Manu Katche Unstatic

Born December 14, 1970, vocalist Anna Maria Jopek is a native of Poland, and grew up listening to her native folk music. She studied classical piano at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, and briefly participated in jazz studies at the Manhattan School of Music. She was a contestant in the 1997 Eurovision Song Contest, and is a recipient of the Michel Legrand Award. Her nearly dozen recordings have reached gold and platinum status in Europe. She prefers not to be pegged as strictly a jazz singer, though the influence of Keith Jarrett is quite prevalent in her music.

Bassist Kyle Eastwood may enjoy a bit of name recognition thanks to his famous actor/director father Clint, but the musician's grasp of the post-bop idiom and his ability to mix it with accessible pop and R&B flavors finds him determined to stand on his own merits. Although 2006's NOW has moments of adventure and edge–the groovy fusion of the title track opener, for instance–much of the album stays smooth and laid-back, with featured vocalists and a wine-and-candlelight vibe.

A more eclectic release than his preceding releases, Jan Garbarek's I Took Up the Runes satisfies listeners who had been more or less impatient for something with some meat and some muscle. Opening with a jazzy cover of Mari Persen's "Gula Gula," made fuller with bass guitar accompaniment that modifies the chord structure of the whole tune, the album next features the five-part "Molde Canticle," which spans from a dreamy esoteric sound to African folk music. Garbarek really wails in places, and it is a welcome surprise – he should wail more than he does. Synthesizer sounds are starting to become less prominent as well. There is excellent piano work by Rainer Bruninghaus and excellent vocalizing by guest artist Ingor Antte Ailu Gaup. A sign of good things to come.

Peter Gabriel - Secret World Live (1994) [2CD] {Geffen Records}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 675 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 239 Mb
Full Artwork @ 400 dpi (jpg) -> 135 Mb
© 1994 Geffen Records | GEFD 2-24722
Rock / Art Rock / Progressive Rock

Peter Gabriel's second double-disc live album doesn't have the energy of Plays Live, which isn't surprising; his newer material is more subtle and doesn't easily lend itself to live performances. That's part of the reason why the Secret World tour was filled with cutting-edge visuals and stage effects. Unfortunately, it's very hard to record a light show, and the result is a thoroughly bland album.

Vlatko Stefanovski was born in 1957 in Prilep / Macedonia in a theatrical family. He started playing guitar at the age of 13. In his late teens he formed the group LEB I SOL which became one of the most important names in the music scene of former Yugoslavia. LEB I SOL had released 14 albums and had toured around the world. Since the mid- nineties Stefanovski has developed a very successful solo career. He has recorded remarkable solo releases, like Cowboys & Indians, Sarajevo, Vlatko Stefanovski trio, Kula od karti, Thunder from the blue sky etc. The collaboration with Miroslav Tadic, on the albums Krushevo, Treta majka, Live in Belgrade, and Live in Zagreb put a new light on Vlatko’s acoustic guitar work, and his further exploration of the Macedonian traditional music.