Marc Jordan, an icon of the West Coast sound, fuses jazzy, grooving rhythms onto his cool and upbeat songwriting style. Perfect for lovers of smooth rock-pop, 1979's Blue Desert features such gems as the power ballad 'Twilight.'

This collection of sweeping and swinging orchestral Christmas pieces delivers cool jazz band grooves and tender, neo-classical reinterpretations of classic carols with toe-tapping drums, walking upright bass, mellow guitar chords, and a lively horn section enhanced by the lush textures of woodwinds and strings.

Mathias Rüegg's Vienna Art Orchestra had always been an eclectic bunch, working in the odd jazz or classical cover into its repertoire with some regularity, but for this release, the ensemble went whole hog, leaping into the oeuvre of that grandfather of minimalism, Erik Satie. Originally issued as a two-LP set, every track (save one evocative Gil Evans-y piece by Rüegg) is a Satie composition rearranged, often brilliantly, and generally highlighting two or three individual VAO members. This reductionist technique serves the band well, as it has often had a tendency toward weighty ponderousness. Here, the arrangements are light and linear, affording a supple but transparent platform for the soloists, who are clearly encouraged to venture out into jazzy territory.

NOW Music proudly presents the next chapter in the ‘NOW 12” 80s’ series – NOW 12” 80s: 1983 – Part Two - out 18th October 2024.
With 49 extended, full-length, or remixed versions, this collection spans the dynamic spectrum of the year, and is part of the vibrant journey through multiple genres of music the 12” single made during the 1980s, with this second instalment of 1983 featuring synth-pop and new-wave hits alongside the catchy grooves of pop-dance and disco. This essential compilation is perfect for both dancefloors and collectors.

The Look of Love is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer Diana Krall, released on September 18, 2001 by Verve Records. It became Krall's first album to top the Canadian Albums Chart. In 2002, the album earned Al Schmitt the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. Jim Santella of All About Jazz commented "Lush strings and gliding flutes surround Diana Krall's tender vocals. Even her substantial piano interludes take on the appearance of drifting mists, through the mix of orchestral timbres. With an emphasis on her sultry vocal interpretations, the latest album reaches out to a broad, popular music audience. Nothing wrong with that. It's just that jazz fans usually want the improvised licks along with their melodies…

There are few World film composers that can boast the prolificacy of Piero Piccioni. Since the early 1950s Piccioni has been a truly innovative composer of film music. In the 1950s he composed under the pseudonym of Piero Morgan, and since his first soundtrack Il Mondo Le Condanna of 1952, many directors sought Piero Piccioni to score the soundtracks for their films: Luchino Visconti, Bernardo Bertolucci, Vittorio De Sica, Roberto Rossellini, Elio Petri, Francesco Rosi, Mario Monicelli, Alberto Lattuada, Alberto Sordi, Luigi Comencini, Antonio Pietrangeli, Lina Wertmuller, Tinto Brass, Dino Risi, are just some of the great directors for whom he scored more than 300 wondrous soundtracks. Swept Away, Le Mani sulla città’, Camille 2000, Colpo Rovente, The 10th Victim, Amore mio aiutami, More Than a Miracle, The Light at the Edge of the World, Puppet on a Chain, Lucky Luciano, Cristo si è Fermato a Eboli, Anna Karenina, Finché c’è guerra c’è speranza, Viaggio con papà, Fumo di Londra are just a few gems among many more. With great versatility, Piccioni incorporates jazz, funk, fusion, bossa, classical and contemporary 20th Century symphonic elements into his kaleidoscopic sounds which have been the lush sonic backdrop for everything from psychedelic, political, thriller, horror, romantic, comedy, western, classic novel adaptations, mythological, historic and epic film productions of the golden age of Italian and international cinema spanning four decades.

Meet Me Where They Play the Blues captures Maria Muldaur at her sexy, sultry, sizzlin' best. Twenty-five years after she sent her camel to bed in "Midnight at the Oasis," Muldaur delivers a soulful package of late-night blues gems bolstered by a top-notch supporting cast. Originally planning to record this material with the legendary singer/pianist Charles Brown, she ended up producing a tribute when Brown became too ill to join in. He was, however, able to sing a duet with Muldaur from his nursing home on "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You," a performance that turned out to be his last.

