Solos for Young Violinists, Volume 1

sku Product SKU:  8011

CD - Solos for Young Violinists, Volume 1
Performed by violinist Barbara Barber with pianist Trudi Post.

Solos for Young Violinists is a graded series that contains works ranging from elementary to advanced levels representing an exciting variety of styles and techniques for violinists -- a valuable listening resource for teachers and students of all ages. The piano tracks, recorded on the second half of each CD, give the violinist the opportunity to practice with accompaniments. This series of recordings can be used by any violinist and is supplementary to any method or course of study. Many of the pieces in this collection have long been recognized as stepping stones to the major violin repertoire, while others are newly published works.

USD 13.9500

Bowen and Leybin: "Duo Allegro"

sku Product SKU:  CD105

This 2-CD set from local artists Virginia Bowen and Zoya Leybin presents a delightful collection of duos by Viotti and Blumenthal.

"...Students and teachers should be particularly grateful to have these works available for listening..."

Robert Maxham, Fanfare Magazine, Nov/Dec 2009

USD 15.0000

Jim Hurley: "Finger Painting"

sku Product SKU:  CD012

"This music was created the way a painter creates a collection of paintings: The artist works alone, by hand, mixing and layering colors, modeling with light and shadow, hiding or revealing the brush strokes; within the framework of a deliberate design, he improvises freely and extemporaneously, so the work bears the indelible stamp of the moment of creation.

I have chosen to paint with the true colors of acoustic string instruments on the clear canvas of digital audio tape. These are intimate personal works, not monumental productions, so I have used no drums, synthesizers, or electric instruments. They are a wordless communication of feelings and impressions, straight from me to you."

– Jim Hurley
from Ancient Future

USD 15.0000

Michael Mullen: "Fiddler's Creed"

sku Product SKU:  CD058

Traditional and original fiddle music in the Scottish and Irish idiom that is poignant, exuberant, and wildly energetic featuring fiddle, acoustic guitar, irish whistles, percussion and various other instruments.

Various guest musicians, including Lief Sorbye and other members of Tempest, Tome Wagner of Oak Ash and Thorn, and Irish jazz vocalist Melanie O'Rielly

USD 15.0000

Bobbi Nikles: "Fire in the Air"

sku Product SKU:  CD119

Long awaited debut album of this passionate and melodic fiddler featuring traditional Irish tunes, original compositions, and top rung string players from the vibrant San Francisco Bay Area traditional music scene.

USD 15.0000

Joseph Gold and Jaume Torrent play Paganini

sku Product SKU:  CD101

Joseph Gold, violin and Jaume Torrent, guitar play Paganini and Guiliani

USD 15.0000

Mads Tolling: "The Playmaker"

sku Product SKU:  CD098

"Virtuosity may be a given on The Playmaker, but what's most impressive is the sound of Tolling's quartet, which drives the majority of the record and, based on the results, must be thrilling live. For those who can, check out Tollings live; for those who can't, The Playmaker is a great place to start."

- John Kelman, All About Jazz

"Mads has the amazing talent and skills that few young musicians can match. His music is both beautiful and refreshing exhibiting his superb mastery of the modern American Jazz music that is rarely seen among his peers."

-Jean-Luc Ponty

USD 15.0000

Red Hot Chachkas: "Beats Without Borders"

sku Product SKU:  CD112

John Francis: Fiddle : "Seventeen Tunes"

sku Product SKU:  CD051

John Francis : Fiddle

CD "Seventeen Tunes"

John’s most recent recording. With Joey McKenzie on guitar and Mark Abbott on acoustic bass.

USD 15.0000

Flexer and Hegedus: "Teslim"

sku Product SKU:  CD084

'Teslim' means both 'commit' and 'surrender' in Turkish and features two well known Bay Area musicians: violinist Kaila Flexer and Gari Hegedus on oud, Turkish saz, Greek lauoto and other (mostly plucked) stringed instruments. This potent duo performs Greek, Turkish and Sephardic music. In addition, both Flexer and Hegedus are composers whose original music is based on these fertile traditions. Both seasoned performers and recording artists, Teslim released its debut (self-titled) CD in December 2008. This unusual duo is at home in classical, early music, and folk music venues and holds workshops on a variety of topics.

