Thomas Quasthoff THE JAZZ ALBUM

Unsurpassed in classical lieder, Thomas Quasthoff lends his rich bass-baritone to the Great American Songbook on The Jazz Album -- Watch What Happens, backed by an ace pickup band that includes trumpeter Till Brönner and pianist Alan Broadbent. While it may be news to followers of his classical work, the German-born Quasthoff is actually an old hand at this kind of singing -- he held regular nightclub gigs in his youth -- and the experience shines through on standards like "My Funny Valentine" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face," displaying proficient English, impeccable technique, and a deep, velvety tone. Rhythmically, Quasthoff plays it fairly straight, delivering renditions of up-tempo classics like "They All Laughed" and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" that may be light on swing but reveal the versatile singer's obvious devotion to this wonderful music. (EJ Johnson)

1) There's a Boat That's Leavin' Soon for New York
2) Watch What Happens
3) Secret Love
4) You & I
5) Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive
6) I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face
7) Can't We Be Friends?
8) Smile
9) They All Laughed
10) My Funny Valentine
11) What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?
12) In My Solitude
13) Eins und eins das macht zwei


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Sarah Brightman LA LUNA

Broadway star Sarah Brightman lends her ethereal, angelic vocals to another combination of classical and pop, resulting in a solid, stirring collection. This outing, the ex-Mrs. Andrew Lloyd Webber adapts Rachmaninov ("How Fare This Spot"), Beethoven ("Figlio Perduto"), and Handel ("Solo Con Te") alongside the brothers Gibb and Simon and Garfunkel. The uncanny thing is how canny Brightman is at bridging the contemporary with the classics so that they seem timeless. She brings touches of adult contemporary, rock, and even, surprisingly enough, techno to the mix; some of these songs, "Here With Me" in particular, are crying out to be remixed as dance songs. Her crystalline soprano leads you on a sentimental journey through "Scarborough Fair" then lilts through a playful "Hijo de la Luna" without missing a beat. Especially successful is the last track, "First of May," as it was recorded live in South Africa. It shows that Brightman's talent doesn't need the production so many contemporary vocalists need to sound phenomenal. There is something melancholy in her expressive voice and in the production of each song on this album, so that even if you don't understand the language of the lyrics, you're left feeling a bit nostalgic, and the effect is not that of much of the plastic A/C market but one of genuine emotion. She doesn't manipulate you into feeling; she actually moves you. Overall, this album achieves some beautiful highs without being over the top. (Bryan Buss)

1. La Lune
2. Winter In July
3. Scarborough Fair
4. Figlio Perduto
5. A Whiter Shade of Pale
6. He Doesn't See Me
7. Serenade
8. How Fair This Place
9. Hijo De La Luna
10. Here With Me
11. La Califfa
12. This Love
13. Solo Con Te
14. Gloomy Sunday
15. La Luna

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Gianluigi Trovesi VAGHISSIMO RITRATTO

Italian reedmaster Gianluigi Trovesi has become a central figure in the reformulation taking place in European jazz, as musicians bring traditions into juxtaposition. "Vaghissimo Ritratto" looks at the European 'songwriter' in a very broad sense in a curve stretching from Monteverdi and Josquin Desprez to Bergamo legend Alfredo Piatti and Belgian chansonnier Jacques Brel – all connected by the quick-witted improvising that is Trovesi's forte. Umberto Petrin, making his ECM debut, is a poetic pianist whose lines take unexpected directions. Fulvio Maras's percussion is subtle and coloristic, deploying hand drums, kit and discrete electronics.

1) Primo Apparir

2) L'Orfeo

3) Grappoli Orfici

4) Mirage

5) Secondo Apparir

6) Al Primo Vostro Sguardo

7)The Lover's Appeal - Terzo Apparir

8) Angela

9) El Grillo

10) Particolare Di J. Donne

11) Amsterdam

12) Serenata - Matona Mia Cara

13) My Little Maid And I

14) Canto Vago

15) Far Far Away

16) Vaghissimo Ritratto

Gianluigi Trovesi, Clarinet

Umberto Petrin, Piano

Fulvio Maras, Percussion

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Steve Kuhn Trio PAVANE FOR A DEAD PRINCESS

Pianist Steve Kuhn, accompanied by David Finck and Billy Drummond, explore classical works by a number of top composers from the 19th and 20th centuries on this Japanese release, though they are used as a launching pad for improvisation. Maurice Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess" is recast as a soft samba, also incorporating a bit of an earlier standard that was derived from the French Impressionist's piece, "The Lamp Is Low." Chopin is obviously one of Kuhn's favorite classical composers, as three of his features, highlighted by a dreamy setting of "Nocturne in E Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2." He brightens the tempo of Claude Debussy's "Reverie" while retaining its lyricism, while slowing Johannes Brahms' "Lullaby" to a crawl and demonstrating how a master jazz pianist utilizes space as an element of improvisation. Classical purists are always upset with jazz arrangements of "their" music, but anyone who loves both musical worlds will appreciate Steve Kuhn's thoughtful arrangements of music that has easily stood the test of time. (Ken Dryden)

1) I'm Always Chasing Rainbows - Fantasy Impronptu
2) Pavane for a Dead Princess
3) Moon Love - Synphony #5 2nd Movement
4) One Road Rose Forever - Ich Liebe Dich
5) Swan Lake
6) Nocturne in E Flat Major Op 9, No.2
7) Reverie
8) Prelude in E Minor Op28, No.4
9) Full Moon and Empty Arms - Piano Concerto #2 3rd Movement
10) Pavane
11) Lullaby

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Miriam Méndez BACH POR FLAMENCO

German baroque and flamenco? Why not... Johann Sebastian Bach and the diverse styles of flamenco are united by the hand of Miriam Méndez, an exceptional classical pianist belonging to a family of great musical tradition, formed in the conservatories of Sevilla and Barcelona, and specialized in Bach's works in Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Italy.

