It's easy to love the piano of Steve Kuhn — even without the album's cover image of a model exposing herself by the side of a freeway! Kuhn's keys have a lot more class than warrants the cover — and from the very first note of the set, you'll be transported away from thinking about that image, and caught in rapt attention to Steve's warm tones on the piano. The album's got a more inside, more lyrical approach than some of his other albums of the past decade or so — but that's the charm of Kuhn on the Venus label — as they've really managed to capture the softer, sensitive side of Steve's talents. Bass is by David Finck and drums are by Billy Drummond — on titles that include "Morning Dew", "Emily", "Dear Old Stockholm", "Super Jet", "Two For The Road", and "Be My Love."

Beginning with his early decisions regarding the course of his vocal development and running through his selection of roles, repertoire, and recording programs, countertenor Andreas Scholl so far has tended to make effective and purposeful choices. This release featuring 17 English/Scottish/Irish/American folksongs is another success. Although the ambitious chamber orchestra arrangements by Craig Leon (who also produced the recording) sometimes threaten to overwhelm the simplicity–the very essence–of the songs, Scholl’s commanding–make that mesmerizing–way with these tunes and his warm, expressive voice ultimately carry the day and keep us focused on the melodies and their down-to-earth texts. This is possible not only because he loves the music (the program was Scholl’s idea) but because he delivers it so easily and freely, without affectation and in impeccable English.

An even deeper jazz set than Nicole Henry’s first album — recorded with the Eddie Higgins Trio, and done in a style that’s traditional, yet extremely soulful! There’s a sound here that reminds us a lot of Carmen Lundy — as Nicole’s singing jazz, but doing so in a mode that’s never draped with any of the torchy cliches of other singers — and which is as informed by a history of soul music as it is more standard influences from jazz. The recording quality is great — thanks to the top-shelf Venus Records standards. Since her debut, Nicole Henry has established herself among the jazz world's most acclaimed performers, possessing a potent combination of dynamic vocal abilities, impeccable phrasing, and powerful emotional resonance.

100 Hits Legends is a budget collection featuring tracks from legendary singer Frank Sinatra. Included are a variety of tracks from throughout the iconic jazz and popular singer's career.

The first album of the up-and-coming Japanese progressive rock band “Evraak” is now available! 3 songs from our EP released in 2020, and added 3 new songs then completed a 6 songs, Over an hour long epic…

Many fine recordings over the years have taught me that they know Bach in Leipzig, so I expected a lot from this recording, and wasn’t disappointed. These are possibly the best, or at least equal to the best, performances of these frequently performed works I’ve ever heard. They are very fast, but there is no sense of the music being rushed; it simply erupts at this tempo as if it couldn’t help itself, as if this were the only way it could possibly be played. Having just finished reading and reviewing a book on the origins of our ideas of original performance practice, this recording is a perfect example of what it was all about, Bach’s music pretty much the way he played it and heard it himself.

Following Dion’s critically acclaimed Blues With Friends (2020), once again an all-star cast joins him on his new album, Stomping Ground out November 19 on Keeping the Blues Alive Records (KTBA), produced by Wayne Wood and Dion. Recorded during the pandemic, the album features guests Boz Scaggs, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Peter Frampton, Patti Scialfa, Bruce Springsteen, Billy F Gibbons, Keb’ Mo’, Sonny Landreth, Joe Menza, Mike Menza, Marcia Ball, Jimmy Vivino, Rickie Lee Jones, Wayne Wood, Joe Bonamassa, and G.E. Smith…