A French manuscript from the 14th-Century said to be compiled in Avignon, the seat of the papacy during the time, the Ivrea Codex contains several styles of music from the time making it one of the most important surviving documents from the Medieval era. This recording features harmonious vocals backed by light instrumentation. The first-rate performance of Cantica Symphonia brings an element of the sublime and divine making this one of the best releases from the Early Music genre.

Here is Vivaldi-playing with a commendably light, athletic touch. It's so easy to make a meal out of his orchestral tuttis yet these performances inspire the music with expressive delicacy and rhythmic vitality. The programme is a colourful one of concertos for a variety of instruments, wind and strings, in various combinations.

Backwood Progression is Chris Spedding's second album that was released in the UK on the Harvest label in 1970. With this album, Spedding falls a bit into the singer-songwriter genre with a fine collection of mostly folk rock songs. Although, he does amp it up and rock hard on songs like the great "She's My Friend". His trademark guitar shines as does some beautiful piano compliments. He delivers his deadpan vocal stylings with a bit more "singing" than you might find on his punkish albums of the late 70's. This somewhat rare gem is a fine addition to any rock collection and a prized piece to any Chris Spedding fan.

This new album from one of today's most popular and sought after piano trios delves into the emotive essence of two young composers-Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Franz Schubert-whose compositions offer an encounter with poignant reflections on life, mortality, and ethereal beauty. Mieczyslaw Weinberg's op. 24 Piano Trio, conceived in 1945 amidst World War II's turmoil, embodies a haunting portrayal of unrest and despair. Infused with traces of klezmer music, this composition reflects Weinberg's personal journey as a Polish Jew fleeing wartime atrocities, crafting a musical narrative that echoes both tragedy and resilience.

Per celebrare il quinto centenario della morte di Leonardo da Vinci, il genio italiano che nel suo Trattato della pittura scrisse «La musica non è da essere chiamata altro che sorella della pittura», la Elegia Classics è orgogliosa di presentare un disco interamente dedicato a Franchinus Gaffurius, compositore lodigiano oggi quasi dimenticato, ma che ebbe lo straordinario onore di venire ritratto da Leonardo. Il programma è imperniato intorno alla Missa De Carnaval, una delle sue opere più significative, composta per l’ultima domenica prima della quaresima del rito ambrosiano, alla quale fanno corona alcuni mottetti di suggestiva bellezza, che tratteggiano un affascinante spaccato del panorama musicale negli ultimi anni del XV secolo.

With their previous album “Paradox”, Nocturnus founder/sci-fi death metal godfather Mike Browning (also original Morbid Angel co-founder) would resurrect Nocturnus lore under its new alteration Nocturnus AD which gave Browning the opportunity to finally continue the mythos that came before with the legendary album “The Key” almost 30 years after the release of one of the most influential death metal albums of all time. The result being Nocturnus AD’s debut album “Paradox” being the proper follow-up to “The Key” (musically and thematically) where the story of Dr. Magus would finally see its sequel three decades later.
The new Nocturnus AD album “Unicursal” sees Browning, along with guitarists Belial Koblak and Demian Heftel, keyboardist Josh Holdren, and new bassist Kyle Sokol…

In her interpretation of Telemann’s Fantasias, Małgorzata Malke takes her listeners on a journey to 18th-century Poland, a land which Telemann often visited, drawing inspiration from Polish folk music. “In my interpretation of the 12 Fantasias, I decided to follow the path of Polish influences in Telemann’s compositions, looking for traces of the composer’s love for Polish music,” says Małgorzata Malke.

Cyrus Chestnut covers a wide range of hymns, carols and spirituals on this outstanding solo piano CD. A very dramatic "Holy, Holy, Holy" would inspire any congregation, while the rich voicings in "We Three Kings" are subtle yet moving. "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child" is the most compelling track, with a thought-provoking arrangement that makes great use of space.

Sweet electric fusion from The Players - a Japanese combo led by keyboardist Hiromasa Suzuki. The style here is kind of a cross between CTI modes and some of the more dynamic fusion of the European scene - funky at points, but also somewhat free and open too - lots of tight rhythms at the bottom, but soaring solo work from Suzuki on a variety of keyboards, plus saxes from Mabumi Yamaguchi and guitars from Tsunhide Matsuki.

By Three, Bob James – the pianist, composer, and arranger – was deep into jazz-funk. The five tracks here reflect his obsession with hard, danceable grooves that take as much from the soul-jazz book as they do his years with CTI. Using many of the same session players he bonded with at his former label – including Eric Gale, Hugh McCracken, Hubert Laws, Will Lee, and Harvey Mason – and a large host of stellar horn players (among them Lew Soloff and Jon Faddis), James offers five selections of simple but fun jazz-pop.

Louisiana journeyman swamp rocker Tab Benoit has been churning out an album a year since at least 2002, and between them he stays on the road playing every festival, club, and bar that'll have him. It would seem inevitable that the quality of these studio recordings would decline. But, at least as of 2007's Power of the Pontchartrain, that isn't the case. If anything, this might be the best of a very good lot, as Benoit again teams with Louisiana's Le Roux group (who once backed legend Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown and helped on Benoit's previous release) for another 52-minute wade through muggy yet taut bayou blues. Part of the reason Benoit's recent albums are so strong is that he doesn't insist on playing original material, instead cherry-picking nuggets rearranged to suit his approach. This works particularly well here since he unearths terrific, often obscure material from writers such as Julie Miller (two tracks), David Egan (two others), and even Stephen Stills (a not entirely necessary "For What It's Worth").