The German violinist, violist and composer Friedrich Hermann (1828–1907) spent the six decades of his adult life teaching at the Leipzig Conservatoire and, although his works include a symphony, a string quartet and numerous other chamber pieces for strings, by far the largest part of his output is pedagogical in nature. But he pumped his teaching pieces full of imagination, as the studies here demonstrate. Even though the twenty Miniatures published in 1881 are intended for student violinists, many of them are tiny tone-poems intended both to engage the attention of their players and challenge their techniques – and their mix of poetry and humour should also appeal to adult listeners.

This release offers Jazz that is accessible, touching on it's Blues, Soul and Latin influences while always having a danceable beat. It includes the super-rare, the well known and the previously unreleased.

Pietro Giannotti, who in the title page of Op. 1 (entirely written in Italian) is described as native of Lucca, was born in that independent Tuscan city, in an unspecified year between the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth. We do not have any information about his education or his musical pursuits before his activities in France began, in 1728, when he moved to Paris. From the subsequent year to 1758 we know that he served as a double-bass player at the Académie Royale de Musique. A much-appreciated performance of his as a violinist is documented at the “Concert spirituel” of 28 March 1749; on this occasion he also played some pieces of his own. He remained in Paris until his death, on 19 June 1765. In Paris he published about twenty works, all of instrumental chamber music. In all likelihood, Giannotti also carried out his activities within private circles, in the house of an influential French nobleman, as is demonstrated by his first publication, to which we must now turn our attention: Op. 1 is dedicated to Jean-Charles de Crussol (1675-1739), seventh Duke of Uzès and French peer, scion of an ancient aristocratic family, who was not only a patron but also an “amateur” who practised music for his own enjoyment.Pierluigi Mencattini, accompanied by the ensemble Labirinto Armonico (already protagonists of the edition of the sonatas by Giovanni Antonio Piani, tc 671690) in this double cd performs the full version of the collection.

Jane Bunnett and Maqueque has evolved from a project to support and honour the new generation of young women jazz players and composers, to a Grammy nominated, critically acclaimed band that is in demand internationally at major Jazz festivals. This all-female collective is led by veteran jazz icon, soprano saxophone player, flautist, composer and proud Canadian Jane Bunnett. With five Juno awards, three Grammy nominations and an Officer of the Order of Canada (Canada's highest civilian award) Bunnett decided to dedicate herself to taking Maqueque to the world.

U2 catapulted over its post-punk peers to become the biggest rock & roll band in the world, a title they earned after the release of The Joshua Tree in 1987 and maintained well into the 21st century. Alone among all the groups to emerge from the post-punk era, U2 channeled their yen for moody, experimental aural textures into clearly defined rock anthems and ballads – songs that sounded majestic yet felt personal. Much of that sense of intimacy can be attributed to Bono, a lead singer who gravitates toward grand gestures yet remains grounded by his belief in humanity and the revolutionary power of rock & roll.

Discover the timeless beauty of Franz Schubert's music with this double album. This compilation showcases some of his finest works for piano four hands, composed during his final years. Be enchanted by the Fantasy in F minor, the powerful "Lebenssturme," the Fugue in E minor, and the gentle Rondo in A major. Experience the impressive "Grand Duo" and the exquisite Variations in A-flat major from the summer of 1824. Immerse yourself in the emotional depth and human drama that Schubert masterfully captures like no other - a true treasure trove of piano artistry.

In 2005 Roberta recorded the present duet album titled 'You Are There' with the legendary pianist Hank Jones. Mr. Jones, who accompanied most of the celebrated vocalists of 20th Century such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae and Nat King Cole, declared Roberta Gambarini to be the best singer to emerge in the last 60 years.

A follow up to their album Vivaldi X2, this new offering from baroque specialists Las Serenissima combines further double concerti by Antonio Vivaldi with works for violin, cello, oboe, recorder and continuo. The previous album received rave reviews including Recording of the Month from BBC Music Magazine. These are some of Vivaldi’s most colourful and joyful works, and with director Adrian Chandler at the helm listeners can look forward to further baroque excellence from this dynamic ensemble.

Pianist Jenny Lin follows two highly acclaimed albums of music by Philip Glass with a recording of the Piano Sonata, a dramatic work featuring his hallmark polyrhythms.

