Sweet Dreams: Where Country Meets Soul, Ace's second dip into the country-soul well, is every bit as good as its 2012 predecessor. Basically, it's cut from the same cloth as the first volume, concentrating on recordings from the late '60s but stretching deep into the '70s (Millie Jackson's "Sweet Music Man" dates from 1977), with Ted Taylor's 1962 "I'll Release You" and Orquestra Was' 1996 "Forever's a Long, Long Time Ago" functioning as de facto ringers. "Forever's a Long, Long Time Ago" may fit aesthetically but certainly not sonically, as it's a crisp digital blast on a collection devoted to warm, lush, analog soul.
The second five-album set chronicling Otis Redding's legendary work with Stax Records, this slipcase collection includes 1967's Live in Europe, 1968's Dock of the Bay and In Person at the Whisky A Go Go, 1969's Love Man, and 1970's Tell the Truth, each album presented separately and housed in card wallet style…
The first Original Album Series assembled for George Benson contains an odd assortment of the artist's releases. This follow-up volume is concentrated, if only by comparison. It contains In Flight (1977), Living Inside Your Love (1979), In Your Eyes (1983), 20/20 (1984), and Twice the Love (1988), all of which were released on Warner Bros…
Murray's first box set in this series was one of Black Saint/Soul Note's better reissues. And this second volume is it's equal, and in some instances possibly better. The seven albums here span the years 1979 to 1993, and show Murray in different playing styles, but always close to the top of his skills. If you've read this far you're probably familiar with Murray's music, so I'll be brief in my album notes.
Czech composer Erwin Schulhoff assimilated the influence of jazz with genuinely distinctive results. The Fünf Pittoresken absorb both Dada and Scott Joplin whilst more classicist influences, such as Ravel, suffuse the Second Piano Sonata. Esquisses de Jazz (1927) is perhaps his most outstanding jazz-influenced piece a perfect synthesis of dance rhythms, wit and irony.
Franz Anton Hoffmeister was a formative figure in the musical life of his time and highly regarded as a publisher of famous contemporaries such as Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven. The variety and appeal of his own works also made him a popular and renowned composer. As with volume 1 of this series (8572738), flautist Bruno Meier has created new editions of these previously unknown works. With elegant and catchy themes, substantial proportions, intriguing major/minor contrasts of key and virtuoso solo writing, Hoffmeister satisfied the tastes of his time finding a perfect balance between grace and artistry.
The demand for piano duet arrangements of concert music during Schumann’s lifetime was very considerable. An inveterate piano duettist himself, Schumann supervised the String Quartet arrangements made by the talented young composer Otto Dressel, whose brilliant solutions to formal problems produced these acclaimed adaptations, for use in home or salon. It was another fine arranger and composer, Theodore Kirchner - admired by Clara Schumann and Brahms – who arranged the Studies for the pedal piano, Op.56, in 1888. This is the second of seven volumes to include Schumann’s entire orchestral works, and selected chamber ones, arranged for piano duet.
The most beautiful arias from the Vivaldi Edition: Orlando Furioso, Atenaide, Farnace, Teuzzone, Armida, La Fida Ninfa, Orlando 1714, Griselda, Ottone in villa and much more. The album includes outstanding singers and arias that were sensational discoveries when first introduced in this series.
"The wonderful discoveries that I have made during my research on neglected repertoire often make me wonder why it is that so much beautiful Polish music has fallen into oblivion" - thus writes Acte Préalable (AP) impresario Jan Jarnicki in his customary preamble for the CD booklet. Music-lovers who have bought previous AP discs will have asked themselves the same question - how to account rationally for the big repertoire gap between Chopin and Szymanowski, and again between Szymanowski and Penderecki/Górecki. The names capable of filling those holes are legion, a fact to which many previous AP recordings are persuasive testimony.