jazzis kirjoitti noin 19 vuotta sitten (14 kommenttia)

I start this month with the addition of a new Israeli / American jazz album:

KATSENELENBOGEN, EYRAN ~ SOLITUDE

This is a deeply emotional album for me. Of course in this case I can hardly be objective (but who gives a damn about objectivity when music is concerned), as I "discovered" Eyran almost 20 years ago when I released his debut album on my label ("Jazzonettes" on Jazzis Records). Eyran left Israel to settle in cold and dreary Boston, first to study and then to teach and perform music, and what a performer he is! In time he lost none of his juvenile spontaneity and innocence, but acquired a refined technique and a mature approach to the piano. His choice of recording music exclusively for solo piano could have proven disastrous for his career, being obviously the most intricate and precarious form of creating jazz - one on one with the instrument. Fortunately for Eyran (and all of us - his devoted listeners) he stood up to the challenge with bravery and flare and in my (not so) humble opinion reached the rank of the absolute top of his vocation. This beautiful album serves as a
wonderful proof of his immense talent. On this album Eyran chooses to interpret 17 well known jazz standards (rather than play his own music). This could be a double-edged challenge, as virtually all the greatest piano players in the history of jazz have already performed all of those tunes. Nevertheless Eyran's approach and vision manage to create new and undisclosed layers of musical delight based on the originals. He dares to play around with tempo, intonation and even combines a few of the melodies into a new melodic identity. Needless to say his performances are technically brilliant and flawless and his imagination boundless. He often plays as if there's no tomorrow and the only negative thing I can say about this album is that it ended all much too soon for me - I just wanted more and more of this. Hopefully more will indeed follow suit on another album. "Rani" my friend - you make me proud. Bless you for the pleasures you bestow upon us with your magic fingers!

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jazzis kirjoitti noin 19 vuotta sitten+/- saldo : 0
SALE ANNOUNCEMENT!

As of today all orders get 10 % on ALL items. This sale lasts till February 15, 2006.

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2 new superb items added today:

UEHARA, HIROMI ~ SPIRAL

3rd album (recorded 2005) by this award winning and sensational Japanese pianist. Hiromi keeps again to the piano trio format, but expands the horizons of what we know as jazz, by approaching the "orchestral" sound of the trio, especially in the almost 30 minutes long 4 piece suite called "Music for Three-Piece-Orchestra". The entire album consists of her original compositions, which are fascinating and enchanting, as usual. Her virtuoso performance breaks again the know limits of what is considered as humanly possibile on the piano. There are no words to express how good this music is, honestly!
Limited edition includes superb 5.1 DTS DVD

TAMOUZ ~ THE ORANGE SEASON IS OVER (30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION)

The only album by this group from 1976. Although basically a forcefull rock group, they were strongly influenced by Prog and psychedelics. This group included two of the most famous Israeli rockers and great composers: Shalom Hanoch and Ariel Zilber. Full of energy and dynamics, this is one of the best Israeli rock albums of all times. Hebrew vocals. The new edition includes a superb live concert recording from 1975 where the group stretches the album songs with long instrumental improvisations. A piece of history!

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SALE: ALL ORDERS GET 10 % DISCOUNT! Sale continues till February 15, 2006 only.

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MANY items back in stock!

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jazzis kirjoitti noin 19 vuotta sitten+/- saldo : 0
Only 2 days left to take advantage of the special 10 % discount sale offer. Many customers already ordered in the last few days. Please don't miss this opportunity, as I'll not be able to continue this sale offer beyond the announced date.

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The vinyl section proved to be a great success - 170 of the 500 offered items were sold out in the last few days. Please remember that all vinyl items are strictly 1 copy in stock (except the Jazzis label releases of course). The 10 % discount applies to vinyl as well in the next 2 days.

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A warm welcome to all new customers joining in the last few days - hope you'll enjoy visiting my site on a regular basis. Indonesia is the last new country from which new customers joined.

