Sir Simon Rattle was in no doubt: the performance of the St. Matthew Passion which he realized together with the Berlin Philharmonic and the Rundfunkchor Berlin in 2010 was for him “the single most important thing we ever did here.” Critics around the world agreed. They praised the semi-staged “ritualization” by American star-director Peter Sellars, as well as the outstanding musical performances by the soloists, including Magdalena Kozená, Christian Gerhaher, Thomas Quasthoff, and Mark Padmore as the Evangelist.

It s got to be a very special release that has Suzi Quatro announce proudly: The Devil In Me is the best album in my career to date! After all, the American rock vocalist would hardly utter such superlatives lightly. Suzi s enthusiasm for her latest offering has many reasons, twelve of them to be precise. Because The Devil In Me consists of exactly a dozen songs, each of them from the opening track and title song to the final Motor City Riders a real highlight. The reasons for Suzi s remarkable creative explosion: on the one hand the lockdown, which kept her from her usual touring life in spring 2020, and on the other another collaboration with her son Richard Tuckey, which had already worked out extremely well on her predecessor album No Control. Suzi Quatro knows what she is talking about, after all she s been on stage playing live for more than fifty years.

The oud, or Arabic lute, is so integral to Arabic culture that it was used by ancient musicians and philosophers to define scales and served as a foundation for Arab music as a whole. Hence, it's no coincidence that Marcel Khalife achieved folk hero status playing this emblem of Arabic culture. Caress showcases an elegant musical marriage of Arabic, classical, and jazz influences for a complex yet accessible sound.

This was the last major release from Bloodstone and with it saw a change in style, Tight production comes courtesy of McKinley Jackson and the album is a mix of foot slamming groovers, mid tempo tappers and the trade mark Bloodstone ballads, the album sits perfectly alongside other mid 80s releases and all the boogie lovers will appreciate the fantastic production and the distinct vocal style that bloodstone bring to the table.

One of the biggest stars of R&B, contemporary and straight-ahead jazz, Gerald Albright has earned his reputation as a “musician’s musician.” Born in Los Angeles, he began piano lessons at an early age. Albright’s love of music picked up considerably when he was given a saxophone that had belonged to his piano teacher. By the time he enrolled at the University of Redlands, he was already a polished saxophonist. Albright decided to switch to bass guitar after he saw Louis Johnson in concert. A few months after graduating from college, he joined jazz pianist/R&B singer Patrice Rushen, who was in the process of forming her own band. Later, when the bass player left in the middle of a tour, Albright replaced him and finished the tour on bass guitar.

The music of the 17th century is deeply influenced by fearless innovation and bubbling creativity, characterized by experimentation with form that only with the subsequent generation of composers develops into fixed conventions and a higher degree of conformity. Here, a glimpse of the richness represented by the music from the Baltic region in the latter half of the 17th century is presented by bass-baritone Jakob Bloch Jespersen and Concerto Copenhagen under the direction of Lars Ulrik Mortensen.

One of the worlds most exciting drummers and producers, Yussef Dayes is best known for work with his brothers in United Vibrations and as one half of electrifying duo Yussef Kamaal. Bringing together Rocco Palladino and Charlie Stacey for Yussef Dayes Trio, Welcome to the Hills captures the raw essence of their spellbinding live show. Recorded in Copenhagen in July 2019, the music on Welcome to the Hills was created live at gigs during 2018-2019 and is dedicated to the fans that came out to support them and witness this unreleased body of work in its purest form. Dayes explains; “There was something special about this performance… The raw energy, focus, determination & freedom to take our music to the next level. It feels more right than ever to release this live recording, as there have been no shows this year… So we want to give you, the listener, the chance to participate and enter the Yussef Dayes trio live experience.

2016 collection containing remixes of five of the major hits by international hitmakers Tavares by top European remix producer Ben Liebrand, four of which achieved major British chart impact when issued in 1985 and 1986 as well as a US disco version of 'It Only Takes A Minute', making it's CD debut along with the Liebrand-penned instrumental 'One Minute'. From 1973 to 1981, the brothers Tavares - Ralph, Feliciano ("Butch") Arthur ("Pooch") Antone (Chubby) and Perry (Tiny) - recorded a treasure trove of great albums and singles for Capitol Records. In 1975, the group enjoyed it's first breakthrough hit with 'It Only Takes A Minute'; in 1976, the timeless classic 'Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel' became the team's first global smash followed by 'Don't Take Away The Music' also became an international dance music/pop and R&B chartmaker. In 1977, the Bee Gees-penned 'More Than A Woman' (from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack) catapulted Tavares back into the worldwide charts as did 'Whodunit'.

The 2nd Refrigerator album from 1991 restored from the original analogue multitrack tapes. The 1991 LP and CD were completely different recordings and here they both are on a double CD with 7 bonus tracks.

What It's All About is swinging, building up solos to potentially ferocious levels and going for broke. That was always the philosophy that Roy Eldridge followed and, even though it was rather late in his career by the time he recorded this Pablo set, he was still pushing himself. His septet on the album is full of talented veterans including altoist Norris Turney, Budd Johnson on tenor, pianist Norman Simmons, and (on half of the set) vibraphonist Milt Jackson. The music (three Eldridge originals and two obscurities) features plenty of lengthy and spirited soloing.

Released in July 2020, into a world that continued to be battered by heartache and confusion, Stardust awakens complex emotions. On the surface, Meredi’s solo piano music has instant appeal, born of her love of popular music, but these intricate miniatures contain hidden depths. The waltz “Annual Rings” mixes innocence and nostalgia while “Waldeinsamkeit,” a beautiful German word conjuring up the complexity of solitude, stirs the very feelings that many of us have experienced during 2020. The melancholy of “Circles in the Sky” is heightened by its pulsating ostinato, straight from the dance clubs of Berlin. “Song for Rosemarie” is a breathtaking, uplifting chorale that offers a beautiful moment of reflection before “A Final Breath” brings the album to an uncertain, open-ended rest.