At age 25, Freddie Hubbard made inroads into modern jazz most trumpeters could not imagine, much less come through with. As a soloist, one of Hubbard's crowning achievements in his early period was this recording on which he teamed with Wayne Shorter, marginally as a performer but prominent in the role of arranger/conductor for his first time ever. Utilizing a septet, 16-piece big band, and orchestra plus stings to play concise, tight tunes, Shorter provides the backdrop to employ Hubbard's bold toned trumpet and all of its devices in a full display of his powerful melodic talents. Yeoman Reggie Workman plays bass on all selections, with drummer Louis Hayes in the seven-piece combo, and great work from Philly Joe Jones in the larger bands. Interestingly enough, the three tracks with the smaller ensemble are the most interesting, due to the presence of Eric Dolphy, Curtis Fuller, Cedar Walton, and Shorter on the front line…

Mozart's piano concerto in E flat KV 271 has long been known as the 'Jeunehomme' - but it was discovered in 2004 that it was actually composed for Louise Victoire Jenamy; Mozart misspelled her name as 'jenomy' in a letter to his father in 1778 and so created a misunderstanding that lasted for over two centuries. Mozart composed his piano concerto KV 414 in Vienna in 1783; Evren Ozel, the soloist in these two works, says that this work "is more carefree and allows the performers to explore a gentler and more tender side of Mozart". It was only two years after his first violin concerto that Mozart - then 19 years old and concertmaster to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg - composed his second, KV 211; two more followed within the year. "The art of performing Mozart's music is to play it with simplicity and life while remaining true to the Classical style", says Jan Mracek, the second soloist on this, the twelfth volume in the Next Generation Mozart Soloists series conducted by Howard Griffiths.

Beloved worldwide, Chloe Chua returns to PENTATONE with Mozart’s complete violin concertos – a project that began when she was just 15 years old.

In London in 1736, the Baroque genius Handel celebrated the power of music with his oratorio about Alexander the Great, one of the foremost successes of his life. Covent Garden was never so full as on the evening of the premiere. For this original English version, Alfredo Bernardini unites the fantastic voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir with his lively Zefiro Baroque Orchestra. The three soloists Miriam Kutrowatz, Daniel Johannsen and Damien Gastl tell the ancient story of how the singer Timotheus was once able to change the mood of the great Alexander, evoking a whirlwind of diverse emotions, highlighting the power of music over politics and war.

Released in 1978, Di Terra is a transitional album between the end of Banco's creative progressive rock phase (ending with the 1976 LP Come in Un'Ultima Cena) and the beginning of the group's more commercial phase (the 1979 LP Canto di Primavera). The Italian band's second all-instrumental album (Garofano Rosso was a film soundtrack), Di Terra is a symphonic suite in seven parts co-written by Gianni and Vittorio Nocenzi. Putting together an orchestra and a rock band was not new in 1978 (Deep Purple had done it years before), but rarely have the two been so nicely integrated. Of course, the project sounds a bit pompous, but the Nocenzi brothers' writing eschews the Star Wars effects to concentrate on textures and melodies…

Conductor Rumon Gamba has been particularly known for his interest in film music. He has also conducted modern symphonic works – from Britain and beyond – and branched out into opera. The size of Gamba's recording catalog is notable, and that catalog contains music of many different genres. In the 2020s, he led the BBC Philharmonic on a series of recordings of the orchestral music of Ruth Gipps (1921-1999); that series reached its fourth volume by 2025.

On déifie le premier album à la banane, encense le très expérimental White Light White Heat et vénère le troisième éponyme. Mais le quatrième et dernier opus studio du Velvet Underground est souvent négligé pour ne pas dire carrément oublié… Loaded est pourtant un véritable chef d’œuvre même si sa réalisation comme son casting furent on ne peut plus chaotiques. Déjà, l’œuvre renferme un bon nombre de chansons magistrales (c’est bien ici que les tubesques Sweet Jane et Rock’n’Roll apparaissent pour la première fois) à l’image de Who Loves The Sun qui ouvre le disque de manière solaire (logique vu le titre…) et très pop. On est bien loin de la décadence et de la noirceur de la Factory d’Andy Warhol des débuts… Sur un titre comme I Found A Reason, la jovialité aux airs Beach Boys est même de mise. Lou Reed claquera pourtant la porte avant la sortie du disque que terminera Doug Yule qui chante d’ailleurs sur certains morceaux. Même Moe Tucker ne pilote la batterie que sur quelques titres. Qu’importe, Loaded est une merveille qui ressuscite en habits de lumière pour ses 45 ans, remastérisé, avec en prime des prises alternative et des démos.

