“This oratorio, Serpentes ignei in deserto, was written in the 1730s by Johann Adolf Hasse, who was probably one of the most famous composers of his time – as famous as Handel, or even more famous than Handel in some countries,” explains Thibault Noally. Both violinist and conductor, Noally founded the ensemble Les Accents, which specialises in vocal and instrumental music of the 17 th and 18 th centuries – notably reviving works that have fallen out of the repertoire. Gramophone has praised Noally’s “dramatic flair” and his instrumentalists’ “crisp, thoroughly idiomatic playing“, and their advocacy for Hasse’s vivid Old Testament oratorio – ‘Fiery Serpents in the Desert’ – is reinforced by a cast of six virtuoso singers: soprano Julia Lezhneva, sopranist Bruno de Sá, and countertenors Philippe Jaroussky, Jakub Józef Orliński, Carlo Vistoli and David Hansen.

Recorded live at Koseinenkin Hall, Shinjuku, Tokyo on October 23, 1978. After quitting DEEP PURPLE 1973 IAN GILLAN spent quite a while in a musical wilderness before forming IAN GILLAN BAND in late 1975. This part of his career has been well documented on other Angel Air releases. Ian Gillan Band released three studio albums and were set to record a fourth when Ian had a change of heart, he sensed that the reaction to the group's complicated jazz-rock style was in danger of alienating his core audience. Ian decided to disband IGB and to form a new band - GILLAN. As IGB had a large and very loyal fan base in Japan and as the band at that time had no record deal then it was only natural that GILLAN toured Japan.

Pianist/vocalist Diana Krall pays tribute to the Nat King Cole Trio on her Impulse! set. In general, the medium and up-tempo tunes work best, particularly such hot ditties as "I'm an Errand Girl for Rhythm," "Frim Fram Sauce," and "Hit That Jive Jack." Krall does not attempt to directly copy Cole much (either pianistically or vocally), although his influence is obviously felt on some of the songs. The slow ballads are actually as reminiscent of Shirley Horn as Cole, particularly the somber "I'm Through With Love" and "If I Had You." Guitarist Russell Malone gets some solo space on many of the songs and joins in on the group vocal of "Hit That Jive Jack," although it is surprising that he had no other opportunities to interact vocally with Krall; a duet could have been delightful. Bassist Paul Keller is fine in support, pianist Benny Green backs Krall's vocal on "If I Had You," and percussionist Steve Kroon is added on one song. Overall, this is a tasteful effort that succeeds.

While such albums as 1980's Permanent Waves and 1981Moving Pictures are usually considered Rush's masterpieces (and with good reason), 1978's Hemispheres is easily as deserving and acts as a hinge piece between the band's early hard rock material and more progressive later offerings. The album consists of four compositions (half are lengthy). The 18-minute-long "Cygnus X-1, Book II Hemispheres" is arguably the band's finest extended track, and a sequel to "Cygnus X-1" from the previous year's A Farewell to Kings. While the track's labyrinthine storyline isn't as comprehensible as "2112" was, it's much more consistent musically, twisting and turning through five different sections that contrast heavy rock sections against more sedate pieces…

One track already makes Nick Heyward's first solo LP after leaving Haircut 100 a must-hear. The breezy "Whistle Down the Wind" is among Heyward's most moving songs, a story of unrequited love with a "hello, hello, hope you're feeling fine" chorus that is both heartwarming and heartbreaking. Heyward sings the opening lines in a whispery tone, caressing the ears with the sweetness of his voice; when the tempo builds up, the track manages to simultaneously elevate and sadden the listener. "Whistle Down the Wind" is lush, hopelessly romantic pop that may have been too subtle for Top 40 radio in 1983. Although North of a Miracle doesn't strike those highs again, it's still just as charming and catchy as Heyward's finest Haircut 100 work. "When It Started to Begin" sounds a lot like Haircut 100, especially the chirpy horns, but much of North of a Miracle is more mature and introspective. "Blue Hat for a Blue Day" speaks of divorce with a deceptively cheerful beat, while the atmospheric "The Day It Rained Forever" is a wintry ballad with a palpable depth of emotion.

The Metallica Blacklist celebrates the 30th anniversary and enduring influence of the iconic Black Album, with one of the most ambitious projects ever conceived by the Metallica team: An unprecedented 50+ artists spanning an unbelievably vast range of genres, generations, cultures, continents and more, each contributing a unique interpretation of their favorite Black Album song. All profits from The Metallica Blacklist will be split evenly between the All Within My Hands Foundation and 50+ charities chosen by the artists who play on the album.

Whether in its original serial form in the 1940s, in the low-budget films of the 1950s, in the television series of the 1960s, or even in the overgrown re-imaginings for blockbuster movies in the 1970s and beyond, the science-fiction genre on film (and videotape) has always had something cheesy about it, and that is part of its appeal. Even when the technical wizards at director George Lucas' Industrial Light and Magic are dreaming up the next Star Wars movie, there is, at heart, a sense of the earliest, silliest versions of the genre still present.

The year before Neil Young tracked 2002's meandering and sometimes draggy Are You Passionate?, he recorded some of the songs with his longtime backing band Crazy Horse, trying on the fit of the semi-soulful material with them before ultimately choosing to re-record with groove masters Booker T. & the M.G.'s. Seven-song album Toast consists of the long-shelved Crazy Horse sessions from 2001 and includes versions of four songs that materialized in different forms on Are You Passionate? as well as three previously unreleased outtakes.

John Eliot Gardiner - The Complete Recordings On Erato [64CDs Box Set] (2023)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue, log) | Run Time: 02:10:08:11 | 14.49 Gb
Genre: Classical | Label: Erato (Warner)

Authentic sound language for many eras with J. E. Gardiner
No living artist has won more Gramophone Awards than John Eliot Gardiner. "He proved that stylistic fidelity to sound is a moving feast," the Financial Times wrote about the British. Because at a time when original sound ensembles were still exclusively reserved for baroque music, Gardiner dared a step further and extended the practice to later eras. This edition, with its total of 64 CDs, covers a period of about two decades and presents the famous conductor in its entire artistic span: from the core repertoire with Monteverdi, Johann Sebastian Bach and other baroque composers to the 19th century Frenchmen revered by Gardiner for their sensuality, including Massenet, Bizet and Ravel. In its completeness, the edition is sure to be a worthy honour on the 80th birthday of this pioneer of historical performance practice..

Jeff Lorber reached his commercial peak with Private Passion, an album that has more to do with urban contemporary singing than it does with instrumental pop-jazz. Because it features R&B singers so prominently, Private Passion is a perfect example of what Lorber meant when, in 1998, he complained that the mid-'80s found him becoming "a sideman on my own records." In the 1990s, the keyboardist would return to giving himself a lot of solo space, but on Private Passion, Lorber the soloist/instrumentalist isn't the main attraction.