USD 15.0000

Turkish Blend

sku Product SKU:  CD062

Jonathan 'Jonny' Hepbir boldly blends European swing with influences from his Anglo-Turkish roots, leading listeners on a musical odyssey from Istanbul's Grand Bazaar to Paris' boulevard de Saint-Germain to London's Soho District and back.

USD 15.0000

The Saddle Cats: "Herdin' Cats!"

sku Product SKU:  CD095

"Herdin' Cats! is a tribute to those players who established a California beachhead of Western Swing - here on the Barbary Coast, down in sunny Los Angeles, out in the scalded, hard-scrabble Central Valley - whose crazy, yearning, knocked-out sounds resonate to this day."

USD 15.0000

Quartet San Francisco: "Latigo"

sku Product SKU:  CD043

Quartet San Francisco proudly announces that Latigo with guest percussionist John Santos was awarded two nominations for the 49th Annual Grammy Awards.

Recorded August 22-24, 2005 at Skywalker Sound with audio engineer Leslie Ann Jones, this Latin-flavored CD features tango favorites and other Latin-inspired material.

USD 15.0000

The Music of Eddie South

sku Product SKU:  CD115

Jeremy Cohen and his ensemble Violinjazz shine new light on the music of one of the greatest jazz violinists of all time, Eddie South, giving new insight on the man know by many as the "Dark Angel of the Violin". Eddie South was one of the most widely recorded jazz violinists of his time. He was truly one of the greats, and the greats all knew him; Joe Venuti, Stephane Grappelli, Stuff Smith, Ray Nance, Sven Asmussen, and Paul Nero. In fact composer and violinist Paul Nero dedicated his classic jazz fiddle tune, Hot Canary, to Eddie South...

USD 15.0000

Laurie Lewis: "Blossoms"

sku Product SKU:  CD109

Laurie Lewis : Blossoms

Lewis enlists the help of long-time musical partner Tom Rozum on mandolin, octave mandolin, and vocals. The roster also includes David Grier, Nina Gerber, and Scott Huffman on guitar, Roy Rogers on slide guitar; Alex Hargreaves, Brittany Haas, and Darol Anger on fiddles.

The music on Blossoms isn’t strictly bluegrass. Instead, it’s a celebration of diversity with spirituals such as "How Can I Keep From Singing?", followed by folkier songs such as Kate MacLeod’s "Lark in the Morning." Lewis’ original songs go from winsome ballads such as "Chains of Letters" to Carribean-flavored rap songs like "Cool Your Jets," which features "Car Talk" brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi contributing spoken parts. In between are the dual fiddle instrumental "Sophie’s House" and an a cappella rendition of "Return to the Fire."

Blossoms serves as a wonderful introduction for new Lewis fans and a big ol’ hug for long-timers.

- Steven Stone
Vintage Guitar Magazine,
January, 2011

USD 15.0000

Marcie Brown: "Butterfly Girl"

sku Product SKU:  CD088

CD - Marcie Brown: "Butterfly Girl"

Butterfly Girl was released in January of 2009. This classical-gypsy-circus-world-music includes guitarist Terrence Brewer, percussionists Katja Cooper and Steve LaPorta, vocalists Ramana Vieira and Ana Nitmar, and the Agave String Quintet using arrangements by guitarist Robin Lewis. There is also a guest appearance by pianist Kelly Park, and by six year old Isabelle Brown-Lyden, playing her cello and singing!

"Marcie Brown is a cellist who plays with love and passion, as she shows us in Butterfly Girl... Maybe it’s a reflection of her looking back at her youth, or to make music that her daughter would enjoy, but regardless of the direction, it’s an album full of creativity and adventure..."

John Book,
This is Book's Music
July 25th, 2009

USD 15.0000

Jack O' The Clock: "How Are We Doing and Who Will Tell Us?"

sku Product SKU:  CD118

Quartet San Francisco: "Whirled Chamber music"

sku Product SKU:  CD078

CD - Quartet San Francisco: "Whirled Chamber music"
Released 2007

"We feel passionate about this mixture of American genres – blues, funk, jazz, tango, and rock – and we perform each work from within the style in which it was conceived. The tradition of chamber music has taught us to play from our hearts with the highest playing standards we can apply. So when the music says swing, we swing. When the music says groove, we groove."

