Title: Giuliano Carmignola & Sonatori de la Gioiosa Marca – Vivaldi: The Four Seasons (1994/2006)
Genre: Classical
Format: SACD ISO
Title: Giuliano Carmignola, Venice Baroque Orchestra, Andrea Marcon – Concerto Veneziano (2005)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
The Venice Baroque Orchestra’s first Archiv collaboration with their regular guest soloist Giuliano Carmignola could almost be a retrospective sampler of the kind of distinguished recordings they previously made for Sony Classical. Here are two Vivaldi concertos of the relaxed and warmly lyrical kind that he wrote in later life, alongside a concerto from Locatelli’s L’arte del violino, complete with stratospheric cadenzas. The disc rounds off by taking a promising new direction in the form of an elegant concerto by Tartini.
Recent years have brought a steady stream of recordings of Vivaldi concertos beyond the dozen or so famous ones, and it has became clear that his corpus of work remains a land of mostly unexplored riches. Consider the pair of Vivaldi works included on this Concerto veneziano, performed by violinist Giuliano Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra. Neither work sounds remotely like the Four Seasons and the other Vivaldi concertos most people are familiar with. The first movement of the Violin Concerto in E minor, RV 278, is the sort of piece Vivaldi’s successor Tartini had in mind when he complained in reference to the elder master’s music that “a throat isn’t the neck of a violin”; it is a wordless but highly evocative little operatic scene, complete with mounting grimness and sudden chromatic shocks. The Concerto for Violin and Strings (“in due cori”) in B flat major, RV 583, is a grand work with a highly virtuosic (and scordatura) violin part set against two small orchestras; annotator Roger-Claude Travers speculates that it was written for some special occasion. The slow movements of both of these works are of the unbearably beautiful sort that Vivaldi seemed to write with miraculous ease; the B flat concerto’s central movement is a chaconne that begins almost minimalistically and expands into a cascade of pure ornament in the violin. Concertos by Pietro Locatelli and Giuseppe Tartini are also included. They show how the next generation of Italian virtuosi dealt with Vivaldi’s example. One learns from the liner notes that Vivaldi was the first to suggest the idea of a cadenza. A massive cadenza in the Locatelli work challenges the violinist to the same degree as did Bach’s sonatas for unaccompanied violin, but it has all the musical interest of a 1970s rock drum solo. Still and all, this is a must-have disc for lovers of the Baroque concerto. Carmignola and the Venice Baroque Orchestra achieve an ideal new Italian sound in the historical-performance arena, with a warmth that stands in contrast to the glittering surfaces wrought by northern European groups. One attractive feature of this release is the set of liner notes; in the U.S. version they are in English only, which allows room for enthusiastic discourse on the music itself along with detailed and entertaining performer biographies. Presumably other countries get the notes in their own languages. This approach is preferable to the packed-in small print one usually finds when translations in three or more languages are included. True, the label has to split up the production run this way, but in these days of digital graphics files, that really shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Title: Ginuwine – The Life (2001)
Genre: R&B
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
The Life is the third studio album from American R&B singer Ginuwine, released on Epic Records in 2001. The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 152,000 copies sold in the U.S. and was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
On his third album, Ginuwine is even more of a practiced R&B loverman than he was on his first two releases. Big Dog Productions, Inc. and the team of Troy Oliver and Cory Rooney produce the bulk of the beats here, which, as usual, mostly range from slow to very slow tempos with such trendy touches as acoustic guitar passages. But all that just serves as a bed for Ginuwine’s elastic tenor and his message to the women in his audience. The singer sounds like he’s been reading women’s magazines and tried to construct a persona that’s as appealing as possible. “Baby,” he croons in “Why Did You Go,” “I’m sorry for whatever I’ve done and I want you to be my wife.” In “Differences,” he talks about how much he has improved since meeting the woman he’s addressing, concluding, “I’m so responsible.” Even when he’s criticizing a woman, as he does in the album’s first single, “There It Is,” it’s because she’s not contributing to the relationship, while he’s holding down a steady job and paying the bills. It’s only in the album’s eighth cut, “How Deep Is Your Love” (an original, not the Bee Gees song), that he begins to apply pressure for sex, ungallantly suggesting that if the woman doesn’t come across he’ll start cheating on her. “Show After the Show” is a come-on to a post-concert groupie, which seems to negate what’s gone before, and “Role Play” moves on to kinky sex, but in the album-closing “Just Because,” Ginuwine acknowledges the temptations of his occupation and pleads, “I’m trying to learn to be committed.” It’s hard to believe that anyone who’s swallowed his line before is going to become skeptical now, so The Life looks like another winner for him.
![Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool (1960) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2010]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2026/01/22/RGv2BBZ.jpg "Gil Evans - Out Of The Cool (1960) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2010]")
Title: Gil Evans – Out Of The Cool (1960) [Analogue Productions Remaster 2010]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Out of the Cool, released in 1960, was the first recording Gil Evans issued after three straight albums with Miles Davis — Sketches of Spain being the final one before this. Evans had learned much from Davis about improvisation, instinct, and space (the trumpeter learned plenty, too, especially about color, texture, and dynamic tension). Evans orchestrates less here, instead concentrating on the rhythm section built around Elvin Jones, Charlie Persip, bassist Ron Carter, and guitarist Ray Crawford. The maestro in the piano chair also assembled a crack horn section for this date, with Ray Beckinstein, Budd Johnson, and Eddie Caine on saxophones, trombonists Jimmy Knepper, Keg Johnson, and bass trombonist Tony Studd, with Johnny Coles and Phil Sunkel on trumpet, Bill Barber on tuba, and Bob Tricarico on flute, bassoon, and piccolo. The music here is of a wondrous variety, bookended by two stellar Evans compositions in “La Nevada,” and “Sunken Treasure.” The middle of the record is filled out by the lovely standard “Where Flamingos Fly,” Kurt Weill-Bertolt Brecht’s “Bilbao Song,” and George Russell’s classic “Stratusphunk.” The sonics are alternately warm, breezy, and nocturnal, especially on the 15-plus-minute opener which captures the laid-back West Coast cool jazz feel juxtaposed by the percolating, even bubbling hot rhythmic pulse of the tough streets of Las Vegas. The horns are held back for long periods in the mix and the drums pop right up front, Crawford’s solo — drenched in funky blues — is smoking. When the trombones re-enter, they are slow and moaning, and the piccolo digs in for an in the pocket, pulsing break.
![Gil Evans - Gil Evans & Ten (1957) [Reissue 2003]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2026/01/22/IWRcl2v.jpg "Gil Evans - Gil Evans & Ten (1957) [Reissue 2003]")
Title: Gil Evans – Gil Evans & Ten (1957) [Reissue 2003]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Although arranger Gil Evans had been active in the major leagues of jazz ever since the mid-’40s and had participated in Miles Davis’ famous Birth of the Cool recordings, Gil Evans & Ten was his first opportunity to record as a leader. The set features a typically unusual 11-piece unit consisting of two trumpets, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, Bart Varsalona on bass trombone, French horn player Willie Ruff, Steve Lacy on soprano, altoist Lee Konitz, Dave Kurtzer on bassoon, bassist Paul Chambers, and either Nick Stabulas or Jo Jones on drums, plus the leader’s sparse piano. As good an introduction to his work as any, this program includes diverse works ranging from Leadbelly to Leonard Bernstein, plus Evans’ own “Jambangle.” The arranger’s inventive use of the voices of his rather unique sidemen make this a memorable set.
![Gianni Basso and Renato Sellani - Body and Soul (2008) [Japan 2017]](https://imghd.xyz/images/2024/12/18/a55ede74e7ff4cb3a29b4dc8d63e8ae1-10120483863529343442.webp "Gianni Basso and Renato Sellani - Body and Soul (2008) [Japan 2017]")
Title: Gianni Basso and Renato Sellani – Body and Soul (2008) [Japan 2017]
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
According to Eugene Chadbourne of AllMusic, “Gianni Basso was one of the lights who began shining on the European jazz scene following the end of World War II”. He began as a clarinetist before switching to saxophone, and became a renowned Italian jazz tenor saxophonist influenced by Stan Getz. A native of Italy, Renato Sellani has fast become one of the most popular jazz pianists in Europe. Japanese producer Tetsuo Hara discovered him and has recorded him regularly for his Venus label.
After World War II’s wave of adulation and imitation, it’s clear that many Italian musicians have branded jazz with individual characteristics. To jazz, they bring a poetic sense of eternal cantabile, drama, film, classical and folk influences. Saxophonist Gianni Basso and pianist Renato Sellani, Piemontese octogenarians, pay retrospective homage on Body and Soul, caressing Swing Era favorites with devotion and delight, grace and poetry. Basso models his brimming, avuncular style on Coleman Hawkins, complete with gruff, burly tone, nowhere more in evidence than on the pace-setting title track. Sellani approaches Teddy Wilson with a conservatory touch, discreetly tasteful and tidy, bubbling over but occasionally, as on ‘Watch What Happens’. This Legrand tune, along with ‘Beyond The Sea’ and Latin classics, give away their European bent.
Title: Gianna Nannini – Perle (2004)
Genre: Rock
Format: SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
Backed by a string quartet, Gianna Nannini’s 18th album, Perle, sees the Italian singer/songwriter perform new interpretations of some of her biggest hits. Produced by Christian Lohr, the 2004 LP features 13 re-workings of tracks taken from her 30-year career, including material from 1979’s California, her 1986 breakthrough, Profumo, and her 2002 effort Aria.