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When visiting the site, please remember to check out the One Of A Kind and Sale sections - new additions trickle in there without being specifically announced. The US $ 1.00 are almost completely gone ;)

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jazzis kirjoitti noin 19 vuotta sitten+/- saldo : 0
1 item added today:

LED ZEPPELIN ~ HOW THE WEST WAS WON

Led Zeppelin released only 9 studio albums (one of them double) through their entire career, now collected in the magnificent box set called "The Complete Studio Recordings" - a mother of all box sets! Although there are hundreds of Led Zeppelin live bootlegs circulating on the market, there is scarcely little officially released live material. The BBC sessions album is one of them, but that is hardly a real "live" album, and of course the soundtrack to their pseudo-documentary movie "The Song Remains The Same", which was not really intended as a stand-alone live album. Therefore when Jimmy Page decided (in 2003) to release these two concerts, recorded in June of 1972 during their US tour, nothing could make me happier as a great admirer of Led Zeppelin's artistry. Anybody listening to these recordings should be easily convinced that they were undoubtedly the greatest rock band of all times. Period. The 3 hours long set gives the listener everything there is to give. Superb
performances, heartbreaking lyricism, divine sophistication and musical virtuosity - very lofty words, I know, but 100 % solid truth. They were just eight miles higher than anything else on earth at that time or after. Page is a giant and a genius, so inventive that it is truly scary. His treatment of the instrument and his ability to improvise are stellar. A 25+ minutes of "Dazed And Confused" and 23+ minutes of "While Lotta Love" are typical examples of what they sounded like at their best and how they could turn any of their songs around any way they wanted. I could really brag about this for hours, buy talking about music is like making love over the telephone, so just get this damn album and listen, and listen again. A little brain damage never hurt anybody! ;)

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Massive stock update today with over 100 items back in stock!

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Only 1 day left! for the 10 % discount offer on all items.

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Two items added today:

LED ZEPPELIN ~ BBC SESSIONS

Led Zeppelin fans and admirers had to wait for 28 years (till 1997) for these sessions to see the light of day on a formal release. This is a great pity, as Zed Zeppelin's recorded legacy had very little to offer as far as live performances are concerned. Except for the double LP soundtrack album to their pseudo-documentary movie "The Song Remains The Same" (recorded at the Madison Square Garden in July 1973 and released in 1976), which is considered both by the band and the fans as a rather unfortunate representation of their otherwise superb on-stage performances, no other live recordings were released. The only live Led Zeppelin tracks were available on a myriad of bootleg recordings, often of dubious quality, including various versions of the BBC sessions included here. This exceptional album collects the entire material recorded by Led Zeppelin for the BBC. The first CD includes three sessions recorded in March and June 1969, after the release of their landmark debut album and
before the release of the second album. The second CD includes an entire concert performance from April 1971, before the release of their fourth album. Although the BBC sessions are not really "live" recordings as such, these performances provide an excellent record of what Led Zeppelin did on stage, as opposed to their perfectionist studio work. It is obvious that live Led Zeppelin were first and foremost an improvisational band (much like Cream before them), and therefore every performance of a song varied considerably from other interpretations of the same song, be it in tempo, length, order of solos and so on (listen to three different takes of "Communication Breakdown" present here). This is also a great document of the creative process the band went through when preparing material for their albums - the first sessions include early versions of songs later released on the second album and the last session does the same with songs later released on the fourth album. In addition,
these sessions contain several songs not included on any of the studio albums. The performances are of course stellar, from the very first note played to the very last and both the musical and historic importance of these sessions is beyond dispute. The usual BBC "mark of quality" sound is crystal clear and allows the listener to enjoy this heavenly music even at dangerously high volume (recommended). I can't imagine anybody, who considers himself a music lover, not to own this album?
Interested in general information about BBC sessions? See my Blog ;)

SPIROGYRA ~ A CANTERBURY TALE

Although originating from Canterbury, Spirogyra is not considered as part of the Canterbury Scene gang. They were a folk / rock or rather an acid / folk group, influenced as much by the British folk music as by the Psychedelic movement of the late 1960's. Fronted by Martin Cockerham, who also wrote all of their material, and including the wonderful singer Barbara Gaskin, they recorded only three albums: "St. Radigunds" (1971), "Old Boot Wine" (1972) and "Bells, Boots And Shambles" (1973), all included here with additional, previously unreleased material. In retrospect it is quite clear that Spirogyra were one of the most accomplished representatives of the genre, sadly little known in comparison to other similar outfits like Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention or The Incredible String Band (to which they were the closest in style). The quality of the material, as well as the truly excellent instrumental work (by additional band members changing from album to album) is amply documented
here for us to enjoy. The albums stand the test of time with ease, being as moving and exciting today as they were when originally recorded. For fans of the genre this is an absolute must!

