Band leader/pianist Stan Kenton is known for his superheated, shouting brass sections and eccentric conceptualizations for big bands, and this 1952 recording shows why. The set opens with "Prologue (This Is an Orchestra!)," in which Kenton delivers a spoken-word explanation of the unit's purpose and introduces the members to the listener.

In 2006, moodorama found a new “Homebase” at Mole Listening Pearls. The first release will be the new album called “My Name Is Madness”. The title, an amusing yet poignant name for an album that, with its beautiful songs sitting comfortably in between a nice arrangement of lounge, pop, electro, bossa, chillout and house, never actually sounds as mad as one would expect. But nevertheless: the joy to try out crazy ideas, the glee trying new techniques and the happiness when combining elements is shining through subliminally, making this a glistening listening experience.

Following the turn of the millennium's fondness for singer/songwriter traditions, Reamonn worked the crossroads of likable acoustic rock and familiar European orchestration. Named for Irish-born frontman Reamonn Garvey, the inoffensive five-piece formed in late 1998 in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. After landing an early major-label deal, the band rushed to record their debut album, choosing Steve Lyon (the Cure, Nitzer Ebb, EMF) to steer its production. The combination of raw folk and glossy production proved successful: the first German single "Supergirl" made the Top Ten and the LP, 2000's Tuesday, went gold. Wisely, Reamonn worked the album despite the major-label blanket. They toured on both sides of its release with H.I.M., the Guano Apes, and Bon Jovi and went back to work on a follow-up shortly thereafter, even though they were unaware if their style of music would have a place in the world when they resurfaced.

With her mix of blues, soul, and rock, plus the just tangible presence of her native Mississippi gospel background, Zora Young can be a powerful performer when the material is there. On the best cuts from Tore Up from the Floor Up, her third album and second for Delmark, she shows a kind of hard-earned wisdom and an assurance in her vocals that rises well above mere shouting, and tracks like the moody, dynamic "Toxic" and the romping title tune (both of which are Young originals) show her to be a solid songwriter as well. She also turns in fine readings on a pair of covers, turning atmospheric on Muddy Waters' "Two Trains Running" and giving B.B. King's "I'm Gonna Do the Same Thing They Did to Me" a saucy, determined sheen. Her take on O.V. Wright's "Ace of Spades" is surprisingly by the numbers, though, and while she certainly doesn't do a disservice to Tony Joe White's "Rainy Night in Georgia," it's a song that has been done to death and no singer on earth could possibly find a new way to approach it. The end result of all of this is an album that has some wonderful highs (the opener, "Love of Mine," simply soars and rocks) but also too many tracks that lack immediacy. It's worth noting, though, that Young's originals more than hold their own here, and that bodes well, because when her singing and writing intersect, sparks fly.

Drawn from a concert recorded May 3, 2006, at the Grove in Anaheim, CA, Joe Satriani's Satriani Live! comes as both a double-CD and a simultaneously (and separately) released DVD. The audio version presents more than two hours of typical Satriani guitar work. He was promoting his latest album, Super Colossal, but that didn't prevent him from casting back across his career for selections from such previous sets as Joe Satriani (1995), The Extremist (1992), Flying in a Blue Dream (1989), and particularly Surfing with the Alien (1987), making this a de facto best-of. The crowd was wildly enthusiastic, and Satriani wasted little time doing anything other than playing, pausing only occasionally to talk about his guitar and his guitar picks. The first disc maintains a steady pace, but the guitarist varied the mood in the second half of the show, turning to what pass for ballads in his repertoire ("The Meaning of Love," "Made of Tears," "Circles," "Always with Me, Always with You") before revving up for a powerful finish. Casual fans can pick this up as a good sampler of the entire Satriani catalog, while more intense fans will enjoy noting differences between the live versions and the studio recordings with which they're already familiar.

There really are more War best-of packages than the situation warrants, and while the double-CD The Very Best of War is a fine compilation if you don't already have one in your collection, it's questionable whether it was a necessary addition to the band's discography. For one thing, it doesn't differ all that much from the previous two-CD War best-of on Rhino, Anthology (1970-1994). Sure, each has a few tracks not on the other, but both are built around their lengthy string of big hits. Even Barry Alfonso's accompanying essay was adapted from the liner notes to Anthology (1970-1994). Still, this does have all of the big chart hits and a few minor ones, as well as standout album tracks from throughout the 1970s and early '80s that illustrate the band's versatility. Reading the small print on the track listings, it's revealed that half a dozen of these cuts are edits that either appear here for the first time or were only available on previous anthologies or imports. Additionally, almost a dozen of the other tracks are the edited single versions, though it's unlikely many collectors or fans will be either excited or piqued by differences between these and other available variations.

Clarke stretches his muscles and comes up with a mostly impressive, polystylistic, star-studded double album (now on one CD) that gravitates ever closer to the R&B mainstream. Clarke's writing remains strong and his tastes remain unpredictable, veering into rock, electronic music, acoustic jazz, even reggae in tandem with British rocker Jeff Beck. Clarke's excursion into disco, "Just a Feeling," ais surprisingly and infectiously successful, thanks to a good bridge and George Duke's galvanizingly funky work on the Yamaha electric grand piano (his finest moment with Clarke by far). The brief "Blues for Mingus," a wry salute from one master bassist to another (Mingus died about six months before this album's release), is a cool acoustic breather for piano trio, and the eloquent Stan Getz can be detected,

Probably the most prog of Kansas' albums, this one spotlights long, orchestrated songs and unusual time signatures. There is an extended nine/eight instrumental break in the middle of the title track. "Lamplight Symphony" offers long, orchestrated passages. When the energy is there, it is intense energy, such as "Down the Road" and "The Devil Game." The longer songs unfortunately can lose a passive listener. But all in all, this is a good (if not adolescent) recording for a group of this genre.