This opera is not only central to Richard Strauss’s incredibly rich and varied canon, it is also commonly regarded amongst Straussians as his greatest masterpiece. The opera spans three hours and includes some of the most passionate, moving, and warmly nostalgic music ever written.

Der Rosenkavalier is ’A Comedy for Music’, the story revolves around the Baron Ochs (a "rural Don Giovanni" as the composer himself put it) and his abortive attempts to marry the young Sophie who has fallen in love with Octavian, the lover of the Marschallin and the ’Rose Cavalier’ of the title. But comedy is only one component of the many equally important and intricately integrated elements of this fantastic opera.

After the overblown and wildly Romantic dissonant excesses of Strauss’s previous operas, ’Salome’ and ’Elektra’, here Strauss returns to the world of Viennese waltzes and Mozartian charm. However, the light and Mozartian comedic elements of Der Rosenkavalier are frequently contrasted with music of the utmost passion, sentimentality and depth of feeling, particularly in Act III. Here the music is suffused with bittersweet Mahlerian irony and Wagnerian grandeur.

If truth be known, there are numerous and lengthy periods of ’conversation’, in which the orchestra recedes into the background and the words are often half-sung - however, if you’re new to this opera, don’t be discouraged, for just around the corner there is always an equally lengthy and often sublime orchestral passage and/or aria/duet/trio - indeed, the entire one-hour final Act is one of the most powerfully moving pieces of music ever written with all of the thematic fragments of the previous two movements fusing together in an orgasm of unrelieved piquant beauty - the cumulative emotional effect of the entire opera is quite breathtaking, and is the equal of that other pinnacle of German operatic achievement, Wagner’s ’Tristan and Isolde’.

Furthermore, unlike 90% of even the greatest operas, Der Rosenkavalier’s libretto is witty, intelligent, meaningful and very emotional - so those periods of ’conversation’ are there for a good reason, and an understanding of the plot and a translation of the libretto add to the enjoyment of the opera immeasurably.

Coming in 1911, ’Der Rosenkavalier’, along with Schoenberg’s phenomenally Romantic ’Gurrelieder’, signalled the last full flourishing of the Romantic movement - with the death of Mahler, Europe on the brink of war and the advent of Schoenberg’s experiments with ’Serialism’, the Romantic movement had reached its apex - yes, great Romantic works would continue to be composed during the first half of the 20th century, but it was the avant-garde developments of Schoenberg, Webern and Berg which mesmerized the music world.

Hence, the wistful, sentimental and nostalgic soundworld of Der Rosenkavalier is very apt - it’s like a requiem for a bygone age, an age of romance and naiveté which was soon to be crushed under the weight of Hitler’s evil jackbooted crusade.

So, which recording do you go for? Well, there are two ’great’ recordings to choose from. Karl Bohm conducts the Vienna Philharmonic and Adam, Ludwig, Troyanos and Mathis in a superb live 1969 recording available on DG, but the best by far is an incredible 1957 EMI account (a superb early stereo recording which has recently been remastered) conducting the Philharmonia and Ludwig, Schwarzkopf, Stich-Randall and Edelman. Whilst the singing in the Bohm set is marginally better, Karajan’s interpretation is more emotional, better-paced and much more detailed and warmly recorded - and the singing is still wonderful. Personally, I wouldn’t be without either recording, but if you’re new to this opera you cannot go wrong with the 1957 Karajan - both sets come with copious liner notes, a detailed outline of the plot and translations of the complete libretto in numerous languages (including English).

However, perhaps the best of way of ’getting to know’ this opera is via a DVD recording. None of the existing DVD releases of ’Der Rosenkavalier’ match either of the classic CD releases described above, but one in particular is still a wonderful achievement, nevertheless.

The 1984 Salzburg Festival performance of Der Rosenkavalier is now available on DVD, released by Sony Classical (SVD 48313). The recorded sound is excellent, the camerawork adequate, the sets and costumes fine and the performance of both orchestra and singers very good. Karajan conducts the Vienna Philharmonic with the skill and assurance that comes from a lifetime of phenomenal musicmaking. Kurt Moll as the Baron is the real star here, but he is backed up by a uniformly excellent cast. The additional benefit of subtitles (in a number of different languages, including English), helps complete one’s understanding of the opera’s meaning and purpose, allowing one to enjoy the ’classic’ performances of this opera on CD to its fullest potential.

Follow-up listening.........

Other great Strauss operas include the aforementioned ’Salome’ and ’Elektra’ - both wildly Romantic works which will appeal to anyone who enjoys their music big, bold and beautiful. Strauss followed up Der Rosenkavalier with another delightfully graceful Romantic opera, ’Ariadne auf Naxos’, before embarking on his most massive creation of his career, the 1919 opera ’Die Frau ohne Schatten’ - an enormous 200-minute fairy-tale opera featuring the most incredible orchestration and passionate music of any opera - it even outdoes Wagner! After that Strauss never quite recaptured the sheer scale and brilliance of those ’mid-career’ operas - but there is much beauty and melody in, for instance, ’Daphne’, ’Die Lieb der Danae’, ’Arabella’, ’Intermezzo’ and his final opera ’Capriccio’, which speaks in the same intricately beautiful musical language as his contemporary ’Four Last Songs’. Whilst Strauss’s greatest achievement is undoubtedly in opera, his tone poems (which preceded all of his operas) are probably even more famous - but the delicate and intimate beauty of ’Don Quixote’ is often overlooked, so too the glorious scene painting of ’Aus Italien’. In between operas, Strauss wrote a few ballets, and his fantastically rich scores survive to ’Josephslegende’ and ’Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme’, the former containing the most remarkable and powerful orchestration I have ever heard. Then there’s his brilliant symphonies, the ’Alpine’ and ’Domestic’, both full of invention, drama and beauty. Throughout his career Strauss wrote many wonderful songs for soprano and orchestra. 12 of the best, plus the Four Last Songs are beautifully performed on a classic 1960s EMI release featuring Elizabeth Schwarzkopf - this is genuinely one of the greatest recordings of the 20th century and no true lover of music should be without it. There’s also a fine performance of his elegiac and hauntingly beautiful ’Notturno’ for soprano and orchestra on Chandos, a work very similar in orchestration, tone and emotional impact to Mahler’s later ’Songs on the Death of Children’. Right at the end of his life, when he was in his 80s, Strauss found renewed inspiration and created a handful of the most beautiful works ever written. His Four Last Songs are well-known and frequently recorded, so too his sublimely moving ’Metamorphosen’ for strings - a true lament for what the fascists had done to his beloved Germany. And then there is his frequently overlooked oboe concerto - wistful, poignant and warmly nostalgic. All three of these late masterpieces can be found on one wonderful DG recording featuring the Berlin Philharmonic, Karajan and Edith Mathis.

As far as other composers go, check out my earlier entries at this thread and also at my ’opera’ thread, but the operas of Wagner, particularly The Ring Cycle, Tannhauser, Lohengrin, Tristan, The Flying Dutchman, Meistersinger and Parsifal, the symphonies and song cycles of Mahler and the Romantic early works of Schoenberg are the obvious companion pieces to Der Rosenkavalier. However, lesser known operas such as Korngold’s ’Die tote Stadt’ and ’Das Wunder der Heliane’, and Braunfel’s ’Die Vogel’ are equally unrestrained and glorious late-Romantic works - the Braunfels in particular is one of my favourite operas thanks to the magical beauty of the opening prelude, the Tristanesque passion of the love music, and the sheer power of the final act.

This remarkable album not only showcases the extraordinary talents of the soprano Jessye Norman, but also the songwriting genius of Alban Berg, the interpretative skills of conductor Pierre Boulez and the intelligence and proficiency of the London Symphony Orchestra.

The album begins with Berg’s ’Seven Early Songs’ for soprano and orchestra. The music, written in the first decade of the 20th century is the ultimate in Romantic and chromatic expressiveness, with rich soaring melodies and amazing orchestration which clearly evokes Mahler, early Schoenberg and Richard Strauss whilst also maintaining a degree of Brahmsian charm. But whatever the influences these wonderfully evocative and passionate songs are clearly the work of Alban Berg (1885-1935).

There then follows the Five Orchestral Songs to Picture-Postcard Texts for soprano and orchestra. These later (1912) atonal songs are written in Berg’s favoured 12-note system and have an astonishingly grave beauty; as such they are a great tribute to Gustav Mahler whose music profoundly influenced the direction of Berg’s development. The music easily puts one in mind of his similarly other-worldly operas ’Wozzeck’ and ’Lulu’ - this is tough music full of harsh expressionism, but repeated listening offers immense satisfaction.

The rest of the 50-minute album is filled with a dozen or so mostly early songs for soprano and piano accompaniment. There is much to enjoy and savour here. The music is sweet and intoxicatingly Romantic, and Norman applies herself with great wisdom and intelligence.

This really is yet another ’must have’ album which whilst being beautiful and fulfilling on its own account is perhaps the best introduction to the incredibly beautiful, though initially daunting soundworld of Alban Berg.

And anything which has Jessye Norman in this kind of form has got to be worth listening to.

Follow-up listening -

Check out Jessye Norman singing Strauss’s Four Last Songs (along with Wagner’s beautiful Wesendonk Lieder) on Philips. She is also amazing singing the part of Judith in another Boulez collaboration on DG, this time it’s Bartok’s spectacularly explosive Bluebeard’s Castle......there are dozens of other classic Jessye Norman recordings, far too many to mention here.......

As far as Berg is concerned, there’s a lovely recording of his agonisingly beautiful violin concerto on RCA’s budget-priced Classical Navigotor series featuring Ulf Hoelscher - it’s coupled with Schoenberg’s ’Transfigured Night’ and Webern’s astonishing ’Passacaglia for Orchestra’ - this is truly beautiful music of the New Viennese School.

Considering the remarkable dearth of renowned British baroque and classical composers during the 18th and 19th centuries (although Handel became an English citizen and Mendelssohn and Haydn spent much time in the UK), Purcell stands as a colossus of English music- following his death in 1695 (at the terribly young age of 36) Britain would have to wait until the emergence of Edward Elgar, two hundred years later, for another home-grown talent of similar ability and standing. However, had Purcell lived into middle-age and beyond it is quite likely he would have inspired other English composers to follow the same path - what might have been! The great strength of Purcell's Baroque music is that whilst it is audibly 'English', it also incorporates those elements of French, German and Italian music which give it a truly universal appeal and cosmopolitan flavour. Furthermore, Purcell's music is imbued with strong elements of English folk music which also gives it a smooth and easy-going appeal which clearly presages the development of country music in the US.

For anyone new to Purcell, this wonderful 80-minute album showcases the highlights of this incredible English composer's canon, with such famous classics as 'Dido's Lament' and 'Oh, fair Cedaria'. However, this CD should merely be seen as a 'taster' - Hyperion, along with The King's Consort and a wealth of solo performers, such as Barbara Bonney and James Bowman, have recorded all of Purcell's known works on 25 CDs. Needless to say, this single album, whilst highlighting the 'jewels', also omits a vast amount of similarly awe-inspiring music.

What we do have still makes for a uniquely rewarding 80 minutes of music far ahead of its time. The album begins with the glorious 'Welcome, welcome glorious morn' with its inspired interplay between trumpets, oboes and strings before the tenor solo and chorus take up the triumphal tone. This is closely followed by 'Be welcome then, great sir' with its meltingly beautiful string melodies. Later on the album gives us the remarkable 'Let mine eyes run down with tears', an extraordinary lament based on Jeremiah's texts full of rich harmonic and melodic expression. In all there are twenty separate tracks, each a uniquely satisfying testament to Purcell's extraordinary versatility and sublime genius.

This breathtaking 'choral symphony' remains one the composer's greatest works, and certainly excels his more famous Symphonie Fantastique in just about every way. Crammed into its two-hour runtime is music of the utmost diversity, and yet the music remains a satisfactorily unified whole.

Of course, many composers, such as Mahler, Gounod, Busoni and Liszt have adapted Goethe's Faust into a variety of works ranging from symphony to opera. Berlioz's work is a symphonic/operatic hybrid featuring solo singers, choir and massive orchestra.

Unlike many of the aforementioned composers, Berlioz sticks much close to the source, and not only retains the narrative scope of the original texts, but he tackles the supernatural and philosophical aspects too......

The result is a spectacularly entertaining and successful Kaleidoscope of musical styles, between the phenomenal power of world-famous 'Hungarian March' of the first scene and the climactic ride to hell, there's a rowdy tavern scene, a supernatural ballet, a love scene, a mad aria, and an immense pantheistic invocation of nature. In the entire musical world, there is no work quite like this diverse and colourful extravaganza.......

Recommended recording - Seiji Ozawa conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Tanglewood Festival Chorus, with soloists Stuart Burrows, Donald McIntyre, and Edith Mathis

Although MacIntyre's Mephistopheles is a little pedestrian, and Mathis' Marguerite a little too Germanic-toned, Stuart Burrows excels as Faust, his voice is both rich and clear and his characterization sensitive and unmelodramatic. The remarkably spacious recording captures every detail of the intricately orchestrated orchestral passages, the full range of the voices and the mind-blowing power of the orchestral set-pieces (which clearly influenced Wagner in their chromaticism and emphasis on ethereal brass chorales). Furthermore, the choir performs superbly and is balanced perfectly with the orchestra and soloists.

The Czech composer Joseph Suk’s monumental symphonic tetralogy beginning with the ’Asrael Synphony’ (1906), followed by ’Summer Tale’ (1909) and ’Ripening’ (1917) and concluding with ’Epilogue’ (1933) represents late-Romanticism at its most profound, lush and emotional (not to say decadent, massive and self-indulgent).

These works are Mahlerian in style, scope, size and concept and easily rank alongside the late-romantic masterpieces of Zemlinsky, Scriabin, Gliere, Schmidt, Schreker, Pfitzner, Korngold, Goldschmidt, and so on, for sheer beauty of orchestration and complexity of thematic development and seemingly boundless ambition. The work of all of these great composers takes the listener to ’places’ well beyond anything that has been composed before or since.

Born in 1874, Suk’s earlier compositions, though sometimes melancholic, were usually small-scale and often bright and breezy, but following the sudden and unexpected deaths of his father-in-law (Dvorak) in 1904 and his wife in the following year, the character of Suk’s music changed for ever.

His response to the tragic loss of those closest to him was the composition of the massive hour-long symphonic outpouring of grief famously known as the ’Asrael Symphony’ (The Angel of Death).....a grimly beautiful work for massive orchestra featuring no end of ethereal and profound chromatic material in the best tradition of Mahler, Zemlinsky and Schoenberg at their most passionately romantic.

Suk followed up this wallow in despair with a work of even greater magnitude, ’Summer Tale’ - another hour-long romantic masterpiece. The grief and morbidity of the ’Asrael Symphony’ is here replaced by the gleaming effervescence of a summer’s day. Yes, the work is imbued with darker, ominous passages, but these are constantly relieved by thematic material and orchestrational brilliance of the utmost beauty and optimism. The shimmering intensity of the second movement, ’Noon’ contrasts startlingly with the romantic tumult of the opening movement. The third movement, ’Blind Musicians’, is a startlingly unique example of the scope of the late-romantic tradition - here amongst veritable mountains of sound comes a movement containing the most intimate of orchestration. A pair of cor anglais’ weave an intoxicating melody around ethereal, shimmering strings and strumming harps. The fourth movement is a colossal scherzo as massive as any of Bruckner’s and as piquant and poignant as any of Mahler’s. The symphony concludes with a wistful fifteen minute movement which has both an air of resignation and consolation, very much in keeping with the mood of Richard Strauss’s ’Four Last Songs’.

Following ’Summer Tale’, Suk was to compose the fantastic ’Ripening’, a song of life if ever there was one, and his final masterpiece, ’Epilogue’, a massive romantic outpouring for orchestra, choir, soprano, baritone and bass.

Recommended Recording of ’Summer Tale’ - Sir Charles Mackerras conducting the Czech Philharmonic (DECCA 466433).

Sir Charles and his forces do Suk’s masterwork full justice in a beautifully recorded and perfectly balanced release. From the shimmering intensity of the ethereal orchestration to the wildly flamboyant orchestral violence, Sir Charles maintains a steady hand. The recording also includes a performance of Suk’s earlier ’Fantastic Scherzo’, as scintillating a piece of music as you are ever likely to hear.

Never having been one for operatic compilations, excerpts and highlights, I approached this CD with trepidation (I prefer listening to complete operas). However, my love for the warm and rich tones of Terfel's baritone voice won me over in the end, and I wasn't disappointed.

Terfel is joined by baroque expert Sir Charles Mackerras and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in this 1997 recording. Apart from giving the listener another chance to hear Terfel's incredible voice characterization showcased, this is no mere medley of best bits hacked from Handel's operas and oratorios.

For a start, many of the arias were written for countertenors and even castrati, but Sir Charles has cleverly reworked the orchestration and rhythms to cater for Terfel's resonant voice.

The recorded sound is sumptuous and the choice of repertoire is broad without being distractingly discursive. Terfel is never taxed, but he still never the less explores the full range of Handel's oeuvre from the tenderly haunting and touching beauty of 'Vouchsafe, O Lord' to the strident authority of 'Thus saith the Lord of Hosts'. This is a truely wonderful album and a perfect introduction to the world of baroque and Handel.

For anyone who may still be labouring under the illusion that Arnold Schoenberg only created ugly atonal music, this massive late-Romantic 'choral symphony' will come as quite a shock.

Simply put, Gurrelieder is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written, and at over 100 minutes in length it is also one of the longest, and with an enormous orchestra, mixed choirs and half a dozen solo singers it is certainly one of the most massive in size and scope. In all, an authentic performance of this work calls for a minimum of 70 strings, four choirs, 5 solo singers, a narrator, ten horns, four harps and so and so forth.

Gurrelieder is also one of the most beautiful, passionate and powerful pieces of music ever written. As a measure of its world-wide popularity, there is even a 'Gurrelieder Society'.

Schoenberg spent the first ten years of the 20th century composing it, and in doing so created a late-Romantic masterpiece at least the equal of Mahler's 8th symphony, Strauss's operas 'Der Rosenkavalier' and 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' and any other of the monumental late-Romantic outpourings of the era from the likes of Zemlinsky, Schmidt, Schreker, Pfitzner, Szymanowski, Brian, Scriabin etc.

But Schoenberg's Gurrelieder, has more variety than any of these other works, not least because Schoenberg's entire attitude towards composing changed enormously during the ten years of Gurrelieder's compositon. The first half of the work is written in the no-expense-spared style of Mahler, Strauss and Wagner with lush Romantic melodies, enormous orchestral outbursts and blisteringly erotic singing from the soprano and heldentenor - written in the same musical language as Schoenberg's other Romantic masterworks, 'Transfigured Night' and 'Pelleas and Melisande'. By contrast, the second half of the work is much more economically scored, despite the massive choral forces employed, reflecting more Schoenberg's modernist stylistics. The music is still utterly Romantic and tonal, but the orchestration is more subtle and diaphanous - there's often a chamber-like intimacy and transparency towards the end of the work.

There is no other work like Gurrelieder - it's thrilling from beginning to end, it quite literally knocks you off of your sofa. There are long purely instrumental passages as powerful and sublime as any Mahler symphony, there are orchestral songs which rival Strauss's 'Four Last Songs' for sheer beauty and poignancy, there is thunderous and ethereal choral work from the massed choirs the equal of Wagner's 'Tannhauser', there is virtuoso solo work from violin and cello, there are some thrillingly unique percussive innovations such as the use of iron chains - and yet, despite the huge diversity of stylistics and instrumental/choral forces, the work remains a thoroughly unified whole, the cumulative effect of which has no parallel, apart from the very greatest works of Mahler, Strauss, Wagner, Puccini and Verdi.

Gurrelieder is based upon a poem by the Danish romantic Jens Peter Jacobsen, which tells the story of the love between King Waldemar (heldentenor) and Tove (soprano), resident of Castle Gurre. The work begins with a 7 minute orchestral prelude of incredible beauty. Flutes, horns and strings ring out the sounds of nature, gradually building to one of the most fantastic and beautiful melodies in music - it really is breathtakingly rich, Romantic and vibrant - as good as anything Mahler, Strauss or Wagner have written.

