Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals: Chet Baker Sings (1954) and It Could Happen to You (1958). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one". His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame. Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and 1980s.

Vangelis' sweeping score to Ridley Scott's 1992 historical epic 1492: Conquest of Paradise is being reissued on vinyl for the first time since its original release. The accompanying CD reissue includes two bonus tracks: Line Open and Landscape. A cinematic and emotional composition, 1492 features the iconic title theme Conquest of Paradise, which went on to chart internationally and became one of Vangelis' most recognisable pieces.

Grover Washington Jr. made his mark early on with hit recordings for Kudu and Motown. After he switched to Elektra, the soulful saxophonist debuted on the label with Paradise, a decent but not overly memorable effort. Washington (on soprano, tenor, flute and baritone) plays quite well as do the members of his septet (which include violinist John Blake, guitarist Richard Steacker and bassist Tyrone Brown) but the material (seven group originals) failed to include any really catchy melodies or strong hits. This date is therefore more for Grover Washington completists than for general fans of the idiom. Washington's next project would be his best-selling Winelight.

David Bowie 6. I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002 - 2016) is the sixth in a series of box sets spanning Bowie’s career from 1969. The thirteen-piece CD box set is named after the closing track on ★ (BLACKSTAR), Bowie’s final studio album. The box sets include newly remastered versions (except ★ and No Plan), with input from David’s co-producer Tony Visconti. Exclusive to each of the box sets are Montreux Jazz Festival and Re:Call 6. The former was recorded on the 18th of July 2002 at the prestigious Montreux Jazz Festival and among the 31 tracks features a full performance bar one song of one of Bowie’s most revered albums, Low. Re:Call 6 features 41 non-album / alternative versions / b-sides and soundtrack songs, including tracks never previously available on CD. An accompanying 128-page book features previously unseen notes, drawings and handwritten lyrics from Bowie and photos by Sukita (who took the set’s cover shot), Jimmy King, Frank W. Ockenfels 3, Markus Klinko, Mark ‘Blammo’ Adams and more as well as memorabilia, technical notes about the albums from co-producer Tony Visconti and design notes from Jonathan Barnbrook. The CD box includes faithfully reproduced mini-vinyl versions of the original albums where applicable, and the CDs will be gold-coloured rather than the usual silver. 13 CD Box Set + 128-page hardback book

On 12 May 2024, Jean-Michel Jarre and special guest Sir Brian May electrified the Bratislava skies with 'Bridge from the Future', the opening concert of the seventh edition of the STARMUS Festival. The live performance of 22 tracks took place against the breathtaking backdrop of the SNP Bridge (UFO Bridge). During the afternoon, as the audience were congregating around the Danube from throughout the city, they were welcomed by a brand new composition titled 'Bridge from the future - Live in Bratislava'. The music was specially created by Jarre specifically for this event, where real sounds of the stars were weaved into the soundscape, inviting the audience to consider our position on Earth within the cosmos, and the future of our home planet, reflecting the theme of the year's edition of the STARMUS Festival.

Having documented the British psychedelic scene with anthologies devoted to the years 1967, 1968 and 1969, Grapefruit’s ongoing series fearlessly confronts the dawn of the Seventies with a slight rebrand. New Moon's In The Sky: The British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1970 features (appropriately enough) seventy tracks from the first year of the new decade as the British pop scene adjusted to life without The Beatles. The 3-CD set concentrates on the more song-based recordings to emanate from British studios during 1970, whether from a pure-pop-for-then-people perspective or the more concise, melodic end of the burgeoning progressive rock spectrum.
We acknowledge the end of the road for some bands who’d achieved a modicum of late Sixties success (Honeybus, Love Sculpture, Plastic Penny) while also charting the arrival of various acts like Curved Air, Atomic Rooster…

Lambert Ringlage is a German musician from Essen, Germany born on 26 October, 1966. He started his own musical label Spheric Music and began releasing his own albums through his label in 1991. Lambert's musical style closely follows the Berlin School of electronic music. He has also worked with and/or released music with Palantir, Stephen Parsick, and Alien Nature.

Eddi Reader's voice falls like a soft autumn rain. Despite its cleansing nature, it carries a touch of melancholy for the coming darkness of winter; it bears a hint of sadness and solitude for the one who longs for sunshine and warmth. Simple Soul is a sweet setting for Reader. Although it's not overflowing with catchy pop songs, it's the kind of soothing record you might listen to while making a quiet, candlelight dinner or meandering around the house on a lazy Sunday morn. While Reader's honey voice swirls beautifully around, the pristine acoustic guitar sounds dance with Indian tamboura and harmonium, creating an almost mystical ambience. Again, don't expect to tie on your dancing shoes. This is definitely more of a slipper and robe kind of thing. The main musical and production support comes from Boo Hewerdine, Roy Dodds, and Teddy Borowiecki – talented fellows one and all.

