'For The Love Of It All' is more than trumpeter and composer Brandon Woody's recording debut; it is a manifesto, a ritual, a hymn to the enduring power of love. Joined by his band Upendo - Troy Long (piano, organ, Rhodes, keyboards), Quincy Phillips (drums), and Michael Saunders (bass) with special guests Imani Grace (vocals), Vittorio Stropoli (aux synth) - Woody extends an invitation into communion through six captivating original compositions.

In the kingdom of Cornouaille on the Breton coast, the war between Prince Karnac and the inhabitants of the town of Ys is finally coming to an end. The condition of the peace treaty is that Karnac will marry Princess Margared. But her love for Mylio, who is betrothed to her sister Rozenn, will provoke a terrible tidal wave fomented by her thirst for revenge. Edouard Lalo found an inspiring libretto here, which he handled with a sense of theatrical urgency rarely achieved. The characters live out their passions, supported by vehement, colourful orchestration. The role of Margared, in particular, deserves to be numbered among the most successful in French Romantic opera. First performed in Paris in 1888, the work scored a triumph that was repeated at every revival in the provinces and abroad. Though barely two hours long, it teems with dramatic situations: Breton festivals, the supernatural appearance of Saint Corentin, a wedding accompanied by the organ, a tidal wave whose tumultuous billows are rendered to great effect. Le Roi d'Ys amply merited an ambitious staging at the Paris Opera, which it was unfortunately denied in Lalo's lifetime.

There may be too many Carpenters compilations on the market – there are certainly enough to confuse the average neophyte – but Love Songs is a welcome addition to the clutter, since it offers 20 of the duo's very best love songs, including "We've Only Just Begun" and "Top of the World." Anyone looking for a collection of the duo's romantic songs should definitely consider this fine collection, even it does leave off some of their poppier, rock-inflected material.

Strike Up The Band is Little Feat's triumph return to rock n roll with plenty of swampy southern soul with Bill Payne (keys/vocals), Scott Sharrard (guitar/vocals), Tony Leone (drums/vocals), Fred Tackett (guitar), Kenny Gradney (bass), and Sam Clayton (percussion/vocals). It's their first album of new material in over 13 years with songs written by Payne and Tacket as well as Feat's newest members Sharrard and Leone. The album was produced by the multi Grammy Award winner, Vance Powell (Phish, Chris Stapleton, Jack White) and Bill Payne. The song "Bluegrass Pines" features special guest Molly Tuttle and Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, and was written by Payne and the Grateful Dead lyricst Robert Hunter, and the title track features Larkin Poe on guest vocals.

New York's ace trumpeter Joe "Mags" Magnarelli's third outing on SteepleChase is condensed to a quartet format with trumpet as the sole frontline giving the leader new dimension and depth to define his voice.His previous release 'New York-Osaka Junction' (SCCD31939) received enthused remarks "…he is particularly outstanding, demonstrating a brilliant clarity that could be called the height of sophistication." (Catfish Records, Japan)"Magnarelli has always been a jazzman-of-all-work, good in small groups like this one and great at starring in big bands and he's on fire here." - Peter Vacher, Jazzwise

Boolean Languages is a dark ambient album that is sombre in approach and mysterious in overtones. A combination of digital and analog synthesizers, musique concrete and drones creates an album that is an ambiedelic brew of sonic excursions into the dark unknown lands within. This album is dedicated to world peace and the end of all suffering for all sentient beings. May you enjoy this album in good health.

Introspection can be born from any number of events. Losing a valued mentor is a moment that would give anyone pause. Esthesis Quartet members Dawn Clement and Elsa Nilsson searched deep inside to come to terms with the loss of their mentor, Ron Miles. Along with bandmates Emma Dayhuff and Tina Raymond, the quartet creates a program of music inspired by self-reflection, contemplation and self-discovery on their new album, Sound & Fury, that features the fantastic Bill Frisell on guitar.

18 previously unissued demos on 2-LPs mirroring Nellie’s critically acclaimed, Geoff Emerick-produced and -engineered debut album.“I was attracted to the lyrics immediately,” says legendary Beatles engineer and producer Geoff Emerick, on the demos for what would become Nellie McKay’s 2004 critically-lauded debut album, Get Away From Me. “Her level of maturity at such a young age is astounding. You come across an artist of this caliber once every 10 or 15 years. And I don’t do a lot of projects these days unless something really stands out like this did.”

