It's hard to believe that the Cure could release an album even more sparse than Three Imaginary Boys, but here's the proof. The lineup change that saw funkstery bassist Michael Dempsey squeezed out in favor of the more specific playing of (eventually the longest serving member outside Robert Smith) Simon Gallup, and the addition of keyboardist Mathieu Hartley resulted in the band becoming more rigid in sound, and more disciplined in attitude. While it is not the study in loss that Faith would become, or the descent into madness of Pornography, it is a perfect precursor to those collections. In a sense, Seventeen Seconds is the beginning of a trilogy of sorts, the emptiness that leads to the questioning and eventual madness of the subsequent work…

Lonnie Brooks in his jukebox bluesman mode, playing the hits of the day for an appreciative crowd at one of Chicago's legendary blues joints. First issued on the European Black Magic label, the set captures his showmanship effectively as he attacks "You Don't Have to Go," "Sweet Little Angel," "Hide Away," and Johnnie Taylor's soul workout "Who's Making Love." Even in 1968, he was stockpiling originals - a rocking "Shakin' Little Mama" and a distinctive "The Train & the Horse" are all his.

It's been four long years since British composer and saxophonist John Surman issued a new recording for his longtime home label, ECM. In a loose way, The Spaces in Between is the mirror image of 2003's Free and Equal, recorded with drummer Jack DeJohnette and the London Brass (though that record was a mirror of the first teaming of Surman with his longtime collaborator, double bassist Chris Laurence and the then-new Trans4mation String Quartet). Surman has been writing, arranging for, and performing with Trans4mation since that time. Whereas Coruscating was far more formal in structure, and its textures and colorings plotted in advance, here there are more opportunities for the strings to improvise and add more freely to the mix…

An all-instrumental group that mixed prog metal and jazz fusion with the more ethereal sounds of King Crimson, Gordian Knot was the project of bassist/stick player/keyboardist Sean Malone with several collaborators including guitarist Trey Gunn of King Crimson and former Cynic drummer Sean Reinert. Gordian Knot also included guitarists Ron Jarzombek and Glenn Snelwar. As well as playing atmospheric and heavy progressive music, the group also experimented on their eponymous debut with Eastern-influenced pieces. Malone soon began working on a sequel with a whole new roster of prog rock guests, including former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett and former Yes drummer Bill Bruford.

An acclaimed master of the synthesizer, a highly talented multi-instrumentalist and an innovative producer, Phil Thornton is very much a leading light amongst the futuristic and visionary musicians of the New Age. His adventurous and seductive compositions ring out with a tremendous 'journey' quality, evoking rich exotic soundscapes.
From Another Sky (1988). Phil's musical mastery evokes scenes and visions from another dimension, a world that combines a hypnotic equilibrium with unexpected glimpses of sheer beauty and revelation. From Another Sky is delightfully expressive and pleasurable, being at once tantalisingly sensual and intimately restful. Spirals of multi-layered musical textures of harp, oboes, guitar and keyboards subtly entrance the senses with their sparkling clarity. This is a genuinely unforgettable venture deep into the realm of spiritual beauty…

A singer with an exciting presence and a voice to immerse yourself in. A band that lit up with high wattage a repertoire including both standards and popular songs. A band leader who had his ensemble under control through proven discipline and could, when needed, take the lead as a soloist, but tended to hold back amidst his all-stars. The result a mixture that whisked the concert hall in Freiburg (Germany) for one evening in October 1959 into a wonderful world of successful jazz entertainment and sent the audience out into the night with an earworm.

Six CD set. First-ever complete anthology of early 70s UK progressive rock band notorious for occult- based lyrics and explicit stage act. Features their three CBS albums, demos, including an early demo version of 'Sacrifice', out- takes, live recordings and a pre-Black Widow LP as Pesky Gee! And their final unreleased album from 1972. Inspired by the popularity of Hammer Horror films and Dennis Wheatley novels, in 1969 Leicester progressive rockers Pesky Gee! Became Black Widow and immersed themselves in the occult. Sharing management with Black Sabbath, they signed to CBS and issued concept album 'Sacrifice', a Top 40 set that included their calling card, the demonic invocation 'Come To The Sabbat'. Also including two live sets from 1970-71 and all surviving tracks from an aborted 1971 solo LP by vocalist Kay Garrett on which she was backed by Black Widow (who also wrote the songs). Featuring a 40-page booklet that contains the band's full story with quotes and many rare photos/press clippings, 'Sabbat Days' is a must-have for fans of vintage UK progressive rock, and is a fascinating document of a time when rock music still had the power to offend mainstream society.

