Sad to say, Mr. Holzmair's first-rate recording with the pianist Gerard Wyss, on the Philips label, appears to be unobtainable in the United States.
Fresh Sound, from Barcelona, Spain, has been busily recording much of the young jazz scene in New York: band leaders like Ethan Iverson, Reid Anderson, Diego Urcola, Bill McHenry and Chris Lightcap have all put out first-rate records on the label within the last six months.
He has quietly been making a series of first-rate records on the ECM label; "The Water Is Wide," which includes Ellington, Strayhorn, a spiritual and some originals, is the latest, and half the crew heard on that album, including the guitarist John Abercrombie, the bassist Marc Johnson and the drummer Billy Higgins, will be with him.
There are first-rate reggae record stores, most notably Moodie's in the Bronx and the VP retail shop in Queens.
But he's come back with a new, young band and a first-rate new record, "Wandering Moon" (Columbia, which contains mordant ballads and burning tunes and some spare, lovely arrangements; it might be one of the jazz sleeper successes of the year. Sets tonight through Sunday night are at 9 30 and 11 30, with a 1 a.m. set tonight and tomorrow night; cover charge is $20 and $15 on Sunday (Ben Ratliff).
The care now lavished on classical soundtracks is evident not only in the impressive quality of many scores but also in the first-rate performers recruited to record them.
Having honed their skills playing Jersey Shore bars in the 1970's, and they continuously recorded first-rate R&B-driven party music propelled by strong original material.
It should be said that many of the most successful of these works on paper are by people who have a long record of first-rate work behind them and see no reason to chase after new fads and fancies.
"UCB, with its distinguished scientific leader, Dr. Ismail Kola, has an accomplished track record of developing first-rate treatments and therapies.
There has been constant criticism throughout his tenure that Cook does not appear to be the one with complete authority, although hitherto his record had been first-rate.
