Modest Mussorgsky – Pictures At An Exhibition + Choral Works (Claudio Abbado) (1994)

Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky (March 21 [O.S. March 9], 1839 – March 28 [O.S. March 16], 1881), one of the Russian composers known as the Five, was an innovator of Russian music. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music.

Many of his major works were inspired by Russian history, Russian folklore, and other nationalist themes, including the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain, and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition. However, while Mussorgsky’s music can be vivid and nationalistic, it does not always glorify the powerful and is at times (such as in The Field-Marshal) antimilitaristic.

For many years Mussorgsky’s works were mainly known in versions revised or completed by other composers. Many of his most important compositions have recently come into their own in their original forms, and some of the original scores are now also available.

With scintillating virtuosity in Pictures and Abbado bringing out the Russian color in the gloriously sung choral works, there is nothing routine about anything here.

Abbado has recorded all this music before: Pictures for DG (3/89) and the rest for RCA with the LSO Chorus in 1981 (6/93). The latter was a very good record, and remains thoroughly worthwhile at mid price, but the new live DG recording is even more spectacular, especially in St John’s Night on the Bare Mountain, the original version of Night on the Bare Mountain. Arthur Jacobs, who here provides the illuminating notes, suggests that the American word ‘bald’ is more faithful to the Russian than our term, ‘bare’. Here it certainly brings vividly graphic orchestral playing. Abbado obviously relishes the odd grotesque spurts of colour from the woodwind, and the Mussorgskian ruggedness. The composer’s structural clumsiness is not shirked and the lack of the smooth continuity found in the Rimsky arrangement does not impede the sense of forward momentum; indeed at the close the Russian dance element is emphasized, rather than the sinister pictorialism. (Of course the luscious slow ending is not here at all–that was added by Rimsky.)

The choral pieces are gloriously sung and again Abbado brings out their Russian colour, especially in the glowing yet sinuous “Chorus of priestesses”. Joshua is made to seem a minor masterpiece with its lusty opening (hints of Borodin’s Polovtsians) and its touching central solo (“The amorite women weep”). This is most eloquently sung by Elena Zaremba and the theme is then movingly taken up first by the women of the chorus and then the men, before the exultant music returns. The performance of Pictures at an Exhibition, like the choral items, gains from the spacious ambience and sumptuous overall textures. It is not, perhaps, an electrifying performance, but it is dramatic in its contrasts and very beautifully played. The refinement and colour of the evocation, so characteristic of Abbado, is most touching in “The old castle”, while “Tuileries” is gently evoked with a flexibly fluid control of tempo. “Bydlo” opens and closes mournfully, yet reaches a strong, positive immediacy as it finally comes close. The chicks dance with dainty lightness; then the hugely weighty lower orchestral tutti and bleating trumpet response of “Samuel Goldenberg” demonstrate the extraordinary range of tone this great orchestra can command.

After the scintillating virtuosity of “Market Place at Limoges” the sonorous Berlin brass makes a tremendous impact in “Catacombe” and Abbado’s tonal and dynamic graduations are characteristically astute; then ‘following a ferociously rhythmic “Baba-jaga” he steadily builds his three-dimensional “Great Gate at Kiev”, losing none of the grandeur of the gentle contrasts of the intoned chorale, with the tam-tam splashes at the end satisfyingly finalizing the effect. A most enjoyable concert: there is nothing routine about anything here. (by Gramophone Magazin, February 1995)

Claudio Abbado

Personnel:
Berliner Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Claudio Abbado
+
Elena Zaremba (vocals on 05.)
Prague Philharmonic Chorus (choir on 05.)

