The Legacy Collection – Fantasia Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Walt Disney Records) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

This 4-CD presentation of Walt Disney’s animated masterwork features both the Leopold Stokowski and Irwin Kostal recordings of the complete score, plus bonus material, in a deluxe hardbound format.

Johnny Winter, Remembrance – Volume One (Friday Music) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. )

Friday Music celebrates the late, great Johnny Winter with this new set licensed from his estate.  Disc One culls tracks from the artist’s Live Bootleg Series, and Disc 2 presents the first-time CD release of his vinyl Live Bootleg Special Edition.  The third disc has previously unreleased Live Rarities. The 3-CD set is housed in a digipak with notes from Edgar Winter and Gregg Allman.

Various Artists, The Neal Hefti Collection 1944-1962 – Musician, Composer, Arranger, Conductor (Acrobat) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

As the title indicates, Neal Hefti wore many hats.  Perhaps best known today for his themes to the 1966 Batman television show and the film and TV versions of The Odd Couple, Hefti was so much more.  This 4-disc set (sourced from European public domain material) promises to take a deep look at his early years, with tracks from artists including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Mel Torme, Buddy Rich, and of course, Count Basie, with whom Hefti began a fruitful association in 1950.  If Acrobat’s past Nelson Riddle collection is any indication, this will be a nicely-packaged, affordably-priced and reasonably comprehensive overview – but beware: the Riddle set was released on CD-Rs, not pressed CDs.

 

Woody Allen, The Stand-Up Years 1964-1968 (Razor & Tie) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

This new 2-CD set presents, in their entirety, Woody Allen’s three stand-up comedy albums originally recorded and released between 1964 and 1968 including such classic routines as “The Moose.” It adds an audience Q&A, which was left off previous CD reissues of the original recordings.  Allen biographer/documentary filmmaker Robert Weide provides new liner notes.

Another Day, Another Time: Celebrating the Music of “Inside Llewyn Davis” (Nonesuch) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

This new 2-CD release captures last fall’s New York concerts based around the sounds of the Coen Brothers’ acclaimed, sixties-set film Inside Llewyn Davis. Joan Baez, Elvis Costello, Bob Neuwirth, Jack White and the film’s stars Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac and Adam Driver all take the stage for this cross-generational folk music salute overseen by T Bone Burnett.