AMERICAN RECORD GUIDE says: It has been three years since new material arrived from Summit Brass, the preeminent large brass ensemble. When they are at their best, they are terrific, and they are at their best here.

An accessible ethno-classical delight…music that grabs you by the heart! These pieces originated in folk melodies, but since there are so many cultural crossovers in the region, you are likely to find all kinds of very different ethnic influences within. For some of the melodies, the sound of Greece or Turkey is a prevailing mood; the others have a more Eastern European flavor, Bulgarian in particular; and finally, romances like ‘My Aching Heart,’ grown out of Russian and Hungarian gypsy music, show yet another aspect of that intercultural communication. A trio of imaginative and jaunty classically trained musicians has chosen to cultivate them, each one interpreting them through his own instrument and experience. In the end, you cannot put any particular label on this music: there is a soulful expression that is not soul, and a bit of blues specific to the area, passionate and dark.

Winner of the ITEA’s “Roger Bobo Award for Excellence in Recording”

Chosen in Top Ten CDs of 1995 by American Record Guide reviewer Barry Kilpatrick

An amazing journey and story that began in 1994 when Randy Brecker met Wlodek Pawlik in Germany when the well-known, award winning Polish pianist played with the Western Jazz Quartet.

Moozie the Cow is the ambassador of kindness for the Children’s Kindness Network, and uses ‘Always Be Kind’ as her motto to emphasize building a culture of kindness by being kind to others, kind to the earth, kind to animals, and kind to oneself. Amidst recent news stories about the growing bullying epidemic amongst kids, Moozie’s message couldn’t be more timely!

Critically acclaimed Brass group, Carolina Brass, powers ahead with the NC Master Chorale to create an unforgettably warm and tasty holiday recording. Recorded Live. Founded in 1942 as the Raleigh Oratorio Society, the North Carolina Master Chorale is committed to bringing the very finest in choral music performance to Raleigh- Durham-Chapel Hill audiences. Under the direction of Dr. Alfred E. Sturgis since 1993, the Chorale boasts a 170-voice symphonic chorus and a 22-voice professional chamber choir. Hailed by critics as Raleigh’s premier choral ensemble, the Chorale primarily performs choral masterworks with orchestra.

Trumpet titan Joe Burgstaller (formerly of Canadian Brass) presents a classical compendium recording that includes Baroque, Classical, Contemporary Classical, Traditional Spiritual, Piazzolla, Chick Corea and Sting.

Phil Norman leads his critically acclaimed Tentet (the cream of the crop of LA-based session men; Carl Saunders, Andy Martin, Ron Stout, Roger Neumann, Larry Koonse, Rusty Higgins, Scott Whitfield, Tom Rizzo, Christian Jacob, Kevin Axt, Dick Weller, and Brad Dutz) through ten incredibly well-written charts including the Alan Broadbent original, Mendocino Nights† and the Carl Saunder’s penned tribute, Dear Mr. Florence. Since 1995 the group’s ongoing mission remains transforming the sounds of cool modern west coast jazz for the new millennium. Their previous MAMA release stayed, which was ‘live’, stayed on jazz radio’s Top 50 chart for 24 straight weeks.

Valerie Potter has performed as principal flutist of the New Mexico Symphony since 1993 and has performed with many orchestras across the country. She is currently serving as associate professor of flute at the University of New Mexico. Her discography includes a recording of twentieth century wind quintet repertoire with the New Mexico Winds. Kevin Vigneau is associate professor of oboe at the University of New Mexico and principal oboe of the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. He has recorded solo works on major labels.

The El Paso Wind Symphony performs Classics With A Twist, a unique repertoire of American standards paired with modern day interpretations and variations back to back to provide the listener with a fine musical resource in one recording.

Joseph Alessi has been the New York Philharmonic’s Principal Trombonist since 1985. A graduate of the Curtis Institute, he has been a guest artist with the Lincoln Symphony, the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, the Orchestra of Teatro Bellini in Catania, Sicily, the Mannheim National Theater Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra. Currently, he is on the faculty of the Juilliard School. Alessi is an active soloist, recitalist, and chamber music performer. In April 1990, he made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic, performing Creston’s Fantasy for Trombone, and in 1992 premiered Christopher Rouse’s Pulitzer Prize-winning Trombone Concerto with the Philharmonic, which commissioned the work for its 150th anniversary celebration. His most recent appearance with the orchestra as soloist was in performances of James Pugh’s Trombone Concerto in March of 2000.