The first part of the work involves a long and incredibly passionate and luxuriant love duet between tenor and soprano punctuated by frequent rich and sumptuous Mahlerian orchestral commentaries - this section alone adds up to 30 minutes. Tove is then murdered by Waldemar's jealous wife and an incredibly moving lament is sung of her by a wood dove (mezzo-soprano or contralto) after a long and powerful orchestral summary of the events so far - even this section lasts 20 minutes.

Part Two sees Waldemar cursing God for allowing the death of his true love - here the music is anguished, angry and turbulent, and Part Three has Waldemar damned by God to ride with the dead warriors at night in 'The Wild Hunt' which features enormous choral fireworks like nothing else outside of a Wagner opera - Bauer the peasant (baritone) sings of the nocturnal rape and pillage - this music is quirky, wild and dazzlingly orchestrated like Mahler a scherzo. Then the chorus goes wild with ecstasy and the orchestra takes on a hugely triumphal tone like a Berlioz extravaganza, except more so, as the 'wild hunt' reaches a frenzy of mayhem and destruction.

Finally the hunt subsides and Waldemar sings of his undying love for Tove in a beautiful and moving aria. Klaus the Jester (tenor) mocks Waldemar and the music becomes appropriately sarcastic and biting - once again the orchestration is a glittering marvel. Following this, Waldemar again argues with God during another passionate and charged aria.

Dawn breaks and here the choirs become sublime and majestic in a long and spiritually uplifting 'song to the summer wind'. A beautiful orchestral prelude precedes the narrator (half-sung usually by a veteran opera star such as Hans Hotter) who talks of new life, redemption and resurrection against an extraordinarily beautiful orchestral backdrop featuring shimmering strings, chirping woodwinds and solo violin. The work concludes with the entire choral forces singing a lengthy chorus of 'behold the sun' whilst the orchestra touchingly plays a variant of the work's opening motif, thus ending the work on a triumphal and ecstatic note.

This really is an astonishing piece of music in just about every way, and Gurrelieder has been recorded on many occasions. The best of these by far is the Decca recording featuring Ricardo Chailly conducting the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and featuring soloists Hermann Becht, Susan Dunn, Brigitte Fassbaender, Peter Haage, Hans Hotter and Siegfried Jerusalem. Everything is just right - the performance is perfect, there is no audience noise, the solo singers are superb and most importantly the sound quality is near perfect, with excellent balance between soloists, choir, percussionists and orchestra - so vital in a work of these mammoth proportions.

There are only two other recordings worth purchasing, Ozawa on Philips, which has the benefit of Jessye Norman as Tove, and the recent Rattle on EMI. Both of these fall well short of the Chailly recording in virtually every respect, so plump for the Chailly if you can. However, all three recordings give a slightly different insight into the work and I wouldn't be without any of them - but it is the Chailly recording which always blows me away the most.

Wynton Marsalis - "Midnight Blues"

The living legend toots his trumpet to the smoothe, most sensuous of orchestral backings.......his long, languorous notes suspended above a pool of deep and glistening violins. Sounds schmaltzy, and doubtless many 'jazz purists' will baulk at this kind of thing, but whereas the likes of Percy Faith, Bert Kaempfert, Ron Goodwin, Mantovani and Ray Conniff go all out for cheesiness (and are very enjoyable listening experiences for that reason), Marsalis and arranger Bob Freedman successfully create a deeply evocative and incredibly cool 'midnight jazz' sound......and boy, do they succeed! Also check out Marsalis's earlier (and equally stunning) 'Hot House Flowers'.....another truly sublime 'midnight jazz' masterpiece featuring the master's lonely trumpet, additional jazz soloists and velvet melancholy string orchestra.

Amon Tobin - "Permutation"

Like a musical dream come true, Tobin manages to combine all of those disparate musical elements, including hard bop jazz, Brazilian rhythms, delicious guitars and warm horns to create a fantastically atmospheric and cinematic soundworld. A wonderfully dark and hypnotic fusion of analogue samples and electronics oozing with class.

Julee Cruise - "Floating into the Night"

Forget about the TWIN PEAKS soundtrack albums; here Badelamenti, Lynch and Cruise re-create the same dark and mystical soundworld of the musical underscore of the television series and movie, but develop and extend the music, making it palatable for stand-alone listening. But this isn't just some glorified soundtrack, oh no, most of the material here is new......gorgeous saxophone, delicate guitar and Badelamenti's ethereal and hauntingly lush orchestrations perfectly compliment Cruise's angelic voice. Shimmering, twilight and intoxicating.....music at its most affecting.

Black Box Recorder - "England Made Me" and "The Facts of Life"

England's Black Box Recorder prove just how much fun music can be. Their act is based around the English people's legendary propensity for 'running themselves down', and scathingly pokes fun at the British Establishment and many of England's archaic traditions. I mention their first two albums here because they are so different from one another and yet similar.....if you see what I mean. 'England Made Me' is quite simply an 'evil' pleasure. Bitingly sarcastic lyrics are half-sung by Sarah Nixey - "I trapped a spider underneath the glass, I kept it for a week to see how long it would last" and "Life is unfair, Kill yourself or get used to it" may seem like crude attempts to garner notoriety, but in the context of the entire album, such lyrics become remarkably perspicacious observations of life in general. But it's not just about 'clever' lyrics. The music is fascinating - 'England Made Me' is notable for its remarkably economic orchestration which gives the music a stunningly effective bite - a rare album that is both extremely amusing in a cruel way, but also very poignant in its melancholy introspection. BBR's follow-up recording is a different matter. 'The Facts of Life' is a masterwork of fantastic tunes married to highly suggestive lyrics that talk of sex and failed relationships - though not explicit in the same way as Tricky's Trip Hop masterpiece, 'Maxinquaye'. Brilliantly quirky post-rock orchestration make this sound like a twisted Saint Etienne.

Sergio Mendes - "The Very Best of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66"

This magnificent 48-track 2-CD release covers much of the arranger's greatness from 1966 through 1971. Obviously the man's music needs little introduction, but this wonderful compilation is choc-a-bloc with lush orchestral pop classics that provide the perfect background to the best of 'cocktail parties'. Mendes' penchant is for fusing samba, bossa nova and jazz with those gorgeously feel-good '60s songs from Bacharach et al. This collection of music is all the more valuable now that lounge, kitsch and exotica have come back into fashion. Whilst Lemonjelly, Kruder & Dorfmeister and the Montefiore Cocktail are wonderful of course, you simply can't beat the real thing. Check out Mendes' bossa nova collaborations with Cannonball Adderley and also the excellent compilation album 'The Best of Sergio Mendes & Brasil '65' where the music is more authentically bossa nova and Brazilian. Indeed, Mendes' arrangement of Marcos Valle's samba classic, 'So Nice (Summer Samba)' is one of the best, particularly with Wandah de Sah's alluringly innocent voice and Bud Shank's gorgeous sax solos.

Joe Lovano - "Celebrating Sinatra"

This exquisite 1997 album from the celebrated tenor saxophonist tended to get lost in the blizzard of 'Sinatra' reworkings that were released during the same period. But this album is no schmaltzy and inferior retread of the Chairman's material. Lovano's honey-toned sax is backed up by the most gorgeously subtle and intricate orchestral arrangements imaginable. The performance of 'One more for my baby' is simply sublime. Check out Lovano's 'Rush Hour' for an equally successful fusion of jazz and strings.

Global Communication - "76:14"

Commonly regarded amongst 'ambient' aficionados as the greatest example of the musical idiom, it is no exaggeration to describe '76:14' as a life-changing experience. Far from being a seemingly disorganised jumble of soundwashes, quirky beats and 'clever-clever' sound effects, the 76 minutes of aural bliss found on this album is a carefully constructed masterpiece of Ambient House. Some purists may argue that this isn't really true 'ambient' music in the 'Eno' sense, but such people are merely splitting hairs, because the beats found on this album are far from obtrusive but merely help to enhance the music's unity, strength and agenda. The music itself is a magnificent celebration of ethereal soundscapes - close your eyes and you'll witness enormous spiral galaxies and massive supernovae - the harmonic progression throughout the album is extraordinary. 76:14 would not seem out of place in an outer space movie epic, and is the perfect companion piece to early '90s Orb. Spell-binding, haunting and magical provide insufficient description, so let's leave it at life-changing.

Grover Washington - "Aria"

Recorded just before his untimely death in 1999, 'Aria' is one of the most incredible examples of music-making ever recorded. The legendary saxophonist performs a dozen of the greatest operatic arias, including Massenet and Delibes. His tenor sax 'sings' sweetly, backed up by the ravishing orchestral arrangements of Robert Freedman, the great pianist Billy Childs and the indestructible bassist Ron Carter. If you're not a fan of opera, for God's sake don't let that put you off of hunting down this fantastic album. Sure, Freedman and Washington have remained faithful to the original composers' music at its fundamental level (I'm sure Puccini et al would approve).....but they also manage to infuse the music with an essentially jazz soul. A mind-blowing combination.

A Merry Mancini Christmas

Of all of the wonderful Christmas albums I own (nearly 150 at the last count), this is without a doubt my absolute favourite. All of the favourite Christmas songs are here - everything from 'The Christmas Song' to 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen' and 'The Little Drummer Boy' to 'Silent Night' - and each has been lovingly crafted by the ace arranger Henry Mancini. The music is performed by a large orchestra with prominent jazz ensemble and a wonderful choir. However, Mancini uses his forces wisely, and the listener is never overwhelmed by orchestral bombast. Indeed, Mancini obviously went to great lengths to capture the intimacy of such beautiful melodies as Adolphe Adam's 'O Holy Night'. The richly atmospheric arrangements brilliantly conjures up thoughts of warm firesides, the smell of roasting chestnuts and carol singers patrolling snow-covered streets. A great Christmas companion to Perry Como, Frank Sinatra, Mantovani, the Salvation Army band and singers and so on.

All the best from Austria and Switzerland

Quite simply the best yodelling album around - none of that cowboy yuk here, this is truly authentic Alpine yodelling. But there's much more to this album than the yodels. A superb range of Alpine folk songs are beautifully performed on all manner of authentic folk instruments (guitars, zithers, accordions and so on), with the vocals (not all of it yodels) coming and going in just the right places. This album is a joy from beginning to end.......it's not only great fun, but it's also great music.

George Benson - "Breezin'"

This 1976 album is commonly regarded as the guitarist's crowning glory......it certainly made him a popular star, and in doing so alienated him from many 'jazz purists' who detest anything that goes beyond a small ensemble. On 'Breezon, the legendary guitarist is backed by a plethora of superb jazz soloists and the legendary Claus Ogerman's ethereal string orchestra......this is music-making of the utmost beauty that will appeal to all lovers of great music. Indeed, this album more than any other opened the door on the world of jazz to many, many people who had preciously avoided the idiom......perhaps that is what the purists didn't like.

Biosphere - "Substrata"

This awesome 'ambient' album speaks in musical terms of enormous snow-capped mountains, bottomless ice-cold fjords and immensely powerful glaciers. At first listen the music can sound 'cold' in that curiously electronic way, but repeated listening releases the true genius behind Biosphere's creation. As with all of the classic so-called 'ambient' albums, there's an awful lot more going on than at first seems to be the case.

Ute Lemper - "But One Day"

Released in March of this year, 'But One Day' is the latest album from the acclaimed German diva, and it's one of her best. A truly wonderful selection of songs, both old and new allow Lemper to tax her vocal skills to the max. The music is erotic, dark, and piquant, with the singer's incredibly sexy voice backed up by typically excellent orchestrations featuring everything from magnificent string writing to ghostly electronics. Apart from a few Weill/Brecht songs which she specializes in, four of the songs here are written by Lemper herself......and each is superb. 'But One Day' is moodily evocative cabaret music, much like Lemper's equally brilliant homage to Dietrich and Piaf, 'Illusions'.

Francis Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim - Reprise 7599-27041-2

I suppose if one asks oneself, 'what is so special about music', one is likely to say it is music's ability to stimulate an emotional response in the listener like nothing else (except close proximity to a naked woman of course). And when emotion is concerned, no form of music is as affecting as bossa nova, which is characterized by a kind of paradoxical 'upbeat melancholia' - in other words, a bright and optimistic rhythmic energy generated by guitars, sax, horns and percussion which is offset by singing of the most utter sadness and poignancy, further enhanced by gorgeous descending strings - it is the music's remarkable and distinct duality which gives it its power. For those who may not know, bossa nova is a fusion of Brazilian samba and American cool jazz which became very popular during the 1960s following the extraordinary success of the 1959 movie 'Black Orpheus'. The movie's composers, Luiz Bonfa and especially Antonio Carlos Jobim would lead the bossa revolution in the coming decade, championed by jazz greats such as Stan Getz and Charlie Byrd.

At the height of bossa nova's popularity in 1967, the great composer Antonio Carlos Jobim (who wrote 'The Girl from Ipanema', along with many other famous bossa favourites) teamed up with Frank Sinatra to create an album of musical magic. The album begins with Sinatra's wonderful rendition of The Girl from Ipanema with Jobim on guitar. The jazz/orchestra arrangements of Claus Ogerman are breathtaking. Upbeat Bacharach-styled horns, richly swaying strings, piquant woodwinds, and cool percussion provide the perfect backdrop to Sinatra's beautifully restrained delivery. Every track on the album is a masterpiece of sublime emotional manipulation - but the highlight is the achingly beautiful Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars, complete with glistening Mahlerian string swoops - this really is music of the utmost beauty and power.

Sure, the album only clocks in at a measly 30 minutes, but it's worth more than all of Sinatra's other post-Capitol albums put together. And the accompanying booklet provides a valuable (and refreshingly honest) account of how Sinatra, Jobim and Ogerman concocted this sublime masterpiece of music-making.

By the 1970s the bossa craze had gradually fizzled out, but in recent years this most poignant and beautiful form of music has justly regained popularity. Not only have established contemporary jazz giants adapted and re-recorded much of Jobim's music, but there has been a fresh wave of re-releases of Jobim's wonderful original albums, fully remastered with bonus tracks. Furthermore, many of today's trip-hop, chillout masters such as Thievery Corporation, Bent, Royksopp, Lemonjelly and so on have fully integrated the bossa sound and agenda into their wonderful work.

Further listening -

If you're new to bossa, the best place to start is with one of Verve's compilation albums (of which there are far too many) titled 'Bossa Nova for Lovers'. Here, the cream of the Verve bossa catalogue is represented, with Getz, Jobim, Byrd, Joao and Astrud Gilberto well represented. If you don't like this album you're not going to like bossa nova - however, everyone else will probably end up tracking down every Jobim, Bonfa and Gilberto album in existence, such is the brilliance of the music.

Antonio Carlos Jobim was a prolific composer, and there are a dozen or so albums of his to enjoy. The best of the bunch are 'Wave', 'Tide', 'Terra Brazilis', 'Stone Flower', 'Elis and Tom', 'Urubu' and 'Antonio Carlos Jobim' - all of these albums are minimum requirements for a proper appreciation of bossa and on each album the music often goes well beyond the trademark bossa sound and includes pure cool jazz, unadulterated Brazilian samba as well as massive and complex orchestral passages.

Apart from Jobim, check out Luiz Bonfa's classic 1962 album 'Plays and Sings Bossa Nova' and Verve's compilation 'Astrud Gilberto's Finest Hour'.

It's funny, everyone has heard a piece of bossa nova music, but few truly appreciate the music's full potential - but when the 'discovery' is made, one's attitude towards music is profoundly enhanced for ever.

Kate Bush - "Lionheart"

Of all of Kate’s seven wonderful albums, most of her fans would describe ’Lionheart’ as the least impressive (though still very good) - I can see their point, but having enjoyed listening to all of Kate’s work over the past twenty years, from her debut album ’The Kick Inside’ (featuring Wuthering Heights) to 1993’s ’The Red Shoes’, this one has become my personal favourite.

Following the enormous success of her debut album in 1978, Kate quickly followed it up with ’Lionheart’.

The music on this album is slightly more restrained than most of her other work, thus the full airy and ethereal brilliance of her songwriting skills shine all the stronger.

The album opens with ’Symphony in Blue’, a truly beautifully melancholic down-tempo hymn to love and sex - one can clearly hear shades of Goldfrapp and Zero 7 already with its waltz-like tempo on electric guitar and fender rhodes - and then there’s Kate’s vocals - as beautifully relaxed and silky as she has ever been. The mood of the album has been firmly set and the dreamlike ’In search of Peter Pan’ is a wonderfully poignant second track. ’Wow’ begins quietly and mysteriously with ethereal synthetic flutters and slides before launching into the famous chorus. Mandolin and other exotic instrumentation add further interest to the already phenomenal music.

The album continues in much the same way, with track 5, ’Oh England, My Lionheart’ being a particular standout. A beautiful and subtle soundscape with haunting harpsichord, piano and recorders backing-up Kate’s wonderful lament for all things English - as she speaks of the ’rolling Thames’, Shakespeare and ’London Bridge’ one is whipped into a patriotic frenzy, as well as being reminded of the huge importance of English folk music on the development of music throughout the Western World (especially Ireland and the US).

’Fullhouse’ with its quirky piano is another standout, and then there’s the utterly beautiful ’In the warm room’ with its gentle piano accompaniment. ’Kashka from Baghdad’ is a simply wonderful track which begins so smoothly and naturally with piano, bass guitar and Kate’s vocals weaving their magic before being joined by all manner of exotic instrumentation and harmony.

’Coffee Homeground’ is a delightful fusion of tango and ’20s Charleston with a distinctive jazz ensemble beautifying Kate’s wonderful lyrics.

The album ends with the incredible ’Hammer Horror’ which begins with ominous Elfman-esque brass before Kate’s beautiful vocals change the mood to one of simple innocence. Gradually the track develops into a rock anthem interspersed with thoughtful and richly melodic episodes.

A great ending to a great album.

Further listening - all of Kate’s other albums, perhaps starting with ’The Kick Inside’, then ’The Hounds of Love’, ’Never Forever’, ’The Sensual World’, ’The Dreaming’ and ending with ’The Red Shoes’.

Jules Massenet - 'Thais'

One of the most neglected operatic masterpieces of the 19th century is finally receiving the attention it justly deserves. Famous for its 'Meditation' for solo violin and orchestra, 'Thais' was for years scoffed at by music experts, who described it as 'kitsch', and the opera was ignored by a public too keen to hang on the every word of the critics.

In reality, 'Thais' is a sublime (and decadent) late-Romantic masterwork, easily ranking alongside the overpowering sensuality of Wagner's 'Tristan' and 'Parsifal' as well as the wildly intoxicating operatic extravaganzas of Richard Strauss.

'Thais' is also roughly the equal of Massenet's other great operas, 'Manon' and 'Werther', though the latter remains Massenet's greatest work thanks to the sheer craftsmanship of the whole, which includes remarkable early use of the saxophone.

There are a number of recordings of 'Thais', but none have done the work justice, that is until the recent triumphant performances featuring Renee Fleming, Thomas Hampson and Giuseppe Sabbatini, now brilliantly captured on CD by Decca with Yves Abel conducting the Orchestre National Bordeaux Aquitaine. The 2-cd album (147 mins) is, as usual with good opera recordings, lavishly produced, with a full history of the opera, photographs of the singers, full synopsis and an English libretto.

Most importantly of all however, is the excellent quality of the sound. Many recordings of the digital era are quite frankly inferior to those of the wonderful days of rich analogue stereo recordings of the '50s, '60s and '70s - but not so this recording of 'Thais'. There is no digital crackle on the high notes, and the strength and depth of the brass and double basses is never blurred or distorted. Furthermore, the choir, orchestra and soloists are perfectly balanced - the orchestra plays brilliantly, especially the crucially important and prominent solo violinist. The singing is remarkable - Fleming and Hampson are truly wonderful, easily competing with the great sopranos and baritones of the past, such as Sherril Milnes and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf.

