SCHOENBERG : The Piano Music = Das Klavierwerk = L'Œuvre Pianistique (Maurizio Pollini) (1975) RM | 20th Century Classics Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Without an understanding of Schoenberg's concentrated language and intensity of expression, performances of his piano music can suffer either from cerebral dryness or confused murkiness. On this CD, Maurizio Pollini strikes a fine balance between analytical and emotionally demonstrative approaches to produce a lucid yet passionate result. Pollini's interpretations change appopriately from piece to piece, revealing that these keyboard works are as varied as the stages of Schoenberg's career, from the Post-Romanticism of his early years to the liberating innovations of his maturity. The enigmatic, ambivalently chromatic Three Piano Pieces, Op. 11, and the more adventurous, atonal Six Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19, signify the development of a new language, perhaps similar in mood to late Scriabin, but free of old mannerisms. The Five Piano Pieces, Op. 23, benefiting from Pollini's clarity and concentration, sound spare and aphoristic. In the 12-tone Suite, Op. 25, Pollini brings out the wit and fluid elegance that run throughout the work, which approaches Neo-Classicism in both form and wry detachment. The Two Piano Pieces, Op. 33a and 33b, are free-standing and integral expressions, despite their brevity. Deutsche Grammophon's high-quality sound is clean, with only minimal tape hiss. Blair Sanderson

Arnold Schoenberg (1819-1896)
1-3.  Drei Klavierstücke Op. 11  (13:36)
4-9.  Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke Op. 19  (5:10)
10-14.  Fünf Klavierstücke Op. 23 3 (10:12)
15-21.  Suite Für Klavier Op. 25  (14:16)
22.  Klavierstück Op. 33a. Mässig (2:06)
23.  Klavierstück Op. 33b. Mässig Langsam (3:31)
Credits :
Design [Cover] – Holger Matthies
Piano – Maurizio Pollini

CLARA SCHUMANN : Pièces Pour Piano (Hélène Boschi) (1987) RM | Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Clara Wieck Schumann (1819-1896)
1-3. Trois Préludes Et Fugues Op.16
4-6. Trois Romances Op.21
7. Variations Sur Un Théme De Robert Schumann Op.20    10:25
8. Pièce Fugitive Op.15 N.3    5:45
9. Romance En Si Mineur    5:25
10-12. Trois Romances Pour Piano Op.11
13-15. Trois Romances Pour Violon Et Piano Op.22
Piano – Helene Boschi
Violin – Annie Jodry
Credits:
Piano – Hélène Boschi Boschi

RACHMANINOV : 24 Preludes (Steven Osborne) (2009) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

While there is much to admire in Steven Osborne's 2009 Hyperion recording of Rachmaninov's complete preludes, some fans of the composer may ultimately find themselves dissatisfied with his performances. Osborne is clearly a virtuoso with a wonderfully varied color palette and a way of balancing melody and harmony for maximum effectiveness There are some strong elements; his fleet fingers in the A flat major Prelude, his sumptuous sonorities in the C sharp minor Prelude, his galloping rhythms in the G minor Prelude, or his rolling left hand arpeggios in the B flat major Prelude, in addition to his overall command, control, and technique. Other listeners may question Osborne's feel for Rachmaninov's music. The restless melancholy of the B minor Prelude, the volatile passion of the F minor Prelude, and the spooky atmosphere of the G sharp minor Prelude are here, but to nowhere near the same degree as in other accounts of the pieces by veteran Rachmaninov pianists such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, where the music's hyper-Romantic emotional content is superbly expressed in wholly idiomatic performances. Hyperion's digital sound, though clear and colorful, is surprisingly a bit thin and a tad distant. James Leonard

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
1. Prelude In C Sharp Minor Op 3 No 2 (Lento) 4:51
2-11. Ten Preludes Op 23 (35:56)
12-24  Thirteen Preludes Op 32 (37:38)
Credits :
Piano – Steven Osborne
Front Illustration : Water Lilies (1895)] – Isaac Ilyich Levitan

RACHMANINOV — Preghiera : Rachmaninov Piano Trios (Kremer · Dirvanauskaité · Trifonov) (2017) FLAC (tracks), lossless

This group of Rachmaninov piano trios was released in celebration of the 70th birthday of Latvian violinist Gidon Kremer. One might have expected something that placed Kremer more in the spotlight than chamber music, and perhaps something devoted to the enormous influence he has had in reviving neglected Baltic and Eastern European repertory. On greater reflection, though, the decision is typical: Kremer has always been one who guides rather than one who takes the spotlight himself, and he has recorded a great deal of Russian music, often in fresh ways. So it is here with Rachmaninov. His two "trios élégiaques" are both youthful works; the Trio élégiaque No. 2 in D minor, Op. 9, was composed when he was 21, and the person being given the elegy was the late Tchaikovsky, whose own piano trio also had a set of variations for its central movement. The trios give priority not to the violin, but to the piano, and for chamber music partners Kremer chooses a mix of his own generation -- cellist Giedré Dirvanauskaité -- and the new one, Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov. It's an effective constellation overall, with Trifonov getting the virtuoso parts and the two older players putting in commentary. This isn't top-drawer Rachmaninov (the Trio No. 2 is a bit sprawling), but the group captures its mood of bravado and interiority. Another bonus is the rarely heard Preghiera, the slow movement of the Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, arranged for piano trio by none other than Fritz Kreisler. Sample this, for it introduces the fresh balances that are the distinctive feature of this recording. Deutsche Grammophon's sound, from the wooden and gentle Trifolion hall in Echternach, Luxembourg, is idiomatic to the music and exceptionally pleasant. James Manheim

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943)
1. Preghiera (Adagio Sostenuto From Piano Concerto No. 2) 5:24
Arranged By – Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962)
2-4. Trio Elégiaque No. 2 In D Minor, Op. 9
5. Trio Elégiaque No. 1 In G Minor    12:01
Credits :
Gidon Kremer - Violin
Geidré Dirvanauskaité - Cello 2-5
Daniil Trifonov - Piano

PENDERECKI — Orchestral Works Vol. 1 : Symphony No. 3 • Threnody (Antoni Wit) (2000) Two Version | WAV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, established a reputation as one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th century, his early scores gaining a cult status among modernists. The deeply disturbing Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima of 1960 has become one of his best known orchestral scores. In the mid-1960s Penderecki returned to a more traditional style of composing. In the Third Symphony, written during 1988–1995 he has produced a work consciously related to the great symphonies of the past century, yet clearly of the present era. naxos

Krzysztof Penderecki (1901-1999)
1-5.     Symphony No. 3    (44:24)
6.    Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima For 52 Stringed Instruments    8:56
7.    Fluorescences For Orchestra    14:52
8.    De Natura Sonoris II For Orchestra    8:59
Credits :
Conductor – Antoni Wit
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice)
Painting [Cover Painting "Kerala"] – Stasys Eidrigevičius

PENDERECKI — Orchestral Works Vol. 2 : Symphony No. 1 & 5 (Antoni Wit) (2000) Two Version | WAV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, established a reputation as one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th century. The mid-1960s saw his style become more conventional yet the First Symphony, dated 1973, has sonorities which are still modern. Symphony No. 5 was composed in 1992 and is notable for the strongly-drawn contrast between slower and faster sections which give it a compelling dynamic charge. naxos

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
1.    Symphony No. 5    (37:37)
2-5.    Symphony No. 1    (30:27)
Credits :
Conductor – Antoni Wit
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice)
Painting [Cover : Doskonałość (Perfection)] – Stacys Eidrigevičius

PENDERECKI — Orchestral Works Vol. 3 : Symphony No. 2 & 4 (Antoni Wit) (2000) Three Version | WAV + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

The Polish composer, Krzysztof Penderecki, established a reputation as one of the most revolutionary composers of the 20th century, his early scores gaining a cult status among modernists. The deeply disturbing Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima of 1960 has become one of his best known orchestral scores. In the mid-1960s Penderecki returned to a more traditional style of composing. In the Third Symphony, written during 1988–1995 he has produced a work consciously related to the great symphonies of the past century, yet clearly of the present era. naxos

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)
1-5.     Symphony No. 2    (34:25)
6.10.    Symphony No. 4    (30:42)
Credits :
Conductor – Antoni Wit
Orchestra – National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice)
Painting [Cover Painting "Zaćmienie (Eclipse)"] – Stasys Eidrigevičius

