6.4.25

GARY HUSBAND — Dirty & Beautiful · Volume 1 (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were the golden age of swing and the mid- to late '40s and '50s were the golden age of bop. But noteworthy fusion can still be found if you know where to look for it, and Gary Husband's Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 is an example of noteworthy 21st century fusion. An impressive cast of fusion icons joins the British keyboardist/drummer/composer on this 2010 release, including guitarists Allan Holdsworth and John McLaughlin and keyboardist Jan Hammer; guitarist Robin Trower, who is best known for hard rock and blues-rock, is also on board. With such a cast, one would expect five-star results. But Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1 falls short of exceptional, although it's still an enjoyable, solid outing as well as a fairly diverse one. This 51-minute CD, which is dominated by Husband's original material, has its more aggressive moments (including "Ternberg Jam" and "Dreams in Blue"), but many of the tunes are on the reflective, contemplative side; that is certainly true of "Bedford Falls," "Afterglow," "The Maverick," "Averstone Jam," and the mysterious "Boulevard Baloneyo." And Husband reminds listeners that quality fusion, like quality bop, quality Dixieland, or quality swing, isn't just about pyrotechnics -- which is why there is a lot of lyricism on this album to go with all the chops and technical proficiency. Fusion enthusiasts will appreciate the amount of nuance that Husband and his soloists bring to Dirty and Beautiful, Vol. 1. Alex Henderson  
Tracklist :
1 Leave 'Em On  4:32
Bass – Jimmy Johnson
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Keyboards – Jan Hammer
Written-By – Allan Holdsworth
2 Bedford Falls  3:20
Bass – Laurence Cottle
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
3 Between The Sheets Of Music  3:32
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Violin – Jerry Goodman
Written-By – Jan Hammer, Anthony Smith
4 Yesternow - Preview  0:57
Bass – Livingstone Brown
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Robin Trower
Written-By – Miles Davis
5 Afterglow  2:15
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
6 Dreams In Blue  10:12
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – John McLaughlin
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
7 Ternberg Jam  3:01
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
8 Moon Song  4:32
Bass – Laurence Cottle
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Steve Hackett
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
9 Swell  0:45
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
10 The Maverick  4:53
Bass – Steve Price
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Steve Topping
Written-By – Steve Topping
11 Boulevard Baloneyo  7:42
Bass – Jimmy Johnson 
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband
12 Alverstone Jam 5:22
Bass – Mark King
Drums – Gary Husband
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband, Mark King

GARY HUSBAND — Dirty & Beautiful · Volume 2 (2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Rather than releasing a double album, keyboardist/drummer Gary Husband split the jazz fusion songs he recorded with high-profile guests into two separate but equal hour-long discs. It's a logical, economically feasible way to get this music out and probably makes for a better overall listening experience, too, since the sound can get wearing, even over the length of a single platter. Anyone who enjoyed the first volume from 2011 will find the same pleasures here as Husband invites mostly guitar-shredding guests such as Mike Stern, John McLaughlin, Wayne Krantz, Robin Trower, Jimmy Herring, and old pal Allan Holdsworth, among others, for a good, old-fashioned '80s fusion fest. As is typical of the genre, the line between noodling and edgy improvisation can get awfully thin and there are moments that alternate on either side of that divide. That's the case within the confines of some songs such as the ten-minute John McLaughlin extravaganza "Sulley" that goes through multiple tempo changes, winding through its extended playing time with some terrific guitar soloing and some that just meanders. Props to bassist Mark King, whose husky yet malleable playing on the track holds down the rhythm and keeps the song vital even when the leads wander. Trower's Hendrix-inspired bluesy reverb on Miles Davis' "Yesternow-Epilogue" fades in where the first set's "Yesternow-Prologue" left off in a performance that blurs the border between rock and jazz. The energized nature of the disc is tempered on a short and lovely reading of Jan Hammer's "Rain." Hammer doesn't contribute to the track, but he does appear on Holdsworth's "Fred 2011," letting Husband -- who plays both drums and keyboards on eight of the eleven cuts -- concentrate on percussion. A similar dynamic applies to John McLaughlin's "New Blues, Old Bruise," where the guitarist is M.I.A. Rather, tenor saxist Sean Freeman, whose playing is strongly influenced by Wayne Shorter, gets free rein to strut his impressive stuff, which shifts from lovely to jagged as he blows his way through the ten-minute jam. Despite the obviously overdubbed nature of Husband's double-duty instrumental work, this album, and the previous one, sounds remarkably organic. That's especially true of the funky "East River Jam" featuring a relatively dialed down Wayne Krantz, whose innovative solos seldom go where you think they will. It adds up to a tasty, if somewhat inconsistent project that will please fans of both the old-school jazz fusion genre and of the prestigious musicians who help Husband bring it home. Hal Horowitz
Tracklist :
1    If The Animals Had Guns Too 5:28
Bass – Jimmy Johnson
Guitar – Ray Russell
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband

