Dmitry Baevsky - Down with It - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Dmitry Baevsky, favorite alto-playing son of St. Petersburg, Russia and current denizen of the jazz capital of the world, returns for his sophomore effort on Sharp Nine with big things on his plate, namely the music of some of jazz's greatest composers. Joining him is a top New York City rhythm section featuring David Hazeltine, John Webber and Jason Brown. Baevsky draws on compositions with strong, unmistakable melodies, interesting harmonic structures, and, because this is an album, a pleasing combination of texture, time and feel. Playing with tremendous maturity, Baevsky's improvisations feature clever modulations of repeated phrases, harmonically acute intervals, and sophisticated shading and dynamics. In a world of Inchhigher, louder, faster,Inch this mature album will delight the discerning jazz listener.

I Believe in Father Christmas is a song by English musician Greg Lake with lyrics by Peter Sinfield. Although it is often categorised as a Christmas song, this was not Lake's intention. He said that he wrote the song in protest at the commercialisation of Christmas. Sinfield, however, said that the words are about a loss of innocence and childhood belief.

Flugelhornist Dmitri Matheny celebrates the beauty, terrain, and expansiveness of his adopted home in the Pacific Northwest. With ongoing decades of touring, Matheny recorded his 12th album with a trio of longtime Seattle collaborators - pianist Bill Anschell, bassist Phil Sparks, and drummer Mark Ivester - with saxophonist Charles McNeal joining them from Las Vegas. Performing several inspired classics such as Tadd Dameron's 'On A Misty Night,' Coltrane's 'After The Rain,' and Jimmy Webb's 'Wichita Lineman,' adds depth and clarity to Matheny's six original compositions, and 'Humble Origins' by Bill Anschell. 'Perfect Peaches,' a lyrical bossa, 'Dark Eyes,' a seductive noir ballad, 'Evergreen Girl,' a soul-jazz shuffle, 'Bourdain,' a memorial elegy for a great man, 'The Lonesome Road,' a weary traveler's lament, and 'Cascadia,' the evocative title track, combine to create an emotionally expressive set that will be familiar to Matheny's many followers across the country