The long established musical relationship between guitarists Dave Specter and Steve Freund goes back nearly 20 years, when Specter sought out Freund as a guitar teacher. They have shared many stages, but this marks the first occasion that they have recorded together. In the best of the Chicago blues tradition as illustrated by the legendary Delmark label, Is What It Is is a loose, swinging, tough blues date filled with great tunes, inspired playing and loose-groove vibes. While Specter has become well-known for his jazzy blues playing, his former teacher Freund has stayed close to the roots of the Chicago sound. That contrast works beautifully here on both covers and originals. Freund's tunes are some of the bets on the set as evidenced by the opener "My Little Playhouse." One of the reasons for this is his deep, clear soulful singing which adds punch and nuance to the dueling guitars Specter brings classy elegance to the set in his instrumentals, like the title track that carries a deeply Southern-fried funk to the more urban Chicago sound and the shuffling gutbucket stroll of "Riverside Ride," where the two players wind around and through one another exuberantly.

The Traveling Wilburys built upon George Harrison's comeback with Cloud Nine and helped revitalize the other supergroup members' careers, setting the stage for Bob Dylan's 1989 comeback with Oh Mercy, Tom Petty's first solo album, Full Moon Fever, produced by Jeff Lynne (sounding and feeling strikingly similar to this lark), and Roy Orbison's Mystery Girl, which was released posthumously. Given the success of this record and how it boosted the creativity of the rest of the five, it's somewhat a shock that the second effort falls a little flat.

No one, least of all Deep Purple themselves, expected the success of 2013's Now What?! It placed at number one on four European album charts and in the Top Ten of six other countries. It also sold exceptionally well: It was certified Gold in Poland, Germany (where it sold over 100,000), the Czech Republic, and Russia – it was the band's first album to crack the U.K.'s Top 40 charts in 20 years. For InFinite, Deep Purple re-enlisted producer Bob Ezrin. At this point, he is almost a sixth member. This the longest running lineup in their history. InFinite is a heavier and more expansive record than its predecessor, but it's not as consistent.

Esoteric Recordings are pleased to announce the first ever release of "Harrodian Event #1”. Recorded in January 1972, this rare recording features a unique event where seven gifted Progressive musicians came together to record a session of unique experimental music. Keyboard player J. Peter Robinson (a member of Quatermass, later in Brand X), John Gustafson (Bass) had also been in Quatermass and would go on to play with Steve Hackett, Ian Gillan and Roxy Music), Martyn Ford had been an arranger for Barclay James Harvest before working with the major names in rock, Paul Buckmaster had worked with David Bowie, Third Ear Band and many more, whilst Trevor Morais would find fame in Quantum Jump and working with the Penguin Cafe Orchestra. The music of the Harrodian Event touches on the styles later developed by artists such as Henry Cow or even Frank Zappa…

Enrique Iglesias made a big splash with his first album, released in late 1995. The son of Latin superstar Julio Iglesias, Enrique's debut is devoted to polished, romantic pop tunes and power ballads, all with a contemporary pop/rock feel that shies away from many common clichés of Latin pop. The album was a major commercial success in Latin America and earned a gold record in the United States; it also won the 1996 Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Album.

Płyta "Gusto Non Barbaro" poświęcona jest niemieckiej muzyce kameralnej XVIII wieku. Zostały na niej zarejestrowane utwory czterech kompozytorów, wśród których postacią centralną jest Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach. Tytuł płyty odnosi się do zaczerpniętego z traktatu Quantza cytatu, wymownie charakteryzującego przemiany, jakie zachodziły w stylu muzyki niemieckiej na tle oraz pod wpływem twórczości dwóch wiodących ośrodków: Francji i Włoch. Nowoczesny sposób komponowania, otwarty na asymilowanie godnych uznania zdobyczy estetycznych sztuki innych nacji stał się w Niemczech w XVIII wieku do tego stopnia dominujący, że właśnie owa synteza stylistyczna uznana została za cechę swoiście niemiecką.

George Frideric Handel’s early Italian cantatas were a laboratory for his vocal writing, daring experiments in melody and harmony upon which Handel drew for the rest of his composing life. In Handel Uncaged, the internationally renowned countertenor Lawrence Zazzo has ‘uncaged’ a selection of these cantatas for the alto voice, presenting them in new ways, crowned by the world premiere recording of unpublished music from Handel's astonishing and amusing 10-aria cantata cycle, Amore Uccellatore. Zazzo is joined by a stellar continuo team of Jonathan Manson (cello and viola da gamba), Andrew Maginley (theorbo & guitar) and Guillermo Brachetta (harpsichord).