L. Shankar - Eternal Light (FLAC)

With this stunning, virtuosic recording, the artists celebrate 25 years of performing togther, an illustrious quarter-century in which they have made musical history.

Virtuosic brilliance smoothly melds with complimentary group interplay on Shankar's Eternal Light. A quarter of a century after their first collaboration in the East-West fusion ensemble Shakti, double violinist and vocalist Shankar, tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, and ghatam (clay pot) master T.H. Vinayakram come together on this Moment Records release. Son of the famed V. Lakshminarayana Iyer, Shankar was a precocious child violinist and singer. A five-octave vocal range and unmatched command of the ten-string double violin allow Shankar to sway from piercing high notes to rumbling bass tones with grace. Zakir Hussain's deftly played tabla patterns and T.H. Vinayakram's authoritatively articulated ghatam lines match Shankar's own exemplary performance without jeopardizing the integral success of the CD. It is the ensemble and their works that really glow, above and beyond the individual success of the musicians. An impelling CD, which marks 25 years of friendship and stands as a dedication to Zakir Hussain's late father and sister -- Ustad Allarakha and Raxia, respectively -- Eternal Light should shine brightly for generations to come.

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L. Shankar - Pancha Nadai Pallavi (FLAC)

As if playing one violin within the Western art music tradition wasn't difficult enough, the virtuoso L. Shankar has made it his trade to both sing and play a customized double violin within the contexts of Hindustani, Carnatic, Western, and experimental musical sensibilities.

On this 1990 ECM release, Pancha Nadai Pallavi, he lays down two tracks, the first without percussion and the second in collaboration with Zakir Hussain on tabla and Vikku Vinayakram on ghatam. Caroline also accompanies the L. Shankar with the drone setting sruthi (a small one-note hand-pumped reed organ) and talam (a pair of small hand cymbals). With the first track L. Shankar performs the ragam "Sankarabharanam" (a ragam is the Carnatic equivalent to the Hindustani raga). For nearly 30 minutes he elegantly articulates an innumerable series of variations on traditional forms, melodies, and rhythms. The double violin allows him to imitate the sounds of a multi-octave string ensemble. On the CD's second cut a serpentine nine and one-half beat rhythmic cycle, the Mahalakshmi Tala, provides the temporal framework for the performance. An original creation by L. Shankar himself, this tala is realized by tabla superstar Zakir Hussain and the celebrated ghatam (clay water pot) player Vikku Vinayakram. Both of these percussive masters draw a myriad of tones and conjure up a fortified stew of rhythmic cadences from their respective instruments. In sum, Shankar's Pancha Nadai Pallavi is a smashing CD that represents virtuosic creativity and experimentation at work in both solo and collaborative contexts.

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L. Shankar - Who's to Know (FLAC)

L. Shankar is an acknowledged virtuoso of the violin. Born into a renowned family of musicians, he is the son and disciple of V. Lakshminarayana. Both of Shankar's parents were vocalists and his entire family was into music. Shankar started learning vocal techniques at the age of two. His parents were not just Carnatic vocalists, but had a fair bit of exposure to world music. His father was trained in Indian classical music. His mother L Sitalakshmi played the veena while his father sang and played the violin.

Having already established himself as member of John Mclaughlin's jazz and Indian music ensemble Shakti, violinist L. Shankar set himself up as a virtuoso leader in contexts ranging from Indian classical music to modern hybrids featuring synthesizers and drum machines. Through it all, he brought the unique sound of his 10-string double violin (from an original design) to dates featuring the likes of Zakir Hussain, Frank Zappa, Peter Gabriel, and Steve Vai. For this 1980 session, the violinist focuses on the traditional ragas of his native India, with two extended pieces. Joined by Hussain on tabla, Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman on mridangam, and conductor V. Lakshminarayana, Shankar produces a wealth of solo climaxes while weaving myriad thematic improvisations. On the first raga (both pieces here are reconfigurations of traditional ragas), he moves from a meditative solo stretch to some frenetic interplay with Hussein, eventually ending the piece with an incredible, lightening-fast display of technique. The group opt for a more even-keeled pace on the second raga. Shankar is impressive again, while Hussein makes the best of some lengthy solo spots. An essential disc for L. Shankar fans

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Gabriele Mirabassi - Latakia Blend (FLAC)

In 2001 Mirabassi joined Rabih Abou-Khalil's group and soon became its foremost soloist who regularly brings the audience into a boiling state. While Rabih's music has an Arabic color, Gabriele's is deeply rooted in the folk music of his native Italy which he presents with great emotional power. Accordionist Luciano Biondini, who has also worked with such as Tony Scott and Enrico Rava, and tuba player Michel Godard, the most versatile exponent of his instrument worldwide, have been working with Mirabassi for quite a while - formerly as a quartet with additional drums or mandolin. All three of them have been members in Rabih Abou-Khalil's band.

Gabriele Mirabassi (from Perugia) studied at the Morlacchi Conservatory and graduated in 1986 with highest honors. In the following years he mostly played contemporary classical music with the best European ensembles. However, already during those days he ventured into jazz and improvisation. Through his work with Richard Galliano, Sergio Assad, Stefano Battaglia and others he received good exposure at large festivals throughout the world. He was selected Talent of the Year in Italy in 1996 and presented his Brazilian project Pixinguinha at Umbria Jazz in 2001. Italian critic Guido Festinese described him as "a lucid, driving, unpredictable clarinet player with a voracious musical curiosity." Mirabassi has several albums under his own name on the Italian Egea label. "Latakia Blend" is a charming album packed with thrilling original tunes. Graceful and inventive, it mixes the happiness and melancholia of folk dance music, the artistic perfection of a chamber ensemble and the improvisational drive of a jazz band. Consequently this album's program ranges from that sad Italian folk song "Gorizia" to Brazilian Chôro composer Pixinguinha's "Segura Ele" to an out-of-tempo rendition of Billy Strayhorn's ballad "Isfahan." And Mirabassi's warm clarinet adds nothing but pure beauty to all of them.

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Gilad Atzmon - Exile (FLAC)

Gilad Atzmon's music moves more and more towards a cultural hybrid. On his new album, "Exile," he and his colleagues (featuring the moving voices of Reem Kelani and Dhafer Youssef) try to tell the story of Palestine, a country that was stormed by radical Zionists in the 20th century. Asking himself how the Jewish people – who themselves have suffered so much for so long – can inflict so much pain on the Other, Atzmon takes up Israeli traditional and nationalistic melodies and turns them around deliberately. For instance, "Al-Quds" is an Arabic interpretation of an Israeli tune that became the anthem of the ’67 War. A cross cultural statement with a political twist.

Raised as a secular Israeli Jew in Jerusalem, Gilad Atzmon witnessed the daily sufferings of Palestinians and spent 20 years trying to resolve for himself the tensions of his background. Finally disillusioned, he moved away from Israel and went to England to study philosophy. Yet when he met Asaf Sirkis, a drummer from his homeland, Atzmon recovered an interest in playing the music of the Middle East, North Africa and Eastern Europe that had been in the back of his mind for years. He founded the Orient House Ensemble in London and started re-defining his own roots in the light of political reality. He now regards himself as a devoted political artist. As a member of the Blockheads, Gilad has recorded and performed with such as Ian Dury, Robbie Williams, Sinead O'Connor and Paul McCartney. As a bandleader and reed player he has been thrilling his listeners with his powerful personal style, a sophisticated, sometimes ironical combination of great bebop artistry and Middle-Eastern roots. Multi-reed talent Atzmon shows "a seemingly effortless ability to demolish and rebuild any old tune he chooses to play," Time Out read. Influenced by Cannonball Adderley's powerful approach on the sax, Gilad's live performances are simply breathtaking and overwhelming. In addition, he has started a new career as a literary writer: His first novel "Guide To The Perplexed" was published in the UK in late 2002 and will be translated into French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Czech, Japanese, Russian and other languages. (http://www.gilad.co.uk/) JAZZ ALBUM OF THE YEAR (BBC Music Awards, Juli 2003)

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Michel Godard - Castel del Monte (FLAC)

This breathtaking recording is one of the highest summits ever recorded by the ENJA label. It brings together some of Europe's most talanted instrumentalists and bandleaders. It is recorded in an inspiring place - the famous Castel del Monte near Ruvo di Puglia in southern Italy-, which only carries the sensuality of this album even higher. It is a feast of imagination that, based on the musical and historic knowledge that each of the musicians carry with themselves, tries to approach the spirit of this architectural gem.

