“Now I know there is a God in heaven!”, exclaimed Albert Einstein when he heard the young Yehudi Menuhin play the violin. Not only was Menuhin an extraordinary musician, he lived through – and helped to shape – a momentous period in history. The Warner Classics catalog contains 70 years’ worth of his recordings and this 3-CD collection, Yehudi: The Art of Menuhin, provides a fascinating perspective on his achievements: Menuhin was a man of ideals who changed the world through music.
A new recording from violinist Rachel Podger is always worth attention. And before you even get to appreciating the first-class performances - faithful realizations of Bach’s Art of Fugue skillfully arranged for strings - you notice the immediate, vibrant presence of the instruments. The sound is stunning, reminiscent of the early days of digital recording, when listeners used to marvel at how realistic the sound was. Channel Classics has been doing this forever; we just may have forgotten how special it is when it’s done right.
The brainchild of Los Angeles-based multi-instrumentalist Nick Van Dyk (guitars, bass, keyboards), Redemption proudly unfurl the flag of American progressive metal, as proven by their impressively rendered eponymous debut of 2003, also featuring vocalist Rick Mythiasin (ex-Steel Prophet and New Eden), bassist Jason Rullo (of Symphony X), and guitarist Bernie Versailles, on loan from the legendary Fates Warning. For their second album, 2005's The Fullness of Time, Redemption gained an additional boost with the guest presence of Fates Warning vocalist Ray Alder, and broke in another accomplished rhythm section in bassist James Sherwood and drummer Chris Quirarte – both formerly of prog rockers Prymary.
A Japanese promising unit Stella Lee Jones were founded as a progressive rock septet by Satoshi HIRATA (guitar) who was one of the founders of FLAT 122, soon after their disbandment in 2009. They have highlighted their originality under Satoshi's soundscape mixed with jazz, avantgarde, and art rock. Thie debut album "A Floating Place", released in late 2011, came out as a gem crystallized rigidly with their innovative eclecticism. Escape From Reality is the second album by Stella Lee Jones, released 2016.11.16 by Dizziness Records.