Jon Batiste - "Monk Meditations" On Monk Meditations (Batiste Piano Series, Vol. 3), multi-Grammy® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste expands introspective short form compositions by Thelonious Monk into longer form piano works imbued with classical structure and quiet grandeur. Verve; Classical Crossover.

Amsterdam Piano Trio / Tchaikovsky: Piano Trio; Schoenberg: Verklarte Nacht This album pairs two works separated by only 17 years, but whose composers seem at first glance to be worlds apart. The coupling of Tchaikovsky's monumental Piano Trio in A minor (1882) with Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht (1899, in it's original scoring for string sextet) reveals a line of musical continuity from the great Russian Romantic to the pioneering Viennese modernist. Verklarte Nacht has itself been transfigured here in a new, never-before-recorded arrangement for piano trio by Henk Guittart, one of the world's leading Schoenberg specialists. This debut recording from the Amsterdam Piano Trio features award-winning Hyperion pianist Andrey Gugnin alongside violinist Anna Lipkind-Mazor and cellist Dmitry Prokofiev.

Verve Records: The Sound of America As an independent record producer going back to the early 1940s, Norman Granz started building a personal network of record companies - disc by disc, artist by artist, innovation by innovation - that grew into a tsunami by the time he sold Verve Records at the end of 1960. It remains a feat unmatched to this day. This 2-CD set celebrates the fascinating spectrum of recordings made during the Norman Granz era of Verve Records. It includes vocal tracks by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday; Charlie Parker with strings; a raucous live jam session; Beatnik poetry by Jack Kerouac and stand-up comedy. Verve Label Group; Verve; Jazz; Catalog

John Williams Legacy is a landmark collection featuring the maestro conducting his most iconic film scores, including beloved classics from Star Wars, Harry Potter, Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, E.T., and more. Performed by world-renowned orchestras, including Berliner Philharmoniker, Wiener Philharmoniker, and the Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles, these definitive high-fidelity recordings capture the composer's vision with unparalleled authenticity. Featuring liner notes by acclaimed journalist and author John Burlingame, this collection is a powerful celebration of one of film music's greatest careers and an essential addition for fans old and new. CD Digipak.

Jon Batiste - "Monk Movements" On the fourth volume of the Batiste Piano Series, multi-Grammy® and Oscar® winner Jon Batiste returns to some of the music that first shaped his voice at the piano, expanding upon the majestic, contemplative beauty at the heart of some of Thelonious Monk's most iconic works. Verve; Jazz.

Ikon/David Hill - "Howells: King David & Sine nomine". Herbert Howells was perhaps the most distinctive and revered composer of sacred choral music in 20th-century Britain. However, his non-sacred music has been long neglected; this album unearths Howells's little-known secular choral music. 12 of the 14 tracks here represent repertoire that is completely new to UMG. New arrangements by Iain Farrington have been specially made for this recording, including Howells's famous "King David" and the title track "Sine nomine." Ikon comprises the UK's foremost singers brought together to form one superchoir. David Hill MBE has held conducting posts with the Bach Choir, BBC Singers and Yale Schola Cantorum. Featuring starry soloists Ruairi Bowen (tenor), Hilary Cronin (soprano), Charlie Lovell-Jones (violin) and Iain Farrington (piano).

For their first harmonic mundi album, Florent Albrecht and his Ensemble L'Encyclopedie explore the mischievous world of the Mozarts, father and son. Whether in the well-known Toy Symphony, the tinkling bells of Leopold's A Musical Sleigh Ride or the 'How to compose all wrong' tutorial of Wolfgang's A Musical Joke, joy and fantasy are mixed with a portion of subtle wit - qualities shared by the polished stylistic approach of the performers.

Depicting the arc of a musician's day in Paris, from Chanson du Matin to Chanson de Nuit, Lumiere du Temps is the debut album from Italian violinist Lucilla Rose Mariotti. A laureate of numerous international competitions and already a veteran of concert halls worldwide, Lucilla Rose has been celebrated for her performances at iconic venues including the Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, as well as performing for King Charles at Highgrove. Lumiere du Temps features intimate works from the Belle Epoque era, including pieces by Elgar, D'Ambrosio, Rachmaninov, Debussy and Boulanger. Each miniature evokes the essence of the period, weaving lyrical elegance with deep emotional resonance and wistful reflections on the past.

Multi-award-winning saxophonist/composer Julian Arguelles approaches each new project with nothing to prove, his international reputation already documented through a formidable discography. Yet there's still an appeal in the classic album format: a band of players, time booked in the studio, a set of compositions, all combining to create an artistic palette with clearly defined boundaries. With Echo Fields Julian returns to a line-up that offers the simplest soundscape but the richest possibilities for deep improvisation - the chordless trio. The restrictions paradoxically act as a spur to creativity, and the choice of players reveals the breadth of Julian's ambition. Larry Grenadier on bass and Jorge Rossy on drums both stand in the top tier of international artists with a matchless ability to capture each nuance of the compositions and develop them into genuine spontaneous group improvisation. Echo Fields is the sound of three masters at work, rich in melody, full of rhythmic vitality, with a real sense of urgency and of music that just has to be played.

Jerry Weldon - The Summit - "Keep it swinging; that's the main thing" is not only tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon's description of the music on this album from his new band but also can stand as his musical life motto. The band heard here reflects his love of the hard swinging, hard bop bands of the mid-20th Century, most notably Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers (especially when it was a sextet with trumpet, tenor sax and trombone) and The Jazztet (of Benny Golson and Art Farmer). Weldon has put together a band of younger, but veteran, jazz musicians; Alonzo Demetrius, trumpet; Peter Lin, trombone; Mike Bond, piano; Jason Clotter, bass, and Carmen Intorre Jr., drums. This album was recorded live before an enthusiastic crowd at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center in New Jersey.

Completely contrary to the usual image of J.S. Bach as a recluse in his ivory tower, Amandine Beyer and Gli Incogniti reveal his lively admiration for the Italian music of his time, particularly that of Vivaldi and the brothers Marcello. Here Bach discovered sunlight and luminous colours that never ceased to nourish and inspire his musical imagination.

Grant Stewart - Next Spring - World-renowned tenor saxophonist Grant Stewart is known for his rich tone, swinging phrasing, and deep connection to the jazz tradition. Next Spring is his 5th album for Cellar Music. He is joined by three of his favorite players; Tardo Hammer on piano, Paul Sikivie on bass and Phil Stewart on drums.

Two German Romanticism enthusiasts, Raphael Severe and Adam Laloum, have planned a trip for us on the wings of song. Transcribing for clarinet and piano some of the most beautiful lieder of Schumann, Wagner, and Brahms, without the help of words they have unveiled all their poetry and their indescribable colors.