"... the sound is as impossible to categorize as the quartet itself."

"The playing is superb, with every song taking unpredictable turns, leaving the listener smiling."

USD 15.0000

Joseph Gold: "Romanticism & Modernity"

sku Product SKU:  CD100

Joseph Gold on violin, Debbie Dare on viola and Jaume Torrent on guitar perform compositions of Jaume Torrent.

USD 15.0000

Rick Brockner: "Black Mountain Brew"

sku Product SKU:  CD063

Rick Brockner: "Black Mountain Brew", featuring Jan Johansson & Cora Beth Bridges.
Released by Refined Records, 2005

Southern Mountain music of today with dulcimer, fiddle, mandolin and guitar. These songs are rooted in the great musical culture of the North Carolina Mountains seen through the eyes of today's artist.

USD 15.0000

The Snapdaddys: "Snappy Hour"

sku Product SKU:  CD065

CD - The Snapdaddys: "Snappy Hour"
Released by Refined Records, 2005

The small Florida-based Refined Records label is known for its eclectic mix of acoustic music with intriguing instrumentation, as well as a Django-esque approach, which includes delightful recordings of some of the top gypsy guitarists alive today. Snappy Hour is the debut by The Snappdaddys: four seasoned session musicians with impressive pedigrees in jazz, film and even (gasp) pop; they've worked with everyone from Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones and Louis Bellson to Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks and The Who.

- Dr. Judith Schlesinger,
All About Jazz, February 2007

USD 15.0000

Hot Club de Norvege: "Parisian Honeymoon Suite"

sku Product SKU:  CD061

CD - Hot Club de Norvège
Released by Refined Records, 2001

These days, a lot of jazz musicians avoid being sentimental -- they're too busy trying to impress you with how much technique they have or how intellectual they can be. But when Django Reinhardt was making his mark in the 1930s and 1940s, romantic and sentimental weren't things to be avoided. The Belgian-born gypsy guitarist had no problem playing fast or swinging aggressively, but when he slowed down the tempo, Reinhardt wasn't afraid to savor his sentimental side. Dominated by the Hot Club de Norvège, Parisian Honeymoon Suite often becomes a celebration of Reinhardt's more romantic work. Some of the material is fast, but for the most part, the retro-swing that you hear on this CD is laid-back and sentimental.

- Alex Henderson,
All About Jazz, 2001

USD 15.0000

Gloria Justen: "Four-Stringed Voice"

sku Product SKU:  CD110

CD - Gloria Justen: "Four-Stringed Voice"; music for solo violin, by Gloria Justen, composer and violinist.
Released 2008

Gloria Justen's collection of original compositions for solo violin are rooted in the historical tradition of the violin while also incorporating the influences of modernism, experimental music, and the sounds of nature. She explores a wide variety of tones and techniques possible on the violin, including alternate tunings in tracks 8 and 16. She has created music which is deeply influenced by her musical idols J. S. Bach, Bela Bartok and the birds. It is by turns melodic, energetic, dreamy and fierce.

Gloria Justen, Composer and Violinist, lives and works in San Francisco and Philadelphia. She is the Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia and has been a frequent performer with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Network for New Music and Orchestra 2001. In San Francisco she plays with the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra and the Empyrean Ensemble.

USD 15.0000

Quartet San Francisco: "QSF Plays Brubeck"

sku Product SKU:  CD097

CD - Quartet San Francisco: "QSF Plays Brubeck"
Released 2009

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of Time Out, QSF pays tribute to the mastery of Brubeck with the first-ever all Brubeck string quartet CD!

Three To Get Ready, Golden Horn, Blue Rondo A La Turk, The Duke, Take Five, Bluette, Unsquare Dance, and others. Arrangements are by Jeremy Cohen, Matt Brubeck, Larry Dunlap, and Robert Gilmore.

USD 15.0000