In 2011 the Berliner Philharmoniker and their musical director Sir Simon Rattle welcomed in the New Year with a gala concert programmed with ‘Dances & Dreams’. Spinetingling and inspiring performances of music by Dvořák, Ravel, Richard Strauss, Stravinsky and Brahms are complemented by the extraordinary talent of the multi-awarded Russian pianist Evgeny Kissin. Kissin’s musicality, the depth and poetic quality of his interpretations, and his extraordinary virtuosity have placed him at the forefront of today’s pianists, and his passionate performance of the renowned Piano Concerto in A minor by Edvard Grieg is mesmerizing.

Anyone who knows anything about Victor Wooten knows that he's one of those rare souls: he gains a rep for playing the bass. Soul Circus, however, isn't just an extravaganza for bass players. Wooten, as it turns out, is also a heck of a writer and, as the listener will learn on the first track, a fine singer. The unusual first track, "Victa," is a funky, soulful hymn in praise of – who else – Wooten himself, while "Bass Tribute" offers accolades to those who've come before him.

Consign to Oblivion is the second studio album by Dutch symphonic metal band Epica, and was released in 2005. The song "Trois Vierges" features a guest appearance by then-Kamelot vocalist Roy Khan. The album's lyrics are inspired by the Maya civilization. The phrase "In lak' ech, hala ken” expresses the concept of unity of Mayan thought, after which the song "Another Me (In Lack' Ech)" was named. Stylistically, the album is more focused towards orchestration than other Epica releases and features heavy use of a chorus. Additionally, Mark Jansen's death growls appear less frequently, occurring on only three songs, "Force of the Shore", "Mother of Light" and "Consign to Oblivion". But a bonus track, the Death cover "Crystal Mountain" includes grunts, and a grunt version of "Quietus" was released on the "Quietus (Silent Reverie)" single, making it five songs with grunts. A single with an acoustic version of the song "Solitary Ground" was extracted from the album The Score – An Epic Journey, released the same year. The bonus cover of "Crystal Mountain" is one of the very few Epica songs to not feature Simone Simons in any capacity, and the album is the band's only release to date where Simone Simons' lyrical contributions outnumber those of Jansen.

Composer Maurice Jarre's majestic score for David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia is as epic and grand as the 1962 Oscar-winning movie itself. Bombastic and hypnotic, balancing sweeping strings and brass with violent percussion, Jarre (who also conducts) holds back nothing, relying on the film's desert vistas to guide his soaring, Middle Eastern-inspired cues into the listener's head like a cannonball. While the Tony Bremner-conducted re-recording that appeared a few years later is of excellent quality, there is no matching the power and cinematic scope of the original.

Born on Christmas Day 1949 in Lambert, Mississippi, Archie Lee Hooker grew up as the son of a Son of a sharecropper. When he moved to Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 13, his life changed suddenly …abruptly. In this world with an abundance of new opportunities and sources of inspiration, he began with his gospel group, The Marvellous Five

Over the last half-decade, The Pineapple Thief, led by musical polymath Bruce Soord and bolstered by the involvement of master drummer Gavin Harrison, has rapidly ascended to the upper echelons of Europe’s Alternative Rock scene.

Before he was bassist for one of the biggest bands in the universe, Guns N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan was a punk rocker in Seattle. And now we can hear what a 17-year-old McKagan sounded like thanks to The Living: 1982, a previously unreleased LP from his early band The Living.

Volume six in the complete recordings of trumpeter Red Nichols as reissued by the Classics Chronological Series consists of 25 Victor and Brunswick recordings dating from September 1930 through January 1931, and is especially recommended to those who enjoy Depression-era jazz and pop vocals, with the pop outweighing the jazz by a considerable margin. "On Revival Day," a topical novelty originally released in two parts on flipsides of a 78 rpm record, trombonist Jack Teagarden is backed by a vocal group billed as the Foursome. Forthwith, Nichols' ensemble is garnished at times with a couple of violins and is almost invariably dusted with sugary vocals by Scrappy Lambert, Dick Robertson, Eddie Thomas, Paul Small, and songwriter Harold Arlen…

"The variety is broad and the band itself can blow up a storm!" - WTJU. The charismatic performances that distinguish Outrospection center on the 11 expressive compositions from Gregg Hill, an under-the-radar composer of imagination and emotional depth. Renowned bassist Rodney Whitaker first recognized Hill's music several years ago, and soon after they teamed up for the 2018 release, "Common Ground." Warmth and humanity resonate throughout the recording, grown out of their friendship, two men of disparate generations and backgrounds who found each other through the music. "We both know how to listen," Whitaker reflects. "Our common ground is the music. It's really the great neutralizer." The exceptional improvisors joining Whitaker are drawn primarily from the jazz faculty at Michigan State University, the program he has helmed for two decades. Forming quartets and quintets with the rest of the rhythm section, Xavier Davis on piano and drummer Dana Hall, are Etienne Charles on trumpet, trombonist Michael Dease, and saxophonists Diego Rivera and Marcus Elliott. Rockelle Whitaker contributes lyrics and vocals to four of Hill's compositions.

n the late 60s, Latin New York was dominated by the boogaloo and Latin Soul. From the music’s first flowering with Johnny Colon’s “Boogaloo Blues” and “Joe Cuba’s ‘Bang Bang” it was clear that this sound of the 2nd and 3rd generation New York born children of Puerto Rican immigrants was bringing a new fervour, mixing traditional Latin music with the sounds of the soul music that was in the air of the city. For the next few years, until it was blown away by the juggernaut of salsa this was the sound of Latin New York.

Live at the Hollywood Bowl was one of a brace of official live Doors recordings that began circulating around in the 1980s, and had the distinction of being captured on film as well…

This edition contains Paul Quinichettes complete EmArcy album "Moods", which is presented here for the first time ever on CD, newly and carefully remastered in 20-bit, (including a rare alternate take of Plush Life only issued before on an out of print compilation set). This album showcased the tenor saxophonist in collaboration with Quincy Jones, who arranged and composed all of the numbers but two.

Glass Hammer is a Symphonic Progressive Rock band from the United States. They formed in 1992 when multi-instrumentalists Steve Babb and Fred Schendel began to write and record Journey of the Dunadan, a concept album based on the story of Aragorn from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. To their surprise, the album sold several thousand units via the Internet, The QVC Shop-At-Home Network and phone orders, leaving Babb and Schendel convinced that the band was a project worth continuing.
Musically, they lean towards 70's driven symphonic rock, with strong keyboard orientation; specifically Hammond organs in the tradition of ELP. They have a superb melodic flow to the music they make, encapsulating real power and dynamics without ever becoming overpowering…

Although often associated with the blues, only one of the ten selections on this quartet set by pianist Gene Harris (who is joined by guitarist Ron Eschete, bassist Ray Brown, and drummer Jeff Hamilton) is technically a blues. On this excellent all-around showcase for the soulful pianist, Harris sounds in prime form exploring such tunes as "This Masquerade," "Don't Be That Way," Eddie Harris' "Listen Here," and "The Song Is Ended." Listen Here! gives listeners a pretty definitive look at Gene Harris' accessible and swinging style.

Inspired by Pink Floyd’s own record breaking 1994 ‘P-U-L-S-E’ Tour and including the trademark arch and circle light design, Brit Floyd pay special tribute to era defining classic rock album ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’, this year celebrating it’s 40th Anniversary…