The New York Times (11 18 2016)

John Ellis is one of jazz music’s youngest rising stars, having already received raves from publications like The New York Times, Down Beat and All Music Guide, while placing 2nd in the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophonist Competition in 2002. Currently, Ellis is the saxophonist in Ropeadope recording artist Charlie Hunter’s widely celebrated and hard touring trio where his compositions have become staples of Hunter’s albums and live sets. With his own group, Ellis combines his affinity for New Orleans’ music (a city that he considers a second home) with the edge and urgency of modern jazz in New York City (his current home). On his full length HYENA debut entitled, One Foot In The Swamp, cuts like “Happy” and “One For The Helpers” make clear that Ellis is on the verge of worldwide jazz acclaim. He’s joined by special guests including John Scofield, Nicholas Payton and Jason Marsalis.

“If we weep from emotion on hearing it, it’s nothing to be ashamed of” Richard Wagner on Bellini’s most famous opera Norma, the most successful work by the last and greatest composer of bel canto. This new production of Norma, directed by Grammy Award-nominated opera, theatre and film director Kevin Newbury and starring Sondra Radvanovsky as a “powerful, elegant” Norma (New York Times) and Gregory Kunde as Pollione, is “something very special. The word ‘historic’ is used perhaps a little too often but tonight there really is no other adjective to describe the sensational performances offered to us by Sondra Radvanovsky and Gregory unde.” (operatraveller.com)

Standing at the crossroads of modern bluegrass and newgrass, The Infamous Stringdusters are a band that is "stretching [bluegrass] from within" (New York Times). For their sixth studio album, Ladies & Gentlemen, the band invited a dozen of their favorite female singers to join them. The list of featured guests includes some of the most dynamic and innovative artists from across the roots music, Americana and country worlds: Nicki Bluhm, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Jen Hartswick, Sarah Jarosz, Claire Lynch, Aofie O'Donovan, Joan Osborne, Joss Stone, Sara Watkins, Abigail Washburn, Lee Ann Womack and Celia Woodsmith.

Spanish maestro Rafael Fruhbeck de Burgos (1933-2014) concluded his acclaimed international conducting career of almost six decades with two memorable years as the venerated Principal Conductor of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. Recorded live in concert at the new DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, this exclusive release combines Fruhbeck de Burgos’ powerful interpretation of the complete symphonies by Ludwig van Beethoven with his spectacular renderings of Symphonie fantastique by Hector Berlioz and Richard Strauss’ Eine Alpensinfonie as well as Joaquin Rodrigo’s popular concierto de Aranjuez, featuring the world-renowned Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero.

This album takes you through the most important of Tchaikovsky’s works: the groundbreaking ballets and monumental symphonies, the concertos and works for string orchestra, arias from Eugene Onegin and of course the 1812 Overture. Performers include Hilary Hahn, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, Mikhail Pletnev, Msitislav Rostropovich and many others.

Cal is a soundtrack album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 24 August 1984 by Vertigo Records. The album contains music composed for the 1984 film Cal, produced by David Puttnam and directed by Pat O'Connor. Puttnam also produced the film Local Hero (1983). In his review for AllMusic, Steven McDonald gave the album four our of five stars and called it a "quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story." In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the album "an exceptionally lovely and haunting score."