Arlen was a Jewish composer, originally from Austria who escaped Hitler’s invasion into Vienna. His family was persecuted, and lots of his family were murdered or committed suicide as a result of the holocaust, which inspired a lot of his compositional writing. When he escaped to the US where he lived with family friends, Arlen entered songs in a competition, winning first prize. This allowed him to live, study and work as amanuensis with Roy Harris. Through Harris he was introduced to famous composers of the day (such as Schoenberg, Mahler etc) and wrote for the Los Angeles Times as music reviewer for many years before committing to his own compositional works, both of whom have had additions made by conductor Kenneth Woods, with Arlen’s permission.

Fantastic worlds - Organ transformations - Bach organ Regensburg
The human imagination opens up worlds full of enchanting beauty, threatening dreams, night and sun - and the organ is the ideal companion for this! From Frescobaldi to Saint-Saens, this CD follows capricious and passionately winding paths in "Fantastic worlds".

"I Paralyze" was a one-shot deal for Columbia Records in 1982. The album didn't sell and this was Cher's last album for five years. Released after her stint with Casablanca Records, where Cher had a career resurgence with the disco hit "Take Me Home" in 1979, this album combined the power pop influences heard in her "Prisoner" album with the slightly harder-rock edge from the "Black Rose" collaboration.

American Hangover is an album that thrives on contrast and cohesion, bringing together explosive energy, delicate textures, and a healthy dose of absurdity. The trio Moneyfriends, comprised of Brad Henkel (amplified trumpet, voice), Dan Peter Sundland (electric bass, synthesizer, voice), and Fabian Jung (drums, toys, voice), create a sonic landscape where moments of noise and chaos effortlessly blend into subtle, intricate improvisations. The trio’s stellar interplay and listening are at the heart of this album—each player leaves space for the others, while at the same time pushing boundaries and daring each other to take the music to new places.

Behind this title is a program of works by English masters from the Renaissance to the late Baroque, arranged for trumpet and organ, played on modern instruments: 4-valve piccolo trumpets in G-, A- and B-tuning, as well as a Marcussen organ (1983) with 41 stops on 3 manuals and 256 stop-combinations. Is it still legitimate and appropriate today to use modern instruments for the performance of early music, since the trend towards historical performance practice seems to be unbroken? We found it especially appealing to adapt the recorded repertoire for our instrumentation. At the time of Johann Sebastian Bach, it was common practice to rewrite works for different instrumentations. For example, Johann Sebastian Bach‘s concertos for 2 to 4 harpsichords and strings BWV 1060 – 1065 are arrangements after concertos for solo violins (solo oboes) and strings.

Bernard "Buddy" Rich (1917-1987) is considered one of the best and most influential drummers in the world, not only among jazz drummers, but also for rock- and pop-stars such as Phil Collins and Led Zeppelins Jon Bonham. At twenty-years of age, the son of two vaudeville artists began his career as a jazz musician, at first in the big bands of Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey (including Frank Sinatra), Harry James, Woody Herman, and Count Basie. With the financial help of Sinatra, with whom he enjoyed a lifelong friendship, he founded his own band in 1946, which also featured him as a vocalist. Producer Norman Granz particularly appreciated Rich and his drumming and hired him for sessions with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk, or as an accompanist on masterpieces by Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald. In addition to his famous encounters with Art Tatum, Lester Young, Lionel Hampton, Nat King Cole and Flip Phillips, Rich also played famous "duels" with his drum-colleagues Gene Krupa and Max Roach. His three albums as a vocalist are wonderful, with only a little something missing that would have made him Sinatras rival.

Japanese Pianist Tomono Kawamura studied in the UK and has performed to acclaim in many parts of the world. Her debut album, ‘Reminiscence’, reflects repertoire found in her concerts with a program of popular masterwork which Tomono believes can trigger emotions and memories – taking the listener back to magical moments associated with that piece of music.

Taken directly from the liner notes: While the venue of this recording is not yet known, the location is definite - Colorado Springs, Colorado, Johnny Smith’s home city. After the rigors of touring and the perfectionism of recording, it was rare that Johnny would have time to play without traveling, except for his gigs with the Air Force Falconaires. This was a special concert about which very little is known - there are no contemporary newspaper articles near the concert date of December 8th, 1966, either reviewing or advertising the show, yet it was extremely well-attended. The songlist is familiar with any Johnny Smith fan, particularly One O’Clock Jump, with which he would most often close his shows, as well as Bluesette, Shiny Stockings, and all his other favorites. Of particular interest are the three guitar solo songs, Shenandoah, I’m Old Fashioned, and Golden Earrings, all treated with reverence and respect by an artist who knows what these songs mean, both to him and to his audience.

