Welcome to Labor Records
Music of Tribute is a Labor Records historic series that pays homage to great composers by linking their works with music–often unknown, rediscovered or previously unrecorded–that pays tribute to them through dedication, homage or thematic reference.
Vol. 5 – JS Bach 
Music of Tribute turns to Bach: Music of Bach and Homages
to Bach played by German pianist Beatrice Berthold
Beatrice Berthold performs a “Tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach” in the form of works by the master himself (including various preludes and fugues as well as the famous “Italian Concerto”) plus works by 20th century masters ranging from one of the great Bachianas Brasileiras by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos to works of tribute by Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich, Francis Poulenc, Terry Riley, Arthur Honegger, György Kurtág and others.
Music of Tribute turns to Bach: Music of Bach and Homages
to Bach played by German pianist Beatrice Berthold
Beatrice Berthold performs a “Tribute to Johann Sebastian Bach” in the form of works by the master himself (including various preludes and fugues as well as the famous “Italian Concerto”) plus works by 20th century masters ranging from one of the great Bachianas Brasileiras by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos to works of tribute by Béla Bartók, Dmitri Shostakovich, Francis Poulenc, Terry Riley, Arthur Honegger, György Kurtág and others.
Vol. 4 Scarlatti
Viktoria Lakissova: piano
works by Scarlatti, Alkan, de Manziarly, Francaix, Godowsky,
Hamelin, Kurtág, Lewenthal, Nikolovski and Steffens
The Russian/German piano virtuosa, Viktoria Lakissova, performs a Tribute to Domenico Scarlatti, playing Scarlatti Sonatas in alternation with works written in honor of the 18th-century Italian by composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including some of the major piano titans of the past century.
Viktoria Lakissova: piano
works by Scarlatti, Alkan, de Manziarly, Francaix, Godowsky,
Hamelin, Kurtág, Lewenthal, Nikolovski and Steffens
The Russian/German piano virtuosa, Viktoria Lakissova, performs a Tribute to Domenico Scarlatti, playing Scarlatti Sonatas in alternation with works written in honor of the 18th-century Italian by composers of the 19th and 20th centuries, including some of the major piano titans of the past century.
Vol. 1 Villa-Lobos
José Eduardo Martins: piano
works by Villa-Lobos, Ficarelli, Mendes, and others
Tribute to Villa-Lobos, performed by the Brazilian pianist José Eduardo Martins, is the first recording in the series and features works by the great Brazilian master and by a group of composers from Brazil, Portugal, Austria, Spain and Cuba via the United States. Like Villa-Lobos himself, these works cover a diverse range of styles, popular and experimental, that evoke the spirit of their distinguished predecessor and allow the older works to be heard in a new way
José Eduardo Martins: piano
works by Villa-Lobos, Ficarelli, Mendes, and others
Tribute to Villa-Lobos, performed by the Brazilian pianist José Eduardo Martins, is the first recording in the series and features works by the great Brazilian master and by a group of composers from Brazil, Portugal, Austria, Spain and Cuba via the United States. Like Villa-Lobos himself, these works cover a diverse range of styles, popular and experimental, that evoke the spirit of their distinguished predecessor and allow the older works to be heard in a new way
Vol. 2 Debussy
Pavlina Dokovska: piano
works by Debussy, Dukas, de Falla, and others
When Debussy died in 1918, the French magazine La revue musicale commissioned ten leading composers of the day - including Bartok, Stravinsky, Satie, Ravel and Manuel de Falla - to compose tributes to the pioneering French composer. The outstanding Bulgarian-American pianist Pavlina Dukovska, the Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima and others have recorded - for the first time! - the complete set alternating tribute pieces with Debussy's own piano music, mostly taken from his two books of Préludes but also including such gems as L'isle joyeuse and La plus que lente.
Pavlina Dokovska: piano
works by Debussy, Dukas, de Falla, and others
When Debussy died in 1918, the French magazine La revue musicale commissioned ten leading composers of the day - including Bartok, Stravinsky, Satie, Ravel and Manuel de Falla - to compose tributes to the pioneering French composer. The outstanding Bulgarian-American pianist Pavlina Dukovska, the Brazilian guitarist Carlos Barbosa-Lima and others have recorded - for the first time! - the complete set alternating tribute pieces with Debussy's own piano music, mostly taken from his two books of Préludes but also including such gems as L'isle joyeuse and La plus que lente.