Tracklist:
01. A Night On The Bare Mountain 12.43
02. The Destruction Of Sennacherib 6.00
03. Salammbô – Chorus Of Priestesses 5.10
04. Oedipus in Athens – Chorus Of People In The Temple 3.07
05. Joshua 5.12

Pictures At An Exhibition:
06. Promenade 1.48
07. Gnomus 2.20
08. Promenade 1.04
09. The Old Castle 4.21
10. Promenade 0.34
11. The Tuileries Gardens 1.11
12. Bydlo 2.51
13. Promenade 0.45
14. Ballet Of The Chickens In Their Shells 1.14
15. Samuel Goldenberg And Schmuyle 2.10
16. The Market-Place At Limoges 1.20
17. The Catacombs (Sepulchrum romanum) 2.01
18. Cum mortuis in lingua mortua 2.04
19. The Hut On Fowl’s Legs (Baba-Yaga) 3.28
20. The Great Gate Of Kiev 5.16

Written by Modest Mussorgsky, orchestrated by Maurice Ravel

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Doc Watson & Jean Ritchie – At Folk City (1963)

According to reissue annotator Joe Wilson, Doc Watson and Jean Ritchie had never heard of each other before they got together for a concert at Folk City in 1963, which says something about the 40-year-old Watson’s obscurity at the time and about his limited knowledge of other performers, since 39-year-old Ritchie had been recording for more than a decade. The two had a lot in common, however, the North Carolina-born guitarist and banjo player sharing a repertoire of traditional material with the Kentucky-born dulcimer player. During their set (actually featuring only six songs performed together, with seven solos by Watson and four by Ritchie), they mixed murder ballads with spirituals and dance tunes. The titles included many songs that were familiar to country fans, and that would become familiar to folk fans as well: “Pretty Polly,” “Wabash Cannonball,” and “Amazing Grace.” Especially interesting were “Go Dig My Grave,” “Hiram Hubbard,” and “House Carpenter,” on which Watson played banjo and Ritchie sang. This was very much a joint appearance rather than a real duo outing, but the performers were sufficiently strong and complementary enough to make it work. (The 1990 Smithsonian/Folkways reissue added three tracks — “East Virginia,” “Blue Ridge Mountain Blues,” and “Pretty Saro” — to the original 1963 release.) (by William Ruhlmann)

Some informations about Gerdes Folk City:

Gerdes Folk City (sometimes spelled Gerde’s Folk City) was a music venue in the West Village in New York City. Initially opened as a restaurant called Gerdes, by owner Mike Porco, it eventually began to present occasional incidental music.
First located at 11 West 4th Street (in a building which no longer exists), it moved in 1970 to 130 West 3rd Street. It closed in 1987.

On January 26, 1960, Gerdes turned into a music venue called The Fifth Peg, in cooperation with Izzy Young, the director of the Folklore Center. The Fifth Peg’s debut bill was gospel folk singer Brother John Sellars and Ed McCurdy, writer of the anti-war classic “Last Night I Had the Strangest Dream”. Porco and Young had a falling-out, and on June 1, 1960, Gerdes Folk City was officially born with a bill featuring folksinger Carolyn Hester and Logan English. At this time Gerdes Folk City was booked by a folk enthusiast Charlie Rothschild (who later became Judy Collins’ longtime manager) and English. Gerdes Folk City was suddenly one of the central music venues of the era. It became one of the most influential American music clubs, before finally losing its lease in 1987.
“Rolling Stone Book of Lists” called Folk City one of the three top music venues in the world, along with The Cavern and CBGBs. Folk City helped to launch the careers of several world-renowned musical stars from Bob Dylan to Sonic Youth, and showcased numerous music styles from folk to alternative rock.

Personnel:
Jean Ritchie (vocals, dulcimer)
Doc Watson (vocals, guitar, banjo, harmonica)
+
Roger Sprung (fiddle on 05. + 13., banjo on 07. + 14., vocals on 07. + 17.)

