Djabe released their first CD in November 1996, simply titled Djabe.
The first Djabe album, recorded between June 1995 and September 1996, was already noticed by both the audience and the professional scene. It was created by the two founders of Djabe, percussionist András Sipos (1954-2007) and guitarist Attila Égerházi. They were joined by Tibor Karvaly, a violinist from the former Novus Jam band of Égerházi and Sipos, for the recordings. Among the invited musicians were Ferenc Muck saxophonist, bassist Tamás Barabás and trumpet and violin player Ferenc Kovács. From the criticisms of the time, the opinion of the American writer Mike Ezzo should be highlighted, who predicted, right fromthe first album, that Djabe would achieve significant success and a great career internationally. And he was right…

The Tears of Hercules continues the late-career renaissance of Rod Stewart the singer/songwriter, marking the fourth consecutive album he's largely written either on his own or in collaboration with his producer Kevin Savigar. Time, the first of these, arrived in 2013 when Stewart was fresh from penning his 2012 memoir Rod: The Autobiography, so it carried a measure of introspection. The Tears of Hercules came out in 2021, nearly a decade removed from the publication of his autobiography, and Stewart is in a decidedly looser frame of mind. While there are quieter moments here, such as a tribute to his late father on "Touchline," they're overshadowed by the return of Randy Rod. He opens the album asking a lover for "One More Time" before they break up, reasoning that "the sex was immense," he eulogizes Marc Bolan as a pioneer of boogie and sensuality…

This recording is simply stupendous in terms of the music it presents, the performance, and the recording quality. Brumel was born only 20 years after Josquin but there is a world of difference between their respective compositional styles. Josquin's music cements the accomplishments of his predecesors and shows the way forward. Brumel's music pushes rapidly forward along–and in some senses, away from–that path. The "Missa ecce terra motus", featured on this recording, anticipates such great mid-16th century masterpieces as Tallis's "Spem in alium". The Huelgas Ensemble is in top form here and van Nevel's direction and interpretation are superb.

Plácido Domingo’s triumphant “return” to his baritone roots (his first debut with the Mexican National Opera, in 1959, was as a baritone), is captured in this stunning 2-DVD set of the Royal Opera House’s 2010 production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra. Domingo is joined by Marina Poplavskaya, Joseph Calleja, Ferruccio Furlanetto, Jonathan Summers and Lukas Jakobski in this Antonio Pappano conducted performance, directed by Elijah Moshinsky.

One of Sonny Rollins' better recordings of the 1970s, this spirited Milestone set finds the veteran tenor saxman adopting a thicker and raunchier R&B-ish tone. Although sticking close to the melody, he really tears into Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" and finds interesting new variations to play on "My One and Only Love" (on soprano) and "Easy Living." The fine backup group includes keyboardist George Duke and drummer Tony Williams.

What more could a Hendrix fanatic searching for the ultimate live Jimi experience ask for? The 1991 box set Stages contains a total of 4 CDs, each containing one full concert from the years 1967 (in Stockholm), '68 (Paris), '69 (San Diego), and '70 (recorded in Atlanta just two months before his death). Many Hendrix fans already owned bootlegged copies of these concerts, but this was the first time that they were released officially, in crystal clear sound and with informative liner notes. The four discs are an obviously interesting musical journey, showing the rapid musical transformation of Hendrix from showman to serious virtuoso…

Atoll were a talented French ensemble who very much carried their own symphonic sound blending the finer aspects of fellow acts Ange, Pulsar and Mona Lisa. Their style is very theatrical in nature offering dynamic and melodic arrangements with some great song writing. Along the topics it is impossible to avoid the comparisons with Genesis, Yes and Mahavishnu Orchestra. The changes of members were another of the characteristics of this group who counted John Wetton among their members.
Recorded in 1974, "Musiciens-Magiciens" reveals itself as a great debut album.

Manfred Mann Chapter Three was a British experimental jazz rock band founded by South African keyboard player Manfred Mann and long-time partner Mike Hugg. The line-up for its debut at Newcastle's Mayfair Ballroom on 24 October 1969 was; Mike Hugg (vocals/electric piano), Mann (organ), Bernie Living (alto sax), Steve York (bass) and Craig Collinge (drums), augmented by a five-piece brass section of Clive Stevens (tenor sax), Carl Griffiths (tenor sax), Dave Coxhill (baritone sax), Gerald Drewett (trombone) and Sonny Corbett (trumpet)…

Although best known for his barnstorming blues-rock, Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher had a softer side, too. All of his studio albums contain at least one acoustic folk-blues track, and Gallagher included an unplugged set in the majority of his live shows way before that was fashionable. Almost eight years after his death, Rory's brother Donal compiled a 14-track collection of previously unreleased work dedicated to Gallagher's folkier approach. It's the second such posthumous album (the terrific live and very electric BBC Sessions came out in 1999), and focuses on an important if lesser recognized aspect of the guitarist's career. It's also an eclectic set that shifts from melodic ballads ("Wheels Within Wheels") to instrumental modified flamenco ("Flight to Paradise" with classical guitarist Juan Martin) and solo Delta blues (a studio take of Tony Joe White's "As the Crow Flies," the live version of which was a highlight of Irish Tour). And that's just the first three songs.