DEBUSSY : 12 Etudes (Mitsuko Uchida) (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Collectors may want to know how Philips' latest incarnation of Mitsuko Uchida's 1989 Debussy Etudes differs from earlier CD issues. A 2001 reissue in Philips' "50 Great Recordings" series offered 24-bit remastering that yielded more palpable room ambience, clearer definition, and a more natural equalization of the piano than the excellent-sounding original release. The warmer, rounder impact I glean from the present "Originals" transfer appears to result from slightly beefing up the bass. Admittedly, these are hair-splitting considerations, and you can't go wrong with either reissue, but if you already own the 2001 version (my personal preference), you need not replace it.
Uchida's interpretations are distinguished by her ability to reconcile fastidious observation of the composer's markings with her acute instincts for nuance and flexibility. The first etude's burlesqued piano-practice scales are clearly articulated without ever sounding notey, while the three double-note etudes stand out for supple, ultra-secure fingerwork and ravishing tone color. Uchida's stunning dispatch of the seventh etude, "Pour les huit doigts", adds up to a master class on the subject of when and when not to pedal.

So does the pianist's vividly characterized eighth etude. Here's a case where taking interpretive liberties works to the music's benefit. For example, Debussy wants the penultimate measures sustained. However, Uchida lifts the pedal on the second to last measure so that the final cluster makes a more surprising and humorous impact. She leans into etude eleven's gorgeous polytextural writing for all it's worth, and brings sweeping ferocity to the chord/octave leaps in the final etude's outer sections. In short, Uchida's Debussy Etudes proudly retains its status as a classic, notwithstanding subsequent and serious rivalry from Florent Bouffard (Harmonia Mundi) and Ju-Ying Song (Pro Piano). Absolutely essential! Claude Debussy at Allmusic / Claude Debussy at Wiki

Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
1-12. Douze Etudes Pour Piano (47:12)
Piano – Mitsuko Uchida

CLEO LAINE — This Is ... Cleo Laine - Shakespeare-And All That Jazz (1964-1975) Vinyl, LP | International Series | WV (image+.cue), 24-192Hz

Tracklist :
A1        If Music Be The Food Of Love (Twelfth Night)
Written-By – Dankworth
A2        O Mistress Mine (Twelfth Night)
Written-By – Young
A3        Duet Of Sonnets
Written-By – Dankworth
A4        Winter (Love's Labour's Lost)
Written-By – Dankworth
A5        My Love Is As A Fever (Sonnet 147)
Written-By – Strayhorn, Ellington
A6        It Was A Lover And His Lass (As You Like It)
Written-By – Young
A7        Dunsinale Blues (Macbeth)
Written-By – Dankworth
B1        Take All My Loves (Sonnet 40)
Written-By – Strayhorn, Ellington
B2        Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind (As You Like It)
Written-By – Young
B3        Shall I Compare Thee (Sonnet 18)
Written-By – Dankworth
B4        Witches, Fair And Foul (Macbeth & A Midsummer Night's Dream)
Written-By – Dankworth
B5        Fear No More (Cymbeline)
Written-By – Dankworth
B6        Sign No More, Ladies (Much Ado About Nothing)
Written-By – Young
B7        The Compleat Works
Written-By – Dankworth
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Alan Branscombe (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7), John Dankworth
Baritone Saxophone – Al Newman (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Bass – Ken Napper (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Clarinet – Al Newman (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7), Alan Branscombe (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7), John Dankworth, Vic Ash (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Drums – Allan Ganley (tracks: A2, A4, A7, B1), Johnny Butts (tracks: A1, A3, A5, A6, B2 to B7)
Flute – Al Newman (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Guitar – Ray Dempsey (tracks: A2, A3, A4, A7, B1, B4)
Harp – Maria Korchinska (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Horn [Flugel] – Leon Calvert (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Horn [Tenor] – Ken Wheeler (tracks: A2, A3, A4, A7, B1, B4)
Piano – Alan Branscombe (tracks: A2, A3, A4, A7, B1, B4)
Tenor Saxophone – Vic Ash (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Trombone – Tony Russell (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Trumpet – Ken Wheeler (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7), Leon Calvert (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Tuba – Ron Snyder (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)
Vibraphone – Alan Branscombe (tracks: A1, A5, A6, B2, B3, B5, B6, B7)

