Bach's sonatas for viola da gamba and keyboard, BWV 1027-1029, were partly adapted for other works, and there's nothing outrageous in itself about playing them on a cello. Indeed, the gamba was a fairly old-fashioned instrument by Bach's time, and the present performance may well be historically authentic, as the booklet contends. German cellist Nicolas Altstaedt tones down his instrument, so to speak, by using a low tuning intended to reproduce the gamba's more intimate quality. Nevertheless, this is an unusual reading, one that makes the music much darker and more dramatic than it usually is, or, perhaps, was intended to be.

One of the great things about Jeff Beck is his utter unpredictability. It's also one of the most maddening things about him, too, since it's as likely to lead to flights of genius as it is to weird detours like Beck, Bogert & Appice…

2013 two CD live release from the Blues rocker. After two decades of recording and touring with many live fan recorded bootlegs in circulation, Chris Duarte finally has an official live set that catches him tearing it up during his 2012 tour of Japan. A brilliant guitarist of the highest caliber, Duarte's riveting live show has been finally captured on disc and it's a fine thing to behold. Chris' recordings have always been rooted firmly in the Blues with a Rock 'n' Roll edge which further established Duarte as one of the rare musical talents of his generation. Chris Duarte Group Live continues in the tradition of smokin' Blues with doses of heavy Psychedelia throughout. With more than 10 records to his credit with no live CD in his discography, this set is the release for which Duarte fans have been waiting as it shows Duarte in his best light as one of the most impressive guitarists on the rockin' blues scene today.

The Biblical story of Belshazzar’s hubristic arrogance set against the valour of the young warrrior-leader Cyrus provided the 20-year-old Rossini with a dramatic story with West-Eastern resonances which still speak to us today. For the title role of Cyrus, Rossini wrote what would be his longest-ever contralto role, to which the great Rossini singer Ewa Podles is both naturally attracted and ideally suited. She is partnered by two young American stars of Rossini singing, Jessica Pratt and Michael Spyres, and a conductor-scholar, Will Crutchfield, of immense experience and sympathy.

6 Concertos for Recorder adds to a series of nine previous CDs for the label Musiques à la Chabotterie, which have been acclaimed by the media including Classica Choc, Diapason Découverte, Le Monde de la Musique Choc, Goldberg 5 Étoiles, and more. A tribute to Hugo Reyne s teachers and to those whose playing have inspired him, this album features Vivaldi concertos that have carried Reyne through his life.

The UK band Regal Worm is, first and foremost, the creative vehicle of composer and musician Jarrod Gosling, otherwise known as a member of the bands Skywatchers, I Monster and Henry Fool. Regal Worm sees Jarrod striking out on his own and is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream ever since he listened to his dad's cassettes of Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes, Mike Oldfield and Rick Wakeman. The debut 'Use and Ornament' was recorded in Jarrod's 'Pig View' studio utilising dangerous vintage machinery (including his prized Mellotron M400).
First thing to strike is Golsling's endless instrumental flexibility, handling guitars, modern and analog synths, piano, bass, percussion, wind instruments, effects and samplers and the list goes on…

Showaddywaddy had more UK hits in the 1970s than any other act…including Abba. From their winning appearance on an edition of ‘New Faces’, the ‘Britain’s Got Talent’ of the day, to become runners-up in the series’ ‘All Winners Final’, it took just a matter of months until the band released and secured their debut hit, ‘Hey Rock And Roll’, which reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart…

Originally issued in Japan in 1998, Sonic Origami was released in the U.S. a year later with the bonus track intact. The album has a grand, epic tone throughout that doesn't always match Uriah Heep's journeyman-sounding prog-tinged hard rock, and some songs' lyrics sink under the weight of their pretension or sentimentality. But for diehard Heep fans those are minor quibbles; while the group's sound may not be devastatingly original anymore, they are definitely quite committed to their performances, and the occasional overreaching is part and parcel with this sort of classic AOR pomp-rock (and, in fact, constitutes a not insignificant part of its appeal).

Recorded live in France in 1982 but not released on CD in the U.S. until 1990, Heart Still Beating isn't quite in a class with Roxy Music's first live album, Viva, but nonetheless gives us a lot to be excited about. Lead singer Bryan Ferry and guitarist Phil Manzanera sound quite inspired much of the time, and Manzanera delivers some excellent solos…

Their new project, In Classic: Da Mozart A Celebration (2013) is a very special one, to the fans and to the band. The double album released by Immaginifica takes PFM to the Classical world! On the 2 discs of In Classic: Da Mozart A Celebration (2013) we have the band celebrating great classic composers such as Mozart, Dvorak, Prokofiev and Verdi with a full orchestra. Not just that, on the second disc they take their own music and give them the full orchestral treatment too…

Worn out? Anything but! For years Robin Taylor has been leading his bands to new vistas, be they of the more traditional symphonic and melodic prog variety (Taylor’s Universe), or the more challenging and jazz oriented Taylor’s Free Universe. Taylor is primarily a guitarist, though here he covers bass and keys as well; but as the composer of five of the six tracks here, and arranger of all, it’s worth mentioning that he doesn’t write like a guitarist - that is to say he doesn’t write in a way that puts his guitar front and center in every song. More of a consummate composer in every sense, along the lines of Pekka Pohjola or similar artists who have a wider vision than simply showcasing their playing with other musicians supporting; that’s not his way…

Flesh + Blood suggested that Roxy Music were at the end of the line, but they regrouped and recorded the lovely Avalon, one of their finest albums. Certainly, the lush, elegant soundscapes of Avalon are far removed from the edgy avant-pop of their early records, yet it represents another landmark in their career. With its stylish, romantic washes of synthesizers and Bryan Ferry's elegant, seductive croon, Avalon simultaneously functioned as sophisticated make-out music for yuppies and as the maturation of synth pop…

Recorded at the historic Washington, D.C. club, Bohemian Caverns, on November 3, 2012, the album features a blistering set that captures Payton’s now renowned prowess on the trumpet - while simultaneously playing the Fender Rhodes piano. His genius and unmistakable originality is on wide display for this recording.
The hashtag, #BAM, stands for Black American Music. The #BAM movement created by Nicholas, states the revolutionary, yet evident, idea that music of the Black American diaspora is more similar than dissimilar. Black American Music speaks of his and all music descending from the Black American experience, including spirituals, gospel, blues, so-called jazz and soul…

'Live in Tokyo' is a live album initially only released in Japan on vinyl. It features great versions of 'F.U.B.B'. and 'The Way Of The World'. The album was recorded when the band were playing live at Tokyo Sun Plaza in Japan, during their 1978 No Smoke Without Fire tour. 'Live In Tokyo' used to be a hard to find 'live' album of the Mark 2 Lineup from Wishbone Ash with on bass guitar and lead vocals Martin Turner, backing vocals and the famous flying V lead guitar Andy Powell, also on lead guitar Laurie Wisefield and on the drums Steve Upton.