Our favorite things: recordings.

Once again, we have asked our staff to pick their 10 favorites from among the many recordings they have encountered, employed, and enjoyed during the past year. Note that the selections are not limited to recordings that were released during the past year. Note also that some staffers abstained entirely, while others could not confine themselves to a mere 10 recordings. In any event, we think you will agree that this is quite an eclectic and entertaining list; we hope that you find it useful. Enjoy!

Steve Baird

Well, another year has passed announcing to me that it's time to think about writing a short report on the best recordings I've heard recently. As regular Sensible Sound readers know, my endeavors for the magazine have concentrated on reissues in new formats. When I began this back in the eighties, this column regularly considered recordings that had been converted from LP to CD. Later on, this meant that as digital technologies evolved, I wrote about the introduction of supposed improvements. That meant that many CDs that had been LPs originally were being reissued again. Sometimes improvements were obvious in these later reissues, sometimes not. In 1999, I got an introduction to SACD, and was, again, put into the position of thinking about what this entirely new format could do to improve sound quality for avid music lovers and audiophiles. Sadly, though, it is beginning to look like the days are numbered for those with an interest in recorded music in any format. This is, in large part, due to consumers' lack of interest.

Pundits, industry spokespersons and hobbyists alike predict the end of the CD as a music medium sooner than later. The giants of the industry sought to stave this off by introducing DVD-A and SACD, but both of these proved to have little effect on consumers who would rather use something visual to go along with their sound. To this end, the industry is looking to Blu-Ray or old music repackaged with DVD videos on separate disks to keep them afloat. This is not going to happen. There appears to be a limit to the number of format options in which consumers will spend money on the same item again. How many different copies of Kind of Blue or the Beatles does one need anyway?

Adding to all of this has been the continual decline in the sales of classical music. There have been a number of forces at work to ensure its demise. Even educational systems that have dropped music appreciation as an elective subject have had a hand in this decline. Perhaps Adlai Stevenson's essay, "The Fuss about Eggheads," had something to do with it too. This writing from the Democratic Party's presidential candidate for the 1952 and 1956 elections resulted from Richard Nixon's characterization of Stevenson, a Princeton graduate, as an egghead. The essay told of the anti-intellectual movement afoot in America that branded people of intelligence and culture as someone dangerous and to be avoided. As a result, many people would categorize certain kinds of music as boring without ever having heard it. The record companies, too, contributed to such a characterization. RCA even released an album titled Classical Music for People Who Don't Like Classical Music.

The unions governing classical music performance in the USA haven't helped either. The charges imposed on record companies for the services of orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic and the Boston Symphony have made it far too expensive for them to compete against foreign groups in all parts of Europe and elsewhere. I haven't begun to touch upon other issues like piracy and the like that have been made all the more easy by such conveniences as computers and the internet, but in the interest of brevity, I'll be leaving this to the reader's imagination. Suffice it to say that I have to admit that listening to music on a CD or LP on two speakers does look like it really is going to pass into history. As such it behooves those of us who really do enjoy this pastime to stock up on the best recordings ever made.

In choosing the recordings for this list, I wanted to be absolutely confident that they offer the best combination of both music and sound--a listing of perfect 10 recordings, if you will, where neither dominates. Most, if not all of these, are out of print, but as most readers know, there is often a source for these. When I reported on the Classic Records reissue CD of Harry Belafonte's live performance at Carnegie Hall two years ago, I set about to investigate other reissues from Classic just to see if this one was a fluke. After examining just a few others I soon realized that Mike Hobson at Classic was onto something, so I began searching for all of them. Some of these have made the final cut. So, without further ado, here is my list of the best recordings in my collection.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Kiril Kondrashin conducts the Royal Concertgebouw, Herman Krebbers (violin); Philips 464 735-2. I've read in places that the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is one of the finest sounding music auditoriums in the world. There are dozens of recordings that bear witness to the truth of this statement, perhaps none more ably than this one. This recording makes my top picks for this reason as well as my view that Herman Krebbers' distinguished contribution to the performance places it far atop the list of many great Scheherazades. This one just happens to be the best of them. Don't be fooled into thinking that you must have the fancy super bit reissue listed here, as the original Philips release sounds identical.

Debussy: Nocturnes; Ernest Ansermet conducts L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande; Classic Records CSCD 6023. This special performance is paired with Ravel's Mother Goose Suite, which is recommendable too. But it's the choral segments of "Sirenes" that makes this one most heavenly. The Classic Records reissues were remastered and engineered by Bernie Grundman, and nearly all of the classical ones have a smooth, open and airy sound to them. Having heard all of the London "Bluebacks" and all but one of the RCA Living Stereo releases that Grundman did for Classic, I'd say that the sound here is typical of the orchestral sound that he was able to get from these ancient master tapes. The choral movement produces the most lifelike and natural sound of massed human voices I have ever heard on a recording. What amazes me most about this is that the recording dates from the late fifties.

Beethoven: Piano Sonatas 8 (Pathetique), 14 (Moonlight) & 23 (Appasionata); Artur Rubinstein, RCA 71619-2. I recall seeing an hour-long program on PBS entitled "Rubinstein At 80" that was rebroadcast shortly after his death. It was a fascinating admixture of biographical notes from the producers, and comments from the artist about music in general--spiced with some self-criticism about his own playing. Rubinstein would be the first to aver, as he did herein, that he was not a technically competent pianist, but he insisted that so much of what distinguishes the technical craftsman from himself was, rather, the sense that playing the notes correctly is only half of what determines an artist's creativity and his affinity for the music he plays. He went on to say that many great pianists could more successfully combine the craft with the art than he.

I suppose that the artist's reputation might reveal a scant bit of tongue-in-cheek among those comments of his. Rubinstein's many and various recordings for RCA demonstrate his well-known insistence that his piano overshadow the orchestra in those sorts of recordings, an indication that his own craft was competent enough to outdo his supporting musicians. Such an assessment is, however, just as useful to the solo recordings he made, this Beethoven Sonatas recording being quite typical.

Overall, there is more of a sense that we are listening to Rubinstein playing the piano than we are to hearing the artist play Beethoven. Rubinstein's way with these most famous sonatas is Rubinstein's way, and we hear this quite convincingly. His Moonlight opens with a bit slower tempo than convention would dictate. Yet, there's a diligence to his playing here that allays any doubt about his technical competence. The movement is note perfect and adamant; the allegretto is remarkably similar to what we would expect from any pianist of this caliber, suggesting that he can play with the best of them. Surprisingly, in the presto agitato he reverts to that same sort of individualism that distinguishes Rubinstein from, say, a Kempf, a Gulda or any other such gifted contemporary noted for their Beethoven. There's a spritely quality to the playing here (and overall) that invites the listener to hear the Moonlight Sonata as a refreshing departure from those academically correct performances that contend for space on collectors' shelves, and, as such, makes this reissue highly recommendable.

The Pathetique is just as unique. From the opening keystroke, we know this will not be your average reading. There is something here, though that suggests to me that Rubinstein misses some of the power of this work in those opening moments. It lilts just a little more than I prefer, giving one less of a sense of the tragic beauty the composer might have meant. But it is also less mechanical than what we hear from even the best of the interpreters. There's fluency to this movement and the adagio that follows that makes this one of the most emotionally attractive performances of this work I've ever heard despite its reticence. I'm on the edge of my seat, listening intently for each note, each phrase.

