Riffraff Riff Raff (1947)

Dylan’s incredible 1975 reinvention of his own The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll kicks off our virtual charabanc of neo-Americana, starring Jeff Tweedy, Margo Price, Courtney Barnett, Will Oldham, Phosphorescent, Jason Isbell, Hurray For The Riff Raff, Drive-By Truckers, Hiss Golden Messenger and more.

Nat King Cole could charm most listeners by simply singing a few lines from the phone book. His delivery is so intoxicating that even less-than-stellar material doesn't cause so much as a blink of the eye. This is true with Classics' collection of some of his 1947-1949 cuts, where hardly a classic standard or hit is in sight. What one does get, though, is a generous dose of Nat Cole and the trio's slow-riffin' best . While ranging from the ballad perfection of "How Lonely Can You Get" and "Lost April" to svelte blues sides like "My Mother Told Me," Cole, guitarist Irving Ashby, and bassist Johnny Miller show how they perfected the piano trio template forged by the singer's first group with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Wesley Prince…

Joachim Raff (1822–1882) was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the foremost symphonists of his age, but in his extensive oeuvre of 329 compositions over half of them are for the piano. This selection of 21 works offers a cross section of the best of this large catalogue for the instrument, chosen by acclaimed Raff interpreter Tra Nguyen to showcase the varied aspects of his art. Raff’s melodic generosity, his piquant harmonic sensibility and ravishing textures are all on display in these pieces which span the whole of his career, from the exuberant Douze Romances to the majestic Grande Sonate.

An excellent companion to Classics' 1949-1950 Bud Powell title, this roundup of the bop pianist's early post-war sides gets top overview honors for its better balanced share of combo and trio sides. The first half is mostly taken up by an incredible 1946 session featuring Fats Navarro, Sonny Stitt, Kenny Dorham, and Kenny Clarke, with highlights including the Navarro originals "Webb City," "Fat Boy," and "Everything's Cool." For Powell fanatics, though, the eight trio sides will be the real attraction. Backed by first-tier boppers Max Roach and Curly Russell, Powell is at his fleet and innovative best on a mix of his own work ("Bud's Bubble"), some Monk ("Off Minor"), and a handful of choice covers ("I'll Remember April," "I Should Care"). A taste of possibly the most irrepressible and sophisticated bop on wax.

This disc marks the beginning of a new series, dedicated to the engaging, albeit neglected, orchestral works of the German-Swiss composer Joachim Raff. The survey starts with Symphony No. 2 and the orchestral preludes to four plays by Shakespeare: The Tempest, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Othello, all idiomatically performed by the Orchestre de la Suisse romande, conducted by its new Artistic and Music Director, Neeme Järvi.