Imagine the scrolling main title of Star Wars or wizards taking flight in Harry Potter without triumphant brass and sweeping strings. These cinematic moments would lose their emotional resonance without the iconic music of John Williams. With 51 Oscar nominations and countless awards, John Williams has defined movie music for a half-century. So what happens when one of the most celebrated film composers teams up with one of today's foremost violinists? Anne-Sophie Mutter says that she's dreamed of collaborating with John Williams for decades. In the new Deutsche-Grammophon album Across the Stars, Williams conducts Mutter and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles in selections from some of the composer's most memorable film scores. These short pieces, which Mutter calls "little violin concerti," explore the virtuosic capabilities of the instrument, from the blazing, Paganini-esque rendition of Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter to the contemplative, melancholy interpretation of Sayuri's Theme from Memoirs of a Geisha. In a recent interview with WFMT: CHICAGO, Mutter discusses her long-time admiration of John Williams' scores, how she convinced the composer to collaborate (it involves some German gingerbread), and her thoughts on the importance of film music. READ THE Q&A p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Late last week, the news broke that WNYC, New York City's flagship NPR station, was cancelling all of music journalist John Schaefer's programming, including "New Sounds" and "Soundcheck." In the ongoing shift to become an all-news format, WNYC also announced its intent to discontinue the majority of its music programming by the end of this year. As the memo to the staff put it, "This is a continuation of the momentum that began when we replaced daytime music on WNYC-FM with news/talk format programs in 2002." On the airwaves since 1982, "New Sounds" bills itself as "New York Public Radio's home for the musically curious," telling us to "free your listening from the limits of genre and algorithm." Avant garde giant Laurie Anderson was the show's very first guest. Here was a space on the radio where tuning in could take you to Olafur Arnalds' otherworldly field recordings of his native Iceland that he transformed into glistening electro-acoustic singles on the album Island Songs. It was a place for Pulitzer Prize winner and Bang On a Can co-founder Julia Wolfe's Fire In My Mouth, a multimedia orchestral work that compiles archival information collected about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire of 1911. Premiered by New York Philharmonic earlier this year, Fire in My Mouth is a musical exploration of this tragedy for full orchestra, women's choir and unusual instrumentation that includes 100 pairs of scissors. Through "New Sounds," bold and idiosyncratic music was accessible to anyone with a car stereo or a $10 radio via "America's most listened-to public radio station." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL I CARE IF YOU LISTEN ARTICLE

This new release of a 1964 session by saxophone legend John Coltrane and his most famous quartet has been not so much lost as hiding in plain sight. Not only that, but Canada was the prime mover in its creation. In 1964, Canadian filmmaker Gilles Groulx was filming a movie in Montreal called Le Chat Dans Le Sac. He was a huge Coltrane fan, and somehow was able to convince the musician to agree to a recording session to be used as a soundtrack for the film. Historians totally overlooked this unusual event until a few years ago, but anyone who saw the film heard Coltrane, playing tracks such as Naima, for example, over the opening scene. The session was recorded at the famous Van Gelder studio in New York, and Groulx himself was present. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} SEE ALL REVIEWS ON Winnipeg Free Press PAGE

On December 4th, the Danish String Quartet will accept Musical America's prestigious award for Ensemble of the Year. The announcement was made earlier this week, and comes just a month after the release of volume 2 of the DSQ's acclaimed Prism series of recordings for ECM New Series, each pairing one of the late Beethoven Quartets with a Bach Fugue and a quartet by a later master. "One awaits the rest of the Danish String Quartet's series breathlessly, but it's possible that this volume, with a Beethoven performance for the ages, will tower over the  rest".  James Manheim, All Music In November the DSQ embark on a North American tour which will include a complete traversal of the 5 "Prism" programs in La Jolla – see dates below. The Danes also continue to perform Nordic folk song as on their 2017 album Last Leaf which was named to the Best Recordings of the Year lists at both the NY Times and NPR. "It is wonderful to hear these superb players let their collective hair down in this collection of (mostly) Scandinavian folk tunes and original material composed in like fashion. This should warm the heart of every fan of fiddling, whether bluegrass, Celtic or Bachian". James Oestreich – New York Times 25 Best Classical recordings of 2017 "when it comes to the simple idea of a classical string quartet performing folk tunes, the Danish musicians have exceeded all expectations". Tom Huizenga – NPRs 50 Best Albums of 2017    PHOTO: Caroline Bittencourt

