Beggin

Dinah Washington's first solo recordings (with the exception of a session supervised by Lionel Hampton in 1943) are included on this Delmark repackaging of her Apollo sides. Recorded in Los Angeles during a three-day period, the 12 selections feature the singer with a swinging jazz combo that has tenor-saxophonist Lucky Thompson, trumpeter Karl George, vibraphonist Milt Jackson and bassist Charles Mingus among its eight members. The 21-year-old Washington was already quite distinctive at this early stage and easily handles the blues and jive material with color and humor. Recommended despite the brevity (35 minutes) of the CD.

In 1985, Philip Glass composed a "dance-theater" work based on Edgar Allan Poe's 1841 short story A Descent into the Maelstrom as one of the last pieces written for the original Philip Glass Ensemble. A few years ago, Norwegian filmmaker Jan Vardoen decided to make a film about the Poe story, which is set in the Arctic Circle near the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway. At the same time, Vardoen discovered the Philip Glass Ensemble's recording of the work. As part of his film, Vardoen conscripted the Arctic Philharmonic Orchestra and arranger Alexander Waaktar to adapt the music for full symphony orchestra, voice and synthesizer. The result is a dramatic new interpretation of a little known major Philip Glass work. This release from Orange Mountain Music marks the first recording of this dynamic piece in orchestral form.

b. Alex Randall, 3 August 1934, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Easy Baby is an accomplished blues singer/harmonica player who was already involved in the west Memphis blues scene before he moved to Chicago in 1956, where he worked with local groups and led his own band for a time. He gave up music for many years, then began singing and playing again in the mid-70s. You can listen to his fine singin' and harp playing on this CD. There are great sidemen like Johnny B. Moore, Allan Batts, Tim Taylor & Sam Lay! Great traditional Chicago Blues!