Jumbo Piano

Gottlieb Wallisch continues his acclaimed survey of jazz-influenced piano literature. In this volume we explore le tumulte noir ("the Black craze") in the French-speaking countries after the First World War, taking us to Paris and Brussels where the mood was hot for dancing. The fashionable status of this new craze attracted writers, composers, intellectuals and artists from all over the world, with American jazz music as the latest rage in the cafes and bistros of the day. The influence of dances from overseas spread like wildfire, taking hold amongst French and Belgian composers eager to free themselves from Germanic Wagnerism while riding the wave of popularity of hit records and cinema.

The piano trio in Jazz - it does not get more essential than this. On these ten CDs fifteen excellent alliances of piano, bass, and drums present prime examples of what has often been called Jazz' "chamber music". A perfect and poignant introduction to the genre, this collection of nineteen original albums also serves as a beautiful reminder of just how diverse this instrumental combination could be made to sound in the late 50s and early 60s. Just listen to the way a standard like Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love" is interpreted by Bill Evans with his trio of Scott La Faro on bass and Paul Motian on drums or by Barry Harris, who also played with Miles Davis back in his hometown of Detroit, when accompanied by Joe Benjamin and Elvin Jones. Or how differently "Caravan" sounds when played by Thelonious Monk on his tribute to Duke Ellington or by the eminent Kenny Drew. Take away the bio- and discographic details and all musicological mumbo jumbo and the music will speak for itself, always deeply touching and emotionally sublime, perfectly suited for a Sunday at the riverside - or any other weekday or location for that matter.

Gottlieb Wallisch continues his acclaimed survey of jazz-influenced piano literature. In this volume we explore le tumulte noir (‘the Black craze’) in the French-speaking countries after the First World War, taking us to Paris and Brussels where the mood was hot for dancing.

"Party of One" is an album by English singer-songwriter Nick Lowe. Produced by Dave Edmunds, it was released in 1990 by Reprise Records and reissued with altered cover art and two bonus tracks in 1995 by Upstart Records. "Party of One" is one of only two Nick Lowe solo albums with no cover songs, as it is made up entirely of songs written or co-written by Lowe (the other album is 1982's "Nick the Knife").

Jazz is a repertory music much like most of the classical canon and similar to classical music’s greats, e.g. Beethoven and Stockhausen, the names of the genre’s pen masters are instantly recognizable. From Ellington and Monk to Silver and Braxton, compositional genius comes in many forms in jazz.