Personnel: Cassandra Wilson (vocals); Marc Ribot (guitar); Keefus Ciancia (piano, keyboards, bass guitar, programming); Mike Elizondo (synthesizer, upright bass, bass guitar, programming); Reginald Veal (upright bass, bass guitar); Jim Keltner, Bill Maxwell (drums).

While many jazz singers chase the ghosts of yesteryear revisiting the same vocal standards again and again, Cassandra Wilson has chosen a different path. She retains her fluid, smoky, and sometimes throaty phrasing, but paints with a more expansive palette. THUNDERBIRD finds Wilson digging still deeper into American blues and folk traditions while producer T. Bone Burnett frames her voice with spacious production, highlighting acoustic and electric guitars, percussion, and judiciously sampled rhythms. The songs, a mix of originals and thoughtfully chosen covers - from the contemporary (Jacob Dylan's "Closer To You") to the ages-old ("Red River Valley") - are driven not so much by swing as by the innately compelling sway of Wilson's voice.

SEXY! On Chante, Aldo Romano sets aside his world renowned skills as a jazz drummer to record a set of unbelievably sexy vocal jazz. The results are quite intoxicating. Use this record to "seal the deal."

Personnel: Pat Martino (guitar); Joe Lovano (tenor saxophone); Gonzalo Rubalcaba (piano); Christian McBride (bass); Lewis Nash (drums).

Recorded at the Sony Studios, New York, New York in January 2003. Includes liner notes by Bela Fleck. THINK TANK was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Instrumental Album. "Africa" was nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo. Despite a serious condition in the late 1970s that left him with the sketchiest of memories of his past, Pat Martino rehabilitated his life and his formidable career with superhuman determination. Claiming that the people his music attract--players, students, fans--are ultimately what is important to him, and that his chosen instrument is "just an apparatus," this guitar master re-learned his instrument from his own earlier recordings and climbed back to the top of his game. Martino's considerable musical palette includes Coltrane (they met through the legendary teacher Dennis Sandole), Tristano, modalism, and, finally, ersatz
psychedelia, which in his oeuvre, often stands in for balladry (yes, Pat likes to play fast). On THINK TANK, he is joined by a group of New York-based players with enough cache to make any producer greedily rub their hands together in anticipation.
This music, largely Martino originals, combines a floating lyricism with sharp, clean-cut corners. Worthy contributions come from the solid rhythm section of Christian McBride and Lewis Nash and the driving, uncompromising solos of Gonzalo Rubalacaba and Joe Lovano.

Crosby was one of the biggest music and movie stars of the mid-20th century. He started out as a member of the Rhythm Boys, a jazz vocal trio, before going solo in the early 1930s. He quickly became a radio star, a silky-smooth crooner who could sing both pop and jazz.

Born in Seoul, Kun Woo Paik gave his debut at the age of 10 with the Korean National Orchestra. At the age of 15 he moved to New York to study at the Julliard School and following wins at both the Naumburg and the Busoni Competitions he went on to give significant debuts at the Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall launching his international career.

Frank Peter Zimmermann, born in Duisburg, Germany in 1965, is a violinist of international standard. Zimmermann performs with the major orchestras of the world, in the major venues.

One of Mexico's seminal songwriters during the pre-war era, Agustin Lara wrote favorites including "Granada," "Solamente una Vez," "Maria Bonita," "Farolito," and "Palabras de Mujer." Lara excelled in a variety of song styles -- ranchera, bolero, tropical songs, even the occasional tango -- and brought a cosmopolitan flair to the Old West while enervating many early Mexican films with his rich music.
Dozens of artists have performed Lara's songs, including Xavier Cugat, Desi Arnaz, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Lola Beltran, and Celia Cruz. On the centenary of his birth, Placido Domingo recorded a full album of Lara compositions, Por Amor. (John Bush, All Music Guide)

"I know that my voice has entered into the hearts of many people and has caused beautiful reactions. Some, hearing me sing, have become more religious; some who were ill felt joy; friends, while in hospital, played my tapes whenever they felt ill; they all said that my voice gave them the strength needed to stand the pain. Therefore, how can I not be thankful for this great gift?"

- Renata Tebaldi (1922-2004)

Label: Rca Victor Living Stereo
Date: Sep 14, 2004
Composer: Giuseppe Verdi, Giacomo Puccini
Performer: Leontyne Price, Laura Londi
Conductor: Oliviero de Fabritiis, Arturo Basile
Orchestra: Rome Opera House Orchestra
Additional Info: SACD Hybrid
Recording Time: 46 minutes

1. Sonata for Piano no 8 in C minor, Op. 13 "Pathetique"
2. Sonata for Piano no 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 no 2 "Moonlight"
3. Sonata for Piano no 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata"

Freddy Kempf has become one of the most important young artists on the world stage today. He has worked with major conductors and distinguished conductors and he is building a reputation as a serious, sensitive and profoundly musical artist.

Veteran smooth jazz saxophonist Gerald Albright is no one-dimensional purveyor of musical wallpaper--his excellent NEW BEGINNINGS collection is wide-ranging enough to cover a sultry version of "Georgia on My Mind" and a swaying, uptempo cover of the Whispers' disco-era hit "And the Beat Goes On." The pianist Patrice Rushen makes a guest appearance on the album's title track, and Albright's colleague Jeff Lorber performs on cuts including the velvety "We Got the Groove" and the sinuous "Take Your Time."