Joe Pass became famous with his unaccompanied guitar showcase on Virtuoso, the beginning of a very notable series. However, this 1983 double LP actually preceded the first Virtuoso by a month and differed in that Pass exclusively chose to play acoustic guitar, rather than electric. The relatively little-known set finds the guitarist sounding very much like a self-sufficient orchestra, and although his tone is necessarily softer on acoustic than electric, he swings hard on the uptempo pieces. Among the many highlights are "Indian Summer," "My Shining Hour," "I'll Remember April," and "Limehouse Blues."

Christophe Rousset and Talens Lyriques return to Lully and his seventh opera, Isis. Inspired both by Roman mythology and Ancient Egypt, Isis is a story of love and jealousy. This plot caused a scandal at the Royal Court when Madame de Montespan, who was the King's favorite, saw in it a reference to her own situation, the Sun King being at that time occupied with a new mistress. The work's dramatic intensity provides Lully with many occasions to show his remarkable talent for orchestration. Featuring the Chamber Choir of Namur and a brilliant cast of soloists, this recording revives a neglected gem of the French Baroque repertoire.

The second album in Lars Vogts Johannes Brahms concerto series with the Royal Northern Sinfonia includes Brahms 2nd Piano Concerto combined with a solo piano work, Handel Variations Op. 24, which was dedicated to Clara Schumann by the composer. Brahms Piano Concerto No. 2 is a romantic 4-movement concerto written two decades after its predecessor and one of the cornerstones in the concerto repertoire. This remarkable opus with a great number of beautiful solo passages and with a duration of over 45 minutes has been interpreted by numerous pianists since its premiere in 1881. In this album, Vogt performs the concerto conducting from the keyboard.

Les Nations is an ensemble specializing in the rediscovery of the oratorio musical form, from the Renaissance to the Baroque. In this production ""Les Nations is faced with an almost unknown author that, once again, proves he deserves a place amongst the greats. The few surviving works by Giovanni Battista Bassani, whose life remains mostly mysterious, testimony the incredible range and greatness of his musical writing. No exception is the Giona, the realization of which marked the debut of Bassani's oratorio at the court of Francesco II d'Este, Duke of Modena and Reggio, great lover of music, whose appointment had to be a great opportunity for the composer's artistic career, aware he could count both on an experienced and passionate client and almost unlimited resources.

Back in the summer of 1991, when the Chili Peppers and Rick Rubin completed the sessions for Blood Sugar Sex Magik in a (supposedly haunted) mansion in Laurel Canyon, both parties were left with quite a dilemma – they had too much darn material to fit on a single disc. Hence the arduous task began of having to trim away tracks, with more than just a few deserving selections being delegated to European CD-single B-sides. That's where the three-disc Live Rare Remix Box comes in handy, as it collects most of these oft-overlooked Blood Sugar era studio rarities (most of which are as strong as the keepers that made it on to the album), as well as live tracks and remixes.

Billed as containing 60 Hits from the Chilled Generation, Sony Music's Silence Is Golden collection rounds up an evocative set of laid-back '60s nuggets primarily gleaned from the era's prosperous folk-rock scene. Highlights include classic rock radio fodder like the Moody Blues' "Nights in White Satin" and Simon & Garfunkel's "Sound of Silence," as well as lesser known gems from the Move ("Flowers in the Rain"), Pentangle ("Light Flight"), and Honeybus ("I Can't Let Maggie Go"). 60 tracks, 3-CD Digipack, great compilation of international stars famous in the 1960s, music for a chilled generation although the Hippie generation wasn't silent at all! The package includes such greats as The Beach Boys, The Animals, Bob Dylan, The Flowerpot Men, Otis Redding, Love Affair, Simon & Garfunkel, Johnny Cash, Procol Harum, The Byrds, Donovan, Van Morrison, Janis Joplin and millions others!

Bring back the flower power hippie era with these 5 CDs! The wild 60s and 70s and their music shaped a new attitude towards life. Anyone who experienced this time still revels today in memories of Love, Peace and Rock `n Roll. That was the time of rebellion and trying things out. hair grew longer the skirts were shorter, they wore headbands and brightly colored clothes. 100 Flower Power hits are collected on these 5 CDs! Simon & Garfunkel with "Mrs. Robinson" • Dusty Springfield "Son Of A Preacher Man" • Joan Baez "Blowin' In The Wind" • Scott McKenzie with "San Francisco" and many more. Embark on this fantastic musical journey through time…

Engelbert Humperdinck to Commemorate 87th Birthday with Album ‘All About Love’. To celebrate his forthcoming 87th birthday on May 2, 2023, Engelbert Humperdinck is releasing an album featuring a reinterpretation of one of his hits, along with covers of songs by the Bee Gees, Barry White, and Lou Rawls, and more classics. All About Love (OK! Good Records) finds Humperdinck revisiting 13 songs. The project features the Bee Gees’ first No. 1 from 1971, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart,” through the 1972 Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes R&B hit “If You Don’t Know Me By Now.”