Vol. 3 Fauré
Vladimir Valjarević: piano
works by Fauré, Ravel, Enesco, Koechlin, Schmitt, and others
A new recording by the young Yugoslav virtuoso Vladimir Valjarević pays homage to the great French composer, Gabriel Fauré. In 1922, seven of Fauré's pupils were commissioned to write music for an album in his honor. Among those who contributed were Maurice Ravel, Georges Enesco, Charles Koechlin and Florent Schmitt. These works of homage alternate with piano music by Fauré himself including some of his most grateful and attractive pieces which stand directly between the tradition of Couperin and Chopin and the innovations of his student Ravel and Debussy.
Vladimir Valjarević: piano
works by Fauré, Ravel, Enesco, Koechlin, Schmitt, and others
A new recording by the young Yugoslav virtuoso Vladimir Valjarević pays homage to the great French composer, Gabriel Fauré. In 1922, seven of Fauré's pupils were commissioned to write music for an album in his honor. Among those who contributed were Maurice Ravel, Georges Enesco, Charles Koechlin and Florent Schmitt. These works of homage alternate with piano music by Fauré himself including some of his most grateful and attractive pieces which stand directly between the tradition of Couperin and Chopin and the innovations of his student Ravel and Debussy.
Joâo Carlos Martins: piano
The English Suites (1-3)
Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue
"Unconstrained by speculations about what Bach might have wanted, or by concerns about what performers in Bach's time might have made of this music, or what Bach's keyboard instruments might have sounded like, Martins gives us Bach through a modern filter, but a filter applied unconsciously and without artifice. This is 21st century Bach, but it's a natural product of Martins's feelings and experience, not a deliberately manufactured package." – Tom Vernier, CD Review
The English Suites (1-3)
Chromatic Fantasy & Fugue
"Unconstrained by speculations about what Bach might have wanted, or by concerns about what performers in Bach's time might have made of this music, or what Bach's keyboard instruments might have sounded like, Martins gives us Bach through a modern filter, but a filter applied unconsciously and without artifice. This is 21st century Bach, but it's a natural product of Martins's feelings and experience, not a deliberately manufactured package." – Tom Vernier, CD Review
Hanns Eisler / Bertolt Brecht
"There's Nothing Quite Like Money"
Sylvia Anders, soprano
D. Justus Noll, piano
Classic German cabaret music from the 20's, 30's & 40's.
"Sylvia Anders is a consistently compelling, protean, sensuously and satirically powerful interpreter of both the words and the sinuous musical lines. She is a German actress but, singing in English, is doubly idiomatic. Because the songs are so skillfully theatrical, they transcend their grim topical origins - especially when sung, as here, with such voracious mockery. A remarkable album." - Nat Hentoff, The Progressive
"There's Nothing Quite Like Money"
Sylvia Anders, soprano
D. Justus Noll, piano
Classic German cabaret music from the 20's, 30's & 40's.
"Sylvia Anders is a consistently compelling, protean, sensuously and satirically powerful interpreter of both the words and the sinuous musical lines. She is a German actress but, singing in English, is doubly idiomatic. Because the songs are so skillfully theatrical, they transcend their grim topical origins - especially when sung, as here, with such voracious mockery. A remarkable album." - Nat Hentoff, The Progressive
Aleksander Peçi
"Albanian Lament" / New Music from Albania I
The first release of contemporary music from Albania, introducing the works of Aleksander Peçi, the country's most prominent composer. Recorded by Labor Records in Tirana, the capital, and featuring Albanian musicians exclusively, this release marks the first ever recording of new music in Albania by a foreign company. A landmark document in the history of this small Balkan nation and the music world at large.
"Albanian Lament" is the first of two albums focussing on Peçi's wide ranging repertory of
chamber music coupled with the composer's hauntingly beautiful music for film.
"Albanian Lament" / New Music from Albania I
The first release of contemporary music from Albania, introducing the works of Aleksander Peçi, the country's most prominent composer. Recorded by Labor Records in Tirana, the capital, and featuring Albanian musicians exclusively, this release marks the first ever recording of new music in Albania by a foreign company. A landmark document in the history of this small Balkan nation and the music world at large.
