Before Versailles, the epicentre of power in the Kingdom of France was the Louvre, a genuine theatre of ceremonies where music was duty- bound to impress with its magnificence. In the reign of Louis XIII, the air de cour and ballet mobilised the elite of composers such as Moulinié, Guédron and Chancy. The most famous of them, Boesset, guided the polyphonic air inherited from the Renaissance towards a more intimate conception: before the sumptuous splendours to come in the shadow of the Sun King, it is a rich array of delicately chiselled miniatures that the combined talents of the Ensemble Correspondances give us the opportunity to hear today.

Easily the finest account of Khachaturian’s Piano Concerto since Moura Lympany’s pioneering recording under Fistoulari (Decca, 3/53 – nla), this new version on ASV is the one to have. Dora Serviarian-Kuhn and her Armenian compatriot, Loris Tjeknavorian are in every way first-class: both identify naturally with the sinuous oriental flavour of the melodic lines and understand – as did Lympany and, in America in 1946, William Kapell (RCA, 5/95) – that the outer movements need above all to convey thrusting vitality. (Remember that the first Moscow performance – which delighted the composer – was by the Russian virtuoso, Lev Oborin.) Here there is plenty of drive and rhythmic lift in the outer movements.

Octopuss is the third solo album by English drummer Cozy Powell, released in 1983. Considered to be one of England's best drummers, Cozy Powell was almost legendary for a heavy-hitting style that could be made to work with many styles of music, He is best remembered for his work with Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Whitesnake and Black Sabbath as well as Emerson, Lake & Powell. Octopus features musical assistance from John Lord, Mel Galley and Gary Moore.

Jethro Tull's second album-length composition, A Passion Play is very different from – and not quite as successful as – Thick as a Brick. Ian Anderson utilizes reams of biblical (and biblical-sounding) references, interwoven with modern language, as a sort of a rock equivalent to T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland. As with most progressive rock, the words seem important and profound, but their meaning is anyone's guess ("The ice-cream lady wet her drawers, to see you in the Passion Play…"), with Anderson as a dour but engaging singer/sage (who, at least at one point, seems to take on the role of a fallen angel).

It’s the moment everyone worldwide has been waiting for. The Nuclear Power Trio has returned bringing with them news on their sophomore release Wet Ass Plutonium. The next chapter in this tyrannical trio’s musical endeavors will be dropped on July 28, 2023 and features 9 new tracks. “Donny, Vladi P and I had a little tiff at the end of the aggressive touring cycle for the last record. We made up though and decided to spend some time in the supreme U.S. city of Miami, Florida. We went to a bunch of synthwave clubs, drove around in an orange Lambo, purchased white suits together, and watched a lot of Miami Vice. We really just fell in love with each other all over again and it was truly inspiring” – said Supreme Drummer Kimmy. As a result of their inspirational South Beach sabbatical, the trio have concocted an LP that dwarfs the magnitude and ambition of their debut release. Arrangements include strings, real shred-harp, horn sections, and full-on synthwave leads.

After the critical success of the first volume of Beethoven's symphonies, Jordi Savall offers us Symphonies Six to Nine. This latest publication crowns a nearly two-year world tour and confirms the extent to which the Savall renews our vision of these most famous works. The Concert des Nations shows that it also knows how to magnify the repertoire of the early 19th century.

Embryo are a musical collective from Munich who, lead by former R&B and jazz organist Christian Burchard, boast the participation of some 400+ musicians since their beginnings in 1970. Over the years, the band went from classic space rock to jazz fusion, then Burchard soon started travelling the world and recording LPs with African bands and Middle Eastern musicians.
Embryo's second album, "Rache" (1971), is just as good and important in Germany's early prog history. Largely instrumental and constantly surprising , Rache is a very worthy follow-up to their groundbreaking debut. The two extra tracks are not from that era (1991) but do stay in the spirit of the album and do not disturb the newcomer as much as the old hippy that wore his vinyl to transparancy.

If it seems upon first listen that Evan Marks' snappy, fluid electric lines are vaguely reminiscent of Steve Laury's, the connection makes perfect sense; Marks subbed in Fattburger's guitar chair for a few years after Laury left the group. While select ballads on the Cleveland native's stellar debut ease through that band's familiar laid-back ideals, Marks seems more comfortable darting in new and daring directions as both composer and jam-happy player. Label connections work wonders, with Jeff Lorber's synth rack and Art Porter's funky delicacies punching up groove after funk-filled electronic groove. For example, "Racer X," with its burning blues rock bravura, is one of the most unpredictable genre tracks ever. Marks has the vision of an edgy contemporary instrumentalist, but there is also a healthy dose of jazz seasoning in his mix…

Barclay James Harvest had streamlined their sound considerably after leaving the Harvest label, culminating (so many felt) in the mellifluous music of Gone to Earth. Their pretensions to progressive rock all but abandoned, BJH here invites comparison to contemporaries like Supertramp, REO Speedwagon, and Fleetwood Mac (some of whom were similarly tagged with the prog rock label early on). Even at their most ornate, songwriters John Lees and Les Holroyd were simple balladeers at heart, and the decision to unclutter their arrangements allows the material's intrinsic beauty to shine through with clarity. For this reason, Gone to Earth is regarded by many as the band's best album, and judged on a song-by-song basis, it's hard to argue against it…