PHI is probably the first jazz record entirely based on the golden ratio. This ratio has already fascinated artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Johann Sebastian Bach or B�la Bart�k. Far from being a conceptual music, the style of Olivier Collette's compositions is melodious, harmonious and dynamic. Among others, one can hear influences of Pat Metheny or Keith Jarrett. Two prestigious guests for this album : guitarist Peter Hertmans and trumpet player Bert Joris.

2016 release. Everything's Beautiful brings Miles Davis' sound into the 21st century, blending a diverse group of master takes and outtakes from across Miles' incredible tenure with Columbia Records (1955-1985) with original reinterpretations. Robert Glasper produced the collaboration. "I didn't want to do just a remix record," Glasper noted when discussing the 11-song set. "My idea was to show how Miles inspired people to make new art." Knowing that "Miles didn't have one audience," Glasper recruited a legion of diverse guest artists to add to the magic of the project including familiar collaborators like R&B musicians Erykah Badu, Ledisi, Bilal and KING. They are joined by British soul singer-songwriter Laura Mvula; hip-hop producer Rashad Smith; Grammy-nominated Australian neo-soul quartet Hiatus Kaiyote, rapper/producer Illa J; jazz guitarist John Scofield, who collaborated with Davis; and the legendary Stevie Wonder.

Double vinyl LP pressing. 2015 album by the jazz vocalist/musician/songwriter. Coming Forth By Day is a musical homage to legendary jazz vocalist Billie Holiday on the 100th anniversary of the singer's birth. The album was produced by Nick Launay, known as Nick Cave's producer for the last decade among many other adventurous credits. Wilson recorded the music at Seedy Underbelly studios in Los Angeles at Seedy Underbelly studios, accompanied by an A list musical team including producer Launay, guitarists T Bone Burnett and Nick Zinner of the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, string arranger Van Dyke Parks and rhythm section The Bad Seeds (drummer Thomas Wydler and bassist Martyn P. Casey). Wilson is a leading American Jazz has who has received many awards and accolades, including: two Grammys (1996, Best Jazz Vocal Performance; 2009, Best Jazz Vocal Album);Down Beat's Female Jazz Vocalist of the Year (1994-1996); the Montreal International Jazz Festival's Miles Davis Prize (1999); named "America's Best Singer" in Time magazine (2001); honorary doctorate in the Arts from Millsaps College (2003); added to the Mississippi Blues Trail (2010); and taken home the BET Soul Train Award (2011, Best Traditional Jazz Album).

Classical Music

Classical Music

Cecil Taylor was a powerful and unforgettable music force - a fearless visionary and one of the greatest musicians of the past 100 years. His visceral and intense performances influenced generations of musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers and creative minds of every description. Winged Serpents features six heartfelt tributes performed by some of the most original pianists and musical thinkers working today. Each has been touched by Cecil's magic and here perform an improvised tribute to this legendary genius that created a new music that transcended all genres.

In 1955 the great Duke Ellington and his Orchestra performed for the 10,000 seat D. C. Armory, in his hometown of Washington, D. C. As Ellington fans will of course remember, Ellington had an incredible rebirth at the Newport Jazz Festival the next year, after reacquiring alto saxophone star Johnny Hodges and his writing partner, the great Billy Strayhorn. New drummer Sam Woodyard would also prove to be an invaluable part of the new Ellington sound, but as this concert is from 1955, none of these changes had as yet taken place, which is why this performance is so very significant to the Ellington aficionado. In this performance we have the great alto saxophonist Rick Henderson, who was a very capable arranger as well as bebop altoist. Here we get to hear a rare glimpse of his playing and writing on 'All The Things You Are'. He was not featured as the band's lead alto, as Russell Procope had taken over after brief stints in which Willie Smith and then Hilton Jefferson played lead in the band. We also hear from the great drummer Dave Black, for whom Strayhorn composed and arranged 'Gonna Tan Your Hide', and here he is most interestingly heard in his interpretation of 'Tone Parallel to Harlem'. Perdido is used as a swinging vehicle for Clark Terry's prodigious and sassy story telling, along with some sidebar commentary by other brass members Nance, Anderson, and Woodman. 'Just Squeeze Me' features Ray Nance's soulfully swaggerful singing as always. Pay attention to the 'pep section' (brass with plungers) as they squeeze so much juice out of this song it should be a crime! Cat Anderson does his usual Spanish tinged feature on 'La Virgen', full of suspenseful dramatics and prowlery of 'el gato' himself. Duke announces a fully descriptive introduction of the 1946 composition 'Happy Go-Lucky Local' complete with his subliminal shot at ex-Ellingtonian tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest, who essentially 'borrowed' the main theme of the tune for his huge hit record 'Night Train'. More great Ray Nance vocals on 'A Train', the very song he recorded his very famous trumpet solo on, but this is the early 50's version of course, complete with an incredible performance by tenor sax giant Paul Gonsalves. The tune called 'John Sanders' Blues' appears to actually be a slight reworking of 'Happy Go-Lucky Local' part 1, again from the 1946 composition, Deep South Suite.

