There is a moment near the top of jaimie branch’s FLY or DIE LIVE, the new album recorded by the trumpeter’s quartet in Zurich, Switzerland on January 23rd, 2020, which feels like it bears the weight of both that specific pocket of time, and a prophecy for all that was soon to come. branch and her Fly or Die crew — cellist Lester St. Louis, double bassist Jason Ajemian, and drummer/percussionist/mbira player Chad Taylor — had just kicked off the concert at Moods, with the opening tracks off their then-new studio album FLY or DIE II: Bird Dogs of Paradise, the second of which, “Prayer for Amerikkka” is among the best political songs written during the Tr*mp Era, and when the moment in question pops off.

LIVE IN THE MOJAVE DESERT is a livestream concert film series created deep in the deep sand and huge boulders of some insanely beautiful California wilderness, with performances from Earthless, Nebula, Spirit Mother, Mountain Tamer, and STONER (a new band by Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri).

Mozart wrote his 17 Church Sonatas between 1772 and 1780, the period in which he was Konzertmeister to the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Sometimes known as Epistle Sonatas, these short instrumental movements were designed to fill the gap between the readings of the Epistle and the Gospel at Mass, so clearly profundity was not something that was required of them. However, if an hour of sonata allegros seems to you like an indigestible prospect then the sheer charm of this music should quickly banish such unworthy thoughts. All under five minutes long, these are delightful pieces, not in the least bit 'churchy' and ranging in scale from chamber music for two violins and continuo (the majority) to symphony-style orchestral movements and a tiny concerto allegro for organ.

“Arvo Pärt’s music takes us from darkness to light,” says Renaud Capuçon. “It looks relatively simple on paper, but each note needs to have its own life as it undergoes change. This music is not just relaxing – it has a depth and drama.” In Autumn 2021 Renaud Capuçon becomes Artistic Director of the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne. His first recording with the ensemble is devoted to the Estonian composer Arvo Pärt and among the eight works on the album are Spiegel im Spiegel, Tabula Rasa and Silouan’s Song.

On the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of “111” by Tiziano Ferro (originally on November 7, 2002), “111 (Anniversary Edition)” is released, a remastered bilingual re-edition (Italian and Spanish).

Due likely to his other careers as a pop artist, producer, classical composer, actor, and fashion model, Ryuichi Sakamoto the film scorer has averaged less than one film a year since his delightfully melodic debut, Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence in 1983. But the Academy Award winner (The Last Emperor) has clearly eschewed quantity for quality, and his often-chilling music for Love Is the Devil (the first feature by vidoegrapher John Maybury–a disturbing portrait of artist Francis Bacon and his dark, obsessive relationship with his model/lover, George Dyer) is no exception. Sakamoto has long resisted composing mere musical narration for his film assignments; here he gets inside the characters by using the diverse palette and electronic techniques gleaned from his often cutting-edge pop work. This masterful melange of samples, treated piano, electronics, and white noise plays like a modern horror masterpiece, an eerie techno-concerto that owes more to Sakamoto's days as a student of electronic music and the avant-garde than to his sunny turn as leader of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. Think Bernard Herrmann displaced by an ocean and half-a-century of technology.

Mojo magazine (October issue) presents "You've Got Everything Now!" - an indie rock blow-out starring The Sugarcubes, The Wedding Present, The Fall, The Pastels, The Three Johns, Red Guitars and more!

With the present album, the Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liege and John Neschling bring us the sixth and last instalment in a series that has been called 'the finest-ever survey of the composer's orchestral output undertaken by a single conductor' (BBC Music Magazine). The immense popularity of the Roman Trilogy has had the effect of obscuring many parts of Respighi's oeuvre, including arrangements of pieces from the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

On September 15, 1957, John Coltrane went into Rudy Van Gelder’s living room studio in Hackensack, New Jersey and recorded his first great masterpiece: Blue Train. The fulfillment of a handshake deal Coltrane made with Alfred Lion, it would be the legendary saxophonist’s sole session as a leader for Blue Note Records, a locomotive five track album fueled by the bluesy title track that featured a dynamic sextet with Lee Morgan on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone, Kenny Drew on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Philly Joe Jones on drums. Blue Train established Coltrane as a force of nature and set him on a course towards becoming one of the most revered and influential jazz artists of all-time.

Released in October 1969, the 2nd album from this underrated Welsh band is generally regarded as the more 'progressive' of the two records released under the Eyes Of Blue name. This time the band focused on more complex structures (including some Eastern influences) and instrumental interplay (check out the 9 minutes opener ‘Merry Go Round’), with plenty of psychedelic guitar, some classical guitar, organ, mellotron and great vocals as well. lt’s worth noting that the sleeve notes were supplied by Quincy Jones. In 1970 the band changed the name for Big Sleep and released one, very rare, Spanish-only single ‘Largo’ and then the whole album called ‘Bluebell Wood’ (1971). This CD has been carefully remastered and expanded with two rare single tracks!

If a listener picks up a 50-minute jazz album that only contains four songs, he or she will rest assured that the musicians really get a chance to stretch things out. In the case of Decidedly, featuring tested players like trumpeter Roy Eldridge, guitarist Joe Pass, tenor Johnny Griffin, and pianist Ray Bryant, this is a good thing. Recorded live in 1975 in Antibes, France, before an appreciative audience, the material is being issued for the first time in 2002. The group kicks off with an Eldridge original, "Bee's Bloos," and settles into a relaxed groove for the rest of the show. A 16-minute take of "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" follows, with lengthy, soulful solos handed in by everyone. Bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen and drummer Louis Bellson offer tasteful underpinning along with a little muscle on "Undecided"…

Mitzi M.performs the music of the French harpsichordists masterfully on a magnificent, two-manual harpsichord built in the 18th century by Benoist Stehlin. - Audio-CD, Includes booklet with 32 pages in English, German and French.

Official live album recorded during the band's 2018 run of anniversary shows at London’s Roundhouse, where they performed Come on Pilgrim and Surfer Rosa, start to finish. Featuring Black Francis (vocals, guitar), Joey Santiago (guitar), David Lovering (drums) and Paz Lenchantin (bass, vocals). Limited edition artist's store exclusive (only 1,000 units produced)… once they're gone, they're gone!

What happens when an orchestra that is so determined to break the barriers of big band and what jazz should be, attempts to take on the greatest and holiest of Jazz works? Why, you’d get 1977’s grand masterpiece Toshiyuki Miyama & The New Herd’s Orchestrane: New Herd Plays John Coltrane. This has been one of my absolute favourite discoveries of 2020 and I’m surprised it’s not talked about more. Miyama and band are well known for their adventurous experiments with the big band sound and concept even reaching as far out as free jazz on occasion. However on Orchestrane, they pay respects to the source material by being more restrained yet injecting new life into these timeless classics. Far from derivative perhaps even a giant step for big bands and orchestras in the modern age.