Büşra Kayıkçı – Places (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 42:59 minutes | 742 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics
“In a way, as a composer, I design a place, and the audience* walks around in it, moves around in its architecture.”
Büşra Kayıkçı’s new album “Places” is a continuation and deepening of her first compositional sketches and studies from 2019. Kayıkçı’s approach on this album is in a certain way synesthetic – or in other words, her idea of combining music and architecture goes far beyond purely interdisciplinary thinking.
Read moreBernard Lavilliers – Métamorphose (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 59:07 minutes | 660 MB | Genre: Pop, Chanson, Symphonic
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Universal Music Division Barclay
Lavilliers and the major orchestras work regularly. We remember his tribute to Léo Ferré at the Théâtre du Chatelet in 2006 with the Pasdeloup symphony orchestra… Just a year ago, he gave a unique concert at the Maison de la Radio with the Radio France orchestra. The experience made the singer want to continue the thread of this evening by recording part of his repertoire with a large classical orchestra. After “Sous un soleil énorme”, conceived in the middle of a pandemic and at a distance from his musicians, the singer wanted to reconnect with the spirit of “old-fashioned” recordings, finding oneself right among its musicians to recording an entire album. This without nostalgia, and accompanied by the composer and arranger Cyrille Aufort, a symphony orchestra of more than fifty musicians, and four traveling companions (Xavier Tribolet on keyboards, Antoine Reininger on bass, Michaël Lapie on drums and Vincent Faucher on guitar), Bernard Lavilliers invites us to witness the metamorphosis of 14 of his great songs.
Read moreAtlanta Rhythm Section – Time Machine (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 02:28:25 minutes | 1,62 GB | Genre: Rock, Southern Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Atlanta Rhythm Section – Buddy Buie Productions
Time Machine – Limited Edition – Atlanta Rhythm Section – 2 CDS / 32 TRACKS, 7 PREVIOUSLY RELEASED STUDIO TRACKS, 6 PREVIOUSLY RELEASED LIVE TRACKS. Authorized by the Atlanta Rhythm Section! Often described as a more radio-friendly version of Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Atlanta Rhythm Section was one of a few Southern rock bands to hit the upper reaches of the charts during the ’70s. Hailing from the small town of Doraville, Georgia, the formation of ARS can be traced to the remnants of two groups (The Candymen & The Classics IV). Local Hit Songwriter Buddy Buie, assembled the band which comprised singer Rodney Justo, guitarist Barry Bailey, bassist Paul Goddard, keyboardist Dean Daughtry, and drummer Robert Nix. After playing on several artists’ recordings, it was decided to take the band a step further and make the group of players a real band, leading to the formation of the ARS. Disc One, features album Deep Cuts and previously Unreleased Studio Recordings. Disc Two features live performances of their Greatest Hits over the decades.
Read moreAshley McBryde – The Devil I Know (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 38:05 minutes | 474 MB | Genre: Country
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Music Nashville
GRAMMY Award winner Ashley McBryde has made a name for herself with her standout, critically acclaimed albums, all of which found the Arkansas native straddling lines between traditional country, rock-tinged roots and point-blank biker-bar riffs, leadingAmerican Songwriterto boast her “music balances gutsy rocking with classic country, folk and even slight bluegrass influences.” WithThe Devil I Know, set for release Sept. 8 via Warner Music Nashville, the Grand Ole Opry member and her band Deadhorse honed in and sharpened what it is they do best. “When it was time to put togetherThe Devil I Know, my band and I did what we always do: got together in the purple building in East Nashville, played through a bunch of songs and discussed where we wanted it to go,” shares McBryde. “We decided to take all the things that people tend to give us a hard time for and turn it up.
