Giampaolo Bandini is considered to be one of the best Italian guitarists on the international music circuit. In 2003, he was nominated as the best Italian guitarist of the year by the magazine Guitar’s readers.

After Concerto Ostinato, Ore Diciotto in Punto, Pianosequenza, Visioni, here is a new album by the Italian composer Francesco Di Fiore. Family Album is a solo piano project inspired by a real photo album, actually belonged to his family. 'The process of composing this work has been joyous but also painful. When you dig into your memories, wounds inevitably reopen, and the absence of the people who have been part of your life weighs heavily. The emotional part is constantly under stress. My hope is that all these emotions are perceptible in this very personal composition, that you will absorb them into your own consciousness, and that perhaps you will begin the process of scanning the memories that are uniquely your own.'

The Alexander String Quartet launches its 40th season with this recording of Brahms String Quartets — plus Brahms’ Intermezzo (transcribed for string quartet by Zakarias Grafilo). With these complete Brahms Quartets, the ASQ has compiled a veritable Brahms compendium, including Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet (FCL 2021, with Eli Eban) and Piano Quintets (FCL 2014, with Joyce Yang), both named "MusicWeb International Recordings of the Year", as well as his String Quintets and Sextets (FCL 2012), which were hailed as a “life-enhancing set” by The Arts Desk.

After the hostile reaction to the politically charged Sometime in New York City, John Lennon moved away from explicit protest songs and returned to introspective songwriting with Mind Games. Lennon didn't leave politics behind – he just tempered his opinions with humor on songs like "Bring on the Lucie (Freda Peeple)," which happened to undercut the intention of the song. It also indicated the confusion that lies at the heart of the album…

The graceful, expressive and witty Duo for Violin and Cello by Hanns Eisler, written when the composer was 26 years old, is a multifaceted work showcasing the composer’s brilliant intellect. Best-known for his long artistic association with playwright Bertolt Brecht, Eisler always took care to make a deep connection with his audience.

Violinist Stéphane Grappelli (1908-1997) was honored in 1998 with this 22-track tribute slapped together by the Giants of Jazz label. Covering a time span from September 30, 1935, to January 21, 1943, this pleasant potpourri of classic continental swing sessions samples his early Hot Club of France recordings and follows the fiddler into temporary wartime exile as he collaborated with young George Shearing and a talented array of British jazz musicians. The collection opens with two delicious duets with Django Reinhardt, then shuffles together recordings made in Paris and London that were released under Grappelli's name. The Hot Four (heard performing W.C. Handy's "St. Louis Blues" in 1935) actually added up to a quintet as the violinist interacted with bassist Louis Vola and three guitarists: Django and Joseph Reinhardt and Pierre Ferret…

Beginning with his expansive concerto for recorders and large orchestra, Territorial Songs (2008-09), Rasmussen sought to expand the instrument's persona and possibilities, freeing it from its historic associations with the music of the Renaissance and Baroque, pushing it into new territories. In this mission, the composer has been exceptionally fortunate to have as muse and musical partner one of the greatest recorder players ever, Michala Petri. The current project represents an overview of works composed from 2009 to 2020. All are scores featuring the recorder: as concerto soloist with a symphony orchestra, (Territorial Songs), a string ensemble (Winter Echoes), an obbligato in a complex choral setting ('I' ), chamber music (Flow), and unaccompanied (Sorrow and Joy Fantasy), each work a milestone in Rasmussen's musical development .

Lineups change, trends come and go, lead singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth has surgery for skin cancer, and, in an unrelated incident, falls flat on-stage in Germany (a minor stroke; full recovery expected), and Overkill still marches on. So when a long-standing, working-class band has – count 'em – 11 studio records, a classic EP, a covers album, and a double-live opus under their studded belt, metal aficionados have to at least give Wrecking Everything – Live a couple of listens and nod their heads in respect to such a wily, stubborn outfit. Longtime fans will no doubt appreciate the fact that none of the songs utilized for 1995's Wrecking Your Neck are repeated here, Overkill having arguably their most prolific period (four rock-solid studio cinderblocks) since then…

Many call Yes' brand of progressive rock "symphonic rock." The term means that the group produces arrangements in the vein of a symphony using typical rock instrumentation. With Magnification, Yes has taken that a step further, adding a symphony orchestra…

KID A MNESIA collects Radiohead’s fourth and fifth albums, Kid A and Amnesiac (celebrating their 21st anniversaries), alongside the debut of a newly compiled third disc titled Kid Amnesiae. Kid Amnesiae is comprised of unearthed material culled from the Kid A / Amnesiac sessions along with alternate versions and elements of Kid A and Amnesiac album tracks and B-Sides. Features the never-before-heard ‘If You Say the Word’ and a previously unreleased studio recording of ‘Follow Me Around’.

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of internationally acclaimed pianist/composer Yoko Miwa, to release her forthcoming album late this year.

Star tenor Helmut Lotti is back! After great successes with classical, African, Latin American and Russian musical excursions and further albums with Elvis songs and great American standards, he now comes back with a very romantic album: "Italian Songbook" is a collection of Italian hits, which Helmut reinterprets in his very own, romantic way - as always with a big orchestra There are a lot of classic Neapolitan titles, Italian evergreens but also some world hits which we didn't suspect to be originally Italian. Let us surprise you!

Etta James was one of the greatest R&B singers of all time, with an incredible soulful voice and an amazing ability to interpret a song and old-fashioned yet timeless melodies. She sang with unmatched emotional hunger and a pain that can chill the listener. This quintessential release includes Etta James’ first two albums, which also happen to be two of her best: At Last ! (1960), and The Second Time Around (1961), both originally released by the Chess Records’ subsidiary Argo label. These two rhythm & blues-meets-pop-soul style masterpieces have been remastered and packaged together in this very special collector’s edition, which also includes 7 bonus tracks. Contained here is the cream of the crop from Etta’s early years. Without a doubt, this is the material upon which her kingdom was built.

Trumpeter Maynard Ferguson leads his big band in a fiery date recorded in 1958, not at the Newport Festival but in New York. He was playing no-holds-barred, straight-ahead jazz at this time, and doing it with gusto. The band included Bill Chase in his pre-fusion period, Slide Hampton, and Carmen Leggion, and had a good mix between veterans and emerging youngsters.

Chris Rea's voice is like the smoke off a prairie fire or the sparks and flame from a flint and steel. Coupled with his robust, tasteful songwriting, the effect is to pull the listener into a song or album, grabbing at the brain – not just the ears. Auberge is the follow-up to Road to Hell, an ambitious, dark-toned album that found European and critical success. Auberge may not be as dark as its predecessor, but Rea seemingly can't sing a word without sharpening its flinty edges, making it a bit threatening. That said, his latest effort tempers that wariness with a mixture of cavalier spontaneity and sighing recall. It's the thoughts and feelings of a man on a meandering road trip, thinking over the things he's said and done.