One of the most respected and best-selling instrumental artists of our time, Boney James furthers his longstanding reputation as a major force in both the worlds of Contemporary Jazz and R&B with his first concept album Send One Your Love. In the past, the saxophonist/producer/songwriter has recorded his albums by following a creative process that James calls "an organic flow. Usually I'll cut the whole record and figure out afterwards what the vibe was." That model has served James well. His unique gift of making the saxophone sing like a human voice has resulted in millions of albums sold over the past 16 years (including four that have been RIAA certified gold). But for his new Concord CD, Send One Your Love, a sublime collection of ten seductive love songs, James decided to take a different path.

DJ NOTOYA IS BACK WITH A NEW SELECTION OF JAPANESE FUNK AND BOOGIE FROM THE LABEL KING RECORDS BETWEEN 1974 AND 1988 AND FEATURING BUZZ, FUJIMARU BAND, KEIKO TODA, KUMIKO SAWADA.
Following the success of the 'Tokyo Glow' and 'Funk Tide' sets, Wewantsounds once again teams up with Tokyo-based DJ Notoya for a breezy selection of Funk and Boogie recorded in Japan for King Records in the 70s and 80s. Most tracks here are making their debut on vinyl outside of Japan and the album, like its predecessors, has been designed by Optigram's Manuel Sepulveda and is annotated by DJ Notoya. The audio has been newly mastered in Tokyo by King Records.

The collection pulls together rare jazz collaborations and vocal duets from the iconic singer-songwriter’s career.
The fourth edition of the Peggy Lee series From The Vaults has been released today, highlighting rare jazz collaborations and vocal duets from the iconic singer-songwriter’s career. The new release features thirteen tracks recorded between 1947 and 1967, including duets with then-emerging vocalists Dean Martin and Mel Tormé, homages to TV characters Batman and Mr. Magoo, and some of Lee’s own compositions. This fourth volume marks the final installment of the From the Vaults digital series. With its release, Lee’s entire catalog of master recordings from the Universal family of labels (Capitol, Decca, A&M, and Polydor) are now available via streaming. From the Vaults (Vol. 4) features a variety of fascinating moments in Lee’s career, including collaborations with celebrated jazz artists George Shearing and Toots Thielemans. Lee’s 1948 duet with Dean Martin, “You Was” had been previously released, but it’s updated here with improved sound quality. There are also a number of songs where Lee is backed by vocal groups (a rarity in Lee’s lengthy career).

A natural successor to his seminal ambient sides On Land, Music For Airports and Thursday Afternoon, this collection of pieces recorded between 1985 and 1990 sees Eno moving blocks of sound in an abstract, painterly way, never losing his knack for uncovering startling moments of beauty in immersive, hypnotic arrangements.“It’s mysterious play of colours and textures remain indefinable, alluring, and exquisite all at once” – Head Heritage

Building upon the ground of their previous “Infra”, “Scanning”, and “Tektra” collections, Reiger Records Reeks continues its dedication to Roland Kayn’s monumental back catalog, delivering “Elektroakustische Projekte & Makro”, a towering 5CD box set reissuing two of the composer’s most important bodies of work for the very first time since their respective original releases in 1977 and 1981. Fully remastered from the original analog tapes by none other than Jim O’Rourke - allowing a number of the pieces to be heard without breaks for the very first time - this collection amounts to some of the most significant efforts in Kayn’s pioneering work in the field of cybernetic music, further illuminating him as one of the most radical and groundbreaking creative voices of the 20th Century and beyond.

"Love Conquers All" is a collection of deeply moving songs by The Moody Blues' John Lodge. All written during difficult times, yet reflecting the positive way in which John sees the world. As John explored his journey of healing, he invited different musicians to collaborate with him on each song, making each song unique, yet at the same time they all carry the same message… that love does conquer all. 'Love will Conquer All', 'Whispering Angels', and 'Sunset over Cocohatchee Bay' were all written through personal health challenges, and 'In These Crazy Times', and 'The Sun Will Shine', originally written in lockdown, have been reimagined and remixed for 2024, reflecting how this time is now firmly in the past. 'Whispering Angels' was written by John and his son-in-law Jon Davison, of YES, and Jon features on all the tracks on the release. 'Love Will Conquer All' is an almost Christmas song full of hope, plus there are guest appearances on the album by Geoff Downes of YES, Tim Maple, Dave Colquhoun, Ray Nesbit, John's 10,000 Light Years Band, and also John's wife, Kirsten and son, Kristian.

Marc-André presents a fascinating juxtaposition of two composers who are not obviously musically related, but who are proved on this album to be a felicitous combination.