Kevin Tyrone Eubanks is an American jazz and fusion guitarist and composer. He was the leader of The Tonight Show Band with host Jay Leno from 1995 to 2010. He also led the Primetime Band on the short-lived The Jay Leno Show.

Branford Marsalis (on tenor and soprano) performs four of his originals, Bob Hurst's "The Dark Knight," Keith Jarrett's obscure "Rose Petals" and "The Ballad of Chet Kincaid" (co-written by Bill Cosby and Quincy Jones) on this outing with his 1990 quartet. It's an impressive group that also includes pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Hurst and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts. "Ballad" would catch on to a general audience, but on the others Marsalis is heard throughout in prime form, sounding more original and pushing himself.

Delfeayo Marsalis' long-delayed debut as a leader on record features the young trombonist on ten of his originals. One should ignore the religious titles and the drawings in the liner notes and enjoy the music for what it is: advanced hard bop. Marsalis' idol is J.J. Johnson and his trombone playing is similar to Johnson's style. Among the many artists who make appearances on this set are tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman (for the opening title cut); trumpeter Scotty Barnhart; brothers Branford (soprano on five numbers), Jason (who at the time was a brilliant 14-year-old drummer), and Wynton (whose highly expressive trumpet solo on "The Weary Ways of Mary Magdalene" is one of the high points of his career); and various sidemen from the Marsalis bands. Delfeayo, who has mostly worked as a record producer, is now overdue for an encore.

A fabulous assortment of artists from different areas of the rock genre give a glorifying tribute to Curtis Mayfield in a sparkling 17-song package. Gladys Knight, Stevie Winwood, Lenny Kravitz, Whitney Houston, Bruce Springsteen, Eric Clapton, The Isley Brothers, Aretha Franklin, B.B. King, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Rod Stewart, Elton John, Tevin Campbell, Narada Michael Walden, Repercussions, Branford Marsalis.

Johan Helmich Roman (born 26 October 1694 in Stockholm, died 20 November 1758 on the Haraldsmåla estate in Småland) is one of Sweden’s most important composers of all time. He has been called ‘the father of Swedish music’, and with good reason. As chief conductor of the Royal Court Orchestra, composer, musician and teacher, Roman laid the ground for an increasingly rich music scene in 18th century Sweden. He was also the first Swedish composer to attain international status, and had a prolific musical output covering most of the genres of his time, instrumental and vocal, with the exception of opera and oratorios.

Romances for Saxophone was released in 1986 by CBS Masterworks' Light Classics division. Branford Marsalis, usually known for his jazz background, asserts his mastery of the soprano saxophone on this excellent collection of romantic chamber music. Accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, Marsalis indulges us with some of his most fervent music yet. Each piece explores a different aspect of love and romance. Vocalese, originally for the soprano voice, portray the vocal lyricism and musicality of Marsalis' soprano saxophone. The "Rachmaninoff Vocalese" is an exceptional confirmation of the mastery of tone and musicianship that defines the music Marsalis is known for. Other well-known works, such as Debussy's L'Isle Joyeuse and Stravinsky's Pastorale, brilliantly contrast the air that Marsalis has played since 1981…

The soulful sounds of the saxophone played by multi-GRAMMY-award-winning Branford Marsalis pairs perfectly with the evocative works of British composer Sally Beamish and Mahler. Led by Eric Jacobsen with the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, this album delivers the songful melancholy of the Mahler songs, played by Marsalis, combined with the freneticism and imagery of Sally Beamish’s two rarely heard works, brought to a center stage.

Branford Marsalis clearly had a lot of fun during this set. On seven of the ten numbers included on the double LP (the CD reissue actually has one less selection), Marsalis romps on tenor and soprano in a trio with veteran bassist Milt Hinton and drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts; the remaining three numbers have Delbert Felix in Hinton's place. The performances are quite spontaneous (the occasional mistakes were purposely left in) and Marsalis really romps on such tunes as "Three Little Words," "Makin' Whoopee," and "Doxy." On the joyful outing that is also one of Branford Marsalis' most accessible recordings, Milt Hinton often steals the show.

A truly beautiful and unique tracklist with rarities including Víkingur Ólafsson’s new arrangement for piano of a Bach Cantata, rare transcriptions for guitar, for mandolin and even String Quartet; alongside familiar Bach masterpieces, all played by the world’s greatest classical artists, curated and presented Deutsche Grammophon.

Brad Mehldau’s Variations on a Melancholy Theme will be released June 11, 2021, on Nonesuch Records. The recording features the pianist/composer and Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, which commissioned this orchestral version of the work, which comprises a theme and eleven variations plus a cadenza and postlude; the album also includes an encore, “Variations ‘X’ and ‘Y.’” You can watch a video with excerpts from the piece below. (Mehldau originally composed Variations on a Melancholy Theme for pianist Kirill Gerstein.) Mehldau and Orpheus toured Europe, Russia, and the US with the piece, including a 2013 performance at Carnegie Hall. Speaking to the combination of classical form with jazz harmonies in the work’s musical language, Mehldau wrote, “I imagine it as if Brahms woke up one day and had the blues.”

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom is the new Netflix film, out December 18, that stars Viola Davis as blues icon Ma Rainey and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final on-screen performance. Today, the soundtrack, featuring original music from Branford Marsalis, has been announced; it’s also out on December 18 (via Milan Records).

Beginning with his early decisions regarding the course of his vocal development and running through his selection of roles, repertoire, and recording programs, countertenor Andreas Scholl so far has tended to make effective and purposeful choices. This release featuring 17 English/Scottish/Irish/American folksongs is another success. Although the ambitious chamber orchestra arrangements by Craig Leon (who also produced the recording) sometimes threaten to overwhelm the simplicity–the very essence–of the songs, Scholl’s commanding–make that mesmerizing–way with these tunes and his warm, expressive voice ultimately carry the day and keep us focused on the melodies and their down-to-earth texts. This is possible not only because he loves the music (the program was Scholl’s idea) but because he delivers it so easily and freely, without affectation and in impeccable English.