David Lacapelle

Cinema enthusiasts all over the world can probably call up some of the wonderfully circus melodies to Federico Fellini's films at any time. The suggestive power of this music is irresistible, its composer Nino Rota (1911-1979) became an instant classic.

Pianist and educator David Witten's career has included numerous concert tours in Europe, Israel, Russia, China, and South America. He is the editor of Nineteenth-Century Piano Music: Essays in Performance and Analysis, which includes his landmark analytical study of the Chopin Ballades. A graduate of Johns Hopkins University, SUNY Buffalo and Boston University, he is on the faculty of Montclair State University. Witten has chosen four works by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, who was born in Florence, but whose ancestry traces directly back to a Sephardic Jewish family that escaped the Spanish Inquisition. Castelnuovo-Tedesco's musical style is filled with colorful harmonies and a penchant for modal melodies. Coming to the United States in the mid-1930s, he found work at MGM and other studios, ultimately composing soundtracks for more than 200 films. This recording features both his early and late piano works – two concert suites from 1924 and works from his later years in California.

Compiling the third and fourth solo albums by sideman-to-the-stars David Bromberg, Wanted Dead or Alive/Midnight on the Water includes Bromberg's virtuoso musicianship, eccentric songwriting, and endearingly off-key vocals, along with plenty of guest spots: Bonnie Raitt, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and on the first, most of the Grateful Dead.

David Russell joins Azica Records as releases his latest album of contemporary works written just for him. Classical guitarist David Russell is world renowned for his superb musicianship and inspired artistry, having earned the highest praise from audiences and critics alike. In recognition of his great talent and his international career, he was named a "Fellow of The Royal Academy of Music" in London in 1997. In May 2003 he was bestowed the great honor of being made "adopted son" of Es Migjorn, the town in Minorca where he grew up. Later the town named a street after him, "Avinguda David Russell". David Russell spends his time touring the world, appearing regularly at prestigious halls in main cities, such as New York, London, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Madrid, Toronto or Rome. Concert-goers everywhere are in awe of his musical genius and inspired by his captivating stage presence. His love of his craft resonates through his flawless and seemingly effortless performance. The attention to detail and provocative lyrical phrasing suggest an innate understanding of what each individual composer was working to achieve, bringing to each piece a sense of adventure.