Although Count Basie gets cobilling with Ella Fitzgerald on this concert recording from the 1979 Montreux Jazz Festival, the veteran pianist is only on the final of the 11 songs. His big band, along with pianist Paul Smith, backs the veteran singer for a set of standards and, although Fitzgerald was beginning to fade, she could still hint strongly at her former greatness. Highlights include "Sweet Georgia Brown," "'Round Midnight" and "Honeysuckle Rose."

Music from one of the most specific science-fiction films in the history of Czechoslovak cinematography, and a unique chapter in the rich artistic output of Martin Kratochvíl. On the 35th anniversary of the recording of the material, "Temné Slunce" has finally been released. "Temné Slunce" (Dark Sun) is an adaptation of "Krakatit", a novel by Karel Čapek published in the interwar period. It tells a story of the inventor of an ultra-dangerous explosive that is trying as hard as possible to hide the formula from the great of this world, to prevent it from total destruction. The film adaptation of Otakar Vávra transposes the story to the Cold War reality, full electronics and secret agents. The film was received as a cheap propaganda trick, but also… as an unusually impressive action movie…

This CD, recorded solo during his first European visit in 1980 as member of the San Francisco Blues Festival, ideally captures all the emotion of his intense voice, and the remarkable charm and sensitivity of his powerful piano.
Before he was 21 years old, Texas-born pianist Little Willie Littlefield had etched an all-time classic into the blues lexicon. Only trouble was, his original 1952 waxing of "Kansas City" (here titled "K.C. Loving") didn't sell sufficiently to show up on the charts (thus leaving the door open for Wilbert Harrison to invade the airwaves with the ubiquitous Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller composition seven years later)…

A new decade, a new lineup, with Frank Bornemann on guitar and vocals, Klaus-Peter Maziol (who stayed on from the previous lineup) on bass, Hannes Folberth on keyboards, Hannes Arkona on guitars, and British born drummer Jim McGillivray. This marked a new direction for the band, a more accessible, direct approach in their music…

The last album with Rob Dean, Gentlemen Take Polaroids was also unquestionably the album in which Japan truly found its own unique voice and aesthetic approach. The glam influences still hung heavy, particularly from Roxy Music, but now the band found itself starting to affect others in turn…

Cleo Laine and James Galway have produced a wonderful album of songs in which there is not a single dud. The whole recording is brilliant, but there is a special place in our hearts for Skylark. Hoagy Carmichael's song has been sensitively arranged and performed by two of Britain's finest musicians. John Dankworth and the rest of the band complement them superbly. It is now approaching 40 years since it was recorded, and sounds as fresh as when it was made.