Clair Blank

Since 2006 the Bremen jazz pianist Jens Schöwing and his ensemble have dedicated themselves to a person many music connoisseurs consider the greatest “jazzer” of all time: Johann Sebastian Bach. Blue Note Bach charms the listener with a balance of classically woven musical textures played with a definite jazz identity.

Werner Haas was a German pianist especially known for his interpretations of French repertory, particularly the works of Debussy and Ravel. But his performances of music by Chopin and Beethoven were also highly praised and his repertory was quite broad, extending to Prokofiev and Kabalevsky. He was better known in Europe than in the Americas, where he never concertized. His many admirers assert that had his life not been tragically cut short, he would likely have achieved recognition as one of the finest pianists of his time. Haas was born in Stuttgart on March 3, 1931. He exhibited unusual talent as a young child, though the pianist himself was reluctant to claim he was extraordinarily gifted. Still, he might have developed even sooner but for the exigencies brought on by the war in his homeland. He enrolled at the Stuttgart Academy of Music in 1947, where he took instruction on piano from Lilli Kröber-Asche, who was known for her Mozart interpretations. Shortly after leaving the Stuttgart Academy in 1954, he traveled to Saarbrücken for two years of study with Walter Gieseking, whose interest in the music of Debussy may well have steered Haas toward the French master's works. It was during this time that he launched his career with a critically well-received recital (1955) in his native Stuttgart.

Getting to know your spiritual gifts

Gilbert O’Sullivan, one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation will return in 2024 with “Songbook”, following his previous successful studio album “Driven”. “Songbook”, a newly recorded 12 track album including a classic collection of key songs from Gilbert’s expansive catalogue over the last 55 years. Recorded at Lafayette, King’s Cross in late 2023. The album features long time friend, Bill Shanley on guitar and backing vocals The album features paired down versions of classic songs such as “Alone Again (Naturally)”, “Clair” and “Get Down”. There is also a brand new tracks which features on the album entitled “A Kiss is a Kiss”. This new album is a reminder to both existing fans and potential fans that Gilbert O’Sullivan is the songwriter’s songwriter. Gilbert has been championed in recent years by everyone from Paul Weller, Nina Simone, Mick Hucknall, Squeeze’s Difford & Tilbrook, Neil Diamond to Gary Barlow (whose Crooner Sessions Gilbert duetted on a few years ago), The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, Empire Of The Sun and Boy George. I hear it’s Paul Weller’s favourite Gilbert O’Sullivan track and, this is also the track that Tim Burgess performed with Gilbert on stage at the Barbican in late ’22!

Beyond Standard is an album by Hiromi Uehara’s group, Hiromi’s Sonicbloom. Contrasted with her previous albums that featured mostly original compositions, this one is a collection of Jazz standards played in a fusion style. Chris Jones of BBC stated "With her usual trio now bumped up by the presence of guitarist David Fiuczynski (in their 'Sonicbloom' format), Hiromi Uehara continues the work of her previous album, Time Control, but this time it's cover versions all the way. The precocious pianist is undeniably, stunningly talented and though her brand of flash ivory tickling is jaw-dropping to behold it's often a little hard to process in digital form".

CORRECT Breathwork, Meditation, a More NATURAL Approach to Anxiety Disorders, Association with Spiritual Clairs and MORE

Complete Piano Works offer listeners more clarity and detail than ever before. The expert engineers at Abbey Road Studios who remastered the original EMI recordings on Hybrid Super Audio CDs have breathed new life into these iconic catalog recordings. Each title in the Signature Collection is beautifully presented in a full-color illustrated hardback book. The liner notes explore mot only the rich music but also the story behind original LP covers. Also included are never before seen photographs of the original master tapes.