8 August 2023 New York Times

Ralph Alessi’s fourth appearance as a leader for the label follows a singular album run that’s been met with nothing but praise from The New York Times to The Guardian. The latter lauded Ralph’s previous recording Imaginary Friends (2019) for its “elegant balance of poignant, playful original compositions and gracefully probing improv” and declared it “his best album yet”. It’s Always Now however brims with arguments that there is a new contender for that title. On his new album, Alessi’s unique tone is as limber, piercing and present as ever, enveloped by a fresh quartet line-up – pianist Florian Weber, Bänz Oester on bass and drummer Gerry Hemingway – that navigates through the trumpeter’s idiosyncratically swinging compositions with a sixth sense.

One of the world's and Japan's most beloved songwriters and melody makers, and the one and only piano man, Billy Joel. He is back with a live version of "Billy Joel Greatest Hits," which offers an overview of his half-century career with masterful performances from each decade. Based on his "Live Through the Years," which was previously released only as digital, this special Japanese edition 2-CD set features a carefully selected selection of famous performances of hit songs and representative songs from his four decade career from the 1970s to the 2000s, with a significant amount of additional songs. The 2-CD set contains 32 songs (including 13 world premiere CD releases and 6 Japan premiere CD releases). 2023 mastering.