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Please note that the Catalog by Media menu includes now a new feature, calle "Box Set" - this is of course useful to see all Box Sets on one page - a sign of things to come ;)

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Just a few hours left to get 10 % discount on your orders....

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Two items added today:

FELLOWSHIP (FEATURING JON ANDERSON) ~ IN ELVEN LANDS

This very interesting musical project took seven years to complete (1998-2005), but it was definitely worth waiting for. The Fellowship is an international group of musicians, who undertook a very challenging task of creating music based on the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien. Their approach is completely different from many other musicians, who created music inspired by Tolkien's works (like Bo Hansson a.m.o.) - they conducted a thorough research of both Tolkien's many writings of prose and poetry and also early European literature from the Middle Ages (13th & 14th century), all this to create the "authentic" music of the legendary "Middle Earth". Of course the authenticity is a matter of opinion, as Tolkien himself did compose any music to accompany his writings, but as far as your humble servant here is concerned this sounds pretty "authentic" to me. The music is similar to early European Mediaeval music, with a touch of modernism, performed entirely on acoustic instruments (some
ancient). The vocals (mostly by Yes front man Anderson) suit this music perfectly, and honestly to me this is better than are many other of his other projects. People who like early music fill have a feast with this album, but Yes fans and folkies should not stay far behind. I loved it!

BRUFORD, BILL / GARLAND, TIM ~ EARTHWORKS UNDERGROUND ORCHESTRA

As most of Bruford's recorded work in the last years comes in the form of his Earthworks quartet it is delightful to hear the Master drummer in a small Big Band setting (a nonet to be precise). Recorded live at the New York Iridium Club in 2004, the group comprises of Bruford and his fellow Earthworks saxophonist Garland with a wonderful gathering of excellent American jazzmen. The material includes new arrangements of music previously recorded by different Earthworks line-ups. There is a lot of energy and superb musicianship present, with extended solos and heated interplays. Obviously they had a gas playing together, which is an essential ingredient in the process of music making. The sound quality is very good, with proper balance between the horns and they rhythm section. Definitely recommended to the many Bruford fans and anyone who enjoys good jazz.
Individually numbered Limited Edition (of 3000) including a bonus CD

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With the help of my daughter Danit (and a couple of sleepless nights later) I gave my site a complete facelift to change the "look", which was designed almost five years ago (and served everybody well). The work is not yet completely finished, but the new "look" is there already for everybody to enjoy (I love it, but I am not objective!). I'd love to hear your comments about it - please don't be shy and let me know what you all think.

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Two items added today:

KING CRIMSON ~ EYES WIDE OPEN

There are very few things in this world that you can bet your life on, but for me (continually over the years) King Crimson is definitely one of them. Although the group underwent more personal, stylistic and musical changes than any other of its peers, KC managed to emerge not only as the best of them all but also the most consistent one. This double DVD set is yet another proof of that (not that any proof is needed). It captures the latest (so far) KC configuration as a quartet, with Fripp, Belew, Gunn and Mastelotto - three (very different) guitar players and a drummer. Filmed almost 3 years apart from each other, the first DVD documents a London concert from July 2000 and the second a Tokyo concert from April 2003. Obviously the performances are quite different, as is the material. The earlier DVD includes mostly the legacy of the double trio, whereas the later includes mostly material from the "The Power To Believe" album, which the group was promoting at the time. There is no
need to boast how good this stuff is - anybody who is a KC fan already knows it. For a KC addict like myself, this is of course a must. Any opportunity to see (and hear) a live performance by KC is an eye (and ear) opener any way you look at it. Devilishly clever music performed by masterly players - never a dull moment! Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound.

