They should be simple and beautiful – that’s what Chick Corea wrote about his 20 Children’s Songs; the reason being that just this very simplicity and beauty of children‘s minds was what he wanted to express in his musical miniatures.

It was in the early seventies when jazz piano virtuoso and composer Chick Corea started to work on those precious pieces and it took as long as 1984 for the Children’s Songs to be published. Later Chick Corea commented on his work that each melody was singular and it was for everybody to receive these beautiful little works of art, try them and appreciate them.

It was with joy that Blue Chamber Quartet did like Chick Corea told us.

They are fascinated by these poetic musical mircrocosms Chick Corea has created. It was only two years they needed to make their vision reality and record all of the Children’s Songs and have Thomas Schindl transform the arrangements in the artistic concept of Blue Chamber Quartet. Again music "that deliberately blurred distinctions between classical and jazz."

"Corea wanted to express the beauty of children’s minds in his 20 musical miniatures, and he commented later that it was for everybody to receive these little works of art, try them and appreciate them. That’s exactly what the members of the German chamber group known as The Blue Chamber Quartet did, and this delightful album is the result. In addition to arranging them for their quartet plus a guest percussionist, they thought to have a Munich journalist, Cathrin Kahlweit, create 20 short texts for each of the 20 songs - each one focusing on a child in a different country, variously facing happiness, hopes, worries and fears. Many of them are extremely touching, especially if read while listening.

The arrangements are subtle and tasteful in expanding the simple but lovely melodies of each of the songs into quartet or quintet form. This is a successful marriage of classical chamber music and jazz genres that the Europeans are better at carrying out then most American performers. The surround sonics are right up to Stockfisch’s usual very high standards. Their slogan is “closer to the music,” and that’s the impression one gets listening to the multichannel version of this fine release."

John Sunier: www.audaud.com

Stockfisch Records not only has been releasing artists from the European and American guitar scene, the 70's Folk revival and has paid special attention to the singer/songwriter scene, but is always interested in special projects outside the „Mainstream“. These productions have a high artistic standard and are challenging from a sound engineer´s view. Thus Stockfisch released such awarded and critically acclaimed SACDs like „Sinistre“ with piano virtuoso Péter Tóth from Hungary, „surrounded by horns“ featuring the american saxophone quartet „The Tiptons“ or the recordings of the dutch early-baroque specialists „The Spirit of Gambo“.

Now Stockfisch introduces another Hybrid-SACD (incl. 5.1 multichannel mix), which will prick up the listeners´ears:

BCQ in the web: www.bcq-music.de

Four musicians with successful solo and ensemble careers in the field of the classical music decide in the fall of 2005 to present a concert far off the beaten path of a typical concert program. The concert is intended to reflect the tastes of the individual members of the ensemble, and showcase the joy they feel in playing their instruments. Piano, harp, vibraphone and double bass combine classical roots with elements of jazz into an exitingly different new sound.

The Blue Chamber Quartet blue notes and chamber music of the 20th century melt into a highly virtuoso and varied mixture. The traditional mixes with the unknown - familiar sounds blend with the exotic.The Blue Chamber Quartet takes the listener on a journey of discovery through a surprising world of seemingly familiar works. The four musicians prove once again, that it is possible to combine classical music with jazz, because the have found the right bridge between the two genres.

Piano, harp, vibraphone and double bass create a sound impression far beyond the formal strictness of classical music and the improvisation characteristic of jazz. It goes full circle from quiet moments of contemplation to rhythmically driving, minimalist musical patterns. A sound impression covering Sergei Prokofiev and Astor Piazzolla as well as Chick Corea.

"Four classically trained musician friends decided to combine the sounds of their instruments - piano, harp, vibraphone, and double bass - to create music that deliberately blurred distinctions between classical and jazz. As vehicles for exploration on First Impressions, the foursome chose pieces that offer hauntingly gorgeous melodic lines, strong rhythmic frameworks, and spaciousness ties everything together. Driven forward by Holger Michalski´s impossibly beautiful arco bass phrases and Julia Bartha´s precise, passionate piano accompaniment, the quartet´s arrangement of Piazolla´s KICHO is a showstopper. Harpist Angelika Siman might begin a musical thought, only to have vibraphonist Thomas Schindl complete it.

Sonically, producer Günter Pauler captures the exquisite tonal colors in a natural way full of vitality and dynamic energy. The multichannel recording presents the ensemble in an intimate setting, placing listeners two rows back from center stage."

Chris Martens, in: The Absolute Sound, Jan.2008