The last of the pianoless quartet albums that Gerry Mulligan recorded in the 1950s is one of the best, featuring the complementary trumpet of Art Farmer, bassist Bill Crow, and drummer Dave Bailey along with the baritonist/leader. This recording is a little skimpy on playing time but makes every moment count. Virtually every selection is memorable, with "What Is There to Say," "Just in Time," "Festive Minor," "My Funny Valentine," and "Utter Chaos" being the high points. Highly recommended both to Mulligan collectors and to jazz listeners who are just discovering the great baritonist.

They didn't reach stadium-level superstardom like the Clash and the Police, but few contemporaries could hold a candle to the punky reggae of the Ruts. Nearly equal parts righteous dread and six-string fury, the London quartet was one of the most important bands to emerge during punk's second wave, and this collection – one of a series that also included well-chosen retrospectives of acts like the Members and the Records – expertly compiles the finest moments of the Ruts' too-short career. Like many British bands who incorporated reggae rhythms into their pogo stomp, the group began life leaning heavily toward the hard and fast, as documented by their initial single, 1978's "In a Rut." But very early on, they began to toy with Jamaican sounds and themes – just listen to the brief, dub-style guitar lick in the middle of "Babylon's Burning," the title of which draws a link to Rastafarian unrest at home and abroad during the late '70s.

Jazz pianist Beegie Adair has undertaken a series of songbook recordings devoted to particular songwriters of the classic pop era, calling them the "romantic songs of," each one, even though she isn't particularly strict about that definition. This one of music by Irving Berlin is typical. (In what sense are "Alexander's Ragtime Band," "White Christmas," or "God Bless America" "romantic songs"? Since no one is singing the lyrics, maybe it doesn't matter.) Adair leads a trio through instrumental treatments that adhere closely to the melodies most of the time, although she does introduce variations and brief improvisations. More adventurous jazz fans may find the results tame, but casual music lovers can program this disc beside previously issued ones of the music of George Gershwin and Hoagy Carmichael to accompany a candlelight dinner.

With almost 13 years and four months between releases - an interminable wait for their devoted legion of fans - enigmatic alt-metal band Tool finally returned at the end of summer 2019 with their long-awaited fifth album, Fear Inoculum. Clocking in at 80 minutes with just seven official tracks, this is less a straightforward rock record and more a mind-bending journey, borrowing a classical approach that trades traditional constructs heard on early radio staples like "Stinkfist" and "Sober" for something akin to movements within a symphony. Much like the directional shift that occurred around the time of 2001's Lateralus, Fear Inoculum expands on 10,000 Days' alternative, prog-metal jam band design while recapturing some of the excitement and freshness from their commercial peak during the Ænima/Lateralus years…

For years, Roy Wood's post-Move/ELO catalog has been cluttered with budget-line compilations. The same tracks have been recycled over countless discs, usually distinguished by terrible fidelity and haphazard sequencing. Repertoire remedied the situation in 1999 by releasing two comprehensive compilations - one focusing on Wood's solo recordings (Exotic Mixture: Best of Singles A's & B's), the other on Wizzard's singles (Singles A's & B's). This was a welcome development, since both were good-sounding, intelligently assembled compilations, yet it wasn't an entirely ideal situation, as most fans - whether they're fanatics or curious listeners - would like to have one, tight collection of highlights from Wood's and Wizzard's singles and early-'70s albums…

The first-ever album from vibist Gary Burton - a very young player at the time of recording, but one who's definitely worth the "new vibe man" promised in the title! The style here is maybe a bit more conventionally swinging than some of Burton's records from later years - a trio setting with Gene Cherico on bass and the great Joe Morello on drums - but both rhythm players are already pretty hip with their timings, and really push Burton into spacious, chromatic territory that's completely sublime - a sound that already marks the musician as really bringing something fresh to his instrument.
A year before New Vibe Man in Town was recorded, Gary Burton joined guitarist Hank Garland for Jazz Winds from a New Direction, which is added as the last six tracks on this CD…

