These pre-Chicago recordings of Fritz Reiner with the Pittsburghers is a reminder of his greatness as a conductor. It also restores to the catalog his recordings of some composers he wasn't closely identified with. Shostakovitch, for example, wasn't a regular on Reiner's studio schedule, but should have been, for this Sixth bristles with sardonic wit and energy. The Kodaly Dances, of course, were right up Reiner's alley, and get a smashing performance. The shorter works too, are first class, especially the Bart243;k Hungarian Sketches and another Reiner calling card, Kabalevsky's Colas Breugnon Overture. Weiner's string Divertimento is charming, but the real prize may be Glinka's Kamarinskaya, given a peformance that shimmers and glistens with delicacy and life. Sony's restoration of the 1945-1947 recordings is faultless.

The Alligator debut by these masters of houserocking classic Chicago blues, raw Delta blues and rockabilly, features six fresh-as-today's-headlines originals like "Blues For Chi-Raq," "Build That Wall" and "If You Got A Jealous Woman Facebook Ain't Your Friend," and reignites songs by Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Jimmy Reed and more. A raucous album full of telepathic ensemble playing, whether shuffling hard, jumping like mad or getting down into raw, slow blues.

Composed for the 1744 celebrations at Drottningholm Palace of the marriage between the Swedish crown prince Adolf Fredrik and Lovisa Ulrika of Prussia, Johan Helmich Roman's Drottningholm Music is a key work in Swedish art music. Consisting of 24 individual movements, it forms an inventory of short pieces suitable for providing the proper musical ambience for the royal celebrations, which took place over four days. As befitted the occasion, the character of the music is buoyant and witty, and when the atmosphere occasionally veers away from the carefree, it is towards a graceful melancholy rather than grief or pain. This also conforms to the spirit of the time, as does the style of the music itself: varied and brimming with ideas, but never weighed down by dry learnedness or disproportionate displays of emotion. Roman had spent formative years in London in the 1710s, and in the 1730s made a long journey throughout Europe, absorbing the new, ‘galant' currents in music. Although by 1744 he was suffering from failing health, he was at his peak as a composer, and in this sparkling and joyful music he demonstrates both his innate talent and the impressions gathered from music by composers such as Sammartini and Leonardo Leo.

Art in America begins as delicate, somewhat elegant album with a pleasing mix of harp, guitar and keyboard that slowly changes to a more arena rock sound with progressive touches that make the band sounds like Asia meets Breathe. A pretty and slightly mystic album with hints of album rock and pop, Art in America was overlooked upon its release.

Mickey Jupp – known to his fans as ‘Juppy’ – was the singer, pianist and guitar player with the Sixties’ British rock band Legend. Based in Southend On Sea, Juppy had previously performed with the Orioles and was steeped in rock’n’roll tradition. When Legend broke up in 1972 the singer re-launched his career on the London circuit, where he attained semi-mythical status as a pioneer of UK pub rock. He was signed to the eclectic Stiff label, and ‘Juppanese’ was released in 1978 to great acclaim among aficionados. Here are a dozen rockin’ tracks, including the appropriately titled ‘Old Rock’n’Roller’, together with five bonus items, comprising A and B-sides and album tracks, all composed by the ‘Juppanese’ man himself.

This disc of the complete Piano Trios of Michael Nyman, performed by the Irish Fidelio Trio, is the first volume in a set of the composer's complete chamber music. Each of Nyman's trios has a programmatic element. Poczatek, a world premiere recording, contains five movements derived from Nyman's score to the film of the same name. Its musical material is inspired by classic Polish feature and documentary films of the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Photography of Chance, another world premiere, refers to the re-seeing of industrial reality in early Soviet photography. The trio Yellow Beach is a transfigured version of 'Come Unto These Yellow Sands', from Nyman's score to the film Prospero's Books. Time Will Pronounce was inspired by Joseph Brodsky's poem Bosnia Tune, which deals with the horror of the staggering daily death toll of the Bosnian war in the 1990s.

Mirror of My Mind is an album by Japanese musician Ryo Kawasaki, released in 1979. It was recorded at Power Station Studios (now called Avatar Studios) in New York City, USA.

Fans of Stevie Ray Vaughan will notice the title of this disc is that of a Vaughan song. Indeed, three selections from his songbook are covered here: "Too Sorry," "Telephone Song," and the title track. The impressive Melvin Taylor is an electric blues guitarist who will appeal to the fans of the legendary Texan for his skilled and precise playing along with his smooth and expressive vocals. Taylor definitely continues the Chicago blues tradition that begot Luther Allison, Buddy Guy, and Otis Rush. Taylor gives his version of Rush's "Right Place, Wrong Time" on this collection of nine covers. His lineup here is a trio – a reliable bass and drum rhythm section keeps up a steady bottom end, showcasing his ability to handle all vocals and guitar parts. Every track here is rife in the easy genius that marks a true master of the blues craft.