The sound of the piano is very good considering the recording's age, but there are instances where the piano's image will wander.

Hindemith: Violin Concerto, Bruch: Scottish Fantasia, David Oistrakh (violin), Paul Hindemith and Jascha Horenstein conducting the London Symphony; Classic Records CSCD 6337. Perhaps the finest recordings of these two works ever to be released. Oistrakh proves to be sympathetic to both of these works despite their differences. With the composer conducting for this performance of the concerto, the interplay between violinist and orchestra is nothing short of electrifying. The Bruch Fantasia is just as captivating. Sound quality here is particularly brilliant, making it one of the three best sounding CD reissues for the Classic Records Label.

Stravinsky: Petrushka, Ernest Ansermet conducting L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Classic Records CSCD 6009. Critics have long agreed that Ansermet's interpretation is nearly definitive, and I couldn't agree more. There is a generous amount of gaiety mixed with suspense throughout this performance that keeps me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. This release is also the single most natural sounding compact disk in my collection. With its wide frequency response and dynamic range coupled with one of the most correctly spaced images I've ever heard from a mere recording, I have been in awe of it since the first time I heard this CD. KWN had sent me a copy of the original LP release that he had found at Mole's many years ago, but I confess that I cannot get it to sound remotely like this CD on my present turntable system. I once compared it to a friend's mint Decca LP, with the participants split 50/50 on which was the more musically satisfying version; he had the cleaner LP copy and the superior turntable system.

My final entry is for one more Classic Records reissue. Unlike those above, this one stands out as their very finest jazz reissue. Thanks to their hard work at searching for the best tapes available, their release was the first to bring the record and CD to the public in true stereo sound. That recording is Billie Holiday's Songs for Distingue Lovers, Classic Records VSCD 6021. Billie made this record near the end of her life, but the magic powers of her phrasing and accentuation can still be heard through the voice weakened by a lifetime of drugs and alcohol. Though many critics over the years have dismissed this session as being a feeble attempt to sell more records, the symbiosis between her and the great set of backup musicians used here comes through loud and clear. I don't believe I've ever heard a kick drum recorded more accurately. This is one of my two favorite records of all time.

Kevin East

What a lovely year for rock'n'roll! The cultural polarities that seemed to have cleft and deeply divided a nation have receded a bit, perhaps in recognition that there is a common good out there somewhere that has room for diversity and differing points of view--or maybe just tired of the bums stuffing the treasury in their pockets. Manufactured pop and the iPod seem to maintain their sway over good music and good sound respectively. But the wealth of off-road and indie issues, even a few from enough of the war horses, especially The Who's Endless Wire (see Carousel Corner somewhere in the back of this issue), gives me heart that the creaky genre we call pop music is nonetheless alive and breathing. Witness this year's Top Ten or So ... Carousel Corner review issue in parentheses.

The Very Best:

Sufjan Stevens, ... Invites You to Come on and Feel the Illinoise (No. 108). Self-indulgent, panoramic, and sopping wet with genius. Two down; forty-eight to go.

Mumbo Gumbo, Pot Luck (No. 108). A Northern California regional band which deserves a vastly wider audience.

Joe Jackson, Afterlife (No. 109). You simply cannot let any Joe Jackson live album get away.

The Ditty Bops (No. 109); Moon Over the Freeway (No. 111). Deliciously pixie-ish jug band pop.

Wailin' Jennys, 40 Days (No. 109); Firecracker (No. 111). With due apologies to Hem's Sally Ellyson, Equation's Kathryn Roberts, and The Ditty Bops, the Jennys deliver the most arresting, astonishing solo and ensemble vocals I've heard in many, many years.

Supergrass, Road to Rouen (No. 109). IMHO, the finest pop album of 2006.

Equation, Hazy Days (No. 109). One of a vanguard of new pop bands which add a rhythm section (bass/percussion) to the traditional bluegrass acoustic string ensemble for lovely effect.

Gomez, How We Operate (No. 110). IMHO, the second finest pop album of 2006.

Calexico/Iron & Wine, In the Reins (No. 110). Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) needed Calexico's Joey Burns and John Convertino. Extraordinary collaboration.

Bob Dylan, Modern Times (No. 111). The master scales yet another zenith.

Rosanne Cash, Black Cadillac (No. 111). Cathartic, punishing intensity; cathedraline grandeur.

Beck, The Information (Review in this issue's Carousel Corner.)

Los Lobos, The Town and the City (Review this ish ...)

The Who, Endless Wire (Review this ish ...)

The Beatles, Love (Review this ish ...)

Not Far Behind:

Peter Mulvey, The Trouble with Poets (No. 108)

Hem, Rabbit Songs; Eveningland (No. 109)

Belle and Sebastian, The Life Pursuit (No. 110)

Red Hot Chili Peppers, Stadium Arcadium (No. 110)

Mark Knopfler and Emmy Lou Harris, All the Roadrunning (No. 110)

Bruce Springsteen, We Shall Overcome, The Seeger Sessions (No. 110)

Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, Cold Roses (No. 110)

Cat Power, The Greatest (No. 110)

Neko Case, Fox Confessor Brings the Blood (No. 111)

KT Tunstall, Eye to the Telescope (No. 111)

Guster, Ganging Up On the Sun (No. 111)

Yo La Tengo, I Am not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass (Review this ish ...)

Vienna Teng, Dreaming Through the Noise (Review this ish ...)

Nellie McKay, Pretty Little Head (Review this ish ...)

Bill Frisell, Ron Carter, Paul Motian (Review this ish ...)

James T. Frane

Bach: Partitas Nos. 4, 2, and 5 (Nonesuch 79483-2). Award-winning, world-famous pianist Richard Goode is noted for the expressiveness and power of his recordings. According to the liner notes, "partita" was an 18th century term for a suite of dances, but was used by Bach and others for sets of variations. From 1727 to 1729, he wrote six partitas, issuing them together as "Keyboard Exercise" in 1730 as his first publication, Opus No. 1 since one cantata published in 1708 (although some sources identify Opus No. 1 as his first. The rest of his music had not yet been published by 1730. The partitas, influenced by French music, were written for a single instrument. This 72 + minute recording is well-miked and skillfully performed.

Richie Havens: The Classics (Rebound Records 314 520 291-2) is a compilation of Lennon/ McCartney, Havens, Dylan and other recordings performed in Havens' inimitable style, issued in 1995. It is one of 28 albums he has recorded, starting in 1967. These close-miked performances recorded live with an audience make for great listening, adding a different rendition of these tunes than one is accustomed to hearing. At nearly 52 minutes, there is much good listening here.

Aretha Franklin: Aretha Sings the Blues (Columbia CK 40105). Recorded in the early '60s with some of these cuts live and others in the studio, this album shows another side of Aretha. She imprints her own distinctive style to the 14 tunes on this album, clearly demonstrating her wide vocal versatility. A great album for just listening to the clarity, skill, and definitive Aretha imprint.

