National Health

This is a Japanese numbered limited edition box set featuring SHM-CDs of the complete Kenso collection. Each album comes in a nice mini-LP style sleeve. In addition to a nicely put together booklet, you get the 11 studio/live albums (don't forget Music For Unknown Musicians was a double) plus a CD with unreleased studio and live tracks, a live DVD…

The opera Šárka could be termed a joint work of deep love and feeling. Zdenek Fibich composed it at the end of the 19th century to the libretto of Anežka Schulzová, his pupil and love of his life. The story of Šárka loosely links up to the action of the festive opera Libuše, created by Bedrich Smetana. It depicts the outbreak of the so-called Maidens’ War following the death of the mythical Princess, when women wanted to regain the privileges they had once enjoyed under Libuše’s reign.

In his newest release, cellist Bion Tsang returns to Glasgow, Scotland for his second recording with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and conductor Scott Yoo. CANTABILE, available from Universal Music Group on digital platforms tomorrow, April 14, and on CD in May 2023, features two works by Tchaikovsky, Variations on a Rococo Theme (Op. 33) and Andante Cantabile (Op. 11), and Schumann's Cello Concerto, bookended by two renditions of Pablo Casals' "Song of the Birds."

KENSO is from Japan. The music combines a Progressive jazz-rock or a Progressive rock mixed with jazz. The emphasis is on performance and improvisation with complex themes, breaks, elaborated developments and arrangements remind HATFIELD AND THE NORTH and BRAND X. The musicianship is excellent…

Recorded in April and May 1981, this album contains some of Alan Gowen's last sessions (he died in 1982). Different in many ways than the core corpus of the Canterbury progressive rock movement (Soft Machine, Caravan, National Health), this quartet album moves deeper into jazz - jazz by rock musicians, yet not blatantly jazz-rock. Jazz has always been part of the Canterbury essence, in Richard Sinclair's melodic basslines and in Phil Miller's blues guitar background. Gowen continues to explore the dreamy mood exposed in Two Rainbows Daily, his collaboration with Hugh Hopper dominated by sad, subtle Moog melodies…

French TV is a Louisville, Kentucky based progressive rock band that has been in existence since 1983. Over the years, members have come and gone, but founder, bassist and main composer Mike Sary continues to drag the band into the next millennium. The band deftly nod to prog-masters like National Health, Soft Machine, Zappa, Brudford, Brand X, Happy the Man, and Samla Mammas Manna, among others. The history of French TV is complex, filled with lineup changes, missed opportunities, delays, and disillusions. And yet, a growing body of work testifies to one man's sagacity and stubbornness. Blending elements of progressive rock, fusion, cartoon music, and Rock in Opposition (RIO), the music of his group has been described as being "simultaneously hilarious and highly challenging, making it one of the most original American prog rock outfits."

French TV's newest CD, A Ghastly State Of Affairs is their 15th in their long history. It is also their first album not to be self-released. Headed up by charter member bassist/composer Mike Sary, he is joined again by guitarist Kasumi Yoneda (also from the Japanese band TEE), keyboardist Patrick Strawser (best known for his work in the 90's band Volare), and now by the original drummer from FTV's first three abums, Fenner Castner.

Formed in 1967 at the height of the UK psychedelic scene, Uriel consisted of Steve Hillage (guitar/vocals), Dave Stewart (organ), Mont Campbell (bass/vocals) and Clive Brooks (drums). When Hillage left the band Uriel continued as an organ trio, later changing their name to Egg. Arzachel ~ Collectors Edition is a re-mastered version of the legendary 1969 psychedelic album recorded under a pseudonym by Uriel, featuring the amazing 17-year old Steve Hillage on guitar throughout. The CD also contains four unreleased, ultra-rare Uriel studio demos, a spoken-word message from the past and a live snippet recorded in 1968. Steve Hillage plays on two of these bonus tracks.