We have released a few high quality recordings under the nOrh.com label.

The Henry Allen Quartet - Blue Skies

nOrh recently acquired the license to one of the highest praised audiophile Jazz CD issues. The CD is Blue Skies by The Harry Allen Quartet. The Harry Allen Quartet is: Harry Allen, tenor saxophone; John Bunch, piano; Dennis Irwin, bass; and Duffy Jackson, drums.

Tracks and Audio Clips (Real Audio)

Track 1: Linger Awhile (Owens/Rose)
Track 2: I Didn’t Know What Time It Was (Rodgers/Hart)
Track 3: What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life? (Bergman/Bergman/Legrand)
Track 4: Hummin’ Along (Allen)
Track 5: How Insensitive (Jobim/deMoraes/Gimbel)
Track 6: Nobody Else But Me (Kern/Hammerstein)
Track 7: Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year (Loesser)
Track 8: Shine (Brown/Dabney/Mack)
Track 9: Why Must You Go? (Allen)
Track 10: Carolyn’s Kitchen/Blue Skies (Allen/Berlin)
Track 11: The September Of My Years (Van Heusen/Cahn)

What Reviewers Have Written

An exceptionally fine interpreter of ballads, Allen belongs firmly in the mainstream, drawing upon the great tradition of the movement but never sounding dated or lacking in originality. - The Guinness Who’s Who of Jazz

RECORDING OF THE MONTH - Audio Arts Magazine Taiwan

Tenorman Harry Allen’s album of ballads proves him a polished player with a rich, clear tone and great rhythmic feel. Like fellow Rhode Island mainstreamers Paul Gonsalves and Scott Hamilton, the 27-year-old exhibits the fluid, idea-filled style of Webster, Hawkins and Pres. … Standouts are his sultry reading of "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" and an incredibly tender rendition of "Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year." Relaxed swing tempos propel "Linger Awhile" and "I Didn’t Know What Time It Was." The title track and "Shine" are cleanly torrid, turning pensive on "How Insensitive." - Jazz Times

In a Stan Getz sort of way, tenor saxophonist Allen opts for a laid-back mellowness over ferocity. Thus, this debut isn’t a caustic blowing session, but it’s beautifully performed and recorded (in an old New York City church), sporting lush ambiance and presence. Allen’s reading of Jobim’s "How Insensitive" is simply gorgeous, and his originals — particularly the ballad "Why Must You Go?," prove him to be an exceptional writer. Drummer Duffy Jackson, bassist Dennis Irwin, and pianist John Bunch are superb and sensitive accompanists. - Audio

Just 28 years old but already a prolific recording artist, Allen brings his ardor for melody and the swing of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster to bear on the old and new ballads and occasionally faster songs filling his seventh feature album. There’s precocious authority in Allen’s playing and a maturity to his tone, whether treating Jobim’s "How Insensitive" and Kern & Hammerstein’s "Nobody Else But Me" or his aptly titled composition "Hummin’ Along." - Jazziz

Harry Allen’s tenor saxophone sings with as much emotion as a lifetime of experience can bring, he just happens to be a lit-tle younger. From toe-tapping melodies to songs from the heart, Allen breathes refreshing life into the eleven tunes on this compilation. This particular disc was recorded live with virtually no editing, and its sound is truly compelling. - Home Theater Technology

The Harry Allen Quartet’s debut outing is an assured and swinging disc of ballads that showcase this ensemble to good effect. …[T]his is good stuff in a late-night, mellow mood, but these guys can rock out, too, as an up-tempo reading of Bert Williams’ minstrel song "Shine" reveals. - Stereophile

The masters of the past may have left this planet, but the masters of tomorrow are here. Harry Allen, twenty-eight, is one of them. … Harry Allen has brought back the smooth but fiery, ever-so-missed tenor sound of the 1930s and 1940s. He has a focused yet warm tone that grabs you from the first bars of Linger Awhile. … You want ballads? You want bebop? You got it! This CD is real, and the artists are genuine. Get it! - JazzNow

Boy Thai

Most Thai recordings are not exactly audiophile quality. Much of the Thai music is very interesting, particularly, their classical music. An American artist, Bruce Gaston, combined classical Thai music with modern Jazz. Another group, Boy Thai, combines classical Thai music with samba beats.

Back in January 2001, I had a chance to go to a Boy Thai concert. I noticed that the audience was half Thai and half non-Thai. There were people in the audience from all over the world. I thought about the fact that many of us didn't speak the same language but were were all enjoying the only universal language - music.

The Boy Thai CDs are among the best sounding CD's that I have heard produced in Thailand. I like these albums very much both musically and sonically. In an effort to share their music with the rest of the world, we have contacted the label and we are now making this CD available through nOrh. One of the highlights for me is that there are very good examples of the Thai Longdrum (Grong Yao) in Boy Thai's music. As you would know, nOrh drum speakers are designed from Thai Longdrums.

Boy Thai just an award for best instrumental album in Thailand in early 2001. If you who want to get an idea of what Boy Thai sounds like, we have a short (1 min) MP3 that you can download and listen to. Download the MP3 (here's the URL). Browser problems? Hold Shift and click on the link to save the MP3 to disk.

Pricing

Dealers are welcome for these recordings.

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