Recorded in 1960, Art Pepper’s 5th album release on Contemporary Records, “Intensity”, was released in 1963. A collection of 7 jazz standards the album features Dolo Coker (piano) along with Jimmy Bond (bass), and Frank Butler (drums). This new edition, released as part of the Acoustic Sounds Series, features (AAA) lacquers cut from the original master tapes by Bernie Grundman and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at QRP, and presented in a tip-on jacket.

Suite italienne is the brainchild of violinist Jonian Ilias Kadesha – his second album on Linn – and the Swiss ensemble CHAARTS Chamber Artists. With Italy as the common thread through each of the three works, the riotous programme includes the premiere recording of Sollima’s TYCHE, a violin concerto that was composed specifically for Jonian. Echoing Jonian and Sollima’s mixed roots, the work absorbs musical ideas from different sources and, as the title suggests, reflects on the Greek goddess of fate, or the Italian equivalent Fortuna, and the ambivalence of life itself.

Cal Tjader fuses Afro-Cuban rhythms and mainstream jazz solos in his1956 album, Latin Kick. Alongside Tjader (vibraphone) the album also features Brew Moore (sax), Luis Miranda (congas), Bayardo Velarde (timbales), Manuel Duran (piano), and Carlos Duran (bass). This new edition of the album is released as part of the Original Jazz Classics Series and is pressed on 180-gram vinyl at RTI with all-analog mastering from the original tapes at Cohearent Audio and presented in a Tip-On Jacket.

E.T.A. Hoffmann was a ‘man for all seasons’. In addition to composing music, he was an illustrator, writer, and attorney who attained a position on the Court of Appeals in Berlin. His primary legacy is in the area of German literature. He wrote many novels and stories concerned with supernatural elements and their impact on humans. Hoffmann’s most famous writings are the stories on which the French composer Jacques Offenbach based his opera "Tales of Hoffmann".
When I read a Hoffmann story, I think of the supernatural operas of Carl Maria von Weber, not Hoffmann’s most well known opera "Undine". The fact is that Hoffmann’s reputation as a composer is slight, and recordings of his works are infrequent. Even during his own lifetime, he had great trouble getting his music published.

Dopo il trionfale successo al Circo Massimo di Roma, Max Pezzali ha iniziato un mega tour negli Stadi dove, inarrestabile ed inossidabile, è stato acclamato e incoronato re assoluto con tutte le date sold out! Non si poteva non pensare di raccogliere tutti i suoi cavalli di battaglia in un album intitolato Max Forever Vol. 1 che vuol essere il primo capitolo di una lunga serie. Max Forever Vol. 1 testimonia la versatilità, l'empatia, l’umiltà e la musica iconica di un grande artista che non ha mai smesso di stupire e attrarre il pubblico, grandi e piccini, grazie ai suoi intramontabili successi! 16 tracce in tutto tra: Live al Circo Massimo (2023) e allo Stadio Olimpico di Roma (2024), brani rivisitati grazie a nuovi missaggi e infine strepitose collaborazioni quali quelle con Cesare Cremonini, J-Ax e Riccardo Zanotti dei Pinguini Tattici Nucleari.

This compilation of late-'60s demos and alternate takes should not be viewed as being on the same level as Nazz's three albums. But when a cult band such as the Nazz only made three LPs, followers hunger for more, and this delivers the goods to satisfy the tastes and curiosities of specialists. A late 1967 demo of 'Hello It's Me,' close to the released version but less fully produced (particularly in regard to the backing vocals), is the highlight. Otherwise there's another song from the same late 1967 tape ('Crowded'), a mid-1968 demo of 'Lemming Song' (a different version of which appeared on their debut album), alternate versions of 'Kicks' and 'Some People,' radio commercials, a slightly different take of 'Open My Eyes' (no phase on the guitar), and some alternates of songs from their second and third albums…

I think Karl Böhm's live performances of Strauss operas represent some of his best work; this is a companion piece to his live Daphne which has yet to be bettered despite being another elderly, live recording, albeit in narrow stereo. It is in comparatively restricted mono but one soon forgets that, given the quality of the performance.

Sony Music Vision and FoxxHole Productions produced the Luther Vandross: Never Too Much which will premiere on CNN on January 1, 2025. Directed by Dawn Porter, the film features interviews with many artists who worked with or were influenced by Luther including Mariah Carey, Roberta Flack, Jamie Foxx, Richard Marx and Dionne Warwick. As a companion piece to the documentary, Legacy will release a greatest hits album. The album features the studio versions of all the songs that were included in the documentary. The album also features 4 previously unreleased tracks including The Beatles classic “Michelle” which was recorded in June 1989.

