Great small combo work from Anita O'Day - done at a time when the singer had maybe faded from the American limelight a bit, but continued to do some really exceptional work for a variety of smaller labels! In fact, we might even say that Anita during this stretch was even hipper than before - as even on some of her classic 50s albums, she maybe still had a bit of the hoke from the big band years - whereas the O'Day on this album is older, mature, and really wonderfully suited to bring the most out of the tunes - all familiar, but handled with spare backings that really let the lady remind us why jazz vocals, when done right, are such a wonderful art!

Colosseum's debut album is a powerful one, unleashing each member's instrumental prowess at one point while consolidating each talent to form an explosive outpouring of progressive jazz-rock the next. Those Who Are About to Die Salute You is coated with the volatile saxophone playing of Dick Heckstall-Smith, the thunderous keyboard assault of Dave Greenslade, and the bewildering guitar craft of James Litherland. Together, Colosseum skitters and glides through brisk musical spectrums of freestyle jazz and British blues, sometimes held tightly in place by Greenslade's Hammond organ, while other times let loose by the brilliancy of the horn and string interplay. Each song sparks its own personality and its very own energy level, giving the band instant attention upon the album's release in 1969…

Just after his live performance in Houston to celebrate NASA's anniversary, Jean-Michel Jarre released Rendez-Vous, an appropriately cosmic-sounding album of glittering synth pop. It consists of the same music heard at the Houston concert and shows Jarre moving closer to conventional rock territory, though still with his distinct blueprint. The final track, "Last Rendez-Vous: Ron's Piece," was composed by Jarre for astronaut Ron McNair and was intended to be the first musical piece played and recorded in space. McNair's historic duty was cut short, however, by the Challenger shuttle disaster of January 1986.

Paul McCartney retreated from the spotlight of the Beatles by recording his first solo album at his home studio, performing nearly all of the instruments himself. Appropriately, McCartney has an endearingly ragged, homemade quality that makes even its filler – and there is quite a bit of filler – rather ingratiating. Only a handful of songs rank as full-fledged McCartney classics, but those songs – the light folk-pop of "That Would Be Something," the sweet, gentle "Every Night," the ramshackle Beatles leftover "Teddy Boy," and the staggering "Maybe I'm Amazed" (not coincidentally the only rocker on the album) – are full of all the easy melodic charm that is McCartney's trademark.

Weather Report's fourth recording finds Wayne Shorter (on soprano and tenor) taking a lesser role as Joe Zawinul begins to really dominate the group's sound. Most selections also include bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Ishmael Wilburn although the personnel shifts from track to track. "Nubian Sundance" adds several vocalists while "Blackthorn Rose" is a Shorter-Zawinul duet. Overall the music is pretty stimulating and sometimes adventurous; high-quality fusion from 1974.

This recording would be ideal for one with the intent of studying the scores, as it is a rather exact and unbiased read, quite true to Schubert's intended style. The pharsing, choice of tempi and degree of precision are examplary for a work of the era.

The talented organist and harpsichordist Maud Gratton is an artist constantly seeking perfection. A graduate of the Paris Conservatoire, she trained with such great masters as Pierre Hantaï (harpsichord) and Louis Robilliard (organ), as well as with Olivier Baumont, Blandine Rannou, Kenneth Weiss, Michel Bouvard, Olivier Latry, and Olivier Trachier.

S'il est un exemple en France d'éditeur indépendant dynamique, c'est bien celui du label lorrain K.617. Depuis le début des années 90, celui-ci, sous la houlette d'Alain Pacquier, explore, défriche des terres musicales jusque-là inconnues de nos contemporains. Il faut dire que le répertoire exhumé est celui d'Amérique latine ; autrement dit, K.617 a fait ici œuvre de pionnier en révélant aux discophiles des merveilles sonores insoupçonnées. Comme en témoignent la réédition de La Purpura de la Rosa et des musiques extraites de la Mission San Francisco Xavier : des pièces issues du riche patrimoine baroque d'Amérique latine, où tout virevolte, où les rythmes s'entrechoquent, où les voix émeuvent par leur prégnance et la richesse de la palette expressive. Des (re)découvertes qui ne peuvent laisser insensible.