MO FOSTER: ….. ‘back in February 2016, I put together a band of the finest players for a gig at the Pizza Express Jazz Club’ …..

NB: The above is just one of Mo’s extensive instrument collection. It has no relevance to the post below; we just happened to like the image. Yes, it is ‘effectively an EB3 and an SG on one body’ says Mo. Anyway, moving on ….. Mo tells us ….. I had been a fan of Gil […]

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BEETHOVEN: The 50 greatest Beethoven recordings (2020 update)

“Following the overwhelming popularity of our lists of the 50 greatest Mozart, Bach, Chopin and Handel recordings, we have now gathered 50 of the finest recordings of Beethoven’s music – Gramophone Award-winning albums, Recordings of the Month and Editor’s Choice discs, from legendary performers like Artur Schnabel and Otto Klemperer to modern masters like Isabelle […]

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BEETHOVEN: Symphony No 9 – introduced by Riccardo Chailly

Gramophone magazine: The Italian conductor believes that, in his final symphony, Beethoven reached beyond humanity. My connection with this symphony goes back to my time at the Milan Conservatory, but I never dared to conduct such a masterpiece until 1990, when I was the Music Director at the Musicale Communale in Bologna. I started conducting […]

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JOHN COLTRANE: Düsseldorf. March 28th 1960 (Limited 140g Vinyl LP)

This 1960s set recorded live in Dusseldorf capture the evolution of John Coltrane’s journey from sideman to bandleader. Coltrane was unexpectedly thrust into the spotlight when Miles Davis was unable play that day. It’s basically a performance of the Miles Davis Quintet without Davis. The lineup includes Coltrane on tenor saxophone, Wynton Kelly on piano, […]

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