And so to the music. Well, everyone knows the famous 'Meditation', and for anyone approaching this opera for the first time, knowledge of this theme is certainly going to be a great help in accessing and understanding the opera's musical structure. Indeed, the 'Meditation' as we all know it is played complete during Act II, but with a truly wonderful hushed and wordless choral backing - utterly beautiful and moving. Not only that, the theme is then heard throughout the rest of the opera and forms the basis of the climax to the work when both Fleming and Hampson sing to the melody - this is a wondrous operatic moment (ten minutes actually) on a par with the Liebstodt of Wagner's Tristan.

The plot of the opera basically concerns the Egyptian courtesan Thais and her transformation from a life of sin to beatitude, whilst the monk Athanael discards his chastity for the pleasures of the flesh. Indeed, as a brilliant and accurate depiction of the human condition, 'Thais' is the operatic equal of Schreker's 'Die Gezeichneten' and Strauss's 'Die Frau Ohnne Schatten'.

And there is far more to the music than the sentimentalism of the 'Meditation'. Admittedly, the ballet sequence of Act II is slightly disappointing (though pleasant enough), but the rest of the score is an orgy of consistent lyrical beauty, with one magnificent aria following another. Indeed, with no spoken dialogue and seamless transitions from scene to scene, 'Thais' really is in the best tradition of Wagner's through-composed music dramas.

But for all of the opera's strengths, many will be drawn to this work solely because of Renee Flemings beautiful singing.......and that's reason enough.

Sheryl Crow - ’Tuesday Night Music Club’

Perhaps one of the most memorable and enduring hits of 1994 was Sheryl’s wonderfully upbeat and amusing ’All I Wanna Do’ (a clear homage to Stealer Wheeler’s ’Stuck in the Middle with You’ ) - its catchy guitar licks and fantastic lyrics made an immediate impact on radio audiences and was frequently aired alongside another memorable hit of that year, Shampoo’s delightful ’Trouble’ - remember, uh-oh, we’re in trouble, something’s come along and it’s burst our bubble...... And that’s the beauty of music, one only has to listen to these songs to help regain a sense and feeling of life back in ’94 - the effect of the music is an even more powerful aide memoire than perusing the photo album or watching your home movies. Somehow music helps conjures up the ’atmosphere’, sights, sounds and smells of the past in such a realistic way - the music can actually transport one back in time, at least for a short while.

’All I Wanna Do’ originated from Sheryl’s superb 1993 debut album ’Tuesday Night Music Club’ and was remixed for single release in the UK the following year. The differences between the album and remixed single versions of the song are small but vital. The remix crucially brings the twangy guitar lick that opens the song to the fore and drops the handclaps that are heard on the album version. These small changes gave the remix version that necessary ’edge’ to make it the radio success it always deserved to be - so a recording of both versions of the songs in your collection is vital for a true appreciation of the song.

The album itself (the culmination of years of apprenticeship which had Sheryl doing everything from backing Michael Jackson to dueting with Kenny Loggins!) is truly one of the pinnacles of mainstream pop, and is also blessed with a particularly fetching photo of Sheryl on the cover, and plenty of stills of the musicians (and more of Sheryl) throughout the booklet - there’s also a few nice paragraphs written by Sheryl herself.

One might be forgiven for thinking that all of the songs on ’Tuesday Night Music Club’ are as carefree and ’fun’ as ’All I Wanna Do’, but in reality, ’All I Wanna Do’ is the exception, with much of the album containing heartfelt and very intelligent lyrics - though never becoming over-serious or pretentious. The album opens brilliantly with ’Run, Baby, Run’, a five minute rock extravaganza which begins with swaggering guitars and lyrics reflecting on memories of 1963, such as the death of Aldous Huxley (a wry joke, in that Aldous died on the same day as Kennedy was assassinated). ’Leaving Las Vegas’ is even longer - and what a song!, certainly one of the album’s many highlights.

The gentle strumming guitar of ’Strong Enough’ is a perfect accompaniment to Sheryl’s beautifully delivered lyrics, whereas ’Can’t Cry Anymore’ is fabulously funky and soulful. The rest of the album is a similarly successful mix of rock, funk, soul, country and heartfelt ballad, with ’All I Wanna Do’ naturally being the standout track with its fantastic lyrics and infectiously uplifting feel-good sound.

The great thing about this album is that all of the songs are great without being samey......and boy, don’t you just want to singalong.

This is the soundtrack for the noir classic that never was. Composer Bob Belden credits the unlikely combination of Giacomo Puccini and Jerry Goldsmith's haunting score to CHINATOWN as the chief musical influences on this magical album for top-class jazz ensemble and orchestra. But this is no film score; sure, it sounds like the very, very best of noir scores, but here the thematic material is developed in a way that could never happen in a movie score. What you get is the most haunting of sax and trumpet solos backed up by jazz ensemble and rich string orchestra, augmented further by brass, woodwind and percussion where appropriate. This really is one of the great jazz albums in existence (and it goes well beyond the boundaries of jazz), and it's still only a few years old.

Vaughan Williams - "Symphony no. 5"

The English composer's greatest symphonic masterpiece is actually partly based on themes he created for his magnum opus, the opera 'The Pilgrims Progress'. From the symphony's conception in 1938, Vaughan Williams revised the work several times before its final version was published in 1951. The opening movement is a masterpiece in itself, with its haunting horns and ominously shifting music that foreshadows what's to come beyond the ghostly, muted scherzo. However, the entire symphony revolves around the enormous slow movement with its incredibly emotive solos for oboe and violin. The final movement is an overwhelmingly satisfying kaleidoscope of harmonic and rhythmic ideas that builds to an exalted climax before subsiding into quiet contemplation. There are two contrasting recordings of this work that compete for top spot; firstly Leonard Slatkin's moving account with the Philharmonia is particularly memorable for the slow movement, but perhaps the best overall performance comes from then legendary Sir Adrian Boult in a beautifully tender 1969 account with the London Philharmonic. Being commonly regarded as RVW best symphony,
there are dozens of other worthy performances out there that are well worth exploring.

Herb Alpert - "Midnight Sun"

Herb Alpert seems to have been around for decades (and he has!). A mainstay of '60s pop with his Tijuana Brass, Alpert would also figure significantly during the '70s and '80s (check out the superb compilation 'The Definitive Herb Alpert', for a wonderful collection of hits from those first three decades which includes 'Rise' and 'Diamonds' among others). With 'Midnight Sun' however, an album recorded in 1992, Alpert enters new 'midnight jazz' territory. He takes a dozen or so of the best jazz standards there are, and creates the most beautifully intimate arrangements for his haunting trumpet backed by small jazz ensemble and beautiful string orchestra. And these aren't just three-minute 'noodles'. These arrangements of classic haunting standards that the likes of Sinatra and Cole made famous are 5 and 6 minutes long and explore every possible nuance of some of the most haunting melodies ever written. Definitely a companion piece to Belden's 'Black Dahlia'.

Herbaliser - "Something Wicked This Way Comes"

No, Herbaliser isn't some kind of rampaging cyborg Alpert, but one of Britain's best exponents of trip hop/down-tempo/jazz/funk/hip hop....you name it. Their most recent album, released last year, is certainly their best, although earlier efforts, such as 'Blow Your Headphones' are very enjoyable also. However, this latest album sees a maturity in style with magnificent live instrumentals (just listen and marvel at the Easy Access Orchestra's glowing horns) fusing brilliantly with the club beats, samples and general studio excellence. The great thing about this album is the variety of stylistics from full-on hip hop to white hot jazz instrumentals with sexy horns and lush strings - this is jazz/funk in the best '70s tradition, but given a fresh coat of 21st century paint. But this is a lot, lot more than just a funk/hip hop album. Buy, and you won't be disappointed.

Peggy Lee - "Pretty Eyes/Guitars Ala Lee"

Another wonderful EMI double album release of classic '60s music. Lee sounds at her sexiest throatiest best on these sumptuously remastered classics, with lush arrangements and stunning orchestral jazz playing. This is smooth, camp, happy-go-lucky lounge jazz at its best - a great companion to 'In The Lounge With Andy Williams'.

Mahler - "Symphony no. 4"

This magical symphony represents one of the most sublimely and hauntingly beautiful pieces of music ever written. The music speaks of atmospheric summer nights, sunbathed butterfly meadows and shady woodland glades, but there's an ever-present undercurrent of menace which frequently lends the music an overpowering element of piquant irony. This is never more amazing than in the devilish scherzo, with its ethereal violin solos and dance tempo broken up by periods of the most tranquil musical bliss imaginable. The huge, bittersweet and darkly beautiful slow movement is like a tidal wave of emotion, and the symphony's final movement with child-like soprano and tinkling sleigh-bells is pure fairy tale magic. But it is the opening movement of the symphony that provides the most intensive melodic invention and orchestrational brilliance of any piece of music I have ever heard. It simply defies description......so you'll just have to listen for yourself. There are dozens of great recordings out there (and hundreds more that aren't so great), but the best of the lot for performance, pacing, attention to detail and sound quality is the budget-priced Sony recording with George Szell conducting the Cleveland Orchestra - every nuance of the score is brought to life in this astonishing 1964 recording. The sound quality is better than any SACD I have ever heard.

Mel Torme - "Songs of New York"

The 'Velvet Fog', as Torme was affectionately referred to, was never in better voice than on this wonderful stereo album from the early '60s. The title says it all with all of those New York standards that crooners love so much given the 'Torme' treatment. 'Autumn In New York', 'Harlem Nocturne' and all the rest have never sounded better, with the singer supported by top jazz musicians and full orchestra. Whereas Sinatra and Cole may have been the popular favourites, nobody was respected more amongst the professionals themselves as a creamy-smooth crooner of jazz standards than Torme. And this is just the kind of album which proves how underrated he was by sections of the public.

Andre Kostelanetz - "The Ultimate Collection"

This Australian import from Sony is a very valuable 3-cd set (snap it up while its still available) charting the amazing career of one of easy listening's greatest champions. Conniff, Faith, Last, Mauriat and Kaempfert may be the household names of easy listening, but Kostelanetz is the true master. His arrangements of popular songs and melodies, such as 'Ebb Tide', 'My Favourite Things' and 'Killing Me Softly' (all beautifully remastered in stunning stereo), are intricate, emotional and brilliantly orchestrated. This really is one of the greatest compilation albums out there.

Diana Krall - "When I Look In Your Eyes"

The gorgeous voice of Diana Krall is perfectly suited to the wonderful collection of songs and standards on this 1991 album. As with the Bob Belden and Herb Alpert 'midnight jazz' CDs I mentioned earlier, here is another super-slick jazz/orchestra combination with the smokey-voiced singer backed-up by jazz ensemble and Johnny Mandel's beautiful string orchestra. This is the kind of music you dream about.

Alpha - "Come From Heaven"

This absolutely sublime album is pure chill-out/trip hop class. Cool and sauntering jazz rhythms and beats are mixed with wonderfully lazy vocals, some of the best samples ever utilized by chill-out/trip hop artistes, and a hauntingly beautiful string orchestra. Indeed, everyone from Michel Legrand to Percy Faith, and Burt Bacharach to Herb Alpert is sampled on this album, which gives some idea of its classy nature. However, there's far more to this album than embellished samples. The string arrangements and instrumentals are superb, so too are the vocals. This really is a class album that is suitable for all occasions - much as I love Zero 7's 'Simple Things', I believe this album is even better, but hardly anyone seems to have heard of it. This really is one of those mystifyingly 'hidden gems' out there - and check-out their equally classy follow-up, 'The Impossible Thrill'.

Billy Eckstine - "No cover, no minimum"

Wow, this is one of the great jazz albums of all time.......and I'm not talking about the esoteric noodling and avant garde techniques of latterday Coltane and Mingus here.......this is warm, richly melodic and deeply soulful stuff that one can listen to and enjoy straight away. Recorded 'live' in 1960, Eckstine never sounded better. His extraordinarily emotive voice, with each syllable inflected with profound significance (without being OTT), works amazingly well on haunting ballads such as 'Misty' and 'Moonlight in Vermont'. The band is brilliantly arranged with superb trombone solos and Eckstine himself pitching-in on trumpet. Some say Eckstine is better than Sinatra and Cole (I personally believe he's as good, but in a 'different' way), and the quality of the recorded sound on this album makes a very good case for that assertion.

Easy Access Orchestra - "The Affair"

If you like orchestral jazz/funk, then take a listen to the Easy Access Orchestra's own album 'The Affair', also released last year at the same time as their collaboration with Herbaliser (detailed above). This is easy listening (like Percy Faith, Norrie Paramour, Ray Conniff and all the rest), but again it's been updated brilliantly for the 21st century. The guys behind this album also do a lot of BBC tv lifestyle background music, so you can imagine what slick operators they are, but this album allows them to unleash their full creative potential. The album has everything - one minute its an hilarious (but brilliant) caricature of blue movie music, the next its swingin' '60s spy movie stuff (think Austin Powers), and there's bossa nova and all manner of Latin and exotica thrown-in. But rather than ending up a complete mess, the album works brilliantly......love those croaking bullfrogs! This is really great music for putting a smile on your face, but once again, surprisingly few people seem to know about it.

Nina Simone - "After Hours"

Nina sadly passed away the other day, and the jazz world lost one of its greatest singers (and pianists). However, Simone was far more than just a singer of jazz, as this album demonstrates. Indeed, being recorded in the early '60s, she's very much at her best, both her voice and choice of material. This is deep, rich and soulful music, and her version of 'I Loves You, Porgy' even betters Billie Holiday's, in my opinion. Gut-wrenchingly emotional and delicately arranged - this is music to be heard by candlelight.

Schreker - "Die Gezeichneten"

Franz Schreker was another German Jew whose career and life was ruined by the nazis. However, in 1918, before the nazis came into power, he created one of operas most exceptional works. 'The Stigmatized Ones', in its English translation is an extraordinary tale which leaves no sexual perversion unexplored. Basically, the story revolves around a hideously deformed nobleman (Alviano) who lusts after a beautiful young virgin who cannot have sex because of a heart complaint. The two strike up an unlikely friendship until the young lady succumbs to the charms of a handsome (but heartless) nobleman. Having enjoyed the ultimate pleasures of sex her heart gives up and on her deathbed she tells Alviano how ugly he is and he goes insane. Now, the opera is three hours long, so that is only a very, very simple outline of the plot and libretto (penned by the composer himself), which is very detailed and intricate, and very, very intelligent. So too is the music - a phenomenal cross between Mahler, Strauss, Wagner and early Schoenberg. Schreker creates some of the most achingly Romantic melodies ever conceived and these are developed and orchestrated to an incredible extent, making this one of the most satisfying pieces of music ever written. The prelude (often recorded separately) alone is enough to prove Schreker's genius - this has to be one of the most amazingly chromatic and beautiful melodies there is, it's like a great Richard Strauss theme, but through development and orchestration this music transcends everything that came before, and everything I have heard since. There's one great performance of this opera on CD - Zogrosek conducting the Berlin Symphony Orchestra on DECCA - the orchestra and singers do the work full justice and the sound quality is very good.

Jose Padilla - "Navigator"

Ever since Jose Padilla vacated the Cafe del mar, it has become glaringly obvious just how important he was to that series' success. Whereas the 'cafe' has declined, Padilla has gone from strength to strength with his solo albums, of which 'Navigator' is the best thus far. This is the other side of the Ibiza scene.......Padilla shuns the heavy club beats of Ibizan nightlife for the tranquil paradise of the sun-drenched coastline and the intoxicating romance of the balmy summer nights. And what a truly beautiful album this is. Smooth beats, gentle guitars, catchy percussion, mellow sax and horns, shimmering synths, beautiful string arrangements and dreamy vocals capture the essence of a 'tropical' paradise. The version of Bacharach's 'The Look of Love' is mindblowing - the violins and cellos are simply gorgeous. One of my very favourite albums.

Beth Orton - "Central Reservation" and "Trailer Park"

How do you describe one of Britain's most talented and versatile singer/songwriters? Well, she's very much a mixture of elements, such as jazz, blues, rock, folk and soul, but she's a lot more besides. Unlike many, many mainstream pop albums of recent years, Beth's work is characterised by uniform excellence, a remarkable depth in melodic invention and orchestration, the employment of the broadest scope of stylistics imaginable without sounding contrived and a fearless desire to break all of those restrictive 'mainstream rules'. This is rich, emotive and sensual music of the highest order, bluesy, jazzy and string-adorned......enjoy.

Swing Out Sister - "Somewhere Deep in the Night"

The Goldfrapp effect is certainly beginning to impact on the music world - Swing Out Sister's ninth album is testimony to that fact. Like a swirling vortex of John Barry and Ennio Morricone influences, 'Somewhere Deep in the Night' is by far SOS's best album, and is certainly one of the best albums released during 2002. Throughout this truly wonderful album the uplifting swingin' '60s lounge style of Bacharach and Springfield is fused with the hauntingly ethereal and down-tempo magic of Goldfrapp and the like. Brilliant jazz playing, rich orchestral funk and a super-slick cinematic veneer makes for a wonderful listening experience. Music really has come a long way in the last few years.

Peter Sellers - "Classic songs"

This marvellous EMI compilation features all of the comic geniuses hit songs (and a few more besides). The album begins with Sellers' first hit single from 1957, a brilliant version of 'Any Old Iron'. He remains faithful to the spirit of the original song, complete with archaic Cockney accent and saloon orchestration, but then extends the song to hilarious lengths, ending up with a furiously manic repetition of the line, 'Any Old Iron, any old iron, any, any, any old I-RON, you look sweet, talk about a treat, you look dapper from your napper to your feet.......' - wonderful stuff, just as much fun as the Jive Bunny version, especially when Sellers is accompanied by 'Fred' and his melody spoons, and he shouts out, 'let me hear that EPNS Fred......' The rest of the album doesn't miss a trick, all of the classics are here from 'Goodness Gracious Me' to all of those wonderful Beatles cover versions Sellers did.

Lalo Schifrin - "Black Widow"

Another tremendous album in the CTI catalogue, Schifrin's 'Black Widow' is the epitome of lush '70s disco funk with its wah wah guitars, pulsating beats and frantic brass and reeds, here made even more exciting by the composer's cinematic leanings and the line-up of extraordinary jazz musicians, such as Joe Farrel on sax and Patti Austin providing the vocals. Coming as it does in 1976, this album has more of a fun and kitsch flavour to it and isn't as profound and important as the earlier CTI jazz/soul fusion classics I've mentioned before and will explore further later. Therefore this album does have a more dated sound than the earlier CTI classics.......nevertheless, despite it not being one of Schifrin's more important non-film ventures (check out his monumental 'Jazz meets the symphony' series of CDs for that), 'Black Widow' is a hugely enjoyable and funktastic mixture of Schifrin originals and arrangements of other composers' works (such as Les Baxter's exotica classic 'Quiet Village&rsquo.

Toots Thielemans - "Jazz Masters"

Verve's celebrated 'Jazz Masters Series' provides a wonderful budget-priced introduction to some of the greatest jazz performers in history. This Toots compendium is no exception. The range of work covered on this compilation is extraordinary; after a couple of early '50s mono recordings which are of great historical interest, 90% of the album is in glorious stereo and takes us into the late 1980s. Toots Thielemans was the guy who performed the harmonica on John Barry's legendary soundtrack to 'Midnight Cowboy', and this album showcases his mouth organ (as Larry Adler would have it) talents to the hilt, either within small jazz ensembles or massive orchestras under the baton of Quincy Jones and the like. But this album also gives due prominence to Toots' amazing abilities as a guitarist and whistler. Obviously there are dozens of excellent Toot's albums where he plays with legendary jazz/pop figures as diverse as Astrud Gilberto and Bill Evans, but perhaps best of all is his wonderful 'Brazil Project' album which has the musician whistling and playing the guitar and harmonica with a wonderful selection of jazz musicians and Brazilian - a must-have.

