The musician sometimes needs to performance for himself and we are only spectators in a secret manner. Here he allows himself to let appear his favourite classics: Rachmaninov, Debussy and some indispensable creators of the 60s and 70s passing all of them through his unmistakable and harmonic world performed with much but very much feeling.

With the exception of one song left off due to lack of space, this single CD reissues the music from two LPs featuring Chucho Valdes in Cuba. 1972's Jazz Bata, the first five selections, features the great pianist in a rhythm section with bassist Carlos del Puerto and Oscar Valdes on congas. The originals, which are straight-ahead jazz that utilizes Cuban polyrhythms, show off Valdes' wondrous technique well, and include one song named after Valdes' famous group "Irakere." While "Laureen" is an emotional out-of-tempo ballad, some of the other songs find the pianist making a great deal out of very little including the lengthy vamp piece "Son No. 2." He never seems to run out of ideas. The final five selections are from 1982 and have Valdйs leading a five-piece rhythm section plus guest German Velasco.

Lucumi is an often-thoughtful solo recital by pianist Chucho Valdes. Part of the time he comes across as a Latin Ray Bryant, displaying his two-handed style and a tie to the swing tradition; at other times the pianist recalls McCoy Tyner. Valdes' nine originals are full of rich melodies, are often wistful, and are explored with taste and subtle creativity. A tasteful effort.

Although pianist Chucho Valdes starts things off with a precise and danceable interpretation of Ernesto Lecuona's "La Comparsa" on New Conceptions, the classical and operatic themes explored on 2002's Fantasia Cubana: Variations on Classical Themes are largely implied this time around. Valdes is a superb classically trained technician with a lush ear for harmony. This, combined with an expansive knowledge of the jazz "tradition," allows him to craft solos that often touch on both late-era John Coltrane and the elegant athleticism of Art Tatum. He brings all sides to bear here on works by Miles Davis and Duke Ellington as well as some original compositions.

Chucho Valdes continues to amaze with his profoundly Cuban take on jazz. This latest finds him exploring the African component of Cuban religion with a jazz quartet. The results are stunning. BRIYUMBA PALO CONGO was nominated for the 2000 Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Performance.

“There’s a lot of great Jewish holiday music out there, and we were listening to one of our favorite world music programs during the holidays. That’s when it occurred to us that we could do our own Khanike album, one that reflects our interests and highlights Yale’s extraordinary arrangements and compositions, with music that could be enjoyed by a wide range of listeners, from little kids to serious music appreciators. And it provided a perfect opportunity for an idea that we had been discussing for some time- an entire album arranged for vocals and strings. It also gave us a perfect opportunity to join forces with Sara and David, whom we met through the Mark O’Conner Strings Camps; Amos; and Alex from the Hausmann Quartet. We wanted the repertoire to present a sense of how Khanike was and is celebrated by different cultures around the world. The Ladino songs were traditionally sung by women in the kitchen as they prepared for the holiday…”

“It would all mean nothing without Bach,” says Ólafsson. “If Glass’s music is minimal, then Bach’s is maximal!” Having studied his music intensively, he here casts new light on some of the composer’s many different faces. Excerpts from the Well-Tempered Clavier such as the Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 855 or contrapuntal gems such as the Sinfonia No. 15 in B minor, BWV 801 showcase him as, in Ólafsson’s words, “the master of the short story”, while the larger-scale but playful Aria variata, BWV 989 forms the structural heart of the album.

This series was created by Luciano Linzi, artistic director of Casa del Jazz of Rome, was produced in collaboration with publishing group "la Repubblica/L'espresso". The series was published for four consecutive years, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. 41 CDs in all, sold over 1.000.000 copies. The recordings are all original live productions.

Gef Lucena writes of this new release featuring a compilation of Irish and British dance music curated from previous Saydisc albums and the catalog of Peter Kennedy: “It will probably be a brave or dedicated listener who plays all of these tracks at one sitting. However, drawing on our extensive archives of this genre we have arranged the dances with the greatest variety of instrumentation, provenance and periods of history. Many of the tracks are from Peter Kennedy’s renowned mono recordings from the 1950s and 60s with the remainder from Saydisc’s own stereo and digital recordings over the decades. Dip into this exhilarating selection or go for the long haul, but, however you listen, we hope that you enjoy the rich heritage of sound from the British and Irish traditions.”