2    Rolling Sevens 4:44
Bass – Teymur Phell
Guitar – Mike Stern
Keyboards, Drums, Percussion – Gary Husband

3    New Blues, Old Bruise 10:21
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Tenor Saxophone – Sean Freeman
Written-By – John McLaughlin

4    East River Jam 3:01
Guitar – Wayne Krantz
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband, Wayne Krantz

5    Fred 2011 4:48
Bass – Jimmy Johnson
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar – Allan Holdsworth
Keyboards – Jan Hammer
Written-By – Allan Holdsworth

6    Rain 2:48
Guitar – Neil Taylor
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Jan Hammer

7    Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Brothers 6:14
Drums – Gary Husband
Guitar, Programmed By – Alex Machacek
Written-By – Alex Machacek

8    Fuguie 4:18
Keyboards – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband

9    Sulley 10:08
Bass – Mark King
Guitar – John McLaughlin
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband

10    England Green 2:52
Bass – Laurence Cottle
Guitar – Jimmy Herring
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Gary Husband

11    Yesternow - Epilogue 4:52
Bass – Livingstone Brown
Guitar – Robin Trower
Keyboards, Drums – Gary Husband
Written-By – Miles Davis

5.4.25

CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN : Alkan Edition (2017) 13CD BOX-SET | FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
All Tracks & Credits

ALKAN : A Symposium (1992) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1. Rondo Brillant Op.4 12:51
Ensemble – Morhange Ensemble
Piano – Christine Stevenson

2. Deuxième Concert Da Camera Op.10, In C Sharp 7:36
Ensemble – Morhange Ensemble
Piano – Anthony Goldstone

3. Pas Redoublé For Wind Band 2:30
Conductor – Mark Fitz-Gerald
Ensemble – Leicestershire Schools Band

4. String Quartet In F Minor (Fragment) 0:20
Ensemble – Morhange Ensemble
5. Etz Chajjim 2:01
Choir – The Kentish Opera Singers
Conductor – Mark Fitz-Gerald

6. Les Regrets de la Nonnette 3:37
Piano – Ronald Smith
7. Halelouyah 1:33
Choir – The Kentish Opera Singers
Conductor – Mark Fitz-Gerald

8-15.     Petits Préludes Sur Les Huit Gammes Du Plain-chant
Organ – Nicholas King
16-17. Beethoven: Concerto En Ut Mineur Op.37 (Première Partie). Transcription de Concert Pour Piano Seul Avec Cadence
Piano – Thomas Wakefield

18. Marcia Funebre Sulla Morte D'un Papagallo 9:12
Bassoon – William Waterhouse
Choir – The Kentish Opera Singers
Conductor – Mark Fitz-Gerald
Oboe – Alison Turnbull, Hazel Todd, Rachel Porter

19. Siciliano, From Flute Sonata In E Flat BWV1031 2:48
Composed By – Johann Sebastian Bach
Piano – Penny Loosemore
Transcription By – Charles-Valentin Alkan

20. Prélude En Mi Majeur Op.66 No.1 1:28
Organ – Nicholas King
21. Bombardo-Carillon For Pedal-Piano, 4 Feet 5:30
Piano [4 Hands] – Caroline Clemmow & Anthony Goldstone

CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN : Organ Works 1 (Kevin Bowyer) (2007) APE (image+.cue), lossless

Charles-Valentin Alkan (1813-1888)
1. Benedictus, Op. 54    8:53
2-7. 12 Études D'Orgue Ou De Piano À Pedales Pour Les Pieds Seulement, Nos. 1–6.    (18:09)
8-19. 11 Grands Préludes Et 1 Transcription Du Messie De Hændel, Op. 66    (49:51)
Credits :
Organ [Organ Of Blackburn Cathedral] – Kevin Bowyer

GARY HUSBAND — Dirty & Beautiful · Volume 1 (2010) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Fusion isn't as plentiful as it was back in the 1970s, which was the golden age of fusion just as the '30s and early '40s were ...