Learn about the artist and pieces featured below and listen to the episode at MaestroClassical.com or iTunes.

harmonia mundi was born in 1958 in Paris. In 1986 the group moved to Arles France, where they are still headquartered today. This group has always been known for their support for independent artist and classical music. Additionally they have been growing recognition for various sections within the publishing business.

Olga Kern
“Piano Sonata No. 3, Op. 58″ (mp3)
from “Chopin: Piano Sonatas Nos. 2 & 3″
(harmonia mundi)

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Frederic Chopin’s Piano Sonatas No.2 (“Funeral March”) and No.3 are the product of the composer’s maturity and boundless invention. Here they receive incandescent performances by the 2001 Cliburn Competition gold medalist Olga Kern.

Olga Kern

Javier Perianes, Javier Perianes (piano)
“Sonata no.1 in C minor” (mp3)
from “Blasco de Nebra: Piano Sonatas”
(harmonia mundi)

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Javier Perianes invites us to discover the keyboard works of a composer who, like himself, was a native of Andalucia : the heir to Scarlatti in many respects, Blasco do Nebra magisterially combined his own natural heritage with the forms imported by the Hispano-Neapolitan composer. The sonata and pastorales presented on this disc shed light on the multiple facets of his creative genus, alas cut short all too soon: he died at the age of just thirty-four.

Javier Perianes

Paul Lewis, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Jirí Belohlávek
“Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op.58″ (mp3)
from “Beethoven: Complete Piano Concertos”
(harmonia mundi)

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His complete set of the Beethoven sonatas enjoyed extraordinary acclaim in the UK, culminating in the prestigious ‘Recording of the Year’ award from Gramaphon magazine for the fourth volume in 2008. Encouraged by what has now become a worldwide success, Paul Lewis has chosen to turn his attention to the five piano concertos with these distinguished partners. Recorded between July 2009 and March 2010, these interpretations paint a portrait of Beethoven full of light and shade.

Paul Lewis

With The Giant Crushes You, Abner Trio have created an album that triangulates exactness, rawness and beauty. Nearly 3 years in the making, Abner Trio’s second full length is hands-down the most accomplished documentation of their mathy, artsy, honest, and all-around original blend of indie-rock.

Boosted by a fearless, punch-you-in-the-face positivity that is both rare and refreshing, Abner Trio mash tumbling guitar lines, bewildering arrangements, and idiot-savant-spoken-word into songs that (amazingly) sound a lot like pop music. Beneath the weirdness, the music of Abner Trio contains an unwavering and highly developed pop-sensibility, brought to the forefront by their densely layered and meticulously arranged vocal melodies. Bothering very little with traditional song structures, Abner seems to allow the songs to move where they’re supposed to, lilting and bursting along like a feel-good Sebadoh gorged on Joan of Arc.

This giant of a record may indeed crush you, but that’s only because it’s giving you a bear hug and doesn’t know its own strength.

Abner Trio
“You’re Gorgeous, Believe It!” (mp3)
from “The Giant Crushes You”
(Joyful Noise Recordings)

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Besides the soon-to-be-legendary Hollywood shows, Pink Martini is out in full force on a huge tour through the US, Australia, and New Zealand. If you can’t catch them in LA, be sure to check the group out at one of their other dates (below).

Artist: Pink Martini
Title: Splendor in the Grass
Label: Heinz Records
Genre: Pop : World
UPC: 723721448059
Territory: World Ex Canada & EU
Release Date: 10.27.09

Pink Martini Tourdates:

-September 3, 2010 Dallas, TX: The Meyerson Symphony Center

-September 4, 2010 Dallas, TX: The Meyerson Symphony Center

-September 5, 2010 Dallas, TX: The Meyerson Symphony Center

-September 10, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Bowl (with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Thomas Wilkins, conductor. featuring special guests Rufus Wainwright, Jane Powell, Ari Shapiro & the original cast of Sesame Street)

-September 11, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Bowl (with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Thomas Wilkins, conductor. featuring special guests Rufus Wainwright, Jane Powell, Ari Shapiro & the original cast of Sesame Street)

