MAMORU TAKAHARA : NEW YORK SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE

Mamoru Takahara is in his thirteenth season as music director and conductor of the New York Symphonic Ensemble. Mr.Takahara began his musical career as a trumpeter, winning first place in the Youth Competition of Western Japan at age fifteen. He graduated from the Kunitachi Music College in Tokyo. In 1972 Mr.Takahara came to the United States at the invitation of Leonard Bernstein to study at the New York Philharmonic. He has also studied with Otmar Suitner in Salzburg, Australia.

Mr.Takahara made his American debut conducting the Philharmonic Virtuosi of New York in 1976 and was guest conductor of that orchestra until 1979. In July 1991, Mr.Takahara completed a three-week Japanese concert tour, which was the New York Symphonic Ensemble’s fifth concert tour of Japan. During the 1988 tour, Mr.Takahara had an unprecedented performance at the ancient Toshodaiji Temple in Nara, commemorating the 1,300th anniversary of the birth of Ganjin, the Buddhist sage.

In addition to his appearances with the New York Symphonic Ensemble, Mr.Takahara frequently returns to Japan to conduct such Japanese orchestra as the Tokyo Philharmonic, Osaka Philharmonic, and the Nagoya Philharmonic orchestra. Recently, he has also been appointed to be a Music Director of Himeji city of Hyogo prefecture. Mr.Takahara records with Warner-Pioneer, Kitty, Toshiba-EMI and Technics

The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991

NEW YORK SYMPHONIC ENSEMBLE

The New York Symphonic Ensemble is a chamber orchestra composed for the most part of leading members from the New York Philharmonic and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. The Ensemble was formed in 1979 under the direction of Mamoru Takahara at the urging of musicians who wanted an additional outlet for their talents as well as an opportunity to interpret a repertoire not usually performed by a fullsize by a fullsize orchestra.

The Ensemble appears frequently in the United States and abroad. In addition to performances at Lincoln Centre’s Alice Tully Hall and The Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C., the orchestra has been invited to appear at PepsiCo’s Summerfare at SUNY Purchase, the Dag Hammarskjold Library Auditorium at the United Nations, Cooper Union, and St.Paul’s Chapel at Columbia University in New York City as well as the Port of History Museum in Philadelphia and Hartt College of Music at the University of Hartfold.

Recently, the New York Symphonic Ensemble returned from its fourth consecutive tour of Japan where in 1988 the group performed an unprecedented concert at the ancient Toshodaiji Temple in Nara in commemoration of the 1,300th anniversary of the birth of the Buddhist sage, a renowned Shinto shrine and is recognized, along with the Toshodaiji Temple, as a Japanese national treasure as well as the Tokyo station and the Meiji shrine in Tokyo.

From : Programe Note
The New York Symphonic Ensemble’s concert at Thailand Cultural Centre on November 7, 1991

BEST OF THE EARLY YEARS [LIVE]

Feelings of sadness and loss for the people and the history of New Orleans as a result of Katrina made this CD an obvious purchase. When one thinks of New Orleans, one can only think of incredible jazz and incredible food! What is jazz without the soul of the musicians of Preservation Hall? This CD will remind you.... --Columbus Reader "Kitty" See more.

"WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHIN' IN" NEW ORLEANS, VOL. III

If you like jazz, you'll love this CD. This is the traditional stuff, straight from Preservation Hall in New Orleans. From the strum of the banjo on "Hindustan", to the vocals on the title song, to the "talking trumpet" on "Careless Love", and the fantastic clarinet solos on "Just a Closer Walk with Thee", this is a delight from beginning to end. Enjoy! --Karen Potts Buy MP3 Album with 1 click.

SWEET EMMA : PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

Once again we encounter the miracle of New Orleans music. The music of this band abounds in the friendly joyfulness so characteristic of the magic that is New Orleans-style. Every number in their band repertoire, from spirituals and blues to such Original Dixieland Jazz Band favorites as "Clarinet Marmalade" or the trite novelty of the roaring 20's, "Ice-Cream" is played whole-heartedly with best of their ability to entertain and bring happiness to all the people, although at times, these musicians themselves may have had little to be happy about . Even the melody, "Closer Walk With Thee", off used as a funeral hymn, is perfroemed with such a relaxed beat and feeling that no on can fail to be moved by the band's expressive playing and Sweet Emma's heartfelt singing. --Editorial Amazon.com

Very good listening. Traditional jazz at its best. The variety and scope of Miss Emma's jazz provides lively entertainment. Besides some of the traditional favorites the 2CD set includes several delightful renditions of old-time hymn tunes. As a lay minister I often use music for a time of reflection right after my message. A couple of times, while conducting worship at a nursing home I used the hymns for the musical interlude. A delighted,toe-tapping response ensued. --Miranda Rand