A compilation of their early times (1987-1995) including extended and different versions of tracks from their first two albums.
Wolfsheim is one of Germany's inveterate synth-pop groups, a band that has outlived numerous rock & roll trends by remaining committed to their original sound. The group was formed in 1987 by siblings Markus Reinhardt and Olli Reinhardt and Pompejo Ricciardi (vocals). However, Ricciardi departed from Wolfsheim shortly after they recorded their first demo; he was replaced by Peter Heppner, a singer who was already familiar with the brothers since they were all raised in the same area of Wilhelmsburg, Germany. Olli eventually left the band as well, turning Wolfsheim into a duo…

Equinoxe Infinity is the twentieth studio album by French musician and composer Jean-Michel Jarre, released on 16 November 2018 by Columbia Records. It is the sequel to his fourth studio release, Équinoxe (1978), released forty years prior. The artwork was designed by Filip Hodas based on the work of Michel Granger, who also designed the original album.

Meditation, mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca's 2014 release on Deutsche Grammophon, is an album of serene vocal and choral works that express religious feelings with an operatic touch and showcase the Latvian singer's warm and radiant voice. Choosing pieces from the early Baroque era to contemporary works, Garanca presents a soothing program that is consistent in its comforting tone and gentle treatment, though as a purely musical consideration, it tends to flow a bit too evenly and predictably. Insofar as the selections represent the Christian tradition, including settings of the Ave Maria, the Salve Regina, the Sanctus, the Agnus Dei, and the Regina Coeli, the character of the collection admits little variety, except for the general alternation between penitential and quietly ecstatic moods.

While the all-killer no-filler single-disc The Byrds' Greatest Hits remains the best distillation of their classic songs, The Essential Byrds is a smartly assembled double dose, including all 14 of the 1965-1967 tracks on Greatest Hits, but expanding its reach into their entire Columbia output, going as far as the early '70s. Inevitably, that means that disc two – which goes, roughly, from mid-1967 to 1971 – isn't as good as the first half, and that the last four tracks in particular are by far the least impressive, tagged on mostly so that the release spans the Byrds' entire Columbia catalog. That's a small reservation considering that the two-fer adds many first-rate songs not on Greatest Hits, from non-hit singles like "Lady Friend" and "Goin' Back" to standout album cuts like "Renaissance Fair," "Natural Harmony," "Jesus Is Just Alright," and "Chestnut Mare." There are no surprises here; even the songs that eluded inclusion on albums for many years, like the early B-side "She Don't Care About Time" and "Lady Friend," have been commonly available in the CD era. And it's true that this misses some other fine album tracks that could have stood with pride alongside those selected, like "I Knew I'd Want You," "John Riley," and "Dolphin's Smile." Within the confines of the two-CD format, though, it's a very well-chosen career overview.

As the old saying goes, "the third time's the charm." This is indeed the third time the German label Accent has issued this coupling of Domenico Scarlatti's Stabat Mater with João Rodrigues Esteves' Missa a oito voces. The first time was in 1990, when the recording by Currende under the leadership of Erik van Nevel was new, and the second in 1998 as part of a box set containing this and several recordings by Concerto Palatino. No complaints here, though, as this is one of the finest discs Accent has to offer.

Rising Force was a revelation upon its release in 1984; Eddie Van Halen had introduced dazzling speed to the realm of rock guitar technique, and the compositions of Randy Rhoads had begun to fuse heavy metal with neo-classical influences, but no one before Yngwie Malmsteen was able to combine those elements with such blinding virtuosity. Malmsteen's innovative guitar style made Rising Force a mandatory primer for '80s metal guitarists, with its classical chord progressions and Malmsteen's use of harmonic minor scales, a wide vibrato imitative of classical violinists, and impossibly fast picking techniques, including the sweep-picked arpeggio (sort of a cross between strumming a chord and picking each note individually).