The Sidewinder

The Great American GROOVE Book/familiar all time favorites performed by brilliant trumpet player and big band Produced and arranged by Tim Ouimette, an amazing composer and arranger who has worked with the likes of Ray Charles and Ben E. King. Since her start in the Harry James Band in 1982, Louise has been performing with some of the greatest entertainers in the world… she is a seasoned jazz veteran with great chops and she brings in a great band, including…

Turning away from the sweet pop of Out of Time, R.E.M. created a haunting, melancholy masterpiece with Automatic for the People. At its core, the album is a collection of folk songs about aging, death, and loss, but the music has a grand, epic sweep provided by layers of lush strings, interweaving acoustic instruments, and shimmering keyboards. Automatic for the People captures the group at a crossroads, as they moved from cult heroes to elder statesmen, and the album is a graceful transition into their new status. It is a reflective album, with frank discussions on mortality, but it is not a despairing record – "Nightswimming," "Everybody Hurts," and "Sweetness Follows" have a comforting melancholy, while "Find the River" provides a positive sense of closure. R.E.M. have never been as emotionally direct as they are on Automatic for the People, nor have they ever created music quite as rich and timeless, and while the record is not an easy listen, it is the most rewarding record in their oeuvre.

There is some serious shaking going on in the studio here, and it appears the veteran Sample has found a great situation to let out his more aggressive edges. What must it be like to be a legend and try to somehow uncover a path you haven't driven on before? How can a cat like Sample top himself? It's always rewarding when a veteran artist twists expectations with a brand new sound, even if reaching into his past for the germ of the idea.

Released on 5 Aug 1996. This incredibly light, fun, and surprisingly hip three-CD collection featured by Nat King Cole, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Al Jarreau and many more.

"In the autumn of 1965 a new television series hit the screen which took Gerry Anderson’s productions into a new dimension. Forty years on, Thunderbirds remains as popular today as it was then with Barry Gray’s music a key element. "The Best Of Thunderbirds" is the latest release in the series that brings to CD the original television recordings of Barry Gray’s music for Gerry Anderson’s classic 1960s shows…" (Silva Screen review)