Vache and Watkins are ideal partners on this appetising slice of mainstream. Both are trumpeters with a penchant for lyrical, singing improvisations and they play beautifully. Vache has the edge but Watkins isn't far behind. He sticks mainly to fluge
lhorn and his burnished tone lights up My Foolish Heart, given a new twist by being taken as a bossa. The exchanges between Vache and Watkins have the air of an animated conversation between friends, and their journey through a programme of mostly standards is classy stuff. AV
Tony Coe/Gerard Presencer: Love Walked In (Zephyr) £13.99It's Gershwin tunes all the way for this fine session featuring a perfectly-balanced group, which draws highly personal and wonderfully fresh interpretations from these well-loved songs. Coe remains one of the most individual saxophonists anywhere, and his work is utterly absorbing. The level of invention is demonstrated by two versions of both They Can't Take That Away from Me and How Long Has This Been Going On, which are radically different. Admirable pianist Brian Lemon and bassist Dave Green are ideal in support. AV
Koehne: Tivoli Dances/Shaker Dances/
Palm Court Suite ABC Classic 4706502 £13.99Rejecting the divisive era of Schoenberg and his cohorts, the Australian composer, Graeme Koehne, seeks to rekindle interest in music of today with works that audiences can understand and enjoy. Here drawing on folk and popular melodies of a bygone era, he has created three ballets, colourfully scored and providing an ideal triple bill. The Tasmanian Symphony and conductor, Richard Mills, move around the moods with a real sense of style, the sound of excellent quality. DD
Bartok: Violin Music Simax PSC 1174 £13.99The recently appointed young Concertmaster of the Oslo Philharmonic, Elise Batnes, seeks out the lyric aspects of Bartok's early works with performances of the Andante, Sonata for Violin and Piano and a series of Hungarian folk songs that are full of joyful brio. It is in the Solo Violin Sonata that she displays technical brilliance and a fiery temperament well suited to the music. Her tone throughout is so pure and tempos are perfectly chosen. She has the outstanding Norwegian pianist, Havard Gimse, as an ideal partner. Highly recommended. DD
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