Ron Hacker and The Hacksaws release, Filthy Animal, is fueled by a driving rhythm section, Ron's ferocious slide guitar and some stellar guest performances, including guitar work by Debbie Davies. Tracks include a rocking update of the Son House classic Death Letter, and You Gotta Move Part 1, a country style duet with vocalist Leah Tysee. Closing the CD is the title track - a funky blues jam session based on Herbie Hancock's Chameleon.

Der heute leider weitgehend unbekannte flämische Komponist Jacob Clement alias Clemens non Papa (circa 1510 bis 1515 - 1555) war neben Palästrina und Orlando di Lasso einer der führenden Vertreter der Renaissance. Einerseits wurde er für seine geistlichen Werke bei seinen Auftraggebern und Kollegen sehr hoch geschätzt, andererseits eilte ihm der Ruf des Lebemannes voraus, der weltlichen Freuden und Genüssen nicht gerade abgeneigt war. Vielleicht ist es diese Lebenserfahrung und Inspiration, die ihn auch zu einem hervorragenden Komponisten von Chansons und weltlichen Liedern gemacht hat. Seine auffällig virtuose Beherrschung des Kontrapunktes steht in jedem Fall außer Frage.

The trumpet at the movies *Move *– the name of this album – is also the title of a concerto written by Baptiste Trotignon and here receiving its recording premiere; the work pays tribute to major composers of film music, whose iconic scores form the backdrop in this “audiofilm” starring the trumpet of Romain Leleu. Taking us on a cinematic journey with stops to admire Rota’s The Godfather and Ennio Morricone’s Wild West, Rochefort and Chinatown, Elevator to the Gallows and Dingo (both films with a direct connection to Miles Davis), the young French trumpet player skilfully navigates between a jazz line-up and full orchestra, in the company of stellar associates. Roll film!

Russian Roots is the début recording of Trio Gaspard for Chandos Records, for which the group is joined by the soprano Katharina Konradi in a diverse and rewarding programme that explores the Russian influence across almost 200 years of music. A selection of Russian folksongs set by Beethoven, Shostakovich’s First Piano Trio and Seven Romances on Poems by Blok, and Weinberg’s Jewish Songs form the backbone of the recital. These are complemented by vocalises (wordless songs) by Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff, Gubaidulina, and Auerbach.

When one thinks about progressive rock, it's easy to imagine it as an almost academic pursuit with groups of men, armed with degrees in composition and Chapman sticks, trying to convert the secret math that rules the universe into musical notation. Playing against this seeming lack of approachability, Cynic deliver Kindly Bent to Free Us, an album that, while most definitely in the realm of prog rock, has the kind of open, unpretentious air that makes Rush such an easy-to-love band. Though Cynic continue to stray further from their heavy metal beginnings, they still haven't abandoned them, fusing layers of melody and jazzy chord progressions with searing, distorted guitar work, perfectly combining both sounds without letting one distract from the other…

This CD reissue has four selections apiece from two different bands, both of which feature subtle interplay and cool tones. Bob Brookmeyer plays valve trombone and piano on two songs apiece with his 1955 quartet, a group also including guitarist Jimmy Raney, bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Mel Lewis. The other half of this disc is actually led by vibraphonist Teddy Charles who features Brookmeyer on both of his instruments along with bassist Teddy Kotick and drummer Ed Shaughnessy; Nancy Overton takes a vocal on "Nobody's Heart." Although the overall set is not all that essential, the music is pleasing and reasonably creative.

Very pleasant and listenable album. Very close in sound to Rose`s classic (60-s - 70-s). Worth listening though not a masterpiece…

Christina Pluhar, L’Arpeggiata and eight guest singers explore the musical highways and byways of Naples, the most intoxicating and idiosyncratic of Italy’s large cities. Alla Napoletana, a double album, expresses the city’s mercurial personality in music from the 17th to the 20th centuries, embracing the operatic style of the so-called Neapolitan School, which rose to prominence in the late 1700s, and popular songs and dances. Among them are several examples of the tarantella, the lively, sometimes frenzied dance that epitomises southern Italy.