Delibes - "Lakme"

The celebrated French composer's best-loved opera is a supercharged Romantic extravaganza set at the time of British rule in India during the 19th century. The story revolves around the doomed love the daughter of a Brahmian priest has for the dashing English officer, Gerald. The opera is a joy to listen to throughout its two hour runtime, with richly orchestrated and passionately romantic music often contrasting with melodies of the most breathtaking intimacy. The opera is best known for its famous aria, 'The Bell Song', made famous by the British Airways adverts on television, but this just hints at the aural treasures that await the listener. There are many fine recordings of this staple of the opera house, my favourite has Richard Bonynge conducting the Orchestre Nationale de l'Opera de Monte Carlo on Decca. Bonynge's wife, the Australian diva Dame Joan Sutherland has never sounded so ravishing, hers is an incredible performance of a demanding role. And the honey-toned tenor Alain Vanzo is her equal as Gerald.

Kenny Burrell - "God Bless the Child"

Yet another jazz masterpiece from the CTI vaults has been remastered and re-released to the delight of modern ears. This 1971 album features the top guitarist in unison with other jazz legends, such as Ron Carter (bass), Hubert Laws (flute), Billy Cobham (drums) and Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), plus a collection of fine cello soloists and additional ensemble. They perform powerful and moving arrangements of Burrel's own work, plus Billie Holiday's sublime 'God Bless The Child', here extended to 9 minutes of overpoweringly emotional music-making. The combination of stupendous jazz-playing and the most harrowingly moving cello work outside of Elgar's concerto makes this one of the most sublimely haunting and emotional musical experiences ever recorded.

Geoff Love - "Big War Movie Themes"

The 'Music For Pleasure' CD reissue of this much-praised 1971 album from the master Anglo-Cherokee Indian arranger is long since deleted, but the good eggs at HMV have kindly reissued all of the tracks plus Ron Goodwin's album performance of 633 Squadron on their budget priced HMV Easy label, so snap it up while you can. So, what's so special about Geoff Love's treatment of classic war movie themes - after all, there are literally dozens of albums out there containing 'easy listening' versions of such music. Well, in many cases Geoff Love actually *improves* on the originals! Believe it or not, his versions of Jarre's 'Lawrence of Arabia', Tiomkin's 'Guns of Navarone' and Goodwin's 'Where Eagles Dare' are magnificently orchestrated and thrilling expansions of the original composers' thematic ideas. Love manages to give these themes a superb studio gloss without reducing the music to the trite and insipid. Perhaps best of all is his phenomenal re-arrangement of Jarre's 'Is Paris Burning' - the arrangement is beautifully paced, with the accordion prominent but blending well with the rest of the orchestra. Once again Love manages to develop the thematic material well beyond Jarre's imaginings.

Charlie Byrd - "Brazilian Byrd"

This wonderful reissue of the classic 1965 album features the American jazz guitarist (who introduced Bossa Nova to the USA) performing the sublime samba melodies of Antonio Carlos Jobim and other Brazilian composers. Byrd is joined by a superb line-up of jazz greats, and subtle orchestral back-up. The arrangements here are a miracle of 'perfect balance' - the passionate intimacy of Byrd's guitar and the soloists who accompany him is never overwhelmed by the gorgeous string orchestra, and yet the string arrangements are magnificent in themselves, magnifying the poignancy and emotion of the music to astronomical heights.

Brian Eno and Robert Fripp - "Evening Star"

I've never been a great fan of purely ambient electronica (an Eno specialty), but 'Evening Star' is different, largely thanks to the creative input of collaborator guitarist Robert Fripp. This is by far the best (ie most listenable and inventive) of Eno's albums, and it is also the best of his collaborations with Fripp. The music is constantly engaging, with powerful harmonic washes building over enormous timescales to create a wonderfully uplifting mood of romanticism.

Elgar - "Sea Pictures"

Elgar was not a particularly distinguished song-writer (though many of his choral works which feature large-scale arias and massive orchestras, such as The Dream of Gerontias, are masterpieces). However, he excelled himself in the cycle of five songs he wrote for contralto and orchestra known as 'Sea Pictures'. The remarkable orchestration and ground-breaking rhythmic innovation conjure up a remarkable image of the sea in all its varying moods - from the swell of the sea of the opening to the storm-tossed conclusion. The choice of texts is remarkable too, helping to give the music a real sense of purpose and meaning. Janet Baker made this work her own in a legendary recording with Sir John Barbirolli now nearly 40 years old - undoubtedly the work would have been recorded more often were it not for the perfection of this stereo recording. This 1960s recording of the song cycle has now been re-released by EMI on a single CD with the even more famous recording of the Du Pre/Barbirolli performance of Elgar's Cello Concerto.

Shelleyan Orphan - "Helleborine"

When this album was first released in 1987, hopes were running high that a new wave of classical/pop fusion was mounting. Sadly, Shelleyan Orphan never repeated the success of this, their debut album. However, the music remains as fresh and innovative today as it was back then - a mesmerizing and ethereal mixture of gothic pop, haunting vocals and chamber orchestra. Shimmering orchestra and lush melodies create a uniquely captivating listening experience clearly influenced by the earlier work of Kate Bush and in its turn influencing the recent output of Goldfrapp. Helleborine is an interesting companion piece to many of Bjork's more interesting work.

English Pub Sing-a-long

It's ironic that by far the best collection of English drinking songs can be found on an American recording from the Canadian label Madacy, and is only available on import - but it's well worth being patient and obtaining this album. Firstly, all of the expected songs are here from 'Maybe It's Because I'm A Londoner' to, yes, you've guessed it......'Any Old Iron'. There is only one drawback with this album, and that is the fact the main baritone singer is obviously an American - but he's pretty good, and the omnipresent backing vocals sing with authentic sounding Cockney accents. Best of all though is the instrumentation, with everything from banjos and saloon pianos to barrel organs and Jew's harps thrown in to evoke the wonderful atmosphere of a traditional London pub.

Lalo Schifrin - "Piano, Strings and Bossa Nova"

Although best known as a composer for film, by far Lalo Schifrin's best (and most important) work, on a purely musical level, lies in other fields. This classic stereo album from 1962, now remastered and expanded for CD release, features Schifrin arranging Brazilian and bossa nova classics for his piano and string orchestra. The results are breathtaking. Vibrant playing, inventive arrangements, piquant strings and some of the most haunting melodies in existence conjure up a musical experience to cherish.

Future Sound of London - "Dead Cities"

This classic album from 1996 remains a benchmark in electronica. Crushingly powerful industrial beats and extraordinary synthesised sounds conjure a vividly bleak urban soundscape. But throughout the album, ethereal melodies and warmly optimistic chords re-emerge to maintain the listener's fascination (and enjoyment) throughout the album. 'Dead Cities' creates an exciting and evocative soundworld a universe apart from FSOL's equally superb previous effort, 'Lifeforms' , with its exotic, luxuriant and tropical atmosphere. But for those of you new to FSOL, perhaps the best place to start would be with their 1991 classic, 'Accelerator' which features their massive hit, 'Papua New Guinea'.

Esquivel - "Loungecore"

Henry Mancini's great friend, Juan Garcia Esuivel, was the true pioneer of '60s lounge music. Esquievel didn't just create innovative and slick arrangements of popular tunes that could just sink into the background at cocktail hour (although his music is perfect for such occasions), oh no, Esquievel made his arrangements absolutely unique. He did this by using every far-out musical instrument in existence to create that 'perfect' and 'unique' sound......he also utilised stereo to the absolute maximum. His music is ultra-slick, but suffused with all manner of surprises and quirks. Esquivel was a true genius, he could make his music fun *and* powerful at the same time. Listen to his version of the haunting 'Nature Boy', you've never heard such an extraordinary trumpet solo - it's enough to blow the roof off the Albert Hall! And that ethereal female voice on 'Harlem Nocturne' is a masterstroke - both hilariously over-the-top and yet overpoweringly emotional at the same time. And that's another key to Esquievel's success - he demanded the absolute best from his musicians, and the results are plain to see. Absolutely flawless precision music, and all the more witty, powerful, emotional and evocative for it. This long overdue collection of his best work features two-dozen camp lounge classics of the highest calibre - there really is nothing quite like it - he's the 'Portishead' of the shopping mall.

Musette from Paris

For anyone seeking to recapture the atmosphere of romantic Paris nights and secluded sidestreet cafes and bars, this Laserlight album is just the ticket. Beautifully romantic accordion playing backed up from time to time by saxophones, guitars and percussion strike the perfect balance between the slow, romantic melodies and the more cheerful tunes scattered throughout this delightfully evocative album.

Roberto Delgado - "Lounge Legends"

The exotically named Roberto Delgado, was in actual fact a German by the name of Horst Wende who never even set foot in South America. Nevertheless, the man was a lounge music/cocktail hour musical genius who made some stunning recordings during the '60s which were a mainstay of every sophisticated German household. He specialised in taking famous South American melodies (and bossa nova) and turning them into ultra-slick cocktail hour masterworks, with the very best of tinkling pianos, smooth sax and slick percussion. Another great entry in the German 'Lounge Legends' series, check out the John Barry and Lee Hazlewood entries for an equally silky-smooth journey into the lounge.

The Best of Irish Folk

This incredible album from Castle Pulse is the perfect antidote to the cloying, bland and artificial trivia that is 'Riverdance' (and its many offshoots), which has been responsible for destroying everything that made Irish folk music so potent and emotional in the past. Obviously I have a vast collection of authentic Irish folk music, but this is the best *introduction* to the pleasures of 'real' Irish music that I've come across. Excellent groups are featured, including Sweeny's Men, The Dubliners, and the Grehan Sisters, and there's not a hint of Riverdance blandness to be found.

Anthology of English Folk

Before Beth Orton turned up, there was a danger that the English folk tradition would enter a period of terminal decline. Whereas 'Riverdance' has helped promote Celtic folk music, albeit in a sanitised, trivialised and bastardised version, many people actually believe England's musical folk tradition merely amounts to Morris Dancing. In actual fact, English folk music is of profound historical importance (far more so than Celtic folk), in that it formed the basis and bedrock for American country music, and is a major constituent in the make-up of the modern pop song (just as much as American jazz and African folk). Furthermore, much of Holst, Delius and Vaughan Williams' best music is based on English folk melodies. Thanks to Beth though, the sheer magnitude of English folk's importance lives on in her three superb albums to-date, and in addition, this wonderful 2-CD set, again from Castle Pulse, is the perfect introduction to authentic English folk, both old and new. Top English folk performers, such as Maddy Prior, John Kirkpatrick and Eliza Carthy are well-represented with great performances of folk legends past and present. Anyone listening to this collection for the first time will be stunned at the variety and brilliance of the music, and will soon become aware of just how important English folk music has been to the development of popular music throughout the world during the 19th and 20th centuries.

Max Bygraves - "I Wanna Sing You A Song"

This extraordinary CD re-release of two of Bygraves' '70s albums has now become a 21st century cult classic. Nobody (least of all me) would argue that Bygraves has a great voice, but he does have a wonderfully easygoing nature and natural affability which helps him transcend material such as 'I'm a pink toothbrush'. Bygraves recorded many, many forgettable albums in his time, but the two featured on this budget release from Castle Pulse have a kitsch magic that could not be created wholly intentionally. But let me stress, Bygraves, and the musicians and arrangers on this CD (including Geoff Love) are all top professionals - so, love him or loathe him, nobody can take away the fact that Bygraves is a smooth operator. So, what makes this CD such a remarkable cult classic which has been referenced by cult tv stars like Graham Norton and sampled by countless 'hip' DJs? Firstly, the choice of songs is incredible. Wonderfully sentimental schmalz such as 'Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree', 'Edelweiss' and 'What'll I Do' are lined up alongside classic sing-a-long fare such as 'I Like Beer', 'Goodnight Ladies' and 'Civilisation' *and* jazz standards like 'Dancing in the Dark' and 'The Old Fashioned Way'. But that's just half of the story. Every imaginable gimmick is thrown in to this album - a slick jazz band, excellent percussion section, tinkling lounge pianos, an omnipresent solo violin, saloon piano, Latin American rhythm section, and brilliant backing vocals all contribute to the sublimely cheesy mix. The quality of the sound recording is extraordinary too, enabling a full appreciation of every facet of the arrangements. This is what the phrase 'camp classic' was invented for.

Rachmaninov - "Symphony no. 2"

The success of Rachmaninov's piano concertos has tended to obscure the sheer brilliance of his choral/orchestral writing. Amongst his many wonderful compositions that did not feature piano, is this incredibly powerful symphony. The richness of the thematic material and the symphony's extraordinary length make it one of the most rewarding and satisfying musical journeys in existence. The immense adagio is simply put one of my favourite pieces of music, despite its perilous proximity to over-sentimentality - but the lush harmony and exquisite orchestration save the day. One of the best performances on disc (though there are many fine recordings) has Mariss Jansons conducting the St Petersburg Philharmonic on EMI - superb sound, slick playing and thrillingly passionate.

Fila Brazillia - "Maim That Tune"

Wonderfully smooth and funky down-tempo grooves grace each of the generously lengthy tracks on this particular collection from the quirky funkateers - acoustic instruments such as flutes, castanets and strings boost the album's appeal even further, but it is the clever, inventive and innovative use of electronics that distinguishes 'Maim That Tune'. Check out their more recent 'Touch of Cloth' for an even more acoustically-orientated exploration of 21st century smooth jazz funk......dare I say Fila Brazillia provide the best in coffee table music?

Broadcast - "The Noise Made By People"

Long before Goldfrapp arrived on the British post-rock scene, Broadcast were creating a similarly unusual and affecting brand of electro-acoustic melancholia by utilising the haunting and ethereal richness of John Barry and Ennio Morricone's cinematic soundscapes fused to modern techno sensibilities. All manner of exotic instrumentation, from wurlitzers to celestes are used to great effect. However, if anything, Broadcast's array of retro-beats are more like Goldfrapp's urban sound-fest 'Black Cherry' than the twilight dizzyness of 'Felt Mountain', in instrumentation at least, but 'The Noise Made By People' is resolutely Portisheadian in its dreamlike, introspective resignation - the effect is spellbinding and mesmerising - a truly stunning album from one of British pop's best kept secrets. Check out their other album 'Work and non work' for more of the same; indeed, the wonderful 'Book lovers' turned up on the Austin Powers soundtrack. Also track down their Eps - Extended Play 1 and 2 and their latest effort, Pendulum, released May 5th.

Richard Strauss - "Joseph's Legende"

Originally composed for a ballet, this under-performed and (up until recently) under-appreciated masterwork has now been returned to rightful prominence thanks to a stupendous live performance from a couple of years ago captured on album by Deutche Gramaphone. The late great Giuseppe Sinopoli marshals his Dresden forces with precision and enthusiasm endowing the listener with a 64-minute feast of late-Romantic excess the like of which has never been heard before or since. The work requires virtuoso performances from an enormous orchestra as the composer utilises every orchestrational trick in the book. The music veers from incredible intimacy with solo violin, cello and celeste to mountainous waves of orchestral sound, and from gut-wrenchingly sweet and delicate melodies to the most fearsome 'battle' music without ever becoming either sentimental or bombastic. To a great extent, Strauss's 'Joseph's Legende' is very cinematic, more so than any other piece of 'classical' music I have heard. Indeed, one can hear clear strains of Goldenthal and Herrmann (to name but two film composers) throughout Strauss's music (but never more so than with 'Joseph's Legende' and his magnum opus, the opera 'Die Frau ohne Schatten&rsquo.

Blue States - "Nothing Changes Under The Sun"

Pure chill-out perfection - breathtakingly smooth down-tempo beats, a distinctly John Barry-esque cinematic scope, brilliant use of samples, and deft use of solo acoustic instrumentation create a wonderful listening experience. The much exposed 'Stereo 99' is a classic modern-day chill-out track strongly evoking John Barry's 'You Only Live Twice', as well as Morricone, Rota, Legrand and Lai but managing to sound 'new' as well. Blue States is very much the British equivalent of Thievery Corporation.....what bigger compliment can one pay?

Korngold - "Das Wunder der Heliane"

Before embarking on a remarkably successful and pioneering film composing career in Hollywood, back in Europe Korngold was renowned as a gifted composer of late-Romantic operas. It is only in recent years that modern music lovers have come to realise the true extent of Korngold's genius which is only hinted at in his film music. Whilst his first opera, 'Die Tote Stadt' has always been popular, Korngold's greatest single composition is 'Das Wunder der Heliane'.....it was the composer's favourite also. The opera is a true masterpiece - three hours of the most mindblowingly decadent late-Romantic melody - with stunning singing mingling with orchestrational brilliance to equal effect. Das Wunder der Heliane is right up there with the best of Richard Strauss and Franz Schreker's operas. A superb performance with suitably excellent sound quality can be found on Decca. You don't have to be an opera buff to enjoy the glowing, passionate, dark-hued, and achingly Romantic music found throughout this masterwork.

Godspeed You Black Emperor - "Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas To Heaven"

This remarkable Canadian 2-CD album, released in 2000, features an enormous sprawling orchestral rock extravaganza merging violins and woodwinds with electric guitars and thunderous drums. The music is incredibly captivating - split into four movements of more than twenty minutes each, the listener is carried along on a tidal wave of emotionally stirring thematic progression to the shattering climax. This is rock music of biblical proportions - like Moby transposed to the symphony orchestra.

Antonio Carlos Jobim - "Wave"

One of the Brazilian composer's best-loved albums, 'Wave' was first released in 1967. The album features 10 purely instrumental tracks from the genius bossa nova pioneer. Jazz musicians and orchestra merge to spellbinding effect as Jobim's infectious melodies are brilliantly enhanced by delicate piano and guitar solos offset by smooth samba percussion and haunting strings and brass. Check out his follow-up album, 'Tide' for more of the same wonderful brand of orchestral jazz/samba.

Barrel Organ Greatest Hits

Conjure up the sights, sounds and smells of the fairground with this roistering collection of barrel organ and caliope greats. All of those familiar funfair tunes are here, performed by ear-shattering pipes and rattling bells that will soon have you yearning for candy floss and toffee apples. Ahhh.......I can hear the deafening roar of those diesel powered generators now, the smell of the petrol fumes and the sight of suffocating goldfish suspended in greasy plastic bags.....hmmm, perhaps that's enough barrel organ greats for one day. Seriously though, this is a truly wonderful collection, a perfect companion to Tuxedo's equally excellent barrel organ album 'Funfair Music'.

Montgolfier Brothers - "The World is Flat"

Once again the John Barry and Ennio Morricone analogies become more than appropriate. 'The World is Flat' is a truly wonderful listening experience. The album has a number of purely instrumental tracks in amongst the dreamy vocals - the orchestration is quirky and original and the melodies are infectiously lilting and haunting. Just take a listen to 'Swings and Roundabouts', one of the most hypnotically moving tracks I have ever heard - the way the music shifts from light to dark is truly magical, and, dare I say it, very, very Barry-esque. A melancholy masterpiece that still manages to warm the soul.

The Exotic Sounds of Martin Denny

This wonderful compilation from Rev-ola does just what the title says and gathers together all of Denny's greatest hits from the late-'50s and '60s. The music is an amazing mixture of smooth jazz and the sounds of exotic tropical islands. Saxophones and vibes merge with haunting other-worldly melodies and the sound of exotic birdcalls, jungle bongos and eerie vocals. Also get the superb entry in the 'Ultra Lounge' series titled 'Mondo Exotica' for an even more diverse exploration of '60s exotica. I've never heard such a haunting performance of Bali Ha'i.

Songs of World War II

This wonderful collection of songs on the HMV easy label is far more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Sure, George Formby's chirpy but relaxed rendition of Mr Wu will evoke memories of wartime camaraderie during the Blitz, but there is much for modern-day listeners to enjoy in the array of British comedy/musical talent displayed on this album. There's also a number of songs sung by Coronation Street's Betty Driver - much of the younger generation of Coronation Street fans will be unaware she was a successful popular singer in her youth.

