Tito Peak

This box set gathers the finest vocal recordings (opera, sacred music) from the Vivaldi Edition by some of the most reputed artists of today. Also it features the main vocal ranges: soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, tenor, bass.

EMI's generous compilation of 100 tracks from its archive of recordings by Maria Callas makes a fine introduction to her legacy. Callas' voice isn't consistent throughout, but when she's at her best, it's easy to hear the musical and dramatic power that made her the most legendary opera singer of the 20th century. She is impressive often enough that it's not hard to forgive the performances that are less than stellar. The six-disc collection is intelligently organized, with each disc dedicated to a particular composer (or several composers) or a theme: Bellini; Donizetti and Rossini; Verdi; Puccini; French operatic heroines; and dramatic heroines.

This CD box features Maria Callas, the unrivaled "prima donna assoluta," in her parade roles. Especially in Italian bel canto operas of the 18th and 19th centuries, the opera diva could shine like no other. Hear five grandiose recordings from the 1950s and enjoy the unique voice of one of the greatest stars of all time: - Gaetano Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor - Vincenzo Bellini: Norma - Giuseppe Verdi: La Traviata - Giacomo Puccini: Tosca - Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana.

As of 2002, conga player Poncho Sanchez had been recording for Concord Records' Concord Picante imprint for 20 years, a good point at which to pause and take stock of his 20 albums for the label. The Ultimate Latin Dance Party does just that, selecting 23 key tracks from 18 of those albums on a two-disc set running over two hours. Sanchez pays tribute to his predecessors on such songs as Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man," Dizzy Gillespie's "A Night in Tunisia," and a "Tito Medley" dedicated to Tito Puente and including "Oye Como Va." Among the guest stars joining his band are Joey DeFrancesco, Eddie Harris, Mongo Santamaria, and Puente himself. While this best-of cannot replace Sanchez's extensive catalog for fans, it is a generous compilation for more general listeners, who should be able to get a good idea of the conga player's lively, exuberant style.

Even though we've seen the man perform at least half a dozen times at one festival or the other, we haven't really kept up with the discography of French-Serbian director, actor and musician Emir Kusturica and his No Smoking Orchestra. On the cover of 'Corps Diplomatique', the band's first release since 2007s 'Time Of The Gypsies', all band members are dressed in Mexican mariachi costumes. Don't expect any mariachi music though, as Kusturica serves another dose of his usual cross-border anarcho-Balkan sound his live sets are famous for as well.

In the last few years Latin music, new and old, has started to move back into the popular consciousness and onto hip dance floors. This alburn brings together eleven much sought after dance-floor fillers from the TICO and FANIA labels. They could all loosely be described as LATIN SOUL…..

As if to remind anyone who's forgotten his roots, Chick Corea re-connects here with his past, when he was pianist for Willie Bobo and Cal Tjader in the 1960s, and a catalyst for Brazilian fusion in the 1970s. Playing a Fender Rhodes piano throughout this 10-song live session, Corea reminds one more of Latin jazz master Clare Fischer than the adventurous soloist who always keeps his music on the edge. With Arturo Sandoval on Mongo Santamaria's "Beseme Mama," Corea recalls his days with Return to Forever. The disc opens with all the pots boiling on "Soul Sauce" and "A Night in Tunisia," two standards by Dizzy Gillespie, the godfather of Latin jazz. Corea, Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, and former Spyro Gyra vibes player David Samuels are all featured with fiery solos, with Sandoval trading high-flying riffs with fellow trumpeter Claudio Roditi on the latter tune.