SCHUMANN : Carnaval · Kreisleriana (Mitsuko Uchida) (1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist & Credits :

MOZART : The Piano Concertos (Mitsuko Uchida · English Chamber Orchestra · Jeffrey Tate) 8CD BOX-SET (2006) APE (tracks), lossless

 Tracklist & Credits

Berlioz : Complete Orchestral Works (Sir Colin Davis) 6-CD SET (1997) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Tracklist & Credits

TOOTS THIELEMANS & ELIS REGINA — Elis & Toots (1969-2012) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Five MOMENTOUS Stars. On a scale of 1 to 5, "Aquarela Do Brasil" is a SIX! This is one of the great 'musica popular Brasileira' (MPB) performances of all time, with Toots Thielemans adding soaring beautiful harmonica and guitar solos between some truly amazing vocals by Elis Regina. Plus Toots gives three solid solo performances, including an Elis tribute.
Recorded in 1969, during a "howling snowstorm" in Stockholm Sweden of all places, the Brazilian super-diva, Elis Regina, and the acclaimed NEA Jazz Master harmonica player, guitarist, and whistler Toots Thielemans, conjured up a steaming, mid-summer Brazilian beach in the studio. Elis is on fire throughout and clearly having a lot of fun. Her musical quintet, 'Elis Cinco', is brilliant and audibly enthusiastic. Singing with a wide range of emotions and tossing off gymnastic phrases with ease, Elis is incredible. She wields her voice like a knief, cutting quickly and deeply into each song. Toots is equally brilliant and the entire ensemble plays like old musical friends. I speak no Portuguese but this music is intuitive and as clear as a crystal.
Normally I pick out a "Piece D'Resistance" in every CD, but this CD is so uniformly brilliant that there are too many outstanding performances by both artists to pick one. The sensuous, sultry "Barquinho" (Little Boat) is cast as an overpowering ballad performance that will slow your breathing. "Voce", the tongue twisting "Corrida de Jangada", and the sizzling "Wave" (with Elis' patented "sozinho" Afro-Brazilian tagline at the end) are new again. She totally personalizes "Aquarela Do Brasil" using the 'bridge' only and then adds the batucada "Nega do Cabelo Duro" to it, infusing it with humor and the sound of "crickets": very unique performance. And the octave-jumping tour de force of "Cantu de Ossanha" is spine-tingling great singing like no one else can do it. web
Tracklist  :
1    Wave 3:10
Written-By – Antonio Carlos Jobim
2    Aquarela Do Brasil 3:05
Written-By – Ary Barroso
3    Visão 2:55
Written-By – Antonio Adolfo, Tiberio Gaspar
4    Corrida De Jangada 2:05
Written-By – Edu Lobo
5    Wilsamba 2:10
Written-By – Roberto Menescal
6    Voce 2:25
Written-By – Roberto Menescal, Ronaldo Boscoli
7    Barquinho 2:25
Written-By – Roberto Menescal, Ronaldo Boscoli
8    O Sonho 2:15
Written-By – Egberto Gismonti
9    Five For Elis 1:55
Written-By – Toots Thielemans
10    Canto De Ossanha 3:15
Written-By – Baden Powell, Vinicius De Moraes
11    Honeysuckle Rose 2:50
Written-By – C. Williams
12    A Volta 4:30
Written-By – Roberto Menescal, Ronaldo Boscoli
Credits :
Arranged By – Claes Rosendahl (tracks: A3, B3, B6)
Bass – Jurandir Duarte
Drums – Wilson Das Neves
Guitar – Roberto Menescal
Percussion – Hermes Contesini
Piano – Antonio Adolfo