Eumir Deodato - "Prelude"

This 1970 entry in the CTI catalogue was the label's biggest-selling hit (by some margin). The great composer/arranger Eumir Deodato scored a massive hit with his wonderful 9-minute jazz/funk/symphonic arrangement of Richard Strauss's 'Also Sprach Zarathustra'. Indeed, the album is full of catchy and beautifully performed instrumental arrangements of both jazz and 'classical' works. Deodato assembled some of the best jazz musicians in the business, including Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, plus a large ensemble of string, brass and woodwinds. Albums like this (and many of the others in the CTI catalogue) show just what great music was being written and performed during the early '70s before such inventiveness seemed to pall. Thankfully, in recent years the music world seems to have come out of hibernation and is once again *creating* the kind of inventive, innovative and enjoyable music found on this album. Check out the follow-up album 'Deodato 2'. Eumir Deodato once again proves his genius - he really is an incredibly versatile musician, having arranged for Jobim in the '60s through to providing the string and orchestral arrangements on Bjork's brilliant '90s albums (which I of course recommend wholeheartedly). And he has done so much more besides.

DJ Shadow - "Endtroducing"

A masterpiece of sampling, 'Endtroducing' is a phenomenally enjoyable voyage of discovery through virtually every musical form imaginable. Shadow succeeds by condensing and layering his samples in such a way as to make the source of his 'borrowing' often impossible to detect. One is left with a montage of cinematic, orchestral, jazz and rock sounds that are both familiar and yet 'new' at the same time. Indeed, the music found on this phantasmagoric album is unlike anything else.....funky rhythms merge seamlessly with orchestral splendour to create a cinematic soundscape that the likes of John Williams and Hans Zimmer can't even dream about. The general tone of the album is 'dark' and mysterious, so for a more 'fun' Ibiza-styled masterpiece in sampling, check out The Avalanches' hugely entertaining 'Since I Left You'. For more along similar lines to DJ Shadow, RJD2's recent 'Deadringers' is an even more successful fusion of hip hop and trip hop sensibilities, with the emphasis once again on cinematic sounds and moods that manages to not only evoke the work of the best film composers, but actually improves upon it (as a purely listening experience).

Anyway, that's it for now....... In the meantime, here's a few more brief artiste/album recommendations -

Dot Allison - a beautiful voice singing haunting melodies backed up by rock ensemble and exquisite acoustic orchestration on her wonderful debut album 'Afterglow'

Sigur Ros - The Icelandic team continue to create wonderful techno/orchestral soundscapes on their latest album '()'.

Mum - More Icelandic music - quirky, uplifting and brilliantly arranged vocal/instrumental tracks featuring remarkable electronics and deft use of acoustic instrumentation. Hunt down both their albums.

Mellow, mellow vol.1 and 2 - want to know where Portishead, Tricky and Mr Scruff steal their samples? A wonderful collection of mellow classics from the '70s.

Salsoul Mastercuts vol.1 and 2 - a truly wonderful collection of '70s orchestral soul/funk. These are the original releases which have been re-edited and re-mixed countless times throughout the '90s. It's nice to hear such famous music in its original form.

Stone Cold Funk - Just about the hottest funk album in existence (available on MCCD)......makes Schifrin's 'Enter the Dragon' seem like a Salvation Army band in comparison - it'll blow your speakers.

Saint Etienne - Sound of Water - the group's best album is a wonderful mixture of feel-good tunes and eccentric orchestration, both electronic and acoustic. A truly warm and uplifting album graced with Sarah Cracknell's sublime vocals. Sound of Water defies categorization.

Menuhin and Grappelli Play....

This magnificent 2-CD album from EMI is quite simply up there in my top twenty CDs of all time. It’s 150 minutes of sheer musical bliss. The two great violinists play an enormous array of jazz classics, sometimes backed up by a small ensemble of jazz musicians on piano, bass, guitar, drums and so on, but also often supported by a large orchestra conducted by either Nelson Riddle or Max Harris. The first CD kicks off beautifully with the sunny and sophisticated ’Fascinatin’ Rhythm’ - more Gershwin classics follow, including A Foggy Day, ’S Wonderful, I Got Rhythm and so on. One of the great highlights of this amazing compilation is the truly wonderful arrangement of Raksin’s famous theme to LAURA. Massed strings and haunting brass support a small jazz ensemble led by the two violinists. This wonderful noir theme has been recorded dozens of times before, but it doesn’t come any better than this! In all, 41 tracks of the best music ever written performed by some of the best musicians who ever lived. Oh, and it’s all in beautifully rich stereo sound.

Massive Attack - "Protection"

Absolutely required listening, ’Protection’ comes from the very earliest days of Trip Hop (Tricky was still with Massive Attack at this time (1994)). The album begins with the wondrous ’Protection’ with its warms synths, laid backs beats and Tracey Thorn’s wistful vocals. The rest of the album is a sublime mix of eclectic moody and other-worldly sounds, quite beautiful, especially with Craig Armstrong’s piano accompaniment. Of course, all of Massive Attack’s albums are great, especially ’Blue Lines’ which includes the world-famous ’Unfinished Sympathy’.

Bruckner - "Symphony no. 7"

Bruckner’s best-loved symphony has been recorded on dozens of occasions (I have 7 different versions in my CD racks alone), but despite great interpretations from Wand, Klemperer, and so on, the best of the bunch is Karajan’s phenomenal 1989 recording with the Vienna Philharmonic on DG. The sound quality is absolutely perfect and the quality of the playing is awe-inspiring. Best of all though is Karajan’s well-sculpted performance - he doesn’t miss a trick and focuses upon and stresses every sublime nuance in the score. For anyone already familiar with this wonderful symphony, this recording will be a revelation.......for anyone new to Bruckner’s music, you’ll be in for one hell of a treat.

Billy May - "Billy May’s Big Fat Brass/Bill’s Bag"

In case you don’t know, Billy May was one of the greatest band leader/arrangers of the ’50s and ’60s and produced countless famed albums arranging for Frank Sinatra, George Shearing, Ella Fitzgerald and the like. Yes, he’s certainly up there with Don Costa and Nelson Riddle and is very much back in vogue thanks to the explosion of interest in lounge, kitsch and exotica. This is one of his many ’solo’ albums where he treats the listener to the most fantastic big band sound imaginable....if you like jazz, you will adore this ultimate in lounge jazz silkiness. Bill takes well-known standards (such as ’Autumn Leaves’ and ’Moonlight Becomes You’ ) and takes the music to new heights of expressiveness. Imagine the best jazz backings to Sinatra and the like, but here the instrumentals go well beyond what the words would allow. A must for anyone’s ’bachelor pad’....file alongside "In the Lounge with Andy Williams".

Lionel Ritchie - "Back to Front"

This 16 tack compilation of hits from Motown Records provides a wonderful introduction to the man’s music. All the hits are here, including ’My Destiny’, ’All Night Long’, ’Love, oh Love’, ’Easy’, ’Still’, ’Hello’, ’Three Times a Lady’ and ’Endless Love’ - it really is phenomenal to have all of these hits on one CD, and it’s not all laid-back ballads (though that of course is his forte). A truly wonderful compilation album, and a lasting testament to one of soul’s greatest exponents.

World of Music - Hungary and Romania

This latest instalment in Hallmark’s tremendous ’World’ music series provides the listener with those wonderfully Romantic gypsy violins, haunting cymbolums and twangy balalaikas. This is authentic Hunagrian music, and boy is it good. The vibrant rhythms of Gypsy music, the tzigane guitars and violins of Ian Boutouk and the Balatonia Gypsey Orchestra are in fine form. A must-have in anyone’s ’World’ section of their music collection.

St Germain - "Tourist"

Acid jazz at its best. The French whiz Ludovic Navarre has come up with a modern-day jazz masterpiece. Shades of Brubeck’s Take 5 are fused with gospel vocals, muted trumpet and smoochy sax during the frenzied album opener ’Rose Rouge’. The more relaxed ’Montego Bay Spleen’ takes us into pure chillout territory with lounge piano, jazz percussion and smooth guitar. The rest of the album is an extraordinary mixture of organs, vibes, xylophones, flutes, blaring saxophones, rock beats and wonderful latin rhythms......unbeatable.

Beethoven - "Symphony no. 2"

Ludwig’s most underrated symphony is also one of his best. Needless to say, this symphony, like the other 8, has been recorded on hundreds of occasions, and I have 26 different recordings in my CD collection alone. But few of them capture the real essence of this marvellous symphony, coming as it does between the light Haydn-ish first and the monumental third. Too many conductors try to give the work either too much weight (Klemperer makes this mistake) or simply treat it as if it’s another Haydn symphony (I should point out that I *love* Haydn’s music, but Beethoven’s 2nd is *not* Haydn). In actual fact, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 2 is a unique piece of music, there really is nothing quite like it. Yes, there are elements of Haydn’s classical style, and so too are there hints at Beethoven’s Romantic maturity, but in essence, the symphony has an identity all of its own. The melodies are light and breezy (yes, Classical if you like), but they are given a richly Romantic grandeur and poignancy which goes well beyond Mozart’s final symphonies (which I adore also). Oh, I almost forgot to mention - the best recording of this work, in my opinion, has Sir Charles Mackerras conducting the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic on EMI. He gets it just right.

Ultra Lounge Vol. 6 - "Rhapsodesia"

There’s around about 20 volumes in Capitol’s famed Ultra Lounge series now......they’re all great, but vol.6 is one of the best. 18 tracks of the most silky smooth lounge jazz favourites, including Harold Roberts’ **** -hot ’Girl Talk’, Henri Rene’s intoxicating ’Sleep Walk’ which features dreamy female vocals and the most sexy saxophone you’ll ever likely hear, Julie London huskily singing ’Go Slow’ - like musical sex. Other highlights include Al Anthony’s amazing version of ’Ebb Tide’, George Shearing’s ’If I should lose you’, Les Baxter’s hilariously off-the-wall ’Lunar Rhapsody’ (just about the slickest, coolest lounge music in existence), and Jackie Gleason’s beautiful arrangement of ’Tenderly’ for rich string orchestra centred around Bobby Hackett’s incredible trumpet playing. But each track is a peach. And then get the rest of the series, especially good are ’Bossa Novaville’ (with the best arrangement of So Nice (Summer Samba) ever), ’Bachelor Pad Royale’, ’Mondo Exotica’, ’Saxophobia’, ’Crime Scene’ and ’Mondo Hollywood’ - which feature many non-film music arrangements of Barry, Bernstein and Goldsmith. If you like your music hot, steamy and sexy with pulsating jazz playing then this set of disks is for you.

Eumir Deodato - "Summer Samba"

Jobim, Bonfa and Gilberto may be the big names in ’60s bossa nova, but one mustn’t forget the fantastic bossa compositions of Marcos Valle. He’s the guy who wrote the monster hit ’So Nice (Summer Samba)’ which is featured on this album of Valle’s music arranged by ace musician Eumir Deodato. Smooth beats, tinkling pianos, strumming guitars, lush strings, slick percussion and warm saxophones create the perfect soundtrack for that special summer evening - this is feel-good music at its best.

Luther Vandross - "I Know"

The trademark rich strings and smooth horns are still there, but elements of chill-out, hip hop and rap now infiltrate Luther’s triumphant return to form with this 1998 album. This is authentic soul for the 21st century. Each song on this fabulous album is a perfect romantic mood-setter. Very saddened to hear about Luther’s current poor health. My thoughts are with him and his family.

Thievery Corporation - "The Mirror Conspiracy"

Now this is cool, and I mean cool. Smooth down tempo beats, ghostly vocals, elegant strings, classy synths, exotic solo instrumentals, smooth horns and gorgeous melodies combine to perfect effect. Check out ’Lebanese Blond’ for ultimate exotic musical bliss. Bossa Nova beauty Bebel Gilberto (daughter of legendary ’60s bossa nova stars Astrud and Jaou Gilberto) provides vocals one track, and delightful samba routines crop up throughout the album. This is one of those great albums that is good enough to be enjoyed as a concentrated listening experience or as background music when you’re with friends.

Canteloube - "Chants D’Auvergne"

There is something uniquely romantic about French classical music, especially when heard in the shape of the song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Berlioz started it with his beautiful ’Summer Nights’ song cycle, and since then, every French composer from Duparc to Ravel has excelled in the genre. Canteloube’s ’Chants D’Auvergne’ is a sublimely beautiful example of this most intoxicatingly Romantic of all forms of music. In total the works amounts to 26 songs which adds up to nearly 90 minutes of orgasmically beautiful music. Mellow woodwinds, Mahlerian strings, other-worldly brass and extraordinary percussive effects paint a glorious aural picture of the French landscape, customs and people. My favourite recording can be found on a 2-CD DECCA set with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa in amazing voice and superbly supported by Jeffrey Tate and the world-renowned English Chamber Orchestra. There’s also the bonus of Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 on this set.

Emiliana Torrini - "Love in the Time of Science"

Now here’s a hidden gem. 11 beautiful original songs performed by a young lady with the voice of an angel. The mood is dark and haunting, a cross between Kate Bush and Beth Gibbons, with a touch of Goldfrapp thrown in. There’s definitely a whiff of the John Barrys about these songs, especially when we get to ’Telepathy’, an amazing song which sounds like it should be in a Bond movie (except it’s a lot better than most of the recent Bond songs). But it’s not all dark and angst-ridden. ’Summerbreeze’ is a gorgeously warm song which evokes a summer meadow with its gentle guitar and comforting lyrics. Track this album down and you won’t be disappointed.

Jackie Gleason - "Music for Lovers Only/Music to Make you Misty"

As well as being a fine actor and comedian (amongst many other things), Gleason was also a great musician. His arrangements on this double album are testament to that fact. Recorded in stereo in the ’50s each track here is a sublimely rich orchestral version of jazz standards - lush strings, jazz rhythms and sax and trumpet solos create an atmosphere of midnight jazz exactly like Goldsmith’s CHINATOWN or any of those classic noirish soundtracks of the ’40s and ’50s. Perfect late-night listening.

Barry White - "The Collection"

At long last, having found renewed fame through his appearances in FRIENDS, Universal released the definitive collection of Barry White’s hits. Don’t let other people put you off of listening to Barry’s music. You often find the people who mock him the most are simply unaware of just how good his music actually is. This is wonderfully soulful orchestral funk (the next best thing to Isaac Hayes), and there’s much more to Barry’s output than the disco hit ’You’re the First, the Last, my everything’......trust me.

Torke - "Book of Proverbs"

Here’s a great example of contemporary ’classical’ music which is tuneful, witty and inventive. American composer Michael Torke here creates a vibrant soundscape featuring swirling strings, syncopated rhythmic power, propulsive vocals and jazzy saxophones and keyboards. For anyone struggling to get into contemporary ’classical music’, this could just open the door for you.

Carpenters - "From the top"

This 4-cd set from A&M records is the best compilation of the Carpenters hits in existence. All of the hits (and more besides) are presented in chronological order and the disks are housed in a beautiful hardback book complete with stunning photographs, detailed biographies and reminiscences from Richard. But the music’s the thing, and anyone who thinks the Carpenters were just about the Bacharach hit ’Close to you’ will be in for a real eye-opener with this box of delights. The early experimental work is here, and it’s fascinating with some tremendous jazz/orchestral fusion work. And then the hit singles and covers appear in a seemingly never-ending succession. A truly wonderful compilation which should grace every music lover’s collection.

Jeff Wayne - "War of the Worlds"

From the opening monologue (delivered by Richard Burton), you know you’re in for a musical treat. This rock musical is as essential a part of ’70s kitsch culture as Abba, Boney M and Brotherhood of Man.......it’s also very, very good. Jam-packed with outrageously memorable tunes hammered out on electric guitars and an amazing array of synthesisers. And ’Forever Autumn’ is one of the most beautiful songs ever written.

Jim Hall - "Concierto"

This jewel from the CTI 70’s catalogue features ace guitatist Jim Hall performing sublime jazz/classical crossover works alongside legendary jazz performers such as Paul Desmond (sax), Chet Baker (trumpet), Sir Roland Hanna (piano), and Ron Carter (bass). The line-up also includes Steve Gadd on drums making this a must for all classical/jazz/rock music fans. The playing is phenomenal, and the music, including a 20-minute version of Rodrigo’s ’Concerto de Aranjuez’ is sublime.

BTW, the whole CTI catalogue is well worth investigating - a good place to start is with the 2-CD ’CTI Masters Collection’ which features just a few of the highlights from the catalogue, thus providing an excellent overview of the gems to be found throughout the CTI catalogue.

Bent - "Programmed to Love"

One of the best ’chill-out’ albums of the past couple of years, Bent’s ’Programmed to Love’ is full of inventive ideas, pulsating beats and amusing samples. ’Exercise 1’ is one of the most propulsively uplifting tracks I have ever heard with its sunny Bossa Nova rhythms and smooth beats - needless to say, the music is regularly heard on any number of BBC lifestyle programmes. If you like Lemonjelly, you’ll love this.

Gliere - "Symphony no. 3 (Ilya Muromets)"

A truly magnificent composition spanning 80 minutes and requiring a colossal orchestra. Sir Edward Downes expertly conducts the BBC Philharmonic on Chandos. This is as big and bold and exciting as any movie score, but here the thematic material is developed in a way film music could never be. A truly awe-inspiring late-Romantic symphony, brilliantly orchestrated and phenomenally powerful.

Luiz Bonfa - "Plays and Sings Bossa Nova"

If anyone wants to know why bossa nova has come back into fashion, then this beautiful album from 1962 will tell you why. Guitarist and composer Bonfa here performs a selection of his best known works (many of which will be familiar to most of you already), ably supported by a superb group of Brazilian percussionists and Lalo Schifrin’s gorgeous string orchestra. And it’s all in glorious analogue stereo which still knocks socks off even the best SACD recordings of today. This is a great CD for every occasion - you can enjoy it on your own, or as background music at a dinner party or if you’re entertaining friends on the porch on a balmy summer’s evening.

Gladys Knight - "The Greatest Hits"

This recent BMG release gathers together the best of Gladys’s Buddah Records years in beautifully engineered sound. 18 tracks, including ’Midnight Train to Georgia’ and ’I feel a song’ sound as good as they ever did. This is soul funk at its best, a truly wonderful overview of a great career.

Johnny ’Snakehips’ Johnson - "Any Old Iron"

’Any Old Iron’ contains 16 of London’s best known songs performed brilliantly by ’Snakehips’ and his band. Each song (including ’Roll out the barrel’, ’Any Old Iron’ and ’The Lambeth Walk’ ), is performed in a wonderful rock/jazz/funk style with heavy rock percussion plus the expected authentic acoustic instrumentation including banjo, accordion, saloon piano and harmonica but without the bland synthetic percussion which tends to undermine much of fellow Cockney rockers Chas & Dave’s work.

Shirley Bassey with Nelson Riddle and his orchestra - "Let’s Face the Music"

This 1962 album has become one of the best-loved star singer/arranger collaborations of the ’60s. Shirley’s voice here has a clarity and quality subtly different from what most people are familiar with - gone are the histrionics which would characterise much of her work from Goldfinger onwards. The choice of standards (such as ’Let’s Fall in Love’ and ’Imagination’ ) is delightful, and Riddle’s arrangements are customarily brilliant - need I say more?

Bach - "St Matthew Passion"

Klemperer’s legendary 1960s recording on EMI remains the most rewarding performance of Bach’s four hour masterwork. The conductor’s legendarily slow pacing and the massive forces he utilises make for a very intense reading of the work, further enhanced by the all-star cast of soloists, including Peter Pears, Nicolai Gedda, Christa Ludwig, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elizabeth Schwarzkopf. No music lover should be without this recording of one of the most important compositions in music’s history.

Bonobo - "Animal Magic"

No, it’s not ’Johnny Morris singing the standards’. This is another class chill-out album from a couple of years ago. This has a bit of everything - mellow beats, excellent acoustic solo instrumentals, fun samples, a lounge jazz feel, smooth strings, sultry vocals and that all important sense of humour. You’ll love ’Dinosaurs’.

Roberta Flack - "Killing Me Softly"

From 1973 (slap bang in the middle of soul’s greatest era) came this wonderful solo album from Roberta. The title song needs no introduction, but the other seven songs on this seminal album are equally good with the singer in peak form and backed-up by some wonderfully intimate instrumentals from piano, solo cello and violin and Eumir Deodata’s string arrangements. But there’s plenty of uplifting funk too with smooth horns and propulsive strings prominent throughout.

