Core Clarinet Repertoire

Carl Maria von Weber : Concertante Works for Clarinet and Horn. Performers : City of London Sinfonia with Michael Collins clarinet / Conductor. Stephen Stirling horn. Both of Weber's clarinet concertos, which are the core material of the disc. Also a worthwhile concertino for clarinet and a more disposable one for horn.

Reassessment Year For Delius

The current free cover disc from BBC Music magazine is another of those anniversary tie ins. One of "this year's" composers is Delius. Sea Drift : Thomas Hampson baritone, BBC National Orchestra and Chorus of Wales, The Bach Choir, Conducted by Richard Hickox from a 2004 prom concert. Piano Concerto : Benno Moiseiwitsch piano, BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Sir Malcolm Sargent from a vintage 1955 prom concert. Poem of Life and Love : BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley.

Timeless And Evocative

G.I. Gurdjieff Sacred Hymns : Performer, Keith Jarrett piano. Contemplative and mystical music but with enough depth and outbursts of passion to keep it well above a mere chill out session.

Home Thoughts From Abroad

Hugh Masekela : Home Is Where The Music Is From 1972 when the removal of the Apartheid regime in South Africa looked an impossiblity. Hugh Masekela exiled in the US, Dudu Phukwana in London. They join forces on this fine album recorded in London and remixed in LA. African blues influenced jazz grooves before world music was coined as a term. Supporting Masekela's flugelhorn and Phukwana's alto sax is an exemplary rhythm section of Larry Willis piano, Makhaya Ntshoko drums and Eddie Gomez bass. Originally a double vinyl album, it now makes a nicely filled cd.

They Were Better Than This

The Yardbirds : The Ultimate Collection. Er, no not really. Two out of three ain't bad but this Yardbirds compilation doesn't do the band justice. There are good tracks but nothing from the Roger The Engineer album and nothing from the death throes of the band with Jimmy Page. Instead there are some feeble demos from very, very early days before even Clapton joined. Still, cheap enough and two thirds of the two disc set is ok.

Come On Children

Small Faces : Ultimate Collection Another two disc set that includes just about everything one would expect. And a little bit of a revelation concerning how good a band the original Small Faces were and what a great vocalist Steve Marriot was. Still underrated.

Out Of My Brain On A Train

The Who : The Ultimate Collection. Not a misnomer, hard to think of anything essential that is not included on this two disc set. A couple of fillers from much later in the band's career but most of it out of the very top drawer of rock / pop music. First of a trilogy of purchases to accompany the earlier Kinks set and indulge in a little 1960s London nostalgia fest. Crawdaddy, Marquee, Ricky Tick, Flamingo etc etc.