The Castel del Monte near Ruvo di Puglia, Southern Italy, was the last and most beautiful building of Frederick II (1194-1250), Roman emperor and King of Sicily. It dominates the Apulian landscape like a white crystal, a fata morgana beyond time and space whose original purpose will probably be a mystery forever. When German producer Achim Hebgen and French musician Michel Godard visited the castle together, they felt there should be music created in and for the building - music that is simultaneously in the past, the present and the future. Cooperating with some of the finest musicians from Italy, France and Switzerland (most of them known from the project La Banda), they imagined a timeless musical synthesis based on old forms (e.g. chaconne, folia, tarantella), yet open to the inspiring eternal atmosphere of the mysterious Castel del Monte. Says Godard: "As envisioned the acoustics were superb. We recorded mostly in the inner court yard under the open sky. Some of the smaller ensembles were recorded in the rooms on the ground floor. The architecture of the castle is built on the octagon - so we needed eight musicians." Along the borders between Mediterranean folk song and modern composition, mediaeval tradition and jazz improvisation, the Castel del Monte project, initiated and produced by Achim Hebgen (SWR), became a great musical document of the European-Arabic heritage and its historical continuity. When you listen to this outstanding recording you get the feeling that artistic manifestos like this are just what Castel del Monte was erected for - 750 years ago.

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Renaud Garcia-Fons - La Linea del Sur (FLAC)

Ten years into his musical journey, Renaud decided to add a fifth string to his bass, enabling possibilities well beyond the idea of the bass as an accompanying instrument, particularly the option to be one of an ensemble's improvising voices. Combining this innovation with his con arco and pizzicato techniques, he reached an unprecedented level of performance, and became known as the Paganini of the double bass.

Renaud Garcia-Fons was born in 1962 near Paris to parents from the Catalonia region of northeastern Spain. As a young man, he studied the double bass at the Paris Conservatory of Music, and also became a private student of François Rabbath through whom he gained a profound knowledge of the double bass as well as an introduction to the Syrian roots of Rabbath's compositions. By age 21, Renaud had won performance competitions held by the cities of Paris and Aubervilliers, and was awarded a diploma by the French Cultural Minister as Professor of Double Bass. From this point forward, he began to work independently, allowing his adventurous spirit to liberate him from the technical limitations of his instrument in favor of greater freedom to improvise, and to explore music at the crossroads of jazz, traditional, and contemporary music. Ten years into this journey, he decided to add a fifth string to his bass, enabling possibilities well beyond the idea of the bass as an accompanying instrument, particularly the option to be one of an ensemble's improvising voices. Combining this innovation with his con arco and pizzicato techniques, he reached an unprecedented level of performance, and became known as the „Paganini of the double bass." Bass Player magazine says: “As if through magical transformation, cello, viola, flamenco guitar, and hand drum spring forth from Renaud’s French-made 5-string.” There are multiple sources for his musical inspiration – he feels as close to the music of the Mediterranean and Orient as to the flamenco tradition, which he has transposed for the double bass. Since his album “Entremundo” (2004) the flamenco has even become a main source of his artistic imagination. On “La Línea del Sur”, his eighth album for ENJA, Renaud Garcia-Fons explores “the roads of an imaginary South”, as he puts it, “a dreamland rooted in a multitude of musical traditions.” Presenting haunting melodies, refined interweavings and thrilling rhythms, Renaud’s compositions and arrangements perfectly serve a band format (bass, accordion, guitar, percussion) that is very similar to that of his first album “Alboreá” (bass, accordion, bass, percussion). While all of the players in this “imaginary flamenco” band are individual soloists and soulful “singers” on their instruments, the music also features a real flamenco singer as a plus: Esperanza Fernandez, a grand voice of flamenco, makes a unique contribution to a musical idiom that expands the frontiers of Andalucía all the way to the New World”, says Renaud. The words he wrote for her are inspired by Rumi, a mediaeval Persian poet and mystic. So once again Renaud Garcia-Fons unites artistic traditions from very different countries – and times – and he does so in the most artistic, virtuosic, enjoyable way.

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Nguyen Le - Init (FLAC)

Nguyên Lê's mingling of East and West sounds effortlessly effective. His obvious understanding of both sides yields a music devoid of contrivance and full of honesty. As an arranger he brings a distinctive personality and unique perspective, with great taste. A lovely and remarkably fresh music that illustrates the limitless potential of cross-cultural exchange.

1. Could you describe what makes the creative musical environment in Paris so unique? I think this has to do with how different cultures mix here. Every big city in the West is muticultural, but Paris has a special way to integrate those different cultures. Last time Paul McCandless was here, we went to a great chinese restaurant in small Chinatown of Paris, met a tunisian friend who brought us in 5mn walk to a genuine tunisian cafe where people smoke big waterpipes. Ethnic communties are closer to the other, they can share & communicate more easily. 2. Could you detail some of your musical influences? They are very various : I grew up with traditional vietnamese & western classical music my parents were listening to; but the 1rst music which moved me was Deep Purple - I was 12. After Hard Rock I listened to Progressive Rock (King Crimson, Yes, etc...) then Fusion (Mahavishnu, Chick Corea). When decided to learn guitar seriously I went to my "real jazz" period - Coltrane, Miles, Bill Evans, Wes Montgomery, Keith Jarrett... When I started my own bands I came back to my own roots : Electric Rock & Vietnamese Music. Gtr players : I love Bill Frisell, Scofield, Jeff Beck, Hendrix... But these days my main influence is all sorts of traditional music : vietnamese of course, indian (Chaurasia, U Srinivas - do you know this incredible guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya ?), african (Gnawa music, Salif Keita...) Turkish (Kudsi Erguner). At least I must say that Art Lande was a big influence on me. While playing & working with him I understood the spirit of Jazz, which I would define as a secret balance between freedom & control, emotion & intelligence. 3. How is "jazz" defined in France? Is there a prevalent conservatism about the music like there is here in the US? Jazz in France is pretty open I think. There's no conservatism à la Marsalis because Jazz is not "our" music - we didn't create it, so what can we "conserve"? - at least Django Reinhardt !. That means we have to create our own ways to do it. Of course, as always, there's several stylistic chapels : pre-bop, bebop, modern, fusion, avant garde, world, etc... But whoever wants it will cross the borders. 4. Where is your music headed, or what would you like to achieve through music? These days my music is very related to the fascination I have for some traditional music. It inspires my compositions & my approach to gtr. I have worked on preexisting melodies & rythms, now I'm trying to write my own "traditional" compositions. Music is also a beautiful way of bringing people together : such different people can meet & converse & create a unique thing upon this diversity. With music like "Tales from Vietnam" I can bring people to the beauty of the culture of Vietnam. At the same time I construct & enrich my own identity. Going back to the very old to create the very new : I always dreamt of doing "unknown" music, music which had never been heard before.

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Nguyen Le - Miracles (FLAC)

It's all too rare that an artist appears, seemingly out of nowhere, fully matured and with a distinctively personal musical conception. While guitarist Nguyen Le—Parisian born of Vietnamese parents—might argue that his true voice didn't emerge until he released the seminal Tales From Vietnam (ACT, 1996), the recent remastered reissue of his first two albums as a leader, Miracles and Zanzibar, suggests that Nguyen may be too hard on himself.