Tony Bennett - "I left my heart in San Francisco/I Wann Be Around"

Two of Tony’s best ’60s albums are brought together on one fabulous Columbia CD. 24 of the best standards ever written (including ’The Good Life’ and ’Quiet Stars’ ) beautifully arranged for full orchestra and jazz ensemble with Bennett in top form. Check out the dozens of other ’two on one’ releases from Columbia and EMI for a great overview of ’50s and ’60s class singer/arranger collaborations.

Berlioz - "Les Troyens"

Berlioz’s four hour operatic extravaganza is quite simply his greatest single achievement. Berlioz specialist Sir Colin Davis conducts the LSO in a live recording from the Barbican made in 2000. Les Troyens is a stunning musical feast, here served up by a cast of dozens of superb soloists (including Ben Heppner and Petra Lang), the finest of orchestras, and one of the most experienced conductors in the business.

Isaac Hayes - "Hot Buttered Soul"

I’ll start off by recommending all of Isaac’s pre-1973 albums, but this is as good a place to start as any. Although Hayes composed plenty of his own stuff (including the wonderfully ethereal world-famous Ike’s Rap II sampled by Portishead on Dummy), he’s probably best known for his amazing rearrangements of existing songs. I say amazing for several reasons. Firstly, Hayes expands the songs to inordinate length (his arrangement of Bacharach’s ’Look of Love’ for example is 11 minutes long!) But even more incredible is the musical forces Hayes brings to bear. On this particular album there are a dozen percussionists on the rhythm section, plus the Memphis Symphony Orchestra which is further embellished by a dozen horn and woodwind soloists, a separate orchestra of string soloists *and* a backing vocals group. But Hayes (like Mahler before him) uses his colossal forces wisely and the results are simply wonderful. If you don’t own at least three Isaac Hayes albums then you haven’t lived.....

Blondie - "The very best of....." (EMI)

Here it is then, the very best collection of her songs ever assembled (in the best possible sound). They’re all here, everything from ’Atomic’ to ’Sunday Girl’ (my favourite), and there’s also the best ’Atomic’ remixes from Tall Paul and Xenomania.

Rutland Boughton - "The Immortal Hour"

This haunting late-Romantic opera was composed during the early years of the 20th century. It has only been recorded once (on Hyperion), but thankfully the performance and sound quality is excellent and captures the haunting and ethereal qualities of this Wagnerian British opera to perfection. A truly unique listening experience and one that will stay with you for ever.

Nat King Cole - "Sus Mejores Canciones"

Everyone’s gonna have one or more CDs containing many of the songs that Nat made famous (such as Nature Boy, When I Fall In Love and the rest), so I thought I’d give this little overlooked gem a mention. Nat proves how good a singer of Spanish he was on a range of wonderfully exotic songs, some well known (like Perfidia), but many unheard of. Orchestrations are wonderful, with plenty of vibrant mandolin and guitar solos, plus a lush-sounding string orchestra - and it’s in wonderful stereo sound too.

Antonio Carlos Jobim - "The composer of Desafinado plays"

This lovely 1963 album has Jobim performing his own work (such as The Girl from Ipanema) on piano and guitar backed up by an impressive array of solo instrumentalists and Claus Ogerman’s wonderful orchestra. Unusually there is no singing on this album at all which allows Jobim’s romantic guitar to interact with the massed strings in the most intimate way imaginable. This really is stunningly romantic and beautiful music, especially these arrangements of ’Dreamer’, ’How Insensitive’ and ’Quiet Nights of Quite Stars’ - bossa nova at its best with that swaying Brazilian rhythm augmented by full orchestra and jazz instrumentalists. Needless to say, check out Charlie Byrd, Stan Getz, Astrud Gilberto, Walter Wanderly, Cannonball Adderley, Sergio Mendes, Eumir Deadato, Marcos Valles, Toots Thielemans, Jim Tomlinson and Lalo Schifrin’s wonderful ventures into the bossa nova world also. I must own at least 40 bossa albums and each of them is sublime.

Bing Crosby - "The Best of....."

This classy 2-cd set from MCA gives us all the major hits, but also serves up a wonderful dish of nostalgia as Bing duets with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Sir Cedric Hardwicke (!). Great stuff, especially ’Don’t Fence Me In’, ’Stardust’, ’Blue Skies’, ’Galway Bay’ and ’A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square’. For an overview of the great man’s career you can’t go wrong, though of course there are plenty of wonderful individual albums of Bing’s music that shouldn’t be overlooked.

Marvin Gaye - "Let’s Get It On"

Obviously most people’s favourite Gaye album (including my own) would be ’What’s Going On’, but I thought I’d mention this wonderful follow-up effort, a stupendous celebration of love and sex and a million miles away from the power and seriousness of the previous album. Twangy guitars, smooth strings and horns, saxophone and slick percussion add immeasurably to the album’s success - just take a listen to "If I Should Die Tonight". And this is one hell of an erotic album, even the sound of a young couple making love permeates the sultry down-tempo groove of ’You Sure Love to Ball’. Perhaps the best thing about this album is its integrity. Back in 1973 they used to create albums which contained songs that complimented each other, that told a story, and as such, the lyrics are very, very moving indeed.

Charles Mingus - "Mingus Ah Um"

This is certainly Mingus at his most approachable, a fabulously tuneful exercise in blistering post-bop, gospel shouts and Duke Ellington worship. Everything about this 1959 (stereo) album is wonderful, from the noirish midnight jazz of ’Goodbye Pork Pie Hat’ to the freakishly tongue-in-cheek ’Fables of Faubus’ which pokes fun at all those crime drama and cop show themes with its sleazy sax and frantic rhythms.

Jamiroquai - "Travelling Without Moving"

All of Jamiroquai’s albums are simply wonderful - a superb British tribute to the glory days of ’70s soul funk. ’Travelling Without Moving’ is a great place to start though, thanks to the super-hits ’Virtual Insanity’ and ’Cosmic Girl’ (based on the infectious guitar grooves of Eumir Deodato’s ’70s disco hit ’Whistle Bump’ ). Every song is feel-good and uplifting, with great beats, twangy guitars, wonderful strings and horns and all without relying too heavily on artificial-sounding synths.

Elis and Tom

This wonderful 1974 album features Antonio Carlos Jobim (’Tom’ ) singing with Elis Regina. This really is as good as music gets. Jobim’s music has never sounded so warmly romantic thanks to Elis’s beautiful voice, the light early-’70s beats, tinkling piano, strumming guitars, smooth percussion, and the most gorgeous string orchestra I have ever heard. The way the solo flute is joined by massed cellos and violas at the start of Corcovada is one of the most breathtaking moments in all music - similar in sound to Morricone at his very, very best (but Jobim came first). Ignore everything I’ve ever written if you wish - but don’t ignore this recommendation.

Morcheeba - "Big Calm"

The album title says it. From the opening keyboard splashes and string sweeps you know you’re in for one hell of a relaxing experience. Beautiful melodies, smooth beats, strings, solo instrumentalists and Skye Edwards’s sultry vocals combine to create one of the best ’chill-out’ albums of recent years.

Portishead - "Portishead"

Massive Attack/Tricky may have started it, but Portishead put Trip-Hop (and Bristol) on the musical map. The ultimate in dark, down-tempo excellence, Portishead’s second album is ideal for over-emotive 25 year-old males seeking to wallow in self-pity. Beth Gibbons’ haunting vocals soar over great samples, strings and horns, and the most thunderous beats heard east of Nailsea. A truly wonderful album, very cinematic, very emotional. There really is nothing quite as uplifting (in its extremely down-beat and paradoxically depressing way) as ’Half Day Closing’.

Quantic - "The 5th Exotic"

Yes, it’s another down-tempo chill-out album - but it’s as good as all the rest. Summery beats, wispy vocals, ethereal outer-space melodies and no end of lounge-lizard cocktail hour ambience make for a truly mesmerising musical experience. ’Long Road Ahead’ is a fabulously atmospheric down-tempo classic.

El Condor Pasa

Amongst all of the hundreds of banal panpipes albums masquerading as ’authentic Andean music’ (like how Riverdance has murdered authentic Irish folk), there are probably only a few that truly catch the magic of Peru. This ’laserlight’ album is one of those few exceptions. Yes, there are of course panpipes, but here they are not used excessively - unlike most ’Andean’ albums which place far too great an emphasis on the pipes. With this album (performed by Peruvian musicians) you get the real thing with all manner of guitars and mandolins given equal prominence to the flutes. It’s a very refreshing change, and the music is all the better for it. A must-have in anyone’s ’World’ section of their music collection.

Cubanismo - "Malembe"

With Cuban music now very much in vogue, here’s a great example of the idiom. Whilst Ibrehim Ferrer and the Buena Vista team may have gained most publicity (quite rightly) with their wonderful albums, one shouldn’t overlook this gem from Cubanismo. It’s all here, vibrant percussive beats, thrashing guitars, emotive vocals and some of the best trumpet playing (led by Jesus Alemany) you’ll ever likely hear. Great stuff for partying to on those hot summer evenings (that’s if we ever get any!).

Royksopp - "Melody AM"

Great chill-out from Norway. Infectious melodies, pulsing beats and brilliant use of samples (such as Bacharach’s Blue on Blue) make this a joy from start to finish. ’Poor Leno’ has justly become a hit.

Rob Doughan - "Furious Angels"

It has recently become apparent to a growing number of music lovers that Leos Janacek was one of the 20th century's greatest opera composers. Indeed, his music in other idioms, such as song cycle, solo piano, wind ensemble, orchestral tone poem, orchestral suite, cantata and string quartet are also magnificent.

The remarkable thing about this Czech composer is that the vast majority of his masterworks were written during his last decade (Janacek died in 1928 aged 74), when Janacek suddenly found extraordinary resources of inspiration and energy, thanks in part to the success of his earlier opera, Jenufa (also highly recommended), but mainly to his falling deeply in love with a woman 38 years his junior, Kammila Stosslova. Included in this long list of supreme compositional achievements are his last four operas, of which Kata Kabanova is the crowning glory.

All of Janacek's music, but particularly the work from his last ten years, is distinguished by enormous dramatic power, sublime emotional lyricism, eccentric piquant orchestration, and a rhythmic bite unrivalled by any other composer past or present. In fact the raw emotional immediacy of Janacek's music bears many similarities with the attributes of film music, but his music is a hundred times better than any film composer's, and even in his operas, the music is always the driving force in a way that film music could never be. Indeed, many of the major film composers, including Young (Chris), Horner, Zimmer, Goldenthal, Williams and Goldsmith have copied Janacek's style from time to time and have on occasion blatantly lifted whole chunks of musical phrases (compare Goldsmith's 'Legend' and 'Secret of Nimh' with Janacek's pastoral opera 'The Cunning Little Vixen' and you'll hear what I mean - Goldsmith also blatantly 'borrows' from Ravel and Debussy in these scores). Furthermore, Williams, Horner, Goldsmith and Goldenthal regularly tap Janacek's ethereal music (and Richard Strauss's for that matter), during many of the space epics they have scored. You know, when you see one of those ginormous space ships and you get that awe-inspiring music complete with heavenly choirs, well all it started with Janacek - and Richard Strauss. Compare the descending ethereal brass chords of Goldenthal's Sphere with Strauss's Die Frau Ohnne Schatten.....compare Goldenthal's ethereal brass chorales from Final Fantasy with Strauss's Josephs Legende.....you'll find the similarities remarkable, except in each case the work of Strauss is infinitely superior.

Kata Kabanova, a story of adultery in a tyrannical family setting, was composed by Janacek in 1919-1921 and is based on The Storm by the Russian playwright Ostrovsky - one of several works the composer based on Russian literature. His love for Kammila is crucial to the psychological portrait of Kata, whose love for another man can be seen as Janacek's wish-fulfilment.

The action is concise and dramatic, Kata is reluctantly attracted to Boris, with whom she has an affair while her husband is away, then confesses to her mother-in-law and is driven to commit suicide in the river. This is probably Janacek's best-constructed work, and contains some of the most remarkable love music I have ever heard - matching Wagner's Tristan pound for pound. The opening of the opera is especially fine - a brooding orchestral prelude in which the melodic line keeps turning in on itself before reaching the gloriously romantic melody associated with Kata throughout the opera. Mackerras has championed the work of Janacek in recent decades just as Mahler championed the work of Mozart one hundred years ago, and the performance of the Vienna Philharmonic on this recording (DECCA 421 852-2) is magnificent, so too are the singers. Vital to a proper appreciation of this opera is a DVD recording - the Glyndebourne production conducted by Sir Andrew Davis is excellent (though not as great as Mackerras's), but once familiar with the plot, libretto and characters you can return to the superior CD sound quality and enjoy every nuance of this wonderful opera.

Further listening - well, there's nothing quite like Janacek, except Mussorgsky and Mahler I suppose. As far as Janacek himself goes, well, once you've heard Kata Kabanova you'll want to track down every recording of Janacek's sublime music......and you won't be disappointed.

I Love Ibiza

I’ve never been one who cares much for compilation albums. I prefer to hear my music in its proper context, so I don’t like to hear the ’babbling brook’ episode from Beethoven’s Pastoral symphony rubbing shoulders with an excerpt from Grieg’s Peer Gynt on the same CD. The same is true of rock ’n roll and suchlike where I much prefer to hear Melanie C’s ’Never be the same again’ on her Northern Star album and Marvin Gaye’s seminal ’What’s going on’ on the album of the same name. The same is true of film music - with only a very few exceptions, I always prefer to enjoy film music within its intended medium - the movie itself.

However, ’I love Ibiza’, which was inspired by the BBC’s ’I love’ series is one of those rare exceptions. The main problem with contemporary dance albums is that there are too many of them, and almost all suffer from too many substandard fillers and obscure remixes - and virtually all leave off numerous seemingly obvious hit single choices.

Not so this album. Sure, it would have been nice if it had included Berri’s brilliant take on ’Sunshine after the rain’ (which you can get on ’The best dance album in the world ever....vol. 6) or Alice Deejay’s fantastic ’Better off alone’ (which you can find on her great album ’Who needs guitars anyway’ ), but no compilation album can be that perfect.

Of course, any true music lover will have all of these hit singles on the albums from which they originate anyway, but it’s nice to have so many of the best radio edits on 2 CDs. An amusing feature of this compilation is that it places York’s ’On the beach’ right next to ATP’s ’9pm (Till I come)’, which is quite funny because, fantastic tracks though they are, even today some people still can’t tell the two tracks apart - which is understandable, I suppose.

Disk one kicks off in fine style with everyone’s favourite dance number, ’Salsoul Nugget’, before the gorgeous ’Touch Me’ adds a bit of cool class to the proceedings. If you’re not up gyrating on the dance floor by the time the club mix of ’The Real Life’ begins, well, you might as well go to bed with a mug of hot chocolate.

One hit follows another, with particular highlights on CD-one alone being the ubiquitous (but still wonderful) Spiller’s Groovejet (the radio mix, not the wordless club mix which is just as good in its own way), Chocolate Puma’s ’I Wanna Be You’, Modjo’s ’Lady’, Moloko’s ’Sing it Back’ (well, of course that’s on here), and Arnaud’s wonderful remix bastardisation of Tori Amos’s originally bland ’Professional Widow’.

Disk Two ups the ante as far as dance power goes with a continual stream of rhythmic excellence, including Sonique’s ’It feels so good’, Fragma’s ’You are alive’ and ’Toca’s Miracle’ (of course) as well as Darude’s pulsating ’Sandstorm’ - no ’Time to burn’ however, although Storm’s ’Storm’ does feature.

Anyway, there’s 44 tracks in all, and not a dud amongst them - this is quite simply the best dance compilation album out there. However, it is a couple of years old now, and like I said before there are some earlier hits from the mid and late ’90s that don’t feature, so you may want to track down other compilation albums to add to your collection. If so, the best of the bunch are the Brit Awards series of annual CDs, the annual DanceStar compilations, and ’The Best Dance Album in the world ever’ albums which also come out annually.

Enjoy the party.........

Vaughan Williams - Sancta Civitas

Without a doubt, Vaughan Williams' greatest work is the oratorio 'Sancta Civitas' (The Holy City, written in 1925). It is an irony that RVW wrote many choral works but none (except for Sancta Civitas) have established the same kind of position in the repertoire as Elgar's massive and magical choral symphonies, such as the 'Dream of Gerontius', or indeed Walton's powerful Belshazzar's Feast and Britten's War Requiem.

However, Sancta Civitas is up there with the best......as is usual with RVW (and Delius for that matter) he utilises the stunning verses of Walt Whitman to create an amazingly vivid vision of the afterlife. Indeed, Sancta Civitas contains some of the composer's most startling and most sensuous music and its very concentration makes it an unforgettably powerful experience.

The best recording of this phenomenal work has Richard Hickox conducting the London Symphony Orchestra with Bryn Terfel and Philip Langridge on EMI CDC7 54788-2, a truly marvellous performance with Terfel's honey-toned baritone voice seemingly made for the part. And as a bonus, this CD also contains a great performance of RVW's lesser-known but still magical Dona Nobis Pacem, again with Terfel who is joined here by the excellent soprano Yvonne Kenny.

The work begins quietly with a magical and ethereal build-up of orchestral forces (the kind of thing Williams does in some of his fantasy scores), before Bryn's beautiful voice enters unobtrusively. Then the sublime and heavenly chorus enter the fray and brilliant solo trumpet sounds as a call to arms. The choirs build and build to a stunning climax (just like an Elfman choir except better, of course). The full might of the orchestra and choral forces are then unleashed, and the rest of the work is a stunning mixture of heroic fanfares, ethereal beauty and orgasmic sensuality.

Norrie Paramour - 'In London, In Love' and 'Autumn in New York'

Two more wonderful albums from the Golden Age of easy listening have now been released on one superb CD by the 'Collector's Choice Music' series........other fantastic albums of '50s, '60s and '70s music feature the work of Ray Conniff, Billy May, Ray Anthony, Helmut Zacharias, Hugo Winterholter, Ted Heath, Bert Kaempfert, Stanley Black, Jackie Gleason, Andre Kostelanetz and many others.

Norrie Paramour was a quietly-spoken English gentleman who started out performing in Harry Gold's jazz band 'Pieces of Eight' - I often enjoyed their performances at the Rozel dance hall on Weston-super-Mare's promenade in the immediate post-war years - the great Geoff Love was also part of the band.

Norrie went on to much bigger and better things of course, and during the '50s and '60s arranged many of the songs that were to become big hits in the UK and US charts.

However, his greatest achievement was his wonderfully stylish orchestral arrangements of popular standards of the '40s and '50s, as represented on these two stereo albums from 1959 (now fully remastered and presented on a single CD). The sound quality is simply wonderful, as rich and alive as only analogue stereo can sound.

Both albums feature an enormous orchestra with massed strings, jazz ensemble, choir and solo female vocalist. Indeed, the sound is very 'Paramourish'.....yes, it is a word! Such classics as 'Stardust', 'Stars Fell on Alabama' and 'Harlem Nocturne' benefit from the Paramour touch - richly emotive strings, languorous brass, broad saxophone lines, plucked harps, lounge piano and the silky vocals of a soprano solo weaving in and out of the phenomenally romantic orchestral textures help produce some of the most magical music you are ever likely to hear.

This is the kind of 'elevator music' that used to be sneered at by an unknowing public. But not only is this music from a seemingly bygone era of sophisticated musicmaking finding favour amongst 21st century society, but the best musicmakers of today are frequently referencing the sheer quality, craftsmanship and musicality of these almost forgotten composers and arrangers........Bent for instance actually use a sample of Norrie's orchestral music in their recent trip-hop album, 'Programmed to Love' - itself a truly wonderful feel-good album, both funny and beautiful, in the best Paramour/Jobim tradition.

Anyhow, whether it's an Isaac Hayes sample on a modern chill-out album or the real thing from the funkadelic '70s, I'm just so pleased that the once overlooked music masters of yesteryear are now being fully appreciated by today's music lovers.

