Split Second (1953)

Franco - Francophonic, Vol 2, 1980-1988 (2009) {2CD Set, Stern's Music STCD 3046-47}
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© 1980-88, 2009 Sterns Music / Sterns Africa | STCD3046~47
Jazz / World Music / African Traditions / Afro Pop

The Congolese guitarist, singer, bandleader and composer Francois Luambo Makiadi—most commonly known as Franco but with a raft of other nicknames including The Grand Master and The Sorcerer of The Guitar—had by the time of his death in 1989 dominated the elegant but gutsy genre of Congolese rumba for over two decades. Born in 1938, he had been the biggest African music phenomenon of his age.

Yuri Bashmet developed a highly successful international career as a violist, but then, like so many talented instrumentalists of his generation, branched out into conducting, even founding an orchestra. He has never abandoned the viola, managing to split his time in even portions between soloist and conductor, often appearing in both roles in the same concert.

Chet Baker - Out Of Nowhere, Chet Baker Quartet Live, Volume 2 (1954) {Pacific Jazz 27693 rel 2001}
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© 1954, 2001 Pacific Jazz / Capitol Records | 7243 5 27693 2 2
Jazz / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Trumpet

3 great Pacific Jazz CD's chronicling Chet Baker and Russ Freeman's live performances. This is where you really start to hear Chet find his own sound. He starts branching out on the two My Funny Valentine's found here, and his recordings of Stella By Starlight sound like the one's he did in the 1980's. The recording quality is pretty average in Volume 1, but it improves in Volume 2 and 3, especially considering how noisy American Jazz clubs used to be. Zing Went The Strings of My Heart is amazing, and it's one the fastest tempo tune Baker ever recorded. On several cuts, he plays the "Boo-bams", a bongo-type instrument invented by his friend Bill Loughborough.

The Hungarian formation Solaris was originally founded by some school friends in 1980. The band's name was derived from the title of book by SF writer Stanislaw Lem. After they made impression on a talent contest at The Budai Park for a massive crowd (mainly youth) the band was offered an opportunity to make a record. In '80 Solaris released their first single entitled "Rock Hullam" (actually this was a split single, Solaris got the B-side). The line-up in the early Eighties was Ferenc Raus (drums), Gábor Kisszabó (bass), Csaba Bogdán (guitars) and the remaining schoolfriends István Cziglán (guitars), Attila Kollár (flute) and Róbert Erdész (keyboards). They released the second single "Eden/Counterpoint" in '81. In '84 Solaris released their first album "The Martian Chronicles", it sold almost 40.000 copies. In those days progrock was popular in Hungary: Omega had crowds of 100.000 spectators!