Ultimate Yanni
Fact: Yanni released just eight original recordings while under contract to record conglomerate BMG between 1986 and 1994.Ultimate Yanniis, incredibly, the 12th compilation/best-of project BMG has issued since Yanni switched to another label. YetUltimate Yannimanages to elevate itself as one of the best of the bunch: a value-priced two-CD package of pre-Tributematerial (126 minutes' worth) that, remarkably, includes eight tracks (out of 24) that appear on no previous sampler. Most selections (compiled by radio host and Amazon.com contributor John Diliberto) emphasize Yanni's bolder colors and more muscular instincts, a reminder of his early-career talent for blending progressive-rock drama with a Renaissance man's romantic flair. Three tracks ("Santorini," "Nostalgia" and "The Rain Must Fall") are lifted fromLive at the Acropolisand only the latter bogs down under the weight of excessive soloing. "Marching Season" is presented as a piano solo, taken from a long-extinct Private Music sampler. Combine this withReflections of Passion, his first best-of release (only three tracks overlap), and newcomers to Yanni essentially have his early years covered.--Terry Wood