This is a haunted, introspective album of piano-trio jazz very much indebted to Bill Evans and, to a lesser extent, George Shearing. Veteran Eddie Higgins mostly serves up standards from the Great American Songbook in a tasteful, unshowy, often gently swinging way, harmonically locked into the mainstream, occasionally throwing in a gentle quote for humor's sake.

By the time this, veteran pianist Eddie Higgins had become one of the most popular pianists in Japan, thanks in no small part to the independent label Venus Records. To commemorate its 10th anniversary with Venus, the label asked its fans which songs they would like to hear the Eddie Higgins Trio perform in their new album. Higgins chose 12 songs out of the top 25 and added two of his own choosing. It might be interesting for you to learn what songs are preferred by Japanese jazz fans.

The Pink Floyd of the late 1980s was an altogether different proposition to the band that had grown to prominence since the late 1960s.

Leonard Bernstein conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker for these legendary recordings from 1977-1979 of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9 Symphonies in this Limited Edition SACDs set. A set that in the realism of its engineering, in the poised polished execution of the Vienna Philharmonic, and in the controlled, tasteful vigor of Bernstein's conducting sets standards of Beethoven playing. Despite the age the pairing of Bernstein and the VPO was always quite special and the set has stood the test of time remarkably well, remaining an excellent choice for anybody looking for a Beethoven symphony cycle.

Ry Cooder's development as a peerless musician capable of grasping virtually any style began with his time spent with Taj Mahal and Captain Beefheart, but for all intents and purposes reaches epic proportions on Boomer's Story. With two ambitious albeit uneven studio albums behind him, the California native plunged into roles that still define him today – that of sonic archeologist and cultural historian, shaping his 1972 Reprise effort with enlightened selections carved into the bedrock of America's folk, blues, and soul landscapes.

Ry Cooder's exceptional Paradise and Lunch takes a popular precept - music as the common denominator across all languages and styles - to extremes few artists have envisioned let alone fulfilled. Considered by many diehards to be the California native's finest hour, the 1974 set unfurls with rarified levels of joyousness, ingenuity, and sophistication. A prime contender for any Desert Island list and an album that repeatedly restores your faith in the inimitable effects experienced upon listening to special performances, Paradise and Lunch is an eternal "musicians' musician" record – an adventurous, ambitious, soulful leap down roads well-traveled and paths less known.

The title of Ry Cooder's Chicken Skin Music - Hawaiian slang for goosebumps - serves as a direct, simple description of the album's emotional appeal. But it barely scratches the surface of a 1976 effort that triggered an interest in "world music" a decade before the term became commonplace and a genre into and of itself. Part of a series of inimitable mid-1970s records on which Cooder ignored traditional boundaries and instigated lasting cross-cultural communication, Chicken Skin Music blends gospel, Hawaiian, folk, blues, and Tex-Mex styles into a brilliant roots stew distinguished with virtuosic playing and inspired contextual surprises. Mastered from the original master tapes and strictly limited to 2000 numbered copies, Mobile Fidelity's hybrid SACD of Chicken Skin Music brings the brilliant instrumental textures and lively tonalities to the fore like no prior digital edition.

Out of Thin Air is PS Audio's Octave Records' premier launch recording. This is a beautiful collection of music composed and performed by world-renowned pianist, Don Grusin. We've spared no effort to create what we consider to be one of the finest piano recordings we've ever heard. We are excited to share this recording, featuring masterful solo piano playing by Don, as an ultimate reference for letting you hear how a piano can come alive in your room.

Two slinky 70s classics from French maestro Paul Mauriat - still doing great at this point in his career. Emmanuelle is a record that has Mauriat taking on the lead theme of the 70s erotic film at the start - then moving into a whole host of 70s covers, too - all done with Mauriat's trademark sense of timing alongside swirling strings - a bit of bass at the bottom, some well-paced arrangements on the top - occasionally nodding to a bit of the disco of the generation, but never too much overall…

The young Russo-British pianist Yevgeny Sudbin has inspired wildly varying reactions from critics and listeners, and he may be one of those artists whom you simply like or not. His technical skills are unquestioned, and he gets your attention with unusual gestures early on and coherently follows through on them. This collection of Haydn sonatas and other keyboard works, all pretty often played except for the Fantasia in C major, Hob. 17/4, certainly stands out from the crowd.

Altoist Phil Woods' second recording as a leader is a rather brief 34-minute set. Accompanied by a quiet but swinging rhythm section (pianist John Williams, bassist Teddy Kotick, and drummer Nick Stabulas), Woods swings hard on four standards (including "Slow Boat to China" and "Be My Love"), plus a pair of his originals: "Strollin' with Pam" and "Woodlore". The altoist displays plenty of energy and a strong command of the bebop vocabulary, sounding quite enthusiastic.

Soulville is one of the highlights of Ben Webster's golden era. From 1953 to 1959 Webster recorded 10 landmark albums showcasing his swing tenor saxophone, and this album from 1957 is considered a classic. Soulville has it all: there's cool groovy jazz, a bit of soul, a bit of blues, a sense of longing and a whole lot of romance on this ballad-heavy collection. The quintet in the credits consists of Webster, drummer Stan Levey and the Oscar Peterson Trio.

Experience Hendrix announces a brand new collection that couples the brand new feature length documentary Music, Money, Madness . . . Jimi Hendrix In Maui with the accompanying live performances on both audio and video.

Carly Simon is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Carly Simon, released in February 1971. The album was produced by Eddie Kramer, who had previously worked with Joe Cocker and Jimi Hendrix. The album included Simon's first Top 10 hit, "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be", a somber ballad centered on a woman pondering marriage with a sense of both inevitability and entrapment; the song was written by Simon and collaborator Jacob Brackman. The album features material written by Simon, with additional writing by Brackman, Kramer, and Freddy Gardner. The album also features covers of songs by Mark Klingman and Buzzy Linhart.

Saxophonist Ben Webster is joined by legendary jazz pianist Oscar Peterson. Webster, known for his association with Duke Ellington's Jazz Orchestra playing lead tenor, frequently played with Peterson in the 1950s and are joined here by some of the best jazz musicians of the time. Ben Webster Meets Oscar Peterson was originally released in 1959, and this studio album is a compilation of seven great jazz tracks, including "How Deep is the Ocean", "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning", and "Bye, Bye, Blackbird".