JOE ZAWINUL — Zawinul : Stories of the Danube (1996) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Billed as Joe Zawinul's First Symphony, this large-scale classical work may seem like a radical departure to the composer/keyboardist's jazz and pop fans, but it is really a logical expression of Zawinul's indestructible European roots. Moreover, it is not as alien to his jazz work as one might suppose; at times, one can hear trademark Zawinul ostinato lines in fleshed-out, orchestrated form, and rhythms and tunes of his jazz-rock days ("Doctor Honoris Causa," "Pharoah's Dance" "Unknown Soldier") turn up like old friends crashing a black-tie ceremony. The storyline of the work is a spinoff of Smetana's "The Moldau," tracing the path of a river from its springhead through Central Europe and the deep historical currents (the Ottoman Empire, Vienna's Golden Age, World War II, etc.) that its journey suggests. Zawinul's own keyboards appear most noticeably in the brooding Third Worldish introductions to the fourth and seventh movements, and the Czech State Philharmonic Orchestra, Brno under Caspar Richter handles the long symphonic writing smoothly. At 63 minutes, this piece is a real stretch -- Zawinul is dealing with a Brucknerian timespan -- and skillful orchestrator, composer and boundless eclectic that he is, he can't quite fill the huge tapestry consistently. Yet repeated listening reveals a coherent if loose overall structure and some emotional depth; if you work at it, the rewards will come. Richard S. Ginell   Tracklist & Credits :

DIZZY GILLESPIE — New Wave! (1963) Vinyl | FLAC (tracks), lossless

It is such a pity that Dizzy Gillespie Philips' LPs have yet to be reissued on CD, for the trumpeter (45 at the time of this recording) was at the peak of his powers in the early '60s. On such songs as "In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town," "Careless Love," "One Note Samba" and the "Theme from Black Orpheus," Gillespie and his expanded quintet (with guests Bola Sete or Elec Bacsik on guitar and Charlie Ventura taking a memorable bass sax solo on "No More Blues-Part II") show a great deal of spirit and creativity. Leo Wright (on alto and flute) and pianist Lalo Schifrin are also in fine form throughout this gem.  Scott Yanow   Tracklist + Credits :

RACHMANINOV · LUTOSLAWSKI · RAVEL : Music for Two Piano (Martha Argerich · Nelson Freire) (1982) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 

BLOSSOM DEARIE – Sweet Blossom Dearie (1967-2012) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This was recorded at "Ronnie Scots Club" in London in 1967 there was no gaps in between the tracks so I had to record it as just "Side 1 & Side 2"...."Blossom Dearie" has one of those voices that you either love or hate....even when she was older her voice did not change at all...I would have thought the voice would have deepened with age but it didnt !!
Tracklist :
1    Let's Go Where The Grass Is Greener 2:56
2    You Turn Me On Baby 2:43
3    Sleeping Bee 4:16
4    Sweet Lover No More 3:03
5    Sweet Georgie Fame 3:50
6    That's No Joke 5:31
7    Peel Me A Grape 4:09
8    One Note Samba 2:50
9    On A Clear Day You Can See Forever 3:29
10    I'll Only Miss Him When I Think Of Him 5:38
11    Big City's For Me 2:41
12    You're Gonna Hear From Me 3:46
Credits :
Bass – Freddie Logan
Drums – Alan Ganley
Piano, Vocals – Blossom Dearie

BRUNO MADERNA : The Oboe Concertos (Holliger-Bertini) FLAC (tracks), lossless

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART : The Piano Sonatas (Mitsuko Uchida) 5CD (2001) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Philips has reissued, at an affordable price, Mitsuko Uchida's recordings of all the Mozart piano sonatas. It's a great package for anyone who hasn't heard her celebrated performances of these or may have only heard one or two. She uses a lightness of touch and approach as if she were playing on an instrument more like what Mozart would have had, rather than its modern, sturdy descendent. There is also a deliberateness and care given to each phrase, adding a delicate nuance here, a smidgen more drama there. Even in the most dramatic of the sonatas, the Sonata in C minor, K. 457, and its preceding Fantasy, K. 475, the mood hints at the drama of Beethoven, but is not played with anything near the intensity of Beethoven and always carries the good humor of Mozart. In the Sonata in D major, K. 284, the listener can easily hear Mozart the symphonist or opera composer just by the way Uchida voices and balances the music under her hands. It's an extremely satisfying set of performances. by Patsy Morita 