-September 12, 2010 Los Angeles, CA: Hollywood Bowl (with Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. Thomas Wilkins, conductor. featuring special guests Rufus Wainwright, Jane Powell, Ari Shapiro & the original cast of Sesame Street)

-October 1, 2010 Sydney, Australia: State Theatre

-October 3, 2010 Batemans Bay, Australia: Great Southern Blues Festival

-October 5, 2010 Melbourne, Australia: Regent Theatre with Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

-October 6, 2010 Adelaide, Australia: Festival Theatre

-October 10, 2010 Caloundra, Australia: Caloundra Music Festival

-October 13, 2010 Auckland, New Zealand: SKYCITY Theatre

-November 3, 2010 Boston, MA: Orpheum Theater

-November 5, 2010 Atlantic City, NJ: Caesars Maximus Theater

-November 6, 2010 Storrs, CT: Jorgensen Performing Arts Center

-November 8, 2010 Albany, NY: The Egg

-November 9, 2010 Morristown, NJ: Mayo Performing Arts Center

-November 11, 2010 Princeton, NJ: McCarter Theater

-November 13, 2010 New York, NY: Beacon Theater

-November 14, 2010 Kingston, NY: Ulster Performing Arts Center

-November 15, 2010 Wilmington, DE: The Grand

-November 18, 2010 Cleveland, OH: Playhouse Square

-November 21, 2010 Pittsburgh, PA: Byham Theater

-November 22, 2010 Indianapolis, IN: Hilbert Circle Theater (with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra)

The independent label has created an impressive body of work that includes those above-mentioned in-house productions, along with progressive recordings from envelope-pushing acts like John Brown’s Body, The Black Seeds, Tommy T and Ticklah; reissues of classic reggae from the vaults of Sugar Minott and Linval Thompson; new music from reggae legends The Meditations and Sister Carol; and collaborations with international reggae stars like Matisyahu, Luciano, Anthony B and Morgan Heritage.

Easy Star has steadily built a scene that extends in many directions, following any path where reggae leads, bringing together young producers and musicians, reggae stars, and even artists outside the genre who have been influenced by Jamaican music, like Citizen Cope and blues musician/musicologist Corey Harris. Now Easy Star moves forward with the newest member of the Easy Star family Cas Haley who’s LP Connection drops September 14th. For Easy Star Connection continues an evolution of the company. “We have been stretching further from being strictly a roots-reggae-only label for a while, with progressive bands and artists like John Brown’s Body, Tommy T and The Black Seeds on the roster,” says Easy Star CEO Eric Smith. “Cas’s sound is unique, accessible, and a great way to keep expanding the Easy Star audience. And it’s not often we come across a singer-songwriter this talented, regardless of genre, so we had to work with Cas.” The label’s musical director, Michael Goldwasser, remixed a version of the single “Better” in a hardcore roots reggae style, which is being included as a bonus track.

I had the good fortune of conducting a brief Q & A session with Eric Smith and Lem Oppenheimer, Easy Star’s CEO & COO respectively.

EC: What was the initial motivation for Easy Star All-Stars covering popular rock albums?

ES & LO: “We had been searching for ways to bring reggae to a larger audience without losing the true sound or essence of the music. In our opinion, the songs and albums that crossed over had tended to water down the music or get lost in translation. At the time, we had those thoughts rattling around our heads as a label, so when we had the idea that Dark Side might translate well into reggae, it all clicked. We felt like Dub Side of the Moon gave us a chance to reach out both to rock fans and to reggae fans and that we could be as hardcore reggae as we wanted and still succeed with the project. Once it worked, we wanted to try it again, because it was a fun project, so we turned to Radiohead and the Beatles.”

EC: Easy-Star All Stars have managed to stay on the Reggae charts for an amazingly long time. How has the Digital music business helped Easy Star maintain a chart presence for so long?

ES & LO: “We always looked at the Digital music business as an important part of our label. We were one of the first reggae labels to have an interactive website back in 1996 when the online music community was very small and we got involved in digital distribution early on, partnering up with IODA back in October of 2004. This digital retail and marketing helped level the playing field for us. Without being held back by many of the financial obstacles indie labels have had in the physical market, we were able to build our brand more effectively. This has been a key factor in helping the Easy Star All-Stars connect to their global audience. Touring for the band in Russia, South America, the Middle East and other places may never have happened without the spread of our music online.”