Alternate frontcover

Tracklist:
01. The Storms Are on the Ocean (Traditional) 3.24
02. Go Dig My Grave (Traditional) 3.47
03. Spikedriver Blues (Traditional) 2.38
04. Over The River Charlie (Traditional) 1.10
05. Soldier’s Joy (Traditional) 1.19
06. Swing And Turn Jubilee (Traditional) 2.10
07. East Virginia (Traditional) 2.39
08. Hiram Hubbard (Traditional) 3.46
09. Where Are You Going? (Traditional) 1.56
10. Blue Ridge Mountain Blues (Traditional) 2.49
11. Pretty Polly (Traditional) 2.22
12. Willie Moore (Traditional) 3.20
13. What’ll I Do With the Baby-O? (Traditional) 2.06
14. Pretty Saro (Traditional)
15. Wabash Cannonball (Carter) 3.15
16. The House Carpenter (Traditional) 4.27
17. Amazing Grace (Traditional) 3.48

Transparent yellow vinyl edition

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John Potter & John Surman – John Dowland – In Darkness Let Me Dwell (1999)

A fascinating project initiated by Hilliard Ensemble tenorist John Potter with producer Manfred Eicher, which re-examines the beautiful songs of the great sixteenth century composer from a present-day perspective. Potter: “This is the first time anyone’s approached Dowland not from an ‘early music’ angle, but simply as music. We’re working with Dowland as though he were still with us.” The subject matter of the songs, with despair and ‘alienation’ uppermost, is entirely pertinent for our times, and the exceptional ensemble ranged around John Potter restores an improvisational flexibility to the music.

“The essential impulses of music are song and dance, and the great examples of each always feel ‘contemporary’. And it is songs and dances, rather than the larger structures that they can sustain, that were exactly the province of John Dowland: he brought to them a degree of art – visionary directness and skilful subtlety – which makes them timeless. His songs with accompaniment not only speak to us as poignantly as song ever can, but also opened the way to the development of the 19th century lied and mélodie, while his body of music for viols and lute cultivates qualities of texture and expressiveness that make it a major early landmark of chamber music.

Again, it speaks as directly to us as any later chamber music, shortcircuiting any sense of chronology. So on both counts, Dowland belongs to the group of artistic giants born in the 16th century – among them Monteverdi, Gesualdo, Schütz, Shakespeare, Cervantes and Velázquez – who fashioned the genres and set the standards for our creative world, with implications that we are still working through four centuries later.

The concerns behind Dowland’s music remain our own – all those tears point to his age’s preoccupation with ‘melancholy’, mirroring our preoccupation with ‘depression’, while European divisions of religion and politics caused him to spend many years of exile from England in Italy, Germany and Denmark, making him an artist fuelled by a sense of what we now think as ‘alienation’. What his age knew, and we sometimes lose sight of, is that meditating on a beautiful expression of sadness can help to provide a thoroughly uplifting sense of consolation. (by Robert White)

Personnel:
Barry Guy (bass)
Maya Homburger (violin)
John Potter (vocals: tenor)
Stephen Stubbs (lute)
John Surman (saxophone, clarinet)

Tracklist:
01. Weep You No More Sad Fountains 5.02
02. In Darkness Let Me Dwell 4.20
03. Lachrimae Verae 5.36
04. From Silent Night 6.57
05. Come Again 4.46
06. The Lowest Trees Have Tops 4.20
07. Flow My Tears (1) 5.16
08. Come Heavy Sleep 4.31
09. Fine Knacks For Ladies 3.53
10. Flow My Tears (2) 5.17
11. Now, Oh Now I Needs Must Part 6.06
12. Lachrimae Tristes 3.28
13. Go Crystal Tears 7.59
14. Lachrimae Amantis 5.05

All songs written by John Dowland (1563 – 1626)

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Frank Sinatra – The Voice of Frank Sinatra (1946)

The Voice of Frank Sinatra is the first studio album by American singer Frank Sinatra, released on Columbia Records, catalogue C-112, March 4, 1946. It was first issued as a set of four 78 rpm records totaling eight songs, and went to #1 on the fledgling Billboard chart. It stayed at the top for seven weeks in 1946, spending a total of eighteen weeks on the charts. The album chart consisted of just a Top Five until August 1948.

The tracks were arranged and conducted by Axel Stordahl and his orchestra, on both dates consisting of a string quartet and four-piece rhythm section, augmented by flutist John Mayhew in July, and, ironically given the part he would play with Sinatra at Columbia in the early 1950s, oboist Mitch Miller in December. Sinatra would record most of these songs again at later stages in his career.

