Rockin' is a budget-priced collection covering Dave Edmunds' Columbia recordings. Which means, of course, that his biggest hits and best-known songs are present as live tracks, not the original hit single versions, and that the remaining cuts are culled from uneven records which were often hampered by Jeff Lynne's heavy production. Therefore, Rockin' doesn't capture Edmunds at his best, but it does offer a fair overview of a decidedly uneven portion of his career.

Steve Davis is one of the breed of young boppers whom have mastered the idiom. Here, the trombonist leads a group mostly culled from One for All, a conglomeration of extraordinary musicians who perform regularly together in the Big Apple. Veteran pianist Harold Mabern joins them, adding experience and depth. Davis plays a mean 'bone, strongly indebted to Curtis Fuller. Like Fuller, he sticks to the middle range of the horn, boasts a somewhat nasal tone, and plays smoothly at almost any tempo. He is also a good, if cautious, composer. Tenor saxophonist Eric Alexander continues to grow both in stature and skill, and contributes solidly with strong solos. While there is nothing revolutionary or new in the group's playing, there is a strong sense of camaraderie and precision that lifts this performance to a higher level.

Fans of King Crimson, Univers Zero and Magma, pay attention: Happy Family is one of the best bands currently happening in Japan right now. Furious riffing, noisy angular drumming, intense energy and top-notch musicianship is what they're about. Their guitar work is in the vein or Robert Fripp; the keyboards recall either Univers Zero or Magma (depending on what passages you're hearing); the fretless bass work will no doubt remind you of the Magma/Zeuhl fusion sound; and the drumming will instantly recall Bill Bruford or Daniel Denis of Univers Zero. Throw in a bit of heavy metal, some Japanese goofiness and you're in for quite a sonic ride.

This 1997 follow-up to The Naked Truth repeats the basic "live and acoustic" formula of that album, but it isn't the uninspired retread one might expect. Since the last album used most of the group's familiar numbers, this collection of songs digs deeper into the group's catalog to highlight some lesser-known gems that will delight Golden Earring fanatics. Two of the best examples are "Buddy Joe," a rousing adventure tale that translates perfectly to the acoustic setting, and "Bombay," a tune that takes an almost hoedown-style quality when stripped of its electric guitars. The set list also includes a few covers that appeared on Love Sweat, "Who Do You Love" and "This Wheel's on Fire."

…The only source for the `St. Luke Passion' is a score copy begun by Johann Sebastian Bach and completed by his son Carl Phillip Emanuel….Wolfgang Helbich is a persuasive advocate of the score. Good sound, texts and translations.

There is nothing left wanting in these performances. Hantaï and Verzier both display adroit virtuosity, possess warm tones but distinctive approaches, and share a telepathic sense of interplay, all excellent qualities in these intimate chamber works. Brother Pierre Hantaï on the keyboard sticks with them throughout, following them even in the most tempo rubato-saturated Sarabande. The lion's share of the pieces here are in the standard stylized Baroque dance forms, but Marais' expressive melodies, pungent harmonies, and highly individual take on the forms make each piece unique.

Several generations of Bachs have been gathered by Richard Marlow and the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge for their programme of motets. All of them have been recorded at various times in the past but many only infrequently, and one or two, perhaps, now make their first appearance on CD. There is no dull music here and two of the pieces, at least, are of outstanding expressive beauty. The earlier of these is Johann Bach’s profoundly affecting Unser Leben ist ein Schatten (“Our life is but a shadow”). This member of the clan survived both the Black Death and the savage bombardment of Erfurt during the Thirty Years War.

On the transition of renaissance and early baroque this music is a synthesis of the polyphonic instrumental music for 2 (instrumental) choirs as developed in Venice. The symphoniae already have a basso continuo, but are polyphonic composed for 2 choirs. Alberto Rasi, with Academis Strumentale and two other consorts has understood the basis of the music perfectly. His approach is to render the canzonas in accordance with the style of late renaissance instrumental dance music, using contempory instruments.

For Carly Simon, Film Noir is a way to explore traditional pop classics. Using smoky saloon songs like "Ev'rytime We Say Goodbye" as a blueprint, Simon and producer Jimmy Webb create a seductive, intimate atmosphere. Simon's vocals aren't naturally suited to this material, but she acquits herself well, and the two duets – one with Webb and one with John Travolta ("Two Sleepy People") – are charming additions to an ingratiating album.

Genius of gypsy style guitar playing Django Reinhardtand the violinist Stephane Grappelli made joyful music which truly swung and Grappelli went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career stretching over sixty years in a wide variety of musical settings. The Quintette itself became popular in London before the war and Grappelli decided to stay, recording with his Hot Four, with Hatchett’s Swingtette, named after the famous nightclub, with full orchestra and later with Sir Yehudi Menuhin, the classical violinist. This album includes several favourite compositions "I Found A New Baby", "Alabamy Bound", "Viper's Dream", "Dinah", "I Saw Stars" and "Body & Soul".

Die Wiener Philharmoniker sind häufig so etwas wie eine sichere Bank für R. Strauss - und für die Alpensymphonie allemal (man denke nur an die phantastische Aufnahme unter Thielemann). Und auch hier gelingt ihnen - unter dem sehr engagierten Dirigat von S. Ozawa eine herausragende Interpretation.