Recorded at his commercial peak, Rogers' Christmas features both contemporary material ("Kentucky Homemade," "Kids") and more traditional fare ("White Christmas," "O Holy Night"); while recommended for fans, casual listeners are advised to seek out other country holiday LPs instead.

In early May of 1946, the King Cole Trio, with guitarist Oscar Moore and bassist Johnny Miller, was appearing at The Trocadero in Hollywood. One night after the last set, a then 21-year-old Mel Torme came up to the bandstand and told Nat Cole that he had a new song that he was eager for him to hear. After the last few customers left, Mel sat down at the piano and performed “The Christmas Song” for Nat and the guys. Nat loved it immediately and he sat down at the piano and ran it down a couple of times. Years later, Nat told me that it was that very night that Oscar Moore played the “Jingle Bells” coda. Interestingly, Nat used this same ending every time he recorded the song.

Vic Lewis And His Orchestra - Donovan My Way recorded 1969. Produced by John Cameron. This is an excellent instrumental album of Donovan songs by one time NEMS Manager Vic Lewis. Arranged and produced by longtime Donovan arranger John Cameron it features some of his regular musicians: Tony Carr (percussion) and Harold McNair (flute) not to mention Alan Parker on guitar (is this the same guy who actually played on Hurdy Gurdy Man). It has a rather lounge like style.

Rockabilly legend Mac Curtis was born in Fort Worth, TX, on January 16, 1939. He grew up with his grandparents and started playing the guitar in 1951 at the age of 12. A neighboring farmer taught him how to use it, and soon he was entering local talent contests. After winning 15 dollars in a contest, he realized that he not only got the price of the guitar back but also made five extra dollars. He then knew he could make a living off his talents, and after moving to Weatherford, TX, in 1954, he decided to play music with his schoolmates Jim Galbraith and Ken Galbraith.

For their third album "Mutation", SKNAIL continues the exploration of their pioneering avant-garde glitch jazz by integrating into the band female vocalist Billie Bird, a bandoneon player, and a guest drummer on one of the tracks. This time, more than ever with the fusion of timbres and styles of the past and future, they are taking jazz to unexplored territories. These musical mutations will be part of the new 10 tracks album.

CrossBorder Blues…, or when three exceptional creative talents throw themselves into a series of jubilant explorations built on acoustic blues echoes and the unusual blend of sounds sparked by their meeting. Harrison Kennedy’s voice, banjo, spoons and guitar, Jean-Jacques Milteau’s imaginative harmonica and Vincent Segal’s lyrical cello converse and play as the members of this inspired trio pay homage to their roots without sacrificing to nostalgia, inventing no less than the future of the blue note in the process.

Three works written for James Ehnes, and receiving their premiere recordings. James Newton Howard’s music will be familiar to movie fans the world over. His 120 film scores include ‘The Prince of Tides’, ‘Michael Clayton’, ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’, ‘The Village’, ‘Defiance’ and ‘The Hunger Games’ (the recording was produced by the legendary T Bone Burnett) and he is one of the most respected composers currently working in film. Commissioned to write a concerto for James Ehnes and the Pacific Symphony, Howard admitted to feeling ‘thrilled, excited, expectant and ultimately terrified’.

Die Goldberg Variationen, das wohl bekannteste Werk für Tasteninstrumente von Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), stellen einen Höhepunkt barocker Variationskunst dar. Über eine kunstvoll verzierte barocke Arie entfaltet Bach ein Wunderwerk von 30 Variationen - heitere und besinnliche, kantable und fugierte, tänzerische sowie virtuose. Jetzt erscheint dieses Werk in einer neuen, einzigartigen Fassung: Der Komponist Heribert Breuer hat eine kammermusikalische Bearbeitung für Septett geschaffen.

Known throughout country music as "the Guitar Man," singer/songwriter Jerry Reed gained recognition not only for a successful solo career but also as an actor and ace session player. Jerry Reed Hubbard was born in Atlanta, GA, on March 20, 1937; after picking up the guitar as a child, he was signed by publisher and producer Bill Lowery to cut his first record, "If the Good Lord's Willing and the Creeks Don't Rise," at the age of 18. He continued releasing both country and rockabilly singles to little notice until rocker Gene Vincent covered his "Crazy Legs" in 1958.

Reference Recordings proudly presents these two iconic works in definitive interpretations from Manfred Honeck and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, in superb audiophile sound.