Silent night! Holy night! Hearing just a few notes of this eternal carol is enough to envelop us in a sweet tranquility and inner peace that goes well beyond the meaning of the words written by Joseph Mohr and music famous song by Franz Xaver Gruber. Jumbled memories arise of snow-covered countryside, crackling fires, delicious aromas filling the house, the joyful shouts of excited children unwrapping presents. Has Christmas turned into mere nostalgia, or can we rediscover the true meaning of this celebration? Angèle Dubeau thinks we can and, through both popular songs and carols works associated with the Nativity, she offers here a voyage through a world with diverse origins and traditions. This musical tour and celebration of the Nativity will take you to Finland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Russia, and, closer to home, Mexico and Canada, with the Huron Carol.

US Singer, born Jan 11, 1924 in Wichita Falls, Texas, USA, died April 4, 2018.

Not from the original label Verve (Universal Music), this album is therefore not an official reissue. Even if the remastering is in real Hi-Res, it was made in mono even though the recording is in stereo.

Originally released in 1981, this Deutsche Grammophon recording presents an exemplary mix of musicians performing iconic works from the classical canon. Featuring violinist Gidon Kremer with the London Symphony Orchestra and conductor Claudio Abbado performing Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, this is a release not to be missed.

Composed in 1866 for the inauguration of a votive chapel in Linz Cathedral, Anton Bruckner’s Mass no. 2 is a fine example of modernity blended with a centuries-old religious tradition, in that wind instruments are set in dialogue with choral writing inspired by Gregorian chant.

Paavo Järvi, Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich since October 2019, here launches a complete recording of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies, the first in both his rich discography and that of the Swiss orchestra: ‘When I think of the Fifth Symphony, I think of vulnerability and hope. It looks directly into our soul. It is perhaps the finest of his symphonies. The famous horn solo moves me and enriches me every time I hear it… Unlike the Sixth, the Fifth still holds out hope for life.’ The symphonic poem Francesca da Rimini op.32 completes this programme. This dark and violent ‘symphonic fantasy after Dante’, a drama of jealousy, was premiered in 1877, at the same time as Swan Lake.

Melodious and charming, The Cunning Little Vixen is a work rooted in Czech history and folk music; a sentimental journey through the cycles of life. For Sir Simon Rattle, it's a deeply personal and emotional work. "It's the piece that made me want to become an opera conductor… and still one of the pieces that reduces me to tears more easily than any other," says the LSO's Music Director.

After the great success of their first disc for Arcana featuring two unpublished masterpieces by Pergolesi, which won the ‘Diapason Découverte’ award, Giulio Prandi and the Coro e Orchestra Ghislieri return with a new recording, devoted to Niccolò Jommelli’s Requiem. Composed in 1756 for the solemn obsequies of the Duke of Württemberg’s mother, it became the most popular Requiem setting in Europe until Mozart’s, written in 1791.

One of the most magical, as-yet unreleased live performances by Jeff Buckley debuts on vinyl as part of the continuing celebration of the 25th anniversary of his debut studio album Grace. Buckley’s captivating appearance on KCRW-FM’s long-running Morning Becomes Eclectic was accompanied by the core band with which he recorded Grace, and features favorites from that record, including “Mojo Pin,” “So Real,” and “Lover, You Should Have Come Over.”

Recorded live at Namba Hatch, Osaka, Japan, August 11, 2003. The original source: 2 CDRs with flat stereo-mix of the show. Carefully restored, enhanced and mastered by Mark Wingfield.

Blackberry Smoke released a new live album, Big Apple Breakdown, available via Bandcamp. The record comes from the southern rockers’ September 7, 2019 concert at the Brooklyn Bowl in New York City.

Late Night Tales: Khruangbin is a DJ mix album curated by American psychedelia band Khruangbin for Late Night Tales series, set to be released by Night Time Stories on 4 December 2020. It will include Khruangbin's cover of Kool & the Gang's instrumental tune "Summer Madness". The compilation includes a mixture of various global artists outside of the mainstream music, including South Korean rock band Sanulrim, Belarus band Pesniary, Nigerian musician Maxwell Udoh, and Ethiopian band Roha Band, among others.

Two weeks ago, German heavy psychedelic rockers Samsara Blues Experiment announced they would be going on indefinite hiatus. Fair enough. 2020 makes it a decade since the band made their full-length debut with the jammy fluidity of Long-Distance Trip, a record that in no small part would define listener expectation from them even as they went on almost immediately to more progressive work. They’d already toured the US by then, hitting the West Coast in 2009 on the heels of their demo (discussed here, review here), and though they wouldn’t North American shores apart from two more shows in 2015, the years since they stopped through have not lacked adventure.

Twenty-six tracks that Fulson cut between 1946 and 1951 for the Swing Time, Big Town, and Down Town labels. This is far more sparsely produced, and less urbane in feel, than the material Lowell would record for Chess throughout the 1950s. Indeed, on ten of the cuts, he's supported only by his brother Martin on rhythm guitar; there's a small combo on the remainder of the cuts, but a fairly subdued one. Those who prefer their blues down-home might like this better than the more polished sound that Fulson moved into for the rest of his career. It's city blues just out of the country, with Fulson's high, pleading vocals and sharp, countrified electric licks to the fore. The most famous song, by far, is the original version of "Three O'Clock Blues," which was covered for a huge R&B hit by B.B. King in the early '50s.

Lowell Fulson recorded every shade of blues imaginable. Polished urban blues, rustic two-guitar duets with his younger brother Martin, funk-tinged grooves that pierced the mid-'60s charts, even an unwise cover of the Beatles' "Why Don't We Do It in the Road!" Clearly, the veteran guitarist, who was active for more than half-a-century, wasn't afraid to experiment.