Bjørn Riis released his first solo album, Lullabies in a Car Crash on Karisma Records in late 2014. The album is a personal statement comprising six songs in the tradition of classic and progressive rock. Lullabies in a Car Crash was met by rave reviews and was ranked among the best prog releases of the year. Bjørn is one of the founding members, the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the highly successful Norwegian band Airbag. Their three releases, ‘Identity’ (2009), ‘All Rights Removed’ (2011) and ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ (2013), all on Karisma Records, have all received great reviews worldwide and all become favourites among fans all over the globe.

At the end of the 1990s, the recordings of Gabriel Garrido represented an important landmark in the interpretation of Monteverdian opera. What attracted one’s attention straightaway in his versions were the brilliance and the hedonism of the actual recording itself. Following the precepts noted by the theorist Agostino Agazzari (a contemporary of Monteverdi) concerning continuo realization, Garrido involved not only the typical instruments which can play contrapuntally (keyboard, organ, archlute, harp, etc) but those with melodic capabilities as well. The resulting sound was opulent but never ornamental; and from it the dramatic rhythm flowed in a series of subtle ways. Reinforcing the instrumental complement was never done to the detriment of vocal concerns, which continued to have a leading role. It was precisely with the voices where Garrido set himself apart from his predecessors. By deciding to surround himself with Latin voices (Italian, French, Spanish, Argentinian…) he endowed his Monteverdi with warm, rounded and sensual vocal colours.

This is an overlooked gem of an album by tenor sax man Stanley Turrentine with vibraphonist Milt Jackson recorded for Creed Taylor's label CTI in 1972. The backing band has some of Jazz music's heaviest hitters such as Ron Carter on acoustic bass, Billy Cobham on drums, Bob James on mostly Fender Rhodes electric piano and session ace Cornell DuPre on guitar…