Joe Pass thrived on intimate settings. The late improviser had no problem doing without a pianist, and many of his Pablo recordings of the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s found him leading small guitar trios or performing as an unaccompanied solo guitarist. That type of intimate setting serves him impressively well on Resonance, which was recorded live at Donte's in North Hollywood, CA (a suburb of Los Angeles) in December 1974 and finds him leading a trio that includes Jim Hughart on electric bass and Frank Severino on drums. Pass doesn't have a pianist or any horn players to share the spotlight with, and that's just as well because the guitarist has a lot to say. He is in fine form on lyrical performances of "Misty," "Corcovado," and "Come Rain or Come Shine," and is equally impressive on unusually fast versions of "It Could Happen to You" and "The Lamp Is Low"…

Metal Blade has reissued two classic albums from progressive metal act Fates Warning. Disconnected, which was originally released in 2000 and FWX, which was originally released in 2004, have both been remastered for these reissues by Alan Douches and contain additional bonus tracks.
Fates Warning presents us here with their tenth album FWX, an album that still has some of the modern edge of Disconnected but with a mix of the classic Parallels album and A Pleasant Shade Of Gray and an overall heavier sound. FWX unlike more recent efforts, avoids the lengthy conceptual pieces instead, opting for more shorter and concise songs.

The expressive vitality in this collection of violin sonatas transcends the cultural upheavals from which these three Ukrainian composers emerged. Bortkiewicz's Violin Sonata in G minor is among the most impressive of his relatively few chamber works, finding his musical language at its most vivid and directly communicative. Kosenko's Violin Sonata in A minor is notable for the satisfying balance of its two subtly differentiated movements. Skoryk's Second Violin Sonata is a stylistically diverse chamber work, with pointed allusions to Beethoven, Prokofiev and Gershwin during its compact and always eventiul course.

Under the direction of Philip Cave, Magnificat embarks on a three-volume journey exploring the ingenuity of Orlandus Lassus. In this rich collection of Magnificats based on polyphonic models, Lassus - 'The Alchemist' - demonstrates an unsurpassed ability to reimagine existing material in the creation of his own works. This first volume of the series presents Lassus's Magnificats based on madrigals, featuring models by Philippe Verdelot, Cipriano de Rore, and Alessandro Striggio among others. The second album will comprise Lassus's canticles based on motets, and the third will conclude with those inspired by chansons. In celebrating Lassus as 'The Alchemist', Magnificat reveals the creative process and skill he employed in re-working the original music and illuminates a significant repertory that is underrepresented in contemporary liturgical or concert settings.

"Bravo Mozart!" exclaimed Emperor Joseph II as he stood up and tipped his hat at the end of the first performance of Piano Concerto No. 18 KV 456 , played by Mozart himself on 30 September 1784. Less than a year later, the composer pens his iconic 21st concerto, which is performed here by the Mozarteumorchester Salzburg conducted by Howard Griffiths, and pianist Jonathan Fournel. Winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2021, the French pianist has already made a Brahms recording for Alpha (ALPHA851). At the age of 30, he is developing a highly promising career, impressing audiences at every one of his concerts.

Bach’s cycle of seven concertos for keyboard and orchestra has come down to us in an autograph score which – in view of the loss of most of the other original manuscripts of his music for instrumental ensemble – is one of the most important sources in this area of his output.

Allan Taylor's years "On the Road" are in the past. The songwriter, singer and guitarist has retired from the concert tour life. At most, there may still be a few selected appearances. What remains are his songs, which tell of encounters and impressions on the road. For over 50 years now, Allan Taylor has been able to put his experiences and thoughts into words and sensitively shape them musically.

Mirka Viitala yhdistää esikoislevyllään Pariisissa syntyneen Lili Boulangerin (1893-1918) ja tsekkiläisen Vítězslava Kaprálován (1915-1940) pianoteoksia. Tutkiessaan kyseisten säveltäjien historiaa ja musiikkia, Mirka löysi molemmista huomattavan paljon yhtäläisyyksiä niin musiikin kuin historioidensa puolesta.

William Steinberg was recognized as one of the world’s greatest interpreters of the Brahms Symphonies and his recordings of these masterpieces for the COMMAND label have been acclaimed by critics as among the finest recorded interpretations of these great works.

Francesco Corbetta (1615-1681) was an Italian guitar player, teacher and composer. First attached to the Mantua court of the Gonzaga family, he later traveled Europe as one of the first guitar virtuosos, finding an admiring welcome at the courts of Madrid and Hannover, finally settling at the court of Louis XIV. In later years he was also active as court musician to Charles II of England, dividing his last 20 years between Paris and London.

Otis Redding's now historic four-night stand at Hollywood's Whisky a Go Go in April of 1966 has been selectively documented on two previous releases. The first was 1968's In Person at the Whisky a Go Go, which included ten selections chosen from the run. Good to Me: Recorded Live at the Whisky a Go Go, Vol. 2, released in 1982 and expanded for CD release in 1993, was also assembled from various nights. This release is very different. No mere attempt to milk a few more gems from a legendary set of gigs, Otis Redding & His Orchestra Live on the Sunset Strip contains three full sets on two discs from that stand. It's a warts-and-all, rowdy, magical set of performances that reminds the faithful of Redding's singular gifts as a singer and performer, and will open the ears of the uninitiated…

Joachim Raff (1822–1882) was regarded by his contemporaries as one of the foremost symphonists of his age, but in his extensive oeuvre of 329 compositions over half of them are for the piano. This selection of 21 works offers a cross section of the best of this large catalogue for the instrument, chosen by acclaimed Raff interpreter Tra Nguyen to showcase the varied aspects of his art. Raff’s melodic generosity, his piquant harmonic sensibility and ravishing textures are all on display in these pieces which span the whole of his career, from the exuberant Douze Romances to the majestic Grande Sonate.