Music friends, that’s how trumpet player Jan van Duikeren puts his relationship to drummer John Engels. Inspired by their friendship, Jan started writing tunes for John and asked him for his favorite compositions to record. Their chemistry lead to the establishment of the quartet JvD4 in 2015 and to the recording of Dear John. Even before the recording of Dear john started in June 2015, the quartet was invited to play at Tokyo Jazz festival and some other Japanese venues. Both Jan and John love Jan. Jan performs in Japan almost every year, with Candy Dulfer, Trijntje Oosterhuis or Jazzinvaders. John, who turned 80 this year, experienced one of this career highlights in Japan in 1987, when he recorded a live record with Chet Baker.

Unreleased outside of Israel, SHAOT REGISHOT ("Sensitive Hours"), the gold album recorded in Hebrew by Avishai Cohen between GENTLY DISTURBED and AURORA, is now available everywhere on disc and vinyl. For the first time in his career, he does not make an instrumental album, but an album of beautiful songs that he writes and performs, strongly influenced by jazz, some traditional music, revealing a voice with multiple accents and an incredible charm...An essential milestone in his already rich discography.

Responding to overwhelming popular demand, Chandos is releasing Verdi and Variations as a 12” LP for the first time. This new venture is Chandos’ first LP production in many years. The works on the record are performed by Canadian ensemble I Musici de Montreal under the direction of the late, lamented Yuli Turovsky. Despite Giuseppi Verdi’s curt dismissal of his one and only chamber work as of ‘no importance’, it nevertheless received a fantastic reception at its premier and was hailed as a masterpiece. The present recording is a string orchestra arrangement by Yuli Turovsky. The other two works represent two composer’s unique takes on Verdi’s music. Antonio Pasculli’s Grand Concerto on Themes from Verdi’s I vespri siciliani was designed to showcase the composer’s considerable virtuosity as an oboist; it is here played by Philippe Magnan. Marc-Oliver Dupin’s Fantasia on Arias from La Traviata (1995), revisits the ‘fantasy’ genre in a set of six contrasting and highly entertaining variations.

Baby Raptors’ debut EP on Isotopia Records is an irresistible combination of retro 80’s songwriting combined with the vibe of Action Bronson’s hit Light in the Addict producer, Justin Nealis aka Party Supplies. Baby Raptors’ smooth, seductive vocals on her single I am My Only Love (#40 on the UK dance charts) beckons us to dance the night away in the same way Madonna’s Holiday first blew up overnight on the club scene. With the release of her new single Strings the comparison to 80s icons becomes even stronger, as Party Supplies’ production evokes a purposeful chic nod to the days of Prince nostalgia. However, it is Baby Raptor’s flawless, fresh, vocal timbre which possesses a vocal range not heard since the days of a young Mariah Carey, that excites us about the future for this new pop artist and songwriter on the rise.

2017 release. A rolling juggernaut of hard-edged northeastern funk and rock, punctuated by a tight horn section, this disc highlights the full throated voice and cocky attitude of lead singer, Miss Velvet. Coming straight out of a Janis Joplin/Chi Coltrane bag, Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf have been blowing away audiences in the Northeast US for the past few years. Recorded at Detroit's legendary United Sound studios and produced by Constance Hauman, Bad Get Some at once gives a nod to hard-driving blues and rock bands of the past while forging a red-hot sound all it's own. This is gut bucket, funky rock and roll... total body music.

Feed The Wolf is the 2nd album by Miss Velvet and The Blue Wolf. Their debut recording, Bad Get Some, received international critical acclaim. Miss Velvet & The Blue Wolf is a dynamic 8-piece New York-based band that brings a vital and original dimension to the contemporary Indie Rock/Funk scene. Fronted by the genre defying powerhouse lead vocalist Miss Velvet and featuring a rhythm and brass section comprised of some of America's leading studio musicians, the band has been garnering rave reviews for their highly accomplished musicianship and on-stage flair. The band has performed over 100 concerts opening for George Clinton Parliament Funkadelic. The iconic worldwide tour has seen them play before audiences across the States, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf have headlined at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, Tallinn Music Week, Jogevatreff Festival, Augustibluus Festival and concerts in Riga, Helsinki and Tallinn. The Band is also a favorite and regular throughout the New York concert circuit.

