ALISON BALSOM · TOM POSTER — Légende : Works for Trumpet and Piano (2016) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Alison Balsom has been successful since the early 2000s with a standard diet of Baroque trumpet works and the usual Classical-period concertos. In the mid-2010s she turned toward more contemporary repertory with a French conservatory flavor. The results on the trumpet-and-piano Légende, named for the effusive Enescu piece (track five), are impressive; Balsom deepens her art with a coherent program even as she plays mostly music that could be characterized as light. Sample one of the movements of the opening Sonatine of the mightily underrated Jean Françaix, whose understated style, not so much humorous as subtle and elegant, poses challenges for a trumpet confined mostly to its middle register. Balsom's bright, perfectly controlled lines and close ensemble with pianist Tom Poster pass all the tests. After that you get a mix of other neoclassic pieces, the heavier Hindemith Trumpet Sonata in the middle, and popular songs, small chunks all hanging together that stimulate the listener even without awareness of same. Brava. James Manheim
Tracklist :
1-4.    Sonatine Pour Trompette Et Piano (6:50)
Composed By – Jean Françaix
5. Légende For Trumpet And Piano 6:09
Composed By – George Enescu
6. Concert Etude, Op.49 (3:17)
Composed By – Alexander Goedicke
7-11. Farewell To Stromness 3:52
Composed By – Peter Maxwell Davies
Transcription By – A. Balsom, T. Poster
8-11.    Sonata For Trumpet And Piano (15:47)
Composed By – Paul Hindemith
12. Minuet From Sonatine (Piano Solo) 3:36
Composed By – Maurice Ravel
13.    The Thoughts Of Dr May 6:27
Composed By – Alison Balsom, Tom Poster
14.    Sonate For Trumpet And Piano 7:05
Composed By – Bohuslav Martinů
15.    Rondo For Lifey1:19
Composed By – Leonard Bernstein
16.    Someone To Watch Over Me 4:00
Arranged By – J. Turrin
Composed By – George Gershwin
17.    The Way You Look Tonight 2:52
Arranged By – A. Balsom, T. Poster
Composed By – Jerome Kern
Credits :
Piano – Tom Poster
Trumpet – Alison Balsom

KARTHAGO – Karthago (1972-2012) RM | APE (image+.cue), lossless

Just months after their formation in Berlin in 1970, Karthago began recording music for their first album. Karthago's sound was influenced more by North American rock than by anything that was coming out of Europe, composed of a tapered and rather simplistic mixture of light funk and freestyle jazz with a basic rock & roll substratum for everything else to rest on. Within the album's nine tracks are melodies that are accommodating and recognizable, quite different than what was otherwise coming out Germany's music scene in the early '70s. "String Rambler," "Black Fire," and "Morning Surprise" best represent Karthago's breezy, undemanding air, led by the bright organ playing of Ingo Bischoff and fastened by Wolfgang Brock's unmitigated drum work. "Why Don't You Stop Buggin' Me" and the shimmering "wow" of "But I Know"'s keyboard-guided intro lead into some electrifying pieces, with comparisons to Steppenwolf, Procol Harum, and even early Chicago arising from the melodies. Although labeled as a progressive band, Karthago's sound is more along the lines of German rock rather than prog, with shorter song lengths and a tendency to balance out the keyboards, guitar, and percussion equally throughout their music. After their fourth album in 1976, Karthago broke up, with Gerald Hartwig joining the more prominent Guru Guru and Bischof hooking up with Kraan. Second Step (1973) and 1974's Rock 'N' Roll Testament begin to show signs of commercial leanings, but their last installment, entitled Live at the Roxy, is just as impressive as their debut album. Mike DeGagne
Tracklist :
1.    String Rambler 5:20
Written-By – Bob Devlin
2    I Don't Live Tomorrow 2:45
Written-By – Joey Albrecht, Tommy Goldschmidt
3    But I Know 5:34
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
4    Morning Surprise 2:29
Written-By – G. Bolstad, Joey Albrecht
5    I Give You Everything You Want
Text By – Regina Falk
Written-By – Gerald Luciano Hartwig, Joey Albrecht
6    I Know What You Can Do My Babe 4:12
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
7    Why Don't You Stop Buggin' Me Babe (Wave On) 6:00
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
8    Black Fire 4:45
Written-By – Bob Devlin, Joey Albrecht
9    Nos Vamos 1:40
Written-By – Gerald Luciano Hartwig, Ingo Bischof, Joey Albrecht, Tommy Goldschmidt, Wolfgang Brock
Credits :
Bass, Vocals, Percussion – Gerald Luciano Hartwig
Drums, Percussion, Vocals – Tommy Goldschmidt, Wolfgang Brock
Guitar, Vocals – Joey Albrecht
Organ, Vocals – Ingo Bischof

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

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

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