Phillip Mountrose

These are the indigenous Afro-Jazz Sounds of the Genius, Phillip Tabane — the original Malombo Jazzman. It started in 1964 at Orlando Stadium, when Phillip went on stage, leading his group — "The Malombo Jazzmen". On that Saturday afternoon, South Africa was staging it's third Jazz Festival. Phillip and his group walked away with all the honours.

A loopy concoction of transcendant post-punk pop. There are a few clunkers here (Primitive Man, I'm Waiting for my Man) but the brilliance of the gems (You Sent All My Letters, Happy Spider, They Say Hurray, Albert is a Headbanger, Fine Art in Silver, etc.) more than makes up for it…

Bimstein is one of several composers who have a love for "natural" or environmental sound and have created pieces that transform musical characteristics (pitch, rhythm, etc.) found in that sound to acoustic instruments (composers such as Ellen Band, Scott Johnson, Annea Lockwood, Gene "Blue Gene" Tyranny, Hildegard Westerkamp, and others). There are many methods created around that idea, sometimes varying with specific content.

Dubbed the ‘King of Ragtime’, Scott Joplin (c. 1868-1917) was one of the most important and influential composers at the turn of the 20th century. He was born in Texarkana, Texas and grew up in a musical family. At age seven, he discovered a piano in a neighbour’s house and began experimenting with it by ear. His father soon bought a second-hand piano, and by age eleven Joplin’s gifts were the talk of the community.

Mozart wrote only one sonata for two pianos – here’s the first instalment of six sparkling new Mozart two-piano sonatas! The idea came from a remark by the violinist and conductor Andrew Manze in the notes to his recording of some of the six violin sonatas published as Mozart’s Op.2 in 1781 - he observed that the frequent concerto-like writing in these works might make them effective as sonatas for piano duet. The Australian composer Stephen Yates has taken him up on the idea, adding these delightful new works to the two-piano repertoire. The scores will be published by Toccata Press in due course.

Nice comeback set after a lengthy absence from the recording scene that was cut in London under the direction of guitarist Otis Grand (who shares axe duties throughout). Why this Louisiana-born guitarist hasn't been recorded more heavily is a mystery; he seldom fails to connect, and this import is no exception to the rule.