Although the thought of an Orb live album may raise some eyebrows, the resulting two-CD set is amazing, a complete representation of the group in concert and living proof that techno is indeed a live, as well as recorded, art form. Besides, the consistent Pink Floyd jokes on the record (as well as the brilliant cover art) are hilarious.

Liquid Tension Experiment is: Tony Levin: Basses, John Petrucci: guitars, Mike Portnoy: drums, and Jordan Rudess: keyboards.

Dream Theater members Mike Portnoy (drums) and John Petrucci (Guitars) were joined by King Crimson’s Tony Levin (Bass) and keyboard phenomenon Jordan Rudess to participate in the “Liquid Tension Experiment”. This totally unscientific experience took place in the Fall of 1997 in Upstate New York during what Mike Portnoy called “one craziest, most stressful, and , yet, simultaneously beautiful, magical and most creative weeks of my life.” Portnoy, Petrucci, Levin and Rudess got together to create some of the most exciting and innovative progressive rock heard in the last 25 years.

Scattered notes seem to stretch time, their repetition and countless combinations evoking (or invoking?) the infinite iridescence of light that accompanies dawn—a ritual as inevitable as it is unpredictable. With his Musique pour le lever du jour, composed over two years and completed in 2017, Melaine Dalibert once described his aim as creating "an infinite piece," without beginning or end. Subtle, intangible, both complex and minimal, the variations forming this hour-long composition—dedicated to Belgian pianist Stéphane Ginsburgh—allowed silence and resonance to blossom into shades of color. Released on the American label Elsewhere Music, led by Yuko Zama, the album was ranked among France Musique's 100 best of 2018. Its abstract, colorful cover? The work of none other than David Sylvian.

Laufey, composer, singer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, continues her story by writing and recording Bewitched, her second album. The Goddess Edition features four brand-new original songs including lead single "Goddess". Inspired by jazz greats and classical masters while possessing a point of view that could only be conveyed by a 21st-century twentysomething, Bewitched represents an expansion of Laufey’s sonic palette. Tracks like the breezy bossa nova cut “From The Start” and the smoldering string-assisted ballad “Promise” have classic songcraft and intricate arrangements that make them feel instantly timeless. Laufey’s conversational lyrics give her music a relatability to the next generation of jazz, pop, and classical aficionados.

Released to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of these sessions and the 75th Anniversary of Prestige Records, “Miles ’54” brings together 20 tracks recorded by the trumpet legend in 1954, across 4LPs. Including cuts from albums released that year it features Sonny Rollins, Charles Mingus, Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Thelonious Monk and more.

“On this record, I want us to bop, dance, laugh and cry together, unified as one people, while we also remember our black ancestral heroes and wield the superpowers they left us with,” Jon Batiste says of his forthcoming solo album, Hollywood Africans. The acclaimed bandleader, pianist and vocalist is the latest signee to Verve Records, who will release his major label debut on September 28.

Total of 56 tracks, approximately 5 hours and 10 minutes.
Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 - 2nd Movement, Nocturne No. 21 (Posthumous Work); Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 2 - 3rd Movement, No. 16 - 1st Movement; Mussorgsky: "Pictures at an Exhibition" - Promenade; Brahms: "15 Romances from 'The Beautiful Magelone' - No. 13" (Brigitte Fassbender/Alto); Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 2 "Fantaisie Sonata" - 2nd Movement, and more.

With Graceland, Paul Simon hit on the idea of combining his always perceptive songwriting with the little-heard mbaqanga music of South Africa, creating a fascinating hybrid that re-enchanted his old audience and earned him a new one. It is true that the South African angle (including its controversial aspect during the apartheid days) was a powerful marketing tool and that the catchy music succeeded in presenting listeners with that magical combination: something they'd never heard before that nevertheless sounded familiar. As eclectic as any record Simon had made, it also delved into zydeco and conjunto-flavored rock & roll while marking a surprising new lyrical approach (presaged on some songs on Hearts and Bones)…

Songs for Elisabeth is a seven-track mini-album of Seasick Steve's songs that creates a blues alternative to the standard Valentine's release. The tracks are brought together from the Californian's four studio albums, and include the previously unreleased "Ready for Love," which retains his warm blues sound alongside songs from his debut. The artwork, created by his son Didrik Wold, is designed as a Valentine's card with a greeting written by Steve.

As was the custom for jazz platters of the time, both Baker and Freeman are joined by a different combo on each date. The luminaries include Bobby Whitlock (bass), Joe Mondragon (bass), Bobby White (bass), Larry Bunker (drums) and Shelly Manne (drums) from sessions held circa July and October of 1953. The 25 selections here provide copious evidence of Baker's uncanny artistry as he develops a dark, yet lyrical, interpretive approach. Immediately evident is the thoughtful synergy between Baker and the comparatively understated Freeman, whose comps help link the respective solos. In several notable instances, such as the nonchalant "Isn't It Romantic" or the limber syncopation of "Maid in Mexico," Freeman establishes the melody, rather than simply being relegated to the rhythm section…

This is a classic, the epitome of the band's early Daevid Allen phase with Ph.P.'s (pothead pixies) in full, blazing glory. In its infancy, Gong was a unique prog rock band that branched out in all directions at once while most other prog bands chose simply one path or another. Camembert Electrique is a testament to that. The band's eclectic "electric cheese" rock is a mixture of psychedelic rock, spacy atmospherics and lyrics, and doses of jazz often presented with a pop sensibility, yet always intense. From the first cut on Camembert, you are transported to planet Gong via the voice of a "radio gnome" who drops in intermittently to remind you you're not in Kansas anymore. Daevid Allen leads the band through several compositions musically (not lyrically) reminiscent of, and possibly influenced by, early King Crimson - a hard, raw-edged sound propelled by a strong guitar-sax-percussion combo…