Though he is without a doubt one of the mad genius pianists of the century, Michelangeli's reputation is sustained essentially by two recordings (or groups of recordings): his Rachmaninoff and Ravel piano concerto disc on EMI, and his Debussy series for DG. Renowned for his fanatical keyboard control and crystalline tone, his interpretations of Beethoven and Mozart often seemed inhuman in their steely precision. But in Debussy, he found a composer whose acute sensitivity to detail and phenomenal ear for the coloristic possibilities of the piano really matched his own artistic philosophy. This recording simply blew the critics away when it came out in 1978, and it hasn't aged a bit. A classic. –David Hurwitz

Les Ménestriers subsequently, members of the group have gradually changed, the lute player Bernard Pierrot remaining the last founding member still present on Renaissance, their latest album released.

"Le Bouvier" was the first LP "Les Menestriers" that I heard. Good instrumentation, virtuosim, good singer.

Les Ménestriers take up a large repertoire of songs from the Middle Ages or the Renaissance, offering new popularity to these 15th and 16th century creations.

The excellent Early Music ensemble Les Ménestriers…

Belated Christmas presents for fans of the late, great Brit-jazz tenorist Tubby Hayes as Universal have announced the arrival of selected remastered albums.

Formed in Queens, NY in the early 1960s, The Exciters were a dynamic R&B; quartet consisting of lead singer Brenda Reid and her producer/writer husband Herb Rooney, plus vocalists Carolyn Johnson and Lillian Walker. The group rose to prominence in 1962, when their hit single ‘Tell Him’ rose to #4 on the U.S. pop chart. The Exciters continued releasing quality music for years, including their 1969 RCA album Caviar And Chitlins, a vintage slice of soul / R&B; from perhaps the most important era in the genre's history. Long out-ofprint, Caviar And Chitlins is now available on vinyl for the first time in decades. Discover it now thanks to this official reissue from Nature Sounds.

Posi-Tone debuts their latest musical collective under the apt title of Works For Me. This carefully curated presentation by Producer Marc Free focuses on combining the individual talents of several emerging performers into a cohesive camaraderie that succeeds in providing us with a series of enjoyably emotional performances that Reach Within with clarity and sincerity. Works For Me features the talents of guitarist Tony Davis, saxophonist Alexa Tarantino, pianist Caili O Doherty, bassist Adi Meyerson and drummer Joe Strasser working together to create a series of unified musical expressions that take us along with them on an entertaining musical journey.

Winterland 12/16/78 is previously unheard save for the inclusion of “Fire” on Live 1975/85, and captures the exhilarating second show in San Francisco, newly mixed from Plangent Processed, multi-track master tapes by Jon Altschiller. Bruce loosens up and reshapes the previous night’s broadcast set, opening in high spirits via “Good Rockin’ Tonight,” giving a tour debut to the infectious “Rendezvous,” summoning a deeply affecting “Independence Day” and absolutely crushing the top of the second set with “(It’s Hard To Be A) Saint In The City.”

With a series of portraits fleshed out in melodic lines THE LARK unites personal experience and collective modern jazz exploration. The second release from pianist and composer, Søren Gemmer, presents an elaboration on the trademark melodicism displayed on the internationally acclaimed debut album. The album is the follow-up release to the highly successful AT FIRST, the debut that received widespread critical acclaim for its sense of direction and compositional signature that merged modern jazz with a fascination of late-romantic classical piano music.

With this recording, alto saxophonist and bandleader Angelica Niescier and pianist and composer Florian Weber, both from Cologne Germany, place themselves at the centre of the New York City jazz scene. They are joined in the NYC Five by three acclaimed jazz musicians in great demand in the Big Apple: trumpeter Ralph Alessi, bassist Christopher Tordini and drummer Tyshawn Sorey. The quintet plays highly contemporary jazz with original tunes, distinctive arrangements, complex rhythms and expressive improvisations on the album, co-produced by Niescier.

Famous for redefining the art of the jazz trio alongside Brad Mehldau, drummer Jorge Rossy combines his talents with guitarist Pierre Perchaud and bassist Nicolas Moreaux to form FOX. This debut album from the ensemble features compositions by Perchaud and Moreaux with rich palettes drawing from rock, blues, pop and classical music, as well as a cover of And I Love Her by The Beatles.

Trained as a well-rounded percussionist in the orchestra, as a jazz musician on the bandstand, and as an artist under the tutelage of great teachers like Joe Morello (Dave Brubeck) and Dave King (The Bad Plus), David Whitman brings a passion and deep respect for the music to the stage wherever and whenever he performs. Praised for his versatility, he possesses a high level of skill across a broad range of percussion styles and ensemble situations.

Atomic is a stalwart modern jazz band from Scandinavia featuring Havard Wiik on piano, Fredrik Ljungkvist on saxophone and clarinet, Magnus Broo on trumpet, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten on bass and Hans Hulboekmo on drums, replacing Paal Nilssen-Love. The music is their trademark free-bop, beginning with “Laterna Interfult” which opens with a mysterious melody before diving into some more powerful improvised sections, where the music stutters and sways, and the horns weave and joust around each other. Ljungkvist breaks lose on saxophone, before stopping on a dime, moving the music back to a more passive position.