Anthony Camden, for years principal oboe of the LSO, here makes a very welcome solo appearance on disc, playing with typical point and style, using his attractively reedy tone. The regular oboe concertos are well supplemented by the Suite in G minor as edited by Camden, where he is joined by the prize-winning Julia Girdwood on the second oboe. The Otho Overture too features prominent roles for oboes in duet. Ward and the City of London Sinfonia are sympathetic accompanists using modern instruments. First-rate sound from All Saints, East Finchley.

Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 18 November 1991 on Island Records. Achtung Baby is one of U2's most successful records; it received favourable reviews and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 Top Albums, while topping the charts in many other countries. Rolling Stone ranked the record at number 63 on its 2012 list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Journeyman blues icon vocalist/guitarist/violinist Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown delivers another solid mix of electric Texas blues, country, and swing on Timeless. At this point in his career, Brown essentially represents all that is "roots" music, which is another way of saying he has nothing to prove and the listener has everything to gain. To these ends, Brown's impassioned wail fills the sky on the slow blues "For Now So Long," he reworks "Unchained Melody" into an atmospheric John Coltrane-inspired piece, and he delivers a funny yet compelling Sun Ra-esque spoken word intro on "The Drifter." Featuring a full complement of horns and a rhythm section, Timeless showcases all that makes Brown a living national treasure.

On his seventh offering, and his first since 2001's Texoma, Okie beatnik cum Austin songwriter Jimmy LaFave listens deeply to the tender whispers of his Muse and lets flow with his most personal offering to date. LaFave has always given us song pictures of an America that has either disappeared or is on the verge; he has celebrated its highways, its people, and its heart. He has also given us some choice love songs. But on Blue Nightfall he has gone deep into the latter theme and has come up with a beauty. It's not that he's ignored his other concerns; there are road songs and topical tunes as well. But it's in LaFave's love songs that listeners get to hear a depth and vastness that feel new. LaFave's voice is his greatest asset and he uses it to great effect here, and his production is spot-on throughout. The title track, "Revival," "Sweet Sweet Love," "When You Were Mine," and "Rain Falling Down" are all broken-hearted ballads, colored in woven and textured acoustic and electric guitars accented by Radoslav Lorkovik's accordions, pianos, and organs, and supported by a taut yet subtle rhythm section in bassist Will Landin and drummer Wally Doggett.

Barbara McNair is certainly not the only singer to get lost in the shuffle at Motown at the company's mid-'60s zenith, but her tenure there seemed particularly star-crossed – as this 48-track Ultimate Motown Collection illustrates, much of her finest material was inexplicably withheld from release (in particular the much-bootlegged Northern soul classic "Baby a Go-Go"), while official singles like "My World Is Empty Without You" were issued in the wake of existing hit renditions by other Motown artists. But McNair boasted a genuinely sophisticated, sexy style that was unique in the Motown canon, and her voice – though by no means a powerhouse – is nevertheless stronger and more affecting than Diana Ross, whose hand-me-downs she often received. Compiling her full-lengths Here I Am and The Real Barbara McNair, the unreleased Barbara McNair Sings Smokey, non-LP singles, and rare vault material, this two-disc set finally pays McNair the respect she's always deserved – complete with informative liner notes and excellent sound, it's tough to imagine a better representation of her music.

Up to this point, Eldar Djangirov has been best known as a brilliant young acoustic pianist who is influenced a little by Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock. While Eldar has previously been heard mainly in trios, Re-Imagination is a bit of a departure, ranging from unaccompanied piano solos on "Tears" and "Dream Song" and a romping trio rendition of Oscar Peterson's "Place St. Henri" to a few electronic numbers on which Eldar adds synthesizers for color. Three selections have DJ Logic on turntables, interacting with the leader's keyboards. The electronic trappings may dismay Eldar's fans, but in general they are quite intelligent and reasonably creative. Even those numbers have strong displays of Eldar's acoustic piano playing, and he really digs into "South Bixel." One cannot blame Eldar for spreading his wings a bit, and fortunately no one gets hurt along the way. This CD was nominated for a Grammy award in 2007 for Best Contemporary Jazz Album.

Living in a Box is the eponymous debut album from British pop group Living in a Box. It was released on Chrysalis Records in 1987, and features their biggest U.S. hit, the self-titled single, which reached a peak of number 17 that year.