Sheryl Crow - ’Tuesday Night Music Club’

Perhaps one of the most memorable and enduring hits of 1994 was Sheryl’s wonderfully upbeat and amusing ’All I Wanna Do’ (a clear homage to Stealer Wheeler’s ’Stuck in the Middle with You’ ) - its catchy guitar licks and fantastic lyrics made an immediate impact on radio audiences and was frequently aired alongside another memorable hit of that year, Shampoo’s delightful ’Trouble’ - remember, uh-oh, we’re in trouble, something’s come along and it’s burst our bubble...... And that’s the beauty of music, one only has to listen to these songs to help regain a sense and feeling of life back in ’94 - the effect of the music is an even more powerful aide memoire than perusing the photo album or watching your home movies. Somehow music helps conjures up the ’atmosphere’, sights, sounds and smells of the past in such a realistic way - the music can actually transport one back in time, at least for a short while.

’All I Wanna Do’ originated from Sheryl’s superb 1993 debut album ’Tuesday Night Music Club’ and was remixed for single release in the UK the following year. The differences between the album and remixed single versions of the song are small but vital. The remix crucially brings the twangy guitar lick that opens the song to the fore and drops the handclaps that are heard on the album version. These small changes gave the remix version that necessary ’edge’ to make it the radio success it always deserved to be - so a recording of both versions of the songs in your collection is vital for a true appreciation of the song.

The album itself (the culmination of years of apprenticeship which had Sheryl doing everything from backing Michael Jackson to dueting with Kenny Loggins!) is truly one of the pinnacles of mainstream pop, and is also blessed with a particularly fetching photo of Sheryl on the cover, and plenty of stills of the musicians (and more of Sheryl) throughout the booklet - there’s also a few nice paragraphs written by Sheryl herself.

One might be forgiven for thinking that all of the songs on ’Tuesday Night Music Club’ are as carefree and ’fun’ as ’All I Wanna Do’, but in reality, ’All I Wanna Do’ is the exception, with much of the album containing heartfelt and very intelligent lyrics - though never becoming over-serious or pretentious. The album opens brilliantly with ’Run, Baby, Run’, a five minute rock extravaganza which begins with swaggering guitars and lyrics reflecting on memories of 1963, such as the death of Aldous Huxley (a wry joke, in that Aldous died on the same day as Kennedy was assassinated). ’Leaving Las Vegas’ is even longer - and what a song!, certainly one of the album’s many highlights.

The gentle strumming guitar of ’Strong Enough’ is a perfect accompaniment to Sheryl’s beautifully delivered lyrics, whereas ’Can’t Cry Anymore’ is fabulously funky and soulful. The rest of the album is a similarly successful mix of rock, funk, soul, country and heartfelt ballad, with ’All I Wanna Do’ naturally being the standout track with its fantastic lyrics and infectiously uplifting feel-good sound.

The legendary pianist lends his considerable talents to this amazing and evocative fusion of jazz and classical music. Works by Scriabin, Faure, JS Bach, Chopin, and Evans himself have been arranged for orchestra and jazz ensemble by the master himself, Claus Ogerman. The deftness of the pianist's touch is a miracle to behold, and here backed by Ogerman's ethereal string arrangements, Evans' genius is illuminated still further. Of course, there are many, many great albums out there featuring Bill Evans in a purely jazz setting, and I have no hesitation in recommending every one of them......just take a listen to 'Affinity' where he teams up with Toots Thielemans.

Dave Grusin and Lee Ritenour - "Two Worlds"

Master pianist and guitarist are joined by Renee Fleming, Gil Shaham and Julian Lloyd Webber in a wonderful collection of jazz arrangements of classical works from the likes of Bartok, Falla, Villa Lobos and Bach. Superb orchestral arrangements further accentuate the pure musical magic of this wonderful album - an eclectic delight from beginning to end featuring some of the best musicians/composers/arrangers in the business. Perhaps the highlight of the album is Renee Fleming's lustrous singing of the beautiful English folk tune 'The Water is Wide', but the whole album is a celebration of beautiful music with top soloists surrounded by an aura of glowing strings.

Ron Carter - "Pastels"

With nearly 3000 albums under his belt (either his own or those to which he made some contribution), bassist Ron Carter must be about the most prolific musician in history......and he's still going strong! However, this 1976 effort is near the top of the pile. All of the tracks were written by Carter himself and beautifully arranged by Don Sebesky and Carter. Musicians include, Kenny Barron on piano, Hugh McCracken on electric and acoustic guitar plus harmonica and Harvey Mason on drums plus a gorgeously warm string orchestra. From the opening strains of 'Woolaphant' the listener is swept off his/her feet by a mixture of ultra-cool melody, throbbing basslines and the slickest strings I've ever heard. And then when the electric guitar and harmonica join in words simply fail me. This has to be the most perfect album to drive to in my collection (and that's saying something). It is so cool, and the melodies are infectious as well. This is one of those albums you must own.......else you ain't lived.

Martinu - "Symphonies 1 through 6"

Martinu's symphonies have a very distinctive quality.....a driving rhythm is tempered by typical Czech lyricism, but the orchestration is given an extra bite by a virtually omnipresent piano. Despite that, Martinu's symphonies cover an enormous range of moods and emotions, from the epic fist to the fantastic sixth.....the second is pastoral in nature, the third often grave and tragic and the fourth is very reminiscent of Dvorak. Go for Neeme Jarvi's set on BIS. The playing is superb with the syncopated rhythms given a sinewy groove, and the recorded sound is faultless.

Tosca - "Suzuki"

For all of the undoubted collaborative skills, Kruder and Dorfmeister are never better than when working alone. 'Suzuki' is Dorfmeister's downtempo masterpiece. Slick and groovy beats, sultry vocals and stunning electronic ambience create the coolest of moods. This is class 'Lounge' music for the 21st century. Also check out the Peace Orchestra's (Kruder) eponymous album for a similarly delectable exercise in cool.

Aphex Twin - "I Care Because You Do......"

The quirky 'techno' genius was never more inventive than in this 1995 album classic. Fantastic beats, sublime electronic soundwashes merge seamlessly with a symphony orchestra. And 'Alberto Balsam' contains one of the most beautiful melodies ever conceived.

Joni Mitchell - "Both Sides Now"

This fantastic album released in 2000 features the legendary smoky-voiced diva backed by a massive (but not overwhelming) 100-piece orchestra, plus an array of legendary jazz soloists, including Herbie Hancock (piano), Wayne Shorter (Saxophone) and Mark Isham (trumpet). The album of carefully arranged standards is intended to plot the course of a romance, from the excitement of the first meeting, through to the disillusionment of betrayal and the final reconciliation......and it all works remarkably well. This isn't just a collection of songs, but a journey through a rich, luscious, haunting and evocative cinematic soundscape.....a perfect meeting of symphony and jazz, where the bluesy instrumental periods play as big a role as the singing. The opening of the first song sets the tone perfectly......thrilling and ominous Herrmann-esque brass emerge from the silence and stunning strings create a Mahlerian intensity before being joined by Mitchell's velvet smooth vocals.....like something out of a '40s noir classic, except in better sound.

Miles Davis - "Miles Ahead"

After 'Kind of Blue' this is Miles' best album. Indeed, it is quite simply one of the best albums......period. The partnership of Miles Davis and Gil Evans remains just about the most important soloist/arranger collaborations in jazz history. Following on from their 1949 collection, 'The Birth of Cool', 'Miles Ahead' features a refreshing and complex dialogue between soloist and large orchestral ensemble. But this is not 'big band'.....far from it.....and neither is it crossover. Although the music is adapted from the likes of Delius and Debussy, the performance is pure authentic jazz. Also check out their later 'Sketches of Spain' which included the greatest crossover version of Rodrigo's guitar concerto until Jim Hall's sublime recording on CTI's 'Concertio' fifteen years later.

Kool and the Gang - "The Funk Collection"

Here's a great opportunity to acquaint yourselves with Kool and the Gang at the height of their powers. No, I'm not talking about their '80s disco hits like 'Ladies Night', I'm referring to their incredibly alluring brand of symphonic funk from the '70s. Very much in the same mould as Isaac Hayes and Barry White, Kool and the Gang created a large number of fantastic funk tracks that modern listeners are rediscovering thanks to the efforts of Djs who are sampling them in many of their current re-mixes. Every one of the 16 tracks on this compilation is a masterclass in soulful funk from the glowing horns and ecstatic vocals of 'Who's gonna take the weight' to the mellow strings, sauntering beats and guitars of 'Summer Madness'. Needless to say, check out the new 'ultimate' Earth Wind and Fire collection for a fantastic 2-CD overview of their '70s funk classics, plus a dozen of the very latest superb re-mixes.

Montefiori Cocktail - "Raccolta No.2"

Now here's a rare treat. Italy's answer to England's Lemonjelly create musical mayhem on this New Age lounge sonicfest. Beginning with an hilariously cheeky version of Williams' 'Star Wars' theme in the style of a spaghetti western (complete with guitars and whistles), the album takes the listener on just about the wildest and wackiest musical journey ever mapped. 'Hu Ha' for instance begins with repeated manic guttural laughter which gradually forms a beat before being replaced by a sleazy Benny Hill saxophone. Off-the-wall is a bit of an understatement as hilarious snippets of dialogue presage the most uplifting of melodies that Michel Legrand and Francis Lai would kill for. The coolest of organs mix with funktastic beats and slick sax and horns......this is Acid Jazz on acid. Hilarious....which is just what the composers/arrangers intended.

George Gershwin - "Porgy and Bess"

One of the greatest operas ever written, (and one of the last to appeal to mass audiences), Gershwin's operatic masterpiece rivals Bizet's Carmen and Wagner's Meistersingers for sheer beauty of sound and accessibility. Indeed, many of Porgy's arias have become even more famous as popular songs immortalised by the likes of Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. 'Summertime' has to be one of the best known and loved operatic arias ever composed. But Gershwin's monumental three-hour music drama is more than just a collection of familiar tunes. The story is good, the libretto witty and enjoyable and a complex web of expertly applied leitmotifs bind the opera's three-hour structure together, very much in the same way as a film composer will use leitmotifs to strengthen the success of his movie score. Furthermore, the orchestration is phenomenal......standard operatic orchestration of strings, brass and woodwinds are used to dizzying Mahlerian effect, but the use of saloon piano and banjo adds to the operas interest without coming across as gimmicky. So yes, this is an authentically 'jazz' opera, but that does not undermine the power of the orchestral passages in any way. The music ranges (seamlessly) from Wagner to Duke. The best recording out there has Sir Simon Rattle conducting the London Symphony Orchestra. The playing is breathtaking (including the jazzy bits), the recorded sound is near perfect, and the singers (including the choir) are phenomenal.

Spacetime Continuum - "Remit Recaps"

The 'ambient' supremo's handed over the master tapes of their 1995 classic 'Emit Recaps' to a range of techno masters including Carl Craig, Autechre and Higher Intelligence Agency......the result is this splendiferous 1996 album. Spacetime's trademark ethereal sound is taken to new heights of cosmic brilliance.....the music often evokes images of heaven through magically undulating soundwashes, heavenly uplifting chords and the coolest beats yet devised. This has a bit of dance, trance, ambient, soul, hip hop, trip hop....the list goes on. But it's not a disjointed affair......all of the aforementioned elements are blended seamlessly to provide 70 minutes of ethereal musical delight.

Wes Montgomery - "Down Here on the Ground"

The great guitarist was joined by a delightful light orchestra of strings and woodwinds plus Ron Carter on bass, Hubert Laws on flute, Herbie Hancock on piano etc for a tremendous range of standards including Lalo Schifrin's title track and Bricusse's 'When I Look In Your Eyes'. Delicate and yet groovy arrangements from Eumir Deodato and Don Sebesky help the album swing superbly......but there are wonderful periods of calm reflection when Montgomery's glowing chords take on an overwhelmingly Romantic allure. Check out 'Movin' Wes' where the guitarist is joined by a remarkable big band orchestra for some more magnificent music-making.

Wai Wan - "Distraction"

Here's another hidden gem that you may not know about. The best way of describing this wonderfully dark 1999 album is as 'cinematic Trip Hop' - a remarkably evocative blend of haunting cinematic effects embellished with insinuating tempos and ethereal voices and the coolest of beats - think a cross between John Barry, Danny Elfman and Portishead. Much like The Herbaliser in its Elfmanesque otherworldly sound, Wai Wan takes things even further down the trip hip path. What I really like about Distraction is its complete abandonment of the commercial hip hop rule book. The very opening of the first track proves this, as cool James Bond-esque percussion is gradually joined by haunting vocals, cool keyboards, smooth sax and later by classy strings. Throughout the opening 7 minute track alone the beats frequently subside for interludes of the most stunningly haunting Moonraker-like keyboard washes...... Very much like Goldfrapp, except smoother and more fleshed-out. Here the tracks last for 7 and 8 minutes at a time which allows for an extraordinary amount of development, much like Amon Tobin's fine work. If you like John Barry at his haunting, smoothest and classiest best, you'll love[/]i this.

Pfitzner - "[i]Palestrina"

This remarkable late-Romantic opera is the German composer's crowning glory. Spanning three hours, the work is extraordinarily intense as it depicts the legendary incident in the life of the eponymous composer when he saved the polyphonic tradition with the composition of the 'Missa Papae Marcelli' (itself a work I heartily recommend). Indeed, references to that famous composition are made throughout the opera, but Pfitzner's creation is generally very Wagnerian in tone. Perhaps the best way to approach this gargantuan composition is through the three mystical preludes which are often recorded separately (I recommend Thielleman's renditions on DG 449571-2). These preludes are extraordinarily ethereal and beautiful pieces of music on their own, and yet only hint at the treasures to be enjoyed within the complete opera itself. There is a plethora of fantastic arias, duets and ensemble singing - go for Kubelik's monumental performance (again on DG) which boasts an astonishing cast including Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Nicolai Gedda and Karl Ridderscbusch. Out of all of my opera cd-sets (of which I have over 200), this recording is in my top 20.......so it's good.....bloody good......

Chet Baker - "She's Too Good To Me"

The troubled trumpeter/singer returned from the hell of heroine addiction in 1974 to create this gorgeous aural feast. Warm trumpets and sax, glowing vibes, beautiful woodwinds, and shimmering violins and cellos perform the most sublime arrangements of classic standards from 'Funk in the Deep Freeze' to 'What'll I do'.......if you're feeling blue, Chet Baker, paul Desmond and Ron Carter are the best remedy.

Paul Weston - "Music For Romancing/Music For The Fireside"

With the advent of stereo during the 1950s, Paul Weston (the inventor of 'mood music') re-recorded his best arrangements - two of those classic albums have just been re-released by EMI/Capitol. Weston's genius was for arranging classic songs, such as 'Tenderly', 'Bali Ha'l and 'Some Enchanted Evening' (which all appear on this CD) in such a way as to remain faithful to the original composers' arrangement but also to add his own special touch......usually lilting massed strings, and particularly slick sax and horn solos. Beautiful, tender and relaxing, but with moments of great drama and passion. Classy....very classy.

Marianne Faithfull - "A Secret Life"

The indestructible Marianne is back in this beautifully haunting and evocative 1994 album composed and arranged by Angelo Badelamenti. I guess it's the closest thing you can get to a modern song-cycle as Marianne sings a range of dark, passionate and haunting songs scored for lush orchestra and a range of electronics. Badelamenti at his best. Check out Faithfull's extraordinary take on Kurt Weill's 'Seven Deadly Sins' - the only English translation of the German's masterpiece.

Schubert - "Symphony no.6"

Perhaps the least known of Schubert's major works (which is partly why I'm giving it prominence here), the sixth is remarkable for its lighter-than-air, almost Rossini-an qualities, despite its heavy orchestration. I love it, and place it alongside the 4th and 5th in my affections. Thomas Beecham's scintillating performance on EMI (coupled with the 3rd and 5th) single-handedly rescued the symphony from unjustifiable neglect.

Milt Jackson - "Sunflower"

The celebrated vibraphonist is joined by jazz greats Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham, Jay Berliner and Freddie Hubbard on a superb grouping of beautifully arranged and expanded standards, including Michel Legrand's 'What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?' Ethereal strings, woodwinds and harp contribute to the eclectic mix creating yet another sublime '70s jazz/symphonic crossover masterpiece in lustrous stereo sound.

In 1992 the great man gathered together a dozen or so of Brazil's best musicians, including the legendary bossa nova pioneer Luis Bonfa, along with Dave Grusin and Mark Isham to perform a series of beautiful Latin American melodies. Toots' harmonica is backed by delicate guitars, impassioned vocals, smooth percussion and tinkling piano. Check out The Brazil Poject II plus Toots' 1969 bossa nova collaboration with Elis Regina.

Johnny Griffin - "White Gardenia"

In 1961 the great tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin fused his extraordinary jazz playing with strings and brass to create this hauntingly noirish collection of jazz standards......very much in keeping with Bob Belden's 'Black Dahlia' I mentioned earlier. Luscious, melancholy strings with the emphasis on deep, soulful cellos augment some exquisite sax and trumpet solos that clearly evoke the emotional and withdrawn soundworld of Billie Holliday. The opening track, 'Gloomy Sunday' is a marvel of intoxicating strings and shatteringly powerful sax solos......just like the whole album.

Ray Charles - "The Genius of......."

A silly title for an album.....but it happens to be true. This fabulous collection of big band/orchestral classics is simply sublime. The jazz/soul crooner is in top form, and the arrangements of classic standards by the likes of Quincy Jones and Ralph Burns ranges from big band to full orchestra with strings and choir. A must-have in every music lover's collection.

Gustav Mahler/Uri Caine - "Primal Light"

This brilliant album from 1997 is an absolute must for all Mahler fans. Jazz genius Uri Caine takes some of Mahler's best-known movements, including 'Primal Light' from the second symphony, the funeral march from the fifth and the 'farewell' from Das Lied von der Erde adds syncopated jazz rhythms and accentuates the latent Jewish properties in all of Mahler's work. The results are stunningly successful. A large jazz ensemble, plus violin, cello and vocals pour their hearts out through Mahler's extraordinarily emotive music. Many classical purists detest this album, but anyone else will see it as a great compliment to Mahler's genius. Caine himself has always maintained that this album is in no way intended to *replace* Mahler's original works, but is merely a sideline. Well done, Uri, you did a marvellous job. Also check-out the follow-up 2-cd album which covers a live performance of the same works. It's very interesting comparing the two performances.

Kenny Burrell - "Ode to 52nd Street"

This milestone album from the '60s has the great guitarist backed by superb jazz soloists, big band and luscious string orchestra. The magnificent 18-minute 'Suite for Guitar and Orchestra' is an awe-inspiring jazz guitar concerto ranging from mellow and melancholy introspection to all-out big band brilliance. The rest of the album comprises of similarly beautiful and wide-ranging arrangements of classic songs, the highlight of which is a haunting arrangement of Dizzy Gillespie's 'Con Alma' which will probably bring tears to your eyes. There's also a very moving account of Tiomkin's 'Wild is the Wind'. I cannot recommend this fabulous album enough.

Paul Mauriat - "Love is Blue"

The Prince Regent of easy listening is in ultra-slick form on this high-quality 1997 compilation from Spectrum. All of the classics are here, complete with Mauriat's trademark groovy percussion, slick keyboards, smooth strings, wordless choirs and delicate guitars. Feel-good easy-listening for that blissful Sunday afternoon. Also check out his 'Russian' and 'French Hits' albums......the former is the most extraordinary meeting of authentic Russian instrumentation (balalaikas etc) and symphony orchestra in existence.

Joe Williams - "Here's to Life"

Joe was 75 when this fantastic album was recorded in 1993. His worldly-wise half-sung vocals are a postitive delight hovering above Robert Farnon's lush orchestral backing. Indeed, Andre Previn described Canadian-born Farnon as the best arranger for strings in the business.....this album will tell you why. Never slushy or sentimental, this is a truly heartwarming reflection on life's ups and downs from the legendary singer. Prominent solo instrumentals abound throughout the album.......saxophone, trombone, violin, oboe and guitar all share prominence with the singer at one time or another, but it is the orchestral arrangements that are really outstanding. And the legendary George Shearing performs piano on one track.......what a wonderful album.

