Propernote new releases 16 23 september 2013

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JAZZ NEW RELEASE - 23/9/2013

Ralph Towner/Wolfgang Muthspiel/Slava Grigoryan Travel Guide 3729508 602537295081 CD ECM £9.49 JAZZ An international summit meeting, Travel Guide features US guitarist Ralph Towner, Austrian guitarist Wolfgang Muthspiel, and Kazakhstan-born and Australia-raised guitarist Slava Grigoryan. What all three share is a strong feeling for structure, a sense for lyrical improvisation and a feeling for space, harnessing instrumental technique to very graceful musical ends. Repertoire features five compositions by Towner and five by Muthspiel. The three musicians first came together in 2005, initially for concerts in Australia, and have since toured widely. A 2009 recording on Muthspiel’s Material Records label documented the group’s early progress. Ralph Towner subsequently brought the project to ECM and the trio recorded this album in Lugano in August 2012, with Manfred Eicher as producer. Ralph Towner has been a key ECM artist for more than 40 years, while Muthspiel and Grigoryan make label debuts here. Grigoryan is well known as the pre-eminent Australian classical guitarist of his generation, and Muthspiel has been an important figure on the transatlantic jazz scene for two decades, with his own bands and as a contributor to groups of Gary Burton, Paul Motian and many others. Towner’s ECM recordings have included solo albums, duo projects (with John Abercrombie, Gary Peacock, Gary Burton, Paolo Fresu), bands under his direction (including the much-loved Solstice with Jan Garbarek, Eberhard Weber, Jon Christensen), and the co-operative Oregon group. He has also contributed to albums by Keith Jarrett, Jan Garbarek, Kenny Wheeler and Egberto Gismonti, and guested with the group Azimuth. Personnel: Ralph Towner (classical and 12-string guitars); Wolfgang Muthspiel (electric guitar, voice); Slava Grigoryan (classical and baritone guitars) Tracks: 1. The Henrysons 2. Father Time 3. Windsong 4. Duende 5. Amarone Trio 6. Travel Guide 7. Die Blaue Stunde 8. Nico Und Mithra 9. Tarry 10. Museum Of Light Promotion includes advertising in Jazzwise. Email marketing includes ECM Newsletter & ECMPlayer

Confirmed reviews in Guardian, Financial Times, Daily Telegraph, Observer, Irish Examiner, The Scotsman, Northern Echo, Jazzwise, Jazz Journal, Classical Guitar, Hi-Fi News, Record Collector & websites including London Jazz, The Ear, Jazz Breakfast, Marlbank

Airplay on BBC Radio 3 (Late Junction, Jazz Line-Up & Jazz on 3), BBC Radio 2 (Jamie Cullum) and local BBC Radio jazz programmes; Jazz FM (Helen Mayhew, Sarah Ward & Mike Chadwick); UK Jazz Radio; RTÉ Lyric FM (Jazz Alley, The Blue of the Night)