"Albanian Lament" is the first of two albums focussing on Peçi's wide ranging repertory of
chamber music coupled with the composer's hauntingly beautiful music for film.
Joâo Carlos Martins: piano
"For the Left Hand" Vol.
works by Ravel, Scriabin, Saint-Saens, Bach/Brahms
Although partially deprived of the use of his right hand, the great Brazilian pianist João Carlos Martins has continued his career with the first of a series of recordings of music for the piano, left hand. The featured composition is a masterpiece of Maurice Ravel, his Concerto for the Piano, Left Hand, performed with The Bulgarian National Symphony under the direction of Boris Spassov. Martins recently concluded his highly acclaimed 15-volume, 19-CD collection of the complete keyboard clavier works of J.S. Bach so it is logical that the new CD also includes a major composition of Bach, the famous D minor Chaconne, originally written for solo violin and arranged for left-hand solo by Johannes Brahms.
"For the Left Hand" Vol.
works by Ravel, Scriabin, Saint-Saens, Bach/Brahms
Although partially deprived of the use of his right hand, the great Brazilian pianist João Carlos Martins has continued his career with the first of a series of recordings of music for the piano, left hand. The featured composition is a masterpiece of Maurice Ravel, his Concerto for the Piano, Left Hand, performed with The Bulgarian National Symphony under the direction of Boris Spassov. Martins recently concluded his highly acclaimed 15-volume, 19-CD collection of the complete keyboard clavier works of J.S. Bach so it is logical that the new CD also includes a major composition of Bach, the famous D minor Chaconne, originally written for solo violin and arranged for left-hand solo by Johannes Brahms.
Lazar Nikolov
"Three Sonatas"
Angela Tosheva: piano
At 79, Lazar Nikolov is the doyen of Bulgarian musical modernism. Along with a small group of his contemporaries, Nikolov pioneered the use of avant-garde techniques in Bulgaria, giving them a distinctive Eastern European personality. His strong musical personality and the evolution of his innovative ideas are most forcefully expressed in his seven large-scale piano sonatas, three of which are performed by the gifted young Bulgarian virtuosa, Angela Tosheva. They range in date from the Fifties to the Nineties, from the most oppressive period of the old regime to the freedom and recognition of recent years.
"Three Sonatas"
Angela Tosheva: piano
At 79, Lazar Nikolov is the doyen of Bulgarian musical modernism. Along with a small group of his contemporaries, Nikolov pioneered the use of avant-garde techniques in Bulgaria, giving them a distinctive Eastern European personality. His strong musical personality and the evolution of his innovative ideas are most forcefully expressed in his seven large-scale piano sonatas, three of which are performed by the gifted young Bulgarian virtuosa, Angela Tosheva. They range in date from the Fifties to the Nineties, from the most oppressive period of the old regime to the freedom and recognition of recent years.
Grete Sultan
"The Legacy" Vol. 1
(2-CD set)
A historic collection of performances recorded between 1959-1990 featuring the influential pianist Grete Sultan who, up until recently, only labored in relative obscurity. In Sultan's art, the barriers between classical and modern music simply do not exist anymore. The same magic that she brings to Bach and Debussy, she also brings to Schoenberg and Cage, making music that was once 'difficult' and experimental into poetry that is at once timeless and personal.
"This German-born pianist, who not long ago celebrated her 93rd birthday, is altogether formidable. These discs, recorded live over 30 years, amply demonstrate her commanding technique, penetrating intellect, stylistic range and passionate commitment to the music."
–Edith Eisler, Tower Pulse ***** Five-Stars (top rating)
"The Legacy" Vol. 1
(2-CD set)
A historic collection of performances recorded between 1959-1990 featuring the influential pianist Grete Sultan who, up until recently, only labored in relative obscurity. In Sultan's art, the barriers between classical and modern music simply do not exist anymore. The same magic that she brings to Bach and Debussy, she also brings to Schoenberg and Cage, making music that was once 'difficult' and experimental into poetry that is at once timeless and personal.
"This German-born pianist, who not long ago celebrated her 93rd birthday, is altogether formidable. These discs, recorded live over 30 years, amply demonstrate her commanding technique, penetrating intellect, stylistic range and passionate commitment to the music."