Certain critics have claimed The Voice to be the first concept album. Beginning in 1939, however, singer Lee Wiley started releasing albums of 78s dedicated to the songs of a single writer, Cole Porter for example, a precursor to the Songbooks sets formulated by Norman Granz and Ella Fitzgerald in 1956. These may loosely be termed concept albums, although Sinatra with The Voice inaugurated his practice of having a common mood, theme, or instrumentation tying the songs together on a specific release.

It also holds the distinction of being the first pop album catalogue item at 33⅓ rpm, when Columbia premiered long-playing vinyl records in 1948, ten-inch and twelve-inch format for classical music, ten-inch only for pop. The Voice was reissued as a 10-inch LP, catalogue number CL 6001 in 1948. It was also later issued as two 45 rpm EPs in 1952 with catalogue number B-112 in 1952, a 12-inch LP with a changed running order including only five of the original tracks in 1955 with catalogue number CL-743, and a compact disc with extra tracks in 2003.

Enjoy this sentimental journey !

Frank Sinatra and Axel Stordahl at work, 1947

Personnel:
Sidney Brecher (viola)
Bill Clifton (piano)
George van Eps (guitar)
Sam Freed (viola)
David Frisina (violin)
Fred Goerner (cello)
Matty Golizio (guitar)
Ray Hagan (drums)
Jack Mayhew (flute)
Mark McIntyre (piano)
Mitch Miller (oboe)
Nat Polen (drums)
Raoul Polikian (violin)
Leonard Posner (violin)
Mischa Russell (violin)
John Ryan (bass)
Frank Sinatra (vocals)
Frank Siravo (bass)
Anthony Sophos (cello)

Alternate frontcover

Tracklist:
01. You Go To My Head (Gillespie/Coots) 3.00
02. Someone To Watch Over Me (G.Gershwin/I.Gershwin) 3.18
03. These Foolish Things (Remind Me Of You)” (Marvell/Strachey/Link) 3.08
04. Why Shouldn’t I? (Porter) 2.53
05. I Don’t Know Why (I Just Do) (Turk/Ahlert) 2.46
06. Try A Little Tenderness (Harry M. Woods, James Campbell, Reginald Connelly) — 3:08
07. I Don’t Stand a Ghost Of A Chance with You (Crosby/Washington/Young) 3.11
08. Paradise (Brown/Clifford) 2.37

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Embryo – Bremen (1971)

This is an excellent early live recording from this group, done around the time of its second album, Embryo’s Rache, and with all tracks taken from that record.

Its a fascinating juxtaposition between the psychedelic jazz-rock of early embryonic Embryo and the embrace of ethnic music from around the world that characterized subsequent Embryo projects. It starts off with some tribal drumming, and moves onward into complex rhythms and lots of sax and flute solos and even a violin here and there.

Because of Embryo’s ever-changing roster, the lineup includes only three of seven musicians from Embryo’s Rache, recorded in the same year as Bremen 1971, and with no keyboards, the dynamics of the live versions of the pieces are quite different. The first three cuts, each about ten minutes in length, segue seamlessly together without a pause, while the politically charged “Spain Yes” is now expanded to nearly half an hour.

With some odd vocal chanting on “Time” and lots of high-energy jazz-funk grooves throughout, Embryo’s performance is quite inspiring. (by Rolf Semprebon)

Personnel:
Christian Burchard (drums)
Hansi Fischer (flute)
Ralph Fischer (bass)
Edgar Hofmann (saxophone, violin)
Al Jones (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Try To Be (Burchard) 10.34
02. Time (Burchard) 10.09
03. Tausendfüssler (H.Fischer) 9.20
04. Spain Yes, Franco Finished (Burchard) 26.26

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Henrik Freischlader Band – The Blues (2006)

Henrik Freischlader (born November 3, 1982) is a German blues guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, and autodidactic multi-instrumentalist from Wuppertal, Germany.

