Beyond their lifelong interest in keyboard instruments of all types (organ, harpsichord and clavichord in the case of Bach; modern piano as a percussion instrument in the case of Bartók), other shared concerns connect these two giants of classical music who at first glance appear to be polar opposites. The juxtaposition of the two composers is not the least appeal of this album which also marks Julien Libeer’s first project for harmonia mundi: this ardent advocate of a clear and direct approach deftly combines keen intuition with a sense of formal rigour to bring four masterful examples of the ‘suite’ genre into a dialogue spanning across the centuries that set them apart.

We are so excited and thrilled to finally reveal this project, which we have been imagining and developing for months… « Nos 4 saisons », our four seasons! We heard The Four Seasons for the first time before we even knew how to talk, and the sound of the violin is one of our first memories. It's as if we always knew we would return to this repertoire one day, that we would happily dive back into our childhood. Vivaldi has laid the foundations of all modern music with his work, and if you listen well, you find his harmonies in all of today’s pop music. With this album, we built our own bridge between classical music that made us grow and the song that has soothed us for a long time. It was obvious for us to record these four seasons together, as sisters, with our common vision of the work.” – Camille & Julie Berthollet

The gentle pulsations of the piano of Wolfert Brederode have played a significant role on “April” and “Compass”, ECM recordings of singer Susanne Abbuehl. Now the Dutch pianist (born 1974, in Wassenaar near Den Haag) steps forward to lead a group of gifted players – clarinettist Claudio Puntin and drummer Samuel Rohrer from Switzerland, and Norwegian bassist Mats Eilertsen – all of whom commit their improvisational energies to the lyric flow of his music, its chamber music sensibility, and the slow-drifting currents of its river of sound. “Currents”, recorded at Oslo’s Rainbow Studio, is Brederode’s ECM leader debut.

Peter Erskine’s latest album, Joy Luck, showcases the drummer’s new trio, and a family connection. Peter’s nephew Damian Erskine joins his uncle for the first time on an album. Dubbed the Peter Erskine New Trio, the group also includes pianist Vardan Ovsepian. The album features original compositions by each of the trio’s members, and is a release the band describes as combining “the strength of experience with the vitality of youth”.

Since Sergiu Celibidache s appointment as their chief conductor in 1979, the Munich Philharmonic developed into one of the finest orchestras in the world. Their performances of Bruckner, in particular, were in a class of their own and where orchestra and conductor truly excelled. It is in the symphonies of Anton Bruckner that the grandeur of the music unfolds organically, its power innocent of all brutality, its monumentality issuing from stillness and austerity. Says Celibidache, "Every performance of a Bruckner symphony is a first performance, every rehearsal is a thousandfold NO designed to achieve a single YES."

Sister Swing is a fresh, exciting trio of singers which has captured the Big Band Swing era and brought it to the 21st century. Heavily influenced by groups like the Andrews Sisters, the Boswell Sisters, and Manhattan Transfer, Sister Swing brings a new sound to an old style. The three ladies, Leigh Hannah, Valerie Marston and Paula Chafey-Merrill, genuinely have a good time on stage and that transcends to their audience. An evening with Sister Swing will take you back in time to an era of glamour, romance and innocence.

Oliver Nelson - The Kennedy Dream (1967) {Impulse! 0602527069999, Verve Originals Series rel 2009}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 188 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 69 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 14 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1967, 2009 Impulse! / Verve | 0602527069999
Jazz / Modern Big Band / Post Bop / Saxophone / Arranger

When the late President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963, the world lost not only a prominent politician, but one who truly championed the arts and civil rights. In February of 1967, Oliver Nelson recognized Kennedy's contributions and assembled a big band to play music in his honor, with taped segments of his speeches as preludes. The result is a heartfelt yet eerie combination, perhaps a bit off-putting, but absolutely relevant decades later. The music is reflective of the changing times as identified by Nelson, ranging from commercial movie score-type music, to soulful or straight-ahead jazz, bop, and the modern big-band sound that the leader, composer, and orchestrator owned.

