Bolero Arletty

Seiji Ozawa conducts the most sensitive and emotional performance of Ravel I have ever experienced. I bought the record 30 years ago and nearly cried hearing it on CD all these years later. If you have not heard this, you have never heard Ravel.

Much of Larry Coryell's work is as difficult to find as it is to categorize – the man seemed to have spent the late '70s and early '80s making albums for anyone who could come up with a microphone and a tape recorder. That said, it's surprising how high the quality level is on most of these releases. Bolero/Scheherazade is one of the most difficult, as it seems to have been released only in Germany and Japan. The album's obscurity may have something to do with the fact that it is confusingly named; Larry Coryell released an album two years before called Bolero, which has nothing to do with this CD. The "Bolero" on that album was a short, improvised piece composed by Coryell, while the one featured here is a reworking of the classic by Maurice Ravel.

Nobody plays the guitar quite like Stanley Jordan. Defying categorization, Bolero is another in a line of Jordan hit releases. After perfecting his skill at playing with two hands on the guitar's fretboard and hammering or tapping the strings to produce melody, countermelody, and rhythm all at the same time, Jordan has gone on to break new musical ground with Bolero in fusing jazz, pop and classical. Besides his jazzy version of "Bolero," Jordan mixes original pieces with "Drifting" by Jimi Hendrix and the funk-pop tune "Chameleon."

Cafe Quijano - Origenes El Bolero (2012) {Warner Music Spain 2564655183}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 247 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 86 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 40 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 2012 Warner Music Spain | 2564655183
Latin / Pop / Bolero

What a delight this album is! The talented Quijano brothers, who were famously known as Cafe Quijano, are now presenting beautiful original love songs in the traditional bolero style of yesteryear. Romantic lyrics are alive and well in this collection showcasing heartfelt sentiments and excellent musicality that draw you into each song. The arrangements are very reminiscent of the latin boleros and the vocal interpretations convey romance at every turn (pay close attention to "Como Siempre" and the more rhythmic "Prometo"). Manuel Quijano composed the music and lyrics and his deep understanding and love for this genre is reflected in each selection.

The listener may see the phrase "piano Erard 1905" on the cover of this album of Ravel works and wonder whether the historical performance movement has really gone too far. And truly this is, at least from a modern standpoint, an unusual and even bizarre Ravel recording. It's not so much the Erard piano, which sounds as though it was made to play Fauré and Debussy, but is not so far from other concert grands. What's strange is the general interpretation by Flemish historical keyboardist Jos van Immerseel, known mostly for his performances of music from the eighteenth and perhaps the early nineteenth centuries.

Pierre Monteux was 86 when the first of these recording sessions took place and would die in 1964, when he recorded the Bolero here–no doubt the oldest conductor to do so. You can detect a bit of slackening in the later performances, but the Ma Mere l'Oye ballet is also form 1964 and sounds lovely. Don't expect flash and virtuosity, although the LSO certainly plays well. Approach this CD as a memento of one of the century's premiere musicians.