Bill Berry and His Ellington All-Stars: For Duke (RealTime RT 1001) This recording is billed as "a fond remembrance of the genius who reshaped American music for half a century." The performers are Bill Berry, cornet; Ray Brown, bass; Frankie Capp, drums; Scott Hamilton, tenor sax; Nat Pierce, piano; Marshal Royal, alto sax; and Brit Woodman, trombone. The 40 minutes of this CD include "Take the A Train," "Mood Indigo," and "Satin Doll," performed with the tremendous talent of these musicians, most of whom performed with Duke at one time or another. Five of the cuts are Duke's compositions, alone or with others. An album for a jazz lover and anyone else who likes great music.

Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet (Jazz Heritage 513321F), a short 33 minutes, was recorded in New York on October 26, 1956. This CD was made from the original master tapes and has commensurate quality. It features Miles Davis, trumpet; John Coltrane, tenor sax; Red Garland, piano; Paul Chambers, bass; and Philly Joe Jones, drums. Miles plays both with and without mute on this album. A good CD for jazz fans.

Portraits in Ivory and Brass (Mapleshade 02032) features Jack Walrath on trumpet, Larry Willis on piano, and Steve Novosel on bass, playing eight tunes for a total of 68.43 minutes. The quality of skill of each Mapleshade recording is well known, and the renditions on this album are excellent. The instrumental interaction is excellent on such songs as "Bess, You is My Woman," "Kirsten,' and "Shadows," as well as on the other cuts. The recording was made at Mapleshade Studio in 1992 on two-track tape running at 15 ips. The result is great listening and a great bargain, as well.

Charlie Parker and Miles Davis (Laserlight 17195) is only 30 minutes long, but these two great jazz artists combine for some good jazz. Davis dropped out of Juilliard to play gigs with Parker and later went on to form his own group develop significant musical innovations. In their years of playing together, they recorded several jazz classics. There is a slight electronic buzz that is soft in the background of this recording, but it is not loud enough to be a distraction--I have heard many noisier records. The music is super.

Blake Morgan's fourth and latest album, Silencer (ECR 0604015), features Morgan singing and playing piano without accompaniment. All of the compositions are his own and the album is produced by the record company he started and runs, Engine Company Records. Silencer is a combination of new songs and some reinterpreted from his earlier albums. The nine cuts total nearly 40 minutes and include "Better Angels" (featured in CSI: Miami) and "It's Gone" (used in the film Flannel Pajareas). This album is remarkable in the combination of the recording quality with the writing, singing, and playing talents of Morgan.

Gregory Koster

The Apocalypse is officially upon us. When I checked my records in preparation for this survey I discovered that I, "Jazzbeau" Koster, hadn't bought 10 CDs in the last year. I had to wait until the November concert of our local jazz society to round it out with Eddie Diehl and Mike Torsone.

So grab all the jazz CDs you can before the format is totally swallowed by iTunes. And cherish the album covers and liner notes, which are even more endangered than the planned and themed album.

Satch and Josh: Count Basie Encounters Oscar Peterson (Pablo 959). Count Basie and Oscar Peterson are two of the greatest jazz pianists ever but their styles are so different that this seemed like an odd concept album, especially with Norman Granz's famous "role the tape and start jamming" approach. But surprisingly it works just fine. Basie (backed up by his familiar rhythm section of Freddie Green, Ray Brown and Louis Bellson) treats Peterson like a soloist in front of the band and uses his trademark spare style to comment on Peterson's lead. The songs mix jazz standards and blues, and on the final cut Basie switches to B-3 with great effect. With pros like these Granz did well to get out of the way.

Well, Here it is ...--Eddie Diehl with Hank Jones (Lineage Records 101). Eddie Diehl has been playing his electric guitar as a sideman with a roster of jazz greats forever (catch him on "[Sonny] Stitt Meets Brother Jack [McDuff]" from 1962, "An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba" from 1965, and "Thinking of Home', Hank Mobley's last Blue Note album from 1970). People kept asking him to make his own record, but the time never seemed right. When the opportunity arose to record in great sound with Hank Jones, John Webber and Mickey Roker, all he could say was "Well, here it is." And all I can say is "What kept you?" This is a great straight-ahead jazz guitar album that swings through eight bebop and jazz standards. And the live to 2-track recording is fabulous.

The Best of the Red Garland Trios (Prestige 5716). Red Garland is another of the best jazz pianists ever, but I had neglected adding him to my collection until I saw this well-chosen "best of" selection. Nine cuts recorded by Rudy Van Gelder from 1956-1960 sample nine different albums, most with Paul Chambers and Arthur Taylor. Not only is this a very nice selection for a Red Garland initiation, a one-song duplication doesn't make it seem foolish to buy one or two favorite albums later.

The Right Place--Jay Hoggard (JHVM 001) Songs of Spiritual Love--Jay Hoggard and James Weidman (JHVM 002). Despite vibraphonist Jay Hoggard's extensive discography (17 albums as leader and more than 50 as sideman) he is not as well known as he deserves, possibly because his role as a jazz educator has limited his gigs to the NY area. These are his two most recent CDs, on his own label. Right Place features a septet on ten originals inspired by African and Caribbean spiritual music. Spiritual Love is a duet with James Weidman, organ and piano, on a dozen traditional spirituals and spirit-filled songs. Lead me, guide me, to Amazon.com to lift every voice and see why Jay Hoggard was called "the most dazzling new vibraphonist in jazz."

Together Again!--Willis Jackson with Jack McDuff (Prestige 24284). Jackson and McDuff made a lot of records together, and Together Again! spawned the hit single (yes Virginia, jazz used to make the hit parade back in the day) "This'll Get to Ya." So naturally Prestige followed up with Together Again, Again. This CD combines both in one bargain package. This may not be great art, but it's a swinging time and the Rudy Van Gelder recording is up to his usual standards. Turn down the lights, nurse a beer, and you're back in your favorite roadhouse having a great time.

Rough Jazz--Native Soul (Apria 104720). Straight-ahead jazz will live on with young cats like Peter Brainin, Marcus McLaurine, Noah Haidu and Steve Johns of Native Soul keeping the flame. The album title is taken from the Frank Foster line, "Welcome to an evening of rough jazz"--no smooth jazz here, but also no slavish Bird licks. Ten mostly original tunes, solid jazz chops with a contemporary feel. The future looks better.

You Taught My Heart to Sing--Houston Person with Bill Charlap (HighNote 7134) All Soul--Houston Person (HighNote 7146). Houston Person has been releasing a string of similar-sounding albums on HighNote in recent years, so it's good to have these latest efforts with a wider range. You Taught is a duet album with Bill Charlap's piano that brings out Houston's lyrical side on ten tunes from the Great American Songbook. All Soul reunites Houston with his regular road band but adds trumpet and guitar for more variety. Per-Ola Gadd is a great young bassist worthy of his feature on "So What." A nice varied program that gives the flavor of a live set, swinging 'til the cows come home.

Queen of the Organ: Shirley Scott Memorial Album (Prestige 11027). There can be debates about who is the king of the organ, but there's only one Queen: Shirley Scott from the home of B-3 soul jazz, Philadelphia. Shirley was discovered by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis and later married Stanley Turrentine, both of whom show up on various cuts of this compilation but the common denominator is Shirley's lighter-style B-3, with George Duvivier's bass sparing her the pedal work and allowing a more pianistic style. It's still B-3, but it's unique.