GILES / MUIR / CUNNINGHAM ~ GHOST DANCE (SOUNDTRACK)

The trio of Michael Giles, Jamie Muir (both Ex-King Crimson) and David Cunningham (UK guitarist and pioneer of experimental and ambient music) created this music in 1983 as a soundtrack for the Ken McMullen experimental and daring documentary film "Ghost Dance", which explored the collision between ethnic cultures and Western cities (great stuff!). As expected, the music is highly experimental as well, based mostly on various percussive rhythms (played by the two drummers), that represent the ethnic cultures and ornamented with guitar and electronic loops, which stand for the Western cities. This is definitely no "easy listening" stuff, but for people who like ambient stuff and are prepared to make an effort and expand their musical horizons, this can be a very interesting experience. Hats off to people who take risks and shun any non-artistic factors when dealing with Art.

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Two brilliant jazz items added today:

KOLLER, HANS ~ KUNSTKOPFINDIANER (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)

Austrian saxophonist, composer and bandleader Hans Koller was one of the most important European jazz musicians and one of the forefathers of the European modern jazz movement. This is his most legendary album (recorded 1974) and for years an impossible to find rarity among collectors. The quintet includes some of the most important European jazz players: German pianist Wolfgang Dauner (who is also one of the European jazz giants), Polish violin virtuoso Zbigniew Seifert (whose untimely death at a very young age prevented him from achieving the status of the greatest jazz violinist ever), superb Polish drummer Janusz Stefanski and Austrian bass genius Adelhard Roidinger. Together they play some of the best European jazz ever recorded, which can be described as free melodic sketches and structures. The music was composed by the quintet members (as each of them is also a gifted composer in addition to being an exceptional instrumentalist) and is full of passion, lofty inspiration and pleasurable sophistication. The German MPS label, which was active in the 1960's and 1970's, was the first and most important independent European jazz label (before ECM, Enja, Steeplechase and scores of others), setting incredible high standards both for the musical contents and the revolutionary audiophile sound-recording quality. This album is essential to every jazz enthusiast on earth!

KOLLER, HANS / FREE SOUND ~ PHOENIX (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)

Hans Koller was the most internationally famous Austrian jazz musician. Born in 1921, he was active on the European scene since the mid-1940's, playing mostly jazz modeled on then contemporary American jazz. However by the mid-1950's Koller already established a new European jazz vocabulary, like some of his pioneering European peers: Lars Gullin in Sweden, Krzysztof Komeda in Poland, Martial Solal in France and many others. By the end of 1950's Koller almost completely removed himself from the musical scene, devoting his life to painting, which was his alter-ego vocation. Only a decade later, when the free jazz movement started to spread in Europe, he returned to active performing and recording, finding this new style challenging enough for him to contribute his input. This album, recorded 1972, marks his return to full-time jazz duties and is a pivotal step not only in his personal career, but also in the entire European free jazz movement. Koller clearly defines the basic difference in approach to free jazz between the American "school", which is highly emotional, wild and often purposely excessively chaotic and extremist, and the European "school", which is more subdued, elegant, delicate and firmly connected to melodic structures. The entire quartet - sax / piano / bass / drums - (with three musicians much younger that the leader) performs music composed mostly by Koller and bassist Roidinger, which retains enough melodic contents to be coherent, but adds incredible intensity and tension. A true must for serious jazz connoisseurs.

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Two more brilliant Hans Koller albums added today:

KOLLER, HANS ~ EXCLUSIV (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)

Debut album on the MPS label by Austrian saxophonist, composer and bandleader Hans Koller and one of the most sought after collector items of European jazz for many years. It includes two separate sessions: the 1959 quartet recording for the German Radio (with American bassist Oscar Pettiford, Hungarian guitarist Attila Zoller and Jimmy Pratt on drums) and the 1963 nonet recording in the MPS studio in Villingen. The album summarizes perfectly the first period of Koller's jazz career, when he played "conventional" jazz, similar to what was happening in the US at the time. The music moves stylistically between cool, be-bop and swing, all executed with elegance and technical perfection. Most of the compositions are originals by Koller and other band members (two by Pettiford), sublimely melodic and yet complex at the same time. The nonet session, which includes a six-piece sax section, is especially interesting, with superb brass arrangements with multi-layered harmonies and intricate interplay. In short this is a perfect example of how "conventional" jazz can be taken beyond the trivial and injected with added values, which elevate it to the level of perfection. Nothing but pure musical joy!