In the music of Forndom, the past breathes with a vitality that transcends time. “Moþir” is as complex as the deities it portrays, weaving together themes of fertility and loyalty, love and betrayal, light and shadow. It is an exploration of divine ambiguity, where the nurturing embrace of a mother can just as easily turn into the cold hand of inevitability.
Here, Ludvig Swärd strips away the modern trappings of synthesisers, embracing a purely acoustic sound. The music feels as though it has been carved from the very earth, born from instruments fashioned by hand and played with reverence for the ancient…

SONGS OF A LOST WORLD' was written and arranged by Robert Smith, produced and mixed by Robert Smith & Paul Corkett and performed by The Cure - Robert Smith: Voice / guitar / 6string bass / keyboard, Simon Gallup: Bass, Jason Cooper: Drums / percussion, Roger O'Donnell: Keyboard, Reeves Gabrels: Guitar. The album was recorded at Rockfield Studios in Wales.

Mickey Jupp is a critically acclaimed British singer-songwriter, widely credited as a major influence on the Pub Rock scene that then led to the Punk movement. With a recording career starting in the 1960's, Mickey's razor sharp lyrics and amazing vocals had him likened to Chuck Berry, with many of his songs recorded by artists as diverse as Dr Feelgood, Ricky Nelson, The Judds, Nick Lowe, Elkie Brooks and a young Paul Weller. Mickey moved to a remote village in the Lake District over 40 years ago and, in his small cottage, purely to satisfy his burning need to create, has written and recorded well over 300 songs that have yet to be heard by the general public. Up Snakes, Down Ladders is the first of a series of albums in which these home recordings have been expertly mastered and will be released on CD and digital services for the first time.

The new compilation Great Moments With… showcases the remarkable moments of Chet Baker's career, featuring both his vocals and trumpet work. It spans his final five and a half years, during which he collaborated closely with the Wim Wigt Timeless Records agency in the Netherlands. The album includes a mix of bebop and ballads, along with the previously unreleased bonus track 'But Not For Me'. During this period, Baker benefited from the agency's management, leading to fewer missed performances and increased fame. His relationship with Wigt and his team, including his girlfriend Diane Vavra, key figures like tour manager Peter Huijts and record engineer Max Bolleman, significantly enhanced his career. The double album traces his journey with Wigt, beginning with the opening track 'Ray's Ideas', and the ballad 'Everything Happens To Me' and concludes with the previously unreleased track 'But Not From Me'. The album highlights his work with European musicians and features recordings from various sessions, including performances with Dexter Gordon's rhythm section, his own trio, and a rare live recording from Zagreb. The Great Moments With LP… not only celebrates Baker's legacy but continues to inspire and resonate with new generations.

Formed in 1993, Electric Wizard's brand of doom metal incorporates stoner and sludge traits, with lyrics focusing on the occult, witchcraft, H.P. Lovecraft, horror films, and cannabis. Black Magic Rituals & Perversions Vol.1, a one-take dungeon session, features some of their most classic moments, captured live, raw and uncensored. This is a career-defining collection, and a must-have for followers of this iconic British metal band.

Slovenian collective Laibach revisit their 1987 masterpiece, Opus Dei, with brand-new interpretations by the group, along with remixes from the record’s original producer and mixer, Rico Conning. Opus Dei (translation: God’s Work) was the band’s first album for Mute, garnering acclaim and shining a worldwide spotlight on the unique Slovenian collective. This led to the album being listed in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (edited by Robert Dimery), where it was called “…a masterpiece of its genre.” Opus Dei Revisited presents two distinct new versions of the work, an approach in keeping with the original album, where they reimagined Opus’s ‘Live Is Life’ (as ‘Opus Dei’) and Queen’s ‘One Vision’ (‘Geburt einer Nation’), two key highlights of the album. The first disc is a reworking by Laibach themselves, initially crafted and then refined for their current Opus Dei Revisited Tour. Never a band to take an easy route to any destination, the challenge to re-evaluate, reinterpret, and rebuild the tracks was an artistic imperative. The band was so pleased with the results that they entered the studio immediately after Phase 1 of the Opus Dei Revisited Tour was completed to capture these new versions.

WHAM!’s Last Christmas is not only one of the most iconic songs of all time, it is a cultural phenomenon. Loved by generations around the world, George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley’s timeless Christmas classic is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. The CD single brings all of the versions together in one special festive package. It includes a stunning previously unreleased live version of the track performed by George at Wembley in 2006.