John Abercrombie Quartet 39 Steps

3742710 602537427109 CD ECM £9.49 JAZZ John Abercrombie’s revised quartet – his last album, Within A Song, featured Joe Lovano in the line-up – provides Marc Copland with his first appearance on ECM. Yet the renowned guitarist and pianist are old allies, with an association stretching back forty years. Jazz ballads and lyricism predominate on this disc with six tunes from Abercrombie’s pen, two Copland tunes, one collective improvisation, and a creative deconstruction of the old standard “Melancholy Baby”. In the early 1970s Abercrombie and Copland were members of Chico Hamilton’s quartet, and at the dawn of fusion both played with pioneering jazz-rock band Dreams. Since the late 1990s they’ve revived their partnership in diverse context and have toured in formations ranging from piano-guitar duo to trio with Kenny Wheeler to the cooperative group Contact with Dave Liebman and Billy Hart. For much of the last decade Abercrombie and Copland have also each had bassist Drew Gress as a regular member of their respective bands so ‘39 Steps’ draws on a network of trusted relationships. Joey Baron has been the drummer on all six of Abercrombie’s ECM albums since Cat ’n’ Mouse was recorded in 2000. ‘39 Steps’ was produced by Manfred Eicher at New York’s Avatar Studio in April 2013. Personnel: John Abercrombie (guitar), Marc Copland (piano), Drew Gress (double bass), Joey Baron (drums) Tracks: 1. Vertigo 2. LST 3. Bacharach 4. Greenstreet 5. As It Stands 6. Spellbound 7. Another Ralph's 8. Shadow Of A Doubt 9. 39 Steps 10. Melancholy Baby Promotion includes advertising in Jazzwise (September edition). Email marketing includes ECM Newsletter & ECMPlayer Confirmed reviews in Guardian, Times, Financial Times, Observer, Irish Times, Sunday Herald, Northern Echo, Jazzwise, Jazz Journal, Guitarist, Guitar & Bass, Drummer, Record Collector, BBC Music Magazine & various websites including London Jazz, Jazz Breakfast, Marlbank Airplay on BBC Radio 3 (Late Junction, Jazz Line-Up & Jazz on 3), BBC Radio 2 (Jamie Cullum) and local BBC Radio jazz programmes; Jazz FM (Helen Mayhew, Sarah Ward & Mike Chadwick); UK Jazz Radio; RTÉ Lyric FM (Donald Helme)





Kenny Garrett Pushing the World Away

MAC1078 673203107823 CD MACK AVENUE £8.49 JAZZ Pushing the World Away, Kenny Garrett’s seventeenth album as a leader, captures him at the peak of his creative abilities, both as a saxophonist and as a composer.

Garrett pays tribute to a number of his influences – friends and heroes that include Chick Corea (Hey, Chick), Chucho Valdés (Chucho’s Mambo), Sonny Rollins (J’Ouvert) and Garrett’s musical confidant and album co-producer, Donald Brown (Brother Brown).

Mentored himself by Art Blakey and Miles Davis Garrett feels it his duty to carry on that tradition by encouraging young talent. So he drew on a wide pool of musicians on this session, newcomers as well as older hands. In addition to regular quintet member Donald Brown the other two pianists he used, Vernell Brown and Benito Gonzalez, are both graduates of the informal Kenny Garrett School of Music. The drummers include McClenty Hunter, Marcus Baylor and Mark Whitfield Jr. and the featured percussionist Rudy Bird has now been added to Garrett’s working group.

In all, Pushing the World Away features twelve tunes, all of which were composed by Garrett except for one cover, a superb, lyrical, odd-metered take on the Burt Bacharach/Hal David song “I Say a Little Prayer”.

Personnel: Kenny Garrett (alto saxophone and soprano saxophone, chant, piano), Benito Gonzalez (piano), Corcoran Holt (bass), Marcus Baylor, Mark Whitfield, Jr. (drums), McClenty Hunter (drums, vocals), Rudy Bird (percussion, cymbals, gong), Ravi Best (trumpet), Vernell Brown (piano, chant), Jean Baylor (vocals), Track 10: Carolin Pook (violin) Brian Sanders (cello), Jen Herman (viola)

Tracks: 1. A Side Order Of Hijiki 2. Hey, Chick 3. Chucho’s Mambo 4. Lincoln Center 5. J'ouvert [Homage To Sonny Rollins] 6. That's It 7. I Say A Little Prayer 8. Pushing The World Away 9. Homma San 10. Brother Brown 11. Alpha Man 12. Rotation

Promotion: Feature in Jazzwise (October issue) Reviews confirmed in The Guardian, The Times, The Daily Telegraph, Independent on Sunday, Financial Times, The Evening Standard, The Scotsman, The Irish Times, Jazzwise, Jazz Journal, MOJO, BBC Music Magazine, Record Collector, Echoes, Blues & Soul, Hi Fi News, and Drummer Airplay: BBC Radio 6Music (Gilles Peterson), BBC Radio 3 Jazz on 3, BBC Radio 3 Jazz Line Up, BBC Radio 2 Jamie Cullum and regional BBC jazz programmes Additional airplay on Jazz FM - Sarah Ward, Helen Mayhew and Mike Chadwick





Stan Tracey Quintet The Flying Pig

RSJ113 5060138611139 CD RESTEAMED £7.99 JAZZ The much-loved veteran pianist Stan Tracey celebrates his 70th year in the profession with a brand new recording of originals supported by Mark Armstrong (trumpet/flugel), Simon Allen (saxes), Andrew Cleyndert (bass) & Clark Tracey (drums).