Street Talk--Vince Seneri (Senful Records 002). Another Philadelphia B-3 player, Vince Seneri is the next generation that's going to carry on the tradition of Jimmy Smith. And he's got the all-new but 100% authentic Hammond/Suzuki B-3 and solid-state Leslie speaker to keep it cookin'. A dozen jazz standards but not one measure of borrowed licks.

Nail It!--Michael Torsone (RonRi Music 13583). But there's nothing quite like the glow of tubes and the mesmerizing spin of the Leslie vibrato to set up the classic B-3 organ groove, especially with a "Groove" Holmes disciple like Michael Torsone--endorsed by Groove's widow, no less. So take off your shoes and get ready for up-tempo soul and blues. Mike also does a passable Ray Charles cover and some great blues vocals. Another great young B-3 player, and not even from Philadelphia!

Two thoughts in closing. First, many of the selections above are on small (even self) labels--but sound quality is now routinely high quality, and thanks to Amazon's used marketplace you should be able to find them all.

Second, the 8th edition of the Penguin Guide to Jazz should be out as you read this. It's the most comprehensive (now 1,728 pages) and most reliable guide to jazz recordings. Use it as a guide to Amazon's used listings and you can have a great jazz collection for very little bread.

Bird lives.

Tom Krehbiel

Sonny Rollins's Grammy-winning 9/11 concert CD has great musical force but the rough audio quality makes it a difficult CD to come back to often. The latest Rollins disc, Sonny, Please, is a studio session (the accompanying paperwork says that it's his first visit to a studio in five years) and much more satisfying sonically. And if the content is not quite as potent as the live session released a year or so ago, the sonic solidity of Sonny, Please more than makes up for it.

The musical program Rollins offers up is as solid as the sound. There are some pungent originals including "Nishi," one of the most ingratiating blues lines anyone has come up with in years and "Remembering Tommy," dedicated to the memory of frequent Rollins collaborator Tommy Flanagan. And there are a few standards that, in classic Rollins style, include tunes not often approached in jazz terms.

You can buy this session online as either a physical CD or as a set of MP3 downloads. In either case, you'll get a bonus download, either a live video performance of "Nishi" (with the CD) or a live audio performance of "Serenade" (one of the unusual choices I mentioned) for the MP3 crowd. Shortly, the CD will be available through regular distribution channels, too.

I picked up a copy of a Nonesuch LP of quartets by Carl (sometimes "Karl") Stamitz that is totally entrancing. I've not been able to find a CD with precisely these performances on it. The basic group is Trio a Cordes Francais which is augmented by flute (Jean-Pierre Rampal), clarinet (Jacques (Lancelot), oboe (Pierre Pierlot), and Horn (Gilbert Coursier). The works in question come from Opus 4 and Opus 8 (two quartets from each). Edward Tatnall Canby's notes sum up the listening as "elegant, polished, urbane, marvelously styled and turned."

I must admit with some embarrassment that I missed M&K Realtime's direct-to-disc pipe organ presentation The Power and The Glory back in 1978. But that got fixed this past year when I happened upon a mint copy of that long out of print LP at a thrift store. I knew it had unbelievably deep bass response, but was unprepared for how that technical feat served the music, often with great gentility and delicacy rather than bombast. The lowest of the low notes seemed to couple my body directly to the music, even to the point of controlling my breathing.

One of my perennial favorite LPs is Count Basie Presents Eddie Davis Trio + Joe Newman, which came out on the Roulette label in 1958. It offers up some of the tastiest modern idiom small band swing that has ever graced a vinyl disc. Much of that is due to the fact that Basie does more than "present" the group. He's an added starter and his piano work greatly energizes the proceedings. George Duvivier's round bass tone fills out the rhythm section, too. I'm perennially astounded that this sweet set has never, to my knowledge, surfaced on CD. It does come around regularly on eBay, however, and tends to sell reasonably. But be careful. Roulette put out a later version of this LP (with the same 52007 number) that leaves out two of the tunes, and one of those missing is "Marie," a highlight of the original issue.

When someone says "Slim Gaillard," the natural response of most jazz fans is "Flat Foot Floogie." But that's far from his best-known composition. What's not so well known is that he wrote it. That tune is "Down By the Station." That's right, the "little pufferbellies" song that we all learned on our way up. You can find Slim's incomparable original version on various CD compilations including Laughing in Rhythm (Verve) and Opera in Vout (Proper). Slim's 1959 recording sounds stale and "kiddi-fied" in comparison but what one might calla concert version by Harry James seriously develops Slim's deceptively simple material without losing the fun (Big John Special on Hep and All Star Parade on Jazz Unlimited).

We lost Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown this year, but we'll never lose his music. My first taste of Gate was his "Song For Renee," which features his smoky, snaky amplified viola. I happened upon it on a Rykodisc sampler. These days that performance is more readily available on One More Mile and Texas Swing. Both are from Rounder Records. Texas Swing is a compilation that includes selections from One More Mile and from Alright Again!, which won a Grammy for Brown. I also return regularly to Gatemouth's Verve CD, The Man, which gives a full realization of the breadth and depth of his eclectic approach to American music including blues, jazz, country, Cajun, boogie, and pop.

Gary Lea

This past year seemed a bit dry till the last couple of months. I have found myself delving more and more into my extensive stock of music selections and especially vinyl for most of my listening this year. That being said there were some bits and pieces that |came across that I found noteworthy, at least to me. Here are four of my favorites from this year:

Aimee Mann: Lost In Space (Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL 1-278,180 gram vinyl). In my quest to increase my vinyl listening I began at CES 2006 looking into late releases for interesting selections to tantalize my ears. Aimee's self produced effort really caught my ear. It is hard to really describe the talent this lady has but her music is lyrically deep and intricately simplistic if there is such a thing. She eschews over production and keeps instrumentation to the minimum needed to support the vocals and the impact of her lyrics. Notable cuts form this record are the title cut, "Pavlov's Bell," and "High on Sunday."

At times she reaches for thunderous impact from a very delicate voice. There are the inevitable comparisons to her early work with Till Tuesday, but that is by no means a bad thing. This is a great recording, the sonics are excellent, the dynamics are strong and it provides the listener with a very intimate soundstage that is quite real and palpable. A great investment.

Diana Krall: From This Moment On (Verve 80007527-02). After a brief departure from her normal jazz covers and a venture down the road of pop, Diana returns to perform a host of jazz standards. Anyone who listened to her last album, The Girl in the Other Room, which had many tracks co-written with hubby, Elvis Costello, should have been impressed by that effort. While it was not a monumental stretch from her norm, it was enough of a detour to suggest that there is a lot more to this sultry singer/pianist than what she delivers on most of her albums. Don't get me wrong, what she delivers is exceptional. I had the opportunity to see her live this summer and her performance was just spot on perfect. With From This Moment On, we get Diana doing what she does best, sultry jazz standards. There is a reassurance in knowing that some folks are simply comfortable in their own skin and on this performance she certainly seems to be. Her renditions of "Isn't This A Lovely Day" by Irving Berlin, along with the title track penned by Johnny Van Heusen and Johnny Burke, coupled with the Johnny Mercer tune, "My Shining Hour" let us know that she will never stray to far from what she does best and that is playa wicked jazz piano and deliver some of the smokiest, velvety vocals of any singer out there. Congrats, Diana, on a fine comeback to your roots.