It's all too rare that an artist appears, seemingly out of nowhere, fully matured and with a distinctively personal musical conception. While guitarist Nguyen Le—Parisian born of Vietnamese parents—might argue that his true voice didn't emerge until he released the seminal Tales From Vietnam (ACT, 1996), the recent remastered reissue of his first two albums as a leader, Miracles and Zanzibar, suggests that Nguyen may be too hard on himself. It's also not necessarily true that you are defined by the company you keep. Plenty of young artists—especially if they're backed by a label with some cash—hire known names for their first recording as a leader. Still, while these big guns are rarely less than accomplished, it's easy enough to tell when they're simply doing the session as opposed to finding themselves deeply committed to the music. And it's rarer still to find better-known musicians maintaining associations with a younger artist once the session is over. What's most remarkable about Le's first two recordings—one representing a literal first meeting, the other demonstrating the benefit of having been on tour prior to recording—is not just how cohesive the two groups are, but that they represent the beginnings of musical friendships that continue to this day. Pianist Art Lande, who is on both sessions, recently rejoined Le on Walking On The Tiger's Tail (ACT, 2005). That release also featured Oregon co-founder and woodwind multi-instrumentalist, Paul McCandless, who also appears on one of Le's early sessions. Bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Peter Erskine, from Le's first release, would work again with Le on Three Trios (ACT, 1997), while Erskine would continue the relationship, forming the collaborative E_L_B trio with Le and releasing its self-titled ACT album in 2001. That so many of these artists clearly heard something in Le at such an early stage makes these reissues long overdue. While his latest release, Homescape (ACT, 2006), is the best example of Le's integration of technology into his musical landscape, it's a characteristic that's equally clear from the opening notes of the title track to Miracles. While the importance of interplay and interaction within the quartet is a fundamental, Le is one of only a handful of guitarists who are able organically to incorporate programming, guitar synthesis and sequencing. Miracles may have been a first meeting between Le, Lande, Johnson and Erskine, but you'd never know it. The material ranges from the backbeat-driven title track to the swinging ? (Question Mark), the temporal elasticity of Saari The Odd Game and the elegantly melancholic 20 Fingers. The quartet tracks are broken up by occasional duets with Lande, ranging from completely acoustic to heavily layered electronic soundscapes. Le's ethnic heritage and its influence on his overall musical concept would not become fully realized until Tales From Vietnam, but Cerf Volant, a miniature featuring Le on the zither-like danh tranh, and the equally brief Haiku to Truong Tang are clear harbingers of things to come. Listening to Lande's work on Miracles, it's unfathomable that he's never achieved more widespread fame. He sticks to acoustic piano on these sessions, but his ability to work comfortably in Le's more expansive aural framework makes him the perfect choice, though not a surprising one when one considers the stylistic diversity he demonstrated on ECM recordings including Red Lanta (1974), Rubisa Patrol (1976) and Skylight (1982). There is, in fact, a certain vibe to Miracles that's not out-of-context with the German label's aesthetic. Stylistically broad, sonically diverse and, despite Le's programming and use of processing, natural and filled with room to breathe, ECM is clearly one component of Le's musical makeup. With Johnson and Erskine on board, it's hard to miss another reference point for Le—Bass Desires (ECM, 1986)—especially on tracks like the episodic and multifaceted Miss One. Le's distinctly Fender-ish tone means there's a certain twang evident, even when he adopts a warm and clean tone as he does during the first half of the brooding Eyeland. But Le is also capable of an edgier, fusion-like sound. Following Lande's focused and more clearly jazz-centric solo on ? (Question Mark), Le takes a rockier stance with a densely overdriven tone that's equal parts space, sustain, bebop language and swooping whammy-bar bends. That Le had already assimilated a range of influences—from Allan Holdsworth and Terje Rypdal to Pat Metheny and John Abercrombie—into a recognizable voice so early in his career makes Miracles an album that may have been a beginning, but was hardly a humble one.

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Rabih Abou-Khalil - Blue camel

Blue Camel is the pinnacle to date of Lebanese oud-player Rabih Abou-Khalil's achievement as a jazzman. In both mood and scope, it can almost be characterized as a new Kind of Blue. Both tense and reflective, it is perfect for listening after midnight. Abou-Khalil brings back Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Kenny Wheeleron flugelhorn and trumpet, and they generally alternate solos with Abou-Khalil himself. Rounding out the roster is Steve Swallow on bass, Milton Cardona on congos, Nabil Khaiat on frame drums and Ramesh Shotham on South Indian drums and percussion. They form a tight ensemble but project that they are comfortable with each other. The album opens with "Sahara," which contains both one of Abou-Khalil's tunes, a mesmerizing melody that could be either Arabic or jazz, and one of Abou-Khalil's best solos, a well-defined interlude that delightfully features the unique timbre of the oud. "Tsarka" begins with a fast break on the oud that turns out to be one of the two motifs on which everything is built. After it is elaborated for a few bars, the oud comes back with another building block. Then we get some stunning improvisations, especially from Abou-Khalil. "Ziriab" opens with a trumpet solo in which Kenny Wheeler tests the compass of his instrument, backed up with some atmospheric sounds from the udu drum; then Abou-Khalil enters with another great tune for everyone to build on. The title track is nothing but fun. Seductive percussion ushers in Wheeler and Mariano playing in unison a tune that is somewhere between Duke Ellington and the court of Baghdad. As the percussion bubbles along, Milton Cardona's congos adding a Latin flavor to the proceedings, AbouKhalil steps up with a very fast and rhythmic, if not very tuneful, solo. Midway through the track, Mariano blisters the paint with a screeching sax workout that bridges the Arabic and the Latin, while remaining all the while pure jazz. Even Steve Swallow gets a chance to feature his bass after which the ensemble brings it together and takes it home. Some of the other tracks are not as good as the ones mentioned above, but they are all listenable and very atmospheric. The aptly named "A Night in the Mountains" is a slow, thoughful walk, perfect for silent contemplation. The album ends with "Beirut," named for the Lebanese city torn by civil war from which Abou-Khalil had to flee many years ago. The track begins with a quite oud solo and then builds to something more chaotic and strifeful. Blue Camel may not be a perfect album, but it demonstrates better than any other that a fusion between jazz and a musical form from another culture is possible and can work to the advantage of both. Plus, it's just great listening. ~ Kurt Keefner, All Music Guide

[01]. Sahara
[02]. Tsarka
[03]. Ziriab
[04]. Blue Camel
[05]. On Time
[06]. A Night in the Mountains
[07]. Rabou-Abou-Kabou
[08]. Beirut

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Andrea Bocelli-Vivere-The Best Of

ANDREA BOCELLI CELEBRATES A DECADE OF BEST-SELLING RECORDINGS WITH HIS FIRST-EVER GREATEST HITS COLLECTION, THE BEST OF ANDREA BOCELLI - VIVERE CD IN-STORES OCTOBER 30TH ON SUGAR MUSIC/DECCA September 11, 2007 - (New York, NY) -- For the first time during his historic career the world's best selling tenor, Andrea Bocelli, will be releasing a collection of his greatest hits. The Best Of Andrea Bocelli - Vivere, will be released on Sugar Music/Decca on October 30th, marking a decade of chart-topping albums that have made him a household name and beloved cultural figure the world over.

The Best Of Andrea Bocelli - Vivere will feature selections from Bocelli's wildly popular recordings including Romanza, certified 4 times platinum, Sogno certified 2 times platinum, and his most recent platinum disc, Amore. Highlights include "Time To Say Goodbye" his breakthrough smash with Sarah Brightman, "The Prayer," another duet made famous with Celine Dion, and the more recent Bocelli staples "Because We Believe" and "Besame Mucho" among others. Several new tracks are also exclusively available on Vivere, including new compositions by the renowned and accomplished David Foster, who also holds producing credits on the songs and was one of the creative forces behind Amore. Other notable guests on the disc include the acclaimed classical pianist Lang Lang and Latin singing sensation Laura Pausini.

2007 is already shaping up to be another banner year for Bocelli. In July, the superstar staged his first-ever, pop only, live concert set in the stunning hills of Tuscany, which will be broadcast on PBS this December. Andrea continues to be one of PBS' most visible artists, with this being the follow-up to the Emmy-nominated "Under The Desert Sky" special which aired in 2006. Bocelli also appears on the forthcoming new album from Chris Botti, Italia, to be released in September. This fall, Andrea returns to the U.S. for another round of high-profile promotional appearances, as well as several concerts in support of the greatest hits collection - dates to be announced soon. Vivere, meaning "to live," is certainly something Andrea Bocelli does to his fullest. Having sold over 55 million albums worldwide, he continues to display a singularly unique ability to straddle both pop and classical repertoire with sincerity, conviction, grace and his unmistakable soaring tenor. One of the most sought after performers in the world, he has recorded duets with the biggest names in music including Christina Aguilera, Stevie Wonder, Katharine McPhee, Kenny G and the aforementioned Brightman, Botti and Dion. Andrea also recently sang at the funeral service for one of his true heroes, Luciano Pavarotti, where he paid tribute to the great tenor with Mozart's ``Ave Verum Corpus.'' A media darling who has appeared everywhere from American Idol to the Today Show multiple times, he has been called "one of opera's most successful crossover stars" by The Wall Street Journal.