After many years working as a buyer for several record stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo's Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the legendary Wamono A to Z records guide book together with DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite.For this brand new chapter in the highly acclaimed Wamono series, our man Chintam goes digging into the vaults of one of the most revered Japanese labels: Trio Records. Established in 1969 by audio manufacturer Trio Electronics, now known as Kenwood, the label - and it's subsidiaries such as Showboat and Trash - released high quality music spanning a large variety of genres including rock, jazz, fusion, soundtracks and popular songs, until it's end in 1984. Through the eight tracks selected here, Chintam unearths some dope drum breaks, heavy bass lines and funky horns, for an essential selection of jazz funk fusion and rare groove vibes produced on Trio between 1973 and 1981.Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese jazz, funk, soul, rare groove and boogie music developed throughout the years since the sixties in Japan!

In 2023, Rick Wakeman wrote a new medley incorporating themes from Yes classics adapted for band and choir, to form 'The Yes Suite', which was performed at his now legendary concert at the prestigious London Palladium. The new work proved so popular with fans and critics alike that he wrote another adaptation, this time for solo piano, entitled 'Yessonata', which he performed on his final one man solo tour of North and South America earlier this year. The piece contains more than 30 musical fragments of yes music that Rick was a part of. 'Yessonata' is backed by 'The King Arthur Piano Suite' - again, a piano adaptation of the main themes and melodies from Rick's 'The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table'. It will be instantly recognizable as the music that the BBC used to introduce it's recent general election coverage. Both tracks were recorded on Wakeman's favourite piano, a Steinway model d concert grand, owned by Andrew Giller, at the Old Granary in Suffolk.

The achievements of Quincy Delight Jones Jr. as a multi Grammy and Oscar-winning record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger (as well as film and television producer) are the stuff of legend. His incredible career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry and began in the 1950's when the young man from the South Side of Chicago started out as a Jazz trumpeter before soon becoming a popular arranger and successful band leader. This exclusive 10 CD box set presents those legendary beginnings with twenty original albums that showcase Qs wide range of musical talents. The music ranges from the big band sounds of his own all-star orchestras via arrangements for trumpeter Art Farmer, on to albums he produced, arranged and conducted for singers Peggy Lee and Dinah Washington. After listening to these selections, it becomes obvious why Time magazine named the man later famous for producing the biggest hits of Michael Jacksons one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century.

Whitney Houston was inarguably one of the biggest female pop stars of all time. Her accomplishments as a hitmaker were extraordinary; just to scratch the surface, she became the first artist ever to have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and her 1993 Dolly Parton cover "I Will Always Love You" became nothing less than the biggest hit single in rock history.

It’s admittedly rare to hear contemporary classical music that delivers a shot of energy and drive like a cup of coffee: strong enough to wake you up, but in a way that is still pleasing to the senses. ADOLPHUS HAILSTORK: CHAMBER WORKS boasts exactly this rare and invigorating combination — and the energetic performance by The Harlem Chamber Players adds an extra boost on top.

In the second installment of its project, the duo Les Connivences Sonores is once again devoting itself to the astonishing original repertoire for flute and harp of the "post-Debussy era". The most representative works from various genres have been collected in order to liberate this corpus, rich in style and color, from its shadowy existence and to make the various faces of this combination visible.

This is the second edition of the collaboration between ACT and Château Palmer—one of the most legendary Grands Crus from Bordeaux’s Left Bank. This time, Château Palmer itself became the exclusive recording venue for an equally exceptional ensemble. TRIO features internationally acclaimed bassist, cellist, and composer Lars Danielsson, alongside two jazz greats from the North: Finnish trumpeter Verneri Pohjola and British guitarist John Parricelli. The music captures the unique atmosphere of the château, reflecting the tranquility, beauty, and intimacy of the recording setting. This album vividly brings to life the original vision behind the ACT and Château Palmer collaboration: to capture the magic that occurs when extraordinary artists converge in an extraordinary place.