“You Got Me Hooked!” is the latest instalment in Ace Records’ ongoing survey of British girl singers of the 1960s. Recent volumes in the series focused on the catalogues of Decca (“Don’t Blow Your Cool!” CDTOP 1568), Pye (“She Wants You!” CDTOP 1586) and Philips/ Fontana/ Mercury (“Live It Up!” CDTOP 1550). This new edition comprises a cherry-picked collection of cool she-pop from the EMI family of labels: Parlophone, Columbia and HMV. Most of the tracks were recorded at Abbey Road, a short tube ride from EMI HQ in Marylebone, hence the “Marylebone Beat Girls” subtitle.

Viktoria Tolstoy’s Act debut album, Shining On You, from 2004, can now be seen as a defining moment, marking the beginning of the continuing success story of popular jazz voices from Scandinavia. The music was written by Esbjörn Svensson, who also formed the core band together with Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström and was soon to become world-famous as ‘e.s.t.’. The album, produced by Nils Landgren, was also a gathering of the Act family of artists - also in its infancy back then - who joined the session as guests.

Kronos is very excited to announce that the Norwegian record label Kirkelig Kulturverksted (KKV), in association with New York-based Valley Entertainment, will release Placeless on March 1, 2019. ” Placeless is the first collaboration between Kronos and Iranian singers Mahsa and Marjan Vahdat. Recorded in Oslo’s Kulturkirken Jakob in November 2018, the album features 14 songs composed by Mahsa Vahdat to classical poems by Hafez and Rumi and the works of contemporary Iranian poets Forough Farrokhzad, Mohammad Ibrahim Jafari and Vahdat’s husband Atabak Elyasi. Composers Sahba Aminikia, Aftab Darvishi, Jacob Garchik and Elyasi arranged the songs for string quartet.

Emma Rawicz’s ACT debut features a prominent quintet with pianist Ivo Neame, bassist Connor Chaplin, guitarist Ant Law and drummer Asaf Sirkis - all of whom are established figures on the UK scene. "Chroma," Greek for "color," shows the full spectrum of an artist who has long outgrown newcomer status. As Jazzwise Magazine stated: "Emma Rawicz is already the real deal!"

CLASSIC GRATEFUL DEAD SHOW, 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE SAD PASSING OF JERRY GARCIA This sterling performance from a late period Grateful Dead took place about a year before the sad death of Jerry Garcia in August 1995. Following this event the band, inevitably given the circumstances, called it quits. That said, in summer 94 the Dead were on fire. This show, one of three performed at The Shoreline Theatre in Mountain View, California, in July 94, provides testimony to this as GD work their magic for some two and half hours in the hot California sun across a fine selection of classics from across the group s career. And while, as it turned out, time was not on the Dead s side by this juncture, almost everything else was as this double CD featuring the complete FM radio broadcast of this special concert now illustrates.

If Dream of the Blue Turtles was an unabashedly pretentious affair, it looks positively lighthearted in comparison to Sting's sophomore effort, Nothing Like the Sun, one of the most doggedly serious pop albums ever recorded. This is an album where the only up-tempo track, the only trifle - the cheerfully stiff white-funk "We'll Be Together" - was added at the insistence of the label because they believed there wasn't a cut on the record that could be pulled as a single, one that would break down the doors to mainstream radio. And they were right, since everything else here is too measured, calm, and deliberately subtle to be immediate (including the intentional throwaway, "Rock Steady"). So, why is it a better album than its predecessor? Because Sting doesn't seem to be trying so hard…

20th February 1971 Show From The Band s Run At The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York. Grateful Dead s six night run at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, New York in February 1971, which extended from the 17th - 23rd (six shows across seven nights), marked the beginning of Mickey Hart's temporary departure from the band; his last show with the Dead was on 17th February 1981, until his return on 20th October 1974. The 20th February concert included the second ever appearance of the classic Wharf Rats , a song that later gave name to Deadheads who were living alcohol and narcotic free. The opening act for this series of concerts was New Riders Of The Purple Sage, which at the time featured Jerry Garcia on pedal steel guitar.

