Snakebite is the best and most cohesive Magic Slim album to date, where all the things he does best come together in one place. Expertly produced by Dick Shurman, this spotlights all the groove that makes Slim a bandstand favorite, with none of the rough edges that mar his other studio or live efforts. The songs are top-notch (seven of the 11 tunes here are Slim originals), and this version of the Teardrops – Nick Holt on bass, Allen Kirk on drums, and Michael Dotson on second guitar – lay a greasy pocket down behind their leader that fits perfectly. Slim's vocals are spot-on, and his guitar work is his most focused yet. A truly inspired session, this is the perfect introduction to Magic Slim.

Although Max Roach was very much a product of the be-bop revolution of the 1940s, he proved to be quite receptive to modal post-bop and avant-garde jazz in the 1960s. One of the finest post-bop dates Roach recorded during that decade was 1968's Members, Don't Git Weary, which finds the drummer leading a cohesive modal quintet that employs Gary Bartz on alto sax, Charles Tolliver on trumpet, Stanley Cowell on acoustic and electric piano, and Jymie Merritt on electric bass. Despite the use of electric instruments, this isn't an album that emphasizes rock or funk elements or predicts the fusion explosion that was just around the corner – Members, Don't Git Weary is very much a straight-ahead effort, and the harmonic richness of modal playing is illustrated by such gems as Cowell's "Equipoise," Bartz's "Libra," and Merritt's "Absolutions."

This is an excellent and bargan-priced collection of mainly late Schumann, none of which is frequently encountered in the concert hall. With some of the pieces this is with good reason: in the Requiem, and especially the Mass, Schumann's genius flickers barely at all - clearly his heart wasn't in religious music, and the result is dull and worthy, at least by his usual standards. Much better are the delightful secular oratorios, Der Rose Pilgerfahrt and Paradies und die Peri, both of which breathe the sweet springlike air of Romanticism which for most listeners is the true Schumann.

The Byrds Play Dylan is the name of two compilation albums by the American rock band The Byrds, one released in 1979 and the other issued in 2002. As their titles suggest, each compilation consists of interpretations of Bob Dylan penned songs, which The Byrds recorded at different stages of their career…

Beethoven's influence over the string quartet was profound; in his hands, the genre acquired a new significance, becoming a powerful vehicle for the expression and exploration og an inner world. Featured in this box set is the Alban Berg Quartett's acclaimed recordings of the complete cycle, a showcase of the group's accomplished artistry and seamless ensemble playing.