It is a joy to have access to these two performances of the Goldberg Variations. Choosing between the American interpreters is not an easy task. Edward Aldwell is not a name familiar to many in Britain, but the fact that historical specialists Biddulph have chosen to record a new disc with him should alert us to the fact that here is something of rare quality. At times, Aldwell’s interpretation feels like one long meditation: his tempi are somewhat slower than most, he observes every repeat and no note is touched with less than total care.

Recording the “Seis libros del Delphín” has been a long-held wish of the Argentine guitarist Pablo Márquez, who came to Europe almost twenty years ago to study renaissance repertoire and to delve into contemporary treatises on performance practice. “Troughout my artistic development, Luys de Narváez has remained a passion of mine, never failing to move me with the mystical nature of his music and the crystal clarity of his discourse”, he writes in his performer’s note to the present album which marks his debut on ECM New Series.

In nearly all his pieces, Duphly presents two contrasting images—the bold and brazen virtuoso, and the wistful dreamer. The one exploits the compass of the harpsichord with scales and dense chords while the other enchants with delicately voiced textures. Only occasionally, as in pieces such as the fiercely passionate ''Medee'', or the elegant ''Les Graces'', does one mood prevail. Nimbly shifting back and forth between these extremes within pieces (as, for example in ''La larare'' or ''La d'Hericourt'') and between them presents a formidable challenge to any performer.

‘Origins Of Aggression’ will be a very special double album to celebrate the formation of the band and the 40th anniversary of Onslaught's debut album “Power From Hell”. ‘Origins of Aggression’ will contain a total of 22 tracks in a double album format.
Disc 1 contains re-recordings of the most important Onslaught tracks from the early years, while disc 2 consists of punk and metal cover versions that have made Onslaught the band they are today: Songs that were jammed during rehearsals, songs that inspired the musicians to play an instrument. A fascinating musical journey through the band's origins.

Although Ella Fitzgerald worked in many different settings, from big bands to guitar-and-voice duets to sets with nearly every piano player in the business (from Duke Ellington on down), one could make a case that her best recordings were made with Oscar Peterson and his small bands. Released in 1976, Ella and Oscar is one of those classic recordings, an album that's as spare and intimate as any that the pair ever issued. In fact, the only other performer featured on this set is Peterson's longtime bassist Ray Brown, whose contributions are minimal. These songs, from the mellifluous "Mean to Me" to a languid "April in Paris," are simple and beautiful.

It’s not quite right to say that the Go-Go’s' 1981 debut, Beauty and the Beat, is where new wave caught hold in the U.S., but it’s not quite wrong, either. Prior to this, there had certainly been new wave hits – Blondie had been reaching the Top Ten for two years running – but the Go-Go’s ushered in the era of big, bright stylish pop, spending six weeks at the top of the U.S. charts and generating two singles that defined the era: the cool groove of “Our Lips Are Sealed” and the exuberant “We Got the Beat.” So big were these two hits that they sometimes suggested that Beauty and the Beat was a hits-and-filler record, an impression escalated by the boost the Go-Go’s received from the just-launched MTV, yet that’s hardly the case. Beauty and the Beat is sharp, clever, and catchy, explicitly drawing from the well of pre-Beatles ‘60s pop – girl group harmonies, to be sure, but surf-rock echoes throughout – but filtering it through the nervy energy of punk.

Phil Miller is an English progressive rock/jazz guitarist who is part of the Canterbury scene. In addition to his solo work, he has played in Hatfield and the North, National Health, and Matching Mole. He has released a number of solo albums, some with his group In Cahoots.
After the demise of National Health, he began preparing for a solo career that began with "Cutting Both Ways" (1987) and continues to this day. This was the first album released under his own name, and the first album to feature his band In Cahoots, who are pretty much of a supergroup themselves: Hugh Hopper - bass (Soft Machine), Elton Dean - saxes (Soft Machine), Peter Lemer - keyboards (Gilgamesh, Mike Oldfield, Pierre Moerlen's Gong) & Pip Pyle - drums (Gong, Hatfield, National Health)…

This live Appassionata, from a Moscow recital of 1959, is one of the most thrilling piano performances ever recorded. Sviatoslav Richter fills every moment of the first movement with intense drama, creates the illusion of total repose in the central variations, and then takes off in the finale with an exhibition of musical virtuosity and ever-increasing tension that becomes almost unbearably intense (and unbelievably fast and accurate). The studio Pathétique is quite fine, and the Fantasy (sung in Russian!) well performed by all but still rather quaint in its effect. But don't miss that Appassionata!