Balladeer

Ry Cooder - The very thing that makes you rich (makes me poor)

Again spinning: Nina Proll & Trio Salon - Eisler, Hollaender, Weill: Lieder eines armen Mädchens/Songs of a poor Girl (Gramola) love it

Boris Giltburg - Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze, Papillons (Naxos) Fantastic

Richie Beirach, Gregor Huebner, George Mraz - Round about Mompou (ACT) Ravishing variations over Federico Mompous Musica Callada. With his "Round about" cylce of three albums (Bartok, Mompou, Monteverdi) Beirach proves to be a musical genius. And by presenting German violinist Gregor Huebner he came up with a sensational discovery. Marvellous music that belongs to a dozen albums I esteem extremely high.

Boris Giltburg - Schumann: Carnaval, Davidsbündlertänze, Papillons (Naxos),

Lost Generation - Horenstein Ensemble, Barbara Krieger (soprano) and Julien Salemkour (p) (Acousence Records) play music of international composers who lost their lives during WW I (George Butterworth, Rudi Stephan, Cecil Coles)

Benjamin Feilmair - Busoni: Complete Works for Clarinet and Piano (Paladino)

Alexander Melnikov - Alexandre Scriabin (Harmonia Mundi)

Matthias Goerne (bariton), Ensemble Resonanz, Thomas Larcher (pn) - Hanns Eisler: Ernste Gesänge, Lieder with piano (Harmonia Mundi)

Nina Proll & Trio Salon - Lieder eines armen Mädchens, (Songs of a poor girl) Tunes of Hollaender, Eisler, Weill (Gramola) Something to rave about. She´s got her own style, ravishing arrangements: great!

Freddie Hubbard - Rose Tattoo Freddie Hubbard - Rose Tattoo

Nina Proll (voc) & Peter Grillmayr (violin), Andrej Serkov (accordeon), Roland Wiesinger (upright bass) Eisler, Hollaender, Weill, Wunder - Lieder eines armen Mädchens (Gramola)

Yes Eisler, Prokofiev - Bridges (Alpha Classics) is a remarkable album in many ways. IMO Guillaume de Chassy is a musical genius with a knack for fascinating crossover ideas and stunning projects.Just listen for instance to his "Wonderful World" (Bee Jazz) that he produced with Daniel Yvinec. More on the American jazz side but hauntingly fasicnating nevertheless. Aside from the moving songs on "Bridges" that are beautifully sung I dig the combination of upright bass, clarinet and piano. There are far too little Eisler productions in general on the market, so this is a welcome addition. But I find the Prokofiev adaptations especially thrilling. The speciality on the entire album are the improvisational passages that free this project from the stiffness of many (modern) classical recordings and give it a natural flow.

Guillaume De Chassy (pn), Laurent Naour (bariton), Thomas Savy (clarinets), Arnault Cuisinier (b)- Eisler, Prokofiev - Bridges (Alpha Classics)

Lara Downes - Exiles´ Cafe (Steinway and Sons)

Jack Kerouac & Steve Allen - I had a slouch hat too one time

I can understand that, Jim. Such a moving event. NDR Bigband was great, too. BTW: Did you know that there´s an anecodote about this legendary event. Chet looked so rugged at that final stage of his life that the janitor at first refused to let him in when Mr B wanted to enter. He thought Chet was a hobo...

Benjamin & Florian Feilmair - Busoni: works for clarinet and piano (Paladino music)

Certainly Tokyo is Chet´s greatest artistic concert achievement, They finally managed that the old junkie subsituted with Methadon - to best effect. You can hear it in his clean, strong playing. BTW: There are so many remarkable live recordings Chet made during the last years of his life. Have you heard "LIve in Sweden", includes one of the most ravishing ballads ever recorded (the Charlie Haden penned "Ellen and David" that is harmonically very similiar to "Silence" on the above record). And of course "Last Great Concert" from Germany - big emotions, big band, great art.

Richie Beirach, Gregor Hübner, George Mraz - Round about Mompou (ACT) Spinning this fascinating crossover again and again since I discovered it recently. I´ve been lucky enough to get one of the last new copies of ths OOP gem for a reasonable price at amazon. German violinist Gregor Hübner plays magnificently.

Both are beautiful recordings. The first is IMO maybe Bakers best late studio date. The second features him as sideman in a dream team. It covers a swinging version of his signature tune, Funny Valentine. It has never been one of my favourite standards. And I believe Richie Beirachs "Broken Wing" that he wrote for Chet could have been a better one. But Mr B had chosen Valentine from early on. Here´s my point: He never played it the same way. What an artist, what a poet! The most fascinating version IMO you can find on the Challenge Records album "Round Midnight" that he recorded at John Melmer studios in London in 1979. This one, an instrumental, is a modern deconstruction of the theme and shere beauty.

Beirach, Huebner, Mraz - Round about Federico Mompou (ACT)

Well, well.... First of all every new album of LT makes me happy. This album is no exception. You find plenty of Thompsons unique, beautiful soprano. As a special addition to LT repertoire there´s Lucky on "Summertime" - did he ever play it on other dates? Not to my knowledge. And his tenor on the stunning "Lover Man" and "Deep Passion" is tender and expressive as only Lucky could be.Regrettably on some takes the charts are a bit stiff and his sidemen not up to Luckys level. That´s obvious on "The World Awakes". You´ll find definitive versions elsewhere. Nevertheless lots of beautiful Lucky Thompson to enjoy.

Thanks for your notice. I´m interested in the book. Maybe you can let me know when it´s on the market.

Flores Argentinas (Troy/Albany): Desiree Halac (mezzo) & Dalton Baldwin (pn) I love those Canciones de Carlos Guastavino - and Halac sings them delicately but also with the right temperament