Edward Haydn Higgins (February 21, 1932 – August 31, 2009) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and orchestrator.

Curtis Amy (October 11, 1929 – June 5, 2002) was a jazz saxophonist. Amy was born in Houston, Texas. He learned how to play clarinet before joining the Army, and during his time in service, picked up the tenor saxophone.

The Choral Scholars is an internationally acclaimed chamber choir of gifted student singers led by founding Artistic Director, Dr. Desmond Earley, based at University College Dublin College of Arts & Humanities. Scholars come from various academic disciplines and commit to an intensive programme of choral study.

The addition of a brass ensemble to Christmas concerts and carol services, combining with the more traditional sounds of choir and organ, has become increasingly popular in recent years.

Much of the acclaim for London-based English folk evolutionists Nicola Kearey (vocals) and Ian Carter (guitar/producer) has been down to their willingness to introduce a contemporary edge to the genre.

The Atlantis Big Band is now one of the big names in the big band scene in German-speaking Switzerland. In spring 2008, Gilbert Tinner, a luminary in the Swiss music scene, took over the lead. Among other things, he is known as a jazz trombonist and leader of the former Swiss Army Gala Band and the SBB wind orchestra. He is also known as the arranger of the Pepe Lienhard Big Band and musician with Udo Jürgens.

SOMM RECORDINGS is delighted to announce Elgar from America, Volume II: the first commercial release of three historic performances from 1940s’ New York featuring legendary Elgarian interpreters including violinist Yehudi Menuhin and conductors Malcolm Sargent and Arturo Toscanini at the helm of the NBC Symphony Orchestra.

For better or worse, Andrew Lloyd Webber's adaptation of Gaston Leroux's gothic horror/romance novel has done for stage musicals what Spielberg's Jaws did for fish stories, with worldwide sales of its original cast album approaching 25 million. While director Joel Schumacher's film turns on his typically ambitious visual verve, its new film soundtrack recording has been paradoxically focused in scope, yet beefed up dynamically via the brawny presence of a hundred piece orchestra and The London Boys Choir. This single disc version showcases all of Phantom's key songs, with Gerard Butler imparting a welcome, youthful sensuality to his Phantom, making a fine foil for Emmy Rossum's ever-conflicted Christine. Original show orchestrator David Cullen has fashioned compelling new contemporary arrangements to frame Webber's songs – which now conclude with the lilting, upbeat new ballad he wrote for the film, "Learn to Be Lonely", sung by Minnie Driver.

As an aside to the musical works realised by Church of the Cosmic Skull, the works to be sent forth from this new platform will be myriad and multiform, varied in genre but of high standard and rich with heart.

Bandleader and composer Bjørn Marius Hegge is a bassist and key part of the new brood of Norwegian jazz musicians. Apart from leading his quintet Hegge, he is part of the Kjetil Mulelid Trio (Rune Grammofon) and has released a number of albums on the Particular Recordings Collective label (including solo, trio and group projects). He won the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemannsprisen) for his band Hegge's debut recording "Vi Är Ledsna Men Du Får Inte Längre Vara Barn" in 2017. He has a bachelor degree in performing arts from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).

Michael Harrison’s Just Constellations was described as “glacially beautiful” by The New Yorker’s Alex Ross, who wrote about the performance of this recording at The Tank, an unlikely contemporary music performance venue in Rangley, Colorado. Harrison describes it as “an amazing monumental old water tank with a reverb that lasts longer than any that I have ever heard, including the Taj Mahal.”