Maestros is presented as a tribute to great historical flamenco guitar players such as Niño Ricardo, Esteban de Sanlúcar and Sabicas, where Rafael Riqueni performed different pieces by these teachers, achieving exceptional recreations and great recognition among fans.

Esoteric Recordings is pleased to announce the release of a re-mastered and expanded 3 Disc clamshell box edition of the 1977 album, “Deadlines” by STRAWBS. Released in late 1977, this would be the band’s final album to be released in the 1970s. Recorded in Dublin and London by a line-up of Dave Cousins (vocals, acoustic guitars, banjo, guitar), Dave Lambert (vocals, lead guitar), Chas Cronk (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals) and Tony Fernandez (drums, percussion) with guest keyboard players John Mealing and Robert Kirby, “Deadlines” was the Strawbs only album for the Arista label. Often unfairly overlooked in the Strawbs canon and largely ignored by some quarters of the music press upon its release (at the height of Punk rock), “Deadlines” was a fine album featured some excellent tracks such as ‘No Return’, ‘The Last Resort’, ‘Sealed With A Traitor’s Kiss’, ‘Time And Life’, ‘New Beginnings’, ‘Deadly Nightshade’ and ‘Words of Wisdom’.

Absynthe Minded, the moniker under which Bert Ostyn and his entourage have been writing Belpop history for years, dives into their twentieth year in 2001-2002 (the first demos date from 2001, the first demo with band was released in 2002). For two decades - an eternity in the current music circuit - the band has been dealing in fresh indie pop interspersed with jazz, gypsy swing and rock. Excellent songwritership with the characteristic warm voice of Ostyn on top, summarized in seven long players, of which the last feat of arms 'Riddle Of The Sphinx' saw the light of day in June 20.

What could more enticing than two masterpieces written by composers still in their twenties? In a letter to his exacting father, Leopold, Mozart said he thought his recently completed quintet, K452, was his best work yet. And this in the midst of an extraordinarily purple patch, even by his standards. Beethoven's quintet (for the same instruments and in the same key) was written in deliberate imitation of Mozart's, perhaps in as much a spirit of friendly competition as homage.

The Sevillian maestro Rafael Riqueni publishes Herencia, an album with ten soloist touches where the interpreter is accompanied, only on festive songs, by the clapping of José Amador, Luis Amador and Diego Amador. The taranta is overwhelmingly slow and moves between the harmonic virility of a Montoyist stamp and the usual melodic lyricism of this player. The piece whispers and caresses without fanfare, the characteristic of a teacher who no longer has anything to prove and who barely tries to open his heart. Combine dissonance with honey quite naturally. He stops at every note, at every bend in the road, knowing that the important thing is not the goal but the route, something that we sometimes forget. The granaína begins with a long and sentimental tremolo. It is another marvel of intimacy. The granaína is a complex piece that reaches enormous levels of abstraction in some passages.

Since 1977, when he won the Ramón Montoya Prize for Concert Guitar in Cordoba, at the age of only fifteen, he has had a serious, consequent performing activity. An exquisite musician, composing and concert performance are important facets of his work, at live performances and in his record catalogue, although he has not ceased to accompany cante, as he is convinced that "it is very important for the solo guitarist to know the cante, because that is what provides firmness when playing alone". Riqueni has performed extensively as a concert guitarist and has played with people such as Enrique Morente, Anouar Brahem, Al Di Meola, Matías Fray and the Vargas Blues Band. He is also a noted flamenco composer, similar to the style of Albéniz and Turina. His 1987 album simply entitled "Flamenco", was recorded live without any special effects or recording studio tricks.

Japanese-only nine SHM-CD single box set containing pre-fame recordings by The Beatles with Tony Sheridan. Each disc's cover replicates the original Japanese disc artwork. Covers of some discs that didn't have original Japanese art have been created for this release…

This generous song recital of Debussy Mélodies features soprano Sophie Karthäuser and baritone Stéphane Degout, accompanied by pianists Eugene Asti and Alain Planès. Drawing on Symbolist and Impressionist poets, this program, including Trois Ballades de François Villon and Cinq poèmes de Baudelaire, showcases some of the composer's finest cycles. For Debussy, the artistic journey is first and foremost a matter of color.

Dino Valente's sole album recalls the one issued by another San Francisco artist signed to CBS in the late '60s, Skip Spence: quirky, lyrically vague, folky yet psychedelic, and nearly devoid of commercial potential in spite of its largely pleasant (if moody) melodies and textures. Valente, however, was not as intriguing a lyricist as Spence, nor as intensely soulful a vocalist, and overall much sunnier in tone. Valente had a rather whiny voice, so it was wise to put so much echo on both his 12-string guitar (which accounts for most of the instrumentation on the record) and vocals, which both covered up some of his vocal deficiencies and added a sheath of mystery…

One does an aural double take upon hearing the opening bars of “Raised on Rock,” the first track from the Scorpions Sting in the Tail. Rudolph Schenker's opening power chord riff and guitar tone sound like something from 1976’s Virgin Killer, or 1979’s Lovedrive…

Digitally remastered and expanded deluxe two CD edition of fifth album by the Norwegian trio. The second CD includes demos and live tracks. The album was recorded primarily at Prince's Paisley Park studios outside Minneapolis in the U.S. Featured among the tracks is "Angel in the Snow", a song Paul wrote for his bride, Lauren Savoy, as a wedding gift, and the eight-minute epic "Cold as Stone". Memorial Beach featured three more top 50 singles for the band in the UK, "Move to Memphis", "Dark is the Night" and "Angel in the Snow". While the album did not chart on the Billboard 200 and would be the band's last to be released in the U.S., the single "Dark Is the Night" peaked at #11 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.