REM Singles Collection (1991 Japanese 16-track promotional sample 4-CD set issued to radio stations and reviewers ahead of the actual release date. Including Losing My Religion, Radio Song, Shiny Happy People & Near Wild Heaven plus 12 live tracks from the single releases. Custom stamped inner rim on each disc, housed in a fat double case with a promo stickered back insert, complete with Japanese booklet and fold-out lyric insert plus obi-strip.

After providing an abundance of hard-edged, aggressive jazz-funk and jazz-rap on Live and Escape, Bill Evans surprised his followers by being so relaxed on Starfish and the Moon. This excellent, highly melodic CD was hailed as "Bill Evans' acoustic album," which was misleading because Starfish has its share of keyboards and synthesizers as well as electric bass and electric guitar. But it is accurate to say that the rap-free Starfish uses more acoustic instruments and less amplification than one had come to expect from the soprano and tenor saxophonist, who favors subtlety on such introspective, lyrical jazz-pop as "The Last Goodbye," "Something In the Rose" and "I'll Miss You." Even when he gets into a funk-minded groove on "Whiskey Talk" and "Shady Lady," Evans is moody and evocative rather than intense…

The leap from 1970's Benefit to the following year's Aqualung is one of the most astonishing progressions in rock history. In the space of one album, Tull went from relatively unassuming electrified folk-rock to larger-than-life conceptual rock full of sophisticated compositions and complex, intellectual, lyrical constructs. While the leap to full-blown prog rock wouldn't be taken until a year later on Thick as a Brick, the degree to which Tull upped the ante here is remarkable. The lyrical concept – the hypocrisy of Christianity in England – is stronger than on most other '70s conceptual efforts, but it's ultimately the music that makes it worthy of praise. Tull's winning way with a riff was never so arresting as on the chugging "Locomotive Breath," or on the character studies "Cross Eyed Mary" and "Aqualung," which portray believably seedy participants in Ian Anderson's story.

Pianist Hank Jones recorded many dates as a leader during the latter half of the 1970s. A superior transitional player whose two-handed style looks toward both swing and bop, Jones is mostly featured on this CD reissue of a Galaxy date in a trio with bassist Ray Brown and drummer Shelly Manne, although three numbers also welcome guitarist Howard Roberts. None of the seven compositions (by Jones, Brown, Pepper Adams, Thad Jones and J.J. Johnson, along with Sara Cassey's title cut) became well-known, but the fine interplay between the musicians and the concise and purposeful solos uplift the tunes.

Pianist Jeremy Denk is the closest thing classical music has to a public intellectual in his native U.S., with his booklet notes to this live performance offering an excellent example. Technical and yet personal, they provide a kind of play-by-play to the interpretations offered here, which are quite detailed and yet lively. Although the recording was made before the coronavirus reared its ugly receptors, it was released in 2021, and Denk alludes to the periodic and seemingly random C minor shades in the big C major opening movement of the Piano Concerto No. 25 in C major, K. 503, as suggesting that we now "have to live with uncertainty." As it happens, details of this kind are where Denk excels.

The first time the Nick Moss Band recorded a full album with harpist Dennis Gruenling went so well, the gang decided to reconvene for a second set just a year later. Like many sequels, 2019's Lucky Guy! doesn't offer surprises, but it could be argued that The High Cost of Low Living didn't exactly shock either. That was by design. Moss and Gruenling make it their mission to keep the greasy sound of Chicago blues alive, and while they're traditionalists, they're not stuck in the past. Lucky Guy! makes that plain by heavily relying on originals – Moss wrote 11 of the tunes, with Gruenling delivering a matching pair for good measure – that let the band show both a bawdy sense of humor and a big heart.

Paolo Conte's concert in the heart of the Reggia di Venaria Reale, produced by Milo Fantini and Rita Allevato.

A versatile pianist who has been a valuable asset on many sessions through the years, Bernie Senensky has long been one of Canada's finest jazz musicians. Don't Look Back finds him in the company of frequent collaborators in bassist Neil Swainson and drummer Barry Elmes along with New York heavyweights trumpeter Sam Noto and saxophonist Bob Mover.

Lajos Rovatkay, einer der frühesten praktischen Propagatoren der Musik Agostino Steffanis – zumindest auf dem Kontinent – war Gründer (1981) und Leiter des Barockorchesters „Capella Agostino Steffani“ (seit 1996 „Hannoversche Hofkapelle“). Mit diesem Ensemble brachte er die neuzeitliche Wiederaufführung von Agostino Steffanis Festoper „H e n r i c o L e o n e“ im Januar 1989 zum 300-jährigen Jubiläum des hannoverschen Opernhauses. Er dirigierte das Werk über zwei Spielzeiten bei ausverkauftem Haus und führte es auch in der Braunschweiger Oper und im Rahmen des Boston Early Music Festivals auf.