The inspiration for compositions on this studio recording came after a visit he made with his son Clark and grandson Ben to the WW1 battlefields of Loos in northern France, where his father was wounded and captured in 1915 aged 18.

Stan says in the liner notes: “We were shown, from a high vantage point, the grassy fields, now so quiet, where thousands of men were killed in that particular battle. I found it a moving experience. When writing these pieces, while wanting to keep a WW1 theme and not wishing to be too sombre about it, I decided to consult a book I have called “Wipers Times”, which contains a compilation of the magazines printed and distributed in the trenches, from which I gleaned the titles for five of these pieces. The pages are full of the British Tommy humour about such as the discomfort of the trenches, the bombardment of the German artillery, the British and German military equipment and much more. To find humour in the midst of a terrifying war speaks volumes about the spirit of the WW1 British Tommy.

Personnel: Stan Tracey (piano), Mark Armstrong (trumpet/flugelhorn), Simon Allen (saxophones), Andrew Cleyndert (bass), Clark Tracey (drums)

Tracks: 1. Bouncing Bertha 2. Weary Willie 3. Narpoo Rum 4. The Flying Pig 5. Ballad For Loos 6. Silent Percy

Promotion: Reviews in Guardian, Obeserver, Sunday Times, Independent on Sunday, Jazzwise, Jazz Journal Airplay: BBC Radio 3: Jazz Lineup, Jazz FM: Helen Mayhew




WORLD NEW RELEASE - 23/9/2013

Ollie Howell

Sutures And Stitches

WR4636 0609613793745 CD WHIRLWIND RECORDINGS £7.99 JAZZ Sutures and Stitches is the debut solo album from the multi-award winning drummer, composer and bandleader Ollie Howell, and it features some of the brightest emerging stars on the UK scene.

Ollie’s electrifying performances, superb compositions, and explosive improvisation place him amongst the finest young jazz talent in the UK and his quintet was awarded the prestigious Peter Whittingham Development Award in 2012. Indeed, after watching Ollie perform both Quincy Jones and drummer Jimmy Cobb have befriended him and act as mentors for the young musician.

In 2009 Ollie was suddenly diagnosed with a brain malformation which meant that over the past few years, he has had to have several neurosurgeries, most recently in April 2012. All of the music on this album was written during, and influenced by, the incredible journey that Ollie went through during this defining point in his life.

It’s a superb collection of original compositions that takes inspiration from the diverse sounds springing from the contemporary London and NYC jazz scenes, has a strong dedication to melodic and memorable themes and driving grooves. It stands as a shining testament of how passionate and inspired music can be born from the most dire of circumstances.

“An unbelievable drummer. So creative I couldn’t believe it. This kid really is a 360-degree beautiful young cat that I believe has what it takes to make a life out of music.” - Quincy Jones

Personnel: Ollie Howell (drums), Duncan Eagles (tenor saxophone), Mark Perry (trumpet), Matt Robinson (piano), Max Luthert double bass)

Tracks: 1. Later On 2. Beyond 3. Drum Intro 4. So Close, So Far 5. Angry Skies 6. Trumpet Intro 7. 19th Day 8. A World Apart 9. Bass Intro 10. For Anya 11. They 12. Sax Intro 13. Two Sides 14. Dear Old Stockholm 15. Piano Intro 16. A Hollow Victory Promotion: Quincy Jones will feature in a promotional video for the album on which he talks about the ‘incedibly talented Ollie Howell.’