Enjoy wonderful chill sounds that sound like the sea and vacation. Selected by DJ Michael Maretimo. A handpicked relaxing soundtrack from the world famous beaches around the world.

Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy sound of British blues down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970s superstars like Foreigner, Foghat and Bad Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones, was taken to see vocalist Paul Rodgers' group Brown Sugar by a friend, drummer Tom Mautner. After deciding to form their own band, Kossoff and Rodgers recruited drummer Simon Kirke (since Mautner was at university) and 16-year-old bass phenom Andy Fraser from the ranks of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers; with the aid of Alexis Korner, who also suggested the name Free, the fledgling band signed to the Island label, issuing their bluesy debut Tons of Sobs in 1968.

Purple vinyl, limited to 1000 copies worldwide. The album 'Bossa Nova (New Brazilian Jazz)' embodies the finesse of bossa nova, enhanced by a touch of sophisticated jazz. Under the direction of Lalo Schifrin on piano and arrangements, talented musicians such as Leo Wright (alto saxophone, flute), Chris White (double bass), Rudy Collins (drums), as well as José Paulo and Jack Del Rio (percussions), bring a unique energy to the ensemble. Tracks like 'Boato (Bistro),' with its delicate groove, or 'Chora Tua Tristeza' and 'Poema Do Adeus,' with their refined arrangements, perfectly illustrate this captivating fusion of Brazilian smoothness and jazz virtuosity.

Ria Moran’s debut album Cubico (out July 2025 via DeepMatter Records) is a bold fusion of R&B, neo-soul, and alternative influences, already earning early BBC 6 Music support before its release. A deeply personal and sonically rich project, Cubico is Moran’s most honest work to date—an intimate therapy journal exploring love, loss, and self-discovery.

I Beat Loneliness is the upcoming tenth studio album by the British rock band Bush, set to be released on 18 July 2025 through earMusic. The first single, titled "60 Ways to Forget People", came out on 17 April and was followed by "The Land of Milk and Honey", on 5 June.

Vocalist Phil Mogg, guitarist Mick Bolton, bassist Pete Way, and drummer Andy Parker formed the British space metal outfit UFO in 1969. Originally known as Hocus Pocus, the group, which took the name UFO in honor of a London club, debuted in 1971 with UFO 1. Both the album and its follow-up, the same year's Flying, found great success in Japan, France, and Germany, but was barely noticed in the band's native country; as a result, their third effort, 1972's Live, was released only in Japan. In 1974, Bolton left the group; after brief trial runs with ex-Pink Fairies guitarist Larry Wallis and future Whitesnake member Bernie Marsden, former Scorpion Michael Schenker stepped in as a permanent replacement in time to record 1974's Phenomenon, which sported a harder-edged guitar sound. After 1975's Force It and 1976's No Heavy Petting brought UFO increased visibility with American audiences, keyboardist Paul Raymond joined for 1977's Lights Out.

It's not quite ultimate, but it is pretty close, containing three discs of prime Grace Jones, from her 1977 debut through the number one 1993 club single "Sex Drive." Unsurprisingly, since it is so extensive, The Ultimate Collection (a European release from Universal) goes too deep for casual Jones fans. It contains two versions of some cuts, like "My Jamaican Guy," included in its album and extended 12" mixes, and it does include quite a bit of material from her straightforward disco albums released in the '70s, when she had to be given much mainstream attention. Nothing of great significance is missing here.

The Doobie Brothers’ illustrious career is marked by a string of hits, two of which, “Sweet Maxine” and “Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me),” are included here. But Stampede offers much more. In terms of musical dexterity, the 1975 set stands as the group’s peak studio moment.
With ex-Steely Dan guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter finally a full-time member of the band, the California quintet steps up everything from the arrangements to the songwriting. The group also invited several distinguished guests along for the ride: Vocalist Maria Muldaur, soul legend Curtis Mayfield, slide guitarist Ry Cooder, and jazz hand Victor Feldman among them. The results are as good on record as they appear on paper…