In 2020 Brian Marsella joined the heavy metal organ trio “Simulacrum” to spawn the astonishing fusion quartet “Chaos Magick”. This fourth CD in their ever-expanding legacy is a magical collection of instrumental music at its finest. Tighter and wilder than ever, Medeski, Hollenberg, Grohowski, and Marsella perform with a remarkable rapport in this provocative new direction from Downtown alchemist John Zorn, who has been exploring new musical worlds and confounding expectations since the 1970s! "444 is among the best things I’ve ever done." —John Zorn

Medusa is the second solo album by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in March 1995, and consists entirely of cover songs. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and peaked in the United States at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States and sold more than 6 million copies worldwide. Although no tour was held to promote this album, Lennox played a one-off concert in Central Park, New York City on 9 September 1995. This was subsequently released on videotape as Annie Lennox in the Park and on DVD as Annie Lennox Live in Central Park. In 1998, BMG International released Medusa/Live in Central Park, which contained two complete albums – Medusa (1995, originally released on Arista) and Live in Central Park (1996, also originally released on Arista) – by Annie Lennox on one compact disc.

Akikaze, Japanese for autumn wind, is the electronic exploration of Pepijn Courant.
In High Places (1993). The title refers to Hoogoord, the name of the building in south-east Amsterdam were Pepijn Courant then lived. This CD, as all music by Akikaze, was recorded at home and was mainly inspired by mankind’s great achievements such as the conquest of the moon and the climb of the Mount Everest. The guitar parts were performed by guitarist Dirk Zeeman, a blues musician, who appeared on a CD for the first time.
Fantasmagora (1996). The prestigious project “Fantasmagora”, using many of his oldest compositions. The music had a classical, symphonic rather than cosmic touch. Musical inspirers were, among others, Pink Floyd and Mike Oldfield and the music was based on acoustic instrument samples with a leading part for Pepijn’s first instrument, the piano…

Katie Melua released her first album when she was only 19, and quickly became the highest selling female musician in the UK with over 1.8 Million sales in the first five months. Over the past 15 years, Katie has released 7 top 10 studio albums – Call Off The Search, Piece By Piece, Pictures, The House, Secret Symphony, Ketevan and In Winter. The Ultimate Collection has been compiled by Katie and features 30 tracks from her 7 studio albums as well as her cover of ‘Fields of Gold’ and two brand new recordings of Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and Shirley Bassey’s ‘Diamonds Are Forever’. Singles on the album include her worldwide hit ‘Nine Million Bicycles’, ‘The Closest Thing to Crazy’, ‘If You Were A Sailboat’ amongst many other hits. The album will also include liner notes written by Katie.

Many albums have scaled to the top of the American charts, many of them not so good, but few have been as widely forgotten and spurned as REO Speedwagon's Hi Infidelity. In a way, the group deserved this kind of success. They had been slogging it out in the arenas of the U.S., building up a sizeable audience because they could deliver live. And then, in 1980, they delivered a record that not just summarized their strengths, but captured everything that was good about arena rock. This is the sound of the stadiums in that netherworld between giants like Zeppelin and MTV's slick, video-ready anthems.

The Samurai Of Prog, featuring Italian composer Marco Grieco, announces their new concept album, “The Time Machine.” This progressive rock release blends symphonic arrangements with Moog synthesizers, electric guitars, and orchestral instruments like flutes and violins. The bumper guests include Roine Stolt, Clive Nolan and Tina Booth.
The album offers an immersive journey through time, starting from the dawn of humanity and spanning to the present day. Each track explores significant historical moments and reflects on humanity’s choices. Highlights include encounters with historical figures like Leonardo da Vinci and Albert Einstein, and a tribute to Nelson Mandela through a poignant piano solo. The album concludes with a hopeful reflection on the future.

Scott Hamilton's Ballad Essentials collects interpretations of standards like "Skylark", "Body and Soul", "In a Sentimental Mood", "'Round Midnight", and "My Romance". A solid collection from one of mainstream jazz's most consistent tenor sax players.

This Mexican composer can't play any instruments but loves music and knows how to create adventurous music. He only needs a first riff, and the rest comes by itself. All this with the help of 25 musicians! The music is dark and heavy, with some strong bass, fuzzy guitars, busy drums, and different keyboard sounds. There is too much instrumentation to describe here. Let's say that it provides a rich sound, showing a big influence from the avant-garde music of bands like Univers Zero, Present, and Magma. The songs are complex, and it is impossible to predict how they will evolve. The song "Cosmetology" is an amazing song that has an Anglagard influence. The music can be played at a slow pace or at a more frenetic pace, like a rollercoaster. If you enjoy the great bands of the avant-garde scene and adventurous prog rock with plenty of instruments, including xylophones, saxophones, and more, you will find this album one of the most original albums of this year.

One of the most time-honored blues legends is that of how Robert Johnson gained his mastery of the guitar: he sold his soul to the Devil for it. Los Angeles native and now Springfield IL resident, James Armstrong, however, communes with a different source for musical inspiration – four “Guitar Angels,” namely his father James Armstrong, Sr., Coco Montoya, Joe Louis Walker, and Mike Ross. On this second release through Catfood Records (his fifth CD overall), the incredible Armstrong pulls out all the stops when it comes to contemporary electric and soul-influenced blues. Armstrong’s veteran guitar work is consistently lively, creative, and interesting. He has crafted along with his fellow artists ten stellar original songs and two covers (The Eagles’ “Take It to the Limit” and a stellar and Soulful take on Johnny Copeland’s “Blues Ain’t Nothin’”), their upbeat and crowd-pleasing energy never fails to uplift listeners. At Armstrong’s side are seventeen remarkable musicians, including producer Michael Ross on guitar and percussion, Dan Ferguson on keyboards, and drummers Richy Puga, Rick King, and Warren Grant.