Pianist Clifford Curzon joins the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by George Szell for this recording of Johannes Brahms' Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 15.

One of the greatest operatic tenors of the 20th century, Luciano Pavarotti was considered by many to possess one of the most lyrical and beautiful voices of his time. This album offers a definitive collection of some of Pavarotti's greatest performances of his career in hi-res audio, including "Nessun Dorma", "O Sole Mio", and "Celeste Aida".

Coleman Hawkins recorded three sessions for Impulse Records in the early to mid '60s. Of the three, Today And Now is the most compelling. The unusual choice of repertoire is what sets this album apart. Versions of the traditional song "Go Li's Liza" and the fairly obscure Quincy Jones ballad "Quintessence" are creatively rendered. Indeed, Hawk seems inspired throughout; he plays with an abandon that is altogether effortless.

Barbara Morrison, one of the world's most delightful and endearing jazz personalities returns to the recording studio and brings her good friend, tenor saxophonist Houston Person with her for her third recording on Savant Records. Her patented Music in the Morrison Manner, featuring blues, standards and even an occasional pop tune, has endeared her to audiences on both coasts and earned her a place among the most talented and skilled jazz vocalists working today.

JD Allen's previous recording Americana won widespread critical acclaim for it's ground breaking melodic and harmonic explorations and for its impressive emotional intensity. While that album presented Allen's ideas with a somewhat contemplative hand, Radio Flyer moves with a more unbridled enthusiasm, testing the possibilities jazz has for individual expressionism and improvisational freedom.

JD Allen's career ascendence suggests that he's making plenty of the right choices. The native of Detroit has been on the New York scene since 1993, when his youthful precociousness earned him a spot in “Jazz Ahead”, the singer Betty Carter's acclaimed touring program for up-and-comers.

Appearing the timeless “Please Come To Boston”
Kenny Loggins’ second cousin hit the big time for a couple of months in 1975 with “Please Come to Boston,” a serviceable and sentimental soft rock gem from his second album, Apprentice (In a Musical Workshop).

I love the whole symphony but from the second movement two favorite moments, two details, spring to mind. First, the recapitulation when the solo violin takes flight, like a buzzing bee around a flower, and then accidentally finds itself in a wonderful modulation to E major. The second is the ending. The flowers, that move and dance elegantly against the wind, suddenly expose their Tristan-like soul. From the vast first movement I would choose the huge, yawning creature’s (Pan’s?) first appearance.

Sarah Àlainn originally from Sydney, began studying the violin from the age of 5. She studied under Perry Hart, the star pupil of Szymon Goldberg who at the age of 20 became the concertmaster for the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

The acclaimed New York saxophonist Javon Jackson leads a celebration of the music of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, whose collaboration began in 1938 and continued until Strayhorn's death in 1967. Jackson is joined for this session by arranger/pianist David Hazeltine, bassist Paul Gill and drummer Tony Reedus. Together they perform well-known compositions such as "Caravan", "Chelsea Bridge", and "Lotus Blossom", as well as tunes that are not usually played by quartets such as "In My Solitude". The two soloists, Jackson and Hazeltine explore the bluesier and moodier side of Ellington's music as well as ballads like "Warm Valley" and slightly more up-tempo tunes like "In a Sentimental Mood".

Manhattan is an album that captures the dynamic moods of the world's greatest city as interpreted through the supple interplay of this skillful threesome. "Hazeltine, Mraz and Drummond have established an easy chemistry that hinges on their shared sense of time and conversational exchanges within the structure of each song", according to the album's liner notes.

The David Hazeltine Trio successfully undertakes well-known classical works and reinvents them through jazz. Joined by George Mraz on bass and Jason Brown on drums, Hazeltine is able to reformat these classics into high energy, sweet swinging, syncopated adaptations of their originals. The group tackles works by composers: Bach, Chopin, Debussy, Tchaikovsky, and Beethoven; restructuring their works all the while keeping them audibly recognisable.

Contemporary Jazz crowd pleasers Pieces Of A Dream featuring James Lloyd and Curtis Harmon, celebrate another new recording. Just Funkin' Around, as the title suggests, is a funky, joyful musical celebration, filled with melodic grooves that have made Pieces of a Dream fan favorites. The 10 brilliant originals that run the gamut from 'in the pocket' R&B to sensuous smooth jazz jams are proof that Pieces of a Dream are at the top of their game!

The multiple award-winning recordings of the Kammerorchester Basel are a genuine asset to the record market. With “Bologna 1666” they take their listeners on a musical journey to what was probably the most important musical centre of 17th-century Italy. Founded in 1666, the Accademia Filarmonica di Bologna, one of Italy’s oldest academies of music, influenced the musical life of its times far beyond the borders of Italy itself. It is thus all the more astonishing that with few exceptions, such as Giuseppe Torelli or Lorenzo Gaetano Zavateri, most of its composers have fallen into oblivion. For this recording, the Kammerorchester Basel, headed by its concert-mistress Julia Schröder, have unearthed outstanding masterpieces.

Until this recording, the works of Italian renaissance composer of lute music, Giacomo Gorzanis (1520-1579), have remained mostly undiscovered. All of the works on this album are World Premiere Recordings. They are performed here by Italian lutenist, Michele Carreca.