Thomas & Friends

Thomas Albertus Irnberger, the Salzburg violinist, who performs worldwide, and Michael Korstick, piano, internationally known for his Beethoven interpretations, release works by Sergei Prokofiev for violin and piano on this double SACD. With unmatched precision in ensemble play and critically acclaimed virtuosity, the performers present the two sonatas for violin and piano, Op. 80 and Op. 94a, the “Five Melodies, Op. 35a” and “Five Pieces from Cinderella”. Also included on this recording is the Sonata for Violin solo, Op. 115.

When asked to describe himself, Whitmer Thomas comic, musician, skateboarder, infamous Blink182 fan will tell you, “I’m always gonna be the one whose mom called him ‘the Golden One,’ right before she died.” This is where his debut HBO comedy special, The Golden One, finds Whitmer: age thirty, investigating this sense (curse?) of destiny-as-identity. It’s been thirteen years since he left Alabama for LA, becoming a linchpin for LA’s young, independent comedy scene with Power Violence, the monthly show he hosted with friends.

Charles Lloyd at age 84 remains as spiritually relevant, contemporarily focused, and prolific as ever. Lloyd has played in many configurations including the standard drum-piano-bass-sax quartet but also in quintets that include both piano and guitar as well as his famous quintet, The Marvels, that features two guitarists, one of whom, the renowned guitarist Bill Frisell, along with Frisell’s go-to bassist Thomas Morgan, form the first of three trios in a series of recordings featuring three different trios that Lloyd is releasing in 2022. Lloyd has constantly searched for new contexts in which to deliver his improvised solos and has worked rather regularly with most of the musicians that comprise his vision of the three trios, which interestingly have a guitarist as the only instrumental constant. The second will feature guitarist Anthony Wilson and pianist Gerald Clayton while the third will install guitarist Julian Lage and percussionist Zakir Hussain.

In a narrative both panoramic and intimate, Tom Chaffin captures the four-decade friendship of Thomas Jefferson and the Marquis de Lafayette.