From the States comes this powerful trio, that emerged from the group Labyrinth in late-90's. Labyrinth were active during the 90's and released three albums, but a change of name to Unified Past occured in 1999 with an album following the next year (''From the splintered present surfaces… The Unified Past''), before they were put on ice for years. Original guitarist Stephen Speelman reformed the group in late-00's with Labyrinth's original drummer Victor Tassone and singer Steve Calovi, while Speelman took over also the bass duties. 2009 and Unified Past offer independently their second album ''Tense'' (with Greek characters on the front cover).

Edvard Hagerup Grieg (Norwegian pronunciation was a Norwegian composer and pianist. He is widely considered one of the leading Romantic era composers, and his music is part of the standard classical repertoire worldwide. His use and development of Norwegian folk music in his own compositions brought the music of Norway to international consciousness, as well as helping to develop a national identity, much as Jean Sibelius and Bedrich Smetana did in Finland and Bohemia, respectively.

Rachmaninov’s music was banned in the USSR for being “decadent.” Now his music is celebrated for its deep emotion and richness. This album features a selection of his piano concertos and solo works as well as his rich choral and orchestral works and songs.

This is the third release for ECM from the German-Iranian vocalist, Cymin Samawatie with her band Cyminology with an intriguing and exquisite set that fuses Persian poetry and rhythms with improvisation along with the musicians own diverse influences and cultural background. The music itself is most absorbing with subtle melodies and delicate rhythms rubbing alongside and against the Persian verse. This is a beautiful album that quite rightly defies simple classification, and why not. For the listener with open ears there is much to enjoy.

Barney Kessel - Let's Cook! (1957) {Contemporary OJCCD-1010-2 rel 1999}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 260 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 96 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 13 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 1999 Contemporary Records / Fantasy | OJCCD-1010-2
Jazz / Bop / Cool / West Coast Jazz / Guitar

Well, if you've ever heard Barney play guitar, you know that he doesn't always cook – or at least not as hotly as other players – but this album is a nice batch of tracks that goes way beyond Kessel's usual uptight sound. Most of the cuts are very long, and they feature open-ended jam session playing by 2 groups – one with Victor Feldman, Hamp Hawes, and Leroy Vinnegar; the other with Ben Webster, Frank Rosolino, and Jimmie Rowles.

Luys De Narváez - Los seys libros del delphín de música de cifra para tañer vihuela (Valladolid, 1538) (2013) {EMEC Records}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 363 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 202 Mb
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© 2013 EMEC Records | E-100/101
Classical / Renaissance / Mezzo Soprano / Guitar

The most important known date in the life of Luys de Narváez is 1538, when he published this collection of vihuela music in Valladolid, the capital of Spain. He dedicated the publication to Francisco de los Cobos, in whose household he had been serving from at least 1526. By the time his patron died in 1547, he was in the royal chapel as master of the choir boys. He is known to have traveled to the Spanish Netherlands in 1549, but his date of death is no better known than his date of birth. His life certainly spanned the first half of the 16th century. The composer was a master on the instrument, and the publication followed by only two years the appearance of the first book of vihuela music.

Otto Schenk’s opulent production, conducted masterfully by Christian Thielemann, provides a perfect setting for Strauss’s bittersweet comedy of true love and mistaken identity. The great Kiri Te Kanawa is radiant as Arabella, the daughter of an impoverished aristocrat who must marry a wealthy man to save her family. Wolfgang Brendel sings Mandryka, the landowner from the provinces who wins her over with his honesty and genuine charm in the midst of Viennese society.

Charles Mingus' finest recordings of his later period are Changes One and Changes Two, two Atlantic LPs that have been reissued on CD by Rhino. The first volume features four stimulating Mingus originals ("Remember Rockefeller at Attica," "Sue's Changes," "Devil Blues" and "Duke Ellington's Sound of Love") performed by a particularly talented quintet (tenor-saxophonist George Adams who also sings "Devil Blues," trumpeter Jack Walrath, pianist Don Pullen, drummer Dannie Richmond and the leader/bassist). The band has the adventurous spirit and chance-taking approach of Charles Mingus' best groups, making this an easily recommended example of the great bandleader's music.

Khan Jamal has been active in jazz for decades, though his opportunities to record as a leader have come in spurts. After a relatively quiet decade in the 1990s, things improved dramatically in the first decade of the 21st century for the vibraphonist, especially in this 2008 session for his former label Steeplechase. There have been numerous tributes to John Coltrane since the saxophonist's death in 1967, though relatively few by vibraphonists. Jamal's program consists of seven Coltrane compositions, including a spunky quartet setting of the blues "Cousin Mary" to open the CD. Only two tracks add a saxophonist: tenor saxophonist Odean Pope is a guest on the sassy take of "Blues for P. C." while avoiding sounding like a Coltrane clone, while alto saxophonist Byard Lancaster is added for the snappy take of "Mr. P.C."

1972 debut album by legendary German prog band. This is the 2017 black/white 180 gram vinyl 2 LP set that is remastered and includes 3 bonus tracks, booklet, insert and download card.