During his teenage years, he started his career as a blues guitarist and singer in bands such as Lash and Bluescream. In 2004, he formed the Henrik Freischlader Band and released his first album “The Blues” in 2006. The follow-up album “Get Closer” was released a year later in 2007. A live album then followed in 2008 entitled “Henrik Freischlader Band Live”. Henrik Freischlader’s style of music cannot only be considered blues. He often blends in musical styles such as rock, jazz, soul, and funk, even though blues is the basis of all of his songs. His guitar-playing is influenced by Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Peter Green, Albert Collins, and Albert King. Growing up,Freischlader taught himself how to play the drums, the bass guitar, the guitar, and various other instruments. On his studio album “Recorded by Martin Meinschäfer” (2009) he plays all instruments – guitars, bass guitar, drums, percussion, and hammond organ. In addition to this, he composed the songs, wrote the lyrics, produced the record, and released it on his own record label Cable Car Records. A second live album – “Tour 2010 Live” – was published in late 2010 after an extensive tour through Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Henrik Freischlader has played with his band throughout Europe. Current band members are Theofilos Fotiadis (bass guitar, backing vocals), Björn Krüger (drums, backing vocals), and Moritz “Mr. Mo” Fuhrhop (hammond organ). They are currently on tour with Freischlader’s latest studio album “Still Frame Replay” (2011), on which he, again, plays most of the instruments. Moritz Fuhrhop (hammond organ) and Max Klaas (percussion) joined him in the studio for “Still Frame Replay”. As special guest, his friend Joe Bonamassa plays the solo guitar on the title track.

Henrik Freischlader has been the supporting act for Joe Bonamassa, B.B. King, Gary Moore, Peter Green, Johnny Winter, and other blues legends (by wikipedia)

And this is his brilliant debut album !

Personnel:
Henrik Freischlader (guitar, vocals)
Daniel Guthausen (drums)
Oliver Schmellenkamp (bass)
+
Sascha Kühn (keyboards)

Tracklist:
01. The Blues 4.21
02. My Baby 5.22
03. Nothin’ To Lose 4.54
04. Tired Of Beggin’ 4.30
05. Disappointed Women 4.00
06. Is It Right 4.03
07. When I First Saw You 7.22
08. Did You Right 5.34
09. She Ain’t Got The Blues 2.50
10. No Questions 4.15
11. Lonely World 8.23

All songs written by Henrik Freischlader

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Rob Hoeke & Hein van der Gaag – Four Hands Up (1971)

Rob Hoeke (9 January 1939 — 6 November 1999) was a Dutch singer, pianist, composer and songwriter most famous for his renditions in the field of Boogie-woogie releasing over 20 albums. Besides that he played and recorded in a musical variety of styles ranging from Blues, Soul, Rock and Rhythm & Blues.

Rob Hoeke’s most successful period was in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with his Rob Hoeke’s Rhythm & Blues Group. He scored hits with “Margio” (number 12 on the Dutch Top 40 in 1966), “Drinking On My Bed” (number 11 in 1966) and “Down South” which would become Hoeke’s signature tune and biggest hit reaching number 6 in 1970. His sole charting album was Four Hands Up, a collaboration with fellow Boogie-woogie artist Hein van der Gaag which charted at number 7 in 1971.[6]

In 1974, Rob Hoeke lost two fingers in an accident and his career all but seemed to be over. After a few years, he started playing and performing for audiences again but his heyday was over. He recorded many more albums, one with Alan Price from the Animals. Hoeke made a solo performance at the first Amsterdam Blues Festival in 1983 where his solo performance received a standing ovation from the audience of 1,100. Subsequently, he made his first solo album Jumpin’ on the “88” for the Oldie Blues label in 1983.

Rob Hoeke died in 1999 after a short illness. (by wikipedia)

Hein van der Gaag is another boogie piano player from the Netherlands … today ist is still active as a very fine jazz musician … and if you ever be in Amsterdam … visit one of his concerts … it´s more than a pleasure !

This is their first album … and … you should listen to this music … and you can hear a great boogie-woogie piano battle … and much more !!!