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Nguyen Le - Walking on the Tiger's Tail (FLAC)

"This is tough-minded and imaginative contemporary jazz with a strong rock undertone and a leavening of ethnic influences"

Walking on the Tiger’s Tail: When facing danger, one behaves with wisdom, while understanding the peril without provoking it, and remaining both quiet & determined. Most of the titles found on this album were inspired by Taoist stories full of this paradoxical poetry. Butterfly Dream: After dreaming that he was a butterfly, Zhuangzi woke up wondering whether he was still Zhuangzi, or rather a butterfly dreaming that he was Zhuangzi. Yielding Water: the irresistible strength of water lies in its yielding quality. Therefore, weaknesses can erode the stone, flexibility can subdue the strong and the rigid. Totsu! is an exclamation supposedly uttered when a Zen student achieves enlightment. The sound also imitates the dry crackle the pawlonia leaf makes as it scratches the ground upon falling. Wingless Flight: It is easy to stop walking: the trouble is to walk without touching the ground. You have heard of winged creatures flying. You have never heard of flying without wings. You have heard of men being wise with knowledge. You have never heard of men wise without knowledge. I wrote this music after a tough period in my life which paradoxically brought me to a kind of tranquillity that I was both experiencing & searching. This led me to Chinese ancient books - symbols of a universal force and wisdom. Once relieved, I wanted to share and to build on the music of those moments with two very dear friends : Art Lande, the piano player who strongly influenced my first two albums Miracles and Zanzibar, and his long time musical partner, Paul McCandless, the outstanding wind player. The three of us have such a great understanding of one another that I wanted a special orchestration for this reunion. Thus the choice of a 'bass-free' band, in which each of us would take up the bass role. The highlighted percussions of Jamey Haddad recall the distant lands where those rhythms find their roots. I would like to deeply thank all those who expressed their friendship when my health was weak, and I dedicate this music to those who are now facing the Tiger. Music has sustained me as a mother sustains her child, and Music reminds us that each second is a miracle ! Nguyên Lê

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Nguyen Le - Homescape (FLAC)

Even in the adventurous territory of jazz, this French-Vietnamese musician stands out as a unique explorer of sounds. His new CD will surprise even those who believe themselves to be, by now, familiar with the diversity of his musical output.

The first unusual fact: Most of the tracks were recorded in Lê’s living room (pardon me, his salon), and also completed à la maison using his computer. The second unusual fact: This domestic method of producing music need not conjure up the cosy, well worn realm of familial comfort, in fact Nguyên Lê leads the listener into a space that is full to the brim with warped sounds and acoustical metamorphoses. The windows of this space are open to influences from very different parts of the world. The, as Lê puts it, "Sardinian breeze, the hypnotic influence of the orient, and the mystery of Asia" broadens into an ever more fascinating sonic magnificence. And all of this is home grown and finely honed. Nguyên Lê’s alternating partners for this album are the Sardinian trumpeter Paolu Fresu and the Tunisian oud player Dhafer Youssef. The guitarist’s connection with Fresu goes back more than ten years, he had admired him the first time he heard him. Lê met Dhafer Youssef six years ago during evenings with world music, jazz and rock at Vienna’s "Porgy and Bess" jazz club, and he "knew instantly that this was someone with a special intensity. Today Youssef lives in his neighbourhood Barbès, a virile melting pot in the north of Paris. One might be tempted to call this recording "Two Duos" alluding to Lê’s album "Three Trios" (ACT 9245-2). But the artistic process didn’t end with the playing. Nguyên Lê has processed these recordings electronically to "concentrate them". Duos that have undergone a metamorphosis. Musical dialogues in an electronic laboratory. The idea did not spring from nothing. In Paris, Nguyên Lê says, electronic sounds are more en vogue than any other kind of music. No stage looks complete without a laptop and DJ. All the clubs feature the combination of dance and experimental sound. "I usually don’t trust fashion", he says, but this surge of electronic music has not left him unaffected. Last year he was confronted with electronic music while writing a film score, for which he was asked to use elements of noise and electro-acoustic experimentation, the "abstract side of musical material". This inspired him to dig deeper into the sonic fabric of music. This experience also made him think about producing an album from his home. "I simply wanted to develop everything that is possible at home. I wanted the duos to retain their intimacy, while giving them an added orchestral dimension by allowing the spirit of the machine to influence them. This is a radical process: The most intimate form of jazz playing, the duo, is stripped of its immediacy. Yet it still sounds intimate and warm. And this is the essential paradox that Nguyên Lê so ingeniously brings to life here. Lê’s approach to each duo differed depending on his partner. With Paolu Fresu he essentially had a totally open conception: Improvisation with no composed material. Although there are exceptions: Billy Strayhorn’s "Chelsea Bridge" to name one that developed into an intimate gem featuring muted trumpet and gentle electric guitar. Nguyên and Dhafer collaborated on the music for their duo, or adapted compositions of Youssef’s, lending them a new structure through the process of improvisation. One track might be characterized by Youssef’s unique expressive wail and an electric guitar contributing a rock-and-roll energy, while another celebrates the archaic sound of oud and guitar in sensually intertwining improvisation. In the duos with Fresu soft muted sounds of the wind instrument meet strange, electronically filtered gongs and Asian melody. Or numerous trumpet voices split an electronic noise-scape. "Neon" is the name of this track, and it is surprising to learn that the rhythm track was added later underneath the string instruments and trumpet, as if it had been present all along as an intuited rhythm. Everything integrates organically on this CD. The music sounds as if the electronic processing had been sensed all along during the playing, as an anticipated electronic intensification. It never seems out of place. Nguyên Lê’s “chamber” music has a compelling inner logic - and convincing internal vigour.

Linx: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Enjoy!

Nguyen Le - Three Trios (FLAC)

Since "Tales From Viêt-Nam" at the latest, the name Nguyên Lê belongs to the fixed stars of the modern guitar heaven. Since being startled last year however by that album’s sensational symbiosis of American Jazz, European Rock and Asian Folklore, the public and critics alike are preoccupied with one collective question: what follows thereafter? A full orchestral work maybe, an opera, or maybe even the complete estrangement from the usual genre in favour of rediscovered roots?

Not at all! Concern over the possible desertion of the all-around guitar-hero in the electric field between Wes Montgomery and Jimi Hendrix is completely unfounded. In fact, with his now fifth headlining CD the shooting-star who lives in Paris moves more intensively than ever along the curving path of modern Fusion-Jazz. Nguyên Lê’s chosen vehicle for this however belongs more to the category "classical": the trio. This stands for minimalism, improvisation and concentration. It guarantees the musicians absolute parity, but also demands unconditional respect of each other. As the album title already suggests, the 38 year old autodidact lets himself slide into no less than three completely opposite electric fields. "Three trios, three structures, three concepts of time. Such comparisons only work in a smaller context. ‘Tales From Viêt-Nam’ was meant to introduce Nguyên Lê the composer, ‘3 Trios’ however the open musician, who is prepared to go in any direction." Working with different line-ups in a relatively short period of time (October/November 1996) was the very thing that inspired Nguyên to a suite with their own names and the division into various areas. The term "suite" is to be understood more in a dramaturgic sense, rather than a stately-dramatic one. "At first, we simply played. It was only when mixing that I heard the very special and unique sound of each group and thought of the similes." SILK "Valuable, delicate and yet incredibly strong; properties which simply distinguish silk. In 1989, Peter and Marc formed the rhythm section on my first CD ‘Miracles’ (Musidisc), which Art Lande on piano also participated on. Both of them helped me greatly to realize my abilities, especially when I was still very inexperienced. As a guest soloist of the WDR-Bigband, Peter recommended me for Vince Mendoza’s ‘Jazzpaña’ concert in 1993. The interplay with them demanded maximum attentiveness. If you lose yourself for only a second, everything breaks down." SILVER "Spark-flying electricity, unrestrained and graceful flashes of lightning. My first trio. While working with Danny and Dieter on ‘Million Waves’, my debut for ACT, I experienced what blind understanding means. We were on tour a lot, understood one another really well and could begin to burn from one moment to the next. Even with all the fire, this trio however offers a great many subtle moments. For instance on ‘Woof’ which has the same melody as ‘Foow’ from the sessions with Renaud and Mino." SAND "Desert sand in which musicians’ dreams drift away. A trio of a completely different nature. Partially acoustic and lost in thought. Renaud with his unbelievably beautiful arco-playing and Mino with his colourful percussions bring out the ethnic side in me. Take the title ‘Idoma’, that is the name of a Nigerian tribe. Some of their masks show faces with slit eyes and white skin. Strictly speaking they look like Asians, but apparently they have nothing in common. Nevertheless the song sounds very Asian, although it is based on a pygmy melody." For Nguyên Lê this present album is a further, incredibly important rung on his steep career ladder. At the age of 15, he took his first musical steps on the drums, then dedicated himself to the intensive study of guitar and electric bass beside art and philosophy. Subsequently he joined the French National Jazz Orchestra in 1987 and quickly became an established figure in France. During his performance experiences with musicians like Johnny Griffin, Louis Sclavis, Didier Lockwood, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Randy Brecker, Toots Thielemans, Courtney Pine, Steve Lacy, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gil Evans, Quincy Jones, Trilok Gurtu, John McLaughlin, Dewey Redman or Ornette Coleman the multi-talented Nguyên must have already foreseen that summit assaults can only be accomplished successfully and without painful downfalls within a cohesive team. After "3 Trios" Nguyên now knows: "The basis for the realization of all my musical ideals is friendship. I would never have accomplished anything like that with someone I don’t like."

