One conjures three rabbits from his hat, the next balances on a thin rope, a third juggles seven balls through the air. Chris Gall mastered an art, that more and more unfolds its spell the longer you listen to it. The pianist nonverbally tells stories that stay in your memory for a long time. Some of them have a cool tragedy, others almost nefarious cheerfulness, sometimes they come around the corner a bit bizarre, but now and then in great clarity. Such a narrative play on 88 keys is very rare, it comes almost exclusively in jazz to fruition, which might be the reason why Gall has dedicated himself to this genre.

When Münster’s Long Distance Calling abandoned their instrumental post-rock roots in favour of adding vocals, the results were stellar (as were the guests, Peter Dolving, Jonas Renske and John Bush). 2013’s The Flood Inside featuring Vincent Cavanagh won critical praise without alienating fans, while the boldness of the move opened up a new audience. On Boundless, LDC have rolled the dice and decided to go instrumental once more.

Nana Mouskouri is one of the most famous female singers, selling over 300 million albums worldwide and touring around the world. In her career, she has recorded more than 1550 songs in English, German, Spanish, French, Greek, Italian, Japanese and Dutch. In 2018, Nana will celebrate 60 years of success in music and releases her 134th record that is a covers album called Forever Young, featuring songs by Amy Winehouse, Leonard Cohen, Bryan Adams and Bob Dylan.

Steve Reich's Pulse / Quartet is performed by the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE). An artist collective committed to transforming the way music is created and experienced—and Quartet (2013) is played by the Colin Currie Group, an ensemble led by percussionist Colin Currie that specializes in the music of Steve Reich; these are also the ensembles that gave the world premiere performances of the respective works.

Ten time Grammy® winner and four time Emmy® winner Justin Timberlake is set to release his fourth studio album, "Man of the Woods" on February 2nd via RCA Records. "Man of the Woods" marks Timberlake’s most ambitious album to date, both sonically and lyrically. Combining the sounds of traditional American rock with the modern influences of collaborators The Neptunes, Timbaland, Chris Stapleton, and Alicia Keys, this new material explores storytelling inspired by his son, his wife, and his personal journey from Memphis to where he is today.

On 'Modern Lore', Julian Lage's second studio recording with his trio, the composer and guitarist focuses on the groove, building his melodies and solos around the work of the prodigious rhythm section of double bassist Scott Colley and drummer Kenny Wollesen.

Born in Houston, he listened to the blues as a child and started playing piano at the age of three. In his teens, he performed with a local group and worked as an accompanist to blues musician, Guitar Slim. In the early 1960s, he moved to Los Angeles, California, where he worked with saxophonist Big Jay McNeely. McNeely arranged for him to record his first single, "Without a Love", an instrumental on the small Swingin' record label. After that, he joined Sam Cooke's band as keyboardist until the singer's death. Haywood next recorded two singles for Fantasy Records, and subsequently moved to Imperial Records, where he recorded the single "She's with Her Other Love", which made the R&B charts in 1965. He was also part of two session bands organized by Los Angeles disc jockey Magnificent Montague which issued the instrumental hits "Hole in the Wall" (R&B #5/Pop #50, 1965) under the name of The Packers, and "Precious Memories" (R&B number 31, 1967) as the Romeos.

"The Glory Part 1" is the opening track and we're welcomed into a simple, yet beautiful song with the amazing vocals of the Ohio native. "Stop Me" follows and is sure to quickly become a fan favorite. The hand-clapping, head-nodding beats laid behind some clever lyrics, such as "Feels like the cold war, but I ain't rushing though. Slowing things down, no concussion bro" and "I'm just trying to give them less Cosby, more Huxtable." It's one of those gems of a song that I don't ever see myself not loving. "Ft Knox" comes along next with unique production setting the backdrop of an honest relationship track. Gray definitely appeals to those searching for great R&B love tunes with this track, the deep-hitting "Afraid With You," and "My Love Is Real," which had me drawing comparisons to Usher and Marvin Gaye.

Connoisseurs of coffin nails will no doubt delight at the name of Ben Caplan’s backing band. In these days of anti-smoking hysteria their title and the music behind it belies a cheeky form of rebellion, conjuring up late night bars, too much booze and a crafty hit of nicotine in the rain outside while a fight breaks out on the dance floor. Caplan’s album is a mish-mash of many styles, all of which would find their home in roadhouses and smoking dens. The album’s predominate vibe is bluesy shanties, with Caplan’s deep growl reverberating like a hybrid of Eddie Vedder and the throaty rasp of Tom Waits. The Casual Smokers themselves accompany on a variety of traditional instruments veering between jugband and gypsy punk. The odd flash of far-eastern exoticism can be heard in the likes of the stomping Conduit, but the overall effect is like a group of hillbillies have infiltrated a Brechtian cabaret.

After enacting his own role in the Aki Kaurismäki movie Le Havre, Little Bob is back with a blues project that takes him back to his beginnings.

A spirit of cross-cultural camaraderie lights up Brothers in Bamako, a collaborative project from American blues/folk artist Eric Bibb and West African singer/guitarist Habib Koite. Their original tunes embody a sense of shared values, while amiable, laid-back vibes pervade the sessions overall. Bibb’s Delta-rooted playing is complemented by the subtle lines that Koite unreels on guitar, banjo, and ukulele.

Blues icon Fred Chapellier has been playing music for more than 20 years. He recorded five solo albums and contributed to innumerable discs by some of the best artists in the field. He is now a household name on The French blues scene, having the largest and most faithful fan base there. Always keen to renew himself and bring news ideas into his music, every of his album is unique and gets rave reviews in the press.

Tomotaka Okamoto was born in Sukumo city, Kochi prefecture in 1976. While a student in Kunitachi College of Music, he won prizes in several music competitions. He was appointed as a soprano soloist and made a impressive debut at the recital called "Revive the Ninth Symphony!", which celebrated the 80th anniversary of the premiere performance of the Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Strictly Romancin, Catherine Russell s fourth album for World Village, is a paean to natural attractions: to a lover, an art form, to one s family heritage. Our heroine explores love s foibles, failures and bliss, from amorous to humorous. This acclaimed vocalist embodies the lost art of song savvy, inhabiting the lyric and allowing each melody to shine. On this fourteen song collection, Russell takes us on a journey from Harlem dance hall to Parisian Café, from Store Front Church to Uptown Cabaret blurring distinctions between the carnal and the eternal in a musical tour-de-force.

Hai-Kyung Suh dazzled the international music scene by winning the prestigious Busoni International Competition as a teen-ager. Her New York recital debut at Alice Tully Hall five years later was hailed byThe New York Times as "a propulsive and exciting performance, built block by sonic block with the structual command of a musical architect."