George Haslam Words Unspoken

SLAMCD329 5028386032922 CD SLAM PRODUCTIONS £7.99 JAZZ A collection of ballads by baritone saxophonist George Haslam with guests Steve Waterman, Ruben Ferrero, Esmond Selwyn, Dan Messore and Steve Kershaw in solos and duos. Thirteen tracks including "Stardust", "Body and Soul", "In a Sentimental Mood" and "How Insensitive". Recorded in England and Argentina. Tracks: A Kiss to Build a Dream On / Blue Bossa / In a Sentimental Mood / I Won't Send Roses / Naima / El Dia Que Me Qieras / How Insensitive / Where or When / Body and Soul / I May Be Wrong / I Loves You Porgy / In a Sentimental Mood / Stardust

Rene Marie I Wanna Be Evil (With Love to Eartha Kitt)

233783 885150337837 CD MOTEMA £7.99 JAZZ A brilliantly entertaining tribute to the musical spirit of the divine Eartha Kitt as performed by René Marie whose unique style incorporates elements of jazz, soul, blues and gospel. Her reputation as the most provocatively risk-taking of today's jazz divas makes her the perfect performer to deliver the first full-album tribute to Miss Kitt. ‘I Wanna Be Evil’ features both well-known and obscure gems of the Kitt repertoire including C’est Si Bon, Come On To My House, Santa Baby and more. "The voice is as stunning as always, her phrasing immaculate, her ability to pack emotional wallops equalled by very few." - Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes Personnel: Rene Marie (vocals), Wycliffe Gordon (trombone), Adrian Cunningham (tenor sax, clarinet, flute), Etienne Charles (trumpet), Kevin Bales (piano), Elias Bailey (bass), Quentin Baxter (drums) Tracks: I'd Rather Be Burned As A Witch / C'est Si Bon / Oh, John / Let's Do It / Peel Me A Grape / My Heart Belongs To Daddy / I Wanna Be Evil / Come On-A My House / Santa Baby / Weekend

Erika Dagnino Quartet Signs

SLAMCD546 5028386054627 CD SLAM PRODUCTIONS £7.99 JAZZ A live recording of poetry and music by writer and poet Erika Dagnino with Ras Moshe flute, soprano sax, tenor sax; Ken Filiano doublebass, effects; John Pietaro vibraphone, glockenspiel, snare drum, tom-tom, various bells, suspended cymbals, triangle, wind chimes, shaker. Performed at 17th Frost Theatre of the Arts, Brooklyn, New York, 19 November 2012. Tracks: Preludio / Prima Improvvisazione / Seconda Improvvisazione / Terza Improvvisazione / Quarta Improvvisazione / Intermezzo / Quinta Improvvisazione / Improvvisazione Finale





Andi Tausch At Home

MRE039 9005321013396 CD MATERIAL £7.99 JAZZ Guitarist Andi Tausch’s debut solo album ‘confirms his building reputation as one of the outstanding new musicians of the Austrian scene, and sees the young maestro grow from a guitarist of choice into a fully-fledged band leader. A sideman with various groups and ensembles Tausch has become a guitar player of note and has made it his task to reinterpret a wide field of music from their traditional concepts and in the process has become one of the key players in the younger generation of European jazz musicians. ‘At Home’ has been recorded with a new group of musicians - Tausch is ably accompanied by the internationally acclaimed jazz pianist Aaron Parks, the double bassist Matthias Pichler and drummer Tommy Crane. Personnel: Andi Tausch (guitar), Aaron Parks (piano), Matthias Pichler (double bass), Tommy Crane (drums) Tracks: Wish I Could / Redemption Road / At Home / The Encounter / Perspective / Beginning / Armin / You Lose / Changes / Prost Ferdl

Wayne Shorter Mr. Gone - The Best of the Early Years 1959-1960

600098 4053796000989 CD10 DOCUMENTS £8.49 JAZZ This comprehensive 10CD set brings together recordings from the early years of the legendary tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter who is recognised as one of the jazz greats of our time.

Making up this collection are Shorter’s earliest albums on Vee-Jay together with those recorded as sideman with pianist Wynton Kelly and others for the same label. Also represented is the saxophonist’s tenure as musical director with drummer Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, a unit that recorded prolifically in the early 1960’s including the classic Blue Note albums The Big Beat and A Night in Tunisia contained in this set.