Linx: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Enjoy!

Nguyen Le - Million Waves (FLAC)

Nourish your own roots until they blossom into a million flowers, a million scents, a million waves.
Vietnamese guitarist Nguyên Le is one of the major players on the world jazz scene. Born in 1959 in Paris, Lê is a self-taught musician who began playing drums at 15, and went on to master the guitar and electric bass. By the end of the ‘80’s, Nguyên Lê was orking in France with the likes of Carla Bley, Randy Brecker, Gil Evans and Quincy Jones.

In April 1994 guitarist Lê, bassist Dieter Ilg, and drummer Danny Gottlieb participated in trombonist Bobby Brookmeyer’s production, "Electricity" (ACT 9219-2), at the WDR studios in Cologne, Germany. Afterwards the three got into a spontaneous jam session in the studio. On hearing the music, ACT producer Siegfried Loch decided that evening to record the group. "Million waves" is the satisfying result. The dazzling 21 minute session is presented on the CD under the title "Trilogy". Producer Loch pointed out it could just as well have been titled "Birth of a Trio", since the session, recorded almost by chance, was the origin of this record. The statuesque "Mille Vagues" was inspired by ancient traditional Korean court music. Like a bird on a tortoise’s back, the aerial melodies balance on the massive hieratic drums. "Million Waves", like the million events which fashioned us; like the million traces we leave on the way.

Bassist Dieter Ilg is one of the most sought after creative bassist in Europe. His working credits include Michael Brecker, Al di Meola, Peter Erskine, Charlie Mariano, and Steve Khan. Trumpeter Randy Brecker commented: "Dieter challenges everybody to dive into the unknown, and then guides you back into the form of the original composition."

Drummer danny Gottlieb is one of the most versatile drummers on the contemporary jazz scene. On the one side an amazingly powerful rock-jazz fusion drummer, Gottlieb’s other side portrays a seldom-found lightness, suppleness, and subtlety. He has worked with such diverse stars as Pat Metheny, Airto, Gary Burton, Stan Getz, John McLaughlin, Gil Evans, and Sting.

[01]. Mille Vagues
[02]. Trilogy
[03]. Be Good
[04]. Mango Blues
[05]. Butterflies & Zebras
[06]. Little Wing
Written-By – Jimi Hendrix
[07]. El Saola
[08]. Sledge
[09]. Moonshine
[10]. I Feel Good
Written-By – James Brown

Acoustic Bass, Voice [Mouth Jive] – Dieter Ilg
Drums, Percussion – Danny Gottlieb
Electric Guitar, Synthesizer [Guitar], E-bow – Nguyên Lê
Written-By – Danny Gottlieb (tracks: 2), Dieter Ilg (tracks: 2), Dominique Borker (tracks: 7, 9), Nguyên Lê (tracks: 1 to 5, 7 to 9)

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Nguyen Le - Bakida (FLAC)

"Nguyên Lê will be a shining example for a new generation of jazz musicians!" -- Jazz Zeitung

One look at the liner notes to the Nguyên Lê Trio's latest disc and you know that Bakida is not going to be your typical jazz record. While Vietnamese guitarist Lê, who now lives in France, has dabbled in a variety of styles with a penchant towards the fusion side of the camp, his international flavour is what truly defines who he is. With a trio that includes Spaniards Renaud Garcia-Fons on acoustic five-string bass and Tino di Geraldo on drums and a variety of percussion, he is already mixing cultures. But check the guest list, which includes artists from the US, Norway, Algeria, Italy and Turkey, and you know this is going to be an affair that blends music from a variety of cultures, often within the confines of a single composition.

Take the opening track, "Dding Dek." With its tuned gongs, ney flute, marimba and tabla, there is already a blend of Middle Eastern and Oriental culture by the time Lê enters with a theme doubled by Garcia-Fons. But as quickly as a cosmopolitan ambience is established Geraldo switches to kit and Lê develops a solo that's equally rooted in rock and blues. Returning to the naive theme of the introduction, Le builds into an ascending chordal passage that is reminiscent of tunes like "Hope" and "Resolution" from John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra classic, Birds of Fire. And that's only the first track and, while it says a lot about Lê, it hardly tells all.

Lê has an uncanny way of blending ethnic themes with more Western-sounding harmonies. He demonstrates the link between Persia and the Celts with the theme to "Madal"; the tune ultimately settles into a funk workout where Lê solos with a clean Stratocaster-like tone before segueing into a more up-tempo but no less groove-centric workout for saxophonist Chris Potter, proving with his characteristically energetic solo that he can be more than merely a strong in-the-tradition player, ultimately building to a climactic motif that becomes a fitting coda to the piece.

Lê's style is an interesting amalgam of the usual fusion culprits, yet over the course of the past ten years he has emerged with a style that, by blending Eastern and Western sonorities, is unmistakably his own. And while there's a certain energy to his playing that might tie him to the fusion genre, his reach is far broader, avoiding its more bombastic trappings. "Romanichel" is a gorgeous trio with Lê (on acoustic guitar), bassist Garcia-Fons, and Norwegian pianist Jon Balke, last heard on his own magnificent Diverted Travels , demonstrating Lê's more spacious, impressionistic side. And the title track is a moody piece with a lengthy melody that leads into a solo where Lê tastefully combines rich chordal concepts with a restrained use of his whammy bar.

Bakida , recorded in '99 but only recently seeing North American release, is another fine record from an artist who truly defines the concept of world music, perfectly blending music from diverse cultures into a personal, contemporary mix.

Track Listing: Dding Dek; Madal; Encanto; Bakida; Chinoir; Noche Y Luz; Feel Feliz; Heaven; Lê; Romanichel

Personnel: Nguyên Lê (electric, acoustic and electroacoustic guitars, computer editing, programmed synths, mandolin and bendir on "Lê"), Renaud Garcia-Fons (acoustic 5-string bass), Tino di Geraldo (drums, pandeiros, tablas, cajon, palmas)
Guests: Carles Benavent (electric 5-string bass on "Encanto," "Heaven"), Karim Ziad (gumbri, karkabous, bendir, tarija, vocals on "Lê"), Hao Nhien Pham (meo and sao flutes, vocals on "Lê"), Paolo Fresu (trumpet and flugelhorn on "Lê"), Kudsi Erguner (ney flute on "Dding Dek"), Jon Balke (piano on "Romanichel"), Chris Potter (tenor saxophone on "Chinoir," "Madal"), Ilya Amar (marimba, tuned gongs on "Dding Dek")

1. Dding Dek
2. Madal
3. Encanto
4. Bakida
5. Chinoir
6. Noche y Luz
7. Feel Feliz
8. Heaven
9. Lü
10. Romanichel

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Nguyen Le - Maghreb & Friends (FLAC)

Two of the most overworked words in contemporary jazz criticism are "fusion" and "soundscape". The former is routinely applied to any music incorporating elements from ostensibly discrete stylistic or cultural traditions, the latter to music in which the overall aural effect is thought to be as important as its individual constituents; each can serve to mask critical confusion on being presented with a hodgepodge, an arbitrary mix of sounds and textures gathered magpie-fashion, more for their superficial attractiveness than from any deep conviction that they will form an indispensable part of a satisfying artistic whole. Nguyên Lê’s music in general - and Maghreb & Friends in particular - irresistibly brings both words to mind, but its richness, originality and sheer integrity ensure that each can be used in its most complimentary sense.

