New Jersey-born blues-rocker Walter Trout spent decades as an ace sideman, playing guitar behind the likes of John Lee Hooker, Big Mama Thornton, and Joe Tex. In 1981, he was also tapped to replace the late Bob Hite in Canned Heat, remaining with the venerable group through the middle of the decade. While filling in one night for an ailing John Mayall, Trout (also a Bluesbreaker for some five years) was spotted by a Danish concert promoter who agreed to finance a solo tour. Assembling his own backing band, he released his debut LP in 1990, Life in the Jungle, trailed a year later by Prisoner of a Dream. Albums including 1992's Live (No More Fish Jokes), 1994's Tellin' Stories, and 1997's Positively Beale Street followed.

This album might as well be called "The Best of Meat Loaf, 1984-1987," since it surveys his stint at Arista Records, including material from his studio albums Bad Attitude and Blind Before I Stop, and the concert collection known as Live at Wembley in the U.K. and simply as Live elsewhere. It features his two British Top 40 hits of the period, "Modern Girl" and "Rock 'N' Roll Mercenaries," but eschews the minor hits "Nowhere Fast" and "Piece of the Action" in favor of including live remakes of earlier Meat Loaf hits "Two out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Bat out of Hell," along with some non-chart singles, "Surf's Up," "Getting Away with Murder," "Blind Before I Stop," and another live remake, "Paradise by the Dashboard Light."

The six-track collection, recorded earlier this year at the legendary studios – the first project cut there by a major recording act in over 40 years – consists of the band’s takes on songs with ties to Capricorn’s studio and record label, where artists including the Allman Brothers Band, Wet Willie, the Marshall Tucker Band and many others would fuse country music and rock & roll. Produced by the members of Blackberry Smoke, the EP will be followed by the band’s Spirit of the South Tour: A Celebration of Southern Rock and Roll Music, with dates currently scheduled through the summer.

Chubby Checker, proved to be the single most successful component of the Cameo Parkway artist roster. Beyond “The Twist” and “Let’s Twist Again,” he scored numerous successes, most of which were keyed to dance moves and good times. He recorded numerous dance floor fillers and secured impressive chart successes. Twenty-one of Checker’s recordings are featured in the forthcoming Dancin’ Party: The Chubby Checker Collection: 1960 – 1966. This definitive collection highlights seventeen Top 40 hits of which twelve entered the Top 20; seven charted in the Top 10 with two ultimately reaching the #1 spot.

German Cellist Jan Vogler's new album features two modern cello concertos. The first is the world premiere recording of the cello concerto "Three Continents" by Nico Muhly (*1981), Sven Helbig (*1968) and Zhou Long (*1953). Three Continents Cello Concerto is a unique collaborative work celebrating the sheer diversity of three composers from three different continents (USA, Germany, China) and almost three different generations. Each movement of the concerto takes a different view of the role of the soloist: Muhly's Cello Cycles uses the large orchestra to striking effect to create a soundscape full of color.

The highly anticipated return of Protest The Hero, new album Palimpsest is the first in nearly five years.

Donizetti’s fiftieth opera, Marino Faliero, was first performed in Paris on 12 March 1835 with a cast comprising four of the finest singers of the period before premiering in London a few weeks later. Although both of these premieres were overshadowed by Bellini’s I Puritani, Marino Faliero subsequently enjoyed a long and successful run of international performances throughout the 19th Century before disappearing from the stage until its modern revival in 1966. Set in Venice in 1355, it remains a major work of Italian Romanticism, sentimental, martial, full of conspiratorial adventure and culminating with the execution of the leading character.

Sweatin' To The Oldies is a 1997 compilation CD by the 3-piece Spazz. The group consisted of Chris Dodge, Max Ward, and Dan Lactose. Many of their songs are under a minute, some under 30 seconds. This is a collection of various songs that were "out of print" at the time. It is a release on Dodge's Slap-A-Ham Records.

The "Esterhazy Music Collection" is a series dedicated to presenting musical treasures largely forgotten over the centuries. It pays tribute to one of the most important Hungarian noble families, the imperial princes of Esterhazy. From the 17th to the 19th century, the Princes of Esterhazy were as generous patrons of the arts as the most influential rulers of France, England and Austria. Although the titles 'Le Matin', 'Le Midi' and 'Le Soir' have favoured the popularity of the three works in our time, they served Haydn merely as an inspiring impulse to compose.

Sony Classical is pleased to release this re-issue of the widely praised 3 CD set Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas for Violin & Piano from 2013. This stunning recording received ECHO Klassik Award in 2013, Grammy award nomination in 2014 in the category ‘Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance’. Kavakos is recognised across the world as a violinist and artist of rare quality, known at the highest level for his virtuosity, superb musicianship and the integrity of his playing. By the age of 21, Leonidas Kavakos had already won three major competitions: the Sibelius Competition in 1985, and the Paganini and Naumburg competitions in 1988. He now works with the world’s greatest orchestras and conductors. Leonidas Kavakos has also built a strong profile as a conductor. He has conducted the London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Houston Symphony, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Danish Radio Symphony orchestras. Enrico Pace is a renowned Italian pianist. He has performed with many internationally acclaimed orchestra’s including the Limburg Symphony Orchestra, the Bamberger Symphony Orchestra and the Philharmonic Orchestra of Warsaw.

What if Miles Davis had decided to stick with the music of the Bitches Brew/Cellar Door period, circa 1969-1970, and develop within that genre rather than continuing to move in other directions? Perhaps his music would have sounded like Alan Pasqua's The Anti Social Club. The grooves and basslines on the seven originals are reminiscent of Davis' music of the era although the updated electronics, the individual voices, and the spirit of this group differ. Keyboardist Alan Pasqua (a former member of Tony Williams' Lifetime) sounds quite at home in the early-'70s funk/fusion setting, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is a bright new voice on his instrument, and each of the musicians makes strong contributions. While there are solos, the "accompaniment" is so active that most of the music sounds like explosive ensembles. Fans of Miles Davis' music of his early electronics period will find this set to be a brilliant extension on Davis' ideas, and a fresh way of playing fusion. Highly recommended. ~ AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow

This trio date led by Don Friedman is comparable to a typical Bill Evans session in several ways. Joined by bassist George Mraz and drummer Lewis Nash, one hears three strong musicians interacting rather than a rhythm section playing follow-the-leader with the pianist. Secondly, Friedman, like Evans, loves playing great melodies. Finally, Friedman is a gifted composer, though his pieces are obviously not as well known as Evans' works. But the comparison ends there, as Friedman has a distinctive style of his own.

In the interim between trumpeter/composer Marquis Hill's Modern Flows EP in 2014 and this full-length sequel, he issued The Way We Play for Concord. It offered his genre blurring style in a program of (mostly) jazz standards. A year later he released the killer Meditation Tape, a recording that serves as a proper introduction to the music found here.

Following the success across Europe of his eight ‘Grand Suites’ for harpsichord in 1720, albeit in a doctored and pirated edition, Handel resolved to make good on his promise of a sequel, ‘reckoning it my duty with my small talent to serve a Nation from which I have received so generous a protection.’

The debut full-length album of Guppy Fish. 9 brand new progressive rock/trip rock songs filled with a distinct atmosphere, intriguing melodies, mesmerizing vocals, screaming guitars, and a booming rhythm section.