The Paris Pieces

This is a superb recording of the Two-Part and Sinfonias (Three-Part Inventions) of Johann Sebastian Bach. Kenneth Gilbert is a wonderful interpreter of Bach's keyboard music and in this recording plays an instrument made in 1671 by Jan Couchet that was subsequently enlarged in 1778. The Two-Part Inventions and Sinfonias consist of 15 parts; they were written as technical exercises and as composition demonstration pieces originally for his son Wilhelm Friedemann. The various pieces were probably written separately and were gathered together by Bach in major/minor key sequence and published in 1723. The recording is clear and well balanced. Kenneth Gilbert plays beautifully; the music is lively without being ostentatious.

César Franck’s studies in Liège concentrated mostly on musical training (musical theory, harmony and counterpoint), restricting his instrumental study to the piano alone. However, when he entered the Paris Conservatoire he broadened his horizons to study the organ. While studying in François Benoist’s class, he did not develop a very self-confident technique (furthermore, the organ pedalboard was limited to twenty pedals and did not allow for the performance of the classic repertoire). However, to his great benefit, he forged a complete career as an improviser; a field in which he excelled until his final years. This course began in 1819 and was intended to train liturgical organists. Above all, it focused on the treatment of plainsong, fugue and freeform themes, and it was not before 1852 that performance of a written piece was required. Against this background, the young musician only learned about performance in a very self-taught way. So, in 1872, when he himself was teaching at the Conservatoire, his approach to Bach did not concern itself with style or technique, reducing his aspirations to a performance which Vierne himself called rather rudimentary, being, “in time and without mistakes.”

In 1889 Pierre Bonnard, then in his early twenties, was commissioned to design a poster for a brand of champagne. When his spirited creation—the image of a belle suggesting in disarming fashion the pleasures to be had from a glass of bubbly—made its appearance on the streets of Paris, it was an instant success, helping to launch Bonnard on his career as a professional artist…

The Modern Jazz Quartet - At Music Inn, Vol. 1 (1956) {2013 Japan 24-bit Remaster} [Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series]
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 229 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 104 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 111 Mb | 5% repair rar | 24-bit remaster
© 1965, 2013 Atlantic / Rhino / Warner Japan / WEA | WPCR-27203 | Jazz Best Collection 1000 Series
Jazz / Cool / Third Stream

The first of two albums the Modern Jazz Quartet recorded at the Music Inn in Lenox, MS, this LP is highlighted by "Oh Bess, Oh Where's My Bess," "Two Degrees East, Three Degrees West," "A Morning in Paris," and "England's Carol" which is the MJQ's reworking of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen." Clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre sits in with the group successfully on three numbers; best is "Fun." This is a worthwhile outing that has not yet been reissued on CD.