Two of the most overworked words in contemporary jazz criticism are "fusion" and "soundscape". The former is routinely applied to any music incorporating elements from ostensibly discrete stylistic or cultural traditions, the latter to music in which the overall aural effect is thought to be as important as its individual constituents; each can serve to mask critical confusion on being presented with a hodgepodge, an arbitrary mix of sounds and textures gathered magpie-fashion, more for their superficial attractiveness than from any deep conviction that they will form an indispensable part of a satisfying artistic whole. Nguyên Lê’s music in general - and Maghreb & Friends in particular - irresistibly brings both words to mind, but its richness, originality and sheer integrity ensure that each can be used in its most complimentary sense. The album’s opening track, "Ifrikyia", makes the point straight away. B’net Houariyat, whose vocal and percussion contributions recall the spontaneity and passion of qawwali parties, the African flute of Aly Wagué and the shimmering kora of Jaques Avenel, the funky electric bass of Michel Alibo and the sinuous soprano saxophone of Alain Debiossat, all interact closely with the soaring fluency of Lê’s guitar, directly inspiring, rather than providing an unusual backdrop for, his music.

Lê, born in Paris in 1959 to Vietnamese parents, has always welcomed the artistic possibilities springing from the juxtaposition of cultures characterising contemporary urban living: "My parents would listen to traditional Vietnamese music, Western classical music and a little jazz. My first relation to music - like all the kids my age - was through Deep Purple and rock, but then I listened to fusion, bebop and so on." His rock and jazz enthusiasms have borne fruit both in Lê’s sideman projects - under Antoine Hervé with the French National Jazz Orchestra, Vince Mendoza with the WDR big band, Bob Brookmeyer in his New Yorker suite - and his own music, which - particularly on his 1995 album Million Waves - combines the visceral power-trio punch of Jimi Hendrix with the improvisational spirit of the great jazz masters.

It is the heterogeneous cultural richness of Paris, though, rather than purely stylistic eclecticism, that has informed Lê’s most recent projects. His 1996 album Tales from Viêt-Nam was a characteristically multi-faceted work, drawing as heavily on the jazz-based talents of the likes of Italian trumpeter Paolo Fresu and UK-born Paris-resident drummer Steve Argüelles as on traditional Vietnamese elements; Maghreb and Friends, similarly, reflects Lê’s openness to the sounds everywhere around him in his native city: "In Paris, like in New York, you have lots of ethnic communities, but they don’t mix so much in New York; in Paris, I’m deep into African music, and I’ve always found the relationship between black African styles and the North African - Algerian and Moroccan - musics, very interesting."

This interest has had spectacular results on Maghreb and Friends. To the garrulous intensity of rai, and the unadorned purity of West African traditional music, Lê has brought both the calm, considered eye of the arranger and the quicksilver, on-the-spot adaptability of the born improviser, creating a soundscape at once startlingly original yet wholly natural-sounding. "Funkraï", for instance, is exactly that: a thoroughly beguiling blend of both its titular forms in which Miles Davis-like muted trumpet its easily alongside the chattering percussion of Mohamed Menni; "Guinia" unaffectedly mixes the diaphanous delicacy of kora and African flute with the jazz urgency of Stefano di Battista’s alto and Bojan Zulfikarpasic’s piano.

The production of artistic unity from extraordinary diversity has been one of the hallmarks of Nguyên Lê’s music over the years, but his success in this field should not be allowed to obscure his art’s most immediately appealing feature: he is, simply, a superb guitarist, entitled to take his place alongside such contemporary luminaries as Bill Frisell, John McLaughlin and John Scofield, and a worthy successor to a man whose technical innovations and apparently limitless musical imagination are still in the process of being assimilated thirty years after his death: Jimi Hendrix.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Rabih Abou-Khalil - The Sultan's Picnic

Composer and oudist Rabih Abou-Khalil generates variety and interest by bringing aboard different guest musicians for each album. The personnel on Sultan's Picnic is so similar to that of Blue Camel that one might expect them to sound similar. But there's a key difference in the presence of Howard Levy on Sultan's Picnic. Levy is a talented harmonica player who has done a lot of offbeat work, including a stint with Béla Fleck & the Flecktones. Despite the power of Charlie Mariano on alto sax and Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, this album is dominated by the idioms of the harmonica, specifically the jazzy, quirky, lackadaisical idiom popularized by Levy's work with the Flecktones. This domination is noticeable from the beginning, on "Sunrise in Montreal." Occasionally, the harmonica recedes to the background and allows other instruments to shine through. On "Solitude," Levy provides only the occasional raspy sound effect, while Abou-Khalil steps forward with an instrument he had custom-built: the bass oud. Other novel instruments put in an appearance here as well. Michel Godard huffs and toots away on the tuba and its archaic predecessor, the serpent. (This is in addition to Steve Swallow on bass.) Whether because of the multitude of instruments -- all the aforementioned, plus three percussionists and an uncredited electric guitar -- or just too much influence from Levy, the album lacks focus, except when it sounds like the Flecktones. There are exceptions, like "The Happy Sheik" and "Snake Soup," where Abou-Khalil sounds like his dramatic self again. But on these tracks, Levy is used mostly as punctuation. ~ Kurt Keefner, All Music Guide

[01]. Sunrise in Montreal
[02]. Sollitude
[03]. Dog River
[04]. Moments
[05]. Lamentation
[06]. Nocturne Au Villaret
[07]. The Happy Sheik
[08]. Snake Soup

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Medival Bbes - Undrentide

The allure is undeniable. Six talented, attractive women breathe renewed life into the rich texts of
medieval songs and poetry. Their hauntingly beautiful music captures the imagination and devotion of
modern audiences. They are the Mediaeval Baebes, and in ten years they have placed
three studio albums into the top of the UK classical charts and performed before enthusiastic audiences
in the UK, United States, Canada and Europe.

Founding member Katharine Blake is also the music director and lead composer and arranger for the
band. Born in London, Katharine was classically trained at the Purcell School of Music and Richmond
College. In the mid-1990s she met musician Dorothy Carter in Berlin. Carter was playing hurdy-gurdy
and dulcimer, and Blake was immediately drawn to the sound of the medieval music and instruments.
Back in London, she and a group of friends got together to sing songs from the Middle Ages purely for their
own enjoyment. Within a year they had released their first album, Salva Nos, which climbed into the UK’s Classical chart, and became Virgin Classics’ fastest selling debut album. Their 1998 follow-up album,
Worldes Bylsse, blazed to number one in the Classical Charts.

Pulling lyrics from medieval texts and setting them to original scores using medieval and classical
instruments, the Baebes offer a sound that is unique. In a 2002 NPR interview, host John Nielsen asked
Blake what specifically drew them to the medieval texts. Blake replied, “ I think it was one of the last periods
in Western history where mythology and history were inextricably bound. The people lived in a world where
you thought fairies and dragons were real….that so much fantasy was hardwired into everyone’s daily
thinking intrigues me. It’s that combination of fantasy and a very gritty, mundane existence which is a
fascinating juxtaposition.”

The Baebes sing in a variety of medieval languages including French, Spanish, English, Italian, Gaelic, and Swedish. Their original music evokes an earlier time, but is accessible to a modern audience. And the
medieval themes of nature, the life cycle, love and longing are as relevant in 2008 as they were in 1408.

The Baebes recent contribution to the BBC production of The Virgin Queen (composed by Martin Phipps) resulted in a deserved Ivor Novello award 2007 for best television soundtrack.

This year the band welcomed Melpomeni, Esther, Bev Lee into the Baebes sisterhood. Joining Katharine,
Emily and Claire, the new members diverse backgrounds and talents have propelled the Baebes into an
exciting new creative season of their career. A new studio album is planned for 2008 and plans are
underfoot for a clothing line as well.

Combining fourteenth century poetry with the talents and sensibilities of twenty-first century women has created
its own force of nature – The Mediaeval Baebes.