Personnel:
Ben de Bruijn (guitar)
Hein van der Gaag (piano)
Rob Hoeke (piano)
Paul Lagaay (drums)
Wil de Meijer (bass)

Alternate frontcover

Tracklist:
01. Milkmen Blues (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 2.10
02, Small Talk To My Son (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 6.40
03. Answer Boogie (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 1.47
04. Try To Think It Over (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 3.35
05. Berry’s Hounddog (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 1.50
06. Hersal Boogie (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 1.47
07. Harry Lime Theme (Karas) 2.30
08. Ain’t Tellin’ Lies (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 4.53
09. Blues On The Down Beat (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 1.56
10. Dedicated To Weromeri (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 2.17
11. Blues For Stella (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 2.53
12. Cuban Boogie (Hoeke/v.d.Gaag) 2.45

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Herman Brood – Wait A Minute (1980)

Herman Brood was born in Zwolle on November 5, 1946. In the early years, his influences included Fats Domino and Little Richard. He always liked to paint and play piano. Upon turning 17, he entered an art school. In 1964, Brood started his music career, The Moans becoming his first group (later to become Long Tall Ernie And The Shakers). But his stint with the group didn’t prove to be long-lived, as Harry Muskee asked him to join his group Cuby And The Blizzards shortly thereafter.

After a short lull, which lasted just a few years, Brood bounced back on the scene in 1974. His next group was Stud, but its span was also very short, and in 1975 he launched his own Flash & Dance Band; one LP, Showbiz Blues (Universe – 1975) got recorded and released as a result. He subsequently teamed up with Herman van Boeyen in the creation of Vitesse. Their first LP, Vitesse (Reprise – 1976) was released shortly after this new partnership was forged.

Following a meeting with Koos van Dijk, who became his manager, Herman started working on the creation of yet another group, his own Wild Romance. The first line-up included: Ferdi Karmelk (guitar), Gerrit Veen (bass), Peter Walrecht (drums). After numerous club gigs, their first LP, Street (Bubble – 1977) was released, followed by Shpritsz (Bubble -1978), and the hit single, Saturday Night. Brood became a star virtually overnight. By that time, however, the line-up has changed: Danny Lademacher (guitar), Freddie Cavalli (real name: Van Kampen) (bass) and Ani Meerman (real name: Cees Meerman) (drums) replaced their respective predecessors in the group. After Cha Cha (Ariola – 1978) and another smash single, Still Believe, Brood’s popularity rapidly spread outside his homeland, particularly into Germany and France.  He starred in his first movie, Cha Cha, with Lena Lovich and Nina Hagen.

In July 1979, the Wild Romance left for the USA.  Slowly but surely, Brood was establishing himself as a worldwide rock sensation, as his singles kept steadily creeping up the Top 100 charts.  However, too much publicity can sometimes kill an artist; due to the media overkill, Brood career unexpectedly took a plunge, and the fortunes reversed, in the typical Brood fashion, once again, overnight… One of Brood’s best albums to date, the U.S.-recorded Go Nutz (Ariola -1980) was torn apart by vicious reviews in the music press, although Wait A Minute (Ariola – 1980), Modern Times Revive (Ariola – 1981) and Frisz & Sympatisz (Ariola – 1982) did much better, critical acclaim and sales-wise.(by Alex Gitlin)

Wait a Minute is the fourth studio album by Dutch rock and roll and blues group Herman Brood & His Wild Romance. After the commercial and artistic debacle of Go Nutz and the disastrous recording of that album, the Wild Romance fell apart, though Danny Lademacher and Freddy Cavalli still played on this album, the last recorded with the “old” Wild Romance.

On the Dutch album chart, the album reached #26 on 20 September 1980, and stayed on the chart for five weeks. (by wikipedia)

Toward the end of his life, Brood vowed to abstain from most drugs, reducing his drug use to alcohol and a daily shot of speed (“2 grams per day”). In 2001, depressed by the failure of his drug rehabilitation program and facing serious medical problems because of his prolonged drug use, he committed suicide on 11 July by jumping from the roof of the Amsterdam Hilton Hotel at the age of 54.

