Does a passport reflect cultural identity or merely nationality? Born in Belgium but raised in the United States, questions of identity are a constant in the life of cellist Pierre Fontenelle. He dedicates his debut album, Roots, to the 21st-century America in which he grew up. With the chosen works, he honors the diversity of this society, which is also reflected in the music world. It forms a synthesis of European classical music, blues, jazz, rock and other influences from all corners of the world that helps shape the music.

Vivaldi wrote hundreds of violin concertos, yet even this tiny sample of six, written during the composer’s visit to Prague between 1730 and 1731, demonstrates in every movement his genius of harmonic and dramatic surprise. Each concerto is startlingly original, from the opening movement of the E Minor RV 278 that pits daring solo passages against a hypnotic, pulsing orchestra, while the same concerto’s Largo even feels modern in its angularity. A more familiar Vivaldi can be heard in the C Major RV 186, with its Italianate innocence and winsome middle Largo. But whatever the composer’s mood, Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante thrill to his ingenuity at every step.

Cet oratorio postérieur au Messie passe pour avoir conservé les faveurs du public depuis sa création en 1747. Pourtant il n’existe actuellement que deux versions enregistrées disponibles, dont une seule sur instruments baroques. La sortie de cet enregistrement live de 2006, avec toute la technique la plus sophistiquée du moment, fait donc figure d’événement.

Georgy Sviridov, a leading composer of the late Soviet era in Russia, wrote a good deal of religious music, influenced by the Russian Orthodox legacy and by sacred works. The last years of Soviet rule saw a relaxation of official atheism, and these works earned Sviridov critical acclaim. Indeed, Sviridov greeted the Perestroika era and the impending fall of the Soviet Union with trepidation, and annotator Alexander Belonenko does well to compare the music here to Rachmaninov's All-Night Vigil, written in 1915 in a similar period of instability. (The Red Easter, however, refers not to Communism but to texts printed in red in an Orthodox liturgy.) Sviridov's a cappella sacred music has a different effect than Rachmaninov's; he uses less of the sub-bass sounds of the Russian tradition.

Widely acclaimed as the Godfather of British blues, the late Alexis Korner boasts a reputation which is fully deserved.
As leader of Blues Incorporated, he was a pioneer of the genre, a Zelig-like presence and generous enabler who inspired a swathe of putative young blueshounds that included Brian Jones, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards (as Richards once acknowledged, The Rolling Stones wouldn’t have existed without him), Eric Burdon and Eric Clapton.
But Korner was more than just a seismic influence, as Every Day I Have The Blues: The Sixties Anthology makes clear. Recorded in both a live and studio setting, this 3-CD set chronicles Korner’s musical activities throughout that most tumultuous of decades as he went from kick-starting the British blues boom to ending the Sixties in the company of a new generation of blues-rockers, thrilled to be enjoying the patronage of a much-loved elder statesman. Every Day I Have The Blues features tracks from such legendary British blues live documents as R&B From The Marquee and At The Cavern as well as a clutch of studio albums, with sensational lead vocal performances from the likes of Cyril Davies, Long John Baldry, Ronnie Jones, Herbie Goins, Duffy Power and Robert Plant, who was in the middle of recording an album with Korner when Led Zeppelin came calling.

In the beginning, they weren't called 'Film Noir'. That term didn't originate until 1946 when a Frenchman coined the phrase as a convenient catchall reference for American low budget hard-boiled crime and detective B-movies shot during the austere '40s and early '50s. It was the look of Film Noir movies as much as their down beat storylines, which made for compulsive viewing. Shot in black and white, these films were dark and claustrophobic and relied upon deep shadows, shards of light and surreal angle shots to establish the appropriate mood. Other much used devices included conspiratorial voiceover narrators and dream-like flashbacks.

By the time Les McCann released "Compared to What" – the classic vocal track from the live Swiss Movement with Eddie Harris – the pianist was already a dozen albums into his career. Before that, he cut hip little piano trio records live and in studios with killer rhythm sections using a unique meld of blues, gospel, hard bop, and soul in an approach that made him one of the more iconic live jazz performers during the '60s and '70s. The appearance of this multi-disc set from Resonance, co-produced by Zev Feldman and George Klabin, highlights that early period. Never a Dull Moment! hosts 21 previously unreleased instrumental selections. The first 13 were recorded during performances at Seattle's The Penthouse in early 1966. The final eight were drawn from a July 1967 gig at New York's Village Vanguard. McCann's rhythm sections – in Seattle bassist Stanley Gilbert and either Paul Humphrey or Tony Bazley on drums; in New York, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Victor Gaskin – were swinging and attentive.