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On his farewell "Meeting of the Spirits" tour of America (2017), boundary-shattering English guitarist John McLaughlin teamed with one of his favorite musicians, American guitarist Jimmy Herring. Jimmy's band the Invisible Whip and John's band 4th Dimension join forces to resurrect the sound, spirit and classic tracks of the Mahavishnu Orchestra as you hear this concert at the Warfield Theatre. The groups wield telepathic interplay on "Meeting of the Spirits," "Birds of Fire," "The Dance of Maya," "Trilogy," "Be Happy," "Earth Ship," "Eternity's Breath" and more! Abstract Logix.

Clarinettist and bandleader Woody Herman was one of the leading figures of the swing era and beyond, with his various bands, generally known as "Herman's Herd", being known for the force and originality of their music, which was often cutting edge and experimental for it's time. However, his records were always very popular, and regularly featured in the Billboard charts from the 1930s through to the 1950s. This collection, unusually perhaps for jazz music, focuses on those chart hits, and primarily comprises the 34 chart hits he had, which included the No. 1 hit "Blues In The Night" and the Top 5 hits "Laura" and "Caldonia". Herman himself was a noted vocalist, and he features as a singer on some of these titles, while others provide a showcase for two of his female singers during the '40s, Frances Wayne and Muriel Lane. Alongside those hits, and interspersed within the chronological presentation of the 44 recordings in the 2-CD collection, are other titles which were not hits, but which are recognised by commentators and critics and being among his most interesting and notable recordings, such as his suite, with Igor Stravinsky conducting, called "The Ebony Concerto". The range of material in this anthology provides a fascinating overview of the Herman's innovative, but always fresh and entertaining music during this dynamic era in jazz and popular music.

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2018 debut album, by prodigious keys player, composer and producer Joe Armon-Jones, is buoyant, celebratory and welcoming. With a background in jazz, he draws from influences in dub, hip-hop and soul. Different traditions are infused and commingled together. Soulful brass arrangements are colored with carefully-tuned atmospherics; individual flashes of brilliance are bound into the album's bigger picture. He's part of London's young, jazz-influenced music scene. Drawn from that same close-knit circle, the album features the likes of Moses Boyd, Nubya Garcia and Oscar Jerome. It's playing with those - along with Ezra Collective, which he co-founded, and touring with the likes of Ata Kak and Pharoahe Monch - which has honed his playing and grown his ideas. It's made for a record with an unmistakable depth. He draws on deep musical understanding, making music which is warm and has a feeling of joy. A document of his vision for bringing together his different influences, it's also a testament to hard-earned, head-turning musical virtuosity.