Read moreAnna Mattix, Timothy McAllister, National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic, JoAnn Falletta – Copland, Creston & Others: Orchestral Works (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:02:29 minutes | 1,10 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Naxos
This recording brings together four extraordinary mid-20th-century composers who helped shape America’s musical destiny. Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land is a moving tribute to the American rancher and farmer. It forms a profound celebration of those unsung heroes of that country’s landscape, and is perhaps his greatest expression of the preciousness of life. Walter Piston is represented by his colorful and beguiling The Incredible Flutist, which depicts a traveling circus led by a magical musician who is able to heal the sorrows of those who hear his music. The two premiere recordings here are the original orchestral version of Paul Creston’s thrilling Saxophone Concerto, and Ulysses Kay’s Pietà – a beautiful elegy inspired by Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
Read moreVarious Artists – Sowal Diabi: De Kaboul à Bamako (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 54:53 minutes | 592 MB | Genre: World Fusion, Ethnic Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Accords Croisés
This ambitious project initiated with a reflection on exile and refugees and resulted in an original musical creation bringing together 12 artists – Arat Kilo, Mamani Keita, Ruşan Filiztek, Aida Nosrat, etc. – to create a repertoire of 14 songs, with influences from ethio-jazz, Afghan, Malian and Persian music. A clever mix of cultures, languages, and musicalities where emotion is the anchor.
Read moreStacey Kent – Let Yourself Go (2000/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 54:45 minutes | 608 MB | Genre: Jazz, Vocal Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Candid
Let Yourself Go: Celebrating Fred Astaire is a 2000 studio album by Stacey Kent.
This was Kent’s third studio album, and was recorded in tribute to the dancer and singer Fred Astaire, who introduced many of the songs on this album.
Dave Nathan, writing on Allmusic.com gave the album three stars out of five. Nathan said that it was “another excellent album” by Kent and it was “happily recommended”. Nathan praised Kent’s interplay with pianist David Newton on “Isn’t This a Lovely Day” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me,”, and guitarist Colin Oxley on “A Fine Romance”. David Adler in All About Jazz wrote that Jim Tomlinson’s tenor saxophone breaks on “He Loves and She Loves” are “exquisite”. He praised Kent’s delivery as “charming and infectious…She pours her heart out on two devastatingly sad numbers, “By Myself” and “I Guess I’ll Have to Change My Plan””.
Read moreSebastian Zawadzki Trio – Viridian Remastered (2022/2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 49:29 minutes | 485 MB | Genre: Jazz, Contemporary Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Sebastian Zawadzki Music
Sebastian Zawadzki (born 14 October 1991) is a Polish-born jazz pianist, composer and film composer living in Copenhagen who has been releasing albums since 2014 as well as composing and arranging music for a wide array of media including TV and films. In his works he incorporates elements of classical, electronic and jazz music. Viridian is a collection of melodious improvised solo piano pieces, recorded in Tall Pine Records in Kolbudy, Poland.
Read morePoiL Ueda – Yoshitsune (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 39:59 minutes | 441 MB | Genre: Progressive Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Dur et Doux
Unexpected encounter between Junko Ueda, eminent figure of the Japanese medieval epic storytelling, whose warm and profound voice summons the terrestrial energies, and the organic madness of the monster PoiL practicing with cosmic rock without net. Just after releasing the debut record, the story continues with the epic story of Yoshitsune.
“Traditional Japanese satsuma-biwa playing and Buddhist chanting find a surprising congruence with prog freakouts.” The Wire. JR Moores
“A wildly loud fusion of the ancient and the future.” NPR Music, All song considered. Bob Boilen
“Ueda’s vocals are hugely, dramatically expressive, fierce and sharp. She rocks, and so does PoiL Ueda.”
Read moreP.J. Perry – PJ Perry/Live at George’s Jazz Room, Toronto: June 29, 1991 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 01:28:42 minutes | 1,01 GB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Cornerstone Records Inc.
Scanning an album that bears the name Alto Gusto, a prospective listener may be forgiven for assuming that it consists of a series of upbeat themes designed to cause toes to tap, fingers to snap and the heart rate to soar. And once it becomes clear that that is not what Canadian alto saxophonist PJ Perry’s quartet had in mind, it would be quite plausible for him or her to wonder what had happened.