THE JAMAICA BOYS — J Boys (1990) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although marketed in rap circles, The Jamaica Boys were really more of a fusion trio with composer/multi-instrumentalist Marcus Miller, drummer Lenny White, and singer Mark Stevens combining forces. They made pleasant music, and occasionally Miller would come up with an inspired riff. But the most distinctive thing about this album in retrospect was the fact that Stevens was Chaka Khan's brother. Ron Wynn 
Tracklist :
1.  Move It! 5:25
Written-By – Lenny White, Marcus Miller, Mark Stevens
2.  Shake It Up! 4:10
Voice [Party, Additional] – Adam Dorn, Billy "Spaceman" Patterson, Karen Anderson, Lisa Tesoro, Maria Marshall
Written-By – Bernard Wright, Lenny White, Marcus Miller
3.  You've Got A Friend  7:04
Written-By – Carole King
4.  Serious  6:00
Written-By – Bernard Wright, Dinky Bingham, Lenny White, Marcus Miller
5.  Pick Up The Phone  4:27
Voice [Girl's] – Jennifer Ingle
Written-By – Howard King, Mark Stevens
6.  Hold On (I'm On M'y Way)  5:48
Written-By – Lenny White, Marcus Miller
7.  Somebody Like You  5:41
Written-By – Lenny White, Marcus Miller
8.  The Jungle Comes Alive  2:42
Written-By – Lenny White, Marcus Miller
9.  That's Deep 5:46
Voice [Additional] – Bruce Miller, Cliff Braithwaite, Jason Miles, Paul Angelli, Rich Hilton, Ron McQuaig, UE Nastasi
Written-By – Bernard Wright, Lenny White, Marcus Miller
Credits :
Bass, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer – Marcus Miller
Drums, Percussion – Lenny White
Guitar – Billy "Spaceman" Patterson (tracks: 2, 6, 7 
Keyboards, Lead Vocals – Dinky Bingham
Keyboards, Vocals [Additional] – Bernard Wright
Percussion [Additional] – Steve Thornton (tracks: 4) 
Programmed By [Synthesizer] – Jason Miles, Lenny White, Marcus Miller
Voice [Additional Party Voices] – Adam Dorn (tracks: 2), Billy "Spaceman" Patterson (tracks: 2), Karen Anderson (tracks: 2), Lisa Tesoro (tracks: 2), Maria Marshall (tracks: 2) 
Voice [Additional] – Bruce Miller (tracks: 9), Cliff Braithwaite (tracks: 9), Jason Miles (tracks: 9), Paul Angelli (tracks: 9), Rich Hilton (tracks: 9), Ron McQuaig (tracks: 9), UE Nastasi (tracks: 9) 
Voice [Girls Voice] – Jennifer Ingle (tracks: 5) 

BOBBI HUMPREY — Dig This! (1972) RM | Two Version | Blue Note, The Masterworks Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Dig This, recorded and released in 1972, is the second of Bobbi Humphrey's seven Blue Note albums; it is also her sophomore recording. The album was produced by then-label president George Butler. He had signed Humphrey and helmed her debut, Flute In, the previous year. Recorded at A&R Studios, the young flutist was teamed with bassists Ron Carter and Wilbur Bascomb, Jr., powerhouse drummer Alphonse Mouzon, guitarists David Spinozza and William Fontaine, and keyboardists Harry Whitaker and Paul Griffin. While the album’s formula didn’t deviate that much from her debut -- an easy, tasty balance of soul, pop, and jazz tunes -- the material, production, and Humphrey’s confidence all stand out here. Check her reading of Bill Withers' “Lonely Town, Lonely Street,” as she stretches the melody to meet Bascomb's and Spinozza’s funky grooves. While strings swoop and hover, threatening to overtake the mix, her plaintive style goes right at them with meaty, in-the-pocket phrasing. Her version of Whitfield and Strong’s “Smiling Faces Sometimes” is well-known in pop culture for the sample that appeared on Common’s “Puppy Chow,” but taking the tune in full, Humphrey’s gift as a soloist is revealed in full, as she winds around and through funky clavinets, Rhodes, strings, guitars, and Mouzon’s popping snare. The reading of Stevie Wonder's “I Love Every Little Thing About You,” with its bubbling basslines and Humphrey’s understatement of the melody, make this a bright, shining jazz-funk number. “El Mundo de Maravillas (A World of Beauty),” is one of two fine Mouzon compositions to appear here, this one commences with a cello in a spacy, soulful ballad that showcases Humphrey’s classical chops before it moves into funk terrain and then back again. The set closer is a souled-out reading of Kenny Barron's “Nubian Lady,” with chunky guitars, Bascomb’s Fender bass, shuffling drums, and Humphrey adding air and space to the knotty groove. While Dig This is not the revelation that Blacks and Blues is (it appeared two years later), it is nonetheless a stone killer example of jazz-funk in its prime, and should be considered an essential part of the canon.

