SA Bass From March 2015

Alpha presents the reissue of Ensemble Pygmalions version of Dardanus, conducted by Raphaël Pichon and recorded in the majestic acoustics of the Opéra Royal at Versailles Palace. This set won multiple awards on its first release: Rameau, a flinty-hearted composer lacking in imagination? Rameau, a cold mathematician in his chord progressions and a severe draughtsman in his vocal lines? One need only listen, in Dardanus, to the melancholy laments of Princess Iphise, splendidly sung by the soprano Gaëlle Arquez, to realise the treasures of tenderness and invention that still remained in the youthful heart of the fifty-six-year-old composer! . . . This version, which fills an important gap in the discography, possesses all the assets needed to speak to us today, and to last.

Unlike Universal’s only fitfully excellent Ravel box, this Debussy Edition of the almost complete works has no weak spots. Puzzlingly, the Saxophone Rhapsody is missing, and so are L’Enfant prodigue (except for one aria) and La Damoiselle élue, among other items, but all of the other significant works are included, and in very fine performances.

Sébastien Jarrousse présente aujourd'hui son deuxième album en 4tet : «Old Fellow», un album très attendu, après «Wait and See» en 2012, qui a ouvert la voie à un renouvellement du genre hard bop libérant le style «Jarrousse» sensible et plus actuel que jamais. Dans cette optique libératrice d'univers déjà conquis et en perpétuelle évolution, ce n'est pas un hasard si Sébastien a pensé à inviter Magic Malik qui nous emmène encore plus loin avec sa flûte magique. Avec ce nouvel album, Sébastien Jarrousse est resté fidèle à ses «Old Fellows». Sébastien a toujours admiré les têtes chercheuses, les esprits inventifs et révolutionnaires comme John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Tommy Smith, Dave Liebman, Gary Thomas, Brandford Marsalis et tant d’autres…

Conceived as a musical journey of love, Najee's 2013 album, The Morning After, finds the sweet-toned, smooth jazz saxophonist delivering a set of songs that bring you along on a sensual and romantic road trip. The album follows up Najee's equally as passionate 2012 release, The Smooth Side of Soul. Along with a bevy of superb studio musicians, Najee is backed here by a capable rhythm section featuring keyboardist Demonte Posey, guitarist Ray Fuller, bassist Bill Sharpe, and drummer Daniel "dpondrums" Powell. Also featured is vocalist Meli'sa Morgan, who adds her warm and throaty vocal presence to the intimate R&B-infused track "In the Mood to Take It Slow." Elsewhere on The Morning After, Najee delves into the buoyant, streamlined jazz funk of "Rendezvous," the smooth jazz noir of "Paseo Nuevo," and the sparkling, groove-oriented "Trip to the Moon.".

The fourth volume of our complete recording of Bach's cantatas completes the series of secular cantatas from the composer's years in Leipzig. Seven works are involved here, spanning a period from 1725 to1742, the year of Bach's final secular cantata, BWV 212. Of Bach's occasional compositions, some fifty secular pieces have survived, yet these represent no more than a fraction of what must once have existed. Bach's secular cantatas cover a period of almost exactly three decades.

Igor Stravinsky (17 June 1882 – 6 April 1971) is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential composers of the 20th century. The New Stravinsky Complete Edition (30 CD box set), the most complete survey of the composer’s works ever compiled, has been released to mark the 50th anniversary of his death.