When the time came for Steps to record their sixth studio album, their brief was typically singular. “We wanted it to sound like sliding down a rainbow, landing in a pot of glitter and dancing with unicorns,” Ian “H” Watkins tells Apple Music. In fact, the quintet had been undecided about making new music together, following the success of 2017’s Tears on the Dancefloor—until they heard Sia’s demo of “What the Future Holds.” Suddenly they had a lead single, album title and concept all at once. “That song was the catalyst,” says Lee Latchford-Evans. “The lyrics, ‘One foot in the past and one foot in the future’ felt like where we were at that point in time.” Freshly inspired, they set out to make a record which combined the nostalgic and the contemporary. “Steps songs always have to be anthemic, to have emotion, drama, melancholy and a key change,” says H. “But this time we wanted to nod to the future, as well as the past,” adds Faye Tozer. “This album is more of a rollercoaster of styles, with ballads and intimate moments, as well as dance floor fillers.”

What makes this production so rewarding are the utterly compelling performances of the Macbeths, Shakepearian in intensity…[Nucci's] Macbeth is a deeply thoughtful portrayal…Valayre is up there with the finest Lady Macbeths.(International Record Review)Nucci’s Macbeth is often described as veteran, which rather dismisses his musical and dramatic insight and his sense of Verdian line…Bartoletti is authoritative in the pit. Liliana Cavani’s production is strong, her stage-on-the-stage set magnifying and scrutinising the Macbeths’ moral descent. (Opera Now)

It is a tremendous challenge to find a fresh approach to standards and frequently performed jazz compositions. But pianist Enrico Pieranunzi is up to the task in this collection of live trio performances from 2001 in Paris.
He is accompanied by two of Europe's finest musicians, bassist Hein Van de Geyn and drummer André Ceccarelli (who worked together in singer Dee Dee Bridgewater's band). The leader's take of "Body and Soul" includes a fluttering introduction and some dazzling Tatum-like runs. "I Hear a Rhapsody" is transformed into a daredevil post-bop anthem, while Van de Geyn introduces "I Fall in Love Too Easily" with a heartfelt solo.

Kenny Wheeler - Gnu High (1976) {ECM 1069}
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© 1976 ECM Records | ECM 1069
Jazz / Post Bop / Flugelhorn

When Kenny Wheeler expatriated from his native Canada to England, it was not headline news. But upon the release of Gnu High, he became a contemporary jazz figure to be recognized, revered and admired. Playing the flugelhorn exclusively for this, his ECM label debut, Wheeler's mellifluous tones and wealth of ideas came to full fruition. Whether chosen in collaboration with label boss Manfred Eicher or by Wheeler alone, picking pianist Keith Jarrett, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Jack DeJohnette was a stroke of genius. They support the elongated and extended notions of Wheeler's in many real and important ways.

Dolo Coker - California Hard (1976) {Xanadu Records XCD1229 rel 1994}
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© 1976, 1994 Xanadu Records | XCD 1229
Jazz / Hard Bop / Piano

Pianist Dolo Coker had just four opportunities to lead his own record dates during his career, all for the Xanadu label between 1976-1979. The title of this LP refers to the fact that the music is not California "cool jazz" but intense hard bop from the Golden State. In addition to bassist Leroy Vinnegar and drummer Frank Butler (who appear on Coker's first three Xanadu albums) and trumpeter Blue Mitchell (who was on the preceding LP Dolo), the great altoist Art Pepper (doubling on tenor) makes one of his very rare appearances as a sideman. The well-rounded set has originals by Coker, Pepper ("Mr Yohe") and Mitchell (a drum feature for Butler on "Roots 4FB") along with a showcase for the trio ("Gone Again") and a vintage standard ("Gone with the Wind"). A strong effort.

Marion Brown & Gunter Hampel - Gemini + Play 'Live' Sun Ra Compositions (1983) {Birth Records ‎BIRTHo37 rel 1993}
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© 1983, 1993 Birth Records ‎| BIRTH o37
Jazz / Avant-Garde Jazz / Contemporary Jazz / Saxophone / Vibes

The title of this CD is not completely accurate, although the music is certainly worthwhile. The set of duets by altoist Marion Brown and Gunter Hampel (mostly on vibes, although also playing a little bit of bass clarinet) is mostly taken from a 1983 live concert that resulted in performances of five Hampel originals plus Thelonious Monk's "Ask Me Now." Since Brown (an important avant-gardist from the 1960s) has not recorded very often since the late '70s, it is gratifying to hear him in such fine form from this period.

Blues Company is a German blues band from Osnabrück. The band has released over 20 recordings that appear on the Inakustik music label. With the Frankfurt City Blues Band, Pee Wee Bluesgang and Das Dritte Ohr it is one of the pioneers of the blues in Germany.

Steven Gene Wold commonly known as Seasick Steve, is an American blues musician. He plays mostly personalized guitars and sings, usually about his early life doing casual work. From the late 1960s, he worked as a musician and recording engineer in the US and Europe, as well as pursuing other work, before his commercial breakthrough, initially in the UK, at the end of 2006. Some sources suggest an earlier birth date.