Soft Heap indeed. This is none other than Soft Machine saxophonist Elton Dean with fellow proggers Pip Pyle and Mark Hewins with avant-rocker John Greaves. So what do you think this live recording from a French date in 1982 (with one track from BBC Radio in 1983) sounds like? Seriously, though, Soft Heap was a branch-out version of Soft Machine that had previously featured Hugh Hopper on bass and Alan Gowen on keyboards…

Though purists will find Maynard Ferguson's This Is Jazz, Vol. 16 frustratingly incomplete, it isn't designed for them. The entire This is Jazz series is targeted at casual fans and neophytes, who only want a sampling of a famous jazz artist. In that sense, this disc does its job quite well, featuring both his crossover hits ("Gonna Fly Now," "McArthur Park") and his stabs at big band and bop. Of course, this only is the tip of the iceberg as far as Ferguson's work goes – after all, it only features his music for Columbia – but it's enough to spark the interest of anyone wanting to explore his catalog.

Recorded in just five days in the deep south of Nashville, Tennessee, Music City Soul sees one of Britain's most accomplished urban talents, Beverley Knight, return to her roots following the underperformance of 2004's highly commercial Affirmation. Despite its recording location, the Wolverhampton diva's fifth studio album hasn't gone all country, but instead focuses on the Southern soul sounds of the '60s that influenced her early career.

Mozart, who composed 21 piano concerti, can be regarded as the “inventor” of the popular piano concerto. Although J.S. Bach and his son had written numerous concerti for harpsichord or fortepiano and orchestra before him, Mozart’s enormous input to the genre is mostly due to his concerti being regarded as ‘popular music’ by his contemporaries: to be enjoyed and quickly replaced by newer works. For this series on four DVDs, the most influential, the most artistically challenging and the most popular piano concerti have been selected to be performed by the best Mozart interpreters of our time. Volume III features pianists Radu Lupu, Christian Zacharias and Ivan Klánský performing Mozart’s piano concerti Nos. 6. 19 and 20 in highly attractive venues – at the Rococo Schwetzingen Palace in the Southwest of Germany, the reconstructed Sophiensaal in Munich and the Rittersaal of Palais Waldstein in Prague.

Keyboardist Darrell Grant's fusion band. Dedicated to a world with no limits.

Soul UK is the seventh studio album by English singer-songwriter Beverley Knight. The album was released on 4 July 2011, and features covers of British soul songs that inspired Knight whilst growing up.

"Mary Jane Girls" is the eponymous debut album released by the girl group Mary Jane Girls on the Gordy record label on April 13, 1983. It peaked at number 56 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album was produced and written entirely by Rick James. Three singles were released and each enjoyed success on the Hot Black Singles charts: "Candy Man" (#23 R&B), "All Night Long" (#11 R&B), and "Boys" (#29 R&B). All three songs charted together on the Hot Dance Club Play chart, peaking at #8.

Now on Stax, longtime home of Mavis Staples (one of her most evident inspirations), James finds herself in an ideal setting. My Soul is James' best yet in every way. It does not feature quite as many big-name collaborators or eye-popping elements as her debut, but the material is stronger, more balanced between vintage and contemporary sounds, and James sounds more comfortable in her voice. Just as important is that she is coming into her own as a songwriter; four of the songs were written entirely by her, and they are among the album’s most affecting moments, ranging from the yearning, dropped-guard “So Cold,” to the forceful “I Want It All,” to the carefree “Let It Roll.” Do make sure you stay until the end, through the steamy “Supa Luva” and “If It’s Wrong,” as well as the deadly “It’s Over” (“That’s why I changed the locks on my door, ‘cause love don’t live here no more”).