“Infectious, captivating, powerful blues….Intense Chicago-style harp playing, witty songs and tough-as-nails grooves” –Living Blues Wildly fun, musically fearless and bursting with bravado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats have created one of the blues’ most instantly recognizable sounds and no-holds-barred styles.

John Eliot Gardiner and his period instrument ensemble produce a lovely, smooth sound in these very well played performances, which use Handel's versions for strings and winds. Balances are fine; playing and recording collaborate to produce a treasurable clarity in which every line registers. –Leslie Gerber … Handel's epic oratorio, Israel in Egypt, here in a gripping performance by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, was a failure during Handel's lifetime. This was perhaps because of its immense variety of compositional techniques and forms. It is a virtual catalog of choral compositional methods, and thus stands outside the genre of 18th-century oratorio as such. Now, of course, it is recognized as what it is, a unique, dazzling work. –Joshua Cody … Although he billed this piece as an oratorio, it's really an opera–the first ever in English, and one of the finest too. Handel's audience wasn't fooled for a minute, and a successful performance needs a dazzling cast of singers, just as in the composer's Italian operas. Good as John Eliot Gardiner's singers are, they don't surpass John Nelson's cast on DG, nor does Gardiner's direction offer much competition. Had the DG not existed this would be perfectly recommendable, but life is cruel, and you deserve the best.

(David Hurwitz)

Youngest son of J.S. Bach, Johann Christian Bach rose to prominence in England during the early Classical period much the same as his father dominated the German Baroque. His writing was influenced by his father, of course, but also by the fashions being explored by Haydn. J.C. Bach also served as a bridge to Mozart, whose work and early writings were also influenced by the junior Bach. A total of 15, three-movement symphonies were published under Opp. 6, 9, and 18.

Sublime early work from Stan Getz — a lyrical genius even at this early point in his career ! There's a subtle brilliance here that's undeniable — a tenor sound that draws from Lester Young and Ben Webster, but which pushes into fresh new territory for the 50s — lean, but still very soulful at the core — a blend that none of Stan's contemporaries could ever match this well ! The album features a group that includes a very young Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, plus rhythm by Teddy Kotick, John Williams, and Frank Isola. Tracks are longish and easily swinging — and Getz's tone, as always, makes the whole thing come together like magic!

For twenty years the Berliner Philharmoniker has celebrated its 1882 founding with a concert at a major European venue, and the 2011 event takes place at the magnificent Teatro Real in Madrid. The renowned orchestra, under the baton of Sir Simon Rattle, performs Joaquín Rodrigo’s beloved Concierto de Aranjuez, Emmanuel Chabrier’s exuberant España, and Sergey Rachmaninov’s dramatic Second Symphony. It is joined for the Concierto by the famous flamenco guitarist Cañizares, whose virtuosity and sensitivity are given full opportunity to shine in this multi-faceted and subtle work.

'The Other River' is a personal and striking collection of original songs written, arranged and sung by veteran US guitarist and singer/songwriter Joel Harrison, and follows his acclaimed quintet release on Whirlwind - 'Spirit House'. Whilst it bears some of Harrison's trademark compositional moves, this album - his eighteenth - may come as something of a surprise to his many, established jazz followers. The project's focus is very much its lyrical, unfettered storytelling conveyed through stripped-down music - unabashed Americana modelled on the work of Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, and Robert Hunter - which reaches out to the heart in candidly dealing with mortality and loss, redemption and forgiveness. "I came to this music because I had to", says Harrison. "There were things I was going through that made me yearn for a new level of honesty and bare-bones truth-telling. Words seemed to be the way forward. Instrumental music couldn't pierce these regions in the same way". Joel Harrison's core ensemble all share a love of jazz, country, R&B and gospel, which can be heard in the stylistic multiplicity of their approach to these eleven numbers.

Beyond And Before: The BBC Recordings 1969-1970 is a 2CD compilation by British progressive rock band Yes. These are taken from BBC radio broadcasts done in support of their first two albums. This was released by Purple Pyramid.

Love Walks In is a 1993 bootleg CD by American heavy metal band Van Halen. It was recorded in the city of New Haven during the band's tour of their 5150 album in 1986 featuring Sammy Hagar on vocals, despite what the cover hints at. This is the same audio taken from the home video Live Without A Net. This came out on the On Stage label.