I constantly listen to new music on the radio, rediscover classics, and pick-up CDs and LPs on frequent visits to Amoeba Music. This week's playlist gives you a taste of what I've been listening to lately. It's all over the place, just the way I like it. Hope you do, too. I'm excited to share a long-forgotten John Coltrane session called Blue World, an unused soundtrack for a Canadian film around the time of his later classics A Love Supreme and Crescent. The reel-to-reel master tape went back to Canada where the filmmakers were based and then forgotten. A wise sleuth on the Canadian film board rediscovered it and Impulse! Records recently released it on 180 gram audiophile vinyl and CD. The great fire of 2008 wiped out Impulse!'s master tapes, so thank goodness this one wasn't there. Interestingly, Coltrane and the quartet recorded the soundtrack without ever seeing the film. They revisited classic Coltrane material from the Atlantic and Impulse years, but in a more evolved Coltrane style. With each listen, Blue World reveals more and more of its secrets. Ashley Kahn's liner notes tell the whole story. Then we hear a lush recording of Ludovico Einaudi's song "Night," performed by Canadian violinist Angèle Dubeau's group La Pietà, followed by two contemporary Cuban artists, pianist Roberto Fonseca and vocalist Daymé Arocena. We then travel to Spain and hear the Paco de Lucía Project perform Chick Corea's classic song "Spain," paired with a track from young flamenco guitarist José Antonio Rodríguez. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ & LISTEN TO THE FULL KCRW: Los Angeles 'Rhythm Planet's October Jukebox'

At last week's Brown Arts Initiative songwriting workshop, pianist Cory Henry told attendees about his career in music and also gave feedback and suggestions to participants who shared their own songs. Henry discussed his musical influences and critiqued original songs as part of the weekly workshop. Henry, the leader of the band Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, began the workshop with an introduction to his history with music. A former member of the Brooklyn jazz band Snarky Puppy, Henry traces his roots and passion for music to his childhood time spent in church. He later discussed how he entered the world of jazz music. "When I got to about 13 years old, … I got into Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum (and) Herbie Hancock," he said, referencing his early influences. "When I turned about 15, … I started going to this club called the Village Underground, and it was the first time that I really have ever seen a Hammond organ outside of the church," he continued. Henry detailed how he learned jazz standards, even booking his first major gig with famous jazz saxophonist Kenny Jarrett. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Brown Daily Herald ARTICLE

After taking a career hiatus to raise her children and then deal with a near career-ending shoulder injury, Canadian cellist Ofra Harnoy started performing again in 2018. This album presents a number of tried and true Baroque favourites on the cello, such as Bach's "Air" from Orchestral Suite No. 3, "Bist Du Bei Mir," as well as some slightly lesser known gems from composers such as Allegri and Corelli, which Ofra Harnoy interprets with the profound musicality and passion she is known for. In Ofra's early Baroque recordings, many works were accompanied with organ, chamber orchestra, or harpsichord. For this album, however, rather than revisiting the conventional settings for these works, she has decided to use brass as accompaniment for some works, and, for the works by Telemann and Allegri, has created a cello ensemble through overdubbing and multi-tracking techniques. As much as it is a treat to hear her play this music as soloist, that joy is multiplied in hearing her play each of the nine voices of Allegri's Miserere. This album presents a number of tried and true Baroque favorites on the cello as well as an inspiring comeback. Grab this funky version of Air on the G String now as our KUSC: Los Angeles Free Download!