EC: How has embracing the changing trends in music and the music business helped Easy Star succeed in a time where so many labels are facing trouble?

ES & LO: “From the beginning, it has been about building loyalty from our fans in the Easy Star brand by investing a lot of time and energy into the music we put out. Our preference is to release a small amount of music that has a long shelf life and does not depend on quick sales out of the gate. We have been very careful to sign artists that complement this model. Also, most of our artists are strong touring acts as well, which is critical to marketing right now. All of these factors have allowed us to manage the current challenges in the business.”

Grab some great free tracks after the jump including songs from Cas Haley and the Easy Star All-Stars:

Cas Haley
“Better” (mp3)
from “Connection (Bonus Tracks Version)”
(Easy Star Records)

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Easy Star All-Stars
“Bed Of Rose” (mp3)
from “Until That Day EP”
(Easy Star Records)

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John Brown’s Body
“Amplify” (mp3)
from “Amplify”
(Easy Star Records)

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The Black Seeds
“Slingshot” (mp3)
from “Solid Ground”
(Easy Star Records)

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Sugar Minott
“Dreader Than Dread” (mp3)
from “Ghetto-ology + Dub”
(Easy Star Records)

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The Delta Spirit – “Bushwick Blues”

Pacifika – “Doces Meses”

Dondria – “Shawty Wus Up”

Tom Mouton and Reid Whitelaw from Philly Groove sit down to talk about the Philly Re-Grooved project out next week on Harmless Recordings.

Artist: Various Artists
Title: Philly Re-Grooved – The Tom Moulton Philly Groove Remixes
Label: Harmless Recordings
Genre: Soul : R&B
UPC: 5032698627059
Territory: World
Release Date: 08.31.10

Already one of the most anticipated releases of the year by the Dance Music community, “Philly Re-Grooved: The Tom Moulton Remixes” puts the world’s greatest and most respected veteran mixer of all time with one of the first labels which catered to the emerging Disco sound of the early 1970’s – Philly Groove. Philly Groove exploded onto the world stage with a huge brace of hits for the Delfonics then subsequently followed through with the international smash “Armed & Extremely Dangerous” by First Choice which well and truly ushered the Disco age into worldwide consciousness. Philly Groove followed through with a slew of beautifully recorded gems from the likes of Tapestry, Nat Turner (featuring Major Harris), Finishing Touch and further Disco smashes from First Choice, The Delfonics and the Philly Groove Orchestra (essentially M.F.S.B. under another name).

However most of Philly Groove’s prestigious output was released before the 12 inch format was invented (co-incidentally by Tom Moulton himself). When the opportunity arose for Tom Moulton to go back to the original 2” masters of these early Disco gems and remix them he jumped at the opportunity. So finally we are treated to the full glory of the Philly Groove catalogue remixed for the full 12” versions by the master himself.

Listen at IODAcast.com or at iTunes and download the tracks to go below:

Abner Trio
“You’re Gorgeous, Believe It!” (mp3)
from “The Giant Crushes You”
(Joyful Noise Recordings)

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Ra Ra Riot
“Boy” (mp3)
from “The Orchard”
(Arts & Crafts)

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Pacifika
“Chocolate” (mp3)
from “SuperMagique”
(Six Degrees Records)

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Bear In Heaven
“Lovesick Teenagers” (mp3)
from “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”
(Hometapes)

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Cheikh Lo
“Jamm” (mp3)
from “Jamm”
(World Circuit)

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Yair Yona
“Brave Walls” (mp3)
from “Remember”
(Strange Attractors Audio House)

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Brooklyn based rockers Bear In Heaven have had quite a run over the last 10 months since the original release of their highly praised LP Beast Rest Forth Mouth. From a Pitchfork Best New Music accolade, to a non-stop Europe and US tour schedule and a busy SXSW week including the IODA Opening Day Bash, these guys have vaulted onto the scene. Their newest effort, Beast Rest Forth Mouth, is sure to add to their momentum and secure their place in the indie community.