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PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND-NEW ORLENES

Like its predecessor, this 1981 recording is as true as possible to the spirit, and even the letter, of the music that found form in New Orleans in the first decades of this century, music that had changed rapidly in the move to Chicago in the 1920s. The band brings a relaxed flow to the music whether it's a religious tune or a raucous rag, a feeling encouraged by the extended times permitted by later recording. The style is classic polyphony, with Frank Demond's trombone and Willie Humphrey's clarinet developing elaborate patterns around Percy Humphrey's stately and burnished trumpet leads; the music is propelled along by the rhythm section, including Josiah Frazier on drums and James Miller on piano. Willie Humphrey's speechlike clarinet playing stands out, especially on his solo on "Shake It and Break It." --Stuart Broomer

Let me just say that for any jazz fan, a trip to Preservation Hall in New Orleans must be on your list of things to do before you die. But if proximity is a problem for you at the moment, buying a Preservation Hall Jazz Band CD is pretty much the next best thing. I'm surprised that "New Orleans, Vol. 2" is out of print now, you can still find it in stores pretty regularly. Anyway, this is the group's second album, from 1981. On this album, the lineup includes trumpet player Percy Humphrey, pianist James Miller, banjo player Narvin Kimball, trombonist Frank Demond, clarinetist Willie Humphrey, drummer Cie Frazier, and tuba player Allan Jaffe. This wasn't the best lineup the group ever put together, but the standard pieces and style is all here. "New Orleans, Vol. 2" was recorded nicely in a studio, yet maintains a live feel of signature improvised solos and playing. They play the standards, and some of their most well loved pieces, such as the wonderful "St. Louis Blues" and "I Ain't Got Nobody," and the slow, bluesy singing is infused to the classics like "Shake It and Break It" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It." A lot of the songs here can be found on the group's numerous compilation releases. In any event, this album is great fun and extremely entertaining for any listener, and I highly recommend it. --ctrx

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PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND - ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED

Marching Down Bourbon Street [ORIGINAL RECORDING REISSUED] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's 1997 release "Marching Down Bourbon Street" is actually a compilation of tracks from their "New Orleans, Volume..." albums released between the 1970s and 1990s. As most of those albums are now out of print, this is a great buy, especially at such a good price. Anyone who's ever been to Preservation Hall knows what a great show they put on, and they sound just as tight on record. The compilation includes their best known standards like "St. James Infirmary" and "The Bucket's Got a Hole in It," and of course "When the Saints Go Marching In" and "Amen," as well as technical masterpieces like "Hindustan" and "St. Louis Blues." A great purchase, highly recommended, this is fine New Orleans jazz! --ctrx

Anyone who has visited Preservation Hall in New Orleans will truly appreciate this CD as it captures the feeling of that great joyful and music-filled room. To those who have not been blessed with that experience, this CD will certainly whet your appetite for Dixieland. I have been a fan of New Orleans Jazz for over 50 years and never tire of listening to the old standards featured here. St. James Infirmary is one of my all-time favorites and is particulary good here. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band is one of the most important groups preserving and promoting this kind of music. This is also a super value and offers a good way to sample this music. --J.J. Roberts Read more

THE BEST OF PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND

A compilation of the Preservation Hall Jazz Band's Columbia recordings from 1976 to 1988, this 76-minute CD is an excellent introduction to the work of these senior New Orleans musicians. It also testifies to the band's durability as well as that of the music, with only a single change in personnel over the period covered. The disc concentrates on the most familiar repertoire, whether rags, blues, hymns, or popular songs, including "Tiger Rag," "St. Louis Blues," "Just a Closer Walk with Thee," and "When the Saints Go Marching In." There are also beautiful renderings of Duke Ellington's "Mood Indigo," taking the tune back to its roots in a New Orleans blues song, and Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind." --Stuart Broomer (Editorial Amazon.com)

Classic Dixieland pieces performed in the band style that marks the best of the originals. Unlike some modern Dixieland that has been smoothed out for easy listening, these songs have the authentic old Dixie edge to them. From the growling on Tiger Rag through the piano improvs to the soaring clarinet, this sounds like the Dixieland bands of old recordings. Except, this is one technically clean CD. Fine, fine sound balance gives you the feel of being in the band. This CD gives one the essential old Dixieland sound, banjo included, that was the hallmark of the music which rode north from Storyville on the sternwheelers. --Review by a customer

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