Personnel:
Herman Brood (keyboards, vocals)
Freddy Cavalli (bass)
Danny Lademacher (guitar)
Ani Meerman (drums)
+
Peter Bootsman (guitar)
Bertus Borgers (saxophone)
Dee Dee (background vocals)
Ruud van Dijk (saxophone)
Jan Hollander (trumpet)
Bert Jansen (harmonica)
Monica Tjen A Kwoei (background vocals)
Martin Oosterwijk (trombone)
Ad Schaap (saxophone)
Robert-Jan Stips (synthesizer)
Gino Vain (bass)
Peter Walrecht (drums)

Tracklist:
01. Dynamite (Brood/Fowley) 3.20
02. Girl Of My Dreams (Schrievers/Fowley) 2.46
03. Time To Split (Brood/Fowley) 2.29
04. Keep Playin That Rock ‘n’ Roll (Winter) 3.08
05. Outside Lookin’ In (Lademacher/Brood) 2.41
06. Propaganda (Brood/Fowley) 2.44
07. All The Girls ‘re Crazy (Kossoff) 3.31
08. Brickyard Blues (Toussaint) 3.13
09. Workin’ Girl (Bootsman/Brood/Fowley) 3.55
10. Voices (Brood/Fowley) 3.16
11. Blew My Cool (Alberts) 3.06

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Wladigeroff Brothers – For The Greatest And Little Things (2011)

Bulgarian twin brothers, pianist and clarinetist Konstantin and trumpet player Alexander Wladigeroff, again have teamed up with an exciting band of international artists, amongst them percussionist Stoyan Yankoulov. ”For The Greatest And Little Things“ is the second album, following the twins‘ debut ”Wanderer in Love“ (Extraplatte) of 2007. It fluidly combines intricate jazz harmonies with hot Latin rhythms and Eastern European melodies. If rhythm is the bridge between cultures, the twins walk across it with a spring in their step! The Wladigeroff Brothers descend from of one of Bulgaria‘s most prominent musical families. The twin brothers first studied at the Music Academy in Sofia, which is named after their grandfather, famous composer Pancho Wladigeroff (1899-1978). Their father Alexander P. Wladigeroff (1933-1993), too, was a composer and conductor, and the twins have a life-long commitment to music to look back upon. They both honed their skills at the University and at the Academy of Music in Vienna, and in Alexander’s case, also at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The twins are already a well-known entity on the Austrian music scene, having performed at the Salzburger Festspiele, the Burgtheater, the Volkstheater, as well as in such renowned Viennese clubs as Porgy and Bess, Birdland, Jazzland, and the Szene Wien. They have performed – among many others – with Red Holloway, Ostbahn Kurti, Fatima Spar and the Freedom Fries, Wolfgang Puschnig, Juan Garcia Herreros, Linley Marthé, Vladimir Karparov and Teodossi Spassov. (Promotion text)

Ekaterina, Alexander & Konstantin Wladigeroff

For The Greatest And Little Things” is the latest album by the award-winning Bulgarian twin brothers, Konstantin and Alexander Wladigeroff. Alexander, trumpet player with extraordinary skills, and Konstantin, an evocative pianist and clarinetist, have teamed up with a diverse and exciting band of international artists, amongst them percussionist Stoyan Yankoulov. ”For The Greatest And Little Things“ fluidly combines intricate jazz harmonies with hot Latin rhythms and Eastern and Balkan melodies. The richly textured album creates an artistic arch from ballads in shades of blue to entertaining, foot- tapping uptempo numbers, all with a dose of whimsical humour. If rhythm is the bridge between cultures, the twins walk across it with a spring in their step! (by daily records)

Personel:
Valya Dervenska (violin)
Juan Garcia-Herreros (bass)
Denise Nittel (violin)
Dimitar Karamitev (kaval)
Vladimir Karparov (reeds)
Linda Mancheva (cello)
Milan Nikolic (bass)
Dusan Novakov (drums)
Richard Oesterreicher (harmonica)
Flip Philipp (vibraphone)
Andrey Prozorov (saxophone)
Mario Vavti (trombone)
Tomasz Wabnic (viola)
Alexander Wladigeroff (trumpet, vocals)
Ekaterina Wladigerova (piano)
Konstantin Wladigeroff (piano, vocals)
Stoyan Yankoulov (drums, percussion)