-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
Tracklist :
1. Lonely Town, Lonely Street 4:35  
(Bill Withers) 
2. Is This All? 3:43
(Henry Johnson) 
3. Smiling Faces Sometimes 6:19
 (Barrett Strong-Norman Whitfield) 
4. Virtue 4:28
(Alphonse Mouzon) 
5. I Love Every Little Thing About You 4:19
(Stevie Wonder) 
6. Love Theme from "Fuzz" 3:47
(Dave Grusin) 
7. Eo Mundo de Maravillas (A World of Beauty) 7:31
 (Alphonse Mouzon) 
8. Nubian Lady 4:47
(Kenny Barron) 
Credits :
Bobbi Humphrey - Flute
George Marge - Oboe, English Horn
Seymour Berman, Paul Gershman, Irving Spice, Paul Winter - Violin
Julian Barber (Viola), Seymour Barab (Cello), Eugene Bianco (Harp)
Harry Whitaker (Electric Piano), Paul Griffin (Electric Piano, Clavinet)
William Fontaine, David Spinozza - Guitar
Ron Carter - Bass
Wilbur Bascomb Jr. - Electric Bass
Alphonse Mouzon - Drums, Bell Tree, Arranger
Warren Smith (Percussion)
Wade Marcus, Horace Ott - Arranger

HERBIE MANN — The Beat Goes On (1967-2014) RM | Jazz Best Collection 1000 – 10 | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Herbie Mann was quite unpredictable in the 1960s -- from one album to the next, you never knew if he would embrace hard bop, bossa nova, Latin jazz, soul-jazz, or whatever else he was in the mood for. He could be commercial one minute, esoteric and experimental the next. One of Mann's more commercial LPs from that period, The Beat Goes On, is a generally funky, groove-oriented soul-jazz effort with strong Latin leanings. Much of the material brings to mind Pucho and the Latin Soul Brothers, and comparisons to Pucho are unavoidable on cuts that range from Mann's "More Rice Than Peas, Please" to a version of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" and a Latin boogaloo interpretation of Joe Liggins' "The Honeydripper" (which features King Curtis on tenor sax). Afro-Cuban rhythms are a high priority, although Mann gets into more of a bossa nova groove on vibist Dave Pike's "Dream Garden." Jazz purists hated this release, but let them say what they will -- this LP is full of highly infectious grooves and makes a great party album. Regrettably, The Beat Goes On has long been out of print -- so if you're a lover of Latin-flavored soul-jazz and come across a copy somewhere, grab it immediately. Alex Henderson
Tracklist :
1. No Matter What Shape 3:25 
Written-By – Granville Burland / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
2. More Rice Than Peas, Please 3:30 
Written-By – Herbie Mann / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
3. Hey Ho 2:45 
Written-By – Herbie Hancock / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
4. The Honeydripper 2:45 
Written-By – Joe Liggins / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
5. The Beat Goes On 2:50 
Written-By – Sonny Bono / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
6. Swingin´ Shepherd Blues 3:05 
Written-By – Kenny Jacobson, Moe Koffman, Rhoda Roberts / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
7. West African High Life 2:40 
Written-By – Herbie Mann / Arranged By – Rene Hernandez
8. Dream Garden 4:37 
Written, Arranged By – Dave Pike
9. Soul Montuno 2:58 
Written-By – Rene Hernandez / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
10. Is Paris Burning? 2:37
Written-By – Maurice Jarre / Arranged By – Jimmy Wisner 
Credits :
Alto Flute, (tracks: 8), Flute (tracks: 1, 2, 9, 10) – Herbie Mann
Bass – Jack Six (tracks: 8), Reggie Workman (tracks: 1 to 3)
Concertmaster [String Section] – Gene Orloff (tracks: 1 to 3)
Congas – Carlos "Patato" Valdes (tracks: 1 to 3)
Drums – Bobby Thomas (tracks: 8), Bruno Carr (tracks: 1 to 3)
Guitar – Attila Zoller (tracks: 8)
Piano – Don Friedman (tracks: 8), Jimmy Wisner (tracks: 1 to 3)
Tenor Saxophone, Soloist – King Curtis (tracks: 4)
Trumpet, Soloist – Clark Terry (tracks: 7)
Vibraphone – Roy Ayers (tracks: 1 to 3)  

KRONOS QUARTET · TERRY RILEY — Requiem for Adam (2001) Two Version | APE + FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

