RENAISSANCE - Ashes Are Burning (1973-1991) APE (image+.cue), lossless

With electric guitarist Andy Powell sitting in on the title track, Renaissance delivered its best, and first fully formed album, mixing Russian, French, and Indian influences in musical settings that are both lively and elegant. The title track is one of the few lengthy progressive-rock pieces of the era that holds up, and the rest of the material runs the gamut from folk ("Carpet of the Sun") to Impressionist ("At the Harbor"), all of it hauntingly beautiful and enlivening. Reissued in 1993 by One Way Records, with excellent sound. by Bruce Eder

Tracklist:

1 Can You Understand 9:51

2 Let It Grow 4:11

3 On The Frontier 4:54

Music By – McCarty

4 Carpet Of The Sun 3:34

5 At The Harbour 6:50

6 Ashes Are Burning 11:24

Guitar – Andy Powell

Credits:

Acoustic Guitar – Michael Dunford

Bass, Vocals – John Camp

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Terence Sullivan

Keyboards, Vocals – John Tout

Vocals – Annie Haslam

Written-By – Thatcher, Dunford (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6)

RENAISSANCE - Turn of the Cards (1974-1994) APE (image+.cue), lossless

The third album by this incarnation of Renaissance was a match for their previous success, Ashes Are Burning, with equally impressive performances and songwriting and a few new musical twists added. The songs here fit more easily into a rock vein, and the prior album's folk influences are gone. Turn of the Cards rocks a bit harder, albeit always in a progressive rock manner, and Jon Camp's bass and Terence Sullivan's drums are both harder and heavier here, the bass (the group's only amplified instrument) in particular much more forward in the mix. This change works in giving the band a harder sound that leaves room for Jimmy Horowitz's orchestral accompaniments, which are somewhat more prominent than those of Richard Hewson on the prior album, with the horns and strings, in particular, more exposed. Annie Haslam is in excellent voice throughout, and finds ideal accompaniment in Michael Dunford's acoustic guitar and John Tout's piano. The writing team of Dunford and Betty Thatcher also adds some new wrinkles to the group's range -- in addition to progressive rock ballads like "I Think of You," they delivered "Black Flame," a great dramatic canvas for Haslam and Tout, in particular; and "Mother Russia" is a surprising (and effective) move into topical songwriting, dealing with the plight of Alexander Solzhenitsyn and other victims of Soviet repression (you had to be there in the 1970s to realize what a burning issue this was). And then there were the soaring, pounding group virtuoso numbers like "Things I Don't Understand," which managed to hold audience interest across nine or ten minutes of running time. by Bruce Eder   

Tracklist:

1 Running Hard 9:34

Composed By [Opening Piece Of Running Hard] – Jehan Alain

2 I Think Of You 3:05

3 Things I Don't Understand 9:29

4 Black Flame 6:25

5 Cold Is Being 3:01

Composed By – Albinoni

6 Mother Russia 9:19

Credits:

Acoustic Guitar [Acoustic Guitars], Vocals – Michael Dunford

Arranged By [Musical Arrangements By] – Renaissance 

Arranged By [Orchestral Arrangements By] – Jimmy Horowitz

Bass Guitar, Vocals – John Camp

Composed By – Betty Thatcher, Michael Dunford

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Terence Sullivan

Keyboards – John Tout

Vocals – Annie Haslam

RENAISSANCE - Scheherazade and Other Stories (1975-1994) WV (image+.cue), lossless

This album was the group's magnum opus in the perception of many onlookers and fans, and it still plays well, though its flaws are more evident than they were at the time. The "Song of Scheherazade," really a suite for the group supported by the London Symphony Orchestra and a chorus, started with guitarist-composer Michael Dunford, who had a personal fascination with the medieval literary work Tales of 1,001 Arabian Nights, and was realized by Dunford and his composing partner Betty Thatcher, with bassist Jon Camp and pianist John Tout. The piece, really nine sections assembled together, was one of the more ambitious works to come out of the progressive rock boom -- it fits together nicely and does have some gorgeous passages and many lyrical, powerful sections, although it also seems slightly repetitive, overstaying its welcome somewhat; additionally, it never uses the orchestra quite as effectively as one senses it might have, for anything except embellishment. Less ambitious and more completely successful are "Ocean Gypsy," "The Vultures Fly High," and "Trip to the Fair" on side one, all relatively unpretentious pieces which feature extraordinary singing by Annie Haslam. by Bruce Eder  

Tracklist:

1 Trip To The Fair 10:51

2 The Vultures Fly High 3:04

3 Ocean Gypsy 7:05

Song Of Scheherazade (24:37)

4.1 Fanfare

4.2 The Betrayal

4.3 The Sultan

4.4 Love Theme

4.5 The Young Prince And The Princess As Told By Scheherazade

4.6 Festival Preparations

4.7 Fugue For The Sultan

4.8 The Festival

4.9 Finale

Credits:

Acoustic Guitar, Vocals – Michael Dunford

Arranged By – Renaissance 

Arranged By [Orchestral Arrangements] – Tony Cox

Bass, Vocals – John Camp

Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Terence Sullivan

Keyboards, Vocals – John Tout

Lead Vocals – Annie Haslam, John Camp (tracks: 4.3)

Producer – David Hitchcock, Renaissance 

Written-By – Betty Thatcher, Tout (tracks: 1, 4.1, 4.6, 4.7, 4.9), Camp (tracks: 4.2, 4.4, 4.6, 4.9), Michael Dunford

