One of the best ideas Handel and his colleagues ever had was to make an oratorio out of John Milton's verse–specifically, of Milton's "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" ("The Happy Man" and "The Pensive Man"), with the libretto cutting back and forth between the two poems to make a sort of dialogue, and with an added conclusion titled "Il Moderato" ("The Moderate Man"). The resulting work has never been as famous as Messiah, but it has always been a special favorite of Handel lovers. The King's Consort made a fine recording of L'Allegro in 1999; the selling point of the present version (which appeared almost exactly one year later) is the cast of soloists, which includes soprano Lynne Dawson and countertenor David Daniels, both genuine Baroque superstars, and tenor Ian Bostridge, current king of the art song.

An atmospheric collection of compositions that would be the perfect backdrop for vistas of sunsets in exotic lands, Summers went a little more mainstream with this release than he had with Mysterious Barricades and his two projects with Robert Fripp. The textures here have more in common with his work as guitarist for the Police, though his playing is better highlighted in this solo context. Titles such as "The Island of Silk" and "Rain Forest in Manhattan" give a clue as to the almost dreamlike feel Summers is going for. He is largely successful, his uniquely fluid guitar tone combining with instruments such as wooden flute, percussion, oboe, and xianjiang tambourine, while "Piya Tose" features Indian vocalist Najma Akhtar. It's an at once soothing and adventurous album and is highly recommended.

Guitarist John Scofield has never had a problem interacting with saxophonists in a piano-less environment; anyone who admires the strong rapport that him and saxman Joe Lovano have enjoyed when there is no pianist on board can attest to that. So it isn't surprising that Scofield and Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith prove to be a strong combination on 1999's Blue Smith, which finds the two forming a piano-less quartet with upright bassist James Genus and drummer Clarence Penn. The only familiar song on this post-bop is "Amazing Grace"; all of the other selections were written by Smith, who keep things unpredictable and provides a variety of blues-influenced material for the quartet to work with. Scofield excels on everything that Smith throws his way, and that includes the funky "Rain Dance" and the angular "Dr. Sco," as well as the Native American-influenced "Rain Dance" and the John Coltrane-minded "Touch Your Toes"…

Heldon's real excellence as a band is dramatically demonstrated with this fine recording. A dashing young left-wing intellectual, Richard Pinhas was something of a cult figure in his native France, or at least had the potential to be one, but he wisely rejected the role of rock & roll guitar hero with backing band, in favor of something much more interesting and radical. Patrick Gauthier on moog and Francois Auger on percussion had played with Pinhas on and off for the previous several years, and at this point they had developed into a solid sympathetic unit with a strongly rhythmic orientation. The intricate interlocking rhythms, created by percussion and several synthesizers, have a proto-techno quality at times, and suggest both the German group Can and, on at least one piece, early Ash Ra Tempel…

House & Chill sounds to groove and relax to, selected by DJ Michael Maretimo. A full dose of chill summer sounds.

Featuring 12 mini-CDs that feature three tracks each for the most part (one has four). Each mini-CD comes in an individual case. The 12 A-sides featured include early classics such as "Seven Seas of Rhye," "Killer Queen," and "Somebody to Love," as well as mid-career hits "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Under Pressure," and latter-day favorites "Radio Ga Ga," "A Kind of Magic." Also included are the non-album B-sides "See What a Fool I've Been," "Soul Brother," "I Go Crazy," and "A Dozen Red Roses for My Darling" (others, such as "A Human Body," "Blurred Vision," and the single "Thank God It's Christmas," are not).

Complete with the obligatory ballet demanded by the French grand style this opera now invariably known under its Italian title of I Vespri Sililiana was specially commissioned for the Great Exhibition of Paris of 1855. It is now the common practice to adhere to the Italian libretto and to dispense with the lengthy ballet sequence of Act III. Such is the case with this 1986 production from Bologna under the baton of Riccardo Chailly. The performance is notable for the fine singing of both the chorus and the four leads.