Belle August 2021

A towering musical figure of the 20th century, saxophonist John Coltrane reset the parameters of jazz during his decade as a leader.

Backwards and Forwards: The WEA Recordings 1984-1995 is a forthcoming nine-CD box set that collects the music of Aztec Camera via five studio albums, B-sides, live recordings, remixes and rarities.

Guillaume de Machaut was one of the great composers of a pivotal period at the intersection between the late medieval times and the Renaissance. His works include sacred compositions, such as his Messe de Nostre Dame, which took polyphonic music to new summits, as well as popular dances and songs that reveal the influence of the trouvères.
Yet this disc actually contains little music by Machaut. Only the last two pieces are by him. This leads to a bit of confusion: is Calliope trying to use Machaut’s name to sell a compilation of medieval music? This barely seems necessary, yet there is clearly some ambiguity.

Lazuli are a French rock ensemble, currently recognized as an arousing, enchanting and vigorous prog rock value. Formed in 1998, their musical debut was tough and unoriginal, but in the next years, revealing a promising number of shows and a music undergoing a quality transition, they earned the appreciation those bands capable of making unusual, very pleasant or promptly fresh music usually receive. In their music, Lazuli do a relaxed blend of prog rock (classic, retro and modern spots altogether), instrumental songs and alternative/warm world music - the edge between pop and rock being, mostly, a good one. Numb folk, heavy beats or rich samples are fairly used. Their artistic top quality is not so much the high-striking, elaborate or attractive tones and prog-generating sensations, as the inspired songs and instrumental intermissions…