Ken Long

Ian Wheeler was one of Trad Jazz's outstanding clarinet players yet remains something of an unsung hero. He first came to public notice as a member of Ken Colyer's Jazzmen which he joined in 1955 replacing Acker Bilk. This was what was known as Colyer's "Classic line-up". He had already developed a distinctive sound and superb inventiveness. He left Colyer to briefly form the Sims-Wheeler Vintage Jazz Band with trumpeter Ken Sims before being asked to join Chris Barber's band to replace the legendary Monty Sunshine. He was with Barber for 27 years. He took a brief break in the middle to co-lead Hefty Jazz with Keith Smith. This double-for-the-price-of-one compilation includes tracks with the various bands he played in plus a few projects he undertook. The musicians include Ken Colyer, Chris Barber, Rod Mason, Acker Bilk, Sammy Rimington and Dick Wellstood. Many of the tracks are previously unissued.

Ken Burns, the premiere documentarian of Americana, tackles the life of Mark Twain, the first writer with a uniquely American voice. In this installment in Burns' "American Lives" series, the two 2-hour episodes explore a side of Twain that is unfamiliar to many. Widely regarded as the funniest person of the 19th century, Twain suffered through severe personal tragedies and lack of business sense that brought him to the brink of financial ruin on several occasions. Includes interviews with writers William Styron and Arthur Miller and actor Hal Holbrook (who has portrayed Twain in a one-man play each year for over 50 years).

Learn and Speak Better British English: Speak Smoother, Clearer and Correctly: PLUS Bonus English Grammar course.

he mythological status of 1969’s Woodstock Music and Arts Festival can sometimes feel overpowering. The festival is the ultimate expression of the 1960s. Moments from the three-day concert have crystallized as symbols of the era, with details like Richie Havens’ acoustic prayer for freedom, Roger Daltrey’s fringed leather vest, or Jimi Hendrix’s “Star Spangled Banner” held up as sacred countercultural relics.

'Tales From The Underground' is a five disc bootleg containing various live performances, rehearsals, outtakes, rare tracks, collaborations, alternate versions and unreleased covers from Tom's long and distinguished career.

'Tales from The Riverside' is a compilation of various tracks from various sources. Works as a nice addendum to the 5 disc Tales from the Underground set.

Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down conveys the raw, chaotic urgency of ground-force battle in a worst-case scenario. With exacting detail, the film re-creates the American siege of the Somalian city of Mogadishu in October 1993, when a 45-minute mission turned into a 16-hour ordeal of bloody urban warfare. Helicopter-borne U.S. Rangers were assigned to capture key lieutenants of Somali warlord Muhammad Farrah Aidid, but when two Black Hawk choppers were felled by rocket-propelled grenades, the U.S. soldiers were forced to fend for themselves in the battle-torn streets of Mogadishu, attacked from all sides by armed Aidid supporters. Based on author Mark Bowden's bestselling account of the battle, Scott's riveting, action-packed film follows a sharp ensemble cast in some of the most authentic battle sequences ever filmed. The loss of 18 soldiers turned American opinion against further involvement in Somalia, but Black Hawk Down makes it clear that the men involved were undeniably heroic.