The Catalan Roberto Gerhard studied piano with Granados, and was the only Spanish composer to study with Arnold Schoenberg. It was, however, over twenty years before he committed himself to writing twelve-tone music. In the interim, his output brought a new focus and precision (owing more to Stravinsky and Bartók) to the Spanish style. All the works on this album were composed in that period. Dating from the early 1940s, his ballet Alegrías was originally conceived for two pianos, but soon evolved into the four-movement suite heard here.

The flamboyant multicultural Swedish dance-pop group Army of Lovers formed in 1987, the brainchild of composer and producer Alexander Bard. Five years earlier Bard first emerged as a member of the short-lived trio Baard, best known for the single "Life in a Goldfish Bowl." In 1985 – in drag, no less – he led Barbie, a band also comprised of hairdresser Jean-Pierre Barda (alias Farouk), Yazmina Chantal, and model Camilla Henemark (aka Katanga); two years later, Bard, Barda, and Henemark (now performing under the name La Camilla) founded Army of Lovers, taking the name in honor of the 1970s cult movie Armee der Liebenden.

Recorded between 1963-2019, Degrees Of Freedom Found is a six CD set “Blue” Gene Tyranny hand selected from archival, live recordings, and brand new first recordings before his passing in 2020. Part new album, part retrospective, this box offers a fresh perspective on “Blue” Gene Tyranny’s musical legacy. Blue’s career defining moment, composing the music for Robert Ashley’s magnum opus, Perfect Lives, typifies the Buddha-like self-effacement of his musical life. Often lending a substantial supporting role to his friends’ more visible projects, Blue’s music under his own name blossomed in a more esoteric and highly personal manner outside of the spotlight. Across its many previously unreleased recordings, Degrees Of Freedom Found showcases a surprising, extroverted side of Blue’s music, alongside the virtuoso works of sensitive spirit for which New Music devotees have long revered him.

2018 release from the veteran singer/songwriter. After ten years during which she bore witness to some of her life's greatest joys and deepest sorrows - and the publication of her acclaimed 2015 memoir, Detla Lady - Rita Coolidge is back with Safe in the Arms of Time, her 18th solo album and a reaffirmation of her indomitable spirit and unquenchable creative thirst. Safe in the Arms of Time is colored by Rita's pivotal role in the Los Angeles singer-songwriter scene of the 1970s, where she made her bones as a top backup singer - that's Rita on the refrains of Stephen Stills's "Love the One You're With" and Eric Clapton's "After Midnight" - before embarking on a platinum-selling solo career.

Badbadnotgood Toronto-based jazz ensemble BadBadNotGood make expansive music that straddles the line between '70s soul-jazz, alternative hip-hop, and experimental electronica. The musicians gained attention in the early 2010s playing jazz covers of tracks by the likes of Odd Future and MF Doom. BBNG (2011) and BBNG2 (2012), their first two records, further developed that approach with reinterpretations of songs by A Tribe Called Quest and Kanye West as well as My Bloody Valentine and Feist. III (2014), their last fully instrumental LP for a decade, gave them their commercial breakthrough; it crowned Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and became the first of many BBNG projects nominated for Canada's Polaris Music Prize. The collaborative IV (2016) brought in guests ranging from Future Islands frontman Samuel T. Herring to saxophonist Colin Stetson and marked the band's Canadian chart debut. Talk Memory (2021), their third straight number one on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart, explored fusion, new age, and orchestral influences with string arrangements from Arthur Verocai.

Well into his 30th year of recording, Eric Andersen picks up where his 1989 masterpiece Ghosts upon the Road left off. His 15th album was eight years in the making, pieced together from collaborations with Rick Danko, Richard Thompson, Benmont Tench, Howie Epstein, and Bob Dylan bassist Tony Garnier. It demonstrates the virtues of patient songwriting in sensual love lyrics, sprawling wanderer's laments, and Beat-poetry-inspired litanies of sins and ecstasies. "He thought of his mother / He thought of the automat / The space shuttle / Jersey cows and poison lollipops / As the dry heaves rose in his chest," he intones over a smoky, funky groove. Of all the folksingers to find their way out of the '60s, only Dylan and Joni Mitchell have remained as restless and provocative as Andersen. His imagination has grown ever more sure, his voice has become an unearthly, stately whisper, and his songs are still shapes by a singular, exceptional artistic will.