The 12 brazen female musicians in Mediaeval Baebes have kept their vivacious demeanors on Undrentide, the follow-up to 1999's Worldes Blysse. Undrentide features production work from John Cale as former Miranda Sex Garden frontwoman Katherine Blake leads this British troupe into soundscapes of electronica and hums of orchestral backdrops. The Mediaeval Baebes are sophisticated in their own right here and as dynamic as always. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide

(01). Undrentide
(02). Isabella
(03). Quan Vey la Lauzeta
(04). Besse Bunting
(05). E Volentieri
(06). Cantiga
(07). Summerisle (The Maypole Song)
(08). Averil
(09). Secreit Nicht
(10). Now Welcom Somer
(11). Veni Coronaberis
(12). Omnes Gentes Plaudite (The Drinking Song)
(13). Lanquan Li Jorn
(14). At a Springe-Wel
(15). Dance of the Trolls
(16). Maiden in the Mor Lay
(17). E Volentieri (Reprise)
(18). Palästinalied

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The Mediaeval Baebes - Adam [Video]

Rabih Abou-Khalil - Cactus Of Knowledge 'H.Q'

Rabih Abou-Khalil's ninth Enja release features one of his most expansive lineups to date -- 12 pieces in all, including oud, brass, woodwinds, cello, and percussion. It's quite a departure from 1999's austere Yara. Here the tempos are bright, the unison lines darting and difficult, the improv heated, the tonal combinations ever-changing. Heavy-hitting jazzers dominate the band roster, including Dave Ballou and Eddie Allen on trumpets, Tom Varner on French horn, Dave Bargeron on euphonium, Antonio Hart on alto sax, and Ellery Eskelin on tenor sax. Gabriele Mirabassi's clarinet gives the music an almost klezmer-like sound at times (a tantalizing instance of Jewish-Arab reconciliation). The gorgeous booklet includes a prose poem by Gamal Ghitany (printed in English, French, and Arabic), as well as a series of campy band portraits and a full transcription of track number five, "Oum Saïd." Looking over the score, one gets some sense of the rhythmic complexity Abou-Khalil is dealing with (try counting in 6+5+5+3/16, for instance). ~ David R. Adler, All Music Guide

[01]. The Lewinsky March
[02]. Business As Usual
[03]. Praises et Creme Fraiche
[04]. Got To Go Home
[05]. Oum Said
[06]. Malrese Chicken Farm
[07]. Me Muse M'amuse
[08]. Pont Neuf

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Jazz Moods: Latin Romance

Jazz Moods: Latin Romance provides plenty of sensual atmosphere with performances by Latin jazz masters like Poncho Sanchez and Pete Escovedo. Tito Puente's "A Prelude to a Kiss," Mongo Santamaria's "Oasis" and "This Is Always" by Cal Tjader are just a few of the other smoldering tracks on this collection.

(01) [Poncho Sanchez] A Time for Love
(02) [Cal Tjader] This Couldn't Be the Real Thing
(03) [Tito Puente] Prelide To a Kiss
(04) [Pete Escovedo] Como Rien
(05) [Poncho Sanchez] Si No Hay Amore
(06) [Mongo Santamaria] Oasis
(07) [Carmen McRae & Cal Tjader] All in Love Is Fair
(08) [Tito Puente] Creme de Menthe
(09) [Poncho Sanchez] Siempre Te Amare
(10) [Cal Tjader] This Is Always
(11) [Poncho Sanchez] Anque Tu

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Vicente Amigo - un momento en el sonido

Vicente Amigo has been called "the natural continuation of Paco De Lucia". A former child prodigy, Amigo has continued to evolve as a musician and vocalist. In a 1998 interview, Amigo explained, "I believe that flamenco has always been something for adults, not just for children. To understand flamenco, you need maturity. You can learn to play the guitar as a child, you understand the technique. Also, of the singing, you can more or less understand the technique.

But, the essence of flamenco is something that requires maturity". Amigo involvement with music began at a very young age. At the age of five, he studied with influential flamenco guitarist Merenque De Cordoba. By the age of fifteen, Amigo was attracting attention as a protege of Paco Pena. Although he launched his professional career as a member of a band, Manolo Sanlucar, Amigo has performed most of his concerts as a soloist. Amigo has also accompanied numerous vocalists including El Pele and Luis De Cordoba and dancers including Javier La Torre and Israel Galvan. Amigo collaborated with singer Jose Merce on an album, "De Amanacer".

While flamenco remains the foundation of his sound, Amigo has been equally inspired by the jazz of Stanley Jordan, John McLaughlin and Al DiMeola. ~ Craig Harris, All Music Guide

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E_L_B - Dream Flight (FLAC)

Almost eight years ago ACT recorded a transcontinental trio whose members combined the different colours and traditions of their individual musical backgrounds within a seldom-heard level of freedom and equality. They didn’t name the trio; instead they used their initials: out of Peter Erskine, Nguyên Lê, and Michel Benita E_L_B was born.

Their first CD, E_L_B, was released in 2001; the results were thrilling, forceful, yes – astounding. There would have been no question of quickly getting together for a second CD if it hadn’t been first for Nguyên Lê’s serious illness and then the conflicting commitments of the musicians. And so it took until now for three of the most interesting musicians in the world of jazz to get together again. But it doesn’t necessarily do any damage to allow something to ripen over time. At any rate, with the new project, Dream Flight, you can reckon that the three came to this project brimming with anticipation. Ever since his discovery by big band revolutionary Stan Kenton, 54 year old drummer and percussionist Peter Erskine has been acclaimed as one of the most distinctive and at the same time stylistically open drummers in jazz. In the jazz-rock era he achieved what could be called “superstar” notoriety with the legendary band “Weather Report”. Yet already by the early ‘80’s he was showing a sensitivity and economy of playing with such heterogeneous stars as Maynard Ferguson, Pat Metheny, John Abercrombie, and singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell. Michel Benita is the same age as Erskine. He was born and grew up in Algeria. With his move to Paris in 1981 he quickly became – among others with Orchestra National de Jazz – one of the greats of the French and European scene. There is scarcely a French or Italian jazz musician of note that he hasn’t worked with, either as sideman, or in his own bands. And such American musicians as Lee Konitz, Archie Shepp, and Billy Hart trust his warm, exceptionally flexible tone. 49 year old guitarist Nguyên Lê was born in Paris of Vietnamese parents. He is one of the key figures of the European jazz scene and founders of the early world music movement. One can see how wide his horizon is by his evenly-weighted admiration of music from his Vietnamese homeland through to the great jazz guitarists, and rock musicians like Jimi Hendrix. He has developed an unmistakeable style that combines the traditions of virtually every continent. As accompanist, producer, friend, and patron of such diverse musicians as Michel Portal, Kenny Wheeler, Paolo Fresu, Renaud Garcia-Fons, Huong Thanh, Terri Lyne Carrington, Chris Potter, and Paul McCandless, to name a few, he has created a unique oeuvre that has been documented on eleven ACT CDs up to this point. This is the story of a long, and now with Dream Flight, deepening friendship: in 1993 Lê was recommended to ACT chief Siggi Loch by none other than Peter Erskine, with whom Lê had already been involved in a wide variety of projects. Erskine was also the one who set up Lê‘s working with American composer-arranger Vince Mendoza. Mendoza has been a regular guest with the WDR radio big band; this collaboration resulted in the production of “Jazzpaña” and “Sketches”, on which Lê is featured. Commenting on Nguyên Lê’s German premiere in 1993, Ulrich Olshausen wrote in the FAZ newspaper “He plays guitar like no one else”. Dream Flight is not only a long-awaited reunion of old friends; on the opening and title track a fourth commanding force jumps in to the fray – the saxophonist Stéphane Guillaume. He enriches this charismatic trio with silken soprano saxophone lines that will bring you to your knees, wild, virtuoso bebop-like tenor passages, and impressively supportive accompaniments. Together they take flight into a fantastically varied musical dream-world. It is a world of such lyrical ballads as Erskine’s “Song for Jaco” (written for Erskine’s former musical compatriot, the late Jaco Pastorius), or Lê’s gossamer “Romanichel” with its use of Far Eastern scales. There is the drive of Erskine’s audacious, undulating “Plan 9” (one might add, “from outer space”), and Lê’s “Kokopanitsa” played in his unique rock style as he finesses in shimmering Asiatic lines, up through Benita’s free jazz and bebop-instigated “Rotha & Prisca”. Strength paired with tenderness; clarity united with the cryptic; tradition combined with innovation – what you experience on this CD is one of modern jazz’ most luminous visions. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another seven years before we might again enjoy such a dream flight.

