Best Tango 100

Pekka Pohjola (1952-2008) is without doubt one of the greatest bassist/multi-instrumentalist in Europe. He knows how to handle several other instruments too… violin, piano, organ, keyboards, synthesizers, and trumpet as well. His style could be described with words as progressive rock filled with invention & Scandinavian folky/jazzy delights. In 1970 Pekka joined Wigwam, a Finnish group around the English singer and pianist Jim Pembroke, staying four glorious years. In 1977, he formed The Group and in 1979, he toured with Mike Oldfield, who is an admirer of this bass-player. In 1980, The Group changed its name to Pekka Pohjola Group, but along the way the word "Group" is dropped, so the band played on as Pekka Pohjola…

The second part of the collection of wonderful music 50s and 60s of the last century, which became the soundtrack to the film "Lemon Popsicle". Lemon Popsicle is an Israeli film directed by Boaz Davidson and was released in 1978. It was an immediate hit in Israel and has since acquired cult status and spawned eight sequels.

Formed in 2008, AGENTS OF MERCY was originally a side-project by Roine Stolt (guitars, bass, vocals) of The Flower Kings fame, whrere the goal was to create a low key, mostly acoustic based type of music…

This is Rodion Tolmachov’s debut CD. At the age of only twenty two, he became the principal bassoonist at the famous Marinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. His playing is distinguished by expressive tonal nuancing and breathtaking virtuosity. He has chosen a varied programme including works by Bozza, Bitsch, Boutry, Dubois, Francaix, Bernaud and Saint-Saëns.

Richard’s new release “Tangos”! Richard’s well-known discs have garnished praise such as “Best Contemporary Jazz Guitar Album” (Tune Up Magazine), a nomination for “Record of the Year” (Ad Lib Magazine), and “Best New Artist” (Radio & Records Magazine). His album ‘SOuLIDIFIED’ spent 17 weeks in the top 10 for radio airplay of American contemporary jazz radio (Radio and Records Magazine), and three weeks at number 1 in the world for satellite and cable airplay (Music Choice). This has been an exciting time for Richard, a time of growth and change. In 2012 and 2013 Smith traveled to 11 countries around the globe performing music from his 13 releases and collaborating with a group of international all-stars on “Tangos” – the deepest and most engaging release of his career.

Two of Australia’s hottest young guitarists take us on a trip through time and around the world of classical guitar.

Eleni Karaindrou – “Greece’s most eloquent living composer” in the words of Time magazine – was born in Teichio, a mountain village in central Greece. She still retains vivid memories of the sound world of her childhood: "the music of the wind, rain on the slate roof, running water. The nightingale's singing. And then the silence of the snow." Sometimes the mountains would echo to the sound of flutes and clarinets played at village festivals. “I still have a strong memory of the Byzantine melodies I heard in church and the continuous voices of the men accompanying the chanter," she has said. Resonances of this sound world, imbued with the history and suffering of her native land, have found their way into the many scores she has composed for film, TV and theatre in the past four decades.