The extraordinary series of 1998-2006 recordings of the nine published books of madrigals by Monteverdi, from Claudio Cavina and the Italian ensemble La Venexiana, is now available in limited-time and limited-number boxed set form from Glossa. This multi-award-winning cycle set new standards in textual declamation, rhetorical color and harmonic refinement. Also included is the Live in Corsica album of Monteverdi madrigals (2002) and a newly-written essay by original series essayist Stefano Russomanno of which all, along with full texts and translations in PDF form, are also included.

Recordings of Handel’s Water Music come in floods, those of Telemann’s Wassermusik (more properly titled Hamburger Ebb und Fluth) in a gradually growing stream. Couplings of the two, however, are but a trickle, which is a surprise considering that their combined length is thoroughly convenient for CD. This recording was originally released in 1996, and thus predates its only direct rival, from the King’s Consort. The orchestral playing is of a good quality throughout, the Flemish period instrumentalists of Il Fondamento showing a healthy appetite for their task – who would not in such music?

Although it's not unusual for artistic and literary communities to revisit and emulate the ideals of an earlier time (the 18th-century reverence for classical antiquity, for example), the present age has shown an interest in medieval music that's certainly unprecedented–and, on evidence of hundreds of recordings and the work of dozens of performing ensembles, its practitioners certainly are among the most accomplished and knowledgeable musicians and scholars ever known. This excellent recording from the medieval ensemble La Reverdie provides more support to such a claim. Rather than just dig up a bunch of old manuscripts, arrange a few obscure tunes, and dump them onto a program with a suitably poetic title, La Reverdie dug up a bunch of old manuscripts, arranged a few obscure tunes, and intelligently and skillfully organized them into an engaging program that brims with lively, lovely music and imaginative interpretations.

Nina Simone (/ˈniːnə sɪˈmoʊn/ NEE-nə sim-OHN; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, composer, arranger, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and pop. Her piano playing was strongly influenced by baroque and classical music, especially Johann Sebastian Bach, and accompanied expressive, jazz-like singing in her contralto voice.

Everything Is Wrong is the third studio album by American electronica musician Moby, released on March 14, 1995, by record labels Mute in the United Kingdom and Elektra in the United States. It was released with a limited-edition bonus disc of ambient music titled Underwater.

Tracks 1 - 9 recorded live in Seattle, USA December 1993. Tracks 10 - 13 recorded live in California, USA 1991.

From a selection of Umplugged Live FM Broadcast Recorded During Guns N' Roses 1993 Tour.

The deluxe art-book edition (in the same style and dimensions as previous SW deluxe books) features an additional 60 minute CD of music not included on the final album and an especially commissioned orchestral version of the 23 minute long Objects Outlive Us. The third disc is a blu-ray which expands on the standalone version by also including all of the bonus material in high res stereo, and 5.1 / Dolby Atmos mixes of the orchestral Objects Outlive Us. Steven Wilson releases his eighth studio album, The Overview, on Fiction Records on 14th March 2025. The two track, forty-two-minute​ album is his most audacious to date, inspired by the “overview effect” experienced by astronauts looking back at the Earth from space.

Now firmly settled back in the UK after a decade in the Middle East, Rachael Calladine is eager to reclaim her place among the leading voices in the UK jazz scene. With a strong work ethic driving her efforts, she has become a familiar name in jazz listings once again and has formed a quartet of top notch musicians, all with a string of well-known collaborations behind them, to support her.

