It is not possible to over-estimate the importance of Louis Armstrong to the development of Jazz. And his influence has spread throughout much of twen- tieth century music serious and frivolous "classical and pop. He was undoubtedly a genius and his special talent lay in his ability to improvise on a musical theme- unleashing a depth and power of expression which has never been surpassed. The evidence for such a claim lies in 24 superb recordings reproduced here. They capture Louis in the 1920s at the height of his creative powers, and include all of the "Hot Seven sides, heard in new digital stereo- Impressions of mint condition 78rpm originals. Robert Parker

First Cuts is a compilation album released in Germany by Deram in 1989. First Cuts presents 20 tracks culled form Cat Stevens' first and second albums, 1967's Matthew & Son and New Masters. Released on London's whimsical Decca (Deram) label, Stevens' early work was light and amiable with plenty of psychedelic pop orchestration and catchy melodies. These early successes included "Here Comes My Baby," "First Cut Is the Deepest," and "Matthew & Son," all of which can be found on this fun, but hardly representative collection of folk-pop songs.

Although it follows the same patterns and approach as Cycles, My Way is a stronger album, with a better, more varied selection of material and a more focused, gutsy performance from Frank Sinatra. Built around the hit single "My Way," the album again alternates between rock covers ("Yesterday," "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," "For Once in My Life," "Didn't We," "Mrs. Robinson"), a couple of adapted French songs, and a handful of standards. This time out, Don Costa has written more engaging charts than the previous Cycles. The Beatles' "Yesterday" is given an affecting, melancholy treatment that brings out the best in Sinatra, as does the new arrangement of "All My Tomorrows," which is lush and aching. If Sinatra doesn't quite pull off the R&B of "Hallelujah, I Love Her So," he does sing the light Latin stylings of "A Day in the Life of a Fool" beautifully, and he has fun with Paul Simon's "Mrs. Robinson," changing the lyrics dramatically so they become a tongue-in-cheek, swinging hipster tribute. For that matter, most of the record is successful in creating a middle ground between the traditional pop Sinatra loves and the contemporary pop/rock that dominated the charts in the late '60s. My Way doesn't have the macho swagger of his prime Rat Pack records, but its reflective, knowing arrangements show that Sinatra could come to terms with rock & roll at some level.

For her first collaboration with the period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, violinist Isabelle Faust performs the five Violin Concertos of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, along with three shorter concertante works. This is an extraordinary set, for the historically informed performances, the polished sound of the group, the almost palpable presence of the players, which Harmonia Mundi has captured with superior engineering, and for the unrepressed joy in the music. Faust is the center of attention, naturally, and her refined and expressive playing immediately pulls the listener in. These are far from the most demanding concertos in the repertoire, so Faust is less concerned with technical execution than with conveying the pure feeling of the music, which is delightfully buoyant and uplifting. Under the direction of Giovanni Antonini, the group provides warm and sparkling accompaniment that gives Faust all the support she needs, but there's no doubt that she sets the emotional tone for these exquisite recordings. Highly recommended, especially for devotees of Classical style at its finest.

This is part I & part II of the re-issue series of the cult-band of the 80s in the fieid of electronic-nature music - G.E.N.E. In the years 1991 until 1999 they released quite a number of CDs which all gained big success all over the world. Inspired by the travelling of the artists Cléo de Mallio and Lisa-Maria Tedesca they created compositions which became all-time greats in the collections of their fans. The music built from original tones and authentic sounds was put together with electronic devices to create unique compositions. This first CD covers the best songs from the initial releases “Get The Taste” (1991), "Katchina” (1991), “Diving Dreams" (1992), "Fluting Paradise" (1992) and last but not least "Mediterranean Moods” (1993).

Baldassare Galuppi was extremely popular during his lifetime, and according to more than one contemporary source he died the wealthiest Italian composer of the 18th century. Though primarily remembered for his contribution to the development of opera (he wrote more than 100), Galuppi also composed an abundance (148 works as of last count) of oratorios, cantatas, motets, and masses. Utilizing a score that Galuppi composed earlier, conductor Filippo Maria Bressan and the Academia de li Musici and the Athestis Chorus offer a reconstruction of a service that may have taken place in 1766 during Advent at St. Marks in Venice, where Galuppi held his long-standing position of musical director.

