Christopher Klien

This second volume of Trombone Travels (Volume 1 is on 8574093) continues with Matthew Gee’s exploration of three great cycles of early 20th-century British song. Elgar’s Sea Pictures evoke lullaby and turbulence alike, Vaughan Williams’s Songs of Travel chart a wanderer’s lonely journey through the landscape, and in Songs of the Sea Stanford’s music embraces both the sombre and the exhilarating, with Gee joined by a trombone chorus to emulate the male voice choir. Throughout the recital Gee lavishes colouristic effects, the use of mutes, and subtle inflections that reinforce the trombone’s unique ability to mimic vocal techniques.

Tchaikovsky stayed in Aachen for six weeks in 1887, during which time he orchestrated his Mozartiana. He also left behind 16 bars of music from his diary, and the Aachener Walzer is André Parfenov’s completion of this otherwise unknown mini-waltz. Further works by Parfenov include a Violin Concerto on the subject of war, peace and human symbiosis, and a reflection on the life of a remarkable avant-garde painter in his Malevich Suite. Completing the framework for this recording is Tchaikovsky’s orchestral suite Mozartiana, which spotlights Mozart’s little-known smaller pieces to charming effect.

Everybody knows "Strangers in the Night", one of the greatest hits of the 20th century. Yet, hardly anybody knows that the German composer Bert Kaempfert wrote the song. One can find his name credited next to a great number of world-famous titles. Kaempfert made music history and created a distinctive style with titles like "Spanish Eyes", "Danke Schoen", "A Swingin’ Safari" or the aforementioned "Strangers in the Night", that facilitated Frank Sinatra’s furious return to the top of the charts in 1966.
Subtitled "Celebrating Bert Kaempfert" vibes player Christopher Dell offers a contemporary sideways take on the work of the late composer, arranger and bandleader. Dell has imaginatively re-arranged Kaempfert’s tunes placing them in a thoroughly contemporary setting…