This album was always sort of a joke among Carole King's serious fans, containing 12 songs drawn from six albums, and liner notes that fail even to acknowledge the existence of Writer, her one pre-Tapestry solo LP. A Natural Woman supplanted it later, and the addition of two live cuts, "Eventually" and "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" from the Carnegie Hall concert on the 1999 reissue (Ode/Epic/Legacy 65846), doesn't extended the range or depth of the selection sufficiently. On the other hand, the 1999 remastering does improve the listening pleasure inherent in what is here – the material off of Tapestry, Music, Rhymes & Reasons, and others is now very robust, with vivid instrumentation and a close, rich profile of King's voice. The selection of King's work is still only an inch deep, but it's a more rewarding inch.

The most beautiful lounge & jazz songs by JPapik & Sarah Jane Morris, Melania & Christian Lisi and many more on one compilation!

Sheku's 2018 chart-topping debut album, Inspiration, centered around Shostakovich's 1st Cello Concerto. Now, he's recorded the 2nd Cello Concerto, during a critically acclaimed tour with John Wilson and the Sinfonia of London. The work features alongside the Shostakovich Cello Sonata and Britten Cello Sonata, recorded with his sister and frequent duo partner, Isata Kanneh-Mason. Shostakovich wrote the concerto for renowned cellist, Rostropovich, with whom he also shared a mutual friendship with Britten. The sonatas on this album were recorded in Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh, the same place that Rostropovich and Britten recorded the Britten Cello Sonata for Decca in 1968 - the recording which made Sheku fall in love with the work.

Listen Like Thieves 40th Anniversary is a deep dive celebration into INXS’s global breakthrough album. The Deluxe Edition is a 1LP + 3CD set containing a brand-new 2025 stereo mix of the Listen Like Thieves album by Giles Martin; Paul Hicks on CD and vinyl. Built from the ground up in partnership with the band, they have been able to find new layers of sonic depth and a fresh dimension giving fans a new listening experience with the record. Also included is a trove of previously unreleased sessions tracks, outtakes and demos curated by Giles Martin, a rare BBC Recording; ‘Live From The Royal Albert Hall, London, 1986’, and extensive liner notes that include a brand new interview with the band by renowned journalist Paul Sexton.

Composed of 10 new tracks and cocking in at 42 minutes, 'Pink Elephant' is produced by Win Butler, Régine Chassagne and Daniel Lanois. When experienced in its entirety, 'Pink Elephant' invites the listener on a sonic odyssey - a quest for life - that exists within the perception of the individual, a meditation on both darkness and light, the beauty within. The layers of this condensed epic unfold to reveal new dimensions with each successive listen.

In this dazzling comedy by Rameau, the ugly, frog-like, nymph Platee believes she is Jupiter's chosen one. The latter, in a succession of disguises, mocks her in a game of seduction that is as cruel as it is entertaining, while the gods, complicit in the farce, feast on her illusions. Rameau's music is both rich and virtuosic, transporting us into a whirlwind of laughter and beauty, while offering a fine reflection on pride and vanity. With its bewitching arias and numerous burlesque scenes, Platee is a theatrical delight, a veritable jewel of the Baroque repertoire to which Valentin Tournet and his Chapelle Harmonique return all its spice!

These soulful Spanish and Argentinean songs arranged by violist Kim Kashkashian and pianist Robert Levin are well suited to their expressive and expansive playing. Most of the songs, ranging from works by Granados, de Falla, and Montsalvatge to early Ginastera, are written in a late romantic to early modern idiom, and many incorporate a strong folk element. The selections include rowdy, rhythmically charged dance-like songs, tender lullabies, and many flavors of love songs, from the exultant to the despairing. In addition to the better-known composers, Argentineans Carlos Guastavino and Carlos López-Buchardo make extraordinarily fine contributions. The choices of repertoire are excellent; each one of these songs is a jewel, and the ordering of the selections artful, including the surprisingly effective repetition of two songs at different points in the program. The transcriptions are inventive and imaginative, with the vocal lines idiomatically adapted for the viola's expressive capabilities.