Claude King

Claude King and Johnny Horton were close friends in real life, and when Horton died King was groomed by Columbia Records to be his replacement. King had his own sound, but the two artists covered enough similar ground that King was right at home with Horton's songs. The title track is a heartfelt recitation on which King recalls Horton and their friendship, and the remainder of the album is drawn from Horton's hits (excepting a few personal favorites, like the early Horton composition "First Train Headin' South" and "She Knows Why," which Horton and King co-wrote). The historical folk song craze was itself history in 1968 when I Remember Johnny Horton was recorded, but the album's sincerity and celebration of a sadly missed friend is affecting in any era.

Louis-Claude Daquin (July 4, 1694 – June 15, 1772) was a French composer of Jewish ancestry, writing in the Baroque and Galant styles. He was a virtuoso organist and harpsichordist. Louis-Claude Daquin was born in Paris to a family originating from Italy, where his great-great-grandfather took the name D'Aquino after converting to Catholicism in the town of Aquino. Louis-Claude's parents were Claude Daquin, a painter, and Anne Tiersant, a grand-niece of Rabelais. One of Louis-Claude's grand-uncles was a professor of Hebrew at the Collège de France, and another was the principal physician of King Louis XIV.

From the sixties to this day, Tunisian-French DJ, club owner and producer Claude Challe, has been the master of ceremonies of the most mythic spots in Paris – from the Privé to les Bains, the Centre-Ville and the Buddha Bar. His music compilations – gold records several times over – have brought him world-wide reknown. He created an eclectic blend of ambient, new age trip hