One School Quietly Shizuka Ichii (2001.10.20)

Die-hard Bon Jovi fans will swear on their sacred Slippery When Wet albums that Bon Jovi is by far one of the best rock bands to sing (or scream) along to, no matter where you are – in the car, on the road, or in your room, crooning into your hairbrush or anything you can get your hands on. One Wild Night: Live 1985-2001 is the perfect album for fans and newcomers alike, as it features a plentiful bounty of the band's biggest hits and most-screamable tunes…

If you owned a blues club and insisted that you would only book hardcore blues purists, you would miss out on a lot of talented people. That's because so many of the artists playing the blues circuit in the 21st century have other influences – perhaps rock, perhaps soul, perhaps jazz. All of those things have influenced James Solberg, who is essentially a bluesman but is far from a purist. Those who expect everything a bluesman records to have 12 bars are bound to find One of These Days disappointing, but more eclectic and broad-minded listeners will find a lot to admire about this German release, which finds the charming singer embracing everything from moody, Bobby "Blue" Bland-ish soul-blues (&"One of These Days," "Everyday") to exuberant blues-rock ("One False Move," "Too Damn Much Lovin'").

There's One in Every Crowd is the third studio album by Eric Clapton. Recorded shortly after 461 Ocean Boulevard, the album features a style similar to its predecessor but did not enjoy similar commercial success. After the success of "I Shot the Sheriff", Clapton and his backing band went to Jamaica to record There's One in Every Crowd. The songs "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", "Little Rachel" and "Don't Blame Me" are recorded in a reggae style, though the rest of the record is considered blues and rock. However, with his growing alcohol dependency and drug problems in Jamaica, the record was very challenging to record. Clapton wanted the album title to be "World’s Greatest Guitar Player (There's One in Every Crowd)". RSO didn't like the first part and chose to release the album under the shortened title.

After making a small buzz with the Inside Wants Out EP, John Mayer hired veteran producer John Alagía (known for his work with the Dave Matthews Band) to beef up his full-length debut with commercial polish. Released in September 2001, Room for Squares proved to be a well-timed album, quietly heralding the end of teen pop's glory days with clever wordplay, savvy chord progressions, and mature songwriting. Songs like "No Such Thing" and "Neon" mixed jazz chords with digestible choruses, fashioning a sort of brainy, college-educated pop hybrid that appealed to discerning listeners and mainstream fans alike.

Mozart and Gluck may make natural bedfellows for a program of arias, but Josef Myslivecek is not a name that would jump to most minds to join them. Czech mezzo Magdalena Kozená may be about to change that. In his time (1737-1781), the Czech composer was up there with the greats after his studies in Italy. He couldn't have a more persuasive champion than Kozená, who sets out to show why Myslivecek was counted among the country's 10 most successful composers. The young Kozená's mantelpiece is already crowded with competition trophies, including a 2001 Gramophone Award for her CD of eastern European love songs with Graham Johnson.

The group Der Rote Bereich was founded in 1992 in Nuremberg by guitarist Frank Möbus along with bass clarinetist Rudi Mahall, and almost immediately acquired cult status among jazz cognoscenti. The Rote Bereich has since gone through several transformations before settling in Berlin as a trio with drummer John Schröder.
The three have impressive credentials. Frank Möbus studied at the renowned Berklee School of Music in Boston. He has since played with the likes of Kenny Wheeler, Ray Anderson, Maria Joao, Herb Robertson, and drummer Jim Black. Rudi Mahall is one who has absorbed the music of Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, and Eric Dolphy. He plays with pianist Aki Takasi in a duo which concentrates on Dolphy’s music, and works with Alexander von Schlippenbach, Paul Lovens, and Conny Bauer…