One of Cuba’s hippest musical exports, Sierra Maestra excels in the realm between rootsy son music and the more urbane brassiness of salsa. Tibiri Tabara presents the band’s forest of percussion behind bright, catchy horn lines that leap brashly from the complex rhythms. In addition, the group’s vocals converse similarly, taking the antiphonal lead and chorus structure to …
Flor de Amor (Flower of Love) is the second solo album for World Circuit by Cuba’s leading female vocalist and Buena Vista Social Club star, Omara Portuondo. The best-selling solo artist of the Buena Vista collective next to Ibrahim Ferrer, Omara’s debut in 2000 went to the top of the world music sales and airplay charts, and sparked …
Fresh from the success of one of his fastst-selling releases with last year’s THE WILLIES, Bill Frisell marks the recording debut of THE NTERCONTINENTALS – a band he formed in 2001 which made its debut at Seattle’s Earshot Festival that fall. Their studio recording features original band members which include Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist and percussionist Vinicius Cantuaria; …
For their second project in an exclusive relationship with Nonesuch, the violinist and his Baltic-based ensemble offer a meditative collection of 20th century works imbued with the pure intensity of approach that is the hallmark of their style. The album is bookended by two Arvo Part compositions, the iconic Tabula rasa – through whose 1984 chamber recording the …
One of the most original artists of his generation, violinist Gidon Kremer performs the work of composer, arranger, bandoneon virtuoso and tango master Piazzolla, displaying a new dimension in both his playing and repertoire for Hommage a Piazzolla. Kremer (who collaborated with Adams on the Nonesuch release of Adams’ Violin Concerto) has assembled a group of musicians modeled …
Over the last twenty years, k.d. lang has lent her superb voice to an astonishing range of material, from Nashville standards to Tin Pan Alley torch songs, from cow punk tunes to sultry, adult pop- most recently her Grammy-winning gold album with Tony Bennett, “Wonderful world.” With Hymns of the 49th Parallel, the Alberta native brings it all …
It was on Frisell’s critically-lauded Quartet album of 1995 – with its cover art by Thomas Hart Benton – that his compositional style took its most palpable turn toward a personalized brand of Americana. Foregoing a rhythm section and adding horns, he fashioned an ensemble sound that ultimately owed more to the chamber music tradition than the jazz …
Following upon the success of GONE, JUST LIKE A TRAIN, Bill Frisell reunites with his much-admired partners from this last outing – plus others – for another session of inspired music-making. Joined by renowned drummer Jim Keltner and Lyle Lovett bassist Viktor Krauss, the core band is further expanded to a quintet with the addition of Greg Leisz …
Through his work as producer, composer, arranger and consummate session man, New Orleans native Allen Toussaint has truly earnedliving-legend status. He’s collaborated on landmark recordings for such artists as Ernie K. Doe, Lee Dorsey, Dr. John, the Meters, thePointer Sisters and Labelle and released acclaimed albums of his own. The 70 year-old pianist, already a Rock and Roll …
Nonesuch releases the Brad Mehldau Trio’s Where Do You Start, a companion disc to the critically acclaimed Ode. Whereas Ode featured 11 songs composed by Mehldau, Where Do You Start comprises the Trio’s interpretations of 10 tunes by other composers, along with one Mehldau original. Ode was widely praised, with London’s Daily Telegraph, in a five-star review, saying …