John Mayer: Continuum (Aware/Columbia 82876 790192). Speaking of detours! John Mayer took a little break from his pop success to do two things. He hooked up with Herbie Hancock to record a catchy little diddy called "Stitched Up" on Herbie's CD...and he released a live CD titled John Mayer Trio. On that album he demonstrated what anyone who had ever seen him live would know. This kid is a blues guitar genius who channels Hendrix and Stevie Ray at the same time. With Continuum, Mayer returns to his pop writing formula with a bit of the Trio influence lingering about. There are no sure-tire pop hits like "No Such Thing" or "Split Screen Sadness," but in this current body of work are a few songs that will see play years from now, most notably a sweet ballad titled "Stop This Train," an intimate confession of the fear of facing a life that is racing ahead out of control and the realization that at some point we fight it on our own without the family support that we grow so accustomed to. Although Mayer is still quite young, he is maturing at a rapid rate and so is his song writing skill. On "Vultures" he takes a very poignant look at the music industry and all that goes with it in a tongue and cheek manner. This is a very strong effort at balancing his blues roots and his pop success.

And finally ... Peter Frampton: Fingerprints (A&M B0007219-02). Yes, I said Peter Frampton! Yes, the Peter Frampton of Frampton Comes Alive fame. The guitarist/singer who rose from meager beginnings in a band called the Herd to the rowdy rock machine that was Humble Pie. After starting out as a serious guitar player devoted to hard-slamming rock and roll, he later became the curly-fair-haired pop idol of the late '70s and early '80s. Lost in his own extreme fame and fortune, we saw him rocket to the stratosphere aboard the greatest-selling live album of all time and then all but disappear into oblivion.

Anyone who has seen the 1999 video Frampton Live in Detroit knows that Peter is alive and well. Looking a bit older with less hair than in his glory days, much like the rest of us his age, but still able to playa very wicked guitar. While that video was carried on the back of a number of older hits, it showed us that once a rock icon always a rock icon. His guitar playing, which was always his main focus, was sharper than ever and his enthusiasm was at a feverish peak.

With the release of Fingerprints, his first ever fully instrumental album, we get to a look and a listen at just what a fine player he has always been. I got wind of this album months ago and waited patiently for the release to see exactly what he would offer up. The album is at times reminiscent of Jeff Beck's Blow By Blow from 1973 and at other times it hints of Acoustic Alchemy. That is said in the most complimentary way, because those are extremes of the guitar playing echelon and to be able to mirror both styles from one guitarist on one album shows the level of depth in his playing and his musical knowledge.

Two very noteworthy tracks are "Souvenirs De Nos Peres," a Reinhardt/Grappelli-inspired duet with John Jorgenson and "My Cup of Tea" with Hank Marvin of Shadows fame. Both tracks show the diversity of styling that Peter can emote.

There is nothing ground breaking here. If you are looking for that, look for Ted Killian on the internet: there is ground-breaking guitar work. If on the other hand you like a nice variety of instrumental guitar work and you appreciate a true master craftsman at work. then take a listen to Fingerprints.

Tom Lyle

Here are my picks for 2006. They are in no particular order, and are a completely mixed bag, as usual:

No list from me would be complete without some Jimi Hendrix on it. Therefore, I'll start things off with Classic Records' impeccable vinyl reissue of Voodoo Chile. Although it is neither essential listening (even though it includes some of his most popular tunes) nor an essential purchase (although if you consider yourself a fan, you've certainly bought it by now), I found myself putting this four record set on my turntable many, many times during the past year. Perhaps it is the sound quality, or the track selection (especially the live cuts), but I can't get enough of this collection. I've had it on CD for years, but I never listened to it nearly as much as its vinyl counterpart. So it must be the sound quality--Classic's analog remastering sure works wonders.

There is no question in my mind that my favorite new music release is Loose Fur's Born Against in the USA. I'm not trying to be too predictable in stating that the sound quality of this album has a lot to do with the fact that I listen to it so often. But it really isn't the major reason. Really. This Wilco side product has lots going for it: great songwriting, great musicianship, and great sound quality, the latter owed in great part to the combination of the sessions being produced at Sear Sound and the record being pressed at RTI.

The release of The Thelonious Monk Quartet with John Coltrane at Carnegie Hall is viewed as a defining moment by many jazz fans. Rightly so. Now that a little time has passed and I can listen to it more objectively, it's remarkable how well it's held up. Not that it's been playing on my stereo for years or anything, but still, the temptation to overplay this one has been great. Like I said in my review, which has to be more than six months ago by now, the telepathic interplay between Coltrane and Monk (or should it be Monk and Coltrane?) is astounding, and between the whole band, to boot. It is surely one of the year's best releases. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact.

Even though the telepathy between band members isn't in the same league as Monk/Coltrane, the latest release by Slayer, Christ Illusion, has some incredible sixth-sense action going on. Original drummer Dave Lombardo is back, and his mind-boggling sense of time is either responsible for making the rest of the band seem perfectly in time with him, or it makes him sound in synch with the band, or just both. Many bands have come and gone since Slayer's 1980s heyday, but this album proves the group has lost little ground since then. It is lightning fast at times, bone-crushingly slow at times, and yet surprisingly tuneful (especially given bassist/vocalist Tom Araya shouted/sung vocals). I know, I'm much too old to be listening to this kind of stuff. But since I'm about the same age as the band, I guess it's OK.

I'm not usually one to listen to (or purchase) major label pop releases, but the newest CD by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Show Your Bones has been on repeat on my player(s) for more than the past few months. I liked their first album Fever to Tell so much that it was part of my Best Recordings last year. Here they are again. This time out they've softened things up a bit. It's as if the minor hit "Maps" had ah effect on them (and their audience), now this entire album is as catchy as that one song. It's an infectious album from start to finish, with enough Brooklyn cred, Karen O's cooing and growling, and odd mixture of instrumental chaos and sang-froid to hold the entire odd mix together. Does that make sense? No? Neither do much of her lyrics.

I also think that Sonic Youth makes an appearance on my best-of list every year. Their latest, Rather Ripped, is the most recent in a series of albums released on a regular basis that first came out in, oh, I'd say, 1986. That's not to say that every album that they release every couple of years sounds the same. They don't. It's just that they've never bothered to reinvent themselves, so their core musical values have remained intact. And that's a good thing since they are the best at what they do, that's assuming you can find anyone that's doing anything like they are doing with any modicum of success. Their combination of alternative and sometimes even dissonant guitar tunings combined with nearly conventional rock song structures is extremely interesting and durable.

I've never considered myself a huge Neil Young fan. Yet his music has been constantly playing on my CD player and turntable all my adult life, and I do consider his music some of the best rock music in my collection. So I guess I might be wrong about that, I am a huge fan.

The release of Greatest Hits on audiophile vinyl makes this set a must for every one of you that owns a turntable. And even if you aren't a huge fan you are likely to spin this one more than once in a while just to bathe in the sound of his brand of tousled rock 'n' roll. I sure do.

I don't really care much for the recent release of Paavo Jarvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra's version of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra on Telarc. The old standby of the 1950's version by Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on RCA is much better. But on this Telarc CD is also the Witold Lutaslowski piece Concerto for Orchestra that is among the best played versions I've ever heard, plus the sound quality can't be beat. It's even available on a multi-channel SACD for those inclined to such things, although I've only heard the stereo version. There is a you-are-there realism to the recording, and the fact that there is so much instrumental variation, including a good helping of percussion, that the piece seems to fly by in only a couple of minutes. It's more modern sounding than the Bartok, but it's not really fair to compare the two. They just happen to have the same name and are on the same CD.