KOLLER, HANS / BIG BAND ~ NEW YORK CITY (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)

Absolutely astounding jazz suite / concerto for Big Band composed by Austrian composer / saxophonist Koller and recorded in 1968 (but released only in 1979). The recording was done during a visit in Germany by the brilliant Czech jazz orchestra led by Gustav Brom (members of the orchestra were all top Czech jazz players, including the phenomenal bassist Jiri Mraz - who would soon after emigrate to the US and become George Mraz). The orchestra was "strengthened" for the recording by adding some of the top German jazz players at the time (Emil Mangelsdorff, Joki Freund and others) and the resulting lineup is simply phenomenal. Koller's music is also outstanding - very modern, with some free elements and devilishly clever polyrhythmic structures. The entire suite has enough drama and substance to amaze even the most sophisticated listener and is years ahead of anything else in that musical domain. It is a prime example of the emergence of European jazz, which points in a new direction, continuing but also significantly altering the American jazz tradition. For any serious jazz aficionado this is a "must have" album essential for comprehension of the development of modern jazz.

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The last two Hans Koller albums (so far) added today:

KOLLER, HANS ~ RELAX WITH MY HORNS (MOST PERFECT SOUND EDITION)

This 1966 recording presents Hans Koller in a trio setting, but that is completely misleading, as the album has a "big" sound achieved by Koller overdubbing on 3 or four different saxophones and the bass player overdubbing on piano on some tunes, all this creating the effect of a jazz sextet or even septet. This revolutionary (at that time) approach, possible due to the arrival of multi-track recording machines, is used here with masterly taste and ingenuity. I don't know if this was the first jazz recording using overdubs, but surely one of the first. The music is modern, post be-bop jazz at its best, with compositions mostly by Koller and the bass player. This is the last recording on which Koller plays "conventional" jazz, but the tendency towards more complex improvisations and musical freedom is evident clearly here. The performances are as brilliant, as always with Koller and the album is a jazz buff's delight from start to finish.

KOLLER, HANS / FREE SOUND ~ JEANNERET (THE LOST TAPES)

This previously unreleased recording from 1978 presents Koller's suite dedicated to the Swiss visionary architect Le Corbusier (Charles Edouard Jeanneret). Since Koller was himself a devoted painter, he dedicated many of his compositions to modern Art Masters like Picasso and others. The highly developed aesthetics and understanding of modern Art is of course one of Koller's great qualities. Koller assembled a superb quintet for this recording, which includes the German trumpeter Herbert Joos. The music is a perfect example of European free jazz, with complex textures and intricate interplay between the quintet members. The technical quality of the players is staggering and the overall result is a first class jazz experience.

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In the next few days I will add some excellent new stuff from South America. Here are the first two:

PERCUSSONICA ~ HOJE

Excellent album by Brazilian trio Percussonica, which plays a very special brand of fusion, based on the South American rhythms and using a plethora of percussion instruments from the region. The music was recorded live at two concerts in 1998 and 2002 with superb sound quality. The trio (Ze Eduardo Nazario - drums & percussion, Lelo Nazario - keyboards and Felipe Avila - guitar) play with passion and outstanding musicianship, soaring through complex polyrhythmic and highly energetic composition with ease and elegance. For listeners familiar with the work of Airto Moreira and Hermeto Pascoal - Brazilian Masters who introduced the wonders of Brazilian jazz music to the Western world - this is an excellent opportunity to get exposed to the younger generation of Brazilian musicians. I truly enjoyed every minute of this album.

TEMPANO ~ ATABAL-YEMAL

Debut album (recorded 1979) by the most important Prog band from Venezuela. Like most other South American Prog bands of that period, they play a highly melodic Symphonic Prog, modeled after the Italian bands like PFM and Banco, with plenty of keyboards and melancholy. Relatively sparse vocals (in Spanish) with plenty of long instrumental passages make this a most pleasurable listen. The quality of the album of truly amazing, especially as a debut, and to this day this is considered as one of the best Prog albums from South America. This edition is a reissue of the debut album (unfortunately done from a vinyl copy, as the original masters were lost - surface cracks included) with additional bonus material recorded for especially for the reissue in 1998. Tempano released several albums through the 1980's and 1990's, but those were fairly commercial and not considered Prog. With the reissue of this album, they returned to their Prog origins and released since new excellent Prog albums. A Prog classic!