Tracklist:
01. E.S.T. Part 1 (K.Wladigeroff) 4.04
02. E.S.T. Part 2 (K.Wladigeroff) 7.01
03. For The Greatest And Little Things (K.Wladigeroff) 4.40
04. Smolyansko Vaklo Devoche (K.Wladigeroff) (05:56)
05. Varenka (K.Wladigeroff) 9.19
06. Salsalito (K.Wladigeroff/A.Wladigeroff) 6.56
07. Emi (K.Wladigeroff/A.Wladigeroff) 6.00
08. Dance Elegy (K.Wladigeroff) 8.37
09. Rachenitza (K.Wladigeroff/A.Wladigeroff) 7.11
10. For The Day, When Today Will Be Some Time Ago (K.Wladigeroff) 3.37
11. Voller Kanton (K.Wladigeroff/A.Wladigeroff) 4.22
12. Children’s Smiles (K.Wladigeroff) 6.49

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Within Temptation – The Q Music Sessions (2013)

The Q-music Sessions is a special Within Temptation cover album in which consists of eleven covers made by the band for the Belgian radio station Q-music in celebration of their fifteenth anniversary. Due to the positive reactions from fans and the radio audience, the band decided to release a special album containing eleven of the fifteen covers made.

In the run up to the 15th anniversary of Within Temptation, the band was asked by Q-Music to choose and perform an existing track in a “Within Temptation style” once a week during fifteen weeks during their special program Within Temptation Friday.[6] The covers consist most part of pop songs in which the band transformed into a more symphonic oriented form. Lead vocalist Sharon den Adel stated that: “Our approach was to really make the cover a new Within Temptation song. So not going the easy way by using only a piano or an acoustic guitar for example, but really trying to put all the elements of a Within Temptation track in this new version. It was quite a challenge because we had only one week to get it right, while recording an original Within Temptation song can sometimes takes up half a year! But this pressure also gave us an creative boost and it was very rewarding to get it done in time each week. Also, we learned a lot from the in-depth analysis we needed to make on these hits, written by others, in combination with implementing our own sound and style in each new cover. We are glad that we’ve taken up this challenge and are very proud of the result.”. They covered artists such as Imagine Dragons, OneRepublic, Lana del Rey, The Who among others.

The band also did four more covers for the radio station, Little Lion Man (Mumford & Sons), Somebody That I Used to Know (Gotye), Skyfall (Adele) and Paradise (Coldplay), but the songs were not included on the album due to copyright issues from the original artists.

“Excellent set of cover songs from one of my favourite bands/singer. Brings a different ‘flavour’ to the songs and some are just brilliant. Have a listen on YouTube and make your own mind up, but highly recommended.” (B.Beattie)

Personnel:
Sharon den Adel (vocals)
Mike Coolen (drums)
Ruud Jolie (guitar)
Martijn Spierenburg (keyboards)
Jeroen van Veen (bass)
Robert Westerholt (guitar)

Tracklist:
01. Grenade (Mars/Lawrence/Levine/Brown/Kelly/Wyatt) 3.45
02. Titanium (Furler/Guetta/Tuinfort/v,de Wall) 3.57
03. Let Her Go (Rosenberg) 3.43
04. Summertime Sadness (Rey/Nowels) 4.06
05 Radioactive (Imagine Dragons) 3.14
06. Crazy (Burton/Callaway/Reverberi/P.Reverberi) 3.31
07. Dirty Dancer (Iglesias/Khayat/Bogart/Quiñones) 4.14
08. Don’t You Worry Child (Hedfors/Angello/Ingrosso/Lindström/Zitron) 3.36
09. Behind Blue Eyes (Townshend) 4.19
10. The Power Of Love (Gill/Johnson/O’Toole) 3.59
11. Apologize (Tedder) 3.25

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