Album Reviews

Can it really be a quarter of a century since the unpredictable, inventive and inspiring big band Loose Tubes first enlivened the British jazz scene? Incredibly, it is, and this lovely new CD is a reminder of what a force it was. Recorded during its last gigs before breaking up in 1990, the band is on dazzling form. The music is chiefly by Django Bates, and performances including Yellow Hill, Godbucket and Like Life sound as fresh as the day they were recorded. Rush out and buy. AV

Charles Lloyd: Mirror (ECM) 12.99

The music of Charles Lloyd has acquired a patina of serenity in recent years, and that quality is well to the fore on this fine new release, in which the veteran saxophonist ponders a series of favourite themes. Standards, tunes by Thelonoius Monk and spirituals are all transformed by Lloyd's singular vision, and in the eclectic young pianist Jason Moran, he has an ideal foil. This is calm, heartfelt music that often glows with inner beauty. AV

Wagner: Parsifal (Mariinsky MAR0508 (4CDs) 34.99

Headed by the redoubtable bass, Rene Pape, as Gurnemanz, and a sensational newcomer to disc, the American tenor Gary Lehman, as a lyrical Parsifal, this is one of the opera's most outstanding recordings. Fashioned by conductor, Valery Gergiev, who concentrates on ceremonial and sacred aspects, Violeta Urmana's Kundry is more troubled than the usual histrionics. The remainder is a largely Russian cast that can rival the finest we hear at Bayreuth. Round and warm playing from the Mariinsky orchestra, and wide dynamic range sound. DD

Rheinberger: Orchestral Works (Christophorus CHE 0153-2 (2CDs) 12.99

A favourite among organists, the orchestral music of Josef Rheinberger is almost unknown. In style akin to Brahms, this sampler of eight works contains the dramatic and very extended tone-poem, Wallenstein. Four overtures feature the lighthearted Taming of the Shrew; the grisly dramatic poem, Das Tal des Espingo, one of two choral works, my favourite being the Fantasy for Orchestra. Reliable performances from the Frankfurt's Brandenburg State Orchestra, in recordings in pleasing early 1990's sound. DD