–Edith Eisler, Tower Pulse ***** Five-Stars (top rating)
Grete Sultan
"The Legacy" Vol. 2
(2-CD set)
Volume 2 of the Grete Sultan Legacy follows the remarkable success, in the U.S. and in Germany, of Volume 1.
Ms. Sultan, who came to this country in 1940 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and who is now in her mid-90s, was well-known for her association with the music of John Cage, Stefan Wolpe and other avant-gardists. But she was equally adapt as a profound interpreter of composers like Aaron Copland and Alan Hovhaness as well as the European classics, represented here by Beethoven's monumental Diabelli Variations and his late Bagatelles, Op. 126.
Among the other works on the record are the Copland Piano Sonata, three Episodes for Piano by Ben Weber, Stefan Wolpe's Form for Piano, Alan Hovhaness' Partita (subtitled Yenovk or The Troubadour), Tui St. George Tucker's Tantum Ergo and four of the Cage Etudes Australes, written for and dedicated to Ms. Sultan.
"No artist in the last three quarters of a century symbolizes the European-American connection–the correct word would be something like symbiosis–better than Grete Sultan."
– Eric Salzman
Ms. Sultan received the Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse in 2002, the highest civilian honor given by the German government. She died in 2005.
"The Legacy" Vol. 2
(2-CD set)
Volume 2 of the Grete Sultan Legacy follows the remarkable success, in the U.S. and in Germany, of Volume 1.
Ms. Sultan, who came to this country in 1940 as a refugee from Nazi Germany and who is now in her mid-90s, was well-known for her association with the music of John Cage, Stefan Wolpe and other avant-gardists. But she was equally adapt as a profound interpreter of composers like Aaron Copland and Alan Hovhaness as well as the European classics, represented here by Beethoven's monumental Diabelli Variations and his late Bagatelles, Op. 126.
Among the other works on the record are the Copland Piano Sonata, three Episodes for Piano by Ben Weber, Stefan Wolpe's Form for Piano, Alan Hovhaness' Partita (subtitled Yenovk or The Troubadour), Tui St. George Tucker's Tantum Ergo and four of the Cage Etudes Australes, written for and dedicated to Ms. Sultan.
"No artist in the last three quarters of a century symbolizes the European-American connection–the correct word would be something like symbiosis–better than Grete Sultan."
– Eric Salzman
Ms. Sultan received the Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse in 2002, the highest civilian honor given by the German government. She died in 2005.
LAB 7038
Ivan Spassov
"Canti dei Morti"
A new recording of poetic and spiritual works for soprano, female choir and orchestra by Bulgaria's leading composer. Spassov's work is characterized by a deep philosophical, meditative and even brooding strain that is very much connected to his Slavic sensibility and linked with the revival of the Orthodox traditions in Bulgaria and the world-wide reemergence of non-western and folk musics of many kinds.
"A beautifully written and performed program" – American Record Guide
"Canti dei Morti"
A new recording of poetic and spiritual works for soprano, female choir and orchestra by Bulgaria's leading composer. Spassov's work is characterized by a deep philosophical, meditative and even brooding strain that is very much connected to his Slavic sensibility and linked with the revival of the Orthodox traditions in Bulgaria and the world-wide reemergence of non-western and folk musics of many kinds.
"A beautifully written and performed program" – American Record Guide
Ivan Spassov
"Aishinka"
Two Bulgarian Female Choirs a cappella
The two featured Bulgarian choirs, the Women's Folk Choir and the classically trained Women's Chamber Choir, find the common ground between folkloric and western classical expression in mesmerizing performances of chamber choral works by Bulgaria's most revered composer.
"In all respects–performance, arrangements, recording–this music is the equal of the famous Mystère sessions on Nonesuch. And what otherworldly music it is: droning, piercing yet ethereal, with unusual meters and beautiful (but not conventionally pretty) harmony. For this listener, no other music this side of Bach and Mozart has such power to transport."
–Tom McDermott, The Riverfront Times
"Aishinka"
Two Bulgarian Female Choirs a cappella
The two featured Bulgarian choirs, the Women's Folk Choir and the classically trained Women's Chamber Choir, find the common ground between folkloric and western classical expression in mesmerizing performances of chamber choral works by Bulgaria's most revered composer.
"In all respects–performance, arrangements, recording–this music is the equal of the famous Mystère sessions on Nonesuch. And what otherworldly music it is: droning, piercing yet ethereal, with unusual meters and beautiful (but not conventionally pretty) harmony. For this listener, no other music this side of Bach and Mozart has such power to transport."