LAURINDO ALMEIDA - The Art of the Guitar from the Renaissance to Broadway [1969] CAPITOL [5LP] FLAC

Tracklist 

Villa-Lobos: Music For The Spanish Guitar Part I
A1 Etude No. 1 2:17
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
A2 Prelude No. 1 4:56
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
A3 Etude No. 8 3:04
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
A4 Chôro Typico 5:46
Written-By – Villa-Lobos

 

Villa-Lobos: Music For The Spanish Guitar Part II

B1 Etude No. 7 5:25
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
B2 Prelude No. 5 3:31
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
B3 Prelude No. 3 5:55
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
B4 Schottish-Chôro From Suite Populaire Brasilienne 4:34
Written-By – Villa-Lobos

Duets With The Spanish Guitar Part I
C1 Entr' Acte 3:12
Written-By – Ibert
C2 Bachianas Brasiliera No. 5 5:56
Written-By – Villa-Lobos
C3 Ronde 1:58
Written-By – Emile Desportes
C4 Azulão 1:27
Written-By – Jayme Ovalle-Bandiera
C5 Prelude No. 15 (Raindrops) 2:15
Transcription By – Almeida, Written-By – Chopin
C6 O Cacador 1:46
Written-By – Almeida
C7 Pastorale Joyeuse 2:36
Written-By – Emile Desportes

Duets With The Spanish Guitar Part II
Tres Pontos De Santo, Op. 10 4:02
D1a Chario
Written-By – Jayme Ovalle
D1b Aruanda
Written-By – Jayme Ovalle
D1c Estrella Do Mar
Written-By – Jayme Ovalle
D2 Tambouriin 1:25
Transcription By – Almeida
Written-By – Gossec
D3 Boi Bumbá 1:34
Written-By – Vladimir Henrique
D4 Sicilienne 4:02
Transcription By – Almeida
Written-By – Faure
D5 Para Ninar 2:20
Written-By – Paurillo Barroso
D6 Piece En Forme De Habanera 2:44
Written-By – Ravel
D7 Maracatú 2:24
Written-By – Braga Ferreira

Broadway Solo Guitar Part I
E1 People 3:09
Written-By – Bob Merrill, Jule Styne
E2 My Funny Valentine 3:28
Written-By – R. Rodgers - L. Hart
E3 As Long As He Needs Me 2:18
Written-By – Lionel Bart
E4 I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face 2:38
Written-By – F. Loewe - A.J. Lerner
E5 Smoke Gets In Your Eyes 2:48
Written-By – J. Kern, O. Harbach

Broadway Solo Guitar Part II
F1 Little Girl Blue 3:19
Written-By – R. Rodgers - L. Hart
F2 What Kind Of Fool Am I? 3:13
Written-By – A. Newley, L. Bricusse
F3 Was She Prettier Than I? 2:37
Written-By – Hugh Martin, Timothy Gray
F4 The Sound Of Music 3:41
Written-By – R. Rodgers - Oscar Hammerstein II
F5 The Most Beautiful Girl In The World 3:03
Written-By – R. Rodgers - L. Hart

For My True Love Part I
G1 Jota 3:12
Written-By – Falla
G2 Cancion 1:18
Written-By – Falla
G3 Polo 1:37
Written-By – Falla
G4 Pavanne, Op. 50 5:12
Transcription By – Almeida
Written-By – Faure
G5 Lass From The Low Country 2:49
Written-By – Traditional
G6 Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair 4:00
Written-By – Niles
G7 Galliard: Come Again, Sweet Love Doth Now Invite 4:03
Written-By – Dowland

For My True Love Part II
H1 Passarinho Esta Cantando 1:23
Written-By – Mignone
H2 Modinha 4:13
Written-By – Ovalle 
H3 Prelude 1:25
Written-By – De Visee
H4 Au Bois Du Rossignolet (The Myrtle Bower) 2:00
Written-By – Traditional
H5 Plaisir D'amour 3:52
Written-By – Martini 
H6 Gagliarda 1:10
Written-By – Galilei
H7 O Cassate Di Piagarmi 2:54
Written-By – A. Scarlatti
H8 Gigue 1:47
Written-By – Bach 
H9 Bist Du Bei Mir 2:55
Written-By – Bach 

A Man And A Woman Part I
I1 A Man And A Woman 2:20
Written-By – Lai, Keller, Barouh 
I2 Call Me 3:03
Written-By – Tony Hatch
I3 Michelle 2:21
Written-By – John Lennon - Paul McCartney 
I4 Bluesette 2:38
Written-By – G. Thielemans
I5 Here's That Rainy Day 3:24
Written-By – J. Burke - J. Van Heusen 

A Man And A Woman Part II
J1 Secret Love 3:46
Written-By – P.F. Webster, S. Fain 
J2 Distant Shores 3:34
Written-By – James Guercio 
J3 Soft Mood 3:01
Written-By – Laurindo Almeida
J4 Goin' Out Of My Head 2:45
Written-By – B. Weinstein, T. Randazzo 
J5 Mais Que Nada 2:12
Written-By – Jorge Ben

Credits

Flute – Martin Ruderman (tracks: C1 to D7, G1 to H9)

Guitar – Laurindo Almeida

Vocals [Vocalist] – Salli Terri (tracks: C1 to D7, G1 to H9)

LAURINDO ALMEIDA

The Art of the Guitar from the Renaissance to Broadway 

CAPITOL [1969] 5LP / FLAC

O Púbis da Rosa