Best known for his time with Miles Davis and for a remarkable series of albums recorded for Blue Note in the sixties, Shorter went on to find even greater fame as co-leader of groundbreaking jazz-rock band Weather Report. Still active as he approaches his 80th birthday he currently leads one of the most musically adventurous quartets operating in today’s jazz scene.This superb ten CD set, however, showcases his very first sessions as leader and reveals his budding talents as a highly individual improvisor and outstanding composer.

Disc 1: Blues a la Carte / Harry's Last Stand / Down in the Depths / Pug Nose / Black Diamond / Mack the Knife / The Ruby and the Pearl / Pay as You Go / Second Genesis / Mr. Chairman / Tenderfoot / The Albatross / Getting to Know You / I Didn't Know What Time It Was

Disc 2: Wrinkles / Mama G / June Night / What I Know / Sydney / Seeds of Sin / Scourn' / Fat Lady / Peaches and Cream / That's Right

Disc 3: The Chess Players / Sakeena's Vision / Politely / Dat Dere / Lester Left Town / It's Only a Paper Moon





Disc 4: A Night in Tunisia / Sincerely Diana / So Tired / Yama / Kozo's Waltz Disc 5: Like Someone in Love / Johnny's Blue / Noise in the Attic / Sleeping Dancer Sleep On / Giantis Disc 6: Announcement by Pee Wee Marquette / The Opener / What Know / The Theme / Announcement by Art Blakey / Round About Midnight / The Breeze and I Disc 7: Announcement by Pee Wee Marquette & Art Blakey / High Modes / Night Watch / The Things I Love / The Summit / The Theme Disc 8: Close Your Eyes / Goldie / Ray's Idea / Lester Left Town Disc 9: Dance of the Infidels / Bouncing with Bud / The Midget / A Night in Tunisia Disc 10: Announcement / It's Only A Papermoon / 'Round About Midnight / The Summit / A Night In Tunisia / This Here




CLASSICAL NEW RELEASE - 23/9/2013

Andras Schiff Beethoven: Diabelli-Variationen

4810446 028948104468 CD2 ECM NEW SERIES £14.99 CLASSICAL Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations are considered a magnum opus of the piano repertoire, a towering contribution to the genre and an entire encyclopaedia of pianism. Following his monumental exploration of the 32 Sonatas, András Schiff has recorded – on two period instruments – remarkable, contrasting versions of the Diabelli Variations alongside major late works with intrinsic ties to them.

The Sonata Op. 111 and the Diabelli Variations (CD 1) are played on an original Bechstein grand from 1921, and the second reading of the Diabelli Variations (paired with the Six Bagatelles, Op. 126 on CD 2) on a Hammerflügel fortepiano from Beethoven’s own day. This gives listeners a unique opportunity to compare the rich range of these highly contrasting sonic universes, a world apart from modern day instruments. The first is a studio recording from Lugano in December 2012, while the fortepiano version was recorded at the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn in July of the same year.

In his liner note András Schiff acknowledges the value of having been able to consult the previously unknown original manuscript of the Variations which provided invaluable insight into Beethoven’s compositional process – with his penmanship and writing speed offering subtle hints as to crescendos, tempos and arcs of tension – and intentions. Personnel: András Schiff

Disc 1: Sonata No. 32 in C minor, op. 111: Maestoso - Allegro con brio ed appassionato / Arietta. Adagio molto et cantabile / Diabelli-Variationen, op. 120: Thema. Vivace / Var. I. Alla marcia maestoso / Var. II. Poco allegro / Var. III. L'istesso tempo / Var. IV. Un poco più vivace / Var. V. Allegro vivace / Var. VI. Allegro ma non troppo e serioso / Var.VII. Un poco più allegro / Var. VIII. Poco vivace / Var. IX. Allegro pesante e risoluto / Var. X. Presto / Var. XI. Allegretto / Var. XII. Un poco più moto / Var. XIII. Vivace / Var. XIV. Grave e maestoso / Var. XV. Presto scherzando / Var. XVI. Allegro / Var. XVII. / Var. XVIII. Poco moderato / Var. XIX. Presto / Var. XX. Andante / Var. XXI. Allegro con brio / Var. XXII. Allegro molto / Var. XXIII. Allegro assai / Var. XXIV. Fughetta. Andante / Var. XXV. Allegro / Var. XXVI. / Var. XXVII. Vivace / Var. XXVIII. Allegro / Var.XXIX. Adagio ma non troppo / Var.XXX. Andante, sempre cantabile / Var.XXXI. Largo molto, espressivo / Var.XXXII. Fuga. Allegro - Poco adagio / Var.XXXIII. Tempo di Menuetto moderato

