In a tumultuous 2020, the re-emergence of Doves with new music has provided a shaft of light in an otherwise brooding sky, finally landing their fifth album, 'The Universal Want', after an eleven-year artistic break. Buoyed by refreshed chemistry, restless studio creativity and public reaction to their return, the album's release is preceded by the single 'Prisoners'. Refusing once more to fall into predictable, guitar-bass-drums, 'plug in and play' dynamics, 'The Universal Want''s overwhelming sense of intrigue owes everything to Doves' three decades experience at the wheel of their band (a lifespan going back to their time as dance band, Sub Sub), and an autobiographical trip through the sounds of their own lives.

Agram represents the second coming of the "Nordan Project". Defined by its co-leaders as "a meeting-place for Swedish folk musicians and musicians from the world of improvisation", its music is based upon, but not limited by, the Swedish folk tradition. Multi-instrumentalist Möller and singer/fiddler/viola player Willemark select the songs, some of which are hundreds of years old, and also write new material. The fresh and vital arrangements are largely the responsibility of Möller, whose unorthodox biography has included extended stopovers in rock and jazz and Greek music on the way to his current, and enduring, commitment to Swedish folk.

Ravi Coltrane's second CD as a leader for the Savoy label (his fifth overall) is balanced between improvisation based on spontaneous themes and compositions that have a certain direction, both concepts blessed with a purpose and vision. Blending Times, as its title implies, signifies his coming of age, his dedication to finding his own voice on the tenor saxophone, and his use of a free-form approach much like his famous parents, John Coltrane and Alice Coltrane, in their later years.

Valery Gergiev directs the Kirov Opera and Ballet in this dramatic staging of Tchaikovsky’s historical opera, based on Pushkin’s verse tale of the legendary Cossack chieftain. Tchaikovsky’s dark musical setting intertwines the political drama of Mazeppa’s ill-fated betrayal of the Tsar with the personal tragedy of his love for Maria, the young daughter of his hapless opponent, Kocubej.

The compositions recorded here are a significant example of musical taste as it spread to the other side of the English channel in the first decades of the 18th century. England welcomed the ‘Corellian’ style with such enthusiasm as to attract onto its banks a rich line-up of instrumentalists, singers, impresarios who with varying degrees of success contributed to the spread of the new Italian style based on the Sonata and the Concerto Grosso canonized in Corelli’s Op. V and VI. Francesco Geminiani arrived in London in 1714. As a direct disciple of Corelli, it was easy for him to become part of the musical life there in London, soon gaining great fame as a violinist.

The Miles Davis Quintet only recorded new material during 1965-68 but in their live performances they still played some of the trumpeter's older standards. Until recent times, few of the live sessions by the Quintet made it onto record but this very valuable CD features the group in late 1967 playing such songs (for nearly the final time) as "'Round Midnight," "No Blues," "I Fall in Love Too Easily," "Walkin'" and "Green Dolphin Street" in addition to the newer songs "Mascalero" and "Riot." It is utterly fascinating to hear the Quintet at that late date stretching out on these veteran songs and coming up with fresh new ideas one more time. This Italian import is well worth searching for; it fills an important gap in jazz history.

Live in New York 1.24.04 is the second recording, and first live recording, by Nicholas Payton's electric jazz band Sonic Trance. It was recorded live at the 2004 International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) conference in New York City. The recording originally circulated as a bootleg, but became so popular that Payton authorized a limited release by Kufala Recordings, a label that specializes in authorized live recordings.

The Greek band Ciccada was formed back in 2005. With the aid of numerous guest musicians they recorded their debut album "A Child in the Mirror", a production that was picked up by the Italian label Altrock and released by it in 2010. "The Finest of Miracles" is their second studio recording, released in 2015.
The cornerstone of their style appears to be rooted in progressive folk rock, with gentle, pastoral sequences a recurring feature throughout. Wandering acoustic guitars with flute or violin are the main additional features, on occasion actually shifting towards a purebred folk-music expression, and then a medieval and English one at that. They will also shift gears to a more vibrant expression, with drums, bass and firmer guitars added in to create more of a Jethro Tull-oriented sound…

Welcome to the World is the second and final Psycho Motel album, released in 1997. It features a different vocalist from the band's first album, 1995's State of Mind. In place of Hans Olav Solli is Andy Makin, whose "dark lyrics and distinctive vocal delivery" differentiate the album from its predecessor. It also features Scott Gorham of Thin Lizzy and Dave Murray of Iron Maiden as guest guitarists. In 2006, Welcome to the World was re-released with two bonus tracks. These tracks contain Solli from the first album on vocals, and were probably recorded just before he left the band in 1997.

Led Zeppelin's fourth album, Black Sabbath's Paranoid, and Deep Purple's Machine Head have stood the test of time as the Holy Trinity of English hard rock and heavy metal, serving as the fundamental blueprints followed by virtually every heavy rock & roll band since the early '70s…

Harlem River Drive - Harlem River Drive (1971) {Stateside 0946 333986 2 7 rel 2005}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 206 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 75 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 22 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1971, 2005 Roulette / Stateside / EMI | 0946 333986 2 7
Jazz / Jazz Funk / Latin / Soul Jazz

The reason this record is "legendary" is because it marks the first recorded performances, in 1970, of Eddie and Charlie Palmieri as bandleaders. The reason it should be a near mythical recording (it has never been available in the U.S. on CD, and was long out of print on LP before CDs made the scene), is for its musical quality and innovation. The Palmieris formed a band of themselves, a couple of Latinos that included Andy Gonzales, jazz-funk great – even then – Bernard "Pretty" Purdie, and some white guys and taught them how to play a music that was equal parts Cuban mambo, American soul via Stax/Volt, blues, Funkadelic-style rock, pop-jazz, and harmonic and instrumental arrangements every bit as sophisticated as Burt Bacharach's or Henry Mancini's or even Stan Kenton's.

1997 Japanese release featuring Jaco's 30 minute longsoundtrack cut for the aborted 1986 film 'Golden Roads'.He's accompanied here only by keyboardist Benjamin Germain.A Sound Hills release.

Stan Kenton - Journey Into Capricorn (1976) {Creative World STD1077 rel 1992}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 268 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 95 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 64 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1976, 1992 Creative World Records / GNP / Crescendo Record | STD 1077
Jazz / Contemporary Big Band / Progressive Jazz

One runs out of superlatives for the music and for the arrangements. Originally recorded in L.A. during August of 1976 by Kenton's high energy big band this is one of the finest afro-cuban themed big band suites in existance. It was remastered to CD in 1992. In general Stan Kenton's music is still performed today and will be performed 100 years from now. He brought an excitement to big band arrangements not seen before. The only other band leader/composer whose music will live on in this fashion is Duke Ellington.

Hysteria is the fourth studio album by English hard rock band Def Leppard. It was released on August 3rd, 1987 and is the band's best-selling album to date, selling over 25 million copies worldwide and charting at #1 on the Billboard 200 in the US…