Pleyel's string quartets occupy a central place in his rich musical oeuvre – which is hardly surprising, given the fact that he studied with Joseph Haydn and was later his friend. What is surprising, however, is that Haydn's influence on Pleyel is not as clear as one might expect. During Pleyel's lifetime his twelve Prussian Quartets (Benton 331-42) enjoyed very great popularity, and today they convey a clear picture of his versatility in chamber composition. Concertante episodes, distributed in fair shares among the four instruments, play the dominant role in Pleyel, and here his inclination toward an idiom of clearer Italian orientation is reflected. The Pleyel Quartet of Cologne, drawing on historical sources for its interpretations whenever possible, performs three of these »bold« Prussian Quartets fascinating us with their dramatic harmony and many tonal surprises.

Den Erstling bewertete klassik-heute mit 10 von 10 Punkten für die künstlerische Qualität: »Das Erstaunliche beim Hören dieser Aufnahme liegt darin, wie gut es dem Kölner Quartett gelingt, seine Überzeugtheit von Pleyels kompositorischer Qualität in die Wiedergabe einfließen zu lassen… Die für ihn spezifische, technisch anspruchsvolle Klangfarben-Dramaturgie wird von ›seinem‹ Quartett derart virtuos zum Leuchten gebracht, dass nicht der leiseste Gedanke an gefällige Gebrauchsmusik auftaucht, « heißt es dort bezüglich des musikalischen Feingespürs des Pleyel Quartetts. Die Quartette 4-6 lassen erneut erkennen, welch treffsicheres Gefühl Pleyel in der charaktertypischen Verwendung der Tonarten hatte, und der Verzicht auf die höfischen Menuett-Sätze zeigt seine Emanzipation von seinem Lehrer Haydn auf, aber auch die fast provokativ wirkende Unabhängigkeit vom Widmungsträger, Friedrich Wilhelm II.

Nach begeisterter Zustimmung für ihre beiden Einspielungen mit den »Preußischen Quartetten 4-9« legt das Pleyel Quartett Köln nun die Streichquartette 1-3 von Ignaz Pleyel vor. Diese »Preußischen Quartette« erfreuten sich zu seinen Lebzeiten einer besonders großen Beliebtheit und vermitteln ein deutliches Bild der Vielseitigkeit des Komponisten auf kammermusikalischem Sektor. Konzertante Episoden – verteilt in einem vernünftigen Gleichgewicht auf die vier Instrumente – spielten für Pleyel die dominante Rolle, worin sich die Neigung zu einem deutlicher an Italien orientierten Idiom spiegelte. Diese Impulskraft entstammt der Eigenständigkeit seiner Art zu komponieren, gerade auch seinem Lehrer Haydn gegenüber.

The duo Scarlet Fantastic were formed in Birmingham, West Midlands, England in 1985 when the briefly successful Swan’s Way collapsed. After a single album the trio lost Robert Shaw, which left vocalist Maggie DeMond and instrumentalist Rick Jones to continue as Scarlet Fantastic. Dressed in garish costumes befitting the New Romantic era, Scarlet Fantastic achieved two hit singles, ‘No Memory’ (number 24, October 1987) and ‘Plug Me In (To The Central Love Line)’ (number 67, January 1988). They also recorded a sole, non-charting album which Jones remembers as ‘disjointed’. They broke up 1988.

Cassadó duo changes the register and presents "Hypnosis", a concept album to be released in spring 2022. Music transports us to the past, takes us to another dimension. It connects us with our essence as human beings. In this context, hypnotism invites us to connect with the most intimate of ourselves.

Landscapes it is a look at the soundscapes that make up Pau Codina's universe (Pau Codina profile), a musician of the now and here, indebted to the great referents of his genre (with Bach as the main inspiration and the interpretation of a Cassadó Suite that continues to be iconic for cellists) but clearly close to the authors and current music as evidenced by the inclusion of a work by composer Joan Magrané, first recorded on a disc, as well as the Sonata composed in 1955 by the recently deceased George Crumb.

Saxophonist Dave Koz has become one of the most successful and beloved instrumentalists of his time, and helped establish smooth jazz as a musical force to be reckoned with. His career catapulted with 1993's Lucky Man, one of Koz' slickest and most commercial releases (which is not a bad thing by any means) to date. The album has an undeniably crisp and clean feel, akin to the color schemes used in the artwork. The musical styles range from funky and peppy, as in the opening "Shakin' the Shack," "Silverlining," and the evergreen "You Make Me Smile," to tender and sweet, as in "Faces of the Heart," "Lucky Man," and "Tender Is the Night," which features hypnotic vocals courtesy of Phil Perry.

The music on Among Friends was actually performed at San Francisco's Keystone Korner during a recorded engagement by the Bobby Hutcherson sextet. Pianist Cedar Walton opened each set with a few numbers and he was playing so well that in 1990 Evidence decided to release his material as a separate CD. Walton performs three songs ("Ruby My Dear," "My Old Flame" and "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face") solo, interprets four other pieces (three standards plus his own "Midnight Waltz"), in a trio with bassist Buster Williams and drummer Billy Higgins, and Hutcherson himself makes the group a quartet on "My Foolish Heart." Excellent hard bop-based music from the talented pianist.

Partially growing out of their success in the country they were named after, as well as growing friendship and affiliation with such bands as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Japan, on Tin Drum, made its most unique, challenging, and striking album. It was also the final full studio effort from the group, and what a way to bow out – there was practically no resemblance to the trash glam flailers on Adolescent Sex anymore. Rather than repeat the sheer restraint on Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum is an album of energy, Sylvian's singing still the decadently joyful thing it is, but the arrangements and performances tight, full, and active. The fusion of exquisite funk courtesy of Karn and Jansen's joined-at-the-hip rhythm section and a range of Asian music influences, from instrumentation to subject matter, combined with an even wider use of technological approaches to create the dramatic, sly songs on offer.