Montserrat Figueras one of the best performers of Claudio Monteverdi’s vocal music. At this time, she developed an innovative style of interpretation, characterised by great fidelity to historical sources, combined with an extraordinary creative and expressive power, that has exerted a decisive influence on the whole historical music movement.
Vocal music before 1800 required a new technical and stylistic approach capable of restoring to the beauty and emotion of the voice, that most human of all forms of expression, the necessary balance between singing and declamation, with an emphasis on the poetic and spiritual dimension of the text.

An active force in Latin jazz since the '60s, Pete Escovedo is well-known in the San Francisco Bay area; not only as a seasoned percussionist and bandleader, but as the musical and spiritual head of the Familia Escovedo. His brother is fellow musician Coke Escovedo, and his children and relatives include percussionist/vocalist Sheila E., producer/bandleader/percussionist Peter Michael Escovedo, and Texas-based singer/songwriter Alejandro Escovedo. Flying South, a 1996 release, continues Escovedo's exploration of the musical region where Latin jazz, salsa, and pop meet.

The Skyhooks Tapes is the first compilation album by Australian band Skyhooks, released in September 1977. The album features all the band's A- and B-side singles and peaked within the top 50 in Australia…

This recording was made the same day as Kennedy's debut recording (Elgar Sonata.) He had some studio time left over, so he and Peter Pettinger spontaneously played some jazz standards. No planning, no rehearsal, no previous experience playing jazz together. In that context, this is a remarkable recording. And a historical first that will likely never be repeated - debut classical and debut jazz recording being recorded on the same day.
Jazz violin is hard to come by. Few people have the technique to play the violin well enough to even begin to serve the free flow and spontaneity of jazz. And few, if any, jazz musicians have ever recorded a more than passable performance of classical repertoire…

This excellent release by Egberto Gismonti was conceived under the concept of a circus, an institution that has the ambivalent quality of being at the same time universal and regional; the "circense" tradition exists in almost all parts of the globe, but it is enriched by the smaller companies that keep struggling to survive in poorer setups, adding regional elements to the whole. It fits like a glove for the music of Gismonti, which also aims to enrich Brazilian musical tradition with elements of worldwide classical and popular acquisitions.

The ProjeKcts were/are devised as 'research units' to find possible futures for the fuller Crimson line-up. This box comprises the four live discs and kicks off with Jazz Café (KC have an amazing ability to play the most unlikely places)…

The Chiaroscuro Quartet made their first appearance on BIS with acclaimed recordings of Joseph Haydn’s Sun Quartets, Op. 20, described in The Strad as ‘period-instrument performances of the utmost subtlety and refinement’. The Op. 20 quartets are widely regarded as a mile-stone in the history of the genre. When Chiaroscuros now return to Haydn, it is with his last complete set of quartets, begun in 1796 when he was 64 years old.

Forget Black Friday, Franksgiving is the real event as today ushers in the long-awaited release of Alex Winter’s highly acclaimed documentary, ZAPPA, about the prolific genius composer, free speech activist, cultural ambassador to Czechoslovakia and legendary musician, Frank Zappa, as well as the surprise digital release of the corresponding ZAPPA Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. A perfect complement to the film, the 68-track soundtrack is available to stream and download now via Zappa Records/UMe. ZAPPA is now available in the U.S. on demand from Magnolia Pictures.

All the works on this CD are from the French Romantic organ repertoire. They have all enjoyed great popularity and bear the typical characteristics of French Romantic organ writing; melodic elegance, colourful harmonies and compositional clarity. Ben van Oosten performs on the Jann Organ of St. Martin, Dudelange, Luxembourg.