By the time Les McCann released "Compared to What" – the classic vocal track from the live Swiss Movement with Eddie Harris – the pianist was already a dozen albums into his career. Before that, he cut hip little piano trio records live and in studios with killer rhythm sections using a unique meld of blues, gospel, hard bop, and soul in an approach that made him one of the more iconic live jazz performers during the '60s and '70s. The appearance of this multi-disc set from Resonance, co-produced by Zev Feldman and George Klabin, highlights that early period. Never a Dull Moment! hosts 21 previously unreleased instrumental selections. The first 13 were recorded during performances at Seattle's The Penthouse in early 1966. The final eight were drawn from a July 1967 gig at New York's Village Vanguard. McCann's rhythm sections – in Seattle bassist Stanley Gilbert and either Paul Humphrey or Tony Bazley on drums; in New York, bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Victor Gaskin – were swinging and attentive.

As she readies for the release of her fifth studio album – Off With Her Head, due in late February – BANKS has lifted the curtain on a new homage to her beloved first studio album, Goddess. An acoustic reimagination of the 2014 album, Goddess: Unplugged strips down ten of the original album’s tracks and spotlights the songstress’ ethereal vocals.

HD Remastered presents a historical live performance of the opera Norma by Vincenzo Bellini (1801-1835). It features Pedro Lavirgen is on the scene with the great Joan Sutherland.

Volume 2 is the long awaited followup from the all-star Chicago trio of QUIN KIRCHNER, DANIEL VAN DUERM & MATTHEW LUX.

Die Aufnahmen von Bach-Kantaten mit Christoph Spering und seinen Ensembles Chorus Musicus Köln und Das Neue Orchester für Deutsche Harmonia Mundi erhielten weltweit sehr gute Besprechungen.

On his new solo album Dylanreise, Wolfgang Niedecken takes us on a reading journey full of personal stories and songs from his life, artistically inspired by none other than the US singer / songwriter, author and Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan.

Michał Szałach and Bartłomiej Wezner join forces once again to record violin sonatas by Karol Szymanowski and Ottorino Respighi, following the well-received album Paciorkiewicz: Violin Chamber Works, which received an award at the Muzyczne Orły competition.

This programme highlights the evolution of Christmas music: from early monastic carols such as the original plainchant of O come, O come, Emmanuel; through the beautiful 16th-century melodies Lo, how a rose e'er blooming and the Coventry Carol; to the mighty splendours of later eras as exemplified by J.S. Bach, Vivaldi and Berlioz, with Handel's Hallelujah Chorus from Messiahreigning supreme. This classic VOX recording featuring the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus conducted by Robert Shaw was originally issued on the 2-LP set Nativity in 1976. The Elite Recordings for VOX by legendary producers Marc Aubort and Joanna Nickrenz are considered by audiophiles to be amongst the finest sounding examples of orchestral recordings.

A live recording that made history! Made for Siena Jazz in 1991 and published in 1992 in a very limited edition. Today the original record has an inestimable value on the collectors’ market. It is a vibrant and superb recording, of immense artistic quality, which we are pleased to present to the public again after a fine remastering operation and new graphics. An album not to be missed starring one of the most acclaimed international jazz pianists and composers on the contemporary scene.

Composer Carl Vollrath and Navona Records presents Old & New Poetry Vol II, a compelling musical-literary experience featuring the works of seminal poet William Blake and contemporary writer John Gracen Brown. An enticing follow-up to his 2021 release of the same title, Vollrath employs piano and clarinet with various vocal ranges in this recording, each an intimate setting reflecting his close relationship with the text itself.

Handel's Dixit Dominus HWV 232 (1707) is certainly one of the most impressive compositions of his several years in Italy. With this extremely effective piece, the only 22-year-old obviously wanted to demonstrate all of his compositional skills. Il Gardellino and Bart Van Reyn accompany him on their recording with the breathtaking cantata Il Pianto di Maria, which was long attributed to Handel until recent research has shown that it was penned by the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Ferrandini (1710-1791).

The album includes the following world premiere recordings of Naji Hakim’s works at the historic STAHL- HUTH-JANN ORGAN at St Martin’s Church, Dudelange , Grand Duché de Luxembourg : Grego- riana (2003) – Bogurodzica (2018) – Prière (2020) – Villancico aragonés (2018) – Carnaval (2014) – Sindbad (2014) – Korean Prelude (2014) – Cantilena (2016) – Trois Paraphrases sur Ave maris stella (2003) – O sacrum convivium (2018) – Tanets (2019).

Cometa is Nick Hakim’s 3rd full-length album. It is a collection of romantic songs written through different lenses, guided by Hakim’s own experience of falling in love in a way that made him feel like he was floating. The dizzying, out-of-body sensation is the theme that anchors this masterful album, which features guest appearances from Helado Negro, Alex G, Arto Lindsay, and DJ Dahl. The album was recorded between studios and domestic spaces throughout Texas, North Carolina, California, and New York.

Simon-Pierre Bestion has chosen to mirror two Stabat Mater that are more than 150 years apart: "in these two works I can feel the same tonal language, the same expression of sorrow" says the founder of La Tempête… "I have decided to ‘augment’ Scarlatti’s orchestration and ‘diminish’ Dvořák’s, so they can meet on even ground. To the Scarlatti I have added string parts sometimes doubling the vocal lines, colla parte , as was often done at the period: this not only allows the sound to be amplified, but adds an extra timbre to the voice.

In the horror genre, sequels are perfunctory. As the insufferable film bro Randy explains in Scream 2, “There are certain rules that one must abide by in order to create a successful sequel. Number one: the body count is always bigger. Number two: the death scenes are always much more elaborate—more blood, more gore.