Music icons Jon Anderson and Jean-Luc Ponty have combined their musical talents to form a new supergroup - The Anderson Ponty Band! YES's original singer/songwriter for 35 years, Jon Anderson has had a successful solo career, which includes working with such notable music artists as Vangelis, Kitaro, and Milton Nascimento. International violin superstar Jean-Luc Ponty is a pioneer and undisputed master of his instrument in the arena of jazz and rock. He is widely regarded as an innovator who has applied his unique visionary spin that has expanded the vocabulary of modern music. Together these two music legends have formed a musical synergy that is unparalleled. Better Late Than Never is the debut live album by the AndersonPonty Band, released in September 2015. Better Late Than Never was largely recorded during the band's debut concert on September 20, 2014 at the Wheeler Opera House, Aspen, Colorado, but the released recording also includes studio embellishments and overdubs. Better Late Than Never is a double disc Digipak including the 14-track audio CD, an hour-long 10-song performance bonus DVD (including artist interviews) and a 20-page booklet with complete song lyrics.

Radio and TV broadcasts from 1967. From the vaults… .for the connoisseurs. A TRIPLE-CD of amazing Jimi Hendrix Experience live action, recorded in a.o. Holland, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and the UK for various 1967 television and radio broadcasts. All the hits and faves from the era are there, plus some mind blowin' covers of a.o. The Beatles' 'Sergeant Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band'.

History of Acid Jazz - Rare Chillouts is various artists compilation album. Released in 2001.

Rhino's five-disc box set Respect: A Century of Women in Music was surely assembled with the best of intentions, but it doesn't quite work. First of all, any collection that focuses solely on "the female contribution" comes off as a little condescending, no matter how good the intentions are. Still, the concept has enough weight to make for at least an interesting listen. However, any compilation that spans nearly 100 years and every conceivable popular musical genre is bound not only to be incomplete, but too sweeping to be totally effective. The scope is impressive, as are the featured artists – think of any major female musician and they're likely to be here, unless it's Joni Mitchell (Kim Gordon and Kim Deal are also missing, as are several other similarly minded post-punk rockers and various pop and folk singer/songwriters, but no omission is as shocking as Mitchell's) – but the overall effect is somewhat bewildering.

For The Last Time – Ruby Braff's Historic Final Performance with Scott Hamilton (2008) is a live album that captures the final performance of the legendary jazz cornetist Ruby Braff before his death in 2003. The recording, made in 2001 at the Jazz Bakery in Los Angeles, features Braff in a rare and intimate setting, performing alongside renowned tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton. This album holds significance for fans of Braff and traditional jazz, as it marks the end of an era for the cornetist and serves as a testament to his musical brilliance.

Ivory Coast (1988) is an album by the legendary Bob James, an influential American jazz keyboardist, composer, and arranger. Known for his innovative contributions to jazz fusion and smooth jazz, Bob James has had a long career that blends traditional jazz with contemporary styles, such as funk, R&B, and pop. Ivory Coast is one of his notable works from the late 1980s, showcasing his ability to merge smooth jazz with elements of world music, particularly drawing inspiration from African rhythms and sounds.

The Calling (2010) is an album by Greg Manning, a talented American keyboardist and composer known for his work in the smooth jazz and contemporary jazz genres. This album is a fusion of smooth jazz, R&B, and funk, with Manning showcasing his skills as a producer, keyboardist, and arranger. With a mixture of soulful melodies and groovy rhythms, The Calling presents Manning’s ability to blend contemporary jazz with catchy hooks and rich production.

At This Point in Time (1973) is a pivotal album by the legendary jazz drummer Elvin Jones, one of the most influential percussionists in jazz history. Known for his innovative and powerful drumming style, Jones was a key member of the iconic John Coltrane Quartet and contributed significantly to the evolution of jazz drumming, especially in the realms of modal and avant-garde jazz. This album, released on the Blue Note label, captures Jones at a time when he was exploring a more personal and introspective sound, yet still grounded in the hard bop and post-bop traditions.