When it comes to old Italian vocal music, the Italian choir "La Stagione Armonica" from Padua under the direction of Sergio Balestracci has proven its high musical level several times. After the recording with responsories, which Alessandro Scarlatti composed for Good Saturday, the follow-up album with Scarlatti's responsories for Good Friday is now released.

It is not always easy to avoid writing a shade smugly about the arrangements Mozart made of choral works by Handel. Nowadays, increasingly, we try to listen to such works as Acis and Galatea and the Cecilian Ode in the form in which Handel composed them; to hear them through the prism of the classical musical consciousness is disconcerting. For once we feel that we know better than Mozart. Well, so we do, about Handel and the way he makes the best effect (at least on us); but a different kind of historical awareness is needed here, one that puts us into the frame of mind of late eighteenth-century Vienna and its perception of Handel.

Now That's What I Call Power Ballads is a series, containing power ballad rock songs mostly from the 1980s. It debuted at number thirty on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This collection contains definitive Rock ballads from the finest Classic Rock bands in history including Journey, Whitesnake, Aerosmith, Poison, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Scorpions, Heart, Night Ranger, Warrant and others.

Most modern-day female pop singers start their careers doing their sexy, stylish dance-oriented material then settle into a career as an adult contemporary crooner. Toni Braxton didn't follow that route. She started the '90s singing elegant, refined quiet storm ballads and ended it singing sleek dance-pop tunes as she slinked around in skimpy outfits. She wasn't the only one of her peers to follow this trajectory – Mariah Carey pretty much did the same thing, only to the extreme – but it's a little odd to listen to Braxton evolve from the sophisticated urban contemporary crooner to oversexed R&B thrush, even if it's not a bad thing at all. One thing that elevated Braxton above her peers is that she was a controlled, powerful singer who rarely oversang, and she had a good selection of material, much of it written or co-written by Babyface. That's why her 18-track hits collection Ultimate Toni Braxton works well even through her shifts in style – she is a confident enough performer to sell both the slow romantic ballads and material that swings harder.

The early 80's spawned an eclectic mix of music, bands and fashion. Animal Nightlife fitted nicely into the dawning of a new clubland epitomising the style of the decade, blending their jazz-laden rhythms to the smooth vocals of Andy Polaris and the soulful side of the new romantic movement but with a funkier cutting edge. Includes a full color 6-page booklet with sleevenotes by Uncut Magazine's Associate Editor, Paul Lester.

In 1956, Bernard Haitink conducted the Concertgebouworkest for the first time and together they would play more than 1,500 concerts across the globe. Besides his modesty, his humanity, his musical taste, and his honesty to the music, three words come to mind when one thinks of Haitink and his orchestra: Sound, Trust and Magic. Jörgen van Rijen, Principal trombone of the Concertgebouworkest, said at a memorial concert in February this year, “Every time with him [Haitink] the orchestra sounded warmer, deeper and richer, from the first moment he started to rehearse. How he did that is difficult to tell … he always gave us musicians the feeling he trusted you, that he was there to help, not to interfere.”

The pianist Zlata Chochieva is well known for creating unexpected associations. In "Chiaroscuro", her first album for naive (V7542, 2022), she had combined the worlds of Scriabin and Mozart, in whom she hears not only the same desire for clarity and weightlessness but also a similar poetic sense of rhetoric. Her next album ("i'm Freien", V7959, 2023), a homage to nature, revealed alongside Ravel's Miroirs and Schumann's Waldszenen a short cycle, so little known and graceful (Petite Histoire), by Felix Draeseke! No wonder she is now offering us, for her first album with orchestra, one of the most obscure works of Russian Romanticism, the Piano Concerto by Rimsky-Korsakov.

The composer Barbara Strozzi’s “Ariette a voce sola opus 6” was published in 1657, and in it she explores the subject of pastoral love. This recording of the work features the extraordinary and beautiful countertenor voice of the young Japanese soloist Miroku Tadashi. The harpsichord is played by Silvia Rambaldi. Barbara Strozzi was the daughter of the Venetian poet Giulio Strozzi, and one of the most talented composers of the 17th century. Initially famed for her fantastic soprano voice, she developed into an accomplished composer, publishing eight collections of vocal works mainly based on verses by her father.

The Latebirds - Last Of The Good Ol' Days (2011) is an album by the Norwegian band The Latebirds, known for blending elements of Americana, country, folk, and rock. The band's music has been praised for its nostalgic sound, incorporating both traditional American styles and a modern sensibility, making them a standout in the contemporary folk-rock scene.