ERIC JOHNSON - ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREEMINENT ELECTRIC GUITARISTS - TO RELEASE HIS FIRST FULL ACOUSTIC ALBUM Eric Johnson celebrates his acoustic side with EJ, his 12th album. Emphasizing Johnson's formidable skills as a singer-songwriter, his first completely unplugged album is also his most immediate and intimate. EJ brings listeners as close as possible to hearing the singer-songwriter perform in his own living room, as he continues his lifelong quest to produce music that entertains, inspires, and heals. EJ will be available from October 7 through Mascot Label Group/Provogue

Canadian rock & roll quartet NO SINNER to release new album ‘Old Habits Die Hard’ on May 20 via Provogue When No Sinner came onto the Vancouver music scene in 2012, people immediately took notice of their throwback, soulful rock. They have since traveled the world, selling thousands of their debut album Boo Hoo Hoo, and making a fair impact on the international press. Now they’re ready to do it all over again. Touching on their classic sound but going further into shades of psych, R&B and garage rock, Old Habits Die Hard is a reflection of where they’ve been for the last few years.

When EMI first released Andre Previn's recording of The Planets on LP back in 1973, it became an instant favorite of mine. Not only did I find the performance as good or better than anyone else’s, I thought the sound was of reference quality. As of this writing it’s around forty years later, and my opinion hasn’t changed. I still use the “Uranus” movement as an audio standard for judging other recordings and stereo equipment. I first owned the English EMI LP pressing, vastly preferring it to the American Angel pressing; then there was the EMI compact disc, which wasn’t quite as open or solid as the LP; and later the EMI Japan mastering, which improved upon the English product.

Anthony McGill, the New York Philharmonics principal clarinetist, and brother Demarre McGill, the Seattle Symphony Orchestras principle flutist, return to a beloved training ground, the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO), for an album of works for flute, clarinet, and orchestra featuring world-premiere recordings of specially commissioned duo concertos. The albums title track, celebrated African-American composer Michael Abels Winged Creatures, was commissioned for the project by Cedille Records. Inspired by the flight of butterflies and other creatures, its solo parts are, in turns, delicate, frenetic, soaring, and powerful.

Acclaimed soloist and First Prize winner at the 2017 Tarrega International Guitar Competition, Alejandro Cordova has chosen a programme that presents five acknowledged masterpieces of the guitar repertoire, while also paying tribute to the great Andres Segovia- an inspiration to composers such as Manuel Ponce, whose Sonatina meridional evokes the lyrical warmth of Iberia. Covering a wide range of techniques and expressive forms that reveal the guitar’s sheer versatility, the distinctive Spanish moods and rhythms of Torroba, Jose and Tarrega are further contrasted by Johann Kaspar Mertz’s deeply eloquent Elegie.

As Theseus unrolled the thread given by Ariadne to find his way through the labyrinth, Marianne Piketty tries to find her way through the labyrinth of time by inventing a path from Baroque to present. She thus gives shape and life to Ariadne by crossing the voices of Pietro Locatelli and Alex Nante.

Known for her spirited and luminous sound, Baroque flute player Alexa Raine-Wright shares her eloquent interpretations with audiences across North America in solo, chamber and orchestral performances. This debut solo recording brings to light a collection of rarely heard works by Giovanni Benedetto Platti (1697–1763), a composer with one foot planted firmly in the Baroque, and the other foot pointed toward the Classical style.

Mit den Facetten der Mutterrolle haben sich von jeher immer auch Komponisten beschäftigt. Jungfrau Maria, die römische Kaiserin Agrippina oder die babylonische Königin Nitocris sind nur eine kleine Auswahl von Beispielen, mit deren Mutterschaft sich die Alte Musik in Opern, Oratorien und Kantaten auseinandergesetzt hat.

The great pianist Denny Zeitlin has always been interested in surprising listeners (and himself!) with his improvisational explorations on his original pieces and those from other composers. For the past five years, Zeitlin has been focusing on a single composer to reinterpret on solo piano for his yearly residency at the Piedmont Piano Company in Oakland, California. In December 2016, he decided on the singular trumpeter and musical iconoclast, Miles Davis. Zeitlin’s new Remembering Miles is a recording of this spellbinding performance.

