Albert Hude

Albert Dietrich’s music is only now being revived 100 years after his death. Dietrich was the music director at the Oldenburg Court, Germany, from 1861-1891. His friendship with Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms helped to raise his profile and throughout his lifetime his music was frequently performed. Both Schumann and Brahms valued him very highly as a composer and Brahms often visited Dietrich in Oldenburg to perform with him. To celebrate this forgotten composer’s 100th anniversary, the Oldenburg State Orchestra under their Music Director Alexander Rumpf join forces with two soloists to perform three of Albert Dietrich’s most important works.

These 17 tunes come from King's most fertile period, his 1966-68 tenure at Memphis's Stax Records. Stax chief Jim Stewart had been reluctant to sign blues artists because he felt straight blues wouldn't mesh with Stax's patented Memphis soul. Ironically, the fusion of King's sharp guitar wails with the dynamic rhythms of Booker T. & the MGs - the Stax house band - was what set King apart from other bluesmen. The unique blend produced classic after classic: Booker T. Jones' rolling piano propels "Laundromat Blues." Al Jackson's drum shuffle supports "Crosscut Saw." The driving horns of Andrew Love, Wayne Jackson, and Joe Arnold accent "Born Under a Bad Sign." King's ripe and mellow vocals are a perfect match for the soul-drenched music while his dramatic string bends leap out.

Cold Snap has a stronger R&B direction than Collins's previous Alligator releases, most notably in the presence of a slicker production. That approach doesn't suit him particularly well - he's at his best when he's just playing the blues, not when he's trying to sing. Nevertheless, he turns out a number of gripping solos, and that is what prevents Cold Snap from being too much of a disappointment.

orn in Lucerne in 1911, Albert Ferber studied with a pupil of Alfred Cortot and often played for Rachmaninov in Switzerland. International critics visiting the 1939 Lucerne Festival were impressed by an exceptional Swiss pianist who also showed in works of Schubert and Schumann some uncommon pianistic gifts. Such sympathy of idiom is readily apparent in Ferbers postwar Decca recordings, made in London. His pedigree in Schumann was unimpeachable: in 1951 he partnered Clara Schumanns pupil Adelina de Lara in a performance of Schumanns Andante and Variations, Op. 46 for two pianos at her Wigmore farewell recital.

Multi-blues music award-winner Albert Castiglia assembles all-star cast of Righteous Souls on his new Gulf Coast record album including Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, Danielle Nicole, Christone "Kingfish" Ingram, Popa Chubby, Ally Venable, Kevin Burt, Monster Mike Welch, Gary Hoey, Rick Estrin, Jimmy Carpenter and Alabama Mike.