Sun Set is a box set of various Klaatu rarities, outtakes, demos, live tracks and other recordings from 1973 to 1981. It was launched at the "KlaatuKon" 2005 convention in Toronto, Canada, receiving high praise from Klaatu fans around the world. What some considered as the highlights of the compilation were the final nine tracks on disc one, which composed alternate versions of the entirety of Klaatu's second album, Hope. Referred to as "The Orchestral Hope" or "The Alterna-Hope", this included a track not present on the version of Hope which was originally released; "Epilogue," which joined "So Said the Lighthouse Keeper" and "Hope".

The third and final volume of the Fesca Symphony series by Biermann and the NDR Radio Philharmonic, which received a great welcome! The symphonies and orchestral works of Bohemian composer Friedrich Ernst Pesca (1789-1826), who died at the early age of 37, all show the overflowing power, unique elegance, and ability to bring out the colors of the orchestra in the post-Beethoven era. In particular, Symphony No. 1, which captures the spirit of a 22-year-old young man, makes us realize that the praise he received from his contemporaries was not false. The performance of the conductor and orchestra, which introduced this hidden composer to the world, is full of affection, empathy, and confidence.

Rosario Conte, Baroque music specialist and virtuoso instrumentalist, has here recorded compositions from Francesco Corbetta's instructional manual, "La Guitarre Royal", (1671) along with two pieces by his (probable) student, Robert de Visee. As guitarist and teacher in the courts of Louis XIV of France and Charles II of England, Corbetta almost single handedly popularized the 5 course Baroque guitar in both countries at a time when the lute was the dominant parlour instrument.

Hector Berlioz, France’s greatest Romantic composer, exemplifies the spirit of his age – yet his genius was also ahead of its time. Reflecting his colourful life, his music is astonishing for its originality and ambition, and for orchestration of groundbreaking brilliance. This, the first-ever complete Berlioz edition, comprises carefully selected recordings and even includes works completely new to the catalogue. The accompanying booklet, lavishly illustrated, contains a fascinating commentary from Berlioz biographer David Cairns, whose words bring the composer’s music still more vividly to life.

Set upon recapturing the pop ground he had invaded with Future Shock, Hancock relies upon many of the former's ingredients for yet another go-'round on Perfect Machine. High-tech producer Bill Laswell is back, so is scratchmaster D. ST. – and armed with a warehouse of mostly digital keyboards, Hancock adds the distinctive bass of Bootsy Collins and the Ohio Players' vocalist Sugarfoot, who always sounds as if he had just swallowed something. The music is mostly thumping, funk-drenched techno-pop which still has some verve, particularly the designated single "Vibe Alive" and the "Maiden Voyage" interlude as heard through an electronic fun-house mirror. But this is not really an advance over Hancock's early-'80s pop projects.

Gregory Porter's sophomore effort confirms the talent that was so apparent on his debut. He's developed greater technique and subtlety in his impressive singing. The '70s soul is still quite apparent in his voice, with shades of Donny Hathaway and Bill Withers, but he's also the vocal heir to Nat King Cole. He's becoming a major talent, not just as a singer but also as a composer, with a unique, elliptical style, both for melodies and lyrics, which is quite evident when held up against the covers here. Porter is also acutely aware of dynamics, able to move smoothly from the softness of "Imitation of Life" to the almost atonality of the raucous "Bling Bling," which also features some excellent scat singing. His own material isn't immediately memorable, but insinuates itself into the brain after a few hearings, sophisticated and often beautiful.

This masterpiece is the culmination of a fervent collaboration with the rising stars of the electro realm, including the scintillating talents of Fakear, Samifati, Alune Wade.
Al30-year journey. Conceived in 1994 by the visionary Eric Mouquet, Deep Forest etched their name in history by becoming the pioneering French electro ensemble to grasp the coveted Grammy Award for Best World Music Album. With more than 10 million albums sold and an astonishing 100 million streams recorded, Deep Forest stands as the unassailable icon of the French Touch movement, casting an enduring influence over successive generations of electronic music.

This is a mostly straightahead jazz date by pianist Hilton Ruiz that achieves some variety by alternating the instrumentation. The pianist/leader adds percussionist Daniel Ponce to some numbers (such as "Doin' It Right") for some Latin-jazz, jams with his trio (which also includes bassist Jimmy Rowser and drummer Steve Berrios) and pays tribute to both Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. Don Cherry sits in on his muted trumpet for the ballad "Misty Moods" and the minor-keyed "Scottish Blues" but his solos wander and his intonation is shaky. Much better is Ruiz's unaccompanied exploration of "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" and a quartet version of his original "The Blessing." Other than Cherry's appearances, this is a satisfying modern mainstream set.

Johnny Copeland's tenure on Rounder Records was mostly productive. He made several albums that ranged from decent to very good, increased his audience and name recognition, and got better recording facilities and company support than at most times in his career. The 15 numbers on this anthology cover four Rounder sessions, and include competent renditions of familiar numbers. But what makes things special are the final three selections; these were part of Copeland's superb and unjustly underrated Bringin' It All Back Home album, recorded in Africa, which matched Texas shuffle licks with swaying, riveting African rhythms.

Skyline from the Bielefeld area emerged out of the well-known band Virus; they had, however, hardly anything in common with their predecessor’s music. What they now played was jazz-rock with slight funky influences and English lyrics; altogether much smoother than the music by Virus. Their only LP, “Louise for one night”, was recorded in fall of 1975 and released as a private pressing in an edition of 500 copies in 1976.

Basically this is music from a pair of John Coltrane live dates, one from Graz, Austria in 1962 and another near the end of the original quartet's tenure. The collection contains two discs. The first features a burning rendition of "A Love Supreme" (all four parts) and the second includes tunes from the Graz concert: "Mr. PC," "Autumn Leaves" "Bye Bye Blackbird," and "I Want to Talk About You." The modal jazz framework was still in place at this time, but it wouldn't be long before Coltrane abandoned it altogether for a freer approach. The sound quality here isn't great but it's far from unacceptable, making it a worthwhile purchase for fans of the era.