Conductor Paavo Berglund transformed several orchestras into world-class ensembles over his long career. Known as a perfectionist, he specialized in the music of Sibelius and made three complete recordings of his symphonies. Paavo Berglund and the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra recorded this cycle of the symphonies of Jean Sibelius between 1972 and 1977, with additional recordings of the tone poems dating from the same period.

Altoist Jackie McLean's second session as a leader is reissued on this SACD. The music that he makes with trumpeter Donald Byrd, pianist Elmo Hope, bassist Doug Watkins and drummer Art Taylor is essentially hard bop with fairly simple (or in some cases nonexistent) melody statements preceding two romps through the "I Got Rhythm" chord changes, a pair of blues, a thinly disguised "Embraceable You" and a straightforward version of "A Foggy Day". Enjoyable if not really essential music from the up-and-coming altoist.

"In a Latin Bag" is an album by American jazz vibraphonist Cal Tjader featuring performances recorded in 1961 and released on the Verve label. AllMusic review stating "Cal Tjader recorded prolifically for Verve during the first half of the 1960s, though this is one of his lesser-known dates … it is well worth snapping up if found".

Callen Radcliffe Tjader, Jr. was an American Latin jazz musician, known as the most successful non-Latino Latin musician. He explored other jazz idioms, even as he continued to perform the music of Cuba, the Caribbean, and Latin America for the rest of his life. "Soña Libré" is his 1963 album. Billboard magazine reviewed the album in their May 25, 1963 issue and wrote that on the album Tjader has "a solid collection of tracks that have swing and a quiet insistent sound".

James Thurston Nabors was an American actor, singer, and comedian. "The Complete Columbia Christmas Recordings" combines Jim Nabors' two holiday albums for Columbia – 1967's Jim Nabors' Christmas Album and 1972's Merry Christmas – adding a couple of seasonal religious tunes from 1968's The Lord's Prayer & Other Sacred Songs and 1971's How Great Thou Art for good measure (as it happens, these bonus cuts include two different versions of "Ave Maria." Of the two albums, the 1967 set is slightly stuffier – there's a reliance on old-fashioned carols and the string arrangements are a bit stiff – but 1971 conjures just a bit of the spirit of Hollywood holiday specials, its strings feeling slightly snazzy, not starchy. His sensibility belongs in an era that was bypassed when these records were recorded, so this release functions as dual nostalgia: pining for pining for days of Christmas past.

This album brings together two great American jazz pianists, Dave McKenna and Hall Overton, for a one-off session of piano jazz, released in 1960.

Inger Marie waited for many years before she ventured upon a solo career, but she has ample experience from many years’ activities in the music field. For twenty years she has been active as vocalist in several bands, ranging from a youthful rock band to a six year period as lead singer of a jazz big band. She has also fronted her own jazz quintet ”My Favorite Strings”, as well as collaborating with several excellent jazz musicians, among them Tom Lund, one of Norway’s finest Latin jazz-guitarists, founder of the renowned group ”Trio de Janeiro”. ”Make This Moment” was released in Norway in October 2004. The album received rave reviews and instant recognition by jazz aficionados. After some months, Inger Marie's voice started touching hearts and impressing music lovers in places far from Norway. Now the album has been released in most of Asia, as well as in Europe, and has touched the hearts and souls of thousands of listeners.

Originally released only in Japan, Flood is a classic jazz/funk album. Herbie Hancock's eighteenth album features songs from previous albums Thrust, Head Hunters, and Man-Child.

Pamela Thorby has an international reputation as one of the most versatile and stylish recorder players of her generation. Her virtuoso playing can be heard on numerous recordings, ranging from the medieval period to the present day. Richard Egarr began their musical partnership as students together at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, leading to acclaimed duo recitals at the Purcell Room and the Wigmore Hall in London. They have appeared in concert and on disc together on many occasions as their respective careers progressed, but this is the first time that they have recorded together as a duo. This is their second solo album and a second Gramophone 'Choice' accolade which was widely acclaimed as a benchmark recording.

This live album from 1984 featuring drummer Eddie Graham and his trio was recorded at Mario's Restaurant in Palm Desert, California. Renowned for its superb sound quality, typical of all Wilson Audiophile releases, the collection of swinging standards has been hard to find for several years.

Herb Alpert's first holiday album in almost 50 years! Recorded at the legendary Capitol Studios in Hollywood, "The Christmas Wish" boasts a 10-piece rhythm section, a 45-piece orchestra, and a 32-member choir! Alpert’s grand return to the genre features a full symphony backing his iconic trumpet sound, as he brings new life to classics like “I’ll Be Home For Christmas”, “Winter Wonderland” and “Silent Night”.

Norwegian bassist Arild Andersen, Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith and Italian expat drummer Paolo Vinaccia made waves around the world with their award-winning debut recording, the much lauded concert album Live at Belleville. "Mira", the trio's studio follow-up, is a programme of soulful ballads and midtempo free-floating sound explorations, pairing Anderson’s muscular bass with Smith’s vaulting tenor in an exceptionally compelling blend.

Bassist Arild Andersen shines as the principal soloist in a celebration of music from ECM with specially-commissioned new big-band arrangements of well-known pieces by Dave Holland, Chick Corea, Trygve Seim, Jan Garbarek, and Keith Jarrett. The resourceful Tommy Smith adds powerful tenor solos, arranges Garbarek's "Molde Canticle", and directs the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra.

For collectors of Claudio Abbado's recordings, the performances on this three-discs Japanese Esoteric label's remastered release of the Italian conductor's digital recordings of Brahms' symphonies with the Berliner Philharmoniker may seem redundant, since the symphonies were previously released as single discs in the late '80s and early '90s on Deutsche Grammophon. But this box set marks the first hybrid SACD release of historical recording selections. These new audio versions feature Esoteric's proprietary re-mastering process to achieve the highest level of sound quality.

On this stunning album, Anna Netrebko delivers spine-tingling renditions of arias by four of the greatest composers of Italian opera: Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Conducted by the great Claudio Abbado, this is a true masterpiece - a must have for any fan of opera or orchestral music.