Electro Pal

Reed player Vidar Johansen's arrangements for John Coltrane's iconic Meditations (Impulse!, 1966) were recorded live at the Nattjazz festival in Bergen in May 2007. Johansen's arrangements stress Coltrane's melodic themes over the intense and sometimes violent sonic explorations of the Coltrane quartet that was augmented with Pharaoh Sanders on second tenor saxophone and Rashied Ali on drums. His arrangements, appropriately reverential, still call for spirited and passionate conviction from all the musicians, as befits such a monumental work.

Georgie Fame's swinging, surprisingly credible blend of jazz and American R&B earned him a substantial following in his native U.K., where he scored three number one singles during the '60s. Fame played piano and organ in addition to singing, and was influenced by the likes of Mose Allison, Booker T. & the MG's, and Louis Jordan. Early in his career, he also peppered his repertoire with Jamaican ska and bluebeat tunes, helping to popularize that genre in England; during his later years, he was one of the few jazz singers of any stripe to take an interest in the vanishing art of vocalese, and earned much general respect from jazz critics on both sides of the Atlantic.

Finsbury Park, 9th June 02 With music that celebrates the thrill of the moment and played a pivotal role in the emergence of electronica and techno, New Order established themselves as one of the great bands of the '80s and '90s. Here they're seen in their Finsbury Park concert from June 2002, playing many of their now-classic songs and their 'comeback single', 'Crystal'. A documentary made during the setup and sound check takes the viewer backstage and close-up. Like the companion volume 316, 511 offers one of those rare opportunities to see this enigmatic band on camera talking about their music and their future.

"Connected" marked yet another leap up on Aarset's evolutionary ladder and sits like a prelude to a manifesto. "Connected" perfectly captures Aarset's working method. His musical world is uniquely his, and the vocabulary of his guitar describes it as no one else could. The music has become self-referential, yet manages to retain warmth and openness.