The Classical Hall of Fame contains recordings that we critics have judged to be worthy of perpetual enshrinement, and thus it would seem an odd place to air one’s purely personal preferences. That being said, however, it is also true that we first receive sensory experience, and it is through this personal portal that we then extrapolate and objectify, so I begin this induction with some personal observations.

Richard Wagner’s Tannhauser, a tale of the struggle between spiritual and profane love, and of redemption through love, is given a radical visual update in Sebastian Baumgarten’s controversial Bayreuth production. • Joep van Lieshout’s giant installation ‘The Technocrat’ dominates the stage, its industrial interior suggesting that Tannhäuser is in fact one big experiment. Torsten Kerl interprets the title role, with Camilla Nylund in the role of Elisabeth. ‘‘Camilla Nylund’s Elisabeth and Kwangchul Youn’s Landgraf deservedly received the most applause at the curtain calls.’’

Soft Machine plunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited The Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. It's a double album of stunning music, with each side devoted to one composition - two by Mike Ratledge, and one each by Hopper and Wyatt, with substantial help from a number of backup musicians, including Canterbury mainstays Elton Dean and Jimmy Hastings. The Ratledge songs come closest to fusion jazz, although this is fusion laced with tape loop effects and hypnotic, repetitive keyboard patterns. Hugh Hopper's "Facelift" recalls "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson, although it's more complex, with several quite dissimilar sections…

Benny Carter - Sax ala Carter! (1960) {Capitol Jazz 724359351322 rel 2004}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 273 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 112 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 20 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1960, 2004 Capitol Jazz / Blue Note | 7243 5 93513 2 2 | 24bit mastering
Jazz / Mainstream Jazz / Saxophone

Sax ala Carter! was originally released in 1960, and as the liner notes point out, was meant for a general audience. That means that the songs are popular standards and the renditions offered here are fairly short (none reach the four-minute mark). Having said all this, one might expect Sax ala Carter! to resemble cocktail jazz, but it doesn't. Instead, the listener is treated to an intimate set made up of fine ensemble work by Carter, pianist Jimmy Rowles, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, and drummer Mel Lewis on favorites like "Far Away Places," "I Should Care," and "Everything I Have Is Yours."

The hype machine wants us to love the stars it promotes, which has a backlash effect. I'm not sure many serious listeners would rank Joshua Bell as a first-class musician, given his glamorous popular image. But he's up to everything Prokofiev throws at the soloist in his two violin concertos and two sonatas. This bargain two-fer can stand up to any rival, including Oistrakh and Perlman. I'm only sorry I overlooked it for so long.