Atrium were formed in Linha de Cascais (Lisbon) in 2003 by two long time friends Rui Godinho (Vocals and Keyboards) and Carlos 'Caito' Martins (Bass). After several line-up changes Pedro Cravo (Guitars) and Sergio Campos (Drums) became permanent band members in 2004 and 2009 respectively. Drawing influence from bands such as Genesis, Yes, Camel, Pink Floyd and Pendragon, Atrium produce Neo-Progressive Rock with hints of native folk music the band finally released their debut ablum, aptly named, "2011" in 2011 and in recent times have supported Barclay James Harvest and Asia when those bands played Lisbon. The new album Journeys and Melodies, was released on the 1st of July 2014. It is impossible to ignore this proposal to travel back in time, through some inspiring and emblematic places like Sintra, the Tower of London or the Great Wall of China. These 6 songs are the start of a great journey searching for different places and feelings. This album represents one more step towards the growth of Atrium’s national and international career and you’ll experience an amazing journey with the music of this Portuguese progressive rock band.

Otis Brown III - The Thought Of You (2014) {Blue Note B002100202}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 347 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 136 Mb
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© 2014 Blue Note / Revive | B002100202
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Jazz / Drums / Percussion

Drummer Otis Brown III is a well-known, in-demand sideman and the founding drummer in Joe Lovano's Us Five. The Thought of You, his debut as a leader, was co-produced with Derrick Hodge. Pianist Robert Glasper, saxophonist John Ellis, trumpeter Keyon Harrold, and bassist Ben Williams – the only one of these men who was not Brown's classmate at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music – are the core of this lineup. Bilal Oliver (another schoolmate), Gretchen Parlato, and Nikki Ross all make vocal appearances. Hodge and Brown obviously share a love for the classic Blue Note quartet and quintet sounds of the late '50s through the middle '60s: tight, crisp, clean.

Jimmy Heath - You've Changed (1991) {SteepleChase}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Digital Download -> 422 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 1991 SteepleChase ‎| SCCD 31292
Jazz / Post Bop / Saxophone

In memoriam. R.I.P. You've Changed presents journeyman saxophonist Jimmy Heath in an unadorned setting that exhibits his talents in full splendor. Also a noted composer – three of the pieces here are his – this session showcases Heath's sound, which is as smoky and sweet as the best whiskey. Heath plays with fluid drive. The composer in him never takes a break as evidenced by the logical flow of his melodic ideas. The band is a pared down version of the Heath Brothers with regulars Tony Purrone and brother Tootie Heath on board joined by bassist Ben Brown. Purrone's smooth, bluesy fretwork provides just the right foil for the leader.

’Heroic hymns of battle’ was how the American critic James Huneker visualized Chopin’s polonaises. ‘In them’, Liszt wrote evocatively in his Life of Chopin, ‘are to be found embodied the noblest traditional feelings of the Poland of a bygone age; through them breathe the stern resolve and the reflective gravity of the Poles of other days. Usually of a warlike character, bravery and valour are in these polonaises rendered with a simplicity of expression which was a distinctive characteristic of this warlike people. They bring before the imagination with vivid intensity the ancient Poles as they are described in their chronicles.’

Composed in 1915, Claude Debussy’s piano etudes represent some of the composer's most adventurous and unconventional writing. Paul Jacobs’s recordings of these pieces garnered international renown upon their initial release; Gramophone declared they “should be heard by everyone.” This release also features En Blanc et Noir, a piece, from the same year, for two pianos, performed by Jacobs and Gilbert Kalish.

The Suburbs is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 2, 2010. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Irish Albums Chart, the UK Albums Chart, the US Billboard 200 chart, and the Canadian Albums Chart. It won Album of the Year at the 2011 Grammy Awards, Best International Album at the 2011 BRIT Awards, Album of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards, and the 2011 Polaris Music Prize for best Canadian album. Two weeks after winning Grammy's Album of the Year, the album jumped from No. 52 to No. 12 on the Billboard 200, the album's highest ranking since August 2010.

Purists who've followed Scott over the years may balk at such a commercial collection, but the music is as fun as the guys who are playing it, so who can argue? Scott wrote only two of the nine songs, and interestingly enough, "Desire" and "We Belong Together" are the least exciting tunes, thought they mellow out the pace a bit. Covers of the Average White Band's '74 hit "Pick up the Pieces," Buddy Miles' song as the energetic title cut, Earth, Wind & Fire's brassy "Serpentine Fire," and Coltrane's bluesy "Dahomey Dance" are party tunes all the way, and this band featuring L.A. clubbers Barnaby Finch, Pat Kelley, and Tim Landers help the expressive Scott bring the passionate funk to life.