This may be the single most powerful piece of music that the Kronos Quartet has ever recorded, and perhaps that Terry Riley has ever written. This is because Requiem for Adam is so personal, so direct, and experiential. Requiem for Adam was written after the death of Kronos violinist David Harrignton's son. He died, in 1995, at the age of 16, from an aneurysm in his coronary artery. Riley, who is very close to the Harringtons and has a son the same age, has delved deep into the experience of death and resurrection, or, at the very least, transmutation. Requiem for Adam is written in three parts, or movements. The first, "Ascending the Heaven Ladder," is based on a four-note pattern that re-harmonizes itself as it moves up the scale. There are many variations and series based on each of these notes and their changing harmonics, and finally a 5/4 dance as it moves to the highest point on the strings. The drone-like effect is stunning when the listener realizes that the drone is changing shape too, ascending the scale, moving ever upward and taking part in the transmutation of harmony. There are no blustery passages of 32nd notes only gorgeous arco phrases shimmering away as the harmonics transform the piece of music form an ascent to a near pastoral acceptance of the highest realization linguistically. The second movement, "Coretejo Funebre en el Monte Diablo," is full of electronic music, horns, bells, and percussion that slam around in the background. This is a sampled soundtrack for the quartet, but it is integral in moving the focus of movement panoramically, expanding it across vistas instead of making it a vertical relationship between soul and the divine. It is cacophonous and almost celebratory. Riley refers to it as funeral music that might be heard in New Orleans, and he's almost right. Still there are classical canonical funereal figures here, like a Deus Irae that is somehow kinked up, offbeat, sideways, but nonetheless very present. In title movement, number three, plucked strings move against sliding harmonics and two long pulse notes stretch into almost impossible duration and intensity. These give way to funky dance figures, almost bluesy as a coda that moves toward an ever more frenzied articulation of theme and variation of the coda. There are graceful lines tacked on, almost as cadenzas for the strings to come back to themselves and their dovetailing roles, but they just take off again in search of that 7/8 polyrhythmic cadence again which gives way to a high register harmonics and finally a statement of the two-note pulse found at the beginning of the piece. It's the most complex quartet Riley has yet composed, and easily his most satisfying. The disc closes with "The Philosopher's Hand," a solo piano piece played by Riley. Riley was asked by Harrington to improvise a piece while thinking of Pandit Pran Nath, Riley's musical and spiritual teacher who passed in 1996. Riley claims that Pran Nath had come to Adam's funeral and held David Harrington's hand, which, Harrington remarked, was the softest hand he'd ever felt. The piece reflects all of these: the softness, the deep regret of Adam and Pran Nath's passing, and most of all of Riley's remembering, which is filtered through the anguish and beauty of the human heart. It's more than a whispering close to an already astonishing recording: it's the end of the world, and the beginning of the next, or at least the evidence that music can almost deliver this much.
-> This comment is posted on Allmusic by Thom Jurek, follower of our blog 'O Púbis da Rosa' <- 
TERRY RILEY (b. 1935)
Requiem For Adam
Cello – Jennifer Culp
Ensemble – Kronos Quartet
Viola – Hank Dutt
Violin – David Harrington, John Sherba
1.    Ascending The Heaven Ladder    13:24
2.    Cortejo Fúnebre En El Monte Diablo 7:05
Engineer – Craig Silvey
Engineer [Assistant] – Bob Levy
Sampler [Ensoniq Ts-12] – Terry Riley
3.        Requiem For Adam    21:18
4.        The Philosopher's Hand 5:57
Piano – Terry Riley
Notas
"Requiem for Adam" was commissioned for the Kronos Quartet by Sydney and Frances Lewis, Margaret Lyon, and Jim and Jeanne Newman. 

PEROTIN — The Hilliard Ensemble (1989) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

 Tracklist :
 1. Viderunt Omnes 11:36
(Perotin, Traditional)
2. Veni Creator Spiritus 7:29
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
3. Alleluia Posui Adiutorium 7:34
 (Perotin, Traditional)
4. O Maria Virginei 4:49
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
5. Dum Sigillum 7:37
 (Perotin, Traditional)
6. Isaias Cecinit 1:43
 (Anonymus, Traditional)
7. Alleluia Nativitas 8:31
 (Perotin, Traditional)
8. Beata Viscera 6:12
 (Perotin, Traditional)
9. Sederunt Principes 11:54
(Perotin, Traditional)
The Hilliard Ensemble :
David James - Countertenor
John Potter - Tenor
Rogers Covey-Crump - Tenor
Mark Padmore - Tenor
Charles Daniels - Tenor
Gordon Jones - Baritone
Paul Hillier - Baritone, Director

BILL EVANS — We Will Meet Again (1980-1993) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

This was pianist Bill Evans' final studio session, a rare outing with a quintet (starring trumpeter Tom Harrell and Larry Schneider on tenor and soprano) and his first recording with the members of his final regular trio (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera). The playing time is over 61 minutes. The group interprets "For All We Know" and seven Evans originals, including "Peri's Scope" and "Five." The thoughtful session is full of lyrical melodies and strong solos; even Evans' electric keyboard work on a few tunes is distinctive. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1     Comrade Conrad 10:05
Bill Evans
2     Laurie 8:20
Bill Evans
3     Bill's Hit Tune 10:49
Bill Evans
4     For All We Know 3:37
J. Fred Coots / Sam M. Lewis
5     Five 9:10
Bill Evans
6     Only Child 10:47
Bill Evans
7     Peri's Scope 6:11
Bill Evans
8     We Will Meet Again 2:34
Bill Evans
Credits :
Acoustic Bass – Marc Johnson 
Drums – Joe LaBarbera
Piano, Electric Piano – Bill Evans
Tenor Saxophone, Soprano Saxophone, Alto Flute – Larry Schneider
Trumpet – Tom Harrell

