One Starry Night

2015 release from saxophonist, vocalist and songwriter Jessy J, one of the brightest stars on the Smooth Jazz scene. The album seamlessly melds Latin Jazz, Soul, Smooth Grooves and Funk with alluring melodies, both musically and vocally.

Moorland Elegies (2015) is a 50-minute work for mixed choir and string orchestra by Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits (b. 1969). This work, a nine-part cycle, is a crowning achievement of its composer Tõnu Kõrvits’s magical impressionism. The work was premiered by the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra at Tallinn’s St. John’s Church on 31 October 2015, conducted by Risto Joost.

As the only player who has appeared on all of Mofro's albums, singer JJ Grey is a funky force of nature. The North Floridian returns nine years after his last recording, still honing his mix of soul passion, Skynyrd-styled rock, outright funk and that sassy, butt-shaking magic that makes New Orleans music so irresistible.

Joni Mitchell's first live album arrived at the peak of her fame. Recorded a couple months after her breakthrough Court and Spark debuted, the Canadian singer-songwriter documented the California stops on the tour supporting the new LP. Performing an expansive collection of tracks from her 1968 debut Song to a Seagull onward, Miles of Aisles carefully avoided the hits. "No one ever said to Van Gogh, 'Paint a "Starry Night" again, man,'" said Mitchell before playing "Circle Game." In 1991, she revealed to Rolling Stone why she made the comparison: "I never wanted to turn into a human jukebox. I haven't used up all my ideas yet. But I'm working in a pop field, and whether they're going to allow an older woman to do that is an open question. It requires a loyal, interested audience who believes in my talent." Brittany Spanos