Wild West From June 2015

Duran Duran personified new wave for much of the mainstream audience. And for good reason. Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos, which accentuated their fashion-model looks and glamorous sense of style. Without music videos, it's likely that their pop-funk – described by the group as the Sex Pistols-meet-Chic – would never have made them international pop stars…

Shorty Rogers' Jazz Waltz is exactly that, an exploration of ten compositions played in waltz settings. Only these big-band charts are hardly the waltzes heard on Lawrence Welk's long-running television series. Rogers kicks off with a swinging number ("I'm Gonna Go Fishin'") written by Duke Ellington for the soundtrack to the film Anatomy of a Murder and featuring the leader's rich flügelhorn. The lyrical take of the centuries-old folk melody "Greensleeves" alternates between the tense rhythm section and Bud Shank's gorgeous flute solo. Rogers' delightful "Be as Children" almost sounds as if it was adapted from a gospel song. The brisk treatment of Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem," featuring Paul Horn on flute, is refreshing. Only Bobby Scott's "A Taste of Honey" is the least bit disappointing, simply because this arrangement isn't quite as adventurous as the rest of the album.

Sacred Spirit is a musical project by Claus Zundel, Ralf Hamm, and Markus Staab. This album was nominated for a Best New Age Album Grammy and spawned the international smash hit "Yeha-noha (Wishes of Happiness & Prosperity)," which topped the singles charts in numerous countries, including Germany and France.
"Chants and Dances of the Native Americans" (sometimes labeled as "Indians") is an 11-song journey bridging the gap between ancient and contemporary history, tradition and modern instrumentation. While it is impossible to fully realize such scope on a single disc, Sacred Spirit makes the choice to represent all indigenous Americans rather than become mired in the potentially divisive bog of politics and tribal allegiance. All but two melodies are entirely traditional, bringing together flute, drums, and vocals with a cello and keyboard wash…

Shorty Rogers' Jazz Waltz is exactly that, an exploration of ten compositions played in waltz settings. Only these big-band charts are hardly the waltzes heard on Lawrence Welk's long-running television series. Rogers kicks off with a swinging number ("I'm Gonna Go Fishin'") written by Duke Ellington for the soundtrack to the film Anatomy of a Murder and featuring the leader's rich flügelhorn. The lyrical take of the centuries-old folk melody "Greensleeves" alternates between the tense rhythm section and Bud Shank's gorgeous flute solo. Rogers' delightful "Be as Children" almost sounds as if it was adapted from a gospel song. The brisk treatment of Ellington's "Echoes of Harlem," featuring Paul Horn on flute, is refreshing. Only Bobby Scott's "A Taste of Honey" is the least bit disappointing, simply because this arrangement isn't quite as adventurous as the rest of the album.

Dire Straits is the debut studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits released on 7 October 1978 by Vertigo Records internationally and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album produced the hit single "Sultans of Swing", which reached #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached #1 on album charts in Germany, Australia and France, #2 in the United States and #5 in the United Kingdom. Dire Straits was later certified double-platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom.