Anekdoten's first brace of albums all largely chase the same broad style of heavy prog influenced strongly by mid- 1970s King Crimson, and an audience thirsty for new prog lapped them up eagerly. A Time of Day finds the band sidestepping into a quieter style, with psychedelic influences suggesting that they had been listening to a good deal of 1960s proto- progressive works in the intervening years since Gravity, establishing a new sound for themselves which they would successfully polish further on the following Until All the Ghost Are Gone.

The only studio meeting between Stan Getz and Bill Evans took place over two days in 1964, with the aggressive drummer Elvin Jones and either Richard Davis or Ron Carter on bass. It is peculiar that Verve shelved the results for over a decade before issuing any of the music, though it may have been felt that Getz and Evans hadn't had enough time to achieve the desired chemistry, though there are memorable moments. The punchy take of "My Heart Stood Still," the elegant interpretation of "Grandfather's Waltz," and the lush setting of the show tune "Melinda" all came from the first day's session, with Davis on bass. (Evidently he was unavailable the following day, so Carter replaced him.) Evans' driving, challenging "Funkallero" is the obvious highlight from day two, though the gorgeous "But Beautiful" and the breezy setting of "Night and Day" are also enjoyable…

While there's nothing wrong with doing an album of covers, putting such a project together has its risks. For Erasure, the experiment yields mixed results. More often than not, they connect with the material in unexpected ways, and certainly with greater success than one might expect from other electronic groups. This is due largely to the fact that these guys have been around long enough to develop a sensitivity to music as being more than a beat and a hook. Their sense of humor leads them to revise "Video Killed the Radio Star" in a way that's not only highly amusing - it actually suits the message of the song. Plus, Andy Bell remains a very convincing singer, particularly on the softer material, where his choir-boy timbre glistens and shimmers…

Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, Francisco Repilado (Compay Segundo), Ibrahin Ferrer y Rubén González, all legendary figures of the Cuban music scene, shine in the recording world for their invaluable contribution to the success reached by Buenavista Social Club. This collection offers us five compilations on 5 CD’s, each dedicated to these five legends. They include selected themes of anthologies previously published from these great artists. It also includes a booklet with wide comments of noted musicologists deepening the history of each one of these figures and their significance in the Cuban musical context.

A quirky detour of late-'60s British progressive/blues rock, Blodwyn Pig was founded by former Jethro Tull guitarist Mick Abrahams, who left Tull after the This Was album. Abrahams was joined by bassist Andy Pyle, drummer Ron Berg, and Jack Lancaster, who gave the outfit their most distinctive colorings via his saxophone and flute. On their two albums, they explored a jazz/blues/progressive style somewhat in the mold of (unsurprisingly) Jethro Tull, but with a lighter feel. They also bore some similarities to John Mayall's jazzy late-'60s versions of the Bluesbreakers, or perhaps Colosseum, but with more eclectic material. Both of their LPs made the British Top Ten, though the players' instrumental skills were handicapped by thin vocals and erratic (though oft-imaginative) material. The group were effectively finished by Abrahams' departure after 1970's Getting to This. They briefly reunited in the mid-'70s, and Abrahams was part of a different lineup that reformed in the late '80s; they have since issued a couple of albums in the 1990s.

World premiere performance: 5 May 2025, Barbican Hall with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Robert Ziegler, with London Voices, The City of London Choir, singer Tom Ball and the ALAN team musicians including Matthieu Eymard. Digital album release: 2 May, 2025 on Decca Classics.

Voyage' is the debut album by super group led by pianist Jan Gunnar, a quartet with guitarist Nguyen Le, bassist Per Mathisen, and drummer Gary Husband. The album crosses many different landscapes and is both electric and acoustic, with elements from jazz and jazz-rock, classical, prog rock, world music and folklore.

Describing Mei Semones' Qobuzissime-awarded debut album, Animaru, might suggest it's incoherent—opener "Dumb Feeling" starts with a sweep of classical guitar before moving to bossa nova-style folk and ends with a rocking outro. Following track "Dangomusic," while similar structurally and acoustically, is sung in Japanese and features a soothing violin flourish. You could go on defining and redefining the sounds here—there's also jazz (both vocal and non-vocal), chamber pop and indie rock—but the unifying, coherent element is Animaru making full use of Semones' wealth of talents.

Stephen Bruton's fifth album, produced by Ross Hogarth, whose credits include Melissa Etheridge, Ziggy Marley, Gov't Mule, R.E.M. and John Mellencamp. Bruton has produced albums for Alejandro Escovedo, Marcia Ball, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Hal Ketchum, Storyville and Chris Smither. He's played guitar for Bob Dylan and Kris Kristofferson, and his songs have been covered by Bonnie Raitt, Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Patty Loveless. This album features bass player Yoggie Musgrove and drummer Steve Ferrone (who plays with Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers). On keyboards are Little Feat's Bill Payne and Austin player and composer Stephen Barber. Bruton and his buddy Randy Jacobs handle guitar duties. Old Fort Worth pal Glen Clark spices the mix with his harmonica while, Lon Price, leads the horn section on a number of tracks. Bruton's penchant for collaboration finds him co-writing nine of the album's songs with friends like former NRBQ guitarist Big Al Anderson and Memphis rocker John Kilzer.

Dutch Trio (keyboards, bass & drums) led by ex-Ekseption keyboards player Rick Van Der Linden, Trace was considered as the most famous super-group of its country. Its music includes virtuoso, researched, complicated, ever evolving themes, full of breaks and instrumental developments where the keyboards player could show his talent on Hammond organ, synthesizers, harpsichord, piano and Mellotron. By the profusion of its themes and the numerous melodies which compose it, Trace's music is close to ELP. and Yes.

‘If You Asked For A Picture’, the second album from Sabrina Teitelbaum aka Blondshell, is a no-skips, triumphant record that captures the unresolved process of figuring out who you are, too wise to suggest that it has a definitive answer. The album brims with an urgency, ambition, and devastating potency, hinted at on 2023’s self-titled debut - the specificity, self-examination, and nonchalant humour of which turned her into one of the most lauded new artists in recent memory.

The programme here covers a century of music (the earliest is Holbrooke from 1906), much of it little known, including several first commercial recordings. Add these pieces to all the other wonderful bassoon repertoire from the eighteenth century to the present day which explores every aspect of the instrument, and we will be that much closer to an ‘equal amongst woodwinds’ perception of the bassoon which—even in the twenty-first century—is still surprisingly elusive.

Pavilon De Paris , Paris France June 6, 1976. Sounboard recording.

This excellent companion volume to Founder of the Delta Blues pulls together 23 more Patton tracks (including some alternate takes that were for years thought to be lost) to give a much more complete look at this amazing artist. It's interesting here to compare the tracks from his final session to his halcyon output from 1929. Highlights include "Mean Black Cat Blues," Patton's adaption of "Sitting on Top of the World" ("Some Summer Day") and both parts of "Prayer of Death," originally issued under the non de plume of "Elder J.J. Hadley." The sound on this collection is vastly superior, from a noise-reduction standpoint, to its companion volume.

This expanded, two-CD collection features 24 tracks, all completely remastered to the highest modern standards. Included in addition to the original 10-song release is the non-LP track Smile Jamaica (the original B-side to the 'Satisfy My Soul' single written for the people of Jamaica after the assassination attempt on Marley s life at the Smile Jamaica unity concert in 1976). The second disc features the highly sought-after, unreleased live show, Live at Ahoy Hallen. This rare, unreleased audio recording of a sold out performance at Ahoy Hallen in Rotterdam, Netherlands on July 7, 1978 had originally been planned to be released with the 'Babylon By Bus' album but never came out. The Wailers were in top form that night, with stellar performances of 'Is This Love' and 'Easy Skanking' from the recently released 'Kaya,' album plus some of Marley's most beloved songs including 'Concrete Jungle,' 'No Woman No Cry,' 'War/No More Trouble,' 'Jamming,' 'I Shot The Sheriff,' 'Get Up,' 'Stand Up,' and the closing track 'Exodus,' all leaving the packed house in a frenzy. Packaged with the original artwork, Kaya: 35th Anniversary Deluxe Edition comes with a 23-page booklet that includes lyrics, rare photos, plus extensive liner notes.