This song is written from the point of view of a man who has just extinguished life of another. He has the authority to do so as a licensed officer of the law, nonetheless the extent of his powers do not sit easy with him. He asks philosophical questions of the society that gives him the power of life and death over his fellow human beings and he ponders the historical context that allows him to wield said authority. He comes to the conclusion that he is fulfilling a pre-ordained role determined by history rather than one defined by his own personal choices. The POINT LESS podcast with Ola Onabule presents: ‘The Old Story The POINT LESS podcast is a series that boldly expresses views on social injustice. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it. Violence, immigration, xenophobia, betrayal, and dignity are themes considered and rendered with a powerful and knowing generosity of spirit.So embodies the artistic - and entrepreneurial - philosophy of Onabulé, whose latest album release, Point Less, is a giant leap forward and deeply soulful Rueful yet optimistic, Onabulé's reach is global. His three-and-a-half octave baritone and the powerful emotions he conveys with it connects with audiences around the world. "Hands-on, self-sufficiency has always been my mantra for survival in the music game," says the songwriter. Produced & Narrated by Max Horowitz - Crossover Media

The POINT LESS podcast with Ola Onabule: The Old?Story

Award winning soprano Elyse Anne Kakacek has joined forces with accompanist Christopher Fecteau to create a recording of American composer Valerie Saalbach's complete song cycles. The True Capture Records release entitled 'Untethered' contains the world premiere recording of Valerie Saalbach's complete song cycles; Journey of Desire, The Poems of Emily Dickinson, and Catarina de Camoens. Kakacek, who has been praised by OperaNews for her "compelling, lyrical singing." noted about the album; "I saw an opportunity to give voice to a living female composer, with feminine centric music and poetry, in this time when our culture is desperately craving healthy femininity. I saw an opportunity to use music to promote social change- which can be a rare thing in classical music." CS Music loves to spotlight singers, especially when they have a special project they are working on. This edition features; Elyse Anne Kakacek's 'Untethered: The Song Cycles of Valerie Saalbach." Kakacek shared with us all about the project and her unique perspective during the process. READ THE Q&A

Ola Onabulé's new album POINT LESS is a giant leap forward and deeply soulful. Onabulé's reach is global. Rueful yet optimistic, his three-and-a-half octave baritone and the powerful emotions he conveys with it connects with audiences around the world. "Hands-on, self-sufficiency has always been my mantra for survival in the music game," says the songwriter. POINT LESS boldly expresses views on social injustice. It is an activist's call - at once a celebration of life and a cautionary take on the social forces that threaten it.  jazzwise reviewed the album and the review is posted as image

The American radio station KJAZZ-Los Angeles chose Lyn Stanley Jazz Vocalist of the Year 2018. Stanley's Favorite Takes - London With A Twist - Live At Bernie's " is a kind of concert anthology. She chose not only recordings of Richard Rogers and Cole Porter, but also hits of Chuck Berry and Bruce Springsteen. The singer is accompanied by excellent musicians (pianists Otmaro Ruiz and Mike Lang, bassist Chuck Berghofer, drummer Aaron Serfaty, guitarist John Chiodini, percussionist Luis Conte), who play underwater and hit hits together (" Route 66", " Pink Cadillac "," Blue Moon "," Let There Be You "," You Never Can Tell "," Goody Goody "," Love Letters "," Lover Man " and "  Bye, Bye Blackbird "). Noteworthy is also the impeccable attention to sound quality. The publishing house Lyn Stanley,  AT Music , pays special attention to sound quality, directing their albums to the most demanding audiophiles. Hence, many albums released by this publishing house are released in the form of a hybrid CD containing the SACD track and traditional, read by popular players. Limited editions of albums pressed on vinyl are also available. In the case of the album " Lyn Stanley's Favorite Takes - London With A Twist - Live At Bernie's " the famous direct to disc recording method  was used , i.e. technology requiring direct recording of the sound on the matrix without studio repetitions, mixes or corrections. READ THE FULL era jazzu REVIEW

The colorful Pacifica String Quartet is heard frequently here on WCRB – and so is the soulful guitarist Sharon Isbin. Now they've met and formed a spectacular musical friendship, resulting in a new recording full of shifting Mediterranean moods. The CD, called Souvenirs of Spain and Italy features Italian composers who have dipped into the colorful world of Spanish idioms. When asked about the CD, cellist Brandon Vamos said, "What I love about working with Sharon is her attention to detail, subtlety and nuance, rubato and timing, and her diligence and desire to get things just right." The vibrant Pacifica Quartet is a perfect match for guitarist Sharon Isbin on WCRB's CD of the Week, where the intoxicating flavor of Spain gets cooked up by Italian composers.  SEE THE WCRB: Boston MA PAGE