Recorded in London’s Henry Wood Hall in November 1977, these two performances offer a special reminder of the magic of Mstislav Rostropovich. If ever one needs to relive the pure magic of music, that elusive quality that operates above and beyond all words, it is to Rostropovich that one can confidently turn; especially when he is in partnership with another “great”—here, Giulini.

Renowned author and Grammy award-winning singer Lani Hall returns to release her first new studio album in over 20 years, Seasons Of Love. Rising to fame in the 1960s as the lead singer for Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66, Hall has been a prominent vocal talent for decades. She famously sang the title song for the 1983 James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. Her Latin albums in the 1980s yielded multiple gold records and a Grammy award for Best Latin Pop Performance. Hall continues to record and perform with husband Herb Alpert, and this new collection of songs is a major return to form. The title track, "Seasons Of Love", is an emotional rendition of the hit song from the Broadway show Rent. Bill Withers' "Lovely Day" and The Beatles' "Here Comes The Sun" are expertly reimagined. Classic standards "Waters Of March" and "Sorri" (a Portuguese take on "Smile") shine with the relaxed Bossa Nova feel that permeates the entire album. Herb Alpert co-produces and lends his unmistakable trumpet to the proceedings as well. Seasons Of Love is a can't miss effort from one of music's most enduring voices.

The righteous and bombastic nature of the great bassist/composer Charles Mingus made him a polarizing personality. His unique personality, combined with his groundbreaking music, were magnetic for open-minded listeners. Clarinetist Harry Skoler discovered Mingus and his music early in life. This discovery would change his entire trajectory as a person and musician, which Skoler celebrates on his new recording, Living In Sound: The Music of Charles Mingus.

This CD features Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra with two major important works by Finnish composer Magnus Lindberg. The composer himself plays the solo part in the Piano Concerto (1990-94). The large-scale orchestral piece KRAFT (1983-85) features the Toimii Ensemble, in which Lindberg plays piano and percussion. This group was founded by Lindberg and Salonen in 1981 and has provided the composer with a laboratory for his sonic development. KRAFT meant for Lindberg the compositional breakthrough and earned him the UNESCO rostrum in 1986 and the Nordic Music Prize in 1988. Magnus Lindberg here performs on piano as a member of the Tomii Ensemble.

He is THE constant of the German metal scene: On April 6, 2022, icon Udo Dirkschneider will be 70 years old. Born in post-war Wuppertal, when heavy metal was far from being invented, he has for many years been one of the decisive characters who have helped shape this musical genre so decisively. For about five decades, it is impossible to imagine it without him. On April 22nd his most personal and extraordinary album will be released: it contains 17 cover versions of exactly those songs that have influenced the musician and singer the most. Among them are all kinds of classics of music history - even those you might not have expected from Udo. Behind all the tracks is not only a very personal story, but also a sometimes surprising arrangement, which despite their very individual implementation, however, live and breathe Udo's signature at all times. The cover album also makes one thing clear: how many in the music business have come and gone over the years. Udo Dirkschneider is still here. If his unchanging nature was briefly what almost doomed him in the midst of the norm-constructed music industry in the 80s, it has long since become his very great strength. All this makes Udo Dirkschneider one of the greatest and most imposing rock and metal icons of the last decades.

Seemingly coming from nowhere, Mighty Mo Rodgers packs a massive punch that makes you ask, where in hell he came from? A brief stint in music (his was the organ solo on the '67 hit, "Gimme Some Kind Of Sign," and he acted as producer for Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee) ended in disillusionment with the industry. A retreat into a Masters degree (with a focus on "Blues as A Metaphysical Music"), he has returned to make music with "something to say." His brand of "spiritual" blues is for the people and of the real world. This is no revivalist camp, however, but a richly musical charge that recalls the work of the late Curtis Mayfield. Rodgers' deep, warm vocals embrace gospel and R&B, and his voice alternates between a powerful growl and a gentle caress across arrangements designed around solid hooks that first seduce the listener before driving home their message…

This was an excellent outing by the Count Basie Orchestra during its later years. Actually, half of this album features a medium-sized group from Basie's big band, but his orchestra usually had the feel of a small group anyway. Soloists at this late stage include Eric Dixon and Kenny Hing on tenors, trombonist Booty Wood, altoist Danny Turner and four different trumpeters. The rhythm section is of course instantly recognizable and the music is very much in the Basie tradition.

Formed in Portland, Oregon in the mid-seventies, Harlequin Mass was part of a brief and modest wave of bands coming from American Northwest in that decade (Heart, Nu Shooz, Quarterflash, the Wipers). Unlike most of their contemporaries though, Harlequin Mass were largely influenced by progressive bands such as the Moody Blues, Yes, and Genesis. The band has pointed to the release of 'Close to the Edge' as the pivotal moment in the maturation of their sound, and their sound has been compared to a folk-influenced version of Yes and ELP…

Get into the “Flow” with a new Lemongrass album release. A musical homage to beauty and positivity, that radiates cheerful serenity and inner peace. Bathing in sunlight, resting in warmth at his second home in the Canary Islands, Roland Voss aka Lemongrass has chosen the perfect environment for a slow-paced, widely spread musical journey. Literally crafted in a sun-soaked atmosphere, these 11 songs channel the spirit of the islands landscape surrounded by the Atlantic in all of its beauty. A soft breeze, the sound of the ocean, seagulls squalling, black Lava stones absorbing and emitting the heat of the day, permeates a feeling of weightlessness, that summons a sense of the infinite.

Longtime Black Sabbath/Ozzy Osbourne keys and guitar player Adam Wakeman (as Milton Keanes) is back with Jazz Sabbath Vol. 2.

Alla Polacca is an invitation to delve into the world of sounds, scents and flavours of Poland and Polish folklore. What is presented here is a journey through Poland and Polish culture through the eyes of various European and Polish composers who lived, worked or traveled to Poland in the seventeenth and eighteenth century and whose compositions present elements of the Polish style.

His colleague Georg Philipp Telemann, who was only a few years older, described him as “the greatest spirit of his time”. Reinhard Keiser is a striking example of a musician who was held in the highest esteem in his time, but is hardly present today. He wrote numerous stage works for the Hamburg Opera at the Gänsemarkt.

Danish/Norwegian Eurodance-pop group. Formed in 1994 in Denmark. Best-known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". They achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990's and early 2000's, and holds the record as the best selling Danish band with around 33 million records sold…