The original Gabin - a French actor known for his portrayals of jaded, faded anti-heroes in 1930s and '40s-era films - might have chuckled ironically if he had been told that, a half-century after his heyday, two Italian musicians would name a fledgling lounge music project after him. But if he had listened to the music, he would have understood. It's full of languid grace and melancholy and is undeniably stylish - exactly what you'd expect to hear in a Parisian café or supper club. Just to add to the effect, many of the song titles and lyrics are in French.
Gabin (2002). Milky, silken rhythms lace through this collaboration between Roman DJ Filippo Clary and jazz bassist Max Battini. Their perspectives find accord in the realm of what martini-addled old-timers might label "acid jazz." Electronic timbres are tactile and smooth, guest vocals by Ana Carril Obiols of Mano Negra…

This is yet another good compilation. This particular series is exceptionally good and this cd is the best so far. Anyone who likes the "Real Rock `n` Roll", ie late 50`s early 60`s, would love this compilation. So it is for all ages. Try it for yourself, the music is really good and of course, the quality is first class.

While their records were entertaining and full of skillful pop, it wasn't until At Budokan that Cheap Trick's vision truly gelled. Many of these songs, like "I Want You to Want Me" and "Big Eyes," were pleasant in their original form, but seemed more like sketches compared to the roaring versions on this album. With their ear-shatteringly loud guitars and sweet melodies, Cheap Trick unwittingly paved the way for much of the hard rock of the next decade, as well as a surprising amount of alternative rock of the 1990s, and it was At Budokan that captured the band in all of its power.

This is not your father's Asia. In its beginnings Asia was a band frequently called the first progressive rock supergroup, although that title really belonged to Emerson, Lake & Palmer. The Asia of old actually had an arena rock sort of sound that, while espousing prog elements and textures, was pretty much straightforward rock. At times the band was definitely a bit formulaic. As Asia has continued on, with members coming and going, the tone of the group has changed. The bandmembers seem to struggle a bit with direction, not going completely prog, but certainly not eschewing that direction altogether. This disc reveals one element that could definitely be seen as an improvement over the old days, though: the music has lost much of its slick and almost contrived texture.

On May 28, 2023, composer György Ligeti would have turned 100 years old. French saxophonist Emile Parisien and Italian pianist Roberto Negro approach Ligeti's String Quartet No. 1 "Métamorphoses nocturnes" - with the means of improvisation and at the same time great respect for the original.

This was pianist Bill Evans' final studio session, a rare outing with a quintet (starring trumpeter Tom Harrell and Larry Schneider on tenor and soprano) and his first recording with the members of his final regular trio (bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera). The playing time is over 61 minutes. The group interprets "For All We Know" and seven Evans originals, including "Peri's Scope" and "Five." The thoughtful session is full of lyrical melodies and strong solos; even Evans' electric keyboard work on a few tunes is distinctive.

One of the most influential artists in the history of jazz, Bill Evans (1929–1980) was known for his conversational interplay within his trios, his lyrical compositions and his matchless approach to the piano. In 1959, after a year with Miles Davis’ sextet, Evans embarked on a new chapter with bassist Scott LaFaro and drummer Paul Motian—a unit that would redefine the notion of the piano trio.

Formed in 1973, the British hard rock outfit Bad Company was a supergroup comprising ex-King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell, former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, both previous members of Free. Powered by Rodgers' muscular vocals and Ralphs' blues-based guitar work, Bad Company was the first group signed to Led Zeppelin's Swan Song vanity label. Their eponymous 1974 debut was an international hit, topping the U.S. album charts and scoring with the number one single "Can't Get Enough of Your Love." Straight Shooter, issued the following year, was another major success, notching the hit "Feel Like Makin' Love," while 1976's Run with the Pack was Bad Company's third consecutive million-selling record. After 1977's Burnin' Sky, Bad Company recorded 1979's Desolation Angels, which embellished the group's sound with synthesizers and strings; a three-year hiatus followed before the release of Rough Diamonds, the group's final LP in its original incarnation. In 1986, Ralphs and Kirke resurrected the Bad Company name, enlisting former Ted Nugent vocalist Brian Howe to replace Rodgers.