Duran Duran came back out of nowhere in early 1993 with a new album and a huge hit, "Ordinary World." The group sounds more relaxed and mature than it did during their glory days, but not all that much has changed; instead of personifying the days of early-'80s synthesized dance-pop, the music is smooth dance pop for the '90s. Taken on its own terms, Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) works every bit as well as Duran Duran, Rio, or Seven and the Ragged Tiger. "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone" are wonderful pop singles that sit between some passable album tracks and the occasional embarrassment, namely the wretched cover of the Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatale." In other words, Duran Duran are back and as good as they ever were.

Joe Beck has had a long career, though he remains an artist deserving of wider recognition. These 2005 sessions are a relaxing affair that will delight fans of Brazilian jazz. Joined by bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Thierry Arpino (who is known for his work with violinist Jean-Luc Ponty), Beck's fluid electric guitar (while sometimes overdubbing an acoustic rhythm line) makes the most of each selection, playing a heavy dose of popular tunes by Antonio Carlos Jobim and his own tasty originals. Highlights among the Jobim compositions include the bittersweet "O Grande Amor" and the easygoing "Felicidade." Harmonica player Gregoire Maret is added for the leader's gentle bossa nova "And Here's to You" and Jobim's bittersweet "Falando De Amor."

Guitarists John Abercrombie and John Scofield join forces for these early-'80s sessions, mostly duets while occasionally adding bassist George Mraz and drummer Peter Donald. They delve into the jazz canon with an intricate duet of "Solar," a driving, Latin-fused take of "Four on Six" (in which Abercrombie overdubs an electric mandolin), and a dreamy duo interpretation of "If You Could See Me Now." The sole standard, "I Should Care," fares just as well in their hands, which settles into a relaxed exchange between the two players as if they are playing for themselves alone. Scofield's "Small Wonder" is scored for the quartet, a bristling post-bop vehicle with a feature for Mraz as well.

From its title, one might reasonably expect that this Australian compilation would contain some of the Ray Conniff Singers' best-known recordings, such as "Invisible Tears" and "Somewhere, My Love." It doesn't, but it what it does contain is even more surprising. Put simply, this 14-track album consists of seven songs each from two of the Conniff Singers' albums of 1968: the first half from Honey and the second half from Turn Around Look at Me. Versions of many of the big hits of the era – "Love Is Blue," "This Guy's in Love with You," "Mrs. Robinson," etc. – are included and performed with the choral group's usual earnestness as Conniff recreates the arrangements used on the original hit recordings. But the album title is confusing, to put it mildly.

The Very Best of… Slade effectively renders every past Slade hits collection redundant, as remastered sound and a sharp eye for all the band's U.K. chart entries serve up a peerless examination of what remains one of British rock's most flawless careers. No matter that the hits went so badly off the boil around 1975-1976 – still, three-quarters of disc one is nonstop solid gold and the remainder of the set isn't far behind, as Slade's mid-'80s renaissance delivers further smashes "My Oh My" and "Run Run Away." Which would be hits enough for anybody, but the fun doesn't end there. A bonus second disc then digs into the darker recesses of the Top 75 to pull out the band's lesser successes, a mixed bag that runs from "All Join Hands" to "Ruby Red," the 1980 live version of "Born to Be Wild," "Gypsy Roadhog," "C'Est la Vie," and more. It's not a complete guide to Slade on 45 (there's no "Give Us a Goal," for a start), but it comes close enough.

The startling thing about My Goal's Beyond is that it points the way toward two directions McLaughlin would take in the future – exploring Indian music and the acoustic guitar – and this while he was in the thick of the burgeoning electronic jazz-rock movement. The first half is a John McLaughlin acoustic guitar tour de force, where he thwacks away with his energetic, single-minded intensity on three jazz standards and five originals (including one genuine self-penned classic, "Follow Your Heart") and adds a few percussion effects via overdubbing.

Pianist Bill Evans was one of guitarist John McLaughlin's early heroes so this Evans tribute seemed like a logical idea. Sticking to acoustic guitar, McLaughlin is joined by four other guitarists (along with the acoustic bass guitar of Yann Maresz) to create an unusual instrumentation that often sounds as full as a keyboard. The leader arranged ten of Evans's compositions and his own "Homage" for a largely introverted set of music that has a strong classical feel. McLaughlin lets loose a few times but more mood and tempo variations would have kept this from being such a sleepy and overly respectful session.

"So Nao Toca Quem Nao Quer" (1987) was another brilliant album by the genius of Brazilian music. It's longer than any of his other studio album, which means there is even more catchy melodies than usual. Special guests are this time a.o. accordeonist Dominguinhos, guitarist Raphael Rabello and bassist Arismar do Espirito Santo. Group efforts are sandwitched by piano - vocal duets. Included is also choir that consists apparently of bandmembers relatives and friends. I think this was originally a 2-LP set, which was released by instrumental music label from Sao Paolo called Som da Gente.

Vieuxtemps was a towering figure in the long line of master 19th-century violinist composers, from Viotti, Rode, Bériot and Paganini to Wieniawski, Kreisler and Ysaÿe, and one of the first to use the full Romantic orchestral palette in the composition of works with soloist.

By the time J.S. Bach began composing, Martin Luther’s Reformation had profoundly altered the Church’s traditional form of worship. In German churches, the customary Latin had been replaced with the country’s native language, although the Latin mass text -particularly the Kyrie and Gloria portions - remained in Protestant church music. These "incomplete" mass settings were named "Missa." Today, these compositions are frequently referred to as "Lutheran Masses."