This epic set of performances was recorded on Zawinnul's 75th birthday last year, and although the great jazz-rock pioneer had but weeks to live, there's no sign of him flagging here. Zawinul pushes and prods his six-piece group from a bank of keyboa
rds, and they respond with some brilliant performances, stretching out on lengthy readings of Orient Express, Scarlet Woman and Fast City/Two Lines.
Standout track is a 14-minute reunion between Zawinul and his old Weather Report cohort Wayne Shorter on In a Silent Way. AV
Eliane Elias: Bossa Nova Stories (Blue Note) £12.99The marvellous Brazilian pianist and singer is muscling her way into Diana Krall territory here, with a programme of standards delivered with smooth assurance against a backdrop of strings and a lilting bossa rhythm.
That said, there are only flashes of Elias's superior piano playing, and some fans may hanker for her earlier Blue Notes where the emphasis was less on the singing. But this is what Elias is doing these days, and there is much to enjoy in her performances of The Girl from Ipanema, Too Marvellous for Words and Day by Day. AV
Elgar: The Dream of Gerontius Halle CD HLD 7520 (2CDs) £17.99Nothing could ever replace Barbirolli's recording with the Halle, but this new release from the same orchestra with Mark Elder conducting comes a close second and has superior sound quality. The young tenor, Paul Groves, makes an impassioned Gerontius, Bryn Terfel is suitably imposing in his dual role, while Alice Coote presents the most moving account of the Angel on disc, her Softly and Gently so utterly beautiful. Elder's spacious view inspired the orchestra and choir, the organ given an unusual degree of presence. DD
Vienna City of My Dreams ABC Classics 476 6905 £13.99The sugar and cream voice of soprano, Yvonne Kenny, seduces the ear in eighteen tracks from popular Viennese operettas in a disc of pure delight. Music of Johann Strauss, Lehar and Zeller is featured, including such well-loved melodies as Vilia from The Merry Widow, The Nuns Chorus, Roses from Tyrol and Stars in My Eyes. Ivor Novello somehow gets included with Some Day My Heart Will Awake and My Dearest Dear. The great operetta conductor, Richard Bonynge, directs the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. DD
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