Read moreNicole Brady – Lost Palace (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 42:09 minutes | 768 MB | Genre: Electronic, Classical Crossover
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Bright Shiny Things
Nicole Brady’s debut album invites listeners into a cinematic tale centered around a band of musicians who once played in a long Lost Palace. Collaborating with iconic musicians, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Miles Mosley, Mark Guiliana and Lydia Ainsworth, Brady composed and produced the eight-track album in Dolby Atmos, achieving a surreal sense of immersion. The album’s sonics carry on the canon of beat-making traditions and classical music, with the psychological multi-narratives reminiscent of 1960s filmmaking. At its core, the album serves as a testament to Brady’s prowess in producing, composing, and performing, showcasing her keyboard skills as the foundation of this genre-defying and organically cohesive concept album.
Read moreLondon Voices, William Saunders & Ben Parry – Jonathan Rutherford: The Wilderness and the Solitary Place (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 58:18 minutes | 543 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Orchid Classics
The Wilderness and the Solitary Place is an album of world-premiere recordings in which Ben Parry conducts London Voices and organist William Saunders in choral music by British composer Jonathan Rutherford. Following the release of I Slept and Dreamed that Life Was Beauty, these exceptional musicians reunite to perform Rutherford’s sensitive settings of sacred and secular texts. Three Advent carols inspired by Isaiah include one translated into verse by Jennifer Thorn and another derived from the medieval Coventry Mystery Play. From Rutherford’s opera, The Star-Child, based on two Oscar Wilde stories, we hear his Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis and Pilgrim’s Song – in turn based on Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Rejoice! Rejoice! is a Christmas anthem inspired by Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester, and In the Bleak Midwinter is a new setting of Christina Rossetti’s timeless poetry. The recording culminates in Rutherford’s meditative and profoundly beautiful Good Friday Music (Seven Last Words).
Read moreLinda Guo and Yuhao Guo – Strauss, Schumann & Szymanowski: Mythen (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:05:18 minutes | 1,18 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Ars Produktion
This CD brings together works by three outstanding composers from the 19th and 20th centuries, each of whom interprets the connection between violin and piano in a unique compositional way.
The Violin Sonata Op. 18 by Richard Strauss takes you into a world of melodic beauty and the harmonious unity between both instruments. Strauss, known for his symphonic poems and operas, shows here his masterful ability to combine the virtuosity of the violin with pianistic brilliance.
Clara Schumann’s Three Romances for Violin and Piano Op. 22 reveal a tender and expressive connection between the instruments. A remarkable 19th-century pianist and composer, Clara Schumann demonstrates here her masterful ability to bring the violin and piano together in an intimate unity.
The Myths Op. 30 by the Polish composer Karol Szymanowski unfold as fascinating musical tales from Greek mythology. Here the violin becomes the storyteller, while the piano sensitively accompanies the dramatic and expressive aspects of the myths. The two instruments merge to create a mysterious and colorful overall sound.
In each of these compositions it becomes clear how both instruments develop extraordinary expressive power together. Whether it’s melodic beauty, delicate expressions or dramatic narratives – these works show the timeless fascination and the unique connection between violin and piano.
Read moreJelena Jovović – Night Bird (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/48 kHz | Time – 58:55 minutes | 684 MB | Genre: Jazz
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alessa Records
Jelena Jovovic jazz vocalist, vocal clinician, composer, lyricist… Graduated summa cum laude in jazz singing at the University of Arts in Graz, Austria. MA degree in jazz performance at the FMU, University of Arts, Belgrade.
Jelena lived in South Africa where she performed extensively and established the jazz vocal curricula at the Jazz department of Cape Town University and Pretoria Tech School of Music.
Upon her return to Belgrade, she worked as a Creative Director of the Radio- Television Big Band and was a Professor of Jazz singing at the Music School ” Stankovic”.
Read moreJames Asher – Eye on Astrology (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:12:41 minutes | 756 MB | Genre: Electronic, New Age, Ambient, Fusion
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Starfield
James Asher is a multi-instrumental composer and producer specialising in world beat and chillout music. Amongst his catalogue of over 30 successful albums his worldbeat album Feet in the Soil has sold over 250,000 copies, and interestingly but at the other end of the spectrum one of his early compositions has been sampled by Tyler the Creator, a high-profile American rapper, who for the second year running has won Grammy for best rap album 2022.
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