Uwe Hollburg

Jamaaladeen Tacuma (born Rudy McDaniel; June 11, 1956) is an American free jazz bassist born in Hempstead, New York. He was a bandleader on the Gramavision label and worked with Ornette Coleman during the 1970s and 1980s, mostly in Coleman's Prime Time band. Tacuma showcased a unique style of avant-garde jazz on Coleman's 1982 album Of Human Feelings, and became widely viewed as one of the most distinctive bassists since Jaco Pastorius. He formed his own group, and recorded albums that incorporated commercially accessible melodies while retaining Prime Time's elaborate harmonies. His 1988 album Jukebox was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1989.

The classical symphony is so dominated by the twin figures of Haydn & Mozart that it is all too easy to overlook the considerable contributions which were made by many lesser figures. The Naxos label is doing a great service by bringing to light many of these works in its '18th Century Symphony' series. It now launches a survey of the symphonies of the Bohemian composer Johann Baptist Vanhal with four highly spirited, engaging pieces dating from 1760-1780 that are the equal of Haydn's contemporary efforts. These are witty, original pieces and it's easy to see why Imperial Vienna took them immediately to its heart. Uwe Grodd and the very fine Hungarian players of the Nicolaus Esterhazy Sinfonia make a strong case for them.

Christmas is a colourful festival - the boys of the Staats- und Domchor Berlin and the Lautten Compagney prove this in a colourful and fresh way on this CD of German Christmas songs from the time of the Reformation. The Lautten Compagney, with its historical instruments, brings the traditional sounds of yesteryear back to life and, together with the boys of the State and Cathedral Choir, draws a musical picture of how magnificently Christmas was celebrated in the early 17th century.

…Early though it may be, [the Organ Concerto] is a joyous work that reminds me of Haydn's organ concertos….[The `Emperor's Mass'] soars majestically and would surely have been effective in honoring the emperor. The St Florian Boys' Choir is well disciplined, but they do have that raw sound often found in Central European–as opposed to British–choir boys…

Guitarist Jens-Uwe Popp and mandolinist Jochen Roß began their musical collaboration in 1997. Since then, they have taken a musical journey from Scottish folklore to works of the 20th century, and they remain fascinated by the new soundscapes these styles offer their instruments. For this album, they have put together a selection of pieces that capture the essence and spirit of their work together - their shared curiosity and open-minded approach to music from different styles and time periods. Only three takes of each piece were recorded in order to capture the most spontaneous and unique moments of their musical dialogue.