Title: Leontyne Price, Erich Leinsdorf – Puccini: Madama Butterfly (2006)
Genre: Classical, Opera
Format: MCH SACD ISO + Hi-Res FLAC
This recording of Madama Butterfly is one of my all time favorites. It was one of the 1st records that I bought myself in the early 1970’s. Since then I have acquired original 1963 LP pressings, UK-made LP’s, the the original R2R tape, & the old CD issue, all in hopes of finding the best sounding edition. Up till now, the Reel-Reel tape was the best, apparently avoiding the some of the dull Dynagroove equalization that RCA imposed on this & most of its subsequent 1960’s releases. Now here is where the DSD/SACD mastering has proved its worth! This disc reveals a master recording of breadth & subtlety, the equal of any of the “Living Stereo” era recordings. The 3D soundstage is spacious, the orchestra warm & detailed, & the voices exquisitely clear & vivid. All of this is in a sound environment that is never forced or harsh. I think one can safely say that we have never truly heard this beautiful performance in all of its glory until now.
In previous releases that I have heard in this Living Stereo SACD series, I found the sound either to be a little flat compared to the original LP’s, or somewhat aggressive & “in-your-face” in a way that the magnificent “Living Stereo” LP’s never were. This issue is just the opposite. Compared to these magnificent CD’s, the old LP & R2R versions still sound good, but a little flat, 2-dimensional, & lacking in detail compared to the SACD. Maybe the RCA/BMG SACD series has found its real value in revealing the true beauty of “Dynagroove”-era recordings that RCA previously offered only in over-equalized versions. I hope to see many more on SACD, including the best recordings that Leinsdorf made with the Boston Symphony. An SACD of the Leinsdorf/Boston “Lohengrin” is something to truly dream for. Don’t hesitate to buy this disc. The sumptious & heart-felt performances of Price & Tucker along with the flexible idiomatic orchestral performance have long made this a classic. Now we can hear it on CD in all its magnificence. For those who don’t have SACD capability, the CD layer is also derived from the new DSD master & is very fine, well worth the reasonable price. The packaging is bare-bones, with links to an online libretto for downloading. The booklet does reprint the original 1962 notes; but there are no photos or new notes regarding the artists, recording, or the remastering. There is just a generic technical essay that is included in all of the SACD releases. Still, at this price, who’s complaining? Highest recommendation!
Title: Giovanni Mirabassi New York Trio – The Sound Of Love (2022)
Genre: Jazz
Format: SACD ISO
Jazz trio and vocalist Tatiana Eva-Marie perform Michel Legrand compostions! A warmly intimate take on the music of Michel Legrand — one that takes all the majesty of his famous compositions, and brings them down to the level of a jazz trio with vocalist — all with a sound that’s really beautiful throughout! Unlike other projects of this nature, Tatiana Eva-Marie sings the originals lyrics in French, not the later translations that showed up on the American market — a quality that really gives the record a special vibe — as does the work of Giovanni Mirabassi on piano, recorded here with surprising use of echo that really gives the whole album a very moody feel. Other players include Alexander Claffy on bass and Joe Peri on drums – and titles include “Un Ete 42”, “Chanson De Maxence”, “Amour Amour Je T’Aime Tant”, “La Valse Des Lilas”, “Les Moulins De Mon Coeur”, and “Watch What Happens” — plus Mirabassi’s own “The Sound Of Love,” a tribute to Legrand.
Title: Giovanni Marradi – The Romantic Piano Of Giovanni (2014)
Genre: New Age
Format: SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC
Giovanni is one of the most successful expressionist pianists of the 21st Century. Composer, recording artist, arranger, performer, inventor, and cartoonist. One hundred twenty thousand CDs sold in one 120 minute segment on QVC! A record that still stands as one of Giovanni’s outstanding achievements. Selling over four million CDs during his appearances on QVC and The Home Shopping Network alone.
Giovanni also produced, directed, and hosted “Giovanni’s World of Music,” a TV series broadcast on stations around the world. The show was distributed by Warner Brothers Television. Both “Giovanni’s World of Music” and Giovanni himself have been nominated for and received several awards from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, The Telly Awards, EMA, and the New York Festivals. His specials on PBS are still being replayed. Giovanni has recorded over 150 CDs and two DVDs from his TV specials. Today he continues to compose, teach, record, and perform for audiences around the world. While in Las Vegas, Giovanni developed a close friendship with Frank Sinatra that lasted until his death. – “One day Frank asked me what I wanted out of life. I told him that I wanted to touch peoples hearts as he does. He looked straight at me and said, ‘I know that you’ll do it. I can see it in your eyes'”, said Giovanni