Radka Toneff & Steve Dobrogosz - Fairy Tales - Odin Records NJ 4003-2 SA (2008) SACD rip via PS3 to iso (1.69GB)| 24bit/88.2kHz flac | Only 2ch (756MB) DR11 (+6dB gain) | Jazz, Female Vocal The Fairytales album is the late Norwegian singer Radka Toneff’s most appreciated & well-known album. Together with pianist Steve Dobrogosz, this duo explores a number of tunes in an unusually subtle & reflective way, making the recording outstanding among vocal/piano duet albums. Unfortunately, this was to be Radka Toneff’s last studio recording. Amazon review by James K. Stewart: A beautiful, haunting work of art from an artist we, sadly, only briefly heard. Radka Toneff was born in Oslo, Norway in 1952, a daughter of Bulgarian folk singer Toni Toneff. According to Marta Breen, who authored the 2008 biography, "Radka Toneff - Her short life & great voice", "Radka Toneff's records have risen in reputation over the years especially "Fairytales" (Odin Records, 1982) which has become a bestseller both in Norway & abroad. When the music site Ballade made its jazz canon of the 20 best Norwegian jazz albums in history, Toneff was the only artist with THREE albums on the list. They wrote: 'This is a timeless testament from a singer & artist who left us too early, but that still influences "everybody" that sings'." Breen's biography is available in Norwegian only. I only recently became acquainted (by accident) with the name Radka Toneff after reading an amazon review of Scott Yanow's wonderful book, "The Jazz Singers" & said reviewer's question as to why Radka was not included in the book? I had never heard of her & knew nothing about her or her music. Have since learned she was a Norwegian jazz singer who tragically took her own life at the young age of 30 in 1982. She had made only 3 albums before this occurred, with "Fairytales" being the last, which was recorded in 1982 with Swedish-American pianist Steve Dobrogosz & produced by legendary Norwegian jazz bass player Arild Anderson, who she also lived with for several years before "Fairytales". When the Norwegian newspaper Morgenbladet in 2011 conducted a poll of Norwegian musicians, Radka's "Fairytales" was voted the best Norwegian album by them. After reading several ectastic reviews of "Fairytales", I recently acquired a CD copy. This is, without a doubt, one of the most staggeringly, hauntingly beautiful recordings I have ever heard - have played it at least 15 times since receiving it, & I'm still ASTOUNDED. All 10 songs are sung in English, with brilliant accompaniment by pianist Dobrogosz. She had a voice so pure, emotional, fragile, & haunting, it sends chills to the bone. After the 1st listen, I sat in stunned amazement at what I had just heard - like a supernatural voice coming from BEYOND. The CD opens with the magnificent Jimmy Webb tune, "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress", setting the tone for the pieces to come. Elton John's "Come Down In Time" follows in brilliant fashion, with the gorgeous "Lost In The Stars" (Weill/Anderson) after that. Dobrogosz then contributes with Toneff, "Mystery Man", the 1st of his 2 original pieces on the CD (the other being the last closing track, "I Read My Sentence"). The Rodgers/Hart standard, "My Funny Valentine", is next & is the longest cut at almost 6 minutes. Dobrogosz digs deep on "Valentine" & fully explores in his soloing the heartfelt nuances of the tune with Radka in a VERY original style. In similar fashion, the standard "Nature Boy" (E. Abhez), which follows, is incredibly haunting & unforgettable. In all the years I've heard this tune, their performance of it just STUNNED me like no other - I'll never hear it the same way again after this. The Blossom Dearie staple, "Long Daddy Green" is next, followed by a Radka Toneff original, "Wasted", a brilliant piece that truly displayed her depth at writing, which, sadly, came to a close far too soon. The next tune, "Before Love Went Out Of Style", is a brief but emotionally penetrating piece originally written by the late comedian / pianist Dudley Moore & also once covered by British songbird Cleo Laine. Radka's voice is, once again, distantly haunting, sublime, & floating in air. The effect is that you want to reach out & grab her, to protect her, before she vanishes into air. Absolutely incredible! I've read that "Fairytales" is the best selling jazz album to ever come out of Norway (over 100,000 copies). It's, indeed, a MASTERPIECE & work of art on ANY level, let alone music. Recorded at the Bergen Digital Studio by engineer Tom Saetre, on the Odin label, it rivals ANY ECM record ever made regarding sound & clarity. Radka once said, "I do everything wrong, & that's how I like it". All stars in the universe for this timeless, magnificent recording. A desert island disc for eternity. --------------------------------------------- http://youtu.be/8_4WsfUgDCY After reading this http://www.lindberg.no/english/collection/001.htm I think there might be a Mch SACD available from 2L. Tracks: 01. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress 02. Come Down in Time 03. Lost in the Stars 04. Mystery Man 05. My Funny Valentine 06. Nature Boy 07. Long Daddy Green 08. Wasted 09. Before Love Went Out of Style 10. 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