–Tom McDermott, The Riverfront Times
Dimiter Christoff
"The Piano Music" Vol. 1
Iskra Mantscheva: piano
Christoff, one of the most important composers of piano music to emerge in recent years, has created a series of highly original and distinctive pieces for the medium with a series of two-movement piano sonatas and stand-alone solos in classical forms that have been decribed as a contemporary cross between Scarlatti, Bartok and Liszt with a little Prokoviev, Chopin and Tchaikovsky thrown in.
"Christoff's music conveys a compacted and sincere emotional heft."
– Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine
"The Piano Music" Vol. 1
Iskra Mantscheva: piano
Christoff, one of the most important composers of piano music to emerge in recent years, has created a series of highly original and distinctive pieces for the medium with a series of two-movement piano sonatas and stand-alone solos in classical forms that have been decribed as a contemporary cross between Scarlatti, Bartok and Liszt with a little Prokoviev, Chopin and Tchaikovsky thrown in.
"Christoff's music conveys a compacted and sincere emotional heft."
– Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine
Dimiter Christoff
"The Piano Music" Vol. 2
Nadejda Vlaeva: piano
"Vlaeva plays in a crisp, tense manner that suits the spikier, darker music of Christoff's latest output well." – Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine
"The Piano Music" Vol. 2
Nadejda Vlaeva: piano
"Vlaeva plays in a crisp, tense manner that suits the spikier, darker music of Christoff's latest output well." – Peter Burwasser, Fanfare Magazine
Eduardo Fernández
Between Two Worlds
In his latest Labor recording, the great Uruguayan guitarist Eduardo Fernández travels, with equal mastery, from the folk and classical worlds of South American music to the pop music of the Beatles and the "Fascinatin' Rhythm" of George Gershwin. Fernandez' 31 st recording includes duets with Carlos Barbosa-Lima as well as a dazzling array of guitar solos that blur the line between classical, folk and pop.
Between Two Worlds
In his latest Labor recording, the great Uruguayan guitarist Eduardo Fernández travels, with equal mastery, from the folk and classical worlds of South American music to the pop music of the Beatles and the "Fascinatin' Rhythm" of George Gershwin. Fernandez' 31 st recording includes duets with Carlos Barbosa-Lima as well as a dazzling array of guitar solos that blur the line between classical, folk and pop.
Duo Caramuru & Baldanza
"Bossa in the Shadows"
How does a pair of contemporary Brazilian musicians manage to be traditionalists and innovators at the same time? How does the same pair manage to incorporate the strands of popular and classical Brazilian music and rhythm into a single unified style? The dynamic new Labor Records album, Bossa in the Shadows from Säo Paolo, Brazil, shows pianist and composer Fábio Caramuru and bassist/composer/arranger Pedro Baldanza working across a huge and vibrant musical spectrum that runs from Afro-Samba to updated Bossa Nova, to Duke Ellington, to Villa-Lobos to "dancing the Baiäo to the great Brazilian master Tom Jobim to their own original conceptions. The music has all the ingredients of great American jazz, traditional and advanced, but, at the same time, it is infused with ideas rooted somewhere else resulting in its originality and lack of cliches.
"Bossa in the Shadows"
How does a pair of contemporary Brazilian musicians manage to be traditionalists and innovators at the same time? How does the same pair manage to incorporate the strands of popular and classical Brazilian music and rhythm into a single unified style? The dynamic new Labor Records album, Bossa in the Shadows from Säo Paolo, Brazil, shows pianist and composer Fábio Caramuru and bassist/composer/arranger Pedro Baldanza working across a huge and vibrant musical spectrum that runs from Afro-Samba to updated Bossa Nova, to Duke Ellington, to Villa-Lobos to "dancing the Baiäo to the great Brazilian master Tom Jobim to their own original conceptions. The music has all the ingredients of great American jazz, traditional and advanced, but, at the same time, it is infused with ideas rooted somewhere else resulting in its originality and lack of cliches.
Jack Walrath
"In Montana"
The Jack Walrath Quintet
Walrath, former trumpet player with jazz giant Charles Mingus, is teaming up here with Chuck Florence and other remarkably talented musicians from Montana.