Linx: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Enjoy!

Geir Lysne - Aurora Boralis - Nordic Lights (FLAC)

Even at its most forceful surging moments, the band has an austere quality - endearingly eccentric. When you try to follow the rhythms in five and seven, however, it can sometimes make you a bit seasick.

The introduction to the Suite is actually a poem by Jakob Sande set to music and read by trumpeter Ole Jørn Myklebust , which sets the scene for what is to follow—evocative sound portraits of the Northern Lights using every aspect of the orchestra to underscore their sometimes beautiful and often stormy character. The soloists—principally trombonist Christian Jaksjø¸ (Part 1), tenor saxophonist Andi Maile (Part 2), alto Morten Halle and flugel Eckhard Baur (Part 3), guitarist Hallgrim Bratberg (Part 4)—aren't simply blowing notes but enhancing the mood, whether that mood be dark and menacing, bright and friendly or anything in between. Lysne isn't averse to using all manner of surreal sound effects to make a point, as is most evident on Part 3. As he says, “For me the big band is not a style, it's just an instrumentation with unique possibilities for coloring sounds in a Jazz format. Whatever, it must have kept the audience in Berlin on its toes. This music isn't for everyone, and one wouldn't be amiss to say that it is an acquired taste. Lysne often skirts the periphery of jazz, but when he brings his supernal themes back to earth they can and do swing. While I can't honestly say I was turned on by the Aurora Borealis Suite, I can recognize the vision that went into it and understand why others may be more favorably impressed. The Berliners loved it, a conclusion borne out by a two-minute ovation.

01. Aurora Borealis Suite - Intro - 02:31 (Lysne, Geir)
02. Aurora Borealis Suite - Part I - 09:01 (Lysne, Geir) 03. Aurora Borealis Suite - Part II - 12:26 (Lysne, Geir)
04. Aurora Borealis Suite - Part III - 16:19 (Lysne, Geir) 05. Aurora Borealis Suite - Part IV (Coda) - 07:26 (Lysne, Geir)

Linx:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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Rabih Abou-Khalil, Joachim Kühn & Jarrod Cagwin - Journey To The Centre Of An Eg 'H.Q'

John Kelman New and daring territory...his freest album to date...another high point in a career that’s evidenced nary a misstep. Product Description Oud Master Rabih Abou-Khalil Continues To Break New Boundaries With His Latest Enja/Justin Time recording, Journey To The Centre Of An Egg. For nearly a quarter century, Lebanese-born oud master Rabih Abou-Khalil has defied all of the artificial boundaries and labels to create a musical world entirely his own. With Journey To The Centre Of An Egg, his latest release on Justin-Time/Enja, Rabih once again proves that to the truly visionary artist, creativity offers a canvas of unlimited possibilities. Even many of the most singular and iconoclastic musicians will establish a foundation niche upon which they construct their adventurous explorations. Rabih refuses to be bound even by his own previous designs. With Journey To The Centre Of An Egg – his 11th Enja production and the second to be licensed to Justin Time for North America (following up on the heavily acclaimed Morton’s Foot) – Abou-Khalil brings the piano into his unique musical world for the first time on record. Most appropriately, he has chosen the extraordinary German pianist/composer Joachim Kühn, one of Europe’s most accomplished and respected jazz musicians since he arrived on the scene in the early 1960s.

[01]. Shrewd Woman
[02]. Little Camels
[03]. Die Brücke
[04]. I'm Better Off Without You
[05]. Natwashe And Katwashe
[06]. Mango
[07]. No Plastic Cups, Please
[08]. Sweet And Sour Milk

APE (EAC Rip) + CUE + LOG files: 240 MB | MP3 - 320 Kbps: 130 MB | Covers

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Ali Reza Ghorbani - Vocal Calligraphies (FLAC)

At 31 years old, the young singer has released a promising first CD whose title “Vocal calligraphy” accurately defines the rich melopoeia of his songs. Tala’i and Chemirani provide a simple yet dense musical tapestry on which Ghorbani weaves his highly distinctive, almost sugary voice. In the course of thirteen songs, he explores a wide corpus of “radif” and “tasnif” (rhythmic and non-rhythmic) singing that dates back centuries. The result is a mesmeric voyage into the poetry of Rumi, Hafez and, above all, Attar.

Like his role model Shadjarian, Ghorbani is able to ally rigorously classified melodies with modal improvisations that reach a zenith in his rendition of Attar’s 13th century poem “Razavi”: “Every night my shattered heart/Waits by the door of your dwelling….Would I that I were mere earth and dust under your feet/ So that one day you will inhale me and pass over me”. Ghorbani was born into a religious family and acquired the intonations and rhythms of Qoranic chanting at a precociously young age. He four years of study with a master of the “tar” and “setar” at the Tehran Conservatoire of Music acquainted him with the infinite possibilities found the country’s classical heritage. But in Iran’s dark ages of war and religious conservatism Ghorbani was also influenced by the patriotic drive that dominated his country’s music in the 80s. According to the well-documented sleeve notes by France Culture radio producer Caroline Bourgine, he was known in those days as a popular“battlefront musician”. That label has long been superseded by a recognition of Ghorbani’s rarified ability to interpret the great mystic poets of Sufism. Ably shouldered by two veterans of the French-Iranian music scene, the Tehran-based artist is sure to break through into international circles with this sumptuously presented album. The simplicity of their instrumentation allows Ghorbani’s voice to envelop the listener with a degree of subtlety that belies the relative youthfulness of its deliverer.

Suite De Abu Atta
01. Pishdaramad - Overture, Prelude
02. Daramad
03. Hejaz
04. Tasnif Nasime Sahar - Light Wind Of Dawn
05. Bayaat Kord - Where To Flee From You
06. Tasnif Bahar Delkash - Sweet Spring

Suite De Homayoun
07. Pishdaramad - Overture, Prelude
08. Daramad
09. Chakavak
10. Bidad
11. Ouj
12. Razavi
13. Tasnif Jelve Yeh Gol - Charm Of A Flower

Ali Reza Ghrobani: Vocals
Daryoush Tala'i: Tar
Djamchid Chemirani: Zarb

Linx:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Enjoy!

Hayri Tümer - Flute en Turquie / Mystique Ney

From Turkish Neyzen Hayri Tümer (1902-1973).
Made in France-1979-Gatefold

A.1-Makam Hicaz
2-Makam Rast
3-Makam Ferahfeza

B.1-Makam Segah
2-Makam Nikriz
3-Makam Hicaz

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Masoud Jahed - Sheyda & Ney 2

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Masoud Jahed - Sheyda & Ney 1

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Masoud Jahed - Tasnif Va Ney

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Rabih Abou-Khalil - Morton's Foot 'H.Q'

The band on Morton's Foot is a truly international ensemble. Composer and master oud player Rabih Abou-Khalil has assembled a cast that includes accordionist Luciano Biondini and clarinetist Gabriele Mirabassi along with Michel Godard on tuba, Jarrod Cagwin on trap and frame drums, and exotic Italian vocalist Gavino Murgia. Abou-Khalil composed all the tracks here. He shares the front line with Biondini and Mirabassi as Godard adds a serious bottom-end punch to the rhythm section. Certainly there are precedents for a group like this: Richard Galliano's 1980s bands as well as Chris Speed and Brad Shepik's Pachora, for example. Abou-Khalil's compositions here, as on his other recordings, involve detailed, complex, and labyrinthine melodic structures, though rhythmic invention and harmonic counterpoint add balance and offer tight turns of phrase and dynamic shifts. The title track, "Lobotomie Mi Baba Lu," and "Hopping Jack" are standout tracks, yet it is the sum of everything here that makes this one of Abou-Khalil's very best outings. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide


[01]. Ma muse m'abuse
[02]. Morton's foot
[03]. Il ritorno del languore
[04]. Lobotomic mi baba lu
[05]. L'histoire d'un parapluie
[06]. O papaia balerina
[07]. Dr. gieler's wiener schnitzel
[08]. Il sospiro
[09]. Hopping jack
[10]. Waltz for dubbya
[11]. The return of the maltese chicken

APE (EAC Rip) + CUE + LOG files: 360 MB | MP3 - 320 Kbps: 140 MB | Covers

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APE
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

OR MP3 320 Kbps
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