Karl Böhm in 1973 for the 425th anniversary of the orchestra wrote, “I headed the Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden for nine years – the most wonderful and meaningful time of my life.” He was forty in 1934, when he moved to assume direction of the Dresden State Orchestra and Opera. There, his sensitive yet dramatic style of conducting, his vigour and intellectual resilience, his feel for classical form and unerring sense of tempo, very soon won the respect and trust of the musicians and singers in his charge; they did after all represent one of the best orchestras and most capable opera ensembles in Europe.

The fantastic Italian producer Antonio Martino never ceases to surprise us with his very eclectic yet equally fascinating choices. This is undoubtedly one of the reasons our friendship has developed over the years—being on the lookout for sounds, creations, and after all, it doesn’t matter if we push beyond the borders of jazz or find ourselves on more classical projects. You can take all the projects Antonio has produced and put them together—there’s nothing to throw away.

Seven new compositions and six composers from Latvia representing the young and middle generation - this is the balance sheet of the Sharp Green album by the Atomos Saxophone Quartet. It features a variety of composers with roots in academic as well as non-academic music, but all are united by their willingness to surrender to the adventurous spirit of Atomos, which has encouraged them to explore the possibilities of the sound of a saxophone quartet.

The title of Sam Norris' debut album, Small Things Evolved Slowly, is sourced from an Erik Satie quote: "I took to my room and let small things evolve slowly." It is an apt title, as the album features compositions inspired by Norris' life in London that have been honed and polished in live performances over considerable time, in some cases over several years. In addition, many of the tracks advance in an unhurried manner, taking their time to open up.

From the first seconds of the opening track, trumpeter Jonathan Powell immediately signals that his new album Mambo Jazz Party is no ordinary record. With irresistible layers of groove and the indomitably danceable feels of Latin Jazz spurred eternally forward by the campana (cowbell), the audience is instantly hooked. Drawing on two decades of expertise as a sideman for Latin Jazz legends such as Eddie Palmieri, Arturo O’Farrill, Miguel Zenon, Oscar Hernandez and the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, and Tito Puente Jr., Powell assembles a rotating 18-piece ensemble that brings the party of great, danceable Latin Jazz and Mambo and combines it with the aesthetic of modern electric jazz on Mambo Jazz Party, releasing August 9, 2024 via Circle 9.

Paul Cohen’s OF LIGHT AND SOLACE highlights music by several 20th century composers whose work is deeply engaged with both the tradition and innovation of classical music. Evocative, contemplative, and teeming with emotional depth, the works presented in this Ravello Records release explore and expand upon the liturgical canon, offering instrumental expressions in Gregorian Chant, fresh takes on the iconic Amazing Grace, and more. Cohen pairs a unique selection of saxophones with organ to bring this music to life including his Conn-O-Sax, a bold, innovative saxophone made by the Conn Company for a very limited time in 1928.

Handel’s Music for the Royal Fireworks and Water Music, two of his greatest orchestral achievements, have become synonymous with mid-18th-century England and with the pomp, ceremony and tradition of British royalty. But is this music necessarily synonymous with Handel? Where did his eclecticism and experimentalism come from? How and why did he conquer the emerging genre of the English oratorio and what were the circumstances that allowed him to become one of opera’s greatest composers? This revealing audio biography is accompanied by musical examples drawn from his orchestral and instrumental music, his cantatas, oratorios, operas and those two famous royal commissions.

This album restores to the world the solo piano and chamber music of a long-forgotten, enigmatic fgure.
Jessy Lilian Reason, nee Wolton, born in London in 1878, was the daughter of a wealthy hop merchant. In 1902, in Cornwall, she married a gentleman of private means twenty years her senior, with whom she settled frstly in Devon and later in Tonbridge, Kent. In the late 1920s the couple made a fnal move, to Reading, where Jessy died in 1938. In May 1992 the writer Alan Poulton discovered a large haul of manuscripts in a Leicester junk shop. He purchased the collection and took it home in two suitcases. In the 2020 Covid lockdown, now retired and with time on his hands, he set about exploring and cataloguing the manuscripts, and researching the life of the woman who had penned the 70 handwritten works in the early decades of the twentieth century.

You recognize bebop as soon as you hear it, and Dada as soon as you see it. There are many conections to be made between the two. Both originally came from revolutionary scenes, as a break with what came before in their respective mediums. They share a subversive sense of humor. Both have influenced an endless variety of works and ideas across music, art, literature, philosophy, and culture. And the names of both are primal and pre-verbal sounds, not born of any language.

Lisa Illean is a composer whose work has been described as ‘music that seeps into your consciousness’ (ABC Classic FM). Her subtle, mesmerising compositions explore nuances of sonority, timbre, auditory phenomena and perspective, and have been performed by acclaimed ensembles across the globe. On arcing, stilling, bending, gathering, Illean's debut portrait album, four different works are assembled to offer a portal into her delicately captivating sound-world.

Johann Sebastian Bach's three "Gamba Sonatas" (BWV 1027-1029) may be among his best-known works, but in contrast to their popularity, we know little concrete information about their composition and possible dedications. A version for three string instruments could appear somewhat unorthodox at ?rst glance, but may in fact be a little closer to its presumed origin. And although the string trio led by cellist Johannes König plays on modern instruments, its interpretation is inspired by insights from historical performance practice. With its version of the "Gamba Sonatas", the ensemble wishes to contribute to a historically informed, yet undogmatic and diverse performance that emulates Bach‘s own joy in experimentation.

"Stagioni is a symphonic ode to life and nature. Four seasons of beauty, rituals and eternity. It's a crossover piece that takes you from ancient composers, like Hildegard von Bingen, to the hypnotizing rhythms of minimal music, taking in Vivaldi, blues and explosive rock elements. I use a loop station and effect pedals that enables me to play polyphonic on my own, and next to the beautiful sound of the E-cello, I can demonstrate a wide range of varieties in sound and orchestration, all built up live on stage." - Mayke

LaShawn D. Gary is an Emmy Award Winning Producer, Composer, Smooth Jazz Artist and Pianist. He is a native of Detroit, Michigan and received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Instrumental Music Education from Southern University A&M College, and earned a Masters of Music Education Degree from the University of Louisville. LaShawn has released seven Smooth Jazz singles: “Now is the Time (2019) ”, “Love, Peace & Praise (2020)”, “Inception, featuring Mark Whitfield (2021)”, “Line Brothers (2021)”, “On the Yard” (2022), “Transitions” (2022) and “For Your Love (feat. Willie Bradley)” (2023).

The German composer Johanna Senfter was born in Oppenheim on the Rhine in 1879. In 1895 she began to study composition (with Iwan Knorr), violin (Adolf Rebner), piano (Karl Friedberg) and organ (Heinrich Gelhaar) at the Hoch Conservatoire in Frankfurt on the Main. From 1908 to 1910 she was a pupil of Max Reger who had recognized her musical talent and encouraged her to undertake additional studies in his composition class at the Royal Conservatoire of Leipzig which she completed with distinction in 1909. In 1910 she received the Arthur Nikisch Prize for the best student composition of 1909.

The percussionist András Dés, who has been living in Vienna for five years, has formed a quartet with two Austrian musicians, Martin Eberle and Philipp Nykrin, and his old bandmate Márton Fenyvesi, who is now also based in Vienna, to capture the essence of European jazz: diversity, openness and the power of listening to each other.