"Bach por Flamenco" includes pieces of Bach's musical works adapted by Miriam in an impressive way to different flamenco styles, in which none of them ever loses its essence. Just to mention some styles, the first movement of "Concierto en sol menor" is played with "bulerias", while "El clave bien temperado" is played with "soleá", "sevillanas", "bulerías" or "tangos".

Miriam makes an overview of various styles of flamenco, from the perspective of a classical and elegant way with enough charm to dazzle. Miriam Méndez finds herself between classical music and flamenco with a piano in her hands that serves as the translator of these two languages merged into one.

Manuela Vargas: Dance and Taconeo
Yerbabuena: Choir
Eugenio Iglesias: Spanish Guitar
Mariano Bizarraza: Percussion and Congas
Tania Vinokur: Violin
Ángel Morilla: Cello
Miriam Méndez: Piano

Tracklist:
1. Concierto En Sol M, 1er Mov. (Bulería)
2. Introducción (Bulería) - Preludio Nº2 En Do M De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 1 (Rumba)
3. Fuga Nº2 En Do M De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 1 (Tango)
4. Preludio Nº1 En Do M De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 1 Extracto Coral 147 (Nana - Sevillanas)
5. Preludio Nº20 En La M De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 1 (La Alboreá)
6. Preluidio Nº20 En La M De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 2 (Caña - Siguirillas)
7. Preludio Nº14 De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 1 (Fiesta Por Bulería)
8. Preludio Nº8 De "El Clave Bien Temperado" Libro 2 (Soleá - Soledad)

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Paul Giger CHARTRES

Paul Giger’s fascinating musical pilgrimage has been inspired by the secrets and the magic of the Cathedral of Chartres where his work was the outcome of an intensive dialogue. The famous gothic Cathedral of Chartres in France stands as a symbol of the “spiritual development” of the human being. In seven stages the composition describes the pilgrim’s path through the Cathedral: from the crypt through the labyrinth and the crossing into the sanctum sanctorum.
This physical path, trodden by the faithful for centuries, symbolises the inner, spiritual transition from the earthbound individual to fulfilled spirituality. The musical material emerges from a diversity of traditions ranging from classical to jazz, from European to Asian sounds. Improvised passages alternate with composed passages. Virtuosity contrasted with the meditative immersion into the “key note” of the sanctuary.

1.- Crypt I + II

2.- Crypt III

3.- Labyrinth

4.- Crossing

5.- Holy Center

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Die Form BACH PROJECT

As the title dictates, this latest release from the fetish-heavy electronic act Die Form is a tribute to the legendary composer.

The idea of marrying electronics to Bach's work is certainly not an original one. Wendy Carlos' seminal 1968 album, Switched-On Bach stands as the concept's pioneer, although an even wider audience probably remember hearing it as part of the soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick's, A Clockwork Orange. Though one might be hard pressed not to compare the two, Die Form's versions are drastically different, and perhaps their equal.

Carlos painted her crescendos with buzzing, whistling Moog Modular. Conversely, Die Form chose to pair the classical with their own peculiar, almost steampunk motif where their mechanisms complement the classical arrangements, rather than replace them.

Die Form have always danced to their own tune. They are the pure illustration of classicism united with modern times. They portray an elegant bonding of sensual electronic and nostalgia in all their records, which obviously comes to a sublimation in "Bach Project".

With an overwhelming use of classical Bach compositions transformed and pulsing through synthesizers and haunting base lines, this album is the ultimate search for time traveling through music. Obviously the songs are mostly remarkable for, after all, Bach is a genius composer and his music is everywhere in this record.

Tracklist:
1. BWV 42-7 Am Abend aber desselbigen Sabbats (Church Cantata)
2. BWV 243-3-4 Magnificat: Quia Respexit & Omnes Generationes
3. BWV 1031 Sonata Nr 2 in Es-Dur
4. BWV 1002 Partita Nr 1 in B Moll
5. BWV 147-5 Bereite Dir Jesu noch itzo die Bahn (Herz und Mund)
6. BWV 1030 Sonata Nr 1 in H Moll
7. BWV 1004 Partita Nr 2 in D Moll
8. BWV 565 Toccata Nr 2 in D Moll
9. BWV 54-1 Aria: Widerstehe doch der Sünde
10. BWV 29 Wir danken Dir Gott wir danken Dir
11. BWV 209 2+3 Recitativ: Non sa che sia dolore & Aria: Parti pur
12. BWV 4 Christ lag in Todesbanden
13. BWV 244-39 Matthäus Passion - Aria: Erbarme Dich mein Gott!

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