After all is said and done, after 30 years, after a pandemic which shattered the world, after thousands of kilometers travelled and many more thousands of notes played and sung, what remains ? A deep love and respect for great music and the greatness in music, a deep love for the humanity that is brought to life by it, a deep appreciation for the gift of friendship and for the power and resonance that brought and kept us together all these years, and for that curiosity and passion, that meticulous quest to unveil the deepest mysteries of music, that drives us always onwards. Finally, we’ve given it a name: Afterallogy

Coming under the form of a beautiful antique pink and dark green 3-shutters digipack and two-LPs Gatefold, 'Two Roses' is by Avishai's words "a once in a lifetime project". Associating his core trio (Mark Guiliana, Elchin Shirinov) with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, Avishai Cohen offers a very cinematic project between Jazz, Mediterranean Folklore and Classical music, reexploring a part of his musical journey. Not only proposing new orchestrations of his most successful works, 'Two Roses' is also strongly supported by 'When I'm Falling', an original composition showing how far the sound of Avishai Cohen has developed. The vinyl edition features 2 exclusive tracks in addition to the 12 songs already listed on the digital and CD editions; including a Symphonic version of Seven Seas which is one of Avishai's most beloved compositions.

This new release is an album of eloquent contemporary music for children performed by Mr. E and Me and The Norwegian Radio Orchestra. The wonderful songs are written, arranged and sung by the highly accomplished duo Mr. E and Me, which consists of Martin Hagfors and Erik Johannessen. Martin, American born, is an artist, composer and lyricist in his own right and a popular collaborator for the likes of Ellen Andrea Wang, Bobby Bare, Big Bang, Motorpsycho etc. Erik is a Norwegian composer, arranger and trombone playing member of Jaga Jazzist, he is also known for his studio work with Susanne Sundfor and The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra. New Orchestral Hits 4 Kids also includes a guest appearance by the world music icon, Mari Boine on the hauntingly eerie, Long, Long and performances by The Norwegian Girls Choir. New Orchestral Hits 4 Kids aims to open ears to the wonderful sounds of the orchestra while introducing whimsical, imaginative songs about friendships, forests, wet socks, dancing, space, a robot, a birthday, and a beautiful narrative about a girl on the moon.

The Mediterranean Sea, the cradle of many great cultures and travel route between Orient and Occident, is the point of departure of this enthralling album by the Pera Ensemble. On this release, the Pera Ensemble has dedicated itself to the Early Baroque - the period of transition from the Renaissance to the Baroque period itself. The program consists entirely of Italian music adapted together with Ottoman music. This album contains numerous world premiere recordings.

James Rhodes has no formal academic musical education or dedicated mentoring. The title of the debut album “Razor Blades Little Pills and Big Pianos”, hints at the suffering that dogged Rhodes’s childhood and early adult life. Classical music became his solace and key to his survival. It was Bach, Beethoven and Chopin, not Faith Hope and Charity, that offered comfort. In 1993, mental health issues stopped him taking up a scholarship to the Guildhall. Suffering further setbacks due to health issues it was not until 2008, when Rhodes met his present manager, Denis Blais, that he was encouraged to record his first album. This enabled him to bare his soul and put many of the ghosts of the past to rest. With Blais, Rhodes also created a distinctive and unique approach to how the classical piano repertoire should be presented. Uncomfortable with the austere and traditional ‘white tie and tails’ recital they decided it was time for the performer to communicate directly with the audience. Rhodes was going to introduce his own programme notes and share what it takes to perform these works of art using fascinating anecdotes about the composers and his own life experience. Delivered in his unique trademark stand-up style he creates an immersive experience that has won him and classical music a dedicated new following. His new album, presented here, shows the same no-holds-barred approach to these time-honored classics.

Whether as a solo instrument or as part of the orchestra, today the saxophone seldom appears in concert halls and opera houses. Nonetheless, before it found its true home, it was heard in classical music. Here, Schulte-Burnert skillfully presents three particularly brilliant and virtuosic concertos by John Williams, Michael Nyman and Andrei Eshpai.

From genre-smashing composer and keyboardist Miguel Kertsman and drummer Ernie Adams comes IN THE MOMENT, a true-to-its-name album that leaps over musical boundaries and defies any label. The single-take, minimally microphoned recordings capture the raw emotional potential of music and the spontaneity of an intimate recording session. Kertsman’s vintage analog keyboards, bass pedals, and Adams’ drums work in tandem to duck and weave between musical forms, mingling with progressive rock, jazz fusion, Brazilian, Eastern, and more, all seamlessly fused together into one cohesive musical journey.