Conclusion of a Sensational and Unprecedented Edition. We are now finally presenting to you our last CD featuring Handels organ concertos in the version for piano and orchestra. The positive response to our first two CDs in this series has shown that the transfer of the solo part of Handels organ concertos to todays piano is a logical and obvious move. Johann Sebastian Bachs harpsichord concertos belong to the standard repertoire of all world-class pianists, and the same principle truly applies to Handel.

Michel Corrette was a French organist and composer with a long and prolific career. The two works here were composed 47 years apart, and the earlier Nouveau Livre de Noëls is not even an especially early work of this little-known composer. Despite the time difference, they don't differ sharply in style. The Messe pour le temps de Noël, composed in 1788, shows few traces of Classical-period opera or even of the late Baroque Italian vocal style, even though Corrette wrote a pedagogical work instructing his readers in the fine points of Italian music. The French style was simply extraordinarily persistent.

Thomas Arne, (who wrote “Rule Britannia”) is underplayed. Practically everything I’ve heard by him is of interest on multiple levels, either as an original voice utilizing the harmonic and melodic materials of the English baroque style, or as an innovator, at least to my ears, conjuring novel expressions within those materials, or simply as a good tunesmith.

Tokyo Blade '80s heavy metallists Tokyo Blade went through numerous lineup changes during their career, but their only constant throughout it all was founding member Andy Boulton (guitar). First going by such names as White Diamond, Killer, and Genghis Khan, the group eventually settled on Tokyo Blade, and premiered in the early '80s. Tokyo Blade issued their debut recording in 1984 (which was self-titled in the United Kingdom, and titled Midnight Rendezvous everywhere else), featuring the lineup of Alan Marsh (vocals), Andy Wrighton (bass), John Wiggins (guitar), and Steve Pierce (drums), in addition to Boulton. Further releases followed, such as 1984's Night of the Blade, 1985's Warrior of the Rising Sun, and Blackhearts and Jaded Spades, as the group played shows alongside such renowned metal names as Metallica, Ozzy, Whitesnake, Mama's Boys, Dio, and Slayer, among others. Come 1986, Marsh, Wrighton, and Pierce had left Tokyo Blade, and resurfaced briefly with another outfit, Shogun, who issued a self-titled release the same year. Tokyo Blade continued to issue albums subsequently, before calling it a day by the late '90s (although one final studio album featuring Boulton and Marsh was completed, yet remains currently unreleased). Boulton reappeared in 2001 with his own website, which featured solo mp3s of his latest compositions.

One of the most successful and popular German-speaking schlager singers of all time, Ronald Keiler was born in Berlin in 1952. Keiler was working as a marketing executive in a car firm in 1974 when he was discovered by producer Gerd Kämpfe, and he issued his debut single, "Was ist wohl aus ihr geworden?," in 1976 under the stage name Roland Kaiser. A legendary entertainer, Kaiser has released numerous chart-topping albums and singles, most notably "Santa Maria," "Dich zu Lieben," and "Sieben Fässer Wein."

The Final Cut is the twelfth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd. It was released on 21 March 1983 by Harvest Records in the United Kingdom, and several weeks later by Columbia Records in the United States. The Final Cut is Pink Floyd's last studio album to include founding member, bassist and songwriter Roger Waters, and their only album on which he alone is credited for writing and composition. It is also the only Pink Floyd album that does not feature keyboardist Richard Wright. Waters originally planned The Final Cut as a soundtrack album for the 1982 film Pink Floyd – The Wall. With the onset of the Falklands War, he rewrote it as a concept album, exploring what he considered the betrayal of his father, who died serving in the Second World War.

All This and World War II is a 1976 musical documentary that juxtaposes Beatles songs, performed by a number of musicians, with World War II newsreel footage and 20th Century Fox films from the 1940s. It lasted two weeks in cinemas and was quickly sent into storage. The original intention of the filmmakers was to use actual Beatles music in the film. The decision to use other artists covering Beatles music was made by the film's producers after they realised additional money could be made through a soundtrack album. The decision was a sound one, as the soundtrack actually generated more revenue than the film. The album reached number 23 on the UK album charts, with a total of seven weeks on the chart. Elton John’s rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" was previously released as a single in 1974 and had been a number one hit. Rod Stewart’s version of "Get Back" was subsequently released and became a UK hit single. Ambrosia’s cover version of "Magical Mystery Tour" was released and became a US hit single reaching #39 on the Billboard Charts. The Bee Gees, who contributed three songs, would go on to star in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, another film that exclusively used Beatles songs.

