The earliest full organs in Europe were built before the development of a specific repertoire for the instrument. Taken from historic recordings made between 1963 and 1973, this set is now being reissued for third time - proof that the interpretations of Francis Chapelet, Michel Chapuis, René Saorgin and Helmut Winter are still as fresh as ever. Here they breathe new life into instruments of major historical interest from all over Europe, dating from the late 15th century to the 18th. A thrilling musical voyage across periods and repertoires…
Francis Chapelet plays the organs of Palma de Mallorca (Sant Agusti: organ of the monastery by Caimari-Bosch, late 17th century; Sant Geroni: organ by Matheu Bosch, 1746), Trujillo (organ of St Martin’s church, early 18th century) and Covarrubias (organ of the collegiate church by Diego de Orio Tejada, 17th-18th centuries). René Saorgin plays the organs of Malaucène (organ by Charles Boisselin, 1712), Brescia (San Giuseppe: organ by Graziadio Antegnati, 1581) and Bastia (Sainte-Marie: organ by Serassi, 1844). Michel Chapuis plays the organs of Marmoutier (André Silbermann, 1710) and Saint-Maximin (Jean-Esprit Isnard, 1772). Helmut Winter plays the organs of Trebel (Johann Georg Stein senior, 1777) and Altenbruch (Coci-Klapmeyer, 1498-1730).

This reissue of a 1989 recording by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has a good claim for the title of "Best Buy Brandenburgs." These performances don't have the splashy extroversion of Il Giardino Armonico or the caffeine-pumped, high-velocity thrill of Musica Antiqua Köln, but they're not overly reserved or dull, as some English ensembles are accused of being. The OAE's instrumental playing is very skillful indeed, with particularly nice work from the horns in the third movement of the First Concerto, and from trumpeter Mark Bennett in the Second; and the tempos are moderately quick (which means that they would have been considered rather fast before 1980 or so), but without being breathless. The slow movements sing sweetly–the viola playing of Monica Huggett and Pavlo Besnosiuk in the slow movement of the Sixth Concerto is especially lovely–and the quick outer movements have an infectiously bouncy pulse.

–Matthew Westphal

Fiona Sit (born 11 August 1981) is a Chinese ethnic Cantopop singer and actress from Hong Kong. After joining Warner Music Group in 2003, Sit first plugged her debut song "XBF" and "Madonna's Kiss", catching attention from audiences. Sit released her first album F Debut on 8 April 2004. It became a best-seller in Hong Kong

Norman Granz's idea to match Zoot Sims' lyrical, swinging tenor sax with Johnny Mandel's equally arresting compositions was a masterful one. Sims' tart, alternately lush and furious solos were wonderfully spotlighted on such tunes as "Cinnamon and Cloves," "Emily" and "Zoot." The six-tune session also contains effective piano solos from Mike Wofford. The date's tour-de-force was its final selection, the wonderful "Low Life," which Sims probed, illuminated and ultimately redefined via his solo.

Herbert von Karajan directs the Berlin Philharmonic in an Italianate take of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and an assured rendering of the Fifth, while the "Pastoral" Symphony, conceived and derected by Hugo Niebeling in 1967, is a revolutionary mix of styles - Fantasia meets Expressionism meets film noir.

Liquid Smoke were a Long Island, New York group that consisted of Sandy Pantaleo (lead vocals), Vince Fersak (guitar), Ben Ninnman (keyboards), Mike Archuleta (bass), and Chas Kimbrell (drums). The group formed while students at ECU and signed with Avco Embassy in 1969, releasing their lone lp in early 1970 which was produced by Vinny Testa who also produced Frijid Pink and co-produced with Shadow Morton the Merchants Of Dream’s 1968 psych masterpiece “Strange Night Voyage”. The group’s killer psych track “Lookin’ For Tomorrow” was the highlight of Peruvian band Gerardo Manuel & El Humo’s debut lp “Apocallypsis”. The album also includes their single “I, Who Have Nothing” a cover of the Ben E. King hit.

2007 album from the British Pop/Jazz vocalist, her first album for Blue Note UK. Originally recorded to sell at her gigs, Between Me & The Wardrobe consists entirely of self-penned tracks. Having not had any UK artists signed to Blue Note UK for the last 20 or so years, the label felt that this was the perfect album to restart their presence, displaying as it does the Jazz sensibilities of this consummate young singer with a completely modern and very grown-up songwriting talent.