These 12 full-length CDs document the Vandermark 5 playing at Alchemia, a major nightclub in Kraków, Poland, for a period of five evenings in March 2005. Over the course of well more than 12 hours of music, the quintet solidifies its reputation as one of the most innovative and exciting jazz groups of its time, as magic fills the air every night. It is difficult to imagine a more compelling set of modern jazz. The invigorated Polish audience welcomed the group enthusiastically, and the musicians responded with thrilling performances that summarize the state of the band, which was in peak form, and suggest the directions in which jazz is heading as a creative force. This is difficult music to categorize, if only because it relies on traditional concepts of melody and improvisation, but pushes hard to stretch and twist the limits of propriety. The box set is marvelously packaged, with a splendid booklet featuring an extensive interview with Ken Vandermark, and numerous photos in color and black-and-white.

Wolfgang Dauner has now been highly active on the scene for more than fifty years. Dauner hired top young musicians to be around him for the current upgrade to United 2.0. The second United generation, like the first one, is eagerly researching the crossing points between jazz, rock, funk and world music. Featuring some of the finest avant-garde jazz players from Germany and beyond the Ensemble began life in 1975. Pianist Wolfgang Dauner, initially recruiting musicians from his home base of Stuttgart (then a hotbed of avant-garde jazz), put together a rotating cast of musicians, and shared writing and arranging duties with guitarist Volker Kriegel.

Reissue of Chet Baker Quintette - Chet Baker Quintette, released in 1963 on Crown Records.
Chet Baker was a primary exponent of the West Coast school of cool jazz in the early and mid-'50s. As a trumpeter, he had a generally restrained, intimate playing style and he attracted attention beyond jazz for his photogenic looks and singing. Baker earned much attention and critical praise through the 1950s, particularly for albums featuring his vocals (Chet Baker Sings, It Could Happen to You). Jazz historian Dave Gelly described the promise of Baker's early career as "James Dean, Sinatra, and Bix, rolled into one." His well-publicized drug habit also drove his notoriety and fame; Baker was in and out of jail frequently before enjoying a career resurgence in the late 1970s and '80s.

Brian Marsella is one of the most accomplished keyboard virtuosos in the Downtown scene - A vital member of projects by Cyro Baptista and John Zorn for decades, his fluid keyboard stylings and intense energy is legendary–and Medietas is his masterwork: a sprawling three-hour long work that embraces jazz, rock, funk, classical, world music, exotica, folk, soundtrack moods, and so much more. Segueing from song to song seamlessly, this is a work that puts you into an ecstatic dream world–a psychedelic musical trip like no other. Featuring some of the greatest musicians in the Downtown scene, this is a major new work by one of New Music's most exciting and visionary composer/performers.

Billy Flynn (born August 11, 1956) is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. In addition to his own work and works mentioned later, he has worked and recorded with Bryan Lee, Little Smokey Smothers, Mark Hummel, Willie Kent, Snooky Pryor, Big Bill Morganfield, John Brim, Jody Williams, Little Arthur Duncan, Deitra Farr, and Billy Boy Arnold. Billy's really got the rhythm of the blues down on this disc, and there is lots of spectacular guitar work sitting on top of those fine rhythms. Besides Billy's guitar, you'll find drums, piano, organ bass, sax (tenor and bari) and soulful vocal styling by Billy, Margaret Flynn, Nora Jean Welch and Al Kirk. Billy's mastery and sense of the appropriate should come as no surprise since he's played around the world in some fast, company and has earned a still -growing reputation. This fine project contains abundant amounts of satisfying guitar and very soulful, mid-tempo numbers that can occasionally remind one of Motown. Yes, it's very satisfying.

An object in motion stays in motion, as Newton eloquently explained. Thus we have the link connecting one enterprising artist to another. With Motivity, his fifth album to date, saxophonist Alex LoRe draws a direct line from his chordless trio approach to that of his mentor, the late Lee Konitz, on Motion (Verve, 1961). Working with two of the finest rhythm modernists on today’s scene—bassist Ben Street and drummer Johnathan Blake—LoRe upholds his reputation as an inveterate creative, presenting a thoughtfully constructed program highlighting his love for melody, communion and pure improvisation as they relate to both the source material and his own search for meaning in music.

Introducing "#1s - Movie Songs," the first installment in the highly-anticipated '#1s' series. Dive deep into the golden age of music with this compilation of chart-topping sensations from the Movie Songs. This disc collection captures the spirit, innovation, and charm of a transformative decade. Expect to be transported back in time with iconic tracks that still resonate today.

NYC-based pianist Grant Richards is an award-winning performer, composer, and educator able to adapt to a wide range of settings, styles, and genres. A native of Portland, Oregon, Grant began his studies at an early age and was able to thrive in a vibrant and supportive musical atmosphere, aided especially by the guidance of his teachers Eldon Richards, Randy Porter, Gordon Lee, and Thara Memory.