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jazzis kirjoitti noin 19 vuotta sitten+/- saldo : 0
Two more South American albums added today:

TEMPUS FUGIT ~ TALES FROM A FORGOTTEN WORLD

1st album (recorded 1997) by the Brazilian Prog band Tempus Fugit took the Prog wold by surprise, as it was a superbly written and executed worthy of a veteran band and not a newcomer. Heavily influenced by classic Italian bands (PFM and others) as well as British Prog (Marillion, Yes, etc.) this is a beautifully lyrical album, full of outstanding melodies and long epic themes. The guitar and keyboards provide rich and colorful sonic textures and the vocals (in English), although sparse, are also well suited to the entire musical fabric. Fans of Symphonic Prog will be delighted by this masterpiece from start to finish!

TEMPUS FUGIT ~ THE DAWN AFTER THE STORM

2nd album (recorded 1998-99) by this Brazilian Prog band, which was eagerly expected by Prog fans considering the strength and excellence of their debut. The album stands up to all the expectations with flying colors, being as strong and as perfect as the debut in every way. They manage again to come up with a set of wonderfully crafted melodies and perform them with flare and perfection. This is classic Symphonic Prog, with all the elements one expects from it, so lovers of the genre should have a field day with this one.

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Two more South American Prog releases added today:

TRYO ~ CRUDO

2nd album (recorded 1997-98) by the Chilean Prog band Tryo, which is considered as one of the most interesting South American groups. Tryo are in fact two distinct entities in one - an electric trio (guitar / bass / drums) and an acoustic trio (acoustic guitar / cello / percussion), playing two quite distant types of music. The electric version plays superb complex music fairly similar to late King Crimson or the Swedish band Anekdoten. Heavy, somewhat distorted guitar and odd rhythm patters are the main characteristics. In complete contrast the acoustic version plays serene, delicate music, complex as well but melancholic and subdued, somewhat similar to Oregon or another Swedish band Isildurs Bane. On this album the electric trio is documented performing live, while the acoustic trio provides a set of studio recorded tracks, which constitute the second part of the album. This is music of the highest caliber, not easy listening but a highly rewarding musical experience. Highly
recommended.

TRYO ~ PATRIMONIO

3rd album (recorded 1998-99) by this superb Chilean Prog band. As usual, it includes both the electric and the acoustic version of the band, performing the highly complex music, which is their forte. The music sound is somewhat similar to the output of several modern RIO groups, but always distinctly theirs. This album presents the electric and acoustic tracks intertwined, with no clear separation between them. The overall effect is quite stunning and presents an excellent example of how challenging and fulfilling Prog can be, when played by the best representatives of the genre. A must for any serious Prog-head.

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The last additions for this month - another South American and a new Hungarian Prog item added:

TRYO ~ VIAJES

4th album (recorded 2004-05) by the Chilean Prog band Tryo, a magnificent opus of contemporary music performed entirely by the acoustic version of the band. Acoustic guitar, cello and a plethora of percussion instruments create a serene, somewhat melancholic mood, which suits the compositions perfectly. The cello is featured as the front instrument on most pieces (strongly reminiscent of the early albums by the Hungarian band After Crying) with marimba and vibes providing the harmonics. This is heartbreakingly beautiful music worthy of repeated listening sessions in a variety of moods. It absolutely touches the soul of every sensitive person and I am enchanted, delighted and deeply moved by this music every time I listen to it. Essential!

YOU AND I ~ YOU AND I

1st album (recorded 1995) by Hungarian Prog band You And I, which features a female lead singer (singing in English and Hungarian). They are obviously influenced by classic Prog bands, especially Yes, but also many other musical influences are evident, including Hungarian folk and classical music. Several of the tunes on the album are instrumentals. It is a very strong and promising debut, which was followed later (after some personnel changes) by other impressive releases. Considering the high quality of Hungarian Prog in general, this is a worthy addition to the local Prog scene and definitely worth investigating.

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