Representative collection of Delta blues tunes, including recordings by Muddy Waters, Elmore James, Robert johnson, John Lee Hooker, Blind Willie johnson, and many more. Digitally remastered; includes sleeve notes by Michael Heatley.

Anthony Braxton is best-known for his unique and knotty compositions, but he sometimes interprets classic jazz songs. For this setting, he gathers Mal Waldron (no stranger to Monk interpretations), Buell Neidlinger on bass, and Bill Osborne on drums. Braxton plays alto throughout, and plays magnificentlyl; Waldron, Neidlinger, and Osborn are at the top of their game as well. Overall, original yet respectful treatment of Monk compositions.

While Takemitsu's reputation as one of the 20th century's greatest modernists is recognized around the world, his accomplishments as a songwriter are largely unknown outside of Japan. This recital displays his stylistic versatility and knowledge of popular song idioms. The songs on this program come from all stages of Takemitsu's life, from the 1950's to the year of his death, and each is a superbly crafted miniature - tuneful and elegant. Performers are Dominique Visse (conter-tenor) and François Couturier (piano).

Relayer is the seventh studio album by the progressive rock band Yes. Structurally, Relayer is comprised of three pieces, including the 21'55 epic The Gates of Delirium (it was Tolstoy's tome "War and Peace" that inspired vocalist Jon Anderson to put this epic together), in addition to the comparatively shorter pieces "Sound Chaser" and "To be Over". The energy levels are completely over the top on Relayer and may reflect the enthusiasm of new keyboardist Patrick Moraz.

For a singer known as 'The Voice', the idea of an instrumental album sounds odd, and the title does little to inspire a mad rush to the record store. However, Sinatra loved classical musical and probably enjoyed commissioning this collection of works from the likes of Nelson Riddle, Billy May, Gordon Jenkins, Victor Young and others.

Roseanna Vitro is a very talented and versatile singer, as she proves throughout this highly enjoyable set. Vitro performs 14 songs (including a pair of two-song medleys) associated with Ray Charles. Although jazz has long been only a small part of Charles' music, the tunes are transformed into swinging and soulful jazz by Vitro. Highlights include "Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin'," a swinging "One Mint Julep," "I Don't Need No Doctor" and "Lonely Avenue."

Mel Tormé, 67 at the time of this recording, proves to still be very much in his musical prime. For this live set, the singer wrote ten of the 15 arrangements and programmed plenty of variety in moods and tempos for his voice including a seven-song Duke Ellington mini-set. His masterful interpretation of "Stardust" is a highpoint.

The Peter Green Splinter Group were a band led by the British blues guitarist and singer, Peter Green, who was the founder of Fleetwood Mac. Recorded on 5 April 1998 at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, the double album featured new versions of various songs from the group's previous albums, and also some of Green's Fleetwood Mac songs.

It has been written many times that Toru Takemitsu is something of a latter day impressionist. Almost all the works on this disc, most of which are from his real maturity, bear out this statement; they are abundantly rich in colour and exotic atmosphere, with the orchestral palette used with the utmost refinement and subtlety. It could be said that Takemitsu goes even further, exploring distant horizons with a sensuousness rarely heard in any other composer.

Brotherhood of Man are a British pop group created by songwriter and record producer Tony Hiller in 1969; they scored a worldwide hit with "United We Stand" the following year. By 1974 the line up had changed to the quartet Brotherhood of Man would become best known for. The group won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1976 with "Save Your Kisses for Me". This CD collects together their biggest hits.

This live session was recorded at the Blue Note jazz club in New York, 2003. The trombonist Herwig and his co-leader, trumpeter Brian Lynch, welcome guests Paquito D'Rivera and Dave Valentine to this furious and entertaining date. The Afro-Cuban component gives the fun/party touch to the well-known Jazz pieces.

The Allman Brothers are the band that defines the genre known as southern rock, and "Shades of Two Worlds" is among their best work. While their previous 90's album "Seven Turns" was their comeback album and was very good, "Shades of Two Worlds" has a stronger set of songs and is a more diverse collection. This album is currently out of print in the U.S., but remains a popular favorite among the group's fans.

These rare performances–all electric–capture Muddy as the embers of his career glowed anew. By 1968, the folk blues had waned and the sound he popularized in the mid-1950s was returning to the fore. Over the next decade, Muddy secured his place as the godfather of rock and roll. The slide guitar technique he plays on these versions of Country Boy, Honey Bee, and Long Distance Call is at once contemporary and as pure as when he learned it as a dusty child in the delta fifty years earlier. In Got My Mojo Working, Muddy works the vocals from his cavernous chest into his mouth and then shakes the words from his jowls and cheeks. His singing is as glorious as his playing.

Takemitsu wrote everything from movie music to Beatles arrangements to avant-garde chamber music. In his best works, he draws simultaneously on the traditional idiom of Japan and the most advanced contemporary techniques. All music on this CD was written (or, in one case, arranged) for flute solo, and Patrick Gallois proves a most satisfying interpreter. Recommended for those looking for a softer, quieter, but still genuinely musical experience in contemporary classical music.

"White Heat" finds Dusty at the peak of her remarkable power as a singer and creative artist. This album represents total departure from Dusty's usual style, but it shows her musical diversity. Each song has it's own mood and Dusty brings her crystal clear voice to each of them. The pinnacle of the album is "Soft Core", a song co-written by Canadian singer-songwriter Carole Pope. Overall, this is definitely a great album, and rare to find one.