JOHN MCLAUGHLIN | AL DI MEOLA | PACO DE LUCÍA – Passion, Grace & Fire (1983) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Two years after they recorded Friday Night in San Francisco, John McLaughlin, Al di Meola and Paco de Lucía reunited for another set of acoustic guitar trios, Passion, Grace and Fire, If this can be considered a guitar "battle" (some of the playing is ferocious and these speed demons do not let up too often), then the result is a three-way tie. This guitar summit lives up to its title. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1. Aspan

2. Orient Blue Suite

3. Chiquito

4. Sichia

5. David

6. Passion, Grace & Fire

Credits :

Acoustic Guitar [Ovation 6-string Acoustic Guitar - Steel Strung] – Al Di Meola

Guitar [Spanish Flamenco Guitar, Built In Spain - Gut Strung] – Paco De Lucia

Guitar [Yamaha Classical Flamenco-type Guitar - Gut Strung] – John McLaughlin

RIO 65 TRIO - A Hora e Vez da M.P.M. (1966) Lp / FLAC (tracks), lossless

MOZART : Music for 2 Pianos; Piano Duets (1996) 2CD / FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE : Lieder, Piano Works, Melodrama (Fisher-Dieskau) (1995) APE (image+.cue), lossless

CLAUDE BOLLING – Jazzgang Amadeus Mozart (1965-2006) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

The reissue of keyboardist Claude Bolling's recordings of the 1960s may prompt a positive reevaluation of his contributions. Bolling has been known, at least outside France, mostly for the flute-and-piano works he composed for Jean-Pierre Rampal; his recordings with Rampal hit a certain popular groove and stuck with the formula. They were undeniably appealing in a simple way, but they became fatally overexposed. Bolling's earlier recordings reveal more imagination in his treatment of the relationship between jazz and classical music. Take for example this 1965 album, recorded in Paris. It's one of the few successful jazz treatments of Mozart, who is notoriously resistant to jazz treatment. The difficulty comes as a result of Mozart's reliance on harmonic rhythm, or the speed of the rate of change of the harmonies in the music. This feature seems impossible to capture in jazz, which heavily relies on regular chord changes, but Bolling's solutions here, making use of a classic jazz sextet, are brilliantly imaginative. There are several different twists on the basic idea, but essentially what he does is begin with the source music, only slightly tinged with jazz and usually played on his own piano. Where the music picks up speed and energy, he turns the sextet loose. The effect of hearing Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525, turned into a sort of New Orleans jam session is charming, but it wouldn't work without very careful structural planning. Cherubini's aria "Voi che sapete," from The Marriage of Figaro, is a variation on the same theme: a nightclub jazz combo is used to move the music along. The Rondo alla Turca and a group of variations from the first movement of the sonata from which it comes provide short sketches of various ideas. Only the final Overture to James Manheim  
Tracklist :
Serenade No. 13 for strings in G major ("Eine kleine Nachtmusik"), K. 525
1 Allegro 3:23
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
2 Romance (Andante) 3:07
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3 Minuetto (Allegretto) 2:08
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
4 Rondo (Allegro) 2:43
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492
5 Mon Cœur Soupire (Air de Chérubin) 3:08
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major ("Alla Turca") K. 331 (K. 300i)
6 Marche Turque (Rondo alla turca) 2:39
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
7 Andante et variations 1, 2, 3 & 6 8:04
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro), opera, K. 492
8 Ouverture 3:53
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Credits :

Bandoneon – Pierre Dutour (tracks: 1 to 4)

Banjo – Fernand Garbasi (tracks: 1 to 4, 6)

Clarinet – Gérard Badini

Conductor [String Ensemble Conducted By] – Jean Gitton (tracks: 1 to 4)

Double Bass – Charlie Blareau

Drums – Peter Giger

Guitar – Fernand Garbasi (tracks: 1 to 5)

Music By – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Performer – Claude Bolling Sextet

Piano – Claude Bolling

Tenor Saxophone – Gérard Badini (tracks: 1 to 4, 6, 7), Pierre Gossez (tracks: 5, 8)

Trombone – Claude Gousset

Trumpet – Pierre Sellin (tracks: 2 to 4, 6, 7)