Disc 2: Diabelli-Variationen, op. 120: Thema. Vivace / Var. I. Alla marcia maestoso / Var. II. Poco allegro / Var. III. L'istesso tempo / Var. IV. Un poco più vivace / Var. V. Allegro vivace / Var. VI. Allegro ma non troppo e serioso / Var.VII. Un poco più allegro / Var. VIII. Poco vivace / Var. IX. Allegro pesante e risoluto / Var. X. Presto / Var. XI. Allegretto / Var. XII. Un poco più moto / Var. XIII. Vivace / Var. XIV. Grave e maestoso / Var. XV. Presto scherzando / Var. XVI. Allegro / Var. XVII. / Var. XVIII. Poco moderato / Var. XIX. Presto / Var. XX. Andante / Var. XXI. Allegro con brio / Var. XXII. Allegro molto / Var. XXIII. Allegro assai / Var. XXIV. Fughetta. Andante / Var. XXV. Allegro / Var. XXVI. / Var. XXVII. Vivace / Var. XXVIII. Allegro / Var.XXIX. Adagio ma non troppo / Var.XXX. Andante, sempre cantabile / Var.XXXI. Largo molto, espressivo / Var.XXXII. Fuga. Allegro -

Poco adagio / Var.XXXIII. Tempo di Menuetto moderato / Sechs Bagatellen, op. 126: Andante con moto cantabile e compiacevole / Allegro / Andante cantabile e grazioso / Presto / Quasi Allegretto / Presto - Andante amabile e con moto London Wigmore Hall recitals: 23, 26, 29 November; 14, 18 & 21 December (60th birthday concert, including Diabelli Variations). Other concerts include Bath, 15 November & RNCM, Manchester, 19 November

Promotion includes advertising in Gramophone & BBC Music Magazine

Confirmed reviews in Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, IRR, International Piano, Pianist, Piano Journal, Arietta, Hi-Fi News, The Times, Daily Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Sunday Times, Observer, Sunday Herald, Irish Times

Airplay on BBC Radio 3, Classic FM & & RTÉ Lyric FM





Michelle Makarski & Keith Jarrett J.S. Bach: Six Sonatas for Violin and Piano

4764582 028947645825 CD2 ECM NEW SERIES £14.99 CLASSICAL Johann Sebastian Bach began work on his Six Sonatas for violin and harpsichord (BWV 1014-19) while at the courts of Weimar and Köthen and returned to the compositions over several decades, revising and polishing until the years before his death. C.P.E. Bach would later pronounce the pieces “among the best works of my dear father”. Prefiguring the classic duo sonata, violin and keyboard meet on equal terms in this music, and both are challenged by Bach’s compositional demands. Violinist Michelle Makarski invited Keith Jarrett to join her in exploring these pieces, the two musicians – friends since Jarrett’s own compositions recording, Bridge of Light – meeting frequently over a two-year period, simply for the pleasure of playing the Sonatas. The idea of documenting them came late in the process: in November 2010 Makarski and Jarrett recorded the sonatas at the American Academy of Arts and Letters in New York. This is the great jazz pianist’s first ‘classical’ recording since his Mozart Piano Concertos discs of 1996, and only the second occasion on which he has recorded Bach on piano rather than harpsichord. Keith Jarrett’s earlier Bach recordings on ECM include Das Wohltemperierte Klavier (Buch 1, 1987; Buch II, 1990), Goldberg Variations (1989), 3 Sonaten für Viola da Gamba und Cembalo (1991, with Kim Kashkashian), and The French Suites (1991). Michelle Makarski’s New Series recordings include the recital discs Caoine (1995, with music of Bach, Biber, Hartke, Reger and Rochberg), Elegio per un’ombra (1999, with music of Tartini, Berio, Dallapiccola, Carter and Petrassi) and To Be Sung On The Water (2004, with music of Tartini and Crockett). Personnel: Michelle Makarski (violin), Keith Jarrett (piano) Disc 1: Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014: Adagio / Allegro / Andante / Allegro / Sonata No. 2 in A major, BWV 1015: Dolce / Allegro / Andante un poco / Presto / Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016: Adagio / Allegro / Adagio ma non tanto / Allegro Disc 2: Sonata No. 4 in C major, BWV 1017: Largo / Allegro / Adagio / Allegro / Sonata No. 5 in F minor, BWV 1018: (Largo) / Allegro / Adagio / Vivace / Sonata No. 6 in G major, BWV 1019: Allegro / Largo / Allegro (Cembalo Solo) / Adagio / Allegro Promotion includes advertising in Gramophone & BBC Music Magazine. Confirmed reviews in Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, International Record Review, The Strad, Classical Music, Early Music, Early Music Today, Early Music Review, Times, Guardian, Independent, Observer, Scotland on Sunday Airplay on BBC Radio 3 (Late Junction, Breakfast); Classic FM & & RTÉ Lyric FM





