This Montreux concert features five of Dave Brubeck's originals (including "It's a Raggy Waltz" and "In Your Own Sweet Way") along with the standard "It Could Happen to You" and finds father Dave in fine form even if Desmond is clearly missed.

Tonight at Noon is, essentially, a compilation album - although not in the usual sense. There are two distinct sessions that make up its contents: a 1957 date with Jimmy Knepper on trombone, drummer Dannie Richmond, saxophonist Shafi Hadi, and pianist Wade Legge, and a 1960 session with Booker Ervin, Roland Kirk on saxes, Knepper, bassist Doug Watkins, Mingus on piano, and Richmond. The feel of the two sets is different to be sure, but this is far from throwaway material; the tunes here are actually studio outtakes from the recordings for The Clown and Oh Yeah…

Tonight at Noon: Three of Four Shades of Love marks the 80th anniversary of Charles Mingus' birth and is the seventh recording in a series that pays tribute to his music. The CD features the talents of the Mingus Big Band, a 14-piece rotating ensemble launched in 1991 by the widow of the composer/arranger/bassist, Sue Mingus. The thematic focus of the CD is love and its ten love songs also mark the debut of the Charles Mingus Orchestra, which is featured on four of the songs. The previously unreleased "Love's Fury" features a stellar arrangement by Syl Johnson as well as the very lyrical compositions Charles Mingus never quite received recognition for. Known primarily for his aggressive bebop basslines, these rarely performed compositions are dramatically and beautifully voiced by soloists - trumpeter Randy Brecker and Craig Handy on "Love Is a Dangerous Thing"…

An Italian band from Valenzano built in 1995 around brothers Mimmo and Gigi Ferri (keyboardist and guitarist respectively) and singer Michele Moschini. The several line-up changes led to a brief disbanding in 1998 but at the dawn of the millenium Floating State returned with a stable core, featuring also female drummer Beatrice Birardi, female sax player Grazia Stella and bassist Francesco Antonino and leading to the demo ''White flower''. Winners of the "Una suite per un anno" prog competition, Floating State signed a contract with Lizard and released their debut ''Thirteen Tolls at Noon'' in 2003…