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Featuring Sunday's two live sets from a four-night run at New York's Jazz Standard in 2015, the road-tested Dave Douglas Quintet delivers a roller-coaster ride of complex harmonic and rhythmic structures, veering between fierce and soulful on this two disc release. Also part of a complete 8 CD set, the music features New York heavyweights Jon Irabagon, Matt Mitchell, Linda May Han Oh and Rudy Royston. GRE-CD-1067, Disc 1: 01. Law of Historical Memory 02. Ocean Spray 03. This Is My Father's World 04. Variable Current 05. My Cares Are Down Below / The Pigeon And The Pie 06. There Is A Balm In Gilead GRE-CD-1067, Disc 2: 01. Bridge To Nowhere 02. Deep River 03. Wake Up Claire 04. Going Somewhere Without You 05. God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Jimmy Smith was one of the first musicians to use the Hammond organ in jazz and popular music, taking it up in 1951 and establishing a formidable reputation in Philadelphia, before coming to prominence with his 1956 appearances at New York's Café Bohemia., followed by dates and Birdland and the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival, cementing his place as the pioneer of the Hammond in jazz and R&B. After occasional recordings early in the '50s, he recorded regularly with his own trio from 1956, and this collection chronicles that first decade of his career as he effectively established a sub-genre within popular music, recording prolifically for Blue Note while touring regularly, becoming a favourite with club audiences, who enjoyed the crossover feel of his music, incorporating contemporary rhythm and blues styles with sophisticated bop influences, as he used the organ to create a group sound in what became a familiar trio line-up with guitar and drums. This great value 4-CD set, includes tracks from most of his significant sessions and albums along with some 'live' recordings, and it provides an excellent overview of both the best-known and perhaps less familiar work from the formative decade of a career that lasted half a century, and is a great introduction to one of the influential and innovative figures in jazz and R&B in the post-war era.

Artie Shaw was a unique personality in jazz, big band and swing music - as clarinetist, bandleader, composer, and arranger, he pursued his own often idiosyncratic, original and some might say perverse approach to his music and career, and along the way produced some of the most popular and memorable recordings of the swing era Huge hits ("Begin the Beguine"), songs he introduced into the jazz canon ("Frenesi"), original compositions ("Summit Ridge Drive") 43 prime cuts from a legendary big-band career, offered for a fabulous price by the Fabulous label! Other hits include "Star Dust," "Count Every Star," "My Little Nest of Heavenly Blue," "Concerto for Clarinet," "The Blues," "St. James Infirmary" and more. Fabulous.

2018 EP release from the songwriter and classical violinist. Kimia Penton uses her music to explore the common themes we share on life's journey. Having garnered favorable comparisons to Norah Jones, Brandi Carlile, Alison Krauss, Sara Bareilles, and Eva Cassidy, Kimia Penton's music is a tapestry of her adventures and travels that covers wide swaths of jazz, pop, and folk, as well as stitches of classical, R&B, Blues, and Middle Eastern influences. The Where The Rain Falls EP is a soulful and sophisticated celebration of self-compassion, authenticity, emotional healing, and fearless femininity. Kimia's poignant and relatable lyrics and heartfelt vocals are inspired by her broad cultural background and reveal resonant themes of bravery, vulnerability, and self-reflection.

Ivie Anderson was a jazz singer who was so versatile and highly regarded that she was the longest-serving female vocalist with the Duke Ellington Orchestra, occupying that exacting role from 1932 through to 1942, a vital and exciting formative era for Ellington's music. Born in 1905, she began performing in her native Los Angeles in 1921, and by 1925 was singing at New York's famous Cotton Club and toured with stage musicals, before joining Earl Hines in 1930. She was soon hired by the Duke, and enjoyed a lengthy stay with him, as he made the most of her fine jazz feel, and her ability to work across a range of styles and material, from highly original renditions of up-tempo material like her much-lauded recording of "It Don't Mean A Thing" to sensitive treatments of ballads like "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good" which place her alongside the likes of much better known peers as Billie Holiday. This great value 50-track 2-CD set primarily comprises recordings with the Ellington orchestra for the Brunswick, Columbia, RCA-Victor, Variety & Master labels across the era, including the 1942 pop and R&B hits "I Got It Bad" and "Hayfoot, Strawfoot", plus later solo recordings for the Excello and Black & White labels, including her 1944 hit "Mexico Joe". It also includes a version with Duke of "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm" which she performed in the 1942 Marx Brothers movie "A Day At The Races". It's a thoroughly enjoyable and, we hope, nicely representative overview of the most important period of her career and a fine showcase for a distinctive performer who has not received the recognition her talent merits.