ANN BURTON — By Myself Alone (1974) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Although Ann Burton was born in the Netherlands and made a couple of albums for the Dutch label Artone in the mid-'60s, she really made her mark in Japan. There she teamed up with some excellent local jazz musicians to make several albums, especially the 1974 set By Myself Alone. Of the ten or so albums she made before dying too young in 1989, this ranks as one of her best. The album features an intelligent and entertaining mix of tunes with unique Burton interpretations, treating the listener to more than 40 minutes of solid, if not spectacular, singing. Burton's voice could be husky and sensuous as on "Come Rain or Come Shine" or light and airy on a song favored by Blossom Dearie, "May I Come In?" She could take a tune by a one-time rock icon, Don McLean's "Oh My What a Shame," and make it sound like one of those Irish folk songs drenched with regret and resignation. A session highlight is the medley of "Yesterday" and "Yesterdays," where she focuses on the similarities rather than the differences between these two tunes written by composers from widely different backgrounds and generations. If this album is any indication, Burton was not interested in making her voice sound like a horn. There's no swooping, scatting, or other wordless vocalizing. Rather, she adhered to the lyrics the way they were written, respecting them by singing them in a straightforward manner. Dave Nathan  
Tracklist :
1. Come Rain Or Come Shine 4:48
  Harold Arlen / Johnny Mercer 
2. Let Me Love You 5:10
  Bart Howard 
3. May I Come In 2:09
  Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal 
4. Love Is A Necessary Evil 3:53
  Marvin Fisher / Jack Segal 
5. Oh, My What A Shame 4:01
  Don McLean 
6. By Myself Alone 1:50
  Howard Dietz / Arthur Schwartz 
7. Yesterday & Yesterdays 2:53
  Otto Harbach / Jerome Kern / John Lennon / Paul McCartney 
8. Birthday Song 2:50
 Don McLean 
9. I Could Have Told You So 8:08
J. Oliver 
10. That Old Feeling 3:07
Lew Brown / Sammy Fain 
11. Travellin' Light 4:59
 Johnny Mercer / Jimmy Mundy / Trummy Young 
Credits :
Bass – Kunimitsu Inaba (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7 to 11)
Piano – Masahiko Satoh 
Guitar – Sadanori Nakamure (tracks: 2, 4, 6, 7, 8)
Vocals – Ann Burton
Tenor Saxophone, Flute – Akira Miyazawa (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 7 to 11)
Drums (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6 to 11), Congas (tracks: 2, 4, 7, 8) – Masahiko Ozu 

ANNITA RAY — Slow Glow (1962-2010) FLAC (tracks), lossless

Annita Ray's sublime debut pairs the singer with arranger Harry Betts, whose soft-focus, gossamer backings perfectly complement Ray's limited but evocative vocal palette. Betts' ingenious combination of woodwinds, feather-light strings and subtle rhythms nicely balance Ray's breathy, quavering vocals, lending focus and ballast to a singer in genuine need of both. The material is familiar--e.g. "A Sunday Kind of Love" and "For All We Know"--but to its credit Slow Glow trips up expectations at every turn, creating a listening experience as warm and lovely as its title portends. Jason Ankeny
Tracklist :
1. Slow Glow  2:44
Written-By – Jeanne Taylor, Dick Hazard
2. I Don't Want To Walk Without You  2:54
Written-By – Frank Loesser, Jule Styne
3. The Heart That Broke Was Mine  3:58
Written-By – Fran Landesman, Tommy Wolf
4. Another Time, Another Place  2:23
Written-By – Richard Adler
5. Oh, You Crazy Moon  3:10
Written-By – J. Burke-J. Van Heusen
6. I'll Be Around  2:48
Written-By – Alec Wilder
7. This Time The Dream's On Me  2:54
Written-By – H. Arlen-J. Mercer
8. This Life We've Led  3:21
Written-By – F. Landesman, N. Algren, T. Wolf
9. For All We Know  2:45
Written-By – J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis
10. A Sunday Kind Of Love  3:14
Written-By – A. Leonard, B. Belle, L. Prima, S. Rhodes
Credits :
Conductor, Arranged By – Harry Betts
Vocals – Annita Ray

