Solo Guitar was the debut recording by virtuoso guitarist Joe Diorio, a fine musician who has spent a good part of his career in jazz education, so his recordings haven't always received the attention they merited. On this 1975 session, he finds new facets within Django Reinhardt's popular ballad "Nuages" in an intricate arrangement.

Joe Diorio is an American jazz guitarist who has been active in the music scene since the 1970s. He is considered one of the most innovative jazz guitarists of his generation, known for his fluid and intricate playing style.

This is an odd solo piano recital by Marcus Roberts that is sure to upset ragtime purists. Instead of really conveying "the joy of Scott Joplin," Roberts merely uses some of the ragtime composer's melodies as vehicles for his own improvising. The results are often quite jarring, as Roberts feels free to change notes in the themes, alter the speeds, and just use chordal improvising.

In Honor of Duke, a tribute to Duke Ellington lovingly performed by the Marcus Roberts Trio, displays two facets of Roberts' performing style. One is his unrepentant traditionalism. Roberts likes his jazz pure, and delving into Ellington's music provided a whole palette of bits to shine and rearrange without having to cross any musical boundaries. This album also shows off Roberts' technical virtuosity – he is an expert arranger and an extremely gifted pianist, and he has surrounded himself with the kind of musicians who can make his interpretations communicate the delicacy and energy of the compositions they are based on. Roberts actually makes it his goal to make the trio a more balanced showcase for all of its musicians. "Rickitick Tick," the first track on In Honor of Duke, shows off this style. The bass and drums lead the song, and when the piano line comes in, it simply fills out the arrangement instead of relegating the rhythm lines to the background. Drummer Jason Marsalis and bassist Roland Guerin never fully sink into the roles of accompanists; instead, they weave in and out of solos throughout the album in a seamless manner. Most of the album stays with the traditional trio format; however, for tracks four and five, Antonio Sanchez is brought in as percussionist and drummer, respectively, to lend a deeper texture and a Latin flavor to the songs. Sanchez, who has sparkled as a member of pianist Danilo Perez's trio, is a fine addition to the formula Roberts has concocted. Roberts isn't really breaking any new ground here, but you may not care. The music is lush and the musicianship is precise, making for a very enjoyable album for Ellington fans and jazz fans in general.

Marcus Roberts' Cole After Midnight is actually a tribute to both the terrific pianist/singer Nat "King" Cole and the great composer Cole Porter. The pianist also wrote extensive liner notes explaining how his concept evolved and how it was achieved musically.

Take a look back at a pivotal year in Chesky Records' history with this 11-track collection. The CD boasts cuts from Broadway-meets-jazz chanteuse Christy Baron, Latin songstress Ana Caram and the irrepressible Rebecca Pidgeon. Also included are selections from smooth jazz god Chuck Mangione, Grammy winner Paquito D'Rivera and others.

In celebration of "sakamotocommon OSAKA1970/2025/Osaka/坂本龍一", 坂本龍一 has released an LP disc of sound recordings of Bachet acoustic sculptures in 2016 and 2018, An LP edition of Bachet acoustic sculptures recorded in 2020 will be released, featuring a rare record of Bachet, whom the artist met at the 1970 Osaka World's Fair, and who, 46 years later, once again faced, performed and recorded the piece, the first previously unreleased sound recording to be released since his death. The accompanying booklet includes commentary on Bachet's acoustic sculptures and liner notes by people who were present at Sakamoto's recording.

Historical recordings of two exceptional musicians, Paul McCandless (Oregon) and Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group) - line-up: Paul McCandless (Oregon), Lyle Mays (Pat Metheny Group, Joni Mitchell, Rickie Lee Jones), Fred Simon (Larry Coryell, Ralph Towner, Beach Boys), Mark Walker (Oregon, Dave Liebman) Steve Rodby (Pat Metheny Group, Ramsey Lewis) All band members have been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards or have won Grammys in various categories - Audiophile listening pleasure thanks to sound engineering by Dan Feiszli and Steve Rodby (Chuck Mangione, Tom Paxton, Tyrone Davis, among others).

Dub Colossus is making a return this year, with the release of Dub Will Keep Us Together. When Nick Page, the visionary behind Dub Colossus, passed in 2021, he left an unfinished album, which a group of collaborators has now completed. It is both a celebration and a continuation of Nick’s work.

Johnny Cash was one of the most imposing and influential figures in post-World War II country music. With his deep, resonant baritone and spare percussive guitar, he had a basic, distinctive sound. Cash didn't sound like Nashville, nor did he sound like honky tonk or rock & roll. He created his own subgenre, falling halfway between the blunt emotional honesty of folk, the rebelliousness of rock & roll, and the world-weariness of country. Cash's career coincided with the birth of rock & roll, and his rebellious attitude and simple, direct musical attack shared a lot of similarities with rock. However, there was a deep sense of history – as he would later illustrate with his series of historical albums – that kept him forever tied with country. And he was one of country music's biggest stars of the '50s and '60s, scoring well over 100 hit singles.

Joe Who? Joe Pass. Not a difficult question, given that it's Pass' image that dominates the front cover of For Joe. A quick glance at the track listing makes it pretty clear too. Then there's the rhythm section of Jim Hughart on bass, Colin Bailey on drums and John Pisano on second guitar: men whose working relationship with Pass goes back to the mid-60s—all three performed on For Django (Pacific, 1964).

Blending plain old hard rock with prog rock tendencies and a clear ear for a good radio-ready pop hook, Uriah Heep never exactly wowed the critics, perhaps because their lyrical fascination with wizards and demons could make them seem as addled as Spinal Tap in that band's famous Stonehenge concert scene. But critics don't make rock memories, and Uriah Heep, despite countless lineup changes, remained a steady band that played at being outlaws on the run and produced at least a couple of enduring rock radio classics in the early '70s, most notably their fun versions of "Stealin'" and "Easy Livin'," both of which present the band at its best. This set has both of those songs, plus other bare-bone essentials like "Lady in Black" and "The Wizard," and for most casual fans, it'll fill the bill.

Upon graduating from the Berklee College of Music in 1972, jazz guitarist Frank Potenza embarked upon a prolific career that found him teaching, performing, and recording over the next few decades. A protégé of Joe Pass, Potenza has appeared with a number of well-known musicians, including Dizzy Gillespie, George Van Eps, Mose Allison, and Joe Sample, among others.

Released in early 2007 as part of Universal's extensive and cheaply packaged Number 1's: Temptations series (see also: volumes dedicated to James Brown and Marvin Gaye), this disc compiles 19 number one R&B singles from the Temptations. It's worth mentioning that some of the inclusions – "The Way You Do the Things You Do," "You're My Everything," "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me," "Ball of Confusion" – were number ones on the Cash Box chart, rather than the Billboard chart (the usual source), and 1998's "Stay" is a bit of a stretch since it topped Billboard's Urban Adult Contemporary chart. Nothing can argue against the set as a decent introduction to the group, even though several great singles – such as "Cloud Nine" – peaked below the top spots.