More jazz than not.

Bliss: String Quartet No. 2; Clarinet Quintet Maggini Quartet/David Campbell, clarinet (Naxos 8.557394)

This Naxos release of two fine compositions by English composer Arthur Bliss (1891-1975) is a real delight; I would recommend it highly to anyone who has even the least hint of affinity for chamber music. Both pieces are quite approachable, with plenty of pleasures for the ear, so you need not be daunted by the dates of composition. If you enjoy the music of Vaughan Williams, for example, you should find these pieces quite to your liking. And at the Naxos budget price, you can't go wrong giving this disc a try.

Daryl Hall/John Oates: Our Kind of Soul (U-Watch Records 480103-2)

This one has been out for a while, having been released in 2004. Yeah, I'm getting older and slower. But this is such a great release that I would feel negligent in not passing along a recommendation.

Those familiar with Hall and Oates are well aware that they represent the Philly soul sound, and a sweet sound that is. They have produced some simply wonderful hits over the years, with infectious hooks galore, but this time around, they have simply outdone themselves--this is an absolutely fabulous recording. Were it not for the fact that my Top Ten list for the year is already being laid out, Hall & Oates would bump no less a luminary than Bill Frisell right off the list.

From the opening cut, an original titled "Let Love Take Control," which sounds as though it could have been a classic Philly soul tune from the '70s, on through dynamite renditions of classics such as Standing in the Shadows of Love," "I'll Be Around," "Used to Be My Girl," "Rock Steady," "What You See Is What You Get," and more, the hits just keep on coming, hook after glorious hook.

Readers who think I am someone who listens to little else than Mahler and ECM recordings may be shocked to know that I am such a huge fan of this sort of music. Hall & Oates, The Spinners, the Chi-Lites, The O-Jays--oh man, sweet sooooooul's got a hold on me! If you have any sort of affinity at all for soul music, you have to hear this disc. You'll be smiling and singing and dancing!

John Hiatt: Master of Disaster (New West Records NW6076)

John Hiatt has made a number of excellent recordings, most notably the great trilogy of Bring the Family, Slow Turning, and Stolen Moments, three consecutive masterpieces that in retrospect seem to have worn the poor guy out. Although he has made some pretty good recordings over the past few years, they have never been up to the level he established with those three remarkable releases.

One of the problems was that he got away from writing songs that told stories, stories that were populated with colorful characters such as Trudy and Dave. Instead, we got songs about getting old and good old love problems. There were some good songs along the way, but in Master of Disaster, Hiatt seems as though he may be doing a slow turning toward telling stories once more, as in "Cold River," a sordid tale that really will send cold shivers up and down your spine. We also get some Great American Iconography, something Hiatt is a master of, in the delightfully engaging "Thunderbird."

Interestingly, Hiatt has made this recording not with his old band, the Goners (featuring the slick slide guitar of Sonny Landreth), but with the guys from the North Mississippi All-Stars. I thought that would mean we would be in for some real hot blues and raunchy guitar sounds, but the overall sound is pretty laid-back. All in all, this is a really excellent release; not quite up to his very best, but awfully darn good nonetheless, and certainly most rewarding. (But what on earth were they thinking when they designed that cover?! It's a disaster, all right; in fact, I would guess, it's enough of a disaster to impede sales. Ugh.)

Mussorgsky/Stokowski: Symphonic Transcriptions Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra/Jose Serebrier

Maestro Serebrier was one of Leopold Stokowski's principal disciples, and it is great fun to have these dramatic orchestral showpieces recorded in excellent sound at a low price. The Mussorgsky transcriptions include A Night on Bare Mountain, Entr'acte to Act IV of Khovanshchina, a Symphonic Synthesis of Boris Godunov, and Pictures at an Exhibition. Although I prefer the Ravel orchestration of Pictures, I must say that Stokowski's version in some ways sounds more Russian. The disc also includes a couple of short pieces by Tchaikovsky and one by Stokowski. If you are someone who enjoys listening to these sorts of sonic spectaculars, then by all means pick up this CD and enjoy the show.

The Redwine Trio: Baby Won't You Please Come Home (Mapleshade 10632)

Mapleshade makes some of the finest-sounding discs on the market, no doubt about that. When they feature music that is equally fine, you have a release that is a must-have for audiophiles and music-lovers alike; believe me, this is a great recording that you must hear.

The Redwine Trio comprises Ben Redwine on clarinet, Tom Mitchell on guitar, and John Previti on bass. All three bring great energy and enthusiasm to this music, most of which is traditional-sounding jazz that you might imagine hearing in a small club in New Orleans. Thanks to Mapleshade's lifelike recording, you can pretty well imagine that these three gentlemen are putting on a command performance for you alone in the privacy of your listening room. Tasty, tasty stuff that should appeal to a wide spectrum of musical tastes, and can also be used for showing off your audio system.

Thompson: Choose Something Like a Star: The Choral Music of Randall Thompson The Mormon Tabernacle Choir/The Orchestra at Temple Square/Craig Jessop (Mormon Tabernacle Choir MTC0005)

American composer Randall Thompson (1899-1984) is something of a forgotten figure these days. Elsewhere in this issue, David Rich fills in some biographical details and discusses some recordings of his orchestral and chamber works; the recording we have here is of some of his choral works.

The CD opens with an energetic performance of "The Last Words of David," with the choir accompanied by the Tabernacle organ, then moves on to the utterly delightful Frostiana, which comprises seven poems by Robert Frost (yes, including that old favorite that nearly all schoolchildren of my generation were enjoined to commit to memory, "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening") that Thompson chose and set to music, performed here in arrangements for chorus and orchestra. The net result is utterly beautiful, and few will fail to be moved.

The next items on the program are four songs from "The Peaceable Kingdom," with texts taken from the Book of Isaiah. This too is a gorgeous musical experience, followed by the joyful sounds of "Two Alleluias" to bring this remarkable program to a close.

The performances are committed, the sound is excellent, the liner notes are useful, and the cover artwork is simply stellar. In all way, this is a most recommendable recording that has brought me great joy to hear and great enthusiasm to recommend.

Vivaldi: Gloria; Bach: Magnificat Boston Baroque/Martin Pearlman (Telarc CD 80651)

These are lively, well-recorded performances of these works, with a chamber orchestra using period instruments augmented by a small choir and vocal soloists. I have enjoyed previous recordings featuring Pearlman conducting Boston Baroque; they seem to strike a nice balance between using period instruments to get an authentic sound and striving to make things energetic and enjoyable. Some ensembles can make this kind of music sound stilted and academic, but Pearlman and his forces always seems to bring a measure of liveliness to the proceedings, which is the case with their performances here.