"Walrath half-valves, squirts, and sprays his way to the stars. His statement here alone qualifies him as a world-class player..." – Paul de Baros, down beat
"In Montana"
The Jack Walrath Quintet
Walrath, former trumpet player with jazz giant Charles Mingus, is teaming up here with Chuck Florence and other remarkably talented musicians from Montana.
"Walrath half-valves, squirts, and sprays his way to the stars. His statement here alone qualifies him as a world-class player..." – Paul de Baros, down beat
Heiner Stadler
"Jazz Alchemy"
"Alchemy" is a transformation more than two decades in the process, comprising wide-ranging variations on two compositions which Heiner Stadler wrote in the 60's and 70, and recorded at sessions in 1974, '75, and '88. Classical pianist Joshua Pierce, the duo of Marilyn Crispell (piano) and Reggie Workman (bass), and the trio of trumpeter Charles McGhee (who at times plays two horns at once!), bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Brian Brake take Stadler's song structures beyond genre distinction by sublime acts of musical sorcery.
"...moments that could excite even the most staunch traditional jazzman."
–Billboard's Top Album Pick
"Musicianship, instrumentation, and the interweaving of European and jazz are the tools of Stadler's creativity. This reissue is proof that as a composer and visionary Stadler had few equals and that his music, made for deep listening and not a mere casual encounter, is compelling."
–Jazzmatazz
"Jazz Alchemy"
"Alchemy" is a transformation more than two decades in the process, comprising wide-ranging variations on two compositions which Heiner Stadler wrote in the 60's and 70, and recorded at sessions in 1974, '75, and '88. Classical pianist Joshua Pierce, the duo of Marilyn Crispell (piano) and Reggie Workman (bass), and the trio of trumpeter Charles McGhee (who at times plays two horns at once!), bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Brian Brake take Stadler's song structures beyond genre distinction by sublime acts of musical sorcery.
"...moments that could excite even the most staunch traditional jazzman."
–Billboard's Top Album Pick
"Musicianship, instrumentation, and the interweaving of European and jazz are the tools of Stadler's creativity. This reissue is proof that as a composer and visionary Stadler had few equals and that his music, made for deep listening and not a mere casual encounter, is compelling."
–Jazzmatazz
Derek Bronston
"Ebb"
The Derek Bronston Group
Derek Bronston: guitar; Lisa Parrot: saxes; Gary Wang: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums
Through his work with a wide range of artists like Jerry Gonzalez, Tom Harrell, D.D. Jackson and Cecil Taylor, Derek Bronston has established himself as a highly distinctive and accomplished guitarist. But as his new release on Labor proves, Bronston is an equally unique and talented composer and leader. The nine Bronston originals that comprise this extraordinary album contain a delicate lyricism and elegance, along with a sense of passion that brings the best out of his three extremely sympathetic collaborators.
"Bronston's ideas brim with the simmering mist of early morning wisdom taken from that previous night of searching for new sounds."
– Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
"Ebb"
The Derek Bronston Group
Derek Bronston: guitar; Lisa Parrot: saxes; Gary Wang: bass; Gerald Cleaver: drums
Through his work with a wide range of artists like Jerry Gonzalez, Tom Harrell, D.D. Jackson and Cecil Taylor, Derek Bronston has established himself as a highly distinctive and accomplished guitarist. But as his new release on Labor proves, Bronston is an equally unique and talented composer and leader. The nine Bronston originals that comprise this extraordinary album contain a delicate lyricism and elegance, along with a sense of passion that brings the best out of his three extremely sympathetic collaborators.
"Bronston's ideas brim with the simmering mist of early morning wisdom taken from that previous night of searching for new sounds."
– Michael G. Nastos, All Music Guide
Johnny Shines
"Too Wet To Plow"
"Too Wet To Plow captures the brooding, unrepentant passion of the Mississippi blues like no music I've heard in years...Robert Johnson, Shines' mentor, called the blues a heart disease, and that's what Too Wet is - the disease and the cure." – Greil Marcus, Rolling Stones
"To say that this is one of the very best and perhaps the finest Shines album is also to say this is one of the classic blues releases of the 1970's - a masterpiece." – Bob Rush, rush on records
"Too Wet To Plow"
"Too Wet To Plow captures the brooding, unrepentant passion of the Mississippi blues like no music I've heard in years...Robert Johnson, Shines' mentor, called the blues a heart disease, and that's what Too Wet is - the disease and the cure." – Greil Marcus, Rolling Stones
"To say that this is one of the very best and perhaps the finest Shines album is also to say this is one of the classic blues releases of the 1970's - a masterpiece." – Bob Rush, rush on records
Marie Knight
"Today"
This record returns to records one of the greatest voices in the history of American gospel, blues or pop music. Marie Knight, who became famous through her previous association with the great Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is presented here as one of gospel's finest talents performing the music she loves best.
