Helen Scott Taylor The Magic Knot

As the title implies, this concentrates on Shapiro's less celebrated recordings, including 13 songs from her 1963 Helen's Sixteen LP, and a bunch of non-hit singles from 1965 and 1966. For the rock-oriented listener's taste at any rate, the later tunes are by far the most satisfying; Shapiro's voice remains in great shape, and tracks like "Forget About the Bad Things," "Empy House," and the self-penned "Wait a Little Longer" are far more sophisticated and soulful than her early teenage efforts. The earlier sides on the CD are dated standards and early '60s MOR British pop, not quite redeemed by Shapiro's perennially confident vocals.

Pianist Helen Davies is the daughter of a Bohemian mother and Anglo-German father and her family has always been acutely aware of their European heritage. Connections was conceived during the COVID-19 UK lockdown in March 2020. Much of the music on this recording was created by German composers, hence the decision to focus on that link, recording music which they felt connected them back to some of their familial roots.

This two CD overview of both Hound Dog Taylor and his sidekick Brewer Phillips features some of the toughest Chicago Blues ever recorded. The legendary JSP Brewer Phillips studio album is included in its entirety. Early small label sides by Hound Dog Taylor are collected together for the first time and this set features the very first CD release of the Live At Florences recordings.

The U.S. release of Melvin Taylor's two early-'80s LPs by Evidence a decade later was a shock introduction to a blues guitarist who seemingly blazed out of nowhere – outside of Rosa's Lounge in Chicago, that is. "Blazed" is the right word, too, because Taylor is a total maximalist who unleashes torrents of notes to fill up every space. But he's so convincing a player that the concept of "blues guitar hero" might get a good name again, even with fans dead-tired of excess who never thought they'd think things like, "Man, can Melvin Taylor play the ever-loving (add the expletive superlative of your choice) out of the guitar" again. Taylor's first real-time release, Melvin Taylor & the Slack Band, is a pretty straightforward affair – basic trio with minimal overdubs, servicable vocals in an Albert King mode, and a mix of originals and very classic covers. The opening "Texas Flood" lets him rip on a slow blues, constantly changing up his playing with wah-wah blitzes as the real ace in his sonic hole.

Between 1970 and 1976, James Taylor released six albums with Warner Bros. Records that became the foundation for his unparalleled career that includes five Grammy® Awards, induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Originally signed to Apple for his 1968 debut, Taylor switched to Warners for the 1970 follow-up Sweet Baby James, which was a huge success reaching number three in the Billboard charts, nominated for a Grammy and has sold in excess of three million copies in the US alone making him quite the handsome acoustic troubadour, with records that became the foundation for his garlanded career that includes five Grammy Awards, induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, and more than 100 million records sold worldwide.

Joseph Haydn was commissioned by a canon of Cádiz, José Sáenz de Santamaría, Marquès de Valde-Íñigo, to compose a work for performance on Good Friday 1787 in the city’s Oratorio de la Santa Cueva. The result was the orchestral version of The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross, which Haydn arranged shortly afterwards for string quartet, a version that was to prove an enduring success.

Joseph Haydn was commissioned by a canon of Cádiz, José Sáenz de Santamaría, Marquès de Valde-Íñigo, to compose a work for performance on Good Friday 1787 in the city’s Oratorio de la Santa Cueva. The result was the orchestral version of The Seven Last Words of Our Saviour on the Cross, which Haydn arranged shortly afterwards for string quartet, a version that was to prove an enduring success.