Warren Bernhardt - Solo Piano (1978)

                                                Arista Novus AN 3001

[Note: tracks were deleted from YouTube] This record was "stooped" (left out on the stoop for anyone to take, IOW, free) along with some Easy Listening & Classical records. It's in very good shape, still in the shrink wrap. The artist's name didn't jump out at me, but the song titles and the photo of the innards of his piano on the rear cover hinted at a musicality that wasn't New Age or Easy Listening, so I grabbed it. It turns out Bernhardt plays on three albums in my collection, including Art Farmer with Joe Henderson, Yama. 

The internet reveals that Bernhardt was mentored by Bill Evans, one of my (and everyone's) favorite pianists. This record is on the Novus label, which didn't ring a bell. Wikipedia (ugh!) says it "was an American jazz record label run by Steve Backer [who] worked at Impulse Records until 1974, when Clive Davis...asked him to oversee the jazz division at Arista." I searched my collection and saw that I'd picked up a copy of Hugh Masekela Uptownship (1989) on Novus in a dollar bin, but I gave it to a friend (you're welcome, M!).

According to discogs, this is Bernhardt's first solo record. It is Not on CD. Discogs listing here. 

Pretty Baby The Original Soundtrack (1978)

ABC Records ‎– AA 1076

This was in the dollar bin at a local thrift shop, in minty shape. It looked so clean, I put it on the turntable before running it through the Spin-Clean record washer (I just gave it a once-over with a carbon fiber brush). It sounds great.

According to wikipedia, this album "used many local New Orleans musicians" and "was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score." It is Not on CD. Clip from youtube:

Art Hodes: Someone To Watch Over Me "Live At Hanratty's" (1981)

Muse Records MR 5252 

I picked this up used on discogs for $2.25 after hearing Hodes' wonderful 1987 Christmas album, Joy to the Jazz World (also not on CD). It's a winner, too.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hodes "is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist, and he was also a noted jazz writer, historian, and teacher."

The LP has been posted in youtube:

Alexis Weissenberg: Schumann Album for the Young, Kinderscenen

Connoisseur Society CS2-2110

This was part of a small haul of classical LPs at a Salvation Army for 99¢ each. This is the second time I've been to this store, and both times I've walked away with about ten titles, around a third of them Connoisseur Society records.

I am always surprised when I see classical music unavailable digitally – it seems anyone with an interest in classical music has to have a turntable to hear many classical recordings. Or hope someone has put the LP on YouTube.

This is a 2-LP American release of Pathe Marconi recordings. The sample on Youtube doesn't contain the wonderful Opus 15 "Kinderszenen" from Side 4.

Concert  5-71-004

This was a charity shop find ($1), in near mint condition. I hadn't heard of Charles Albertine when I saw this; I initially bought this for the McDonnell Douglas advertising on the back. Also, the cover had a Windham Hill vibe that made me curious (see cover photo below).

Albertine, I discovered, was an important composer/arranger in something the wikipedians call "space-age pop," and he worked with many notable musicians. This was his last and only solo album. It's a quite nice New-Agey set with a Classical flavor, a very pleasant listen. It has been digitized and posted on youtube:

Art Hodes: Joy to the Jazz World (1987)

Parkwood Records - PW108

Here's Not on CD's first Christmas music post of 2018. This was a gift from a friend who knows I like Christmas music. It's in great shape. 

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica, Hodes "is regarded by many critics as the greatest white blues pianist, and he was also a noted jazz writer, historian, and teacher."

Though this is a Christmas record, I think I could listen to it anytime because of what Hodes does with these tunes. Some reviews:

"The best album of its sort I've ever heard...one of the Top Ten LPs of the year! --Coda Magazine (1989)

“The Christmas tunes are beautifully executed and jazzed up. Hodes manages to turn 'Silent Night' into a softly swinging quasi-blues, and even “Jingle Bells” works. -- The Penguin Guide to Jazz (1989)

"From the delicate and introspective balladry of "Silent Night" and the bluesy fills of "White Christmas" to the lively, stride-filled accents of "Jingle Bells" and "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." (Washington Post, 1987)

Greensleeves

Grado ZF2/Paratrace > Technics SL-7 > Hagerman Cornet3> harman/kardon CDR2

Rosana Maria Martins: Mozart Sonata In A Major K.331, Sonata In F Major K.332

Connoisseur Society CS-2018 

This was a thrift shop find (99¢), in excellent condition inside and out (and still in the shrink wrap). I always pick up records on the Connoisseur Society label, as the recordings are uniformly excellent. 

A google book search reveals that this was a Stereo Review "RECORDING OF SPECIAL MERIT"; they gave the performance a "superb" rating. The New York Times wrote "there is a youthful dash and brio to her performance...Miss Martins's fingerwork is pristine, her style is properly galant, and her melodic sense lets the music flow like brook water. The record marks the pianist's debut on disks, and it is a promising one." 

Martins never recorded again (yet!). Update: Ms. Martins passed away in 2020. 

Bill Crofut, Kenneth Cooper: Folk And Baroque (1975)

WC 1001

This was a thrift shop find ($2), in good but not great shape, signed by Crofut and Cooper on the back. 

The baroque tracks may be of more interest than the folk tracks (recorded live) on side 2. 

Bill Crofut passed away in 1999. 

Béla Bartók: Evening In Transylvania

Grado ZF2/Paratrace > Technics SL-7 > Project Phono Box S > harman/kardon CDR2

Additional track by request:

Wachet Auf!

Grado ZF2/Paratrace > Technics SL-7 > Hagerman Cornet3 > Audacity > MacBook Pro