Soft Autumn

Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973). This is the solo debut of Uriah Heep's resident keyboardist and top songwriter, but it isn't the heavy metal epic one might expect. In fact, Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf uses electric guitar sparingly and instead goes for a moody soundscape built on acoustic guitar and piano. Songs like "Black Hearted Lady" and "The Last Time" even evoke a bit of a country and western feel, thanks to their use of mellow-sounding slide guitar. This subtle sonic style puts Hensley's songwriting in the spotlight and that is a good thing because each of the songs is well-crafted and tuneful: a subtle combination of acoustic guitar and synthesizer brings out the haunting, delicately crafted melody of "From Time To Time" and "Black Hearted Lady" effectively evokes its mood of heartbreak with a descending acoustic guitar riff…

Diana Krall reunited with Tommy LiPuma, the producer who worked with her for the first decade-and-a-half of her career, for Turn Up The Quiet, a 2017 album that found the pianist returning to the Great American Songbook interpretations that made her name. LiPuma died just before the release of Turn Up the Quiet, prompting Krall to fashion a quasi-tribute to her collaborator from the album's leftovers. The ensuing This Dream of You is hushed and reserved, a leisurely stroll through quite familiar standards augmented by a version of Bob Dylan's "This Dream of You," a deep cut from his 2009 album Together Through Life.

Joe Lovano emerged during the 1990s as a major voice on the tenor saxophone, having to an impressive degree assimilated the bebop, modal and free-jazz techniques with which he grew up. I'm For You: Ballad Songbook (Blue Note) teams him with the veteran pianist Hank Jones (elder brother of Elvin and Thad) and the superb bassist and drummer George Mraz and Paul Motian on a project that explores the possibilities that slower tunes offer to be "rhythmically diverse and free within the music" while at the same time sustaining the mood of the piece.

"During the sixties Adelaide had a thriving music scene. Once used inner city basements and cellars became dark, hot, noisy and smoky clubs and discos. Venues like Alan Hale's Beat Basement, The Scene, Alex Innocenti's The Cellar and Jim Popoff's Big dadd's filled with teen-agers to hear discs spun by local DJs and local groups pounding out R&​B and hits of the day. Bands like the Masters Apprentices, Blues Rags'n Hollers, Southern Gentlemen, Dust'n Ashes, Blues Syndicate, The Vikings/​Why 4, The Others, Sounds Of Silence and many others made their presence felt. Some were lucky enough to release one or maybe two 45s at best, however the emergence of a number of independant recording facilities enables many more to record demos and tracks to mime to on local TV music shows like Action or In Time. This is what we have here, hidden away for over 40 years, the fruits of that youthful energy hopefully getting some recognition, not afforded them at the time.''