Following on from his most successful period to date with the critically acclaimed album Karfagen 7 and the European "Breaking Free" tour Antony Kalugin returned re-energized to his studio to finish work on what completes a defining 2016 for the musical mastermind, all the Karfagen trade marks are here and as with all the best who done it novelists where the music is going next the listener never quite knows. The king of the instrumental unleashes a monsoon of melodies whilst captivating with a constant flow of changing musical genres as Spektra takes us on another Karfagen fairytale ride.

With her mind-blowing mix of heavy metal guitar prowess and bluesy, soulful vocals, Orianthi will draw some justifiably well-earned comparisons to such giants of rock guitar as Jimi Hendrix and her own idol, Carlos Santana, on her 2009 sophomore album, Believe. That said, her style hews closer to the more finger-frenetic pyrotechnics of such '70s and '80s icons as Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. Throw in her ability to sell a lyric and carry a strong melodic vocal phrase while also throwing down some devastating slabs of heavy metal riffage, and she starts to look a heckuvalot like the fantasy love child of Prince and Lita Ford.

Ray Obiedo's excellent debut release was followed by five more over the next 10 years, after which he seemingly disappeared from the music scene. While the decline in jazz recording artist contracts is largely to blame, I had always thought that such a dynamic talent would continue recording and releasing music own his own, but unfortunately you can't even find a website for him. In addition to his writing and producing talents, Ray Obiedo plays both guitars and keyboards on every track; and if that wasn't enough, he also does the horn arrangements!

“Ethiobraz” documents the meeting of Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit big band and Ethiopian dance/music ensemble Fendika at Molde Jazz Festival in 2018. Joining them as a special guest was guitarist Terrie Ex, a key component in getting making the meeting happen with his long involvement with the Ethiopian music scene. And, Paal Nilssen-Loves’s first travel to Ethiopia was with The Ex in December 2009. This changed his life. Paal’s first travel to Brazil was in June 2013. This also changed his life. Large Unit was established during fall of 2013. During numerous trips to both Ethiopia and Brazil, Paal established many contacts to schools, clubs, presenters, musicians and dancers in these two countries. The music he created for Large Unit was heavily informed by these trips and meetings, and fusing these influences together with the Scandinavian free music sensibility became an important factor in the Large Unit sound.

Born in Beirut, now settled in France, Lebanese trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf plays a heady mix of jazz, funk and improvisation steeped in classical and Arabic styles. In Paris, he has become a noted figure on the electro-jazz scene, bringing his style to modern funk and electronica acts, but his music also has a mystical, contemplative quality that sets him apart from most contemporary players. Named `Discovery of the Year? at the 2010 French Jazz Music Awards Ibrahim has played with renowned artists such as Amadou and Mariam, Sting, Salif Keita, Toumani Diabate, Matthieu Chedid (aka M) and the legendary Lebanese composer/singer and oud player Marcel Khalife.

Taking over from where Sony left off, Ministry of Sound's Guilty Pleasures is the first compilation in five years to be officially affiliated with the concept created by BBC DJ Sean Rowley back in 2004 which has since spawned its own Camden Town club night, prime-time ITV show, and regular Sunday afternoon radio slot. But while indie kids have embraced the idea of "reclaiming the songs it's shameful to love," the whole Guilty Pleasures brand has come under fire from unapologetic fans of its previous material, who claim the whole idea reeks of musical snobbery.

Helen Folasade Adu CBE (Yoruba: Fọláṣadé Adú [fɔ̄láʃādé ādú]; born January 16, 1959), known professionally as Sade Adu or simply Sade (/ʃɑːˈdeɪ/ shah-DAY), is a British singer, songwriter, and actress, known as the lead singer of her eponymous band…

Paul Bley Quintet - Barrage (1964) {ESP-Disk ESP 1008-2}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 149 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 68 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 33 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1964 ESP-Disk | ESP 1008-2
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Piano

Pianist Paul Bley's early ESP free jazz session combines the influence of the Jazz Composer's Guild with Ornette Coleman. On Barrage, Bley is joined by alto saxophonist Marshall Allen (in one of his few appearances outside of Sun Ra's Arkestra), trumpeter Dewey Johnson (who would go on to play on Coltrane's Ascension the following year), Eddie Gomez on bass, and Milford Graves taking care of percussion. All compositions are by Bley's former wife, Carla Bley, with a definite nod to Coleman's hyperactive stop-start punctuation (Paul Bley had fronted one of the earliest incarnations of the original Coleman quartet). Graves and Allen are especially irrepressible here, making Barrage a lost free jazz classic.

As if playing one violin within the Western art music tradition wasn't difficult enough, the virtuoso L. Shankar has made it his trade to both sing and play a customized double violin within the contexts of Hindustani, Carnatic, Western, and experimental musical sensibilities. On this 1990 ECM release, Pancha Nadai Pallavi, he lays down two tracks, the first without percussion and the second in collaboration with Zakir Hussain on tabla and Vikku Vinayakram on ghatam.

ANDRÉ RIEU created the Johann Strauss Orchestra in 1987 which began with 12 members but now performs with between 40 and 50 musicians. His repertoire covers a wide range of classical music as well as popular and folk music plus music from well-known sound tracks and theatre musicals…

Bill Evans - The Brilliant (1980) {Timeless Records SJP 329 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 253 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 122 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 24 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1980, 1996 Timeless Records | SJP 329
Jazz / Modal Music / Post Bop / Piano

The music on this live CD is much better played than expected, for pianist Bill Evans would pass away on the following September 15. Recorded at San Francisco's Keystone Korner during his last engagement, Evans (along with bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Joe LaBarbera) still seems in surprisingly prime form on four originals (including "Letter to Evan" and "Bill's Hit Tune"), three obscurities, and the "Theme from M.A.S.H." Hopefully, the music from this well-documented gig will eventually be released completely and in chronological order, for the highly influential pianist shows no obvious sign of decline during the highly intuitive post-bop performance.