Madame 1978

This exquisite 1978 studio recording of Madame Butterfly stars Renata Scotto, Placido Domingo, Gillian Knight and Ingvar Vixell, singing their respective roles with breathtaking realism and melodic richness. Quite possibly the best Butterfly on record, and a must have for devotees of Renata Scotto

French art-rock unit Etron Fou Leloublan – roughly translated, "Mad Sh*t, the White Wolf" – was formed in 1974 by vocalist Eulalie Ruynat, bassist/vocalist Ferdinand Richard, saxophonist Chris Chanet, and drummer Guigou Chenevier. A product of the Rock in Opposition coalition – a loose collective of British and Western European artists, spearheaded by Henry Cow, that openly challenged the commercial, creative, and sociopolitical aims of mass-market popular music – Etron Fou Leloublan boasted a frenzied, densely rhythmic approach ably captured by their 1976 debut LP, Batelages…

Guy Lafitte was one of the greatest french jazz musician. This pleasant,sympathetic man from the Pyrenees,a mountainous region of the south of France, near Spain, started his career in Paris just after World War II, and often played with great american soloists, including Bill Coleman,Lucky THompson,Sammy Price or even Sonny Rollins. He loved music, friendship, good wine and cassoulet, and his death a few months ago, aged 71,was a great loss.In this Black & Blue reissuue, he pays his dues to his master Coleman Hawkins ("It's the talk of the town","Stuffy","One for the Bean") gives us a marvelous version of "Body and soul", Hawk's tune, and even plays a Charles Trenet's song,"Bonsoir jolie Madame". This is great mainstream jazz,great tenor saxophone, and listening to it,I remember a TV broadcast where Guy was filmed in a New York club playing with Ray Bryant and reaching the stars.