The re-issue of the Leopold Stokowski Rhapsodies on RCA is fabulous. I don't mean to say that I play this Living Stereo CD from beginning to end that often, if at all. The Liszt, Enesco, and Smetana pieces are just too worn-out. But the Wagner keeps ending up in my player. The Tistan and Isolde Prelude to Act III begins as ah explosion from the right side of the orchestra, the basses in particular. But it's more than that, the entire 10-minute piece is beautiful, and is a feast for Wagner fans. The overture to Tannhauser is almost better, and is a healthy 35 minutes of lushness. The 45 minutes of Wagner make this mid-priced disc well worth the money. The hybrid SACD isn't surround sound per se, the three-channel tape provides a discrete center channel feed, which I've never heard. I'm not bothered much by the fact that I have to listen to it in stereo. It sounds superb.

Roy Nakano

Sometimes, the best new sounds emanating out of the audio system come from recordings that have been around the block once of twice. Other times, the best new sounds are indeed brand new sounds. My top discs for the past year are an amalgamation of both: old and new personal treasures discovered or rediscovered this past year. Half were released prior to 2006. Nonetheless, I played all of these enough this past year to relegate them to the status of Desert Island Discs for 2006.

Buried Treasures:

Love--The Best of Love (Electra/Rhino R2 75840). The death of Love front man and songwriter Arthur Lee in 2006 generated a lot of press, including a poignant L.A. Times piece by former Doors drummer John Densmore. Describing how he craned his neck to get a glimpse of this band "so far ahead of its time," Densmore confessed, "Jim and I would drive down from Laurel Canyon to the Chinese restaurant next to Greenblatt's Deli to get egg fried rice for breakfast. On one of those excursions 'My Little Red Book' came on the radio, Love's cover of the Burt Bacharach-Hal David song. 'If we could make a record as good as that,' Jim said, 'I'd be happy.'" The Rhino collection is my favorite, and is the most accessible to the general public. It has all the songs that put the group on the map, including "Seven & Seven Is"--the tune that concludes with an explosion of an atomic bomb.

Long John Baldry--It Ain't Easy (Warner Brothers 8122784642). One of my favorite tunes from the 1970s was the extended version of "Don't Try To Lay No Boogie Woogie On The King Of Rock & Roll." It was produced by Rod Stewart during his artistic prime, as were half the songs on Baldry's It Ain't Easy. The other half was produced by Elton John as payback to Baldry (Bluesology pianist Reg Dwight took on the name Elton John from Bluesology saxophonist Elton Dean and lead singer John Baldry). This record has been out of production for decades. That changed with the 2006 remastered and re-packaged CD of It Ain't Easy. Baldry is a great blues singer, and he's ably accompanied by Elton John, Ron Wood, Mick Waller, Maggie Bell and others on this very fine and treasured work.

Dolores Keane--The Best of Dolores Keane (Blix Street Records G2-10038 DARA). Satellite radio has many virtues, one of which is that it's a great way to get introduced to a wealth of new music (something that terrestrial radio doesn't do a very good job of). I can thank XM Radio's The Village for introducing me to Irish folk singer Dolores Keane. There's nothing like sitting down on a couch at night and listening to Keane's haunting voice on "Caledonia," "Never Be The Sun" or "Galway Bay" from this collection. The Best of Dolores Keane draws from her collaborations with Emmylou Harris, De Danann, Liam Bradley, and Mick Hanly, as well as material from her solo albums.

Various artists--Cold Mountain: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture (DMZ/Columbia/Sony Music Sountrax CK 86843). I can thank Netflix for this one. How I missed it back in 2003 is beyond me, particularly since this is a T Bone Burnett production (of O' Brother, Where Art Thou? fame), and includes the works or performances of Alison Krause, Gabriel Yared, Sting, Elvis Costello, and Jack White (of The White Stripes). Appalachian folk music is the source of inspiration here, but this collection is a potpourri of musical forms, ranging from orchestral to a cappella. This is currently my wakeup CD, and I can't think of better music to wake up to at this moment.

Peter, Paul and Mary--The Very Best of Peter Paul and Mary (Warner Brothers/Rhino R2 73161). Never in a million years did I think I'd be a fan of Peter, Paul and Mary, but the times, they are a-changing, evidently. This is another superb Rhino collection, with great liner notes tracing the histories of Peter Yarrow, Mary Travers, and Noel Stookey (who agreed to take on "Paul" as his stage name). Peter, Paul and Mary were never into taxing the limits of recording equipment like their rock n' roll counterparts at the time. Consequently, the sound on this collection remains very clean and distortion-free throughout.

Donovan--Donovan's Greatest Hits (Epic/Legacy EK 65730). Here's another collection that has worn well over the years (this past year, Donovan's "Catch the Wind" was featured in the Volvo for Life commercials). As with the aforementioned Rhino collection, this remastering is aided by the fact that most of Donovan's songs didn't challenge the era's recording equipment the way that harder, louder rock fare did. For aficionados of harder rock sounds, however, there are a few gems on this collection for you. One is "Hurdy Gurdy Man," which features Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham before they formed Led Zeppelin. The other is "Barabajagal," featuring Jeff Beck, Ron Wood, Nicky Hopkins, and Tony Newman. Page can also be heard on "Sunshine Superman," and that familiar bass chord on "Mellow Yellow" belongs to John Paul Jones.

Various artists--Ultimate '60s Garage Rock Bands (Madacy Entertainment/EMI MUS2 51431). With garage rock back in vogue, it was only natural for this 2005 compilation to be released. The collection brings together the garage rock favorites from the 1960s: "Louie, Louie" (The Kingsmen), "Dirty Water" (The Standells), "Time Won't Let Me" (The Outsiders), "Little Girl" (Syndicate of Sound), "Nobody But Me" (The Human Beinz), "Psychotic Reaction" (Count Five), "Surfin' Bird" (The Trashmen), "I Live for the Sun" (the Sunrays), "Talk Talk" (The Music Machine), and others. Big garage fun here.

New Treasures:

Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins--Rabbit Fur Coat (Team Love Records B000CQQHPY). Some records get played so often, they run the risk of wearing out the CD player. Rabbit Fur Coat wins that distinction for this go around. These folk-country tunes are so likeable, and yet they have the degree of depth to keep your attention after repeated plays. The album has much of the flavor of the celebrated Jack White-produced Loretta Lynn album, Van Lear Rose. Jenny Lewis sounds like a bad girl version of Alison Krause for this first solo effort by the vocalist for L.A.'s Rilo Kiley. What sets Rabbit Fur Coat apart are the angelic vocal sounds of the Watson Twins, Chandra and Leigh. Highly recommended.

Lucinda Williams--Car Wheels on a Gravel Road (Original Recording Remastered Mercury/Universal B000IMUY42). Back in 1998, Spin magazine declared the Grammy-winning Car Wheels on a Gravel Road the year's best album. For 2006, country-rockabilly singer and songwriter Williams released this two-disc remastered version, complete with three good bonus tracks and a great live concert recorded in Philadelphia around the time of the original release. The five-star rating by Rolling Stone magazine caught many an eye, but the two-disc version does have a down side--a retail price of $30. For those who consider this a non-Sensible price, there's still the excellent single-disc version going for $7.99 on Amazon.com the last time I checked.