Indigo Nights: Live Sessions is a 2008 live album by Prince. Officially released for a book he published, the recording is "a document of Prince and The NPG's reign of 21 consecutive performances at London's O2 Arena during the summer of 2007." It was also released as a CD-only release in the UK and Spain.

Space Vol. 1 & 2 (Live In Aachen) is a 2001 bootleg CD by British hard rock band Deep Purple. The original bootleg was released as a double record in 1970 and the title remained when it was bootlegged to CD. It was eventually released officially but this is taken from the bootleg pressing.

No one, but no one, painted a picture in song of despair and desolation like the Thin Man from the West Plains, Porter Wagoner. Forget the Nudie suit and the pompadour; Waylon Jennings once said that Wagoner couldn’t go pop with a mouthful of firecrackers, and these 40 songs prove it. Sure, the hits—27 of ‘em in all and every Top Ten solo smash—are here, like “A Satisfied Mind,” “Misery Loves Company,” “Skid Row Joe,” “The Cold Hard Facts of Life,” and “The Carroll County Incident,” but what elevates this collection above a mere best-of are the tracks lifted from Wagoner’s starkly compelling concept albums (complete with their amazing album art, some of which we’ve included here) like Confessions of a Broken Man, Soul of a Convict and Other Great Prison Songs, and The Bottom of the Bottle. Grammy-winning writer Colin Escott contributes notes to the package, which is newly remastered by Vic Anesini at Battery Studios in New York. Country music never got harder than this…this ain’t cry-in-your-beer country, it’s more like punch-in-the-gut poetry. Essential!

Two years after his latest trio album with David Reinhardt and Jean-Baptiste Laya, Christian Escoudé is back in the beginning of 2010 with a rich and varied album, recorded with the cream of jazz musicians: David Reinhardt and Jean-Baptiste Laya on guitars, Anne Paceo on drums, Darryl Hall on acoustic bass, Thomas Savy on clarinets and whiz kid Fiona Monbet on violin. A high-level rhythm section, clarinets' solos worthy of a classical soloist, a violin filled with emotion, meticulous arrangements, a beautiful production, a splendid acoustic sound accompanying Christian Escoudé's very inspired guitars, giving this album a very special flavour. The spiritual father of the whole new generation of guitarists, Christian offers here a light and yet very intense album, reminding us he is one of Django's most worthy representative. Long live the young at heart!

The Wanderers is a 1979 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Philip Kaufman, starring Ken Wahl, John Friedrich, Karen Allen and Toni Kalem. Set in the Bronx in 1963, the film follows a gang of Italian-American teenagers known as the Wanderers and their ongoing power struggles with rival gangs such as the Del Bombers. 17-track CD featuring a collection of jukebox classics from the soundtrack to the motion picture, including tracks by The Four Seasons, Lee Dorsey, The Angels, The Shirelles, The Chantays, The Champs, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, Ben E. King, The Surfaris, The Isley Brothers, The Contours, The Volumes, and Dion.

Review Summary: An artist at another crossroads proves that he still has some ideas to offer and builds an inconsistent album around them. Christian Fitness is the (sort-of-) solo project by Future of the Left’s eccentric frontman, Andy Falkous. Love Letters in the Age of Steam treads ground that should be familiar enough for fans of Andy that are aware of his past works, but it’s also got a couple of natural evolutions that have been a long time coming. The album has a somewhat unfortunate tendency that is common for artist’s of Falkous’s caliber in that it exists in a state of simultaneous progression and regression.

This fascinating date features pianist Ahmad Jamal at the beginning of his recording career. With guitarist Ray Crawford and either Eddie Calhoun or Israel Crosby on bass, Jamal showcases a style that would be a major influence on Miles Davis' music. Jamal's use of space and dynamics was very different than the style of any other jazz pianist of the era. His versions of "Old Devil Moon," "Will You Still Be Mine?," "The Surrey with the Fringe on Top," and "A Gal in Calico" inspired Miles to record the songs in a similar fashion, and his "Billy Boy" became the basis of a performance by the Red Garland Trio. Most fascinating is Jamal's inventive interpretation of "Pavanne," for it has a section very reminiscent of "So What" (which was not "composed" by Davis until over two years later) and a melody statement that is exactly the same as John Coltrane's "Impressions."