THE DAVE BRUBECK QUARTET — Jazz At Oberlin (1953) RM | Two Version | SACD, Hybrid | MONO | Original Jazz Classics Remasters Series | FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Although a touch underrated, Jazz at Oberlin is one of the early Dave Brubeck classic recordings. The interplay between the pianist-leader and altoist Paul Desmond on "Perdido" borders on the miraculous, and their renditions of "The Way You Look Tonight," "How High the Moon" and "Stardust" are quite memorable. Brubeck's piano playing on "These Foolish Things" is so percussive and atonal in one spot as to sound like Cecil Taylor, who would not emerge for another two years. With bassist Ron Crotty and drummer Lloyd Davis giving the Quartet quiet and steady support, Brubeck and Desmond were free to play at their most adventurous. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow

Tracklist :

1 - These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You) 6:33
 Marvell / Jack Strachey 
2 - Perdido 7:32
 Juan Tizol 
3 - Stardust 6:30
 Hoagy Carmichael 
4 - The Way You Look Tonight 7:51
Dorothy Fields, Jerome Kern
5 - How High The Moon 9:11
William Lewis, Nancy Hamilton
Credits :
Paul Desmond - Alto Saxophone 

Dave Brubeck  - Piano 

Ron Crotty - Bass 

Lloyd Davis - Drums 

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT a.k.a. "Aconteceu Naquela Noite" (1934) Dir. Frank Capra | Winner of 5 Academy Awards | VIDEO (ISO)

Synopsis :
Frank Capra's seminal screwball comedy, which won all five major Academy Awards for 1934, is still as breezy and beguiling today. Claudette Colbert plays Ellie Andrews, a spoiled heiress who has married fortune-hunting aviator King Westley (Jameson Thomas), despite her father (Walter Connolly)'s objections. To keep Ellie from marrying this lothario, her father has been holding her prisoner aboard his yacht. But Ellie bolts from the yacht, swims ashore in her clothes, and eventually slips onto a Greyhound bus bound for New York. Aboard the bus is newspaper reporter Peter Warne (Clark Gable), who has recently been fired for drinking on the job. Peter gets the last seat on the bus -- but when he gets up to argue with the bus driver, Ellie takes his seat. Since it is the last seat on the bus, they have to share it. When Ellie has her purse stolen and she refuses to report it, Peter begins to suspect something. The next morning, they both miss the bus after a leisurely breakfast, and Peter reveals that he knows her identity. She makes a deal with him: if he helps her get to New York, he can write a scoop about her for his paper. Peter thinks she is a spoiled brat, however, and refuses a monetary bribe: "I'm not interested in your money or your problem. You, King Westley, your father -- you're all a lot of hooey to me!" But as they travel northward and engage in a series of misadventures, the gruff newspaperman and the spoiled rich girl, thrown together by circumstances, fall in love with each other. This movie set the pace for the "screwball" comedy, the witty and romantic clash of temperaments between a man and a woman mismatched in both personality and social position, a type of movie often associated with Katherine Hepburn in such classics as Bringing Up Baby (1938), The Philadelphia Story (1940), and, with Spencer Tracy, Adam's Rib (1949), Pat and Mike (1952), and Desk Set (1957), among others. The only other movies to win all five major Academy Awards (Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay) were One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Silence of the Lambs (1991). Paul Brenner
Title : It Happened One Night (1934)
Directed by Frank Capra
Duration : 105 min.
Audio in Engliish / Subtitles : English, Portuguese, Spanish
Genres : Comedy, Drama, Romance
Countries : USA

Complete film 

BARBARA MORRISON — Live At The Dakota (2004) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Barbara Morrison has long been a familiar figure in the Los Angeles area, singing blues, standards, and R&B-ish/jazz material with spirit and feeling. Live at the Dakota teams her at a Minnesota concert with a perfect backup group from the East Coast consisting of tenor saxophonist Houston Person, pianist Junior Mance, bassist Earl May, and drummer Jackie Williams. Most of the selections, such as "Please Send Me Someone to Love," "At Last," and "I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water," are quite familiar, as are the swing standards, but these renditions sound fresh and contain their own surprises. Every song is full of soul, including a slower than usual "Mean to Me," "Don't Go to Strangers," the passionate blues "They Call Me Sundown," and the hardest swinging version of "I'll Be Seeing You" that one will ever hear. Also interesting are the singer's close imitations of both Big Joe Turner and Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson on the blues "Chains of Love." Both Barbara Morrison and the all-star cast clearly inspire each other during the singer's definitive recording. Highly recommended. Scott Yanow
Tracklist :
1    Things Ain't What They Used to Be 3:42
Ted Persons
2    Please Send Me Someone to Love 5:45
Percy Mayfield
3    Take the "A" Train 4:05
Billy Strayhorn
4    At Last 6:37
Mack Gordon / Harry Warren
5    I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water 4:00
Barbara Morrison
6    Don't Go to Strangers 6:27      
Redd Evans / Arthur Kent / Dave Mann
7    Chains of Love 8:32
Ahmet Ertegun / Harry Van Walls
8    All of Me 3:34
Gerald Marks / Seymour Simons
9    Mean to Me 6:42
Roy Turk
10    I Let a Song Go Out of My Heart 2:30
Duke Ellington / Irving Mills / Henry Nemo
11    They Call Me Sundown 7:02
D. Amy / Cornelius Green
12    I'll Be Seeing You 4:20
Sammy Fain / Irving Kahal
Credits :
Barbara Morrison - Vocals
Jackie Williams - Drums
Earl May - Bass
Junior Mance - Piano
Houston Person - Tenor Sax