Cat Power--The Greatest (Matador Records OLE 743-2). Much has been made of Cat Power (a/k/a Charlyn Marshall) and her concert antics. Power was once described by Christian Hoard as "one of those blessed, slightly unstable artists whose songs can find that expressway to your spine--and can also make you wonder how she finds her pants in the morning." This most recent release is a departure from Power's earlier minimalist works. The Greatest features Memphis session musicians Teenie Hodges on guitar, Leroy Hodges on bass (of Al Green fame), Steve Potts on drums, and others. The combination of the singer's evocative voice and the Southern soul instrumentation work well, and Power's ability to get under your skin is not diminished. The Greatest is a compelling piece of work.

Lindsey Buckingham--Under The Skin (Reprise 44359-2). Most music lovers know Lindsey Buckingham as the singer-songwriter for Fleetwood Mac. Guitar aficionados know him as one of the more under-appreciated guitarists in the rock world (take a listen to his dual simultaneous melody solo performance of "Big Love" on his DVD, Sound Stage Presents--Lindsey Buckingham with Special Guest Stevie Nicks). The guitar fans are going to love this one. Under The Skin is Buckingham doing all acoustic guitar pieces. He's at it again with the simultaneous melody guitar work on the CD's "To Try for the Sun." Nice. Overlaying the guitar work are Buckingham vocals in a very John Lennon #9 Dream-like style. It's very unlike the usual Fleetwood Mac fare, but it works very well.

Gwen Stefani--The Sweet Escape (Interscope Records B000JJRIN4). Anyone thinking that Gwen Stefani is a one-hit hollaback girl is in for a surprise. The Sweet Escape, the follow-up to her successful first solo album (Love Angel Music Baby), demonstrates that Stefani is here for the long haul. The new album departs from the 1980s sound of LAMB. Although The Sweet Escape has a more modern sound, Stefani still freely dips into the nostalgia drawer, as witnessed by her first single, the yodel-infused "Wind It Up." The video to that single also reveals she hasn't quite shaken off her Harajuku habit. FTG4 considerations aside, Stefani explores more themes in the new album, such as the hometown musing "Orange County Girl," "Wonderful Life" which features guitarist Martin Gore of Depeche Mode, and "Early Winter" with Keane keyboardist Tim Rice-Oxley.

Neil Young--Living With War (Reprise/Wea B000FI9OSG). It's hard to take an album seriously after you read that Neil Young threw it together in a couple of days. As it turns out, it's largely the reason why this album works so well. There is a raw intimacy and candor to this collection that is not unlike John Lennon's classic solo masterpiece, Plastic Ono Band. Those who were displeased with the most recent national elections may find parts of Living With War annoying. Notwithstanding the annoyance factor, this is arguably the best Neil Young album since Harvest. It is certainly the strongest set of songs he's put together in decades. There's hardly a weak song in the bunch. And unlike many of Young's tunes from the past, one gets the sense that he truly believes in everything he's singing about on Living With War.

Eagles--Farewell Tour I--Live From Melbourne (Eagles Recording Co. DVD R2 970423). In this day and age, Desert Island Discs cannot be confined to black LPs and silver CDs. And that's why this DVD makes the list. The Eagles never sounded better than in this Elliot Scheiner-engineered two-disc set of the group's 2004 performance in Melbourne, Australia. Not only is the musicianship top notch, the sound quality is outstanding--even by 5.1 home theater standards. In addition to all the Eagles hits, Joe Walsh performs his hits from The James Gang and solo career, and Don Henley does his classic tunes from his solo albums. Last, but not least, there are a couple of worthy new tunes by America's great rock n' roll band.

Karl Nehring

Adams: The Dharma at Big Sur; My Father Knew Charles Ives Tracy Silverman, Electric Violin/BBC Symphony Orchestra/John Adams, cond. (Nonesuch 79857-2). Here are two orchestral works, both very different, yet alike in many ways. Both are haunting and dreamlike and strange yet intimately familiar in sound. Both sound exotic yet profoundly American. Having been so disappointed by Adams's Violin Concerto, I was not sure what to expect from The Dharma at Big Sur, which is in many ways a concerto for electric violin, but this is truly a remarkable work that makes a vivid first impression and then sounds more rewarding each time I hear it. My Father Knew Charles Ives took more time to grow on me, but it too is a remarkable work that stands up well under repeated listening. I am not sure why this is packaged asa two-CD set, but I must admit that I enjoy having just one piece per CD. It seems to make each one more special. I have probably played Dharma more often than My Father, but both are wonderful.

Nik Bartsch's Ronin: Stoa (ECM 1939). The music this ensemble makes resembles the minimalism of, say, Steve Reich, but at the same time, it is clearly and identifiably jazz, not classical in its feel. This music has pop--it jumps out at you! It never sounds rote or routine. If you like jazz, if you like chamber music of a progressive bent, if you like to meditate as you listen, if you like to play air drums or piano or bass as you listen, you will like this music. You can enjoy it played softly, or you can enjoy it cranked up to 11.

Beethoven: Symphony No. 3; Leonore Overtures Nos. 1 & 2. Philharmonia Orchestra/Otto Klemperer (EMI Classics 7243 5 67741 2 4). At the outset I must point out that this is a mono recording, which may dissuade many listeners from giving it a listen. The first movement, which I usually like to hear taken at a sprightly pace, is fairly deliberate. Overall, there is something noble, something monumental, something wonderful about Klemperer's account that sounds like no other. If you enjoy this symphony, you really must hear this. It will probably not wind up being your favorite recording, but you may well come to regard it as the most heroic version you have ever heard. That counts for a lot ...

Beethoven: Symphony No. 9 Lucine Amara, soprano/Lili Chookasian, contralto/John Alexander, tenor/John Macurdy, bass/Mormon Tabernacle Choir/Philadelphia Orchestra/Eugene Ormandy (CBS Records MYK 37421). Big, bold, and virtuosic--grand and glorious. After renewing my acquaintance with this treasured old recording (one of the first classical records I ever bought), now available on CD, I cannot stand to listen to the Zinman recording any more. I guess I am getting old. I am still searching for the ultimate Beethoven 9th recording, but until I find it, this one will do quite nicely

Tord Gustavsen Trio: The Ground (ECM 1892 B0004123-02). This has been on one of my previous lists; looking back over this year, I realized that I had played and enjoyed this album quite a bit, so it makes an appearance on my list for this year. This lovely recording finds the members of the trio casting dreamy spells with their instruments and interaction. The tempi are slow, the melodies are languid, and there is great beauty here, reflecting real musical skill. If you enjoy gentle, but intensely romantic and involving playing, The Ground is pure paydirt.

Rolf Lislevand: Nuove Musiche (ECM New Series 1922 B0005070-02). This is a truly intriguing and wholly delightful recording of 17th century music arranged for a small ensemble of traditional instruments played in an improvisatory style. The end result is music that sounds fresh, exciting, original, and natural. The sound quality is open and spacious, and the liner notes are quite informative.

