Gitanes

Vol 1 of Jordi Masó's Mompou cycle was given the warmest of welcomes and Vol 2 is no disappointment, either. Everything is presented with crystalline clarity, and if the manner is unusually robust it's never less than musicianly.
Directions such as énergiquement and très clair (Prélude No 2), the forte climax of Prélude No 6 or the sudden blaze of anger that erupts in Prélude No 7 are arguably more sympathetically conveyed than Mompou's gentler, more characteristic instructions (con lirica espressione in Prélude No 8 or un peu plus calme in the second 'Gitanes' from Suburbis).

Teddy Edwards - Mississippi Lad (1991) {Verve 511 111-2} (featuring Tom Waits)
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 361 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 73 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1991 Verve / PolyGram / Gitanes Jazz | 511 111-2
Jazz / Post Bop / Jazz Blues / Saxophone

Not half as well known as he should be, Edwards is a Delta- born jazz saxophonist who impresses for his post-bop inventiveness and his predisposition to the blues. Allowed a rare feature date, he gives lessons in how to delve into a melody for meaning and then express the resulting revelations in down-home terms-relish the poetic beauty of the title song. Tom Waits, an original, molds his vocal excesses into triumphant blues declarations in Edwards's stunning composition "I'm Not Your Fool Anymore." Indeed.

After Música Callada Steffen Schleiermacher is now presenting Fêtes lointaines, his second release featuring one-of-a-kind piano compositions by Federico Mompou. Along with the title cycle, this CD includes other miniatures from the period between 1914 and 1921. The titles of the short cycles very much refer to the real world. “Suburbis” depicts street scenes in Barcelona, a guitarist endeavors to get a waltz going, gypsies form the topic of conversation, suddenly an old gray mare appears, and then a beggar concludes the series with hurdy-gurdy distress signals. The festivities in Fêtes lointaines, hints, mere impressions, are heard in the distance – which is why the instructions at the end read: “To be played like an echo.”

The Gitanes label has taken it upon itself to reissue on CD some of the late work of gypsy jazz giant Django Reinhardt. The tracks that make up Nuits de Saint-Germain des-Prés come from three Decca sessions dating from May of 1951 to January 1953, the final year of his life. The title comes from the reopening of the infamous club Saint-Germain des-Prés, whose reopening coincided with Reinhardt showing off his bop chops to a host of notable American jazzmen, including Benny Carter, Roy Eldridge, Charlie Parker, Don Byas, and others. The bands on all of these sessions are comprised of Young Turks, most notably a youthful Pierre Michelot on bass. The other constants are drummer Pierre Lemarchand and Hubert Fol on clarinets and saxophone; the latter's brother Raymond is the pianist on two of these sessions…