Live at Sunrise

In many Yes fans' eyes, the group will never issue a live album better than their 1973 classic, Yessongs. But the group has issued quite a few subsequent live sets, and as evidenced by 2007's Live at Montreux 2003, Yes remain one of prog rock's top live bands. Live at Montreux features arguably their definitive lineup (Jon Anderson, Steve Howe, Chris Squire, Rick Wakeman, and Alan White) and a few newer tracks are included, but Yes are no fools - they know that longtime fans expect to hear the classics. Nearly all of Yes' classics from the early '70s are here in solid/spirited renditions, including "Long Distance Runaround," "I've Seen All Good People," and "Roundabout." And it's always a gas to hear such album cuts/fan favorites as "Siberian Khatru," "Heart of the Sunrise," "And You and I," and "South Side of the Sky," while even "Don't Kill the Whale" gets a rare airing…

In 2016, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman brought together their incredible talents and long experience of working in Yes to take to the road for a series of concerts celebrating Yes’ musical legacy of the seventies, eighties and nineties. Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman toured first in North America and then brought their live show to the UK in early 2017, including this performance captured at the Manchester Apollo…

In 2016, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman brought together their incredible talents and long experience of working in Yes to take to the road for a series of concerts celebrating Yes’ musical legacy of the seventies, eighties and nineties. Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman toured first in North America and then brought their live show to the UK in early 2017, including this performance captured at the Manchester Apollo…

Playing at Maybeck Recital Hall before a small but attentive crowd seems to bring out the best in many pianists. Stanley Cowell performs a well-planned program of 14 selections on this 1990 CD. On a two-minute "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," Cowell runs through all twelve keys. He pays tribute to the stride-piano tradition on "Stompin' at the Savoy," explores some bop, Latin-jazz (a transformed "Autumn Leaves") and post bop music, plays "Jitterbug Waltz" in the style of Art Tatum, inteprets "Stella by Starlight" in 5/4 time and performs J.J. Johnson's "Lament" with just his left hand. A very interesting recital. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide

Devotees of superior jazz vocalists have several reasons to rejoice about this fourth CD by the highly respected San Francisco-based Paula West. First and foremost, the recording is simply a true knockout; but the rejoicing is also because, despite rave audiences and reviews for over a decade, this is West's first release since the impressively executed Come What May (High Horse) in 2001. Recorded during an engagement at New York City's Jazz Standard in 2011, it features stellar but recently departed pianist/arranger George Mesterhazy's quartet (including guitarist Ed Cherry), the excellent band with which she has long collaborated. Those hearing West for the first time will be struck initially by her unusually strong and rich vocal instrument, with breath control, purity of tone and pitch to die for…

John Coltrane's week at the Village Vanguard in 1961 resulted in a total of 22 recorded versions of nine songs, all of which have been released in the four-CD box The Complete 1961 Village Vanguard Recordings. This 1998 single CD has the five performances that the great saxophonist had agreed to have released during his lifetime: three numbers from the original Live at the Village Vanguard LP ("Spiritual," "Softly as in a Morning Sunrise," and "Chasin' the Trane") and two songs that appeared on Impressions (the title cut and "India"). Although branded as "anti-jazz" by John S. Wilson (an attack that was seconded by Leonard Feather), the music is actually quite coherent and would even be thought of as moderately conservative today, particularly "Spiritual" and the boppish rendition of "Softly"…

Sublimely spiritual work from the great John Coltrane - a live album, but one that's easily one of his most important contributions to music in the early 60s - and a set that we'd rank right up there with his best studio sides for Impulse or Atlantic Records at the time! The group here features McCoy Tyner on piano, Reggie Workman on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums - plus the very important addition of Eric Dolphy on the leadoff tune "Spiritual" - a number that features Dolphy on bass clarinet alongside Coltrane's tremendous tenor, as both players open up on extended solos that take the tune to nearly 14 minutes in length! Other numbers omit Dolphy, but are still totally great - and Coltrane picks up the soprano sax for a classic reading of "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise" - and the group shifts slightly for the freer "Chasin The Trane", a 16 minute romp done with only tenor sax, drums, and bass - the latter of which is handled here by Jimmy Garrison instead of Workman.

In 2016, Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman brought together their incredible talents and long experience of working in Yes to take to the road for a series of concerts celebrating Yes’ musical legacy of the seventies, eighties and nineties. Yes featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman toured first in North America and then brought their live show to the UK in early 2017, including this performance captured at the Manchester Apollo. The band are in superb form in front of a sell-out crowd who are clearly loving every minute of the show which includes classic tracks such as Roundabout, Owner Of A Lonely Heart, And You And I, Hold On, Heart Of The Sunrise, Rhythm Of Love, I’ve Seen All Good People and many more.