West Coast jazz of the 1950s has long had a bad reputation in jazz history books and among East Coast jazz writers who have stereotyped it as an overarranged and bloodless music best heard in movie soundtracks of the era. In reality, it was a multifaceted style, a smoothing of bebop's rough edges that could often be hard-swinging even with its quiet rhythm sections. Two of the finest West Coast players of the '50s were Bud Shank and Bob Cooper. Shank, a cool-toned altoist who on this 1998 CD also plays flute and tenor, appeared on many dates with Coop, who triples here on tenor, bass clarinet and oboe.

"O" is a water-themed stage production by Cirque du Soleil, a Canadian circus and entertainment company. The show has been in permanent residence at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States, since October 1998. "O" was inspired by the "infinity and elegance of water's pure form," which pays tribute to the beauty of the theater. The music of "O" was composed by Benoit Jutras and features a mix of classical Western and world instrumentation, including Chinese violin (erhu), bagpipes, African guitar and harp (kora), Colombian guitar, cello, ancient woodwinds and a wide variety of percussion instruments. During the show, the score is performed by a live band situated behind glass walls above and to the side of the stage.

Arild Andersen's trio emphasises the writing and playing of Greek pianist Vassilis Tsabropoulos, whose melodic improvising and sense of form are influenced by his background as a classical musician. Tsabropoulos's tunes, and his arrangement of Ravel here, cast the jazz ‘piano trio’ genre in another light - as do his contributions to Andersen’s pieces and the collective improvisation “European Triangle". Arild Andersen's driving bass and John Marshall's inventive drums give the music its sense of propulsion.

RÉVÉLATION ! Nouveauté. Jeune trompettiste espagnol né en 1991, Bruno Calvo s’est installé en 2013 à Amsterdam pour y étudier. Parmi ceux qui lui ont prodigué leçons et conseils, on trouve Avishai Cohen ou Ambrose Akinmusire. Très actif comme sideman, il se présente ici son premier opus en tant que leader. En guise d’introduction minimaliste sur un tapis rythmique obsédant, Erytheia ouvre l’appétit. Offrant le même espace au drumming de Iago Fernandez, Dolores séduit par ses contours mélodiques et un phrasé incisif et bondissant, avant un premier solo où le leader affirme une aisance souriante : parfois proche d’un Freddie Hubbard par le style et la sonorité, avec ici ou là des pointes plus échevelées à la Don Cherry.