Columbia recording artist and Pink Floyd founder Roger Waters toured the United States for the first time in 12 years in 1999-2000 with his highly acclaimed "In The Flesh" show that presented, for the first time, a comprehensive overview of Waters's music including: early Pink Floyd material; classic compositions from his masterpieces "The Wall" and "Dark Side of the Moon"; less well-known pieces from "Animals", "Wish You Were Here" and "The Final Cut"; songs from the solo tour de force "Amused To Death" and "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" and the debut of a new song, "Each Small Candle".

When guitarist Jacob Kellermann and conductor Christian Karlsen devised the programme of this recording, one inspiration was the legendary jazz album Sketches of Spain on which Miles Davis performed arrangements of Spanish folk music, along with a version of the Adagio from Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez. Rodrigo’s work is a re-imagining of times past and of courtly life in the gardens of the Royal Palace of Aranjuez, and as such it is the perfect opening to Kellermann’s and Karlsen’s project, intended to conjure up Spain ‘as if through a prism – as a concept rather than a place’. In order to achieve this they have enlisted the help of Francisco Coll and Pete Harden, who have each contributed a concertante work for guitar and ensemble.

Twenty years ago musicologists were not aware that Schubert's Tenth existed. The detective story leading to its revelation is told by Brian Newbould in the booklet of this CD. The manuscript was discovered in a folio in Vienna containing no fewer than three uncompleted Schubert symphonies including No 10, which the composer was working on when he died. It is therefore his very last music. Professor Newbould's work involved deciphering Schubert's sketches and then reconstructing the work and orchestrating it. In three movements, the symphony is a wonder, with a first movement containing one of Schubert's loveliest melodies, and a sombre and Mahlerian slow movement of great poignancy.

David Zinman and the Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra have presented exceptional performances of Gustav Mahler's symphonies in the hybrid SACD format, and this recording of the Symphony No. 9 in D major follows suit in its spot-on reading and splendid sound. Among the most enigmatic and difficult of Mahler's completed symphonies to interpret (perhaps only exceeded in strangeness by the Symphony No. 7, or in mystery by the unfinished Symphony No. 10), the Symphony No. 9 is haunted by visions of death, and Mahler's range of expressions runs from poignant lyricism to abject terror, resignation, and finally, sublime transformation.

Chosen People is Dave Davies' third solo album, and by this release he seemed to have gotten it right. Gone is the big stadium rock sound and present is Davies' wonderful voice and melodic songs. Although this is not the album fans of "Death of a Clown" were hoping for, it is a much stronger album than 1981's Glamour and 1980's AFL1-3603. Davies still rocks out, but there are more ballads present. Also, the lyrics seem to have much more thought in them and present interesting stories and thoughts. Perhaps it is due to the use of a band and a co-producer on this album (the other two releases were primarily just Davies, although drummer Robert Henrit did drum on Glamour).

For his third Mack Avenue Records release, 5-time GRAMMY® Award-winner Billy Childs assembles an all-star quartet with trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire, bassist Scott Colley, and drummer Brian Blade. On The Winds of Change, the critically acclaimed pianist/composer offers 5 brand new original compositions alongside exhilarating arrangements of Chick Corea’s “Crystal Silence” (originally on Corea’s 1972 ECM recording of the same name with vibraphonist Gary Burton) and Kenny Barron’s “The Black Angel” (originally on trumpeter Freddie Hubbard’s 1970 Atlantic recording of the same name) to push the creative boundaries of the group and inspire a collective new sound to pay homage to jazz legends and the artistry.

Henri Texier, double bass player, multi-instrumentalist traces his path, record after record since 1967. The more the years pass, the more the importance and the originality of Henri Texier impose themselves on all the musicians, fellow travelers, or not. A wonderful combination of a great tradition of double bass and a modernism that has never been frightened of anything. Time passing seems to have no hold on his game: round, powerful and above all animated by an extraordinary awareness of rhythm. A high-flying cast and a sequence of scenes and landscapes that give the listener the certainty of a global scenario.

Some of the greatest artists in the 20th century have been multi-instrumentalists – cue Prince, Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Todd Rundgren and Paul McCartney. That expansive understanding of composition, technique and sound changes how artists approach musicians has inspired Leland Whitty’s approach on his new record Anyhow.

Kevin Welch made his name as a progressive country artist in the ‘90s, gradually evolving beyond the alt-country pigeonhole over the years, both on his own and as a member of Americana trio Kane Welch Kaplin. On his sixth solo album – and his first since he started working with the aforementioned threesome – you'd be hard-pressed to find traces of Welch's country background. You'll also encounter nary an uptempo tune – A Patch of Blue Sky is pretty much a ballad album from start to finish. One might cavil about the lack of dynamics, but over the course of these ten tracks, it seems obvious that establishing a singular mood was more important to Welch than keeping fidgety listeners fixated.

Harry Nilsson had a hit, a Grammy, and critical success, yet he still didn't have a genuine blockbuster to his name when it came time to finally deliver a full-fledged follow-up to Nilsson Sings Newman, so he decided it was time to make that unabashed, mainstream pop/rock album. Hiring Barbra Streisand producer Richard Perry as a collaborator, Nilsson made a streamlined, slightly domesticated, unashamed set of mature pop/rock, with a slight twist. This is an album, after all, that begins by pining for the reckless days of youth, then segues into a snapshot of suburban disconnectedness before winding through a salute to and covers of old R&B tunes ("Early in the Morning" and "Let the Good Times Roll," respectively), druggie humor ("Coconut"), and surging hard rock ("Jump Into the Fire")…

This disc collects a great variety of performances recorded for the Decca label by German-born countertenor Andreas Scholl, who says that the high male voice in which he sings is something he produces naturally, not something he specially cultivates. He makes you believe it. The diverse program is logically organized, with Baroque arias of various kinds surrounding a central core of quieter material, and sonically Decca has made a convincing whole out of material with various producers and recording locales.

A journey through the boundless layers of existence, for the new studio album of indrawn, brooding black metal from the Norwegian pioneers.
Black Medium Current is the sixth studio album by longstanding Norwegian avant-garde pioneers Dødheimsgard. From their influential and successful beginnings as a raw and grim black metal outfit established during the ongoing swelling of the "second wave" in the early-mid 90s, Dødheimsgard has subsequently evolved into a truly eclectic behemoth with each landmark release; a band now undoubtedly adorned with the mastery of mood and texture through intricate, dark metallic wonderment and unnerving eloquence…

Art Blakey & the Jazz Messengers hit their artistic peak with the powerful A Night in Tunisia. This incarnation of the group included Lee Morgan, Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons, and Jymie Merritt along with their leader, Blakey. As the Messengers entered their most fruitful period for Blue Note, Blakey drove his men relentlessly with powerful grooves, heavy swinging, and shouts of encouragement. This session documents the full power of his assertive leadership and the masterful playing of his sidemen, each rising to legendary status under his tutelage. Long known for their creative arrangements within the context of small-group jazz, the Messengers push the definition of hard bop and blues to the limit here…