Jordan The Jordan Workout [dvd] [2005]

he enduring friendship between Rory and the good people of WDR's Rockpalast is finally all contained in one box. the Rockpalast stages (be they indoor or outdoor) always provided a great platform for Rory and his band to perform on, always delivering the goods. The ambience backstage at Rockpalast nights also brought out the camaraderie in the musicians appearing on the shows. This would inevitably lead to a unique 'jam session' and thankfully some of these have been captured for posterity.

There is now more Gentle Giant material in print than at any time since the group's heyday in the mid-'70s, and whether this is a good thing or not depends upon one's outlook regarding art rock in general and Gentle Giant's particular brand of it. Topping off the anniversary editions of the portion of the catalog actually controlled by the ex-group members is this DVD/CD combination, which assembles in one place the surviving television appearances of the group from German, American, Italian, and other sources and which includes some interview material in addition to the live performances…

Singing jazz pianists haven't always gotten a fair shake from critics, but Tony DeSare's CD debut for Telarc demonstrates a potential to win them over while also appealing to a wider audience. Backed by a swinging band that includes veteran guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, DeSare's warm vocals are complemented by his piano chops in the brisk workout of "Just in Time."…

A 4 CD box set which chronicles the band's history and recording career from their first recordings up to the present day. Features a total of 78 tracks, including rare and unreleased items, and a lavishly produced booklet with in-depth notes by official Blues Band historian Roy Bainton, plus loads of memorabilia care of Tom McGuinness All tracks digitally remastered!

This luxuriously cast film of Mozart's beloved opera buffa features a host of legendary interpretations, including Kiri Te Kanawa's exquisite Countess Almaviva, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as her philandering husband, Hermann Prey as the wily title character, Mirella Freni, a delight as his no less savvy bride Susanna, and Maria Ewing, hilarious as the lovesick page Cherubino. Director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle's imaginative camera-work tellingly emphasizes character and mood in this immortal story of love, intrigue and class struggle, set against the historical background of ancien regime Europe sliding inexorably towards revolution.

Arriving six years after Emotion & Commotion, a largely instrumental album that found Jeff Beck pushing at his prog boundaries, Loud Hailer is a very different beast than its predecessor. Revived by the presence of two female collaborators – vocalist Rosie Bones and guitarist Carmen Vandenberg, both proving to be worthy sparring partners – Beck returns to gnarled, loud guitar rock on Loud Hailer, not so much reveling in the psychedelic skronk of the Yardbirds or the heavy stomp of the Jeff Beck Group but favoring an arena-ready rock that places an emphasis on such old-fashioned values as chops and social consciousness…