James Brown was arguably the most important and innovative R&B artist of the '60s and '70s, a singer, songwriter, and bandleader who rewrote the book on how the music would sound as he redefined soul, laid the groundwork for funk, anticipated the grooves that would drive hip-hop, and even influenced new movements in rock and jazz. This box set collects five albums from James Brown's extensive back catalog, dominated by recordings of Brown's fabled live shows. Live at the Apollo is a classic 1962 concert set from New York's Apollo Theater that documents Brown's dynamic stage show at a time when he was widely regarded as the most exciting performer on Earth. Sex Machine, released in 1970, is another live set that captures Brown's powerhouse stage band the J.B.'s (including Bootsy Collins, Maceo Parker, and Fred Wesley) tearing through a breathtaking set of extended funk workouts. And Revolution of the Mind is a 1971 release that preserved another show at the Apollo, playing a set that covered his '60s soul hits as well as his more recent funk groovers. Along with the three live discs, this set includes two compilations of Brown's classic funk performances, 70's Funk Classics and In the Jungle Groove.

Neatly chopping up the band’s career into three segments, Rush’s Sector series of box sets breaks the Canadian prog rockers' early musical legacy into easy-to-digest morsels. On Sector 2, we find the band transitioning from its early developmental period into mainstream success with the albums A Farewell to Kings, Hemispheres, Permanent Waves, Moving Pictures, and the live album Exit…Stage Left…

"Wet Wet Wet celebrate the 30th anniversary of Popped In Souled Out with a special remastered edition featuring extra bonus tracks. Having formed in 1982 after taking their name from a line in a Scritti Politti song, the band’s first single Wishing I Was Lucky was released in 1987, which started an incredible unbroken run of 27 Top 40 hits…

Contralto Nathalie Stutzmann shines a light on the deep-voiced female singers of the Baroque era, often overshadowed by the extravagant talents and reputations of castrato singers like Farinelli and Caffarelli. Her programme of Handel, Vivaldi, Porpora, Bononcini, Caldara and Gasparini displays the variety of operatic roles – both female and male – assumed by contraltos like Vittoria Tesi and Anna Marchesini. “We must remember that the opera composers of the early 18th century saw the female contralto and the male castrato as vocally interchangeable,” says Stutzmann, “and that the voice most closely resembling a castrato is not the countertenor – produced using a falsetto technique – but the contralto, which is a natural voice.” Stutzmann both sings and conducts Orfeo 55, the instrumental ensemble she founded a decade ago

The Most Incredible Thing is the Pet Shop Boys' first foray into the world of ballet scoring, and it’s as slick and smart as expected. Composed for London’s Sadlers Wells Theater adaptation of a late-period Hans Christian Andersen story, this must be a welcome souvenir for audience members, but those not in attendance will find the two-disc set a bit much, and with so many story-driven twists and audio cues, it’s too demanding for background listening. That said, any fans who found the duo’s Battleship Potemkin soundtrack compelling will find this a welcome, lighter alternative, seeing as how the sound is another mashing of Russian classical music and synth pop, with Tchaikovsky being the composer of influence here…

Working with the same quartet that cut Heavy Soul - organist Freddie Roach, bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Al Harewood - Ike Quebec recorded another winning hard bop album with It Might As Well Be Spring. In many ways, the record is a companion piece to Heavy Soul. Since the two albums were recorded so close together, it's not surprising that there a number of stylistic similarities, but there are subtle differences to savor. The main distinction between the two dates is that It Might As Well Be Spring is a relaxed, romantic date comprised of standards. It provides Quebec with ample opportunity to showcase his rich, lyrical ballad style, and he shines throughout the album. Similarly, Roach has a tasteful, understated technique, whether he's soloing or providing support for Quebec. The pair have a terrific, sympathetic interplay that makes It Might As Well Be Spring a joyous listen.

Excellent Neo Prog band from Switzerland. Many aspects feature in their beautiful music, mainly the outstanding voice of Aluisio Magini, which fits perfectly on top of a well structured instrumentation. We have the chance to enjoy album number 5 complete with bonus CD and remaster.

When more than twenty years ago, when the first episode of the budget compilation series VERVE & BLUE NOTE TODAY was released, no one would have thought that the series would be so popular to this day. Then as now, the compilations are not only suitable for finding out about new tracks and artists from the jazz scene, they are also great listening fun. With Gregory Porter, Marcus Miller, Melody Gardot, John Scofield and even pop star Seal, there are again greats with new titles that you no longer have to imagine. Interesting discoveries include the high-flyer Sons of Kemet from England, the jazz / techno duo Tony Allen+ Jeff Mills and the promising new discovery Jon Batiste from the USA.

Analogue Productions presents Hybrid SACD editions of Jimi Hendrix Experience's landmark 1967 album Axis: Bold as Love. Newly remastered by by noted mastering engineer Bernie Grundman from the original analog master tapes, it contains both the mono and stereo mixes for each historic title in sensational pure DSD sound.

Esoteric, Modal and Progressive Jazz inspired by Islam 1957 - 1988. Songs ancient and divine - the seventh volume of our acclaimed Spiritual Jazz series examines the influence and impact of Islam on four decades of jazz innovation.

In 2007 bassist Anneleen Boehme was one of the founders of LABtrio, which is considered as one of the most acclaimed Belgian jazz bands of the past decade. Just like her companions Lander Gyselinck and Bram De Looze, she quickly asserted herself in the most diverse contexts. Now Boehme is launching her "dream project": Grand Picture Palace. A jazz quintet and a string quartet that blend different worlds together. Boehme leads and plays bass and has been writing eight compositions that break through genre walls, music both powerful and elegant, showing how jazz and classical music can balance each other without cliches. All recordings were made in the early summer of 2020 in the studio of mentor and fellow musician Nicolas Rombouts. The self-titled album 'Grand Picture Palace' will be released on February 19th 2021.

Since 2001, beginning with Juditha Triumphans, eight operas by Vivaldi have been released in the Vivaldi Edition, each one an event, either the first complete recording (or the first recording!) by first-rate conductors, soloists and orchestras specializing in Baroque. Acclaimed by the press (numerous awards), and by the public (more than 150,000 copies sold since 2001), these recordings have succeeded at last in rehabilitating Antonio Vivaldi, known always for his brilliant concertos, as one of the greatest operatic composers of all time.