DARK FORTRESS's march to the grave was inevitable. The journey from signing with American independent Red Stream Records in 2001 to The Cosmic End Tour (with The Spirit and Asphagor) in 2023 was circuitous, full of highs and lows and rife with raw potential. Ultimately, DARK FORTRESS ended life after releasing their lauded final album, “Spectres from the Old World”, in 2020. By all metrics, self-imposed death is better than zombie-lurching into oblivion. Many fans didn't see DARK FORTRESS writing their ‘early’ epitaph, however. DARK FORTRESS uncoiled on their terms, leaving their only live album, “Anthems from Beyond the Grave”, as their final offering to the ancient and unspeakable forces of darkness and evil.

In one regard, Queen II does indeed provide more of the same thing as on the band's debut. Certainly, of all the other albums in Queen's catalog it bears the closest resemblance to its immediate predecessor, particularly in its lean, hard attack and in how it has only one song that is well-known to listeners outside of their hardcore cult: in this case, it's "Seven Seas of Rhye," which is itself more elliptical than "Keep Yourself Alive," the big song from the debut. But these similarities are superficial and Queen II is a very different beast than its predecessor, an album that is richer, darker, and weirder, an album that finds Queen growing as a band by leaps and bounds.

40 Years of MJQ presents the Modern Jazz Quartet’s (MJQ) 40th Anniversary Concert, showcasing the signature sounds that have ensured the group’s enduring legacy in music history. Recorded live in Germany, the Quartet, playing the timeless compositions of their musical genius John Lewis, is accompanied by the lush sound of a full string orchestra. 40 years after leaving Dizzy Gillespie’s Big Band (where MJQ originated as Gillespie’s rhythm section), pianist and composer John Lewis, bassist Percy Heath, vibraphonist extraordinaire Milt Jackson and drummer Mickey Roker (replacing original member Connie Kay) perform in this unforgettable musical celebration that exemplifies the dignity of Jazz.

Denise LaSalle's seminal debut record for Westbound Records, released in 1972, introduced the world at large to a storming force in blues. At Westbound, Denise refined her Chicago Blues roots and recorded Trapped By A Thing Called Love, adding contemporary and soulful arrangements to her flawless songs. The result garnered huge hits, a massive fan base, and put Ms. LaSalle on track to being crowned "Queen Of The Blues." It remains an undisputed classic of the genre. The album has been remastered by Dave Gardner for it's first pressing in more half a century, as part of Org Music's ongoing Westbound Records reissue series.

Sadly, the most distinctive thing about Spooky Tooth's sixth album is its title. While the band became a well-oiled ensemble of talented musicians (especially with the addition of future Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones), it wasn't especially groundbreaking or original, relying too much on generic early-'70s blues-rock, with pedestrian, humorless lyrics. The gospel choir in "Holy Water" and the funky guitars in "Wildfire" are ties to the older, less heavy Spooky Tooth, but the rest, even the ballad "Self Seeking Man," are standard-issue Led Zeppelin/Bad Company-style hard rock. The playing is impressive (especially Jones' guitar leads and Gary Wright's keyboards), but without much in the way of memorable songs, it's mostly wasted…

Enrico Rava's restrained trumpet playing has been regarded in modern times as perfectly reflective of the ECM sound. It is wrapped in European classical music while displaying a lyricism that goes beyond strict tonality, reaching for a soulful arena that only he can claim in the post-Miles Davis era. The emerging pianist Stefano Bollani joins Rava and veteran drummer Paul Motian for this contrabass-less trio that uses a downplayed sonic footprint, at times ethereal, but mostly calmed, collected, and serenely furnished. The compositions are mainly Rava's in hushed tones, but occasionally a modern progressive, bop-influenced, or energetic presence creeps in. Bollani's style is romantically based and postmodern in derivation, while Motian is simply one of the most sensitive drummers ever, with ears that pick up on every shading or nuance, translating it into artful percussive brush strokes of light color…

The second set of the definitive collection of unreleased recordings, unrecorded compositions, one-off events, radio and concert recordings. These four CDs cover the period from 1976 to 1978 and include the legendary Stockholm and Bremen radio concerts, many otherwise unrecorded late compositions. With a substantial 60-page book of information, unpublished photographs, documents, recollections and substantial notes written by Lindsay Cooper, Georgie Born, Chris Cutler, Franco Fabbri, Fred Frith, Tim Hodgkinson and Chris Wangro.

German synthpop outfit And One formed in Berlin in 1989. DJs/producers Steve Naghavi and Chris Ruiz first met the previous year in a local dance club, bonding over their mutual affection for early ebm acts like Front 242 and Nitzer Ebb and borrowing their subsequent dual synthesizer and beatbox aesthetic from Depeche Mode. Upon signing to the fledgling Machinery label, And One issued their 1990 debut single, "Metal Hammer," a significant club hit that set the stage for their first full-length effort, Anguish, completed with contributions from newly added third member Alex Two.