"Her bounteous contralto is as strong as ever, particularly on slow, traditional moaners like "Today" and "Where He Leads Me," which show off her graceful tremolo, unostentatious embellishments, and sincere, deep-felt soulfulness." –Tom Bingham, Audio
"Today"
This record returns to records one of the greatest voices in the history of American gospel, blues or pop music. Marie Knight, who became famous through her previous association with the great Sister Rosetta Tharpe, is presented here as one of gospel's finest talents performing the music she loves best.
"Her bounteous contralto is as strong as ever, particularly on slow, traditional moaners like "Today" and "Where He Leads Me," which show off her graceful tremolo, unostentatious embellishments, and sincere, deep-felt soulfulness." –Tom Bingham, Audio
Kent Cooper
"The Blues & Other Songs"
A brand new release from the prolific songwriter/lyricist Kent Cooper. The collection features the full spectrum of Coopers provocative blues and country songs with outstanding performances by a wide variety of talent that include Sonny Terry, Louisiana Red, Lightnin' Welles, George Higgs, Jemima James, Sugar Blue, Willie Murphy and a host of others.
"Cooper's lyrics are heavy gauge. Many a gripping and icy image is conjured up."
– Coda Magazine
“A tale of marital woe so harrowing it makes the bardic sophistry of the Geto Boys or Ghostface Killan seem tame by comparison. It's a jaw-dropper." – Spin Magazine
(about Cooper's seminal blues classic "Sweet Blood Call")
"The Blues & Other Songs"
A brand new release from the prolific songwriter/lyricist Kent Cooper. The collection features the full spectrum of Coopers provocative blues and country songs with outstanding performances by a wide variety of talent that include Sonny Terry, Louisiana Red, Lightnin' Welles, George Higgs, Jemima James, Sugar Blue, Willie Murphy and a host of others.
"Cooper's lyrics are heavy gauge. Many a gripping and icy image is conjured up."
– Coda Magazine
“A tale of marital woe so harrowing it makes the bardic sophistry of the Geto Boys or Ghostface Killan seem tame by comparison. It's a jaw-dropper." – Spin Magazine
(about Cooper's seminal blues classic "Sweet Blood Call")
Kent Cooper
"The Blues & Other Songs" vol.2
Another sensational outing by Cooper's friends featuring brand new songs powerfully rendered by rising stars, DENEEN McEACHERN and JEMIMA JAMES. Many of his early standards are performed by blues luminaries such as SONNY TERRY, LOUISIANA RED, GEORGE HIGGS, MARC GALBO, SUGAR BLUE, JOHNNY SHINES, LEFTY DIZZ, LIGHTNIN' WELLES and others.
"Kent Cooper is a master...at giving new life with fresh power and potency to the blues." Rob Bowman, Grammy Award winning author
"The Blues & Other Songs" vol.2
Another sensational outing by Cooper's friends featuring brand new songs powerfully rendered by rising stars, DENEEN McEACHERN and JEMIMA JAMES. Many of his early standards are performed by blues luminaries such as SONNY TERRY, LOUISIANA RED, GEORGE HIGGS, MARC GALBO, SUGAR BLUE, JOHNNY SHINES, LEFTY DIZZ, LIGHTNIN' WELLES and others.
"Kent Cooper is a master...at giving new life with fresh power and potency to the blues." Rob Bowman, Grammy Award winning author
Roosevelt Sykes
"Music Is My Business"
The 1975 recording features the legendary honeydripper and veteran pianist/singer in sixteen outstanding performances joined on several tracks by guitarists Louisiana Red, Johnny Shines and harp player Sugar Blue.
"Music Is My Business"
The 1975 recording features the legendary honeydripper and veteran pianist/singer in sixteen outstanding performances joined on several tracks by guitarists Louisiana Red, Johnny Shines and harp player Sugar Blue.