Carl Craig - "Landcruising"

I mentioned Ron Carter's 'Pastels' earlier as being the best album to drive to in my collection. Well, Landcruising is second on my list. Beginning with the sound of a car door slamming and the engine starting up, the entire album provides the perfect soundtrack for gliding through the neon-lit streets of downtown Miami in your Mercedes Benz (in my case, a Vauxhall Nova through suburban Bedminster). Throbbing beats and cool electronics are enhanced by cinematic strings and horns......ohhhhh.....this is soooo slick.

Freddie Hubbard - "First Light"

Yum, yum. This 1972 Grammy Award-winning jazz masterpiece features the trumpeter at the height of his powers. Backed by the usual top quality jazz soloists and Don Sebesky's gorgeous strings and woodwinds arrangement, ballads such as 'Yesterday's Dreams', 'Moment to Moment' and the titular track have never sounded better.

Boards of Canada - "Music has the right to children"

One of the best 'ambient house' albums out there. An incredibly evocative soundworld is created by subtle beats and brilliant samples that evoke an amazing sense of nostalgia for the '70s and early '80s. This is a truly sublime aural experience in electronica....I recommend this without reservation. Sadly, their follow-up album did not repeat the success, good though it was.

Ray Anthony - "Dancers In Love/Dream Dancing"

Yet another wonderful CD reissue of two classic stereo Ray Anthony albums from 1959 and 1961 respectively. The great arranger subtly coaxes the most exquisite sounds from his orchestras which feature big band brass and rich strings. This is ultra cool lounge music which alternates between a real Sinatra-esque swing and a dreamy melancholy without ever losing its sublime charm. Some of the best-loved standards, including Easy to Love and I'll Never Smile Again are given that touch of Ray Anthony magic.......best of all though is his gently swaying arrangement of Raksin's 'Laura' - classy, smooth and oh so cool.

The Party Box

This fantastic 3-cd set from Music Digital provides the perfect 'pub party' experience. Accordion, banjo and saloon piano are joined by other soloists and the occasional bout of singing. OTT, crazy and absolutely hilarious, just about every catchy tune ever written is performed during these tremendous medleys......those twanging banjos will gechya.

Paul Desmond - "Skylark"

The saxophonist's 1973 masterpiece remains as fresh, inspirational and beautiful today as it did thirty years ago. Guitarist Gabor Szabo is also prominent throughout as Desmond takes on a sonic journey through modern standards and arrangements of Baroque classics such as Dido's Lament. Beautiful strings and woodwinds add to the radiant qualities of this fantastic album.

Chas 'n' Dave - "The best of......"

Hats off to Music Club for compiling this truly definitive collection of the Rockney duos hits.....they're all here, everything from Rabbit to Gertcha, as well as the Stars over 45 medley which is usually left off of such collections. Brilliant stuff!

Ray Conniff - "Rhapsody in Rhythm/Hollywood in Rhythm"

Conniff invented the use of easy-listening music complimented by a large number of voices which weave in and out of the fabric of the orchestra. The music is very brass-heavy (but in an ultra smooth way).......however, on this album Conniff also, unusually utilises a rich string orchestra, adding a special kind of lustre to Conniff's already wonderful sound. Conniff's music epitomises the easy-listening idiom......he truly was one of the best and now you too can enjoy his wonderful arrangements on this superbly remastered stereo album.

Mu-ziq - "Royal Astronomy"

Royal Astronomy is a riot of electronica and orchestral brilliance. A magnificent full orchestra supports some of the grooviest beats devised......add to the mix quirky electronics and extraordinary vocals and you have one the most blissfully entertaining albums of the past few years. Mike Paradinas.....you're a genius.

Doris Day - "Latin for Lovers/Love Him"

These two albums from the mid-'60s see Doris at her best. Her voice here has a special sultryness that only comes with age. The choice of songs is both wideranging and inspired......from the soulful bossa nova classics such as Quiet Nights and Meditation to the swingin' 'Night Life' and 'Funny'. The jazz/string orchestra arrangements are truly magnificent.

Percy Faith - "The Ultimate Collection"

This remarkable 3-cd set from Columbia is quite simply the best collection of Percy's work in existence. There are literally dozens of his reissued albums flooding the market at the moment and most of them are superb. However, this collection gives us the best of the best with classic easy-listening arrangements spanning his entire career. Faith was a remarkable arranger, easily one of the best in the business......he even managed to adapt with some success to the advent of pop in the '70s. His arrangements of 'A Summer Place', 'Perfidia' and 'Eleanor Rigby' are legendary, and this magnificent set has them all. Easy listening at its very best.

Ted Heath - "All time top 12/Shall we dance"

The English big band leader was at the peak of his powers at the time of these two recordings during the late-'50s. A whole range of jazz standards, from Tenderly to Dancing in the Dark are arranged and performed with exquisite skill by a wonderful group of jazz musicians. Hissing muted trumpets, sleazy saxophones and warm trombones combine with the grooviest rhythm section of the era......this album swings, and the stereo separation is phenomenal. SACD can go rot, nothing compares to some of these early stereo analogue recordings.

Jim Tomlinson - "Brazilian Sketches"

Humphrey Lyttelton's former saxophonist, Jim Tomlinson has created a modern masterpiece here. Brazilian Sketches is an update on the bossa nova classics of the '60s and throughout the album Tomlinson clearly emulates Stan Getz. He's backed up by a delightfully intimate jazz ensemble and Brazilian percussion - his wife sings on four of the tracks, including the album's opener, Antonio Carlos Jobim's sublime masterpiece, 'Dreamer'. There's also a very sexy and cool rendition of Marcos Valle's Summer Samba. This is certainly one of the great chill-out albums of the past few years, and only the Stan Getz classics of the '60s better it as pure bossa nova heaven.

Hugo Montenegro - "Good Vibrations"

One of the composer/arranger's most outrageously way-out album features an extraordinary mix of orchestra, shimmering strings, multiple voices, omnipresent whistling and amazing electronics which utilise the capabilities of stereo to the maximum. Weird, haunting, psychedelic, groovey, and beautifully poptastic.

Mantovani - "Latin Rendezvous/Mantovani Ole"

Most Mantovani albums make for hugely enjoyable listening......this re-issue of classic Latin arrangements is one of the best with its extraordinary rhythms and amazingly over-the-top orchestrations.

Jack Jones - "Wives and Lovers/Dear Heart"

Timely reissue of Jack's two best '60s albums. Jam-packed with hits, all performed with magnificent orchestral arrangements.

101 Strings Orchestra - "Cocktail Hour"

Yet another amazingly OTT album in the 101 strings catalogue. Here the cheesemasters go for that cinematic sound with an incredible array of popular tunes scored for massive string orchestra and all manner of exotic soloists, as well as the standard brass, woodwinds and percussion. Just listen to Bali Ha'l, with its incredible high strings contrasting with the deepest of celli.....and that Hawaiian instrumentation is amazing too.

Bert Kaempfert - "Midnight Blue"

The German easy-listening master's (he composed Strangers in the Night, Spanish Eyes etc) best album with due prominence given to some electrifying trumpet playing. Brilliant in very sense of the word.

100 Brass Band Classics

This superb 4-cd set from Castle Pulse is the last word in brass band compilations. The list of contributors is amazing - everyone's favourite band is here, from The Grimethorpe Colliery Band to The Hammond Sauce Works Band. And the choice of material is inspired, ranging from Star Wars to Smoke Gets In Your Eyes.

Andy Williams - "In the lounge with......."

There's been a massive resurgence of interest in Andy's classic '60s lounge ballads in recent years, mainly from the younger generation. This collection gathers together a couple of dozen of the best, including you know what. A great collection of tenderly swinging and deliciously orchestrated lounge classics.

Franz Lambert - "Music and Romance"

This great album from Disky features the master organist backed by magnificent orchestra as he swings his way through everything from Copacabana to Greensleeves (yes, even this swings). And 'Puppet on a string' will bring a smile to anyone's face.

La Musica From Italy

The best mandolin music on the market......thanks Laserlight. Gorgeous mandolins, solo and massed are backed by a delightful orchestra in this fabulous collection of intimate and romantic Italian melodies

Harry Gold - "Live in Leipzig"

This live recording of a 1984 concert in East Germany is a must-have for lovers of Dixieland jazz. I actually got to know Harry when he played with his 'Pieces of Eight' in Weston-super-Mare during the '40s......great guy, he's 96 now and still full of life. There's hope for me yet!

Claus Ogerman's career as an arranger has been long-lived and hugely successful - from his collaborations with Antonio Carlos Jobim in the '60s, to George Benson's 'Breezin' in 1976 (which I have discussed earlier at this thread) to Diana Krall's 'Look of Love' only last year, Ogerman has stamped his unique trademark sound on a wide variety of musical styles from classical to funk. These two albums, from 1982 and 1977 respectively illustrates his genius for elegant jazz/orchestral fusion. As you can imagine 'City Scape' is a nocturnal perambulation through a noirish urban forest with Michael Brecker's haunting sax solos buoyed by Ogerman's glistening strings......dark, deep and intoxicating. Gate of Dreams is similarly haunting, and yet uplifting in a way unique to Claus - here his luscious orchestra is joined by an amazing array of jazz soloists including George Benson's guitar. For any lovers of jazz, classical or rock music, these album's are minimum requirements.

Rolf Harris - "Best of......"

You wait for years for a definitive hits album and three turn up all at once. Disky's is the best. All of the hits are here in glowing sound - 'Tie me kangaroo down sport', 'Jake the peg', Waltzing Matilda and so on. 20 tracks in all, and all of them winners, from the hilariously bizarre 'Turkey Strut' to the magnificently melodramatic rendition of 'If I were a rich man'.

Delius - "Orchestral Works"

This fabulous classical/romantic symphony has tended to be overshadowed by the composer's better known fourth symphony ('The Italian') and 'The Hebrides' overture. However, the third symphony has a special magic all of its own, when well performed. The symphony is more evocative of Scotland's landscape, rather than the nation's culture or people. Yes, there is a 'Scottish' lilt to the themes, but this is implied rather than overtly stated. Therefore the 'Scottish' symphony is a masterpiece of pure music-making as distinct from 'scene-painting'. The first movement begins with a slow ominous statement of the main theme before the delightfully skittish dancelike melody kicks in. This melody is developed into a furious dance rhythm throughout the opening movement, which frequently subsides into the most haunting passages of prominent long-breathed woodwinds, swirling violins, and deep Romantic cellos. There's real passion, excitement and drama in this opening movement.....don't miss it. The rest of the symphony is a more relaxed and traditional affair, though still utterly delightful. Blomstedt's version with the Sanfrancisco Symphony Orchestra is the most inspired, but if you have difficulty finding it, there are plenty of other excellent records, such Karajan with the Berliners and Sir Alexander Gibson's classic performance with the Scottish National Orchestra.

Super '70s (Virgin)

At long last, a compilation album of '70s hits worthy of its name. All of the tracks on this recently-released double CD set are from the original artists......and what a wonderful selection. Many of the favourites are here in their original form - Tie a Yellow Ribbon (Dawn), Seasons in the Sun (Terry Jacks), Don't Give Up On Us (David Soul), My Ding-A-Ling (Chuck Berry), Funky Gibbon (Goodies), Benny Hill (Ernie), Save Your Kisses For Me (Brotherhood of Man), Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep...... Never has such an eclectic mix of original '70s pop standards been gathered together on one collection.....wonderful. Check out the new 2-CD compilation of Brotherhood of Man's hits. 'Hits and Kisses' is a simply fantastic selection of their original hits and cover versions....'twill bring a tear to your eye.

Kid Loco - "A Grand Love Story"

Don't be put off by the tatty album title, this is brilliant, virtuosic and authentic flamenco music from one of Spain's greatest guitarists. Pena casts a spell over the listener with his dextrous plucking and strumming of some of Spain's best-loved flamenco classics. From time to time, Pena is joined by an additional guitarist and additional percussionists and hand-claps but it's very much his own show. For a more expansive overview of intoxicatingly Romantic nocturnal Spanish music, check out Global's 'Under Latin Skies' - an amazing mixture of folk vocals and instrumentation merge with electronics and orchestra to create that mesmerising atmosphere of sultry Iberian nights under a full moon.

Barber - "Violin Concerto"

A fascinating neo-Romantic work, which provides a very interesting contrast to the composer's uniquely famous Adagio For Strings. No technical fireworks, but Barber instils a remarkable rhapsodic exuberance into the Allegro and a defiantly vocal melancholy in the Andante. Things really pick up in the finale though with woodwind and brass pursuing the frenetic soloist. A great work performed with distinction by Gil Shaham (who also guests on Grusin's 'Two Worlds' album I mentioned earlier at this thread), backed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Andre Previn on DG 439 889-2. Sound quality, interpretation and performance are near perfect. The Barber is intriguingly coupled with Korngold's blatantly emotional Violin Concerto.......a far more traditionally Romantic work, which is both hauntingly beautiful and remarkably orchestrated. I can also thoroughly recommend Isaac Stern's performance of the Barber with Leonard Bernstein conducting the New York Philharmonic on Sony. This recording is coupled with a particularly dry-eyed performance of the Adagio which provides a refreshing contrast to the somewhat over-sentimentalised accounts many other conductors succumb to.

Bouzoukis and Sirtakis - Music From Greece

This superb EPM release features an hour of authentic Greek music performed by authentic Greek musicians on authentic Greek folk instruments. Needless to say, 'Never on Sunday' and 'Zorba's Dance' are included, but so too a whole range of diverse folk melodies performed with gusto. Included in the mix on some tracks are more contemporary beats, and much of the music is tinged with an 'Eastern' flavour. This is just the kind of music you would hear emanating from sun-drenched village streets and traditional Greek taverns.

German Beer Drinking Songs

The great English symphonist's complete cycle of works can be found on the Hyperion label. A good starting point is his massive 55-minute symphony no. 10, written in 1988, and dedicated to Dr Vernon Handley, the conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra on this 1991 recording. A true Brucknerian, Simpson's Tenth features the traditional four movements, and colossal orchestral forces. However, much like Schmidt's symphony no. 4, with repeated listenings it soon becomes clear that the four separate movements are actually based around the same thematic material. The tenth, like most of Simpson's work is a monumentally powerful work featuring massive Brucknerian brass chorales, incredible dissonances, and periods of extraordinary tension. However, frequent calmer interludes provide much needed variety (and breathing space). Throughout all of his symphonies Robert Simpson takes the listener on a spellbinding musical journey, be sure to book your ticket.......

Dean Martin - "The Very Best Of....... Vol.1 and 2"

Deano remains one of the popular and best-loved crooners of the past fifty years......this superb compilation of his Capitol and Reprise hits demonstrates why. A kind of cross between Bing Crosby and Elvis Presley, Martin was equally adept at singing mellow soulful ballads as he was swingin' standards......never losing that casual, easy-going and ingratiating charm. Every previous compilation CD of Dean Martin's 'best' work had been incomplete for one reason or another. This set, however, showcases all of his signature hits, from the intoxicating rhythms of 'Sway', to the gentle balladry of 'Kiss'. Every home should have one......this Dean Martin compilation, that is.

The Curtom Story - Curtis Mayfield's School of 20th Century Soul

A lugubrious album title maybe, the music is anything but. This 150-minute 2-CD set contains a stunning overview of shimmeringly slick soul, funk, northern and crossover from the Curtom label and its affiliates. Many of Mayfield's own hot-funk classics such as 'Pusherman' and 'Superfl'y are beautifully complimented by a whole range of soul and funk stars, including Linda Clifford, Mavis Staples and Leroy Hutson. The range of music here is enormous, but there is not one track out of place. The mellow orchestral funk of Mayfield's 'Tripping Out' works brilliantly alongside Fred Wesley's funktastic 'House Party'. This is a truly wonderful collection of difficult-to-find funk and soul classics from the '60s, '70s and '80s, many of which were previously unavailable on CD.

Lounge De Luxe

While nothing comes close to EMI/Capitol's 'Ultra Lounge' for the ultimate in cool, crazy and sophisticated lounge jazz, this 3-CD set from Castle Pulse is an attractive counterpart. Concentrating more on late-'60s and '70s jazz/orchestral easy-listening classics, these 3 CDs contain a wealth of music previously unavailable on CD. There are 60 tracks in all, and almost all of them are eye-openingly cheese-tastic delights. Tony Hatch, the Jerry Ross Symposium, Cyril Stapleton and His Orchestra, Laurie Johnson, The John Schroeder Orchestra, The Harry Roche Constellation and the Alan Tew Orchestra were all big names in smooth lounge jazz/orchestral easy-listening 30 years ago, and each is represented here on at least several occasions performing classics such as 'Music to Watch Girls Go By' and 'Up, Up and Away'. Roy Budd also features with a wonderful performance of 'So Nice' for tinkling piano, slick percussion, vibes and the sauciest flute you'll ever likely here. But that's just one of the gems this collection has to offer.

Essential Military Bands

This wonderful 3-CD set from Disky provides a superb overview of classic military band performances. Each disk represents the RAF, Marines, and the army respectively and a range of the best bands perform everything from 'Life on the Ocean Wave' to 'The Ride of the Valkyries'. A large number of stirring war movie themes are also represented, each given a special poignancy due to the fact they are being performed by the very heroes depicted in such movies. There is a sprinkling of pipes and drums, but for a full overview of bagpipe music refer to my next recommendation.

The Sound of the Bagpipes

60 minutes of stirring military pipes and drums compiled by the E2 label. This is the best representation of bagpipes music I've come across.......the all-important sound quality is superb, and the playing is marvellous, as one would expect from The Royal Tank Regiment Band, The Irish Guards, The Queen's Own Highlanders and The Royal Hong Kong Police Band. As well as lengthy renditions of Scotland the Brave, Mull of Kintyre and Amazing Grace, the album is packed full of splendid medleys.

Drum and Fife Through History

Continuing the military theme for a moment, here's an unusual and excellent collection of traditional drum and fife marches which accompanied the British Army's global exploits from the 17th century until the 20th century. That classic sound of flutes and drums (like you hear in those old Hollywood movies (like Northwest Passage) where the British Army are fighting the French and their Indian allies in pre-USA North America) is never more affecting when they get on to The British Grenadiers, perhaps the most familiar marching tune associated with the British Army.......John Williams utilised it in 'Empire of the Sun'. However, there's much more besides on this very atmospheric 66-minute album, including a rousing 12-minute finale medley featuring over 250 drums and flutes.

From the Archives - Test Card Music

Before the advent of daytime television here in the UK, if you turned on your TV set on weekday mornings you'd almost certainly come across the sight of a multi-coloured 'test card' swallowing up your screen. However, the BBC and ITV would compliment the static screen by treating the viewer to the 'neutral' sounds of Frank Valdor and His Orchestra, Lem Arcon and His Orchestra, Joze Privsek and his Big Band and John Fox and His Orchestra. Now the modern listener can rediscover those delights of yesteryear (which are evoked during Boards Of Canada's ambient masterwork 'Music has a right to children') through this 6-CD series from Apollo Sound. The likes of 'Kentucky Trail', 'Grandfather's Clock' and 'Crocadile Hop' have never been performed with such remarkable cheesiness.

Des O'Connor - "Tribute to the Crooners"

Ever since 'that' appearance on The Morcambe and Wise Show in the '70's, Des has sadly been lumbered with a poor singing reputation. However, unlike Max Bygraves (who makes up for a definite lack of singing ability with his natural affability), Des actually has a pretty good voice......not in the Matt Monro/Tony Bennett league, mind you, but pleasant enough. This recent album is an absolute treat and should do much to restore Des's battered reputation as a crooner. As one would expect, here Des sings a variety of well-known standards, such as 'Begin the Beguine' and 'Mona Lisa' as a 'tribute' to Frank, Nat, Bing and all of the other greats who popularized these songs. What really distinguishes this album however, apart from Des's proficient singing and fine sound quality, is the arrangements. Full orchestra, though never overwhelming, cushions Des's assured crooning with rich strings and brass, and well-placed jazz soloists.

Malcolm Arnold - "The Complete Symphonies"