Bill Frisell has long been one of the most unique guitarists around. Able to switch on a moment's notice from sounding like a Nashville studio player to heavy metal, several styles of jazz, and just pure noise, Frisell can get a remarkable variety of sounds and tones out of his instrument. This set features Frisell in a quintet with Don Byron (on clarinet and bass clarinet), Guy Klucevsek on accordion, bassist Kermit Driscoll, and drummer Joey Baron.

Guitarist Steve Howe will always be best known for his monumental contribution to the band Yes, but that hasn't stopped him from continuing his music career into the solo artist realm. Now decades since the release of classics like 'Fragile' and 'Close To The Edge', Howe's music serves to entertain existing fans of his work, rather than create new ones. Nowadays, his music very much reflects his age; no longer are there the complex, bombastic observations he once did with Yes, but soft pieces that would likely best fit under the 'easy listening' category. All the same, Steve Howe's musical brilliance has never run out, and while 'Time' may not have the same longevity and depth of his life's greatest work, it is a perfect album to stay in and listen to throughout a cold winter's night.

On October 25, 2011, Kim Waters released his 17th album as a leader and tenth for Shanachie Entertainment, This Heart Of Mine, which artfully showcases why he has long held the throne as the King of Smooth Urban Jazz. This Heart Of Mine finds the saxophonist doing what he does best – creating dreamy melodies, sultry ballads, reinventing timeless R&B hits and playing funky dance-inspired and hot stepper originals. Waters brings to life a tapestry of love songs that explores the full range of emotions that love sparks.

For many jazz fans, the high point of Art Pepper’s late-’70s comeback was a fournight stand at New York’s Village Vanguard that was recorded for Contemporary Records and released, at first, as four albums, and later as a nine-CD set. These rangy, sometimes raucous performances with pianist George Cables, bassist George Mraz and drummer Elvin Jones, captured the questing, Coltrane-inflected sound of his later years, while still reflecting the lyric, bop schooled virtuosity of his early work.

Signed to Philadelphia International Records (PIR), The Three Degrees made a double debut in the UK singles chart in April 1974 with their own “Year Of Decision”, and “TSOP (The Sound Of Philadelphia”), on which they were co-credited with MFSB. Both songs were written by PIR supremos Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff, who also wrote the trio’s next single, the chart-topping “When Will I See You Again”. After several more hits on PIR, including “Take Good Care Of Yourself”, they signed to the Ariola label.

Jaime ROSAS TRIO is a current chilean band, composed by three musicians of the Progressive rock band ENTRANCE. Mostly instrumental, the music displayed in "Extremos" (2004) is made of short, dense and explosives pieces. One can also hear a final epic track, lasting about a quarter of an hour ! This is the occasion to reveal the impressive talents of a real keyboards virtuoso, helped by excellent musicians. Even if that music is taylor-made for the EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER and GERARD fan, there is so much than instrumental pyrotechnics here ! The power-trio also likes neo-classic piano parts and symphonic majestic moments, with a real adventurous spirit. Here is a masterpiece both diverse and eclectic, always well-played and produced. Brilliant stuff !

Vol. 4 is the point in Black Sabbath's career where the band's legendary drug consumption really starts to make itself felt. And it isn't just in the lyrics, most of which are about the blurry line between reality and illusion. Vol. 4 has all the messiness of a heavy metal Exile on Main St., and if it lacks that album's overall diversity, it does find Sabbath at their most musically varied, pushing to experiment amidst the drug-addled murk…

On paper, it's unlikely that one of rock's greatest singers ever, who fronted one of the biggest mainstream bands of the 1970s and 1980s, would take a detour into the world of Christian rock. But that's just what Lou Gramm did in 2009 with his new group and its self-titled album, The Lou Gramm Band. It's his first "solo" effort since 1989's Long Hard Look. The album rocks convincingly, and the lyrics vividly reflect his born-again Christian faith. It's a miracle that the ex-Foreigner vocalist lived to reach this point. After surviving surgery to remove a benign brain tumor in 1997, he struggled to regain his health and his voice. He left Foreigner for the second time in 2002 and eased back into performing with his own band, which now includes two of his brothers, bass guitarist Richard Gramm and drummer Ben Gramm, as well as guitarist Don Mancuso and keyboardist Andy Knoll.

Morrissey - Maladjusted (1997) {Island Records CID 8059}
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© 1997 Island Records / Mercury | CID 8059
Rock / Alternative Rock / Indie Rock

In theory, Maladjusted should have been a readjustment to standard indie rock territory for Morrissey after the prog rock detour of Southpaw Grammar, but Morrissey isn't that simple. From the opening title track, with its menacing, swirling paranoia, it's clear that Maladjusted isn't a simple return to form. That isn't to say that the album is devoid of the jangly, maudlin pop songs that are Morrissey's trademark – in fact, the lead single, "Alma Matters," is a quietly catchy tune that ranks as vintage Morrissey.

Sonny Rollins - Sunny Days, Starry Nights (1984) {Milestone 025218912228 rel 1991}
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© 1984, 1991 Milestone Records / Fantasy | 025218912228
Jazz / Post Bop / Modern Post Bebop / Saxophone

By 1984 it was a common complaint that Sonny Rollins's live appearances were much more exciting than his studio recordings. Although none of the latter were throwaways (and virtually all of the Milestone sessions have their moments of interest), few were real gems. Sunny Days, Starry Nights as usual finds the great tenor at his best on the two ballads ("I'm Old Fashioned" and Noel Coward's "I'll See You Again") while the other four originals have been largely forgotten. His backup crew features trombonist Clifton Anderson and keyboardist Mark Soskin.

Louis Couperin - Complete Works for Harpsichord - Karen Flint (2020) {Plectra Music}
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© 2020 Plectra Music | PL21703
Classical / Baroque / Harpsichord

The complete works for harpsichord by Louis Couperin (c. 1626 - 1661). The four-disc set features all the known works by L. Couperin performed by Karen Flint on two antique harpsichords from the Flint Collection by Ioannes Ruckers (1627 & 1635). Booklet notes by Davitt Moroney in English and French.

A Very Cool Christmas volume 2 is the right follow-up to the first volume of the wonderful collection of some very cool Christmas songs. This volume consists of 32 Christmas tracks, recorded by some of the best musicians from the rock, soul, blues, folk, and country scene.

Norwegian trumpeter Nils Petter Molvaer has his own very individual sound, influenced as much by the poetry of Scandinavian nature as by electronic calculation, and last but not least by colleagues like Miles Davis and Jon Hassell. Listening to him play, it's easy to forget that his instrument is a trumpet. On his last album, Hamada, he switched to and fro between very harmonious and extremely brutal passages, while on Baboon Moon these two opposite poles blend into a unified whole again. Improvisation is an important factor but for this music Molvaer calls it free, black prog rock.

Ad Lib (2001). This record will be warmly welcomed by bossa nova fans, being the record that Sergio Mendes always threatened to make, but never quite managed. Imagine an album that manages to sustain the flavor and airs of Mendes' famous "Mais Que Nada" and you're getting the idea. Beyond mere pastiche however, this is dynamic music played by dedicated musicians with real flair. Surprisingly jazzy in parts, this is music that sneaks up on you, gentle but never fey. Fans of light Latin groove shouldn't be without it…