The greatest classics in this area are collected on a magnificent 3 CD digipack. A timeless view with Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Carly Simon, Chris Rea and many others. 60 tracks.

Much of Larry Coryell's work is as difficult to find as it is to categorize – the man seemed to have spent the late '70s and early '80s making albums for anyone who could come up with a microphone and a tape recorder. That said, it's surprising how high the quality level is on most of these releases. Bolero/Scheherazade is one of the most difficult, as it seems to have been released only in Germany and Japan. The album's obscurity may have something to do with the fact that it is confusingly named; Larry Coryell released an album two years before called Bolero, which has nothing to do with this CD. The "Bolero" on that album was a short, improvised piece composed by Coryell, while the one featured here is a reworking of the classic by Maurice Ravel.

Sonya Bach’s debut album for Rubicon was a well-received 2CD set of J.S Bach’s Keyboard Concerti with the English Chamber Orchestra. For this, her second album, she turns to Chopin and his Etudes. These works so stunned the critics and public when they appeared that Theodor Kullak wrote some 50 years after their publication, “Hence when we speak of the ideal of an Etude, the name of Chopin almost involuntarily falls from our lips.” That was in the 1880s and it remains true to this day.

After a double album dedicated to Boccherini and acclaimed by critics, Ophélie Gaillard and the Pulcinella Orchestra reveal the incredible sound palette of Vivaldi, one of the most brilliant venetian musicians.

The original group (then known as The Lovelles) was from Tampa, Florida, and formed in 1966 with a line-up of Albert Bailey, Brenda Hilliard and Zulema Cusseaux. Their first hit single in 1970 was on Maxwell Records with “So Much Love,” produced by McCoy who had been instrumental in securing their first record deal. After switching to Sussex Records, Cusseaux left for a solo career, and in 1975, Hilliard (‘Faith’) and Bailey (‘Hope’) were joined by Dianne Destry (‘Charity’) just prior to signing a new contract with RCA, reuniting with Van McCoy as their producer.

Hailing from Tampa, Florida, the original group (then known as The Lovelles) was formed in 1966 and consisted of Albert Bailey, Brenda Hilliard and Zulema Cusseaux. After touring with Sam & Dave, the trio signed with Maxwell Records, where they scored their first hit single in 1970 with “So Much Love,” which was produced by McCoy, who had been instrumental in securing their first record deal. After switching to Sussex Records, Cusseaux left for a solo career, and in 1975, Hilliard (“Faith”) and Bailey (“Hope”) were joined by Dianne Destry (“Charity”) just prior to signing a new contract with RCA, where they reunited with Van McCoy as their producer.

It is very much out of character for the prolific Keith Jarrett and his producer Manfred Eicher to hold anything back, yet they've done it here, releasing these live tapes of Jarrett's European quartet ten years after they were recorded. Presumably, they did it in order not to distract attention from Nude Ants, which was recorded a week after these concerts, but that never stopped them before from just piling on more discs. In any case, these Tokyo recordings were too good to hide; the quartet had reached an interactive creative high around this time, often burning at the rarified level that Nude Ants reached. Jarrett is both lyrically effusive and able to ignite his European colleagues into giving him more swinging support than on earlier sessions. In particular, the title track has a lot of the exploratory fervor of "New Dance" from Nude Ants, and "Late Night Willie" gets down deep into the Jarrett gospel feeling.

The story behind Grover Washington, Jr.'s first session date as a leader revolves around a sheer coincidence of being in the right place at the right time. The truth is, the date for Creed Taylor's Kudu imprint was supposed to feature Hank Crawford in the soloist's chair. Crawford couldn't make the date and longtime sideman Washington got the nod. His being closely affiliated with organists Charles Earland and Johnny Hammond didn't hurt, and his alto and tenor saxophones' tone was instantly noticeable for both its song-like quality and Washington's unique ability to dig deep into R&B territory for his expression of feeling. Released in 1972, produced by Taylor, and arranged and orchestrated by Bob James, the list of players in this band is equally impressive: James played Fender Rhodes, there's Richard Tee on organ, bassist Ron Carter…

Once Keith Jarrett gets into a concept, he likes to keep those tapes rolling. This two-disc live outpouring from a Standards Trio gig at Munich's Philharmonic Hall was the biggest offering from this group up to that time (it wouldn't hold that distinction for long) – and once again, Jarrett treats his brace of pop and jazz standards with unpredictable, often eloquently melodic and structural originality. To cite a pair of highlights: "Autumn Leaves" always seems to bring out an endless flow of invention from Jarrett, and "The Song Is You" gets off to a rollicking start and maintains a nearly relentless energy level for 17 minutes, closing with a Spanish vamp. Again, the rapport with his onetime jazz-rock associate, drummer Jack DeJohnette, and bassist Gary Peacock is total; DeJohnette's mastery of shifting cymbal patterns while maintaining the pulse acts on the trio like a loose tether made of carbon steel.

This is first rate neo prog, maybe not original, but well played and with intresting passages. The bass, drums are all over and is clear that they play with pleasure for neo prog music. People who enjoyed the band's first two releases and also fancy the early Marillion albums should check out Behind The Mask.

This is a star-led performance of one of the most popular romantic operas with the unrivalled pairing of Fleming and Hvorostovsky as the doomed lovers. Their onstage chemistry, emotional singing and outstanding acting make this a truly special and unique production. Thousands of movie-goers watched this production live in cinemas across Europe and the US in February 2007, when the production and the singing of the central characters met with great critical acclaim. Valery Gergiev, Russia's greatest living conductor, leads Russia's classic opera, with a thrilling account of Tchaikovsky's most intense and passionate score.