Gold is right – after gradually building their reputation a series of nine LPs, the Climax Blues Band finally enjoyed a serious hit single with "Couldn't Get It Right," which hit number three on the American charts and led to this album and then two years of almost constant touring. The group is at its most laid-back here, slipping more into a funk than a blues groove for most of Gold Plated's length. They keep some elements of their earlier sound, such as Peter Haycock's searing guitar solo on "Mighty Fire," but those looking for the group's unabashed older style will have to content themselves with just three numbers here: "Berlin Blues," with its chiming overlaid and over-amplified guitars, or the slow, Chicago blues-style "Rollin' Home," and the high-energy "Extra."

Trumpeter Paolo Fresu is ubiquitous on both the Italian and international jazz scenes. Unlike many of his countrymen, Fresu doesn't dabble; he's a fully committed jazzer, so it's not a surprise that this set is in the contemporary creative jazz vein. But to call it stodgy or old fashioned would be to miss the point; this is some of the most forward-looking ensemble composing and playing that the Italians have come up with – and it beats the hell out of a lot of stuff on this side of the Atlantic, and even gives the Dutch semi-big bands a run for their money. Fresu's front line consists of himself, Gianluigi Trovesi on bass clarinet and alto, Tino Tracanna on soprano and tenor, Roberto Cipelli on piano, Attilo Zanchi on bass, and Ettore Firoavanti on skins.

Colonna sonora del film omonimo di Stefano Landini. 'Registrare la musica per 7/8 è stata per me una sfida. La sfida dei tempi di realizzazione (molto stretti durante la rovente estate del 2006 con i suoi mille concerti e viaggi) ma soprattutto la sfida del linguaggio. 7/8 è una storia ambientata nel fascismo della seconda guerra quando il jazz muoveva in Italia i primi passi tra i suoni di Ellington nascosti nei titoli dei brani criptati dal regime e le canzonette in voga. La sfida è stata quella di avere registrato una colonna sonora non ambientata in quegli anni ma nel decennio successivo ed ispirata al migliore Miles Davis. Spero abbia funzionato e spero di non avere stravolto lo spirito ed il senso storico del film.

Throughout these sessions, Michel Corboz defended a clear, fluid vision of Mendelssohn's choral music. Without exaggerating, he underscored the references to J. S. Bach or Handel, of whom the composer was so fond – the beginning of Psalm 115, with its colours, distinctly evokes the Cantor's Passions. As for the chorus ‘Kommt herzu’ from Psalm 95, it attests to the thoroughly religious fervour and solemn grandeur that incontestably innervate the Swiss conductor's interpretations.

Perhaps the first example of "dragon rock" – a style perfected by bands like Iron Maiden and Dio in the early to mid-'80s – was Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow, a rather pretentious 1975 collection from the guitarist's first post-Deep Purple project…

For years the undisputed Rossini tenor par excellence, Juan Diego Flórez at last makes his debut in the hugely demanding role of Arnold and 'masters his part with seemingly effortless perfection' (Die Presse). Graham Vick's 2013 production gives the opera uncut in its original French version, complete with the often omitted ballet music. The William Tell legend of patriotic and political intrigue in 14th-century Switerland is interpreted by Vick as a timeless class conflict with dramatic and unforgettable images. A 'perfect cast' is conducted with 'verve and intensity' (Opera Today)

Kerson Leong recently participated in the award-winning Tribute to Ysaÿe (FUG758). Here is his first solo recital for Alpha. The young Canadian violinist’s career began at the age of thirteen when he won the First Prize of the Junior division of the Menuhin Competition in Oslo in 2010. In 2018 he was named artist-in-residence with the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. An associate musician at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, under the mentorship of Augustin Dumay, he has already performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the Verbier Festival and Wigmore Hall. The Quebec newspaper Le Devoir, which has followed him since the start of his career, speaks of ‘the purity of intonation, the brilliance of the high notes, the power of the sound… Kerson Leong has remained as brilliant as ever, but he has added a new patina and, deep down inside himself, a new class.’

While it's true that trumpeter and composer Paolo Fresu works in a variety of settings from trio to sextet, it is arguable that his quintets present him with the finest opportunities for creative expression.
This date, a covers-only collection of ballads by Ellington and Strayhorn, Mingus, Monk, Johnny Mercer, etc., has all the hallmarks of a classic Fresu set. For starters, the band is amazing: Tino Tracanna on tenor, Roberto Cipelli on piano, Attilio Zanchi on bass, and Ettore Fioravanti on drums offer Fresu a wide palette for expressing the many shades and textures of the jazz ballad.

KORPIKLAANI was founded somewhere deep in the primeval northern forests in 2003. Ten celebrated studio albums, numerous world tours and hundreds of millions of digital streams alongside multiple other releases, have established KORPIKLAANI’s status as one of the leaders of innovative heavy music. For their diehard legion of fans, they are known as Folk Metal Superstars. Here and now, KORPIKLAANI’s fearless journey continues on – and this time, the journey is powered by rather serious subject matter. Their eleventh full-length studio record "Jylhä" (which has no direct translation but can be described as majestic, or wild and rugged in a beautiful way) brings all the well-known and essential ingredients to the table: heavy-duty guitar riffing, rhythmic folk melodies and more.

A child wonder who stirred the admiration of the court, Dandrieu was a virtuoso harpsichordist but above all, organist of the Royal Chapel of Versailles from 1721. He left a corpus of work of a rare inventiveness tracing out the chapel's most dazzling musical moments under the reign of Louis XV. Here are 'Magnificats', pieces for Christmas and some splendid hallmark scores that offer snapshots of the liturgical art of the king's organist at the height of the French Baroque. Dandrieu, writes for organ the equal of the harpsichord masterpieces of his time. Jean-Baptiste Robin, organist of the Royal Chapel of Versailles, makes the great organ ring with majesty, thanks to a decade of close familiarity with this historic instrument.

Bob Smith - The Visit (1970) {Virgo CD1518 rel 1996}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 379 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 152 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (jpg) -> 36 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1970, 1996 Kent / Virgo Records | CD1518
Rock / Psychedelic Rock

Elaborate reissue of an early 70s American psychedelic classic, originally issued on the Kent label as a deluxe gatefold double album. From the LA area, this mixes sprawling guitar, violin & some keyboard-weirdness with a patch of vague Buckley/Beefheart/Fankhauser reference points on to a base of melodic psych-rock extensions. With a lyrical vantage point not far from the heightened visionary nonsense of a Damon-like character, assumably delivered by Mr. Bob Smith (there is no longer any doubt that he really is "Bob Smith"), this delivers a final touch of addled magic.

The debut album from Black Country, New Road - the latest stars from the burgeoning and famed Brixton Windmill scene, which also fostered the rise of contemporaries, black midi, Squid, Fat White Family and Shame.

Tony Scott & Bill Evans - A Day In New York (1957) {2CD Set, Fresh Sound FSR-CD 333 rel 2003}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 770 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 312 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 61 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1957, 2003 Fresh Sound Records } FSR-CD 333
Jazz / Cool / Bop / Modal Music / Piano / Clarinet

Tony Scott led several small groups of various sizes during the month of November 1957, resulting in three separate LPs being issued by Seeco, Carlton, and Perfect without duplicating any of the 24 tracks. This Fresh Sound two-CD set collects everything recorded during these sessions. Scott's core group features pianist Bill Evans (not long after he was discharged from military service), either Milt Hinton or Henry Grimes on bass, and drummer Paul Motian. In addition to his powerful clarinet, Scott plays a potent baritone sax on six selections.