A presence on the European jazz scene for 25 years, Belgian bassist Piet Verbist is best known for his decade of touring with Universal Records' Jef Neve Trio, with the expansive list of artists he performs with yearly, or releases and tours by his own groups - the modern, electric Zygomatik and the collective, Mamutrio. Having many compositions that fell outside the needs of those groups, Verbist formed his acoustic quartet for exploring wider musical concepts with a lot of space for dynamic improvisation. "Suite R'union" is also a celebration of old friends, as the acclaimed drummer Dr' Pallemaerts and Verbist's musical collaborations go back to their early teens.

Having always found inspiration in the evocative recordings of Gil Evans and Miles Davis, and from the great balladeers - Dexter, Trane, Turrentine, Clifford Brown - veteran Seattle trumpeter/saxophonist Jay Thomas was always on the lookout for the right relationship with an arranger who could properly frame his vision for a recording of richly orchestrated ballads. Meeting the German composer/arranger/trumpeter Oliver Groenewald opened the door to several years of collaboration, culminating in this deep recording of lush landscapes and melodies, performed with the intention, clarity and sustained energy of a master melodist.

Classical Music

Classical Music

Nancy Wilson is one of the finest vocalists to emerge in the post-war era to take over the mantle of great jazz, cabaret and pop singers such as Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald and Peggy Lee, and compete with them on their own terms. Achieving her early recognition in the era when the long-playing stereo album was becoming a universal format, she was always primarily an album artist, especially with her focus being as much on jazz and easy listening as the pure pop market, although she had chart success in the pop, R&B and adult contemporary markets from the '60s through to the '90s. This collection takes a thorough look at the formative years of her career, comprising as it does her complete performances on five LPs - "Like In Love", recorded in 1956 when she was just 19, "Something Wonderful", "The Swinging's Mutual" with jazz pianist George Shearing, the equally jazz-oriented "Nancy Wilson With Cannonball Adderley", and "Hello Young Lovers". In addition, it includes an early single with R&B artist Rusty Bryant, two of her singles from 1960 and a couple of very jazzy 'live' performances from 1961. It showcases the breadth and distinctiveness of her talent, and her sophisticated artistry even in these early days, as she delivers material across the jazz, blues and pop spectrum

Sofia Rei, JC Maillard, Franco Pinna, Thierry Arpino The fabulous voice of Sofia Rei has graced several Zorn vocal projects, from the acappella quartet Mycale to the dynamic Song Project, and here she interprets 8 compositions from the Book Beri'ah-the third and last book completing the Masada legacy. Featuring the remarkable JC Maillard on saz bass, the arrangements are incredibly varied, and range from lyrical heartfelt ballads to driving grooves. Intimate and intensely personal, this is one of the most unique Masada cds in the entire series! Unforgettable. 1. Ge'ulah 2. Setumah 3. Kayam 4. Rachamim 5. Penimi 6. Orot 7. Tikkun 8. Ketarim

Japanese vocalist May Okita recently departed Los Angeles where she spent several years developing her musical voice with some of the finest mentors and musical partners in jazz. Before moving back to Tokyo, she recorded this deeply personal album with two particularly inspirational and empathetic musicians: pianist Josh Nelson and guitarist Larry Koonse. Together, they explore many of the subtleties of the human heart - pleasure, sorrow, passion, calmness - her sonorous and poignant voice floating effortlessly over the Bernstein/Comden gem "Some Other Time," the Joni Mitchell classic "Both Sides Now," the Lou Carter, Herb Ellis, Johnny Frigo beauty "Detour Ahead," or May and Josh's own title song. "Art of Life" is a heartfelt debut for a promising new voice."May's delivery is at times so genuine and kind, it is really a pleasure to listen to her..." - Michele Weir.

Classical Music