Good recordings of Vivaldi’s first printed opus are hard to come by. The set lacks the distinctive imprint of what we understand and recognize as Vivaldian, yet the pieces have great charm if handled sensitively and imaginatively. These have long been virtuous features in Monica Huggett’s playing: her gently inflected approach to the music, shared by the other members of Sonnerie, is a constant pleasure, and is heard to great advantage in the many beguiling slow movements of which the Largo and Sarabanda of Op. 1 No. 4 immediately spring to mind.

Pietro degli Antoni (1639-1720) was a founding member of the famous Accademia Filarmonica in his native Bologna, an institution bringing together professional musicians “so well united that they always play together, creating fine sound”. Many famous composers were member: Vitali, Tosi, Colonna, and later Corelli, Bononcini, Torelli and Bassani. Even Mozart, when visiting Bologna, became a member, being highly impressed by the sheer size and quality of the Accademia (..”the music was grave and majestic..” he wrote home).

The stunning second album from Cherish the Ladies lead vocalist Heidi Talbot, "Distant Future" is a wondrously evocative collection poised at the intersection of Irish and American folk traditions. Working closely with remarkable guitarist/vocalist/producer John Doyle (ex-Solas, solo artist) and a cadre of musicians from both shores, Talbot has crafted an album of sublime beauty and enchanting subtlety. Blending traditional material with original songs from Talbot, Doyle, Boo Hewerdine, and others, "Distant Future" is a compelling step forward from an important young voice in Irish music.

The vocal group the Rose Ensemble, along with a few guest instrumentalists, has produced a terrifically fun and lovely album of Christmas music from the Mexican Baroque. The nine composers represented were mostly active in the 17th century, but there is one from the 16th; some were born in Spain, but all had careers in Mexico. Some of the pieces are virtually indistinguishable from European works from the same period, and some are distinctively flavored with the character of New World dances like xácara, guaracha, and negrilla.

The "+" in the title of Live+ refers to the two studio recordings tacked onto the end of this 2015 live set: a tense, cloistered original called "Tribal," where Jeff Beck spits out squalls of noise over thundering primal drums; and a cover of "My Tiled White Floor," a wash of electronic soul with vocals by Veronica Bellino that feels constructed out of faded memories of Prince. They're nice additions that wouldn't have quite suited 2010's Emotion & Commotion, nor do they quite feel of a piece with the rest of Live+, all recorded on tour in August 2014.

Hubcap Music is the sixth studio album by Seasick Steve. The title derives from his Morris Minor guitar made out of two hubcaps placed back-to-back. Steve uses the guitar frequently, both live and in the studio. Guests on the album include Dan Magnusson on drums (who also plays live with Seasick Steve), John Paul Jones on bass (amongst other instruments), and Jack White on guitar on the track "The Way I Do".

Featuring Tommy Bolin as Richie Blackmore's replacement. His guitar work can be seen on Deep Purple Mark IV, where he brought a funk influence to their hard rock sound! In early 1976, Deep Purple travelled to the US, where they performed more than 30 concerts. One of the finest of these was also their first American show of the jaunt, performed in Springfield, Massachusetts on January 26th ’76, at the city’s Springfield City Centre. Now available on this new 2CD set for the first time, this release will prove a delight for Deep Purple fans the world across.

Known for their lush and atmospheric, largely instrumental music, the Irish/Norwegian duo Secret Garden rose to fame in the mid-'90s and have since won an international following for their gentle but emotionally evocative sounds, dominated by violin and keyboards and combining notes of Celtic and Norwegian folk, pop, and new age styles. The duo first came together to write and perform the song "Nocturne," which became Norway's winning entry in the Eurovision Song Contest. While they would dabble in vocal music on 2007's Inside I'm Singing and pare back their arrangements on 2013's Just the Two of Us, the sizable majority of their releases saw them remaining loyal to their trademark sound, playing music that touched the hearts and soothed the souls of their many fans around the world. “Storyteller” is the tenth original album from the award-winning Norwegian-Irish act Secret Garden.