On FANTASY FOR VIOLIN AND PIANO, composer Benjamin Shorstein examines the age-old rules and conventions of musical form and structure and transforms them into inspirational foundations on which to build narratives. The improvisational Fantasy for Violin and Piano begins Shorstein’s story with an exploration of emotion and character, as each instrument formlessly weaves and wanders between themes—a sentiment that continues with Sonata for Piano, which extends the album’s musical worldbuilding, expanding upon an original theme that remains warm and sensitive as it gains intensity. The dance-based partita is also interpreted anew by Shorstein, as he uses the violin to explore the coexistence of melody and dissonance within self-expression.
When Paco de Lucía made the groundbreaking Almoraima, he was just 28 years old. Already established as a prodigious talent, he used to opportunity to expand the possibilities of the flamenco music he loved so much. It wasn't so much the addition of bass and congas (he'd employed them before) as his entire rethinking of what constituted flamenco. The title cut, which opened the album, emphasized the Moorish influence, not only in the presence of the lute-like oud, but in its melody, which borrows from Arab maqams, or modes. "Rio Ancho" transports the rhumba rhythm to Brazil, melding it to a feel taken from bossa nova, which makes it all the more sinuous and sensual.
Following the release of their critically acclaimed self-titled debut EP in 2021, Antwerp’s Lucid Lucia are set to release their debut album ‘Ever-changing Light’ on the 7th October via the groove-obsessed Belgian tastemaker label, Sdban Ultra.
In 1959, a family friend went to the home of Paco de Lucía and Pepe de Lucía where he made several recordings with a Grundig TK46 tape recorder. This tape disappeared in 1967 and, after a long search process, was rediscovered in 2022, when a restoration process started using AI tools. The historical value of this recording is incalculable and it gathers in 21 pieces an anthology of flamenco where most of its variants are represented (tangos, soleá, seguiriyas, bulerías…). It is, in short, the definitive recording to illustrate the transition from classical flamenco to modern flamenco as we know it today.
In 1959, a family friend went to the home of Paco de Lucía and Pepe de Lucía where he made several recordings with a Grundig TK46 tape recorder. This tape disappeared in 1967 and, after a long search process, was rediscovered in 2022, when a restoration process started using AI tools. The historical value of this recording is incalculable and it gathers in 21 pieces an anthology of flamenco where most of its variants are represented (tangos, soleá, seguiriyas, bulerías…). It is, in short, the definitive recording to illustrate the transition from classical flamenco to modern flamenco as we know it today.
A showcase of Paco De Lucia’s mesmerising Montreux Jazz Festival live performances between 1984 to 2012. The audio has Expertly restored and remastered in superlative HD audio; The Montreux Years is released on superior audiophile heavy weight vinyl, MQA quality CD and in HD digital. The Montreux Years is released as part of a brand new Montreux Jazz Festival and BMG collection series “The Montreux Years”. The collections will uncover legendary performances by the world’s most iconic artists alongside rare and never-before-released recordings from the festival’s rich 57-year history, remastered in superlative audio.
Lucia Swarts: Even as a young child, I was taught to be extra alert when women did not have the same opportunities as men.
In 1959, a family friend went to the home of Paco de Lucía and Pepe de Lucía where he made several recordings with a Grundig TK46 tape recorder. This tape disappeared in 1967 and, after a long search process, was rediscovered in 2022, when a restoration process started using AI tools. The historical value of this recording is incalculable and it gathers in 21 pieces an anthology of flamenco where most of its variants are represented (tangos, soleá, seguiriyas, bulerías…). It is, in short, the definitive recording to illustrate the transition from classical flamenco to modern flamenco as we know it today.