The Nasty Boys - Intimate Strangers - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The Strangers - The Strangers [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/15/2023

The jazz pianist, composer, and arranger Emil Viklický is celebrating his 75th birthday. This re-edition reflects the prolific, versatile Moravia-born artist's penchant for folk music, transformed into pieces for trio plus special guests. The double-bassist František Uhlír and the drummer Cyril Zelenák have joined forces with other superb violinist Jirí Pavlica (70 this year), the cimbalom saxophonist František Kop, and the singers Iva Bittová (65 this year) and legendary Vera Domincová. Nine melodious compositions, one of which is presented by stellar musicians and adorned by outstanding vocals, which at the socially and musically exciting time of the first in 1991 were not paid the attention they richly deserve. The music still comes across as fresh, inspired, and inspiring, as clearly attested to by the current CD/LP re-issue, containing retrospective texts and, what is more, featuring photographs on the graphically compelling cover. Moravian folk music as performed by gifted, extraordinarily sensitive artists.

Seven inch vinyl pressing. Straight out the gate, Nas dropped a classic. Since the of the seminal Illmatic album in 1994, critics and fans have been wondering if Nas peaked too early and if anything in his subsequent catalogue could be held up against this masterpiece. To be fair, it's hard to follow up something this flawless, a project that allied his most insightful, pitch-perfect heartfelt rhymes with the work of the best hip-hop producers on the east coast. Presented for the first time on 7Inch, the vocals of the album version and the instrumental on the flip provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy and compare the work of two masters at the top of their game. Pete Rock's seamless weaving of disparate samples into a compelling whole, the then little-known Nas' statement of intent. With a maturity beyond his tender years, Nas put himself straight at the top of the pile, this Queensbridge chronicle hinting at the ambition and greatness he harboured within himself.