Jamima James
"Book Me Back In Your Dreams "
Folk star Jemima James re-emerges after a fifteen year hiatus! "Book Me Back in Your Dreams," Jemima's latest CD, is a collection of powerful new songs written together with lyricist Kent Cooper. James is a “folk-singer,” i.e., an artist in command of both homespun blues and other strains of Americana . Her credentials include recordings with legendary guitarist Michael Bloomfield in the ‘70s. On selected tracks of her new album she is joined by blues great George Higgs and new blues power house singer Deneen McEachern.
"Ms. James' voice is full throated and deep in the chest when she lets loose: 'It feels like a burning hell, don't leave me. It's you baby that fills my cup.' As for presence, Jemima James has the knowing look of a woman who has seen it all and can sort it out for the innocents."Martha's Vineyard Times
"Book Me Back In Your Dreams "
Folk star Jemima James re-emerges after a fifteen year hiatus! "Book Me Back in Your Dreams," Jemima's latest CD, is a collection of powerful new songs written together with lyricist Kent Cooper. James is a “folk-singer,” i.e., an artist in command of both homespun blues and other strains of Americana . Her credentials include recordings with legendary guitarist Michael Bloomfield in the ‘70s. On selected tracks of her new album she is joined by blues great George Higgs and new blues power house singer Deneen McEachern.
"Ms. James' voice is full throated and deep in the chest when she lets loose: 'It feels like a burning hell, don't leave me. It's you baby that fills my cup.' As for presence, Jemima James has the knowing look of a woman who has seen it all and can sort it out for the innocents."Martha's Vineyard Times
Thracian Rhapsody
"The New Bulgarian Wedding Musicians" Vol. 1
feat. Ivo Papazov and others
The new Bulgarian wedding music, a modern descendant of traditional Balkan folk, gypsy music and klezmer, has taken Eastern Europe by storm in recent years. These young musicians, riding on fiery, driving rhythms of extraordinary richness and complexity, have developed a stunning virtuosity and ensemble excitement that is irresistible. This music, at once ancient and furiously contemporary, must be heard to be believed; it will take your breath away.
"Ivo's album of wedding music played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive." – Frank Zappa
"The New Bulgarian Wedding Musicians" Vol. 1
feat. Ivo Papazov and others
The new Bulgarian wedding music, a modern descendant of traditional Balkan folk, gypsy music and klezmer, has taken Eastern Europe by storm in recent years. These young musicians, riding on fiery, driving rhythms of extraordinary richness and complexity, have developed a stunning virtuosity and ensemble excitement that is irresistible. This music, at once ancient and furiously contemporary, must be heard to be believed; it will take your breath away.
"Ivo's album of wedding music played first thing in the morning, provides thorough and long lasting attitude adjustment for the busy executive." – Frank Zappa
Thracian Rhapsody
"The New Bulgarian Wedding Musicians" Vol. 2
Thracian Rhapsody Vol. 2 is a poetic interpretation through improvisation of traditional Bulgarian wedding music that fuses elements from Macedonian, Greek, Turkish, Romanian, Arabic and even Indian sources and is also influenced by contemporary classical, pop and jazz musics. Featuring: The Wedding Orchestra All-Stars:
Yildiz Ibrahimova, voice; Ivo Papasov, clarinet; Ensemble Bisery: Mladen Malakov, clarinet and leader; Ensemble Shumen: Rossen Tchirpanov, violin and leader; The Christo Yotsov Trio.
"The New Bulgarian Wedding Musicians" Vol. 2
Thracian Rhapsody Vol. 2 is a poetic interpretation through improvisation of traditional Bulgarian wedding music that fuses elements from Macedonian, Greek, Turkish, Romanian, Arabic and even Indian sources and is also influenced by contemporary classical, pop and jazz musics. Featuring: The Wedding Orchestra All-Stars:
Yildiz Ibrahimova, voice; Ivo Papasov, clarinet; Ensemble Bisery: Mladen Malakov, clarinet and leader; Ensemble Shumen: Rossen Tchirpanov, violin and leader; The Christo Yotsov Trio.
reviewHOME | NEW | CATALOG | UPCOMING | ORDER | SPECIAL | CONTACT | LINKS
© 2001-2007 Labor Records. All rights reserved.