Charles Marville

Ils étaient quatre, dont trois jeunes femmes. Ils venaient de tuer l'actrice Sharon Tate, épouse du cinéaste Roman Polanski, qui attendait leur premier bébé. D'autres assassinats avaient précédé ce massacre, d'autres allaient suivre, d'une sauvagerie inégalée dans les annales du crime. …

The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady is one of the greatest achievements in orchestration by any composer in jazz history. Charles Mingus consciously designed the six-part ballet as his magnum opus, and – implied in his famous inclusion of liner notes by his psychologist – it's as much an examination of his own tortured psyche as it is a conceptual piece about love and struggle. It veers between so many emotions that it defies easy encapsulation; for that matter, it can be difficult just to assimilate in the first place. Yet the work soon reveals itself as a masterpiece of rich, multi-layered texture and swirling tonal colors, manipulated with a painter's attention to detail. There are a few stylistic reference points – Ellington, the contemporary avant-garde, several flamenco guitar breaks – but the totality is quite unlike what came before it. Mingus relies heavily on the timbral contrasts between expressively vocal-like muted brass, a rumbling mass of low voices (including tuba and baritone sax), and achingly lyrical upper woodwinds, highlighted by altoist Charlie Mariano.

Stunning performance in front of a huge audience at the open air Odeon of Herodes Atticus, as Charles Lloyd, uniquely-expressive saxophonist, and Maria Farantouri, Greece’s voice of resistance, come together. Friends for some years, this is their first recorded collaboration. Lloyd’s brilliant quartet is on hand - with Jason Moran in especially creative mode - augmented by lyra player Socratis Sinopoulos and second pianist Takis Frazio in a marvelous programme that includes songs by Mikis Theoedorakis, suites of Greek traditional music, Eleni Karaindrou’s “Journey to Kythera” and Lloyd originals including his classic “Dream Weaver”. “Athens Concert” is a major event, a very special live album indeed.

This is an interesting pre-authentic performance of Handel's odd masterpiece, an opera that has not done well on CD. Years ago, a severely cut, peculiarly cast Sutherland/Bonynge set appeared on London (Decca); this current performance, which has been around for a long time (and is available on other labels as well), dates from 1959. The orchestra is reduced, harpsichord is prominent, embellishments are added to the vocal line, and in general, aside from a slight heaviness in approach, there is little to be ashamed of. Some arias are cut or cut in half, but the spirit of Handel is present–and besides that, fans of either Sutherland or Janet Baker, both caught here so early in their careers that they were not even vaguely famous, will have to hear them. And they impress: Baker sounds far lighter than she later did but exhibits the same wonderful musicality and impeccable diction, and Sutherland's fresh voice, flawless technique, and yes, fine enunciation of the text are delightful.

Sublime to raucous jazz blast from free guy Charles Gayle, powered by John Edwards’ possessed double bass and Mark sanders percussive depth charge.

This 5-CD box set in ECM’s Old & New Masters series, issued in time for Charles Lloyd’s 75th birthday in March 2013, looks back at the beginning of the great saxophonist’s association with ECM. It includes the albums “Fish Out Of Water”, “Notes from Big Sur”, “The Call”, “All My Relations” and “Canto”. All five albums were recorded in Oslo (between 1989 and 1996) with Manfred Eicher producing and they chart a particularly rich and creative period in Lloyd’s musical life. “Fish Out Of Water” marked Lloyd’s comeback, after long years in retreat from the jazz scene. He was partnered by Scandinavian players who had been inspired by his trailblazing music of the 1960s and who were able both to support and challenge him.