Since recording Brazilian Duos in 2000, I have spent much time thinking about the tradition of voice and guitar in Brazilian music. It has become clear to me how well the guitar can represent all of the elements of this music: the rich harmonies, the strong melodic content, the percussiveness, the varied rhythms and diverse styles.

Luciana Souza’s second record for Sunnyside, Brazilian Duos, is a departure in two respects. First, the gifted vocalist is backed not by a jazz quartet, but rather by three different acoustic guitarists — Romero Lubambo, Marco Pereira (playing eight-string), and Walter Santos (her father). Second, Souza turns away from original material and toward classic Brazilian songs by figures like Dori Caymmi, Luiz Gonzaga, Djavan, Jobim, Toninho Horta, and her parents, Walter Santos and Tereza Souza. The range of moods is astounding, from the tongue-twisting virtuosity of the opening "Baião Medley" and the playfulness of "O Bolo" to the heartbreaking strains of "Pra Dizer Adeus," "Docemente," and "Suas Mãos." Souza’s voice, poised and attractive enough on its own, becomes a thing of transcendent beauty when matched with these sparse yet vibrant accompaniments. (David R. Adler)

Leon Payne's country classic "I Love You Because" was one of Carl Smith's last Top 20 hits in 1969. "Good Deal, Lucille," the Cajun song popularized by Al Terry, also made the Top 20 for Smith, and both songs are included on the album I Love You Because. The raucous twin-guitar attack of "Good Deal, Lucille" is a little uncharacteristic for Smith, but "I Love You Because" and the rest of the album is exactly in line with his established '60s sound: hard country music for the honky tonk hardwood floor. The album is practically a tribute to country music's past, with renditions of well-known songs like "Kaw-Liga," "This Cold War With You," and "Please Help Me I'm Falling." Don Gibson's "Blue, Blue Day" gets a complete overhaul in Smith's hands, but the highlight among the album tracks is the funny "Mister, Come and Get Your Wife." Smith's term at Columbia was winding down at this point, but he could still fire off a few good ones.

Skeeter Davis never received much critical attention, but in the '50s and '60s, she recorded some of the most accessible crossover country music, occasionally skirting rock & roll. Born Mary Penick, Davis took her last name after forming a duo with Betty Jack Davis, the Davis Sisters. Their 1953 single "I Forgot More Than You'll Ever Know" was a big country hit; its B-side, the remarkable "Rock-a-Bye Boogie," foreshadowed rockabilly. That same year, however, the duo's career was cut short by a tragic car accident in which Betty Jack was killed and Skeeter was severely injured. Skeeter did attempt to revive the Davis Sisters with Betty Jack's sister but was soon working as a solo artist.

The family relocated to Franklin, Indiana, when she was a small child. The Stearns were a musical family and she learned guitar and was singing locally in her early teens. In 1957, on completing her education, she became a member of the WLW Cincinnati’sMidwestern Hayride, where she remained for two years. In 1960, she became a member of Roy Acuff’s Smoky Mountain Gang. She played with them on the Grand Ole Opry and toured with Acuff as well as making solo appearances on the Louisiana Hayride. She remained with Acuff’s show until July 1965, when she was involved in the car crash that caused serious injuries to Acuff and several of his band members.

His plaintive baritone equally conversant with R&B and country phrasing, Joe Simon married the two genres with startling success during the late '60s, adapting Nashville material to the soul sound and repeatedly coming up a winner. Simon began recording in the Bay Area, but a switch in recording sites (first to Muscle Shoals for Vee-Jay and then to Nashville, upon signing with disc jockey John Richbourg's Sound Stage 7 label in 1966) heightened his national appeal. With easy access to prime country-oriented material, Simon soon found his true calling, scoring major hits with "Nine Pound Steel," "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On," and the number one R&B smash "The Chokin' Kind," penned by Music Row tunesmith Harlan Howard.