Late 60s pop rock psych record with arrangements and elaborate production, originally released on the Uni label. From the ashes of The Epics, the band Tom Hanks called The Wonders in his popular movie, the band relocated to Southern California in 1968, was signed by Universal, and became Orange Colored Sky. Sky hit big in Los Angeles, appearing in the movie "The Love God" with Don Knotts, in TV commercials with Petula Clark, on The Steve Allen Show, and in all the hot clubs. Sky soon became regulars at the Flamingo, Harrahs, and other major venues in Las Vegas, Reno, and Lake Tahoe. In 1970 Skyreplaced The Carpenters as Burt Bacharachs opening act. Sky also toured with Frank Sinatra and assisted Governor Ronald Reagans re-election campaign…

Hard Time Killin' Floor isn't the first Skip James collection, and one could bet it will not be the last. But Hard Time Killin' Floor makes a pretty good argument for itself: the hour-and-six-minute album holds all of James' early work, and it's been remastered. James' soulful vocal style, like Robert Johnson's, has often been noted, but his quick picking style is also distinctive. "I'm So Glad" is performed at an up-tempo, breakneck pace, and the finger work will leave the listener dizzy. The title cut, on the other hand, has a slow, lazy quality, with the blue notes of the guitar matching the singer's mournful cry. James was somewhat unique among blues guitarists in that he also played piano. His spunky gospel style is on full display on songs like "How Long Buck" and the bizarrely titled "Little Cow and Calf Is Gonna Die Blues"…

Shortly after Wes Montgomery's shockingly early death, Verve rummaged around in the vaults and came up with some additional tapes from the live Smokin' at the Half Note sessions with the Kind of Blue rhythm section, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Jimmy Cobb. And then after-the-fact producer Esmond Edwards did a controversial thing - he commissioned Claus Ogerman, the arranger on Tequila, to overdub wind and brass arrangements on four tracks: the title tune, "Portrait of Jennie," "Oh! You Crazy Moon," and "Misty." The critics promptly pounced on Verve, NARAS responded by giving the album a Grammy, and the whole issue became moot when subsequent reissues of the four tracks erased the new backing charts. Yet on the whole, Ogerman did a good job; his arrangements are subtle and, in the case of the title track, swinging, with the flutes adding effective responses within Montgomery's statements of the theme…

Invisible are from Argentina and they released 3 albums in the seventies before calling it quits. Luis Spinetta was the leader and an incredible talent. He played lead guitar and sang on the first two albums, but on this the final record they brought in this virtuoso to play lead guitar while Luis sang while still adding some guitar.
With respect to the players they are all excellent with the guitarist being a true virtuoso. Tomas Gubitsch uses clean tones on his guitar and emphasizes an almost jazzy approach to his playing, which can get very fast, especially on the instrumental piece. The eight tracks on the album range in length from 3'24" to 7'08" and more or less consist of extremely interesting and thoughtfully arranged songs with "proggy" interludes scattered throughout. All in all, this is yet another fantastic and creative album from the Argentinian progressive scene.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the release of a newly re-mastered edition of Tangerine Dream’s classic soundtrack to the legendary film Sorcerer, directed by William Friedkin in 1976. Tangerine Dream members Edgar Froese, Christopher Franke and Peter Baumann composed a stunning electronic score which perfectly accompanied Ffriedkin’s imagary and was the band s first commission for a Hollywood movie. This Esoteric Reactive edition is newly re-mastered, restores the original album artwork and includes a lavishly illustrated booklet with new essay.

2013 release, the first studio album to bear the name 'Iggy & The Stooges' since Raw Power was released in 1973! Ready To Die finds Iggy Pop, guitarist James Williamson and drummer Scott "Rock Action" Asheton reunited for a full album of all-new material with Mike Watt filling in for the late Ron Asheton on bass. The results are the closest thing to a time capsule to 1973 - or at least to Iggy's subsequent efforts with Williamson, including 1977's Kill City and 1979's New Values - that rock 'n' roll is likely to proffer in this millennium. The new album's opening one-two of 'Burn' and 'Sex & Money' pair sublimely blunt and self-explanatory subject matter with back alley razor-blade guitars and a troglodytic rhythmic stomp as intensely single-minded as Iggy's lyrical statements of intent. Elsewhere on the album, anthems abound in the form of the most dead-on rallying cry for the lower-working-class dispossessed to date–the succinctly and aptly titled 'Job' - as well as a title track that mixes a signature Iggy Pop mission statement of angry desperation with guitar pyrotechnics that recall those halcyon opening salvos of 'Search & Destroy'.