Léon Fleuriot

Gary Oldman Jean Reno Natalie Portman and Danny Aiello star in LEON: THE PROFESSIONAL a go-for-broke thriller about a professional assassin whose work becomes dangerously personal. Calling himself a "cleaner" the mysterious Leon (Reno) is New York's top hitman. When his next-door neighbors are murdered Leon becomes the unwilling guardian of the family's sole survivor - 12-year-old Mathilda but Mathilda doesn't just want protection; she wants revenge. Training her in the deadly tricks of his trade Leon helps her track the psychotic agent (Oldman) who murdered her family. (amazon.com)

On this new album, Léon Berben takes us to France and presents us the complete Hymns by Jehan Titelouze (1563-1633), published in 1623.

What connects a seemingly disparate selection of names from across Renaissance Europe is the spiritual progression from darkness (‘in the midst of life we are in death’) to light (‘blessed be the name of the Lord’). And, of course, the shrewd musical judgement of Peter Phillips in its devising.

It's a little problematic to put together a compilation of such an album-oriented artist. But unless you're very deeply into the Leon Russell catalog, this two-CD, 40-track best-of will serve as a retrospective of all that you need, largely covering his work from the first half of the '70s (a couple of songs from his 1992 Virgin album are also included) and featuring his best-known hits, big and small. It's a well-done tour through his blend of swamp rock, gospel, and bits of blues and country, with material from eight of his Shelter LPs, including the one he recorded in 1969 as part of the Asylum Choir. Interesting rarities include a 1974 single of "Wild Horses," a 1970 cover of Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" that only showed up on a compilation, and a folk-rockish 1965 single for Dot.

This remix project was an opportunity to revisit the first album of Awir Leon Giants acclaimed by the medias (BBC, KCRW, Clash, Hypebeast, Les Inrocks, Tsugi).

The ultimate rock & roll session man, Leon Russell's long and storied career included collaborations with a virtual who's who of music icons spanning from Jerry Lee Lewis to Phil Spector to the Rolling Stones. A similar eclecticism and scope also surfaced in his solo work, which couched his charmingly gravelly voice in a rustic yet rich swamp pop fusion of country, blues, and gospel. Born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942, in Lawton, Oklahoma, he began studying classical piano at age three, a decade later adopting the trumpet and forming his first band.