Drum 1 December 2016

Sony Classical presents legendary soprano Kathleen Battle in nine of her foremost studio recordings in her ‘Complete Sony Recordings’. In the course of a remarkable career, launched in 1973 by mentor James Levine in their shared hometown of Cincinnati, Kathleen Battle has captivated international audiences. She has taken home numerous awards – among them five Grammys and London’s Olivier Award for her 1985 Covent Garden debut as Zerbinetta in Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos, the first American singer to win that prestigious prize – and become one of classical music’s best-selling artists.

Australia is not the first place you think of as a crate-digger's paradise. But these 20 slices from the country's early-Seventies season in commercial R&B and pop-jazz fusion are a lively lesson in the ingenious adaption of imported trends over an extreme distance. This is overwhelmingly white funk: "Back on the Street Again," an Etta James cover by Billy Thorpe and the Aztecs, and the ID's "Feel Awlright" are examples of hot shots from Australia's Sixties-beat and heavy-rock scenes finding their dance-floor feet; a track by the progressive-rock band Tamam Shud comes from the soundtrack to a 1971 surfing documentary. But it is all robust fun with intriguing sampling prospects.

Babatunde Olatunji - Love Drum Talk (1997) {Chesky WO160}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 399 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 159 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 17 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1997 Chesky Records | WO160 | 24/96 mastering
World Music / African Folk / Worldbeat / African Traditions / Percussion

The Nigerian-born drum master leads an ebullient ensemble of guitarists, singers and percussionists through a series of spirited meditations on the nature of love. Lust, kinship, sensuality, courtship and spirituality are the themes Olatunji uses to fuel his joyous infectious playing. Highlights include "Mother, Give Me Love," "Don't Know Why My Love," "Spell Monisola" and more.

This band/project was conceived in autumn 2004 by Francesco Zago (formerly of The Night Watch) and Marcello Marinone who wanted to create a band which will play combine RIO and chamber music. As influences they state the following: "Satie, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Cage, Reich, Zappa, Henry Cow, Gentle Giant, King Crimson, Univers Zero".
On the band's fourth studio album ("Death By Water", 2016) Francesco Zago is surrounded by a large group of fellow musicians. Stefano Ferrian (8-strings guitar, tenor & alto sax, Chapman stick) is the most important of them. Zago himself also plays the Mellotron, next to the usual guitar parts…

In the world of jazz guitar, few players can measure up to the skill, stature and sheer influence that Kenny Burrell brought to the genre. With his trademark straightforward playing that fused jazz and blues beautifully, this pioneer featured on hundreds of albums, both as leader of his own groups and as a much in-demand sideman for others. Often hailed as the greatest guitarist in the world - he was the personal favourite of the legendary B.B. King - Burrell's playing has gone on to permanently change the way in which the instrument is approached and, in so doing, has influenced generation after generation of likeminded musicians. This four disc collection, containing eight fully remastered albums, provides the perfect introduction to one of the finest and most innovative musicians still active today.

An incredible concert experience, a multi-media extravaganza available on CD, Vinyl, DVD and Blu-ray, and starring classic rock icon and famed songwriter/producer Todd Rundgren! Includes some of Todd’s best known songs including “Hello It’s Me” and “Bang On The Drum” PLUS fan favorites that haven’t been performed live in decades…

December holds in its hands many worlds of celebration as the month unfolds with Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas and the eve of the New Year. Over the centuries a great deal of music has marked this time of year, but very little has been added to the canon in recent decades. Gordon Getty inspired us with his composition of delightful new Christmas carols to invite a group of American composers to celebrate the season in music. The result is a rich and tuneful recording of new holiday classics for you to share with your friends and families. We hope that you enjoy this festive and joyous music throughout the season and for many years to come.

Coming almost three years after their excellent, unexpected, and infectious LP Electric, 2016's Super is the second album where the Pet Shop Boys call themselves "electronic purists," holing up in the studio with returning producer Stuart Price and a mess of PCs, drum machines, and synths. The musical landscape is the same and still, it's not a sequel or a very proper follow-up. It feels confident, loose, and free like a swaggering epilogue, like the smaller Quantum of Solace following the epic Casino Royale. At first, everything is in its place, as nostalgic single "The Pop Kids" acts as this album's "Being Boring" with alluring house music and quintessential PSB lyrics ("I studied History while you did biology/To you the human body didn't hold any mystery")…