JOAQUÍN RODRIGO : Piano Works (Artur Pizarro) (1995) Two Version | FLAC (image+.tracks+.cue), lossless

Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999)
1-5. Cinco Piezas del Siglo XVI
6-8. Tres Evocaciones - Homenaje a Joaquin Turina
9-12. Cuatro Piezas Para Piano
13-14. Deux Berceuses 
15-19. Cuatro Estampas Andaluzas
Artur Pizarro – Piano   

CHET BAKER & BUD SHANK — Theme Music from "The James Dean Story" (1958-2000) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

West coast cool purveyors Chet Baker (trumpet) and Bud Shank team up to provide the incidental soundtrack to The James Dean Story (1958). Granted, the biopic was presumably made to cash in on the actor's untimely demise, but movie buffs also recognize it as one of director Robert Altman's earliest features. The score was written by Leith Stevens, who had previously worked on Private Hell 36 (1954), The Wild One (1954), and the Oscar-winning sci-fi classic Destination Moon (1950). Those credentials may have gotten Stevens the gig, but his contributions remain somewhat of a double-edged sword. Neither Baker, Shank, nor any of the other post-bop luminaries in the makeshift ensemble are able to transcend or expound upon the arguably limiting melodies, such as the hopelessly dated and unintentionally kitschy "Hollywood." That shouldn't suggest that this title is a complete washout, thanks in part to another Tinsel Town-related maestro, Johnny Mandel, whose moody, exploratory "The Search" and understated noir of "Success and Then What?" stand as exemplary. One of Stevens' more affective selections is the ballad "Let Me Be Loved." Perhaps by design, it is noticeably reminiscent of Baker's unofficial theme song, "My Funny Valentine," and is easily the most poignant performance on the platter. Otherwise, the vast majority of the material is little more than ersatz-cool filler, bearing little distinction. From a historical perspective, this seems almost criminal, especially in light of the inordinate talent corralled for the project. Potential consumers and Baker enthusiasts should note that the 1958 Pacific Jazz long player did not include the rare vocal version of "Let Me Be Loved." Lindsay Planer 
Tracklist : 
1. Jimmy's Theme 2:49
 Leith Stevens 
2. The Search 4:44
 Leith Stevens  
3. Lost Love 3:35
 Leith Stevens 
4. People 3:32
 Bob Merrill / Leith Stevens / Jule Styne 
5. The Movie Star 3:32
 Leith Stevens 
6. Fairmont, Indiana 4:30
 Leith Stevens 
7. Rebel At Work 3:41
 Leith Stevens 
8. Success And Then What? 3:53
 Leith Stevens 
9. Let Me Be Loved 4:08
Written-By – Livingston-Evans
10. Hollywood 5:02
 Leith Stevens 
11. Let Me Be Loved (Vocal Version) 2:13
Vocals – Chet Baker
Written-By – J. Livingston / R. Evans
Credits :
Alto Saxophone – Charlie Mariano (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 to 11), Herbie Steward
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Bud Shank (tracks: 1 to 6, 8 to 11)
Baritone Saxophone – Pepper Adams (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Bass – Monte Budwig
Bongos – Mike Pacheco (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Drums – Mel Lewis
Flute – Don Fagerquist (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Orchestrated By, Arranged By, Conductor – Bill Holman (tracks: 3 to 6, 9, 11), Johnny Mandel (tracks: 1, 2, 8)
Piano – Claude Williamson
Tenor Saxophone – Bill Holman (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 11), Richie Kamuca (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Trombone – Milt Bernhart (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 11)
Trumpet – Chet Baker, Ray Linn (tracks: 1, 2, 4 to 6, 8 to 1