Astra Image Plus 6

Two years after Thick as a Brick 2, an explicit 2012 sequel to the 1972 prog classic, Ian Anderson embarked on another ambitious journey, this time assembling a concept record called Homo Erraticus. A loose – very loose – album based on a "dusty, unpublished manuscript, written by local amateur historian Ernest T. Parritt (1873-1928)," Homo Erraticus is an old-fashioned prog record: it has narrative heft and ideas tied to the '70s, where jazz, classical, folk, orchestral pop, and rock all commingled in a thick, murky soup…

What can anyone add to the praise that has deservedly been heaped on Robert King and the King's Consort's 11 discs of the complete sacred music of Vivaldi? Can one add that every single performance is first class – wonderfully musical, deeply dedicated, and profoundly spiritual? Can one add that every single performer is first class – absolutely in-tune, entirely in-sync, and totally committed? Can one add that every single recording is first class – amazingly clean, astoundingly clear, and astonishingly warm? One can because it's all true and it's all been said before by critics and listeners across the globe.

Tallis lived during a time of tremendous religious upheaval. The succession from Henry VIII to Edward VI, Edward to Mary Tudor and Mary to Elizabeth meant changes from Catholic to Protestant, and back again with Mary, before Elizabeth’s “third way” – a more accepting and moderate form of Protestantism.

This is a set for the dedicated – the fans who will indeed be celebrating the 20th anniversary of Asia's formation by seeking out the double-disc set, Anthologia: 20th Anniversary Geffen Years Collection 1982-90. This collection is no mere anthology; it is a complete recorded works, containing everything the band recorded for Geffen in the '80s, from full albums (Asia, Alpha, Astra), to B-sides and a handful of rarities…

Pepper Adams - Julian (1975) {Enja Japan Mini LP, COCB-53610 rel 2006}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 395 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 146 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 10 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1975, 2006 Enja Records / Columbia Music Japan | COCB-53610 | 24bit remastering
Jazz / Cool / Hard Bop / Post Bop / Baritone Saxophone

Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue featuring 24bit remastering and deluxe Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) jacket design. Recorded in 1975 at a Munich nightclub, Adams is accompanied by two of his Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra bandmates: pianist Walter Norris and bassist Georg Mraz, with Makaya Ntshoko capably filling the drummer’s chair. The one-plus set’s worth of music includes the title track, a moving ballad written by Adams and Mraz in honor of Cannonball Adderley, who’d died just five days earlier, and two other Adams compositions-“Jirge,” which the baritone saxophonist introduces by calling it “the most difficult single piece of music we have to work with” and the minor key “Ad Astra.”

First Human Ferro (FHF), a Ukrainian dark ambient project organized by Olegh Kolyada back in summer 1998, with first field recordings being experienced yet in winter 1997. The debut raw experiments date back June-August 1998 when “The Halo over Pontiff’s Hearse” was recorded. A year later in 1999 FHF started musical manipulations with harsher sounds which resulted into “Metaballistik: Viewed under Infra-Red” session, known as Ukrainian exceptional death industrial material ever. Both above-mentioned albums were released on tapes and CD-Rs several times in limited editions in Ukraine and Poland. In 2000 a classical dark ambient album “Motherwards” was recorded, issued a year later as the first professional CD release of the project…

Richard Barbieri - On High (2021) {Richard Barbieri}
FLAC (tracks) - 16bit/44.1kHz - Digital Download -> 113 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 72 Mb | Cover | 5% repair rar
© 2021 Richard Barbieri / Self-released
Electronic / Ambient / Prophet 5 / Synths / Atmospheric

This isn’t a conventional release, such is the flexibility and freedom that Bandcamp offers. A few of these pieces are more or less demonstration compositions focusing on a particular synthesiser. A couple are tracks that were in contention for inclusion on my recent releases. One track is a live studio performance. So a mixed bunch that may or may not be of interest.