The Story of Bear In Heaven from Hometapes’ website: “Bear in Heaven started out as Jon Philpot, alone, in a studio, after hours, in Atlanta Georgia. Then he moved to New York and it was him, all alone, in his room, unemployed, trying to figure out how to make music in his bedroom and get a job. Then comes along James Elliott, a friend of friends from Table of the Elements. They became friends, drank many drinks and went to Europe with Presocratics. James started The Social Registry with Rich Zerbo, left TSR and made music under the name Ateleia. Around that same time, Sadek Bazarra moved to New York with his company GHAVA. Jon and Sadek hung out, talked about girls, art and music. Adam Wills was soon to follow. Jon and Adam worked together at the studio in Atlanta. The first day Adam was in NYC he knew more people than Jon did in a year. Soon all the friends came together and Jon finished some songs. Old friend Scott Herren released “Tunes Nextdoor to Songs” A short album. Some call it an EP. Excitement was in the air and they started playing the songs. Sort of. At that time, the group consisted of everyone minus Joe Stickney, plus guitarist David Daniell. Joe was an old friend of Adam. He played drums with Paul Duncan and liked Jon’s drum kit. Joe jumped in, David jumped out, they started writing songs and now I present to you Bear in Heaven.”

And because we know you love free samples, check out these promotracks, fresh out the oven for your listening pleasure:
Bear In Heaven
“Lovesick Teenagers” (mp3)
from “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”
(Hometapes)

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Bear In Heaven
“Ultimate Satisfaction” (mp3)
from “Beast Rest Forth Mouth”
(Hometapes)

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1. TOBACCO “Truck Sweat”
2. KutMasta Kurt, The Funky Redneck, Kuto Masta Kurto “Inspector Shingo”
3. Dub Gabriel “Tactile Evasion (Liquid Stranger Remix)”
4. Mathew Dear “I Can Feel”
5. Afrobeta “Two Different Worlds”
6. Lee Scratch Perry “Psalm”
7. Wayne Gorbea’s Salsa Picante – “Ven Baila Conmigo”
8. Dave Eggar – Earth’s Paradise/Kingston Morning “Earth’s Paradise”
9. Mad Mike “Pimpin Ass Bass”
10. Moe Pope “Godzilla”
11. Beltuner “No Comment”
12. JFK “High School Sweet Heart”

1.
TOBACCO
“Truck Sweat” (mp3)
from “Fucked Up Friends”
(anticon)

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2.

KutMasta Kurt
“Inspector Shingo” (mp3)
from “Funky Redneck Visits Nippon”
(Threshold Recordings, LLC)

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3.

Dub Gabriel
“Tactile Evasion (Liquid Stranger Remix)” (mp3)
from “Restless Youth”
(Destroy All Concepts)

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4.

Matthew Dear
“I Can’t Feel” (mp3)
from “Black City”
(Ghostly International)

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5.

Afrobeta
“Two Different Worlds” (mp3)
from “Do You Party? EP”
(Do IT)

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6.

Lee Scratch Perry
“Psalm” (mp3)
from “Revelation”
(Megawave)

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7.

Wayne Gorbea’s Salsa Picante
“Ven Baila Conmigo” (mp3)
from “The Rough Guide To Salsa Dance”
(Rough Guides/World Music Network)

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8.

Dave Eggar
“Earth’s Paradise” (mp3)
from “Earth’s Paradise / Kingston Morning [Digital 45]”
(Domo Records)

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9.

Mad Mike, Bass Mekanik
“Pimpin’ Ass Bass” (mp3)
from “Mad Mike Presents Pimpin Ass Bass”
(Bass Mekanik Records)

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10.

Moe Pope
“Godzilla” (mp3)
from “Life After God”
(Brick Records)

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11.

Beltuner
“No Comment” (mp3)
from “The Rough Guide To Paris Cafe”
(Rough Guides/World Music Network)

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12.

JFK
“High School Sweet Heart” (mp3)
from “Building Wings on the Way Down”
(Camobear/Taxidermy Records)

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