Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946) were a husband and wife songwriting-production team and recording artists. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined an aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step At A Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Ashford and Simpson were also recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award in 1999, and ASCAP's highest honor, the Founder's Award, which they received in 1996.

This EMI Classics release from 2003 features the Sabine Meyer Wind Quintet in works by five contemporary composers: Edison Denisov, Niccoló Castiglioni, Toshio Hosokawa, Michael Obst and Alexander Raskatov. It's a wide array of styles, and since I came across this disc while exploring the music of Raskatov and Hosokawa, I'll limit my review to their pieces…….

Christopher Culver @ Amazon.com

This CD collects three different recordings from different occasions and with different artists as well: Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, op. 14, the Cello concerto, op. 22, and the Piano concerto, op. 38. The Violin concerto features Isaac Stern, Leonard Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic Orchestra in a classic 1964 performance - still the one to have despite Hahn's hailed recording……

L. Johan @ Amazon.com

Boston’s Powerman 5000 has a brand new album set for release May 27th titled “Builders of the Future”. This album will be the bands seventh studio album and first released under T-Boy Records. With “Builders of the Future” the guys are returning back to the scene with a sci-fi vibe that adds some complexity to the industrial metal sound the band is known for. Compared to their previous releases Powerman 5000 has come bit harder than the past – any longtime fan of theirs would definitely enjoy this new album.

The mutual love for heavy music combined with the genuine desire to create catchy, accessible tunes, was the main motivation for the 4 gentlemen of King Hiss to form a band.The fact that every bandmember came from a different musical background - ranging from hardcore to metal, over classic and stonerrock - contributed to their own trademarked style and sound. And the future is looking bright. Early 2014, the boys teamed up with Ace Zec (Ocean Side Studios) to record their third release: a full album titled "Sadlands". Ace took care of the producing, recording and mixing of the 12 songs. The mastering was done by Dave Collins at Collins Audio in L.A. (Queens Of The Stoneage, Soundgarden, Fu Manchu, …).

Mahogany Rush were always regarded as the poor relations of Rush, if they were thought of at all. In the U.S., they were regarded in certain markets (Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City) as true descendants of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but in the mid-'70s, that's what everyone was looking for…

This record is the culmination of a dream of former members of the group DunkerquoisWithout Eric Liagre . The beautiful dark blue eyes , former guitarist of the true standard of Blues Dunkirk in the 2000s was a regular jam sessions when 's the existence of the quintet . After the group disbanded , Eric continued to maintain close ties with the hexagonal musical blues scene. The famous Chapels Blues Bay Car reinforce this close with his colleagues , which over time become friends. This record is the result of all this passion.

Rush Midnight has toured with Miami Horror, Gold Fields, Savoir Adore, and played a sold out show with St. Lucia in Jan 2014. Rush Midnight’s debut full length self-titled album released on Last Gang Records. The record was executively produced by Jesse F. Keeler (MSTRKRFT / Death From Above 1979). Today, he is excited to release the first cut from the LP, entitled “In Your Room.” The track is about inspiring one another to elevate beyond the bland, to escape the city and find your heaven, whether it is an illusion or a reality.

Medicine Head were a British blues rock band, active in the 1970s. They were formed in 1968, and came to prominence when championed by DJ, John Peel, who signed them to his Dandelion record label. Interesting Fact: 'Dark Side of the Moon' was the bands third album released in 1972 just a few months BEFORE Pink Floyd's title of the same name. Pink Floyd briefly changed the name of their piece (which they were already performing live), to 'Eclipse' in order to avoid confusion.

Carmen, a tempestuous opera written by Georges Bizet, is set in the city of Seville, Spain. Carmen is sexy and capricious, and freely taunts the soldiers around her saying she will love or discard whom she chooses just as she pleases. But, after attacking another woman at the cigarette factory with a knife Carmen has to use her seductive skills on her guard, Don Jose, to escape going to prison. Passion between Don Jose and Carmen, and Escamillo, a celebrated toreador who is infatuated with her, leads to jealousy, violence and death. Rinat Shaham with her sublime singing dominates the bull-fighting arena as the provocative and alluring Carmen, while Dmytro Popov portrays Don Jose with a perfect mix of naivety and mad desire, his rich tenor rolling out across the bay. Andrew Jones gives a strong dramatic presence as Escamillo, and Nicole Car, one of Australia's best young operatic voices, is the sweet Micaela. With the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra and conductor Brian Castles-Onion, a gritty set design, sumptuous bold costumes, stunning choreography, and the inestimable direction of Gale Edwards and Bizet's glorious opera is brought to life like never before in this second Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.

Hymn to the Sun presents some of the most prominent Danish 20th- and 21st-century composers of choral music in works using a modern, variegated musical language that draws inspiration from many different genres and styles. More than anything else, this is music inspired by highly evocative texts: Poems by Hans Christian Andersen; the Psalms of the Bible, and ancient poetry worshipping the Sun.

Brahms composed choral music prolifically throughout his life. As the heir to Bach and the German Protestant tradition, he based most of his motets on texts from Luther’s translation of the Bible – yet succeeded in infusing them with Romanticism at its most soulful.

Greatest Hits is an album by the Scottish hard rock band Nazareth, released in 1975. By this time Nazareth had experienced considerable success with albums and singles. This compilation showcased tracks from the band's third album Razamanaz through their sixth album Hair of the Dog, as well as some non-album singles.

The brand new album Bonaparte has become a high-energy, is fired from Mexican cuisine, spicy chili plat

In many ways Ma Vlast seems like a problematic work. It is full of patriotism and conductors often choose to exploit its grandeur. Such approaches bring a risk of heaviness. Nikolaus Harnoncourt managed to employ slow tempi and achieve a deeper look without a trace of ponderousness, but his feat was remarkable and difficult to emulate. (Harnoncourt takes 83 minutes compared to 73 for Smetacek, a huge difference.) So Smetacek's decision to go for abandon and delight seems wise. The Czech Phil adds volumes to the treat, with a warm, juicy tone that is almost as enjoyable in this repertoire as the Vienna Phil. In addition, Supraphon's sound is splendid, about as good as early digital gets.