Frédéric Chopin is a composer who constantly fascinates. Despite the passing of time and a changing world, his music is still relevant. Janusz Wawrowski and Mischa Kozlowski reach for the works of Grieg, Paderewski, Noskowski and Sarasate to go back in time and show how Chopin, beloved by all of us, inspired in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Janusz Wawrowski’s album Phoenix pairs two life-affirming violin concertos written during difficult periods in their composers’ lives: Tchaikovsky was recovering from his disastrous marriage and Ludomir Różycki was enduring the Warsaw Uprising of 1944.
Abkco's 2005 compilation The Best of ? & the Mysterians: Cameo Parkway 1966-1967 is the first official CD release of the Michigan garage rocker's classic Cameo Parkway recordings, but for hardcore garage rock collectors, it might look a little bit similar to a 1995 unofficial release called Original Recordings. The discs not only share 25 tracks but they're presented in the same sequencing. Then again, that shouldn't be a surprise since both discs contain the entirety of the quintet's two full-length LPs – the 1966 96 Tears and its 1967 follow-up Action – plus the "Do Something to Me"/"Love Me Baby (Cherry July)" single. The '95 release contains five tracks that didn't make it to this release, but this has two previously unreleased versions of "Midnight Hour" and "96 Tears," neither of which were as a good as the released versions (the alternate "96 Tears" is surprisingly limp, actually).
Tomasz Stanko is a Polish trumpeter, composer and improviser. Often recording for ECM Records, Stanko is strongly associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. Stanko has since established a reputation as a leading figure not only in Polish jazz, but on the world stage as well, working with many notable musicians, including Jack DeJohnette, Dave Holland, Reggie Workman, Rufus Reid, Lester Bowie, David Murray, Manu Katche and Chico Freeman. In 1984 he was a member of Cecil Taylor's big band.