Trumpet, Flugelhorn – Pierre Dutour

WAGNER : Der Ring des Nibelungen (Pierre Boulez) 12xCD Box-Set (2006) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although not the most controversial of postwar Bayreuth Rings -- Georg Solti and Peter Hall's retro-Romantic Ring with naked Rhine maidens wins that prize -- Pierre Boulez and Patrice Chéreau's post-industrial revolution Ring as metaphor for the decline and fall of capitalism is certainly the second most controversial postwar Bayreuth Ring. But more controversial than Chéreau's dramatic conception was Boulez's musical execution. With startlingly clear textures, spectacularly bright colors, and stunningly light tempos, Boulez' obtains a Wagner sound like no other. And for those with ears to hear, it works. Wagner's music doesn't have to be murky to be metaphysical or massive to be overwhelmingly moving and Boulez gets playing from the too-often turgid Bayreuth Festival Orchestra that makes the music crackle and blaze with musical and dramatic meaning. But perhaps most surprisingly, the best thing about this Ring is the singing, or, rather, the singing-acting. From Donald McIntyre's bigger than life but deeply human Wotan to Gwyneth Jones heartbreakingly beautiful Brünnhilde, the leads are magnificently convincing both as singers and as actors. And while Peter Hoffmann's Siegmund and Manfred Jung's Siegfried were less well received at the time, their performances, while perhaps too earnest, are still quite effective in their roles. Philips' 1981 sound is very live -- much of the stage action is plainly audible -- but this only adds to the verisimilitude of the recording. While not for everybody, the Boulez Ring has to be heard by anyone who loves the work.  by James Leonard  
All Tracklist

PACO DE LUCÍA - Paco de Lucía Interpreta a Manuel de Falla (1978) Mp3

Tracklist  

1 Danza De Los Vecinos 3:07
2 Danza Ritual Del Fuego 4:21
Backing Band [Colaboración Del Grupo] – Dolores
Guitar [2nd] – Ramon De Algeciras
3 Introductión Y Pantomima 2:58
4 El Paño Moruno 1:26
Written-By – Pepe De Lucia
5 Danza Del Molinero 3:03
6 Danza 3:23
7 Escena 1:14
8 Canción Del Fuego Fatuo 4:04
Backing Band [Colaboración Del Grupo] – Dolores
Guitar [2nd] – Ramon De Algeciras
9 Danza Del Terror 1:47
10 Danza De La Molinera 4:00
Credits
Adapted By, Arranged By, Flamenco Guitar – Paco De Lucía
Composed By – Manuel De Falla

PACO DE LUCÍA - Entre Dos Aguas [1986] PHILIPS

 Any and all of his albums have a great blend of traditional elements and virtuoso playing.  by Ron Wynn
Tracklist  
1 Entre Dos Aguas (Rumba) 6:02
Written-By – J. Torregrossa, P. De Lucia
2 Zorongo Gitano 2:55
Written-By – Federico Garcia Lorca
3 Rio Ancho 4:29
Written-By – P. De Lucia, R. Sanchez
4 En La Caleta 3:23
Written-By – F. Sánchez, J. Torregrossa
5 Convite 5:05
Written-By – P. De Lucia
6 Monasterio De Sal 4:52
Written-By – P. De Lucia
7 Panaderos Flamencos 2:36
Written-By – P. De Lucia
8 Punta Umbria 3:23
Written-By – F. Sánchez, J. Torregrossa
9 Chanela 3:57
Written-By – P. De Lucia
10 La Niña De Puerta Oscura 2:59
Written-By – M. Lopez Quiroga
11 Castro Marin 4:12
Written-By – P. De Lucia
12 Gua'Iras De Lucía 3:21
Written-By – F. Sánchez, P. De Lucia
13 Mantilla De Feria 3:17
Written-By – P. De Lucia
14 El Vito 2:51
Written-By – Federico Garcia Lorca
Credits
Acoustic Guitar – Larry Corryell (tracks: 5)
Guitar [2nd] – Ramón De Algeciras (tracks: 1, 3, 6, 9, 10, 14), Ricardo Modrego (tracks: 2)
Guitar [Flamenco] – Paco De Lucía

PACO DE LUCÍA - Entre Dos Aguas 

[1986] Philips / CBR320 / scan

O Púbis da Rosa