Ligeti: Clear or Cloudy (Complete Recordings on Deutsche Grammophon) (Deutsche Grammophon 00289 477 6443). This 4-CD set contains more than 5 hours of music ranging from chamber music to choral and orchestral music. It offers a relatively inexpensive way to immerse yourself in the strange but fascinating musical soundscapes of Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006). Those of a certain advanced age will remember being first exposed to this music as part of the soundtrack to Stanley Kubrick's own fascinating and strange cinematic epic, 2001: A Space Odyssey more than three decades ago. But there is much more to the music of Ligeti than just the pieces that Kubrick appropriated. Some people will, alas, hate all this music; some will hate much of it but find a few pieces to enjoy; and some will find much to love here. It is worth taking the chance, so try it!

Mahler: Symphonies Nos. 5 and 10. Junge Deutsche Philharmonie/Rudolf Barshai, cond. (Brilliant Classics 92205). Barshai and his youth orchestra, recording for a budget label, have made a couple of remarkable recordings that can stand with the very best in this challenging repertoire. Their version of Symphony No. 5 is competitive with any I have heard; their recording of Barshai's own version of Symphony No. 10 is also truly excellent, well worth an audition by anyone who is interested in hearing different versions of this work, which Mahler left unfinished at his death. The engineering is also first-rate, if just a bit more bright and upfront that some will prefer, but certainly clean and dynamic.

Richard Stoltzman: Spirits (RCA Victor 09026-68416-2). This one has been on my list before. It is one of the recordings that I keep coming back to, both for comfort and for joy. Clarinetist Stoltzman is joined by a small ensemble of jazz musicians plus the King's Singers in a collection that covers spiritually oriented music from the far reaches of space, time, and culture. What appears as though it could be a well-intentioned but superficially eclectic hodgepodge turns out to be a remarkably coherent, musically satisfying recording that resonates deeply in the soul. If I ever do one of these lists again, this recording may well be on it.

Esbjorn Svensson Trio: Viaticum (215 Records 215-2022) Viaticum sounds like what Keith Jarrett's "Standards Trio" might sound like if suddenly they became huge Radiohead fans. No, Viaticum does not feature any Radiohead transcriptions, nor are there any tortured vocals. But the feeling that comes across from the music brings to mind some of Radiohead's artistic sensibility and musical lyricism. This is music of density and substance; it is not meant for mere diversion. It is intense, involving, and melodic--sometimes familiar and comfortable, sometimes fragmentary and disquieting, but always musically and emotionally rewarding. This is music that will pull you through.

Tom Nousaine

You know, I just don't buy that many new recordings anymore. First of all, I already own so many; besides, I make a good share of my living by listening, so I seldom just relax with music when it's most convenient. For example, when I drive for an hour I usually listen to news and talk radio in the car. However, I often do buy CD music at live performances if the performance is outstanding.

So I'm recommending compact discs by an artist named Catherine "Cat" Russell and one by Daniel "Slick" Ballinger, both of whom I saw live in 2006 and who have produced excellent records. Actually, I've seen both more than once in 2006. Cat three times: the first at the outdoor Detroit Jazz Festival and twice in small clubs in southeastern Michigan. I saw Slick twice surrounding the BayFront Blues Festival in Duluth. The recordings are Cat (worldvillagemusic.com) by Miss Russell and Mississippi Soul (ohboy.com) by Ballinger.

Cat is the daughter of big band leader Luis Russell, who was once the Musical Director for Louis Armstrong. Perhaps it's not surprising that most of her material is jazz and blues. But her backing string ensemble is remarkable, as are the production and performance. Imagine a really excellent jazz and blues singer with a band that includes an upright bass, a violin (mandolin, banjo) and hollow-body guitar, singing songs written by her father, Peggy Lee, and Sam Cooke. It's imaginative and magical music that could be performed acoustically without a PA system. She's now on my short list of favorite female singers. The others are Ruthie Foster, Susan Tedeschi, and, of course, Bonnie Raitt. And, her recording is excellent.

Slick Ballinger was quite a surprise to me. If you imagine that Roy Orbison had aimed his tenor voice at the blues instead of pop/rock you get the idea. Strong tenor voice and kick-ass guitar with a veteran blues backup band. Really, really good--and so is the recording. The title Mississippi Soul tells you about the material but doesn't explain that he wrote 6 of the 10 songs himself. Regular down-home electric blues; loud, exciting, and with an unusual, special tenor vocal.

I'll also recommend a laser disc that has been re-released on DVD. Perhaps the biggest problem I have with DVD live performances is that there is so much camera motion from impossible angles that you never get the feeling that you could have been at the real event. You know, nothing but close-ups and ceiling angles. Never an "I'm in the audience" video perspective, which often makes it sound like a poorly produced studio recording. But here's one that gives you a sense that you could have actually attended the live event. Originally released on laser disc pre-1990s, The Neville Brothers' Tell It Like It Is was performed at Tipitina's in New Orleans. Herbie Hancock was the Musical Director and guests include John Hiatt, Buckwheat Zydeco, Gregg Allman, Daniel Lanois, Jimmy Buffet, Bonnie Raitt, and, believe it or not, Dennis Quaid.

Songs include an incredible version of "Tell It Like It Is" with Aaron and Gregg Allman in vocal duet. Also Dennis Quaid does a fairly lame lead vocal of "Closer to You," but Aaron and Bonnie on backing vocals makes it special in a way that the soundtrack of The Big Easy just can't match.. There's also Bonnie in duet with Aaron and an amazing vocal by Aaron's son--jaw-dropping stuff. But it's so special to me because the handheld video camera angles let me feel as if I could have been in the audience. Of course, it's 1.33:1 aspect and only of VCR video quality.

But now that it has been released as DVD, as has K.D.Lang's Harvest of Seven Years (special for its duet and solo live version of Roy Orbison's "Cryin") I can almost retire my Marantz Laser Disc player. Almost, because they still need to bring out a DVD of Van Morrison's The Concert with that marvelous John Lee Hooker duet. But this one is special only because of the performance and John Lee is gone.

John J. Puccio

I selected the following ten recordings from discs not necessarily released in the past twelve months but also from ones that were new to me. They are listed in alphabetical order.

Albeniz: Suite Espanola. Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos, New Philharmonia Orchestra. First Impression Music FIM XR24 068.

Chopin: Nocturnes, complete. Maurizio Pollini, piano. DG 00289 477 5718.

Dvorak: Tone Poetas. Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. Teldec 2564 60221-2.

Elgar: Orchestral Miniatures. James Judd, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Naxos 8.557577.

Mendelssohn: Italian and Reformation Symphonies. Charles Munch, Boston Symphony Orchestra. JVC JMXR-24028.

Mozart: Three Divertimenti for Strings; Serenata Notturna. Neville Marriner, Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. First Impression Music FIM XR24 071.

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39 & 41. Thomas Fey, Mannheim Mozart Orchestra. Profil PH05047.

Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 29-36, 38-41. Daniel Barenboim, English Chamber Orchestra. EMI 0946 3 50917-2 and 0946 3 50922-2 (two 2-disc sets).

Satie: 3 Gymnopedies & Other Piano Works. Pascal Roge, piano. Decca Originals B0006393-02.

Wagner: Tristan und Isolde. Domingo, Stemme, Fujimura, Bar, Pape, Bostridge, Holt, Rose, Villazon; Antonio Pappano, Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. EMI 7243 5 58006-2 (3 CD-1 DVD set).