Roger Nichols

If this premiere recording of Stephen Hough’s String Quartet No 1 may be regarded as definitive—the work is dedicated to the Takács Quartet—those of the quartets by Ravel and Dutilleux are no less distinguished.Dedicated ‘à mon cher maître Gabriel Fauré’, Maurice Ravel’s only string quartet was started in 1902. On 30 April that year he had attended the first performance of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande and immediately afterwards set about preparing for the Prix de Rome—a prize he was fated never to win despite repeated attempts between 1900 and 1905. In the autumn he undertook a project for a fellow composer, Frederick Delius, who asked him to make a piano–vocal score of the opera Margot la Rouge. He then got to work on the String Quartet, and the first two movements were finished in December 1902, according to Ravel’s note on the last page of the second movement in the autograph score.

Paul Williams started out as an actor in the 60s, struggled to get work, and ended up almost by accident as a songwriter. Lucky us! He became one of the warmest, most successful songwriters America has ever seen, with songs full of generosity, humility and humanity. Right at the start, he wrote ‘Fill Your Heart’ with Biff Rose, covered by David Bowie on “Hunky Dory”, and ‘Someday Man’ for the Monkees. But it was in the 70s that he hit his stride, writing a ton of songs for the Carpenters, including ‘We've Only Just Begun’ and ‘I Won't Last a Day Without You’.

The release of Action-Refraction (April 12th / Palmetto) marks gifted bassist, composer and bandleader Ben Allison s 10th album - and first collection of music by other artists. With nine critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader to his credit (the last six reaching #1 on the CMJ National Jazz radio chart), Allison has solidified his rep as a cutting edge composer. To celebrate his 10th, Ben has turned his ear towards the music of some of his favorite artists, creating an inspired, atmospheric - and at times, art-rock - mixtape featuring the music of PJ Harvey, Donny Hathaway, Thelonious Monk, Neil Young, Samuel Barber and Roger Nichols.

The fifth volume in the perennially excellent Get Easy! series is arguably the strongest retrospective of sunshine pop ever compiled – spanning two CDs and 40 cuts, the set combs the vaults of labels like A&M, Verve, Philips, and MGM to capture the essence of late-'60s pop at its most musically ambitious. Inspired and arguably birthed by the Beach Boys, in particular their landmark Pet Sounds album, sunshine pop married radiant vocals harmonies and lush orchestral arrangements that wonderfully evoked a beatitude and poignancy often forgotten amidst the political and cultural turbulence of its era. There were some major hits of note from acts like the Association, the Turtles, and the Cowsills, but by and large sunshine pop remains largely a cult fascination, and this wonderful collection is the perfect place to hop aboard for both its hits and its rarities – virtually every song's a winner, but standouts include the Hobbits' "Sunny Day Girl," Spanky & Our Gang's "I'd Like to Get to Know You," the Twinn Connexion's "Oh What a Lovely Day," Van Dyke Parks' "Number Nine," and the The Fun and Games' "Topanga Canyon Road."

2008 release, the first-ever complete collection of the trio's records. The Parade were Murray MacLeod (also a member of the Roger Nichols Trio/Small Circle of Friends), Jerry Riopelle (Phil Spector protégé and former Philles staff producer), and Smokey Roberds (songwriter and actor). Originally signed to A&M Records, the Parade not only created a definitively West Coast Pop sound but also unknowingly helped establish the Sunshine Pop genre via their 1967 Billboard Top 20 hit, 'Sunshine Girl'. The gorgeous 16 page full-color booklet also includes rare, previously unpublished photos and comprehensive liner notes that feature the participation of all original band members.