Cleveland and others. Unfortunately, it's Krupa who's not quite up to par. to my ears, sounding tired and a bit out of date. It's nice to hear those charts well-recorded - they stand up well - but this needn't be on your must-have list. When it comes to Compact Discs, I must say I like the jewel box packaging. It keeps the discs and booklets safer than sleeves. and while they certainly are breakable, they are easily replaceable and your package looks like new. The cardboard replica packaging of these reissues looks fine at the beginning, but favourite albums soon get the covers abraded, and the little grippers that hold the discs always break on me. That said, the designer has done something to overcome the tiny booklets: these all have a folded replica of the back cover, measuring about 91/2 inches square. Would th.at they had done it double-sided, and reproduced the front, too ... jazz. Original compositions comprise half of the disc, with Donny Hathaway's daughter Lalah offering a haunting vocal performance on la Villeue, a tribute to the Parisian 'hood' where part of the album was recorded. Miller's cover material includes Duke Ellingcon's Sophisticated Lady, Stevie Wonder's Boogie on Reggae Woman, Ludwig van Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, and Prince's Girls and Boys. Eclectic? You bet! As with all of Marcus Miller's efforts, his signature funky, percussive bass work is the driving force throughout. An unmistakable voice, often imitated, never duplicated. Check out this disc! Eli Eisenberg also mentions her classical training which is obvious in her interpretation of the songs' melodies. It will be interesting to see if "Standard Time" motivates other cellists to take on the unfamiliar world of jazz improv. Not for the faint of heart. Time will tell! Eli Eisenberg Editor's note: Of course Kye Marshall is not the first to play jazz on the cello. Many jazz bass pl
Jobim's Corcovado, and Porter's You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To. Her breathy tone and laid back style suit the slow tunes, but even on the more up-tempo tunes, of which there are only a few on this disc, she still manages to chill out. The production on "How I Feel" is top-notch and the musicians lend lots of variety to even the tunes that have been done to death. When I first read the liner notes and saw that "programming" was credited on nearly every tune, I thought, "uhoh". But the electronica is used judiciously and lends an appealing modernity, especially to some of the chestnuts. I love what they've done with Day by Day, with bossa-style acoustic guitar, double-time congas and an electric guitar solo giving it a kind of 60's Latin American feel. Very cool. This feels like a very collaborative record and I like how Samina and the musicians make an effort to enhance the songs rather than overwhelm them. Producer credit is given to Guy Debuc and Marc Lessard, (who also play keyboards and drums and percussion respectively) as well as Louis Cote (guitars and keyboards) and Claude Simard. Particular mention also must be made of Guy Kaye who turns in some really interesting guitar work. It is refreshing to hear performers focusing on the music and the lyrics rather than their own performances, and "How I Feel" will be in heavy rotation on my CD player. Cathy Riches and directed by the eminent cellist Yo-Yo Ma. From its informal beginnings at the Tanglewood Music Festival in 2000, where a number of musicians from different cultures began to share their music and ideas, the Silk Road Project has blossomed into a dynamic enterprise involved in concert tours, festivals, and workshops, as well as its impressive recordings. The music and musicians featured on "Beyond the Horizon" are incredibly diverse, which is not surprising given the vastness of the Silk Road, stretching from the eastern Mediterranean, through Iran and Central Asia and into China. Rather than presenting a traditional musical portrait, this CD introduces fifteen new works (including one ensemble improvisaiion) by composers/arrangers from India, Armenia, Iran, the U.S. and China. One of Chi.na 's leading composers, Zhao Jipin - featured here on four tracks - will be familiar to readers who know his film scores for Raise the Red Lantern and Farewell My Concubine. We are treated to a fascinating array of instruments that are masterfully played by these excellent musicians. Each track presents a different eclectic ensemble, some of them quite large: for example track I, Mohini (Enchamment) includes tabla and sarangi (fiddle) from India, Japanese shakuhachi (flute), Chinese pipa (lute), Persian ney (flute), Central Asianstyle singing, Tibetan prayer bowls, Armenian duduk (shawm) as well as Western violins, viola, cellos, bass, vibraphone and other percussion. An ambitious and imaginative recording that takes the concept of fusion in world music to new levels. Enjoy! Annette Sanger name by Eugene Labiche and Marc Michel, is the second recording by The National Ballet Orchestra. The ballet premiered last month at the Hummingbird Centre to rave reviews. Michael Torke was commissioned to compose this, his second score for James Kudelka and the National Ballet of Canada. In 2002 Mr. Torke collaborated with Mr. Kudelka on the ground-breaking ballet, The Contract, and a CD of the music was released in 2003. A number of New York choreographers, including Peter Martins, Alvin Ailey, Jiri Kylian and Glen Tetley, have created dance to Torke's compositions. Kudelka also created Terra Firma to three movements of his Colar Music for San Francisco Ballet in 1995, which was staged Beethoven - Sonata in fminor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" Lambert Orkis· Bridge 9169 for The National Ballet of Canada in 1997. Like all farces, the story begins with a mishap which threatens to expose an indiscretion. On the way to his wedding, Ferdinand takes his horse on a ride in the park. The horse eats a straw hat belonging to Ana'ls, a married woman meeting her lover. If Ana'ls returns home without the hat; her husband will become suspicious and so she declares that Ferdinand 's wedding will not take place until the hat has been replaced. Chaos ensues. The music vacillates between the cartoonish, frenetic pace inherent in farce, to lyrical passages depicting tender moments between lovers. Conducted by Ormsby Wilkins, the National Ballet does a fine job on this recording. Dianne Wells DISCS OF THE MONTH Unlike the many previous recordings of this favorite Beethoven work; this CD includes no other music. Orkis plays Opus 57 three times, on three different instruments in turn: a replica of a Viennese fortepiano of 1814-20; a modern Bosendorfer concert grand; and a second replica, also Viennese, after a model of circa 1830. Loci 'O ·c: -""
