Schlesinger Kennedy

An art director in the 1930's falls in love and attempts to make a young woman an actress despite Hollywood who wants nothing to do with her because of her problems with an estranged man and her alcoholic father.

Hendrik Willem van Loon, the Dutch-American writer and illustrator, was an extraordinary character. Larger-than-life, he overflowed with exuberance and gusto, and he devoted his talent to writing popular history in a delightful way. Cornelis van Minnen has written an arresting biography of van Loon and is to be congratulated in restoring the memory of this fascinating Dutch-American personality with his vast appetite for freedom, courage, friendship, and debate

This CD features Gary Burton's vibes and Makoto Ozone's piano in ten classical duos with jazz improvisations. The two styles have never merged with more soul, spirit, or, well, virtuosity, and the material is rich and varied enough to please fans of both. It begins with one of Maurice Ravel's most popular compositions, Le Tombeau de Couperin, which in these masterful hands sparkles as it flows, reminding listeners why Ravel's harmonies inspired so many jazz musicians. The collection includes a thunderous Rachmaninoff prelude leavened with swing and a Latin feel, a Brazilian take on Brahms, the lush and passionate tango "Milonga," a gorgeous, extended medley from the opera Lakme with a familiar second part (arranged by Jay Kennedy, who worked on four of the tracks here), and a Samuel Barber gem where it's hard to tell the original from the improvisation.