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Two wonderfully fresh works for orchestra – both conducted with plenty of inventive touches by Howard Hanson during his tenure with the Eastman Rochester Orchestra! "The Black Maskers" is a piece originally penned for a production of the dramatic work by Leonid Andreyev – but it works beautifully here on its own, in theses very vivid passages on woodwinds and percussion – recorded superbly, so that all of Hanson's energy from the stand flows through the playback of the performance. The flipside features "Tabuh Tabuhan" – a toccata for orchestra by Colin McPhee, done in a very modern sort of mode – one that mixes work on percussion that's almost gamelan-like at times, with brightly vivid orchestrations. The piece is beautiful – and almost seems like a precursor to later work by Lou Harrison, but mixed with some of the energy of the early century Russian composers. This CD version also includes Virgil Thomson's "Symphony On A Hymn Tune" and "The Feast Of Love". CD

Quite an unusual little record – one that appears conventional at the start, but which has a relatively modern feel overall! The group's directed by Chuck Israels – who's really stepping out from his older roles here – working almost in Mingus-like formation, as he pushes the group through a wonderful range of tones and sounds – some modern, some older – but always with a freshness and a real sense of surprise! There's a leaping, soaring energy to many tracks – kind of a later Mingus groove – and players include Arnie Lawrence and Joe Romano on saxes, Rod Levitt and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Tom Harrell and Mike Lawrence on trumpets, Steve Brown on guitar, and Ben Aronov on piano. A soprano, Margot Hanson, sings a bit on the record – and titles include "Very Early", "Transbluency", "Every Tub", "Understanding Depression", "Blues For OP", "I Mean You", "Lady Of The Lavender Mist", and "His Master's Voice". CD

Features vocals from Elvis Costello and Debbie Harry. CD

The music of the French New Wave – brought out beautifully in an overstuffed 3CD set! The late 50s shift in French cinema is arguably one of the most important film moments in the 20th century – and although the movies are best remembered for their directors, stars, and striking images – most of the films also had some pretty amazing music as well! In fact, we've always felt that the music was integral to the Nouvelle Vague – from famous jazz scores, to lovely lyrical passages, to bold orchestral arrangements that also ended up having a huge impact on wider European music as well. This package is the first we've ever seen to really dig deep into the New Wave – and it brings together 80 tracks from dozens of films – a really wide variety of music, provided by artists who include Michel Legrand, Georges Delerue, Paul Misraki, Pierre Jansen, Miles Davis, Maurice Jarre, Jean Constantin, Martial Solal, Michel Magne, Antoine Duhamel, Alain Romans, and others – from movies that include 400 Blows, Jules & Jim, Hiroshima Mon Amour, Les Bonnes Femmes, Une Femme Est Une Femme, Breathless, Weekend, Lola, Cleo De 5 A 7, Le Bonheur, Alphaville, and many others! Some films are represented by a few tracks, others by famous themes – and the package also features a booklet with notes in French and English too. CD

With Steve Lacy on soprano saxophone. CD

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A beautiful love letter from Dee Dee Bridgewater to her adopted home of Paris – sung in French, and with a feel that's quite different than much of her recent work! The style here wonderfully mixes together bits of jazz and more traditional chanson – in a style that recalls some of the recent work by Claude Nougaro, but which also has traces of some of Dee Dee's more intimate work as well. Marc Berthoumieux plays accordion on a number of tunes on the set, and Ira Coleman contributes some warmly soulful basslines that give the session a nice bottom grounding – especially on the mellower tunes. Titles include "Mon Homme", "Et Maintenant", "La Belle Vie", "Dansez Sur Moi", "Avec Le Temps", "Les Feuilles Mortes", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas" – plus the Japanese exclusive bonus track "L'Hymne A L'Amour". CD

Curtis Fowlkes on trombone, Brad Jones on bass, Roy Nathanson on sax, EJ Rodriguez on percussion, Bill Ware on vibes & Jim Nolet on violin. CD

A surprising 90s set from The Jazz Passengers – the New York group who'd worked in many modes other than just the straight jazz you might guess from their name, but who here maybe take things back to basics, especially on some of the cuts that bring in vocals from famous guests who include Deborah Harry and Elvis Costello! In some ways, Harry is the core of the set – as she unlocks this great jazz-based side of her style, in a way that gives her voice a whole new level of expression – one that's surprisingly strong next to the instrumentation provided by Roy Nathanson, Curis Fowlkes, and the rest of the group. Elvis Costello sings moodily on the tune "Aubergine" – but most other vocal numbers feature Deborah Harry, and include "Pork Chop", "Lil Darlin", "Maybe I'm Lost", "Imitation Of A Kiss", "Ole", and "Angel Eyes". Harry and Costello duet on "Doncha Go Way Mad" – and the set also features a nice instrumental remake of the Nat Adderley tune "Jive Samba". CD

A beautiful love letter from Dee Dee Bridgewater to her adopted home of Paris – sung in French, and with a feel that's quite different than much of her recent work! The style here wonderfully mixes together bits of jazz and more traditional chanson – in a style that recalls some of the recent work by Claude Nougaro, but which also has traces of some of Dee Dee's more intimate work as well. Marc Berthoumieux plays accordion on a number of tunes on the set, and Ira Coleman contributes some warmly soulful basslines that give the session a nice bottom grounding – especially on the mellower tunes. Titles include "Mon Homme", "Et Maintenant", "La Belle Vie", "Dansez Sur Moi", "Avec Le Temps", "Les Feuilles Mortes", and "Ne Me Quitte Pas". CD

A light and lovely album from the trio of Jacques Morelenbaum cello, Paula Morelenbaum voice, and Ryuichi Sakamoto piano! The "casa" in the title refers to the "casa" of Antonio Carlos Jobim, where part of the album was recorded – as you may well hear in the Jobim-esque presentation of the material. The light touch of Sakamoto's piano is wonderful – and it's great to hear him working in such a setting, after years of expressing Brazilian influences in many of his compositions. Paula's vocals are light and airy, and the cello of Jacques fills in the spaces with a sad and moody feel that fits the material well. Titles include "Sabia", "Chanson Pour Michelle", "Bonita", "Estrada Branca", "Amor Em Paz", "Sem Voce", "Experanca Perdida", and "Tema Para Ana". CD

A really haunting bit of early electronics by Jean Michel Jarre – the soundtrack for the film Les Granges Brulees from the early 70s! The work here has a very different sound than Jarre's later music – not nearly so neat and tidy, with lots of rough edges, and shorter tunes that have a really kind of spooky, other-wordly feel. And yet despite these qualities, there's also a good degree of melody to the set – as the shorter tracks bubble forth with some great themes that sound even more enchanting in the analogue electronic mode. Titles include "L'Helicoptere", "La Chanson Des Granges Brulees", "Le Pays De Rose", "Theme De L'Argent", "Rose", "Les Granges Brulees", and "La Verite". CD

A light and lovely album from the trio of Jacques Morelenbaum cello, Paula Morelenbaum voice, and Ryuichi Sakamoto piano! The "casa" in the title refers to the "casa" of Antonio Carlos Jobim, where part of the album was recorded – as you may well hear in the Jobim-esque presentation of the material. The light touch of Sakamoto's piano is wonderful – and it's great to hear him working in such a setting, after years of expressing Brazilian influences in many of his compositions. Paula's vocals are light and airy, and the cello of Jacques fills in the spaces with a sad and moody feel that fits the material well. Titles include "Sabia", "Chanson Pour Michelle", "Bonita", "Estrada Branca", "Amor Em Paz", "Sem Voce", "Experanca Perdida", and "Tema Para Ana". CD