Some critics might dismiss Sophie Milman as simply another pretty female singer, yet with her third CD, she continues to show an adventurous spirit, tackling standards and obscurities while also forging ahead into pop. Retaining many of the musicians from her previous release, Make Someone Happy, the upbeat alto offers a hip take of Duke Ellington's long overlooked "Take Love Easy," exuding sex appeal and backed by guitarist Rob Piltch, bassist Kieran Overs, and percussionist Mark McLean (who also arranged it), with a brief solo added on soprano sax by PJ Perry. Pianist Paul Shrofel contributed the breezy bop vehicle "That Is Love," which showcases Milman in her best light. She soars in the brisk treatment of the old chestnut "Day In, Day Out," starting in a samba setting and switching to bop, featuring alto saxophonist Wessel Warmdaddy Anderson.

James Taylor stopped pushing himself into new musical and lyrical territories in the late '70s, so it doesn't come as a great surprise that Hourglass, his first studio album in six years, doesn't offer anything new – it's a collection of pleasant, melodic, simple songs about love, family, and social activism. That's not necessarily a bad thing, since Taylor has a gift for such material, and on Hourglass, he sounds as good as ever. The music, in many ways, has greater depth than previous records, since it features cameos from such heavy hitters as Stevie Wonder, Yo-Yo Ma, Shawn Colvin, Michael Brecker, Mark O'Connor, and Branford Marsalis. There are a few songs that fall a little flat, failing to make much of an impression one way or the other, but on the whole, Hourglass is a nice addition to his catalog.

The Italian mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli is one of the most charming and talented singers to appear on the scene in recent years, and this collection of Italian songs by three great opera composers–Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini–is a most deserving bestseller. There are many small pleasures in the selections, which reflect the bel canto predilections of their authors, and Bartoli renders them artfully. Some will be familiar even to casual listeners (Rossini's La Danza, the famous tarantella); others will be new to most, but equally deserving of a hearing. The sensitive and skillful accompaniment is by conductor-pianist James Levine.

This session was recorded with the wonderfully talented Jimmy Morello producing. He utilised the great Pacifica Studio and a great set of regular musicians. The result: a strong and varied album. When this album was cut, Kirk was an unknown young African American blues guitarist who had cut a demo session and wanted to make an album. After hearing the demo over the transatlantic phone lines, label boss John Stedman said 'yes'. Kirk has kindly allowed that demo to be added to this 10th anniversary re-issue of what is now an important album. It kicked off the career of an amazingly talented guitarist who has become the 'first call' for every bandleader on the West Coast and whose solo career proceeds from strength to strength.

GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE 2011. BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE DISC OF THE MONTH. Inspired by the rural beauty of the surroundings at his country retreat in 1917, Edward Elgar embarked on the composition of some of his most inspired and imaginative chamber works. Both the String Quartet and the Piano Quintet are works of great depth and elegance. Their conservative style disregards the compositional trends of the time and displays an unabashed late-romanticism. Elgar wrote: ‘It is full of golden sounds and I like it. But you must not expect anything violently chromatic or cubist.’ The disc features sumptuous playing from the acclaimed Goldner String Quartet, who are joined by pianist Piers Lane for Elgar’s sublime Piano Quintet, a large-scale work of almost orchestral sonority. These masterpieces are accompanied by four previously unrecorded works for solo piano, the last of which was written by Elgar at the age of 72. They are intimate, charming rarities, superbly performed by Lane.

Sheryl Crow has defined the essential place of a woman in Rock since releasing her 7X PLATINUM-certified TUESDAY NIGHT MUSIC CLUB and self-titled Best Rock Album Grammy-winning follow-up. Rock & Roll is at its best live and at a time when concerts suspended, Crow delivers LIVE FROM THE RYMAN AND MORE, a 27-song set captured live in 2019 at Nashville’s historic Ryman Auditorium, Los Angeles’ cutting edge Ace Theatre and the legendary Newport Folk Festival in Rhode Island.

Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer Paula Cole will release Lo, her first collection of entirely new, original songs in nearly a decade, on March 1, 2024. Today, Paula shares the first single from the album, "The Replacements & Dinosaur Jr.” - a heartfelt tribute to her friend and artistic mentor, Mark Hutchins, who left us too soon, aged 51. The song pays homage to Hutchins’ musical influences, spanning from The Replacements and Dinosaur Jr. to The Beatles, XTC, Daniel Lanois, and A Tribe Called Quest. This song, like the forthcoming album, beautifully blends vulnerability with joy, staying true to Paula's signature authentic and soul-stirring style.