Zsofia Boros En Otra Parte (Guitar music by Brouwer, Dominic Miller etc.)

3728783 602537287833 CD ECM NEW SERIES £9.49 CLASSICAL The evocative ECM debut of the outstanding young Hungarian guitarist Zsófia Boros addresses a broad range of composition for her instrument, on this recording drawing primarily on music of the Americas. “Often I think I am holding the choice of music in my own hands, but later I wonder if the music has chosen me as a medium. My approach is always very intuitive; when a piece of music grips or touches me, I want to reflect it – to become a mirror and convey it.”

At the centre of En otra parte is music of Leo Brouwer, the Cuban composer who views the guitar as an orchestra and once declared that it has “no limits”, a major reference for Boros from the beginning of her musical journey. She first heard “Un dia de noviembre” – here performed twice – at a concert when she was around 15 and playing the piece changed the nature of her relationship to music.

This sensitive solo recital opens with “Canción triste”, long a favourite amongst guitarists, by Francisco Calleja, the Spanish guitarist/composer who spent the last part of his life in Uruguay and Argentina. It also includes Ralph Towner’s “Green and Golden”, Vicente Amigo’s tribute to the spirit of flamenco (“Callejón de la luna”), a waltz by Brazilian Dilermando Reis, Quique Sinesi’s “Cielo Abierto”, inspired by the rhythms of candombe and milonga, and much more. Named for the poem by Roberto Juarroz, Todo comienza en otra parte (Everything begins somewhere else), Boros’s album was recorded in Lugano in 2012 and produced by Manfred Eicher.

Born in 1980, Zsófia Boros studied in Bratislava, Budapest, and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna. She is the recipient of numerous awards, taking First Prizes at the North London Music Festival, the Concorso Internationale Val Tidone, the Paganini Competition in Parma, and the Premio Enrico Mercatali in Gorizia. Personnel: Zsófia Boros (classical guitar) Tracks: 1. Francisco Calleja: Canción triste 2. Vicente Amigo: Callejón de la luna 3. Dominic Miller: Eclipse 4. Leo Brouwer: Un dia de noviembre 5. Leo Brouwer: An Idea 6. Abel Fleury: Te vas milonga 7. Ralph Towner: Green and Golden 8. Dilermando Reis: Se ela perguntar 9. Martin Reiter: Ecrovid 10. Quique Sinesi: Cielo abierto 11. Leo Brouwer: Un dia de noviembre, var. Promotion includes advertising in Gramophone Reviews in Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Classical Guitar, Independent, Observer, Scotland on Sunday Airplay on BBC Radio 3 (Late Junction), Classic FM & & RTÉ Lyric FM





Latvian Radio Choir & Sigvards Klava Bernat Vivancos: Blanc (choral works)

NEUMCHCD001 0793573976291 CD2 NEU RECORDS £10.20 CLASSICAL The first recording from the Spanish label Neu Records features choral works by the composer Bernat Vivancos (born in Barcelona in 1973), sung by the world-renowned Latvian Radio Choir under the direction of Sigvards Klava. To quote Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen’s booklet notes, “Vivancos’ music is like a city of angels: blissful sounds populated by saintly spirits hiding between the notes as birds in a tree”. An exquisite double album, Blanc comprises nine of Vivancos’ most evocative choral pieces, reflecting an aesthetic approach that the composer began to develop during stays in Paris and Oslo. It’s music of rich sonority, texture and colour, where research into spectral inspired harmonies, Western traditional modal music, and a constant interest to create a new and seductive dimension all converge, and where being transported by the sound itself is one of the main attractions. Contemplation and transcendence, always present in his music, are captured in works of great beauty such as Nigra Sum, in which female voices elucidate the blackness of the Black Madonna venerated in the Shrine of Montserrat – Vivancos is music director of Montserrat Boys Choir. The Latvian Radio Choir, founded in 1940, has been led by Sigvards Klava and Kaspars Putnins since 1992. Its repertoire embraces the Renaissance era and contemporary music, and it has made more than 40 discs for labels like Ondine, Naïve, BIS and Gavin Bryars Records. In 2012, ECM New Series released the choir’s recording of Arvo Pärt’s Adam’s Lament (with Sinfonietta Riga) to great acclaim. Personnel: Latvian Radio Choir, Sigvards Klava (conductor) Disc 1: 1. Obriu-me els llavis, Senyor 2-5. Messe aux sons des cloches: Kyrie / Gloria / Sanctus / Agnus Dei 6. El cant dels ocells 7. Bubbles 8. A Child is Born Disc 2: 1. Nigra sum 2. Salve d'ecos 3. Le cri des bergers 4. Nigra es, pulchra sum





London Sinfonietta & Nicholas Collon Ramon Humet: Niwa

NEUMCHCD002 0793573260543 CD NEU RECORDS £8.49 CLASSICAL Like a Japanese garden, the music of notable Spanish composer Ramon Humet (born in 1968 in Barcelona) is beautiful, refined, transparent and often playful. Exuding an intense love of nature, and often inspired by Japanese traditional music for shakuhachi, it has received widespread praise from audiences and critics alike. The album ‘Niwa’ brings together three Japanese-inspired chamber works: Four Zen Gardens, for three percussionists with resonant instruments including vibraphone and bells, Garden of Haikus, 10 short movements for piano trio and three percussionists, and Petals, which closes this journey through timbres with a piano trio. Each of the pieces is followed by a track of silence, intended for assimilation of the musical experience, “creating a space of expansion that dialogues with the work”. Central to the project is the clarity and precision of one of today’s most prestigious ensembles, the London Sinfonietta – under the baton of one of Britain’s most promising young conductors, Nicholas Collon – and the potential for immersion in sound and fidelity of timbre that is offered by recording in high definition surround sound. It was recorded in the extraordinary natural acoustic of the Watford Colosseum in January 2012. This innovative project by the independent label Neu Records uses the latest formats of recording and distribution in the service of three of Humet’s most representative chamber works, specially adapted in close collaboration with the composer for the surround 5.1 system. “Ramon Humet’s music is delicate and subtle, with high poetic imagination. Humet is a hope for the future; he has a fine ear, and a spirit full of light.” - Jonathan Harvey Personnel: London Sinfonietta (Alexandra Wood, violin; Lionel Handy cello; Huw Watkins, piano; David Hockings, percussion; Serge Vuille, percussion, Oliver Lowe, percussion); Nicholas Collon (conductor) Tracks: 1-9. Quatre jardins zen, for three percussionists (2008): Prelude / I / Interlude I / II / Interlude II / III / Interlude III / IV / Postlude 10.Silence 11-20. Jardín de haikus, for violin, cello, piano and three percussionists (2007): I. Luminoso / II. Nervoso / III. Energico / IV. Sospeso / V. Secco / VI. Estatico / VII. Scorrevole / VIII. Scherzando / IX. Energico / X. Espressivo 21. Silence 22-24. Pètals, for violin, cello and piano (2009): I. The longest winter night:... / II. ...plum petals fall? / III. ...and finally the western moon. 25. Silence

Propernote new releases 16 23 september 2013

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