This family pop group from Ilford, Essex, England, was based around siblings Jim, Frank, Anne, Kathy (all b. Ilford, Essex, England) and John Dooley (b. Whitechapel, London, England). They sang as a group for their relatives, but in 1973 decided to try to turn professional. Their musical accompaniment was provided by Frank on lead guitar, John on rhythm, plus the addition of ‘outsiders’ Bob Walsh (bass) and Alan Boean (b. Oldham, Lancashire, England; drums). In 1976 they created their own slice of history by becoming the first British singing group to tour the Soviet Union. However, they had to wait until 1977 for their first hit, ‘Think I’m Gonna Fall In Love With You’.

Anthony Gomes is a familiar face to anyone following the modern blues scene. He has been carving out his own space as an unapologetically rock-influenced bluesman and songwriter since first coming to national attention in the late 1990s. He is that rare artist able to take the Zen simplicity of blues music, fuse it with the rush of rock and roll, and write memorable new songs that exist somewhere between creative geniuses Willie Dixon and Billy Gibbons. He stands his ground as a creative artist, not a derivative history lesson, and is eager to push the blues back into the mainstream.

"Bite The Bullet were originally formed in 1986 by singer songwriter Mick Benton and drummer Graham Cowling. They met in 1984 when they both joined West London rock band “Mother’s Ruin”. Thanks to the legendary Greg Lake, Benton managed to secure a solo deal with Atlantic Records and he asked Cowling to play drums. Its good to see that their collaboration is still strong to this very day. Mick and Graham decided to get writing new material for a second “Bite the Bullet” album and the result is outstanding, coming across like Mr Mister meets Asia. The new songs are a natural continuation of the original BTB sound and have a great feel to them, opener “Rock to Stones” is a killer. A great start to 2021!."

Though Krantz has utilized vocals in his music before - most notably on Krantz Carlock Lefebvre - on Howie 61 Krantz pushes this aspect of his artistry a step further by incorporating vocal content in his music in a manner that is more complete and tightly integrated than anything he has done in the past. “I’m very excited about this record.” says Krantz. “It’s another step in a direction that I’ve been making since Long To Be Loose really; Long To Be Loose was an instrumental version of this record. I’ve been trying to figure out how to get words into my music for the longest time, and it took so much trial and error just to get to the point where I could use just a few words on a song, and have it feel integrated with the music.

These five solo concertos from the Swedish Rococo are all typical of the period. The most interesting aspect is how they manifest variations of the European model. And the model is the concerto for one or, sometimes, several soloistic instruments in three movement followed by a slower, lyrical one and a fast final movement.

…The Camerata - an offshoot of Bruggen's Orchestra of the 18th Century - use only a single instrument to a part…the characterful immediacy of the individual playing translates into a corporate band capable of superb buoyancy and vigour. Flautist Konrad Hunteler directs with a twinkling eye rather than a dictatorial stick…The music's charm lies in a complex amalgam of innocence and sophistication which Hunteler judges to perfection…

Vertical and layered in form, “Strata” is austere and powerful music with a clearly Northern sensibility. The textures swirl and surge restlessly, building tension with harsh, emphatic brass chords set against high winds. There is an instense staccato outburst halfway through – with malign, mach-like drumming passages – evincing the composer’s rock influenes. Near the end, Tüür uses a pastoral motif from an Estonian (“Setu”) folksong, as the music slows down and coalesces in a shimmering coda and a sense of infinity in its long slow fade to silence. Performances by the Nordic Symphony Orchestra under Anu Tali are bracing, powerful, and very well recorded.

Italian pop star Giono Paoli meets five italian jazz stars: Enrico Rava, Danilo Rea, Flavio Boltro, Rosario Bonaccorso, Roberto Gatto. This live event become an album of his greatest hits revisited in jazzy way.

One glance at the personnel, which includes such popular "smooth" players as tenors Kirk Whalum and Boney James, trumpeter Rick Braun, and pianists George Duke and Jeff Lorber, could easily lead one to believe that this CD is filled with vacuous and mildly soulful background music. Actually, the playing on Downright Upright is a surprise, for most of the selections are reasonably creative renditions of soul-jazz.

The second volume of Thelonious Monk's appearance at the 1963 Monterey Jazz Festival is drawn from two separate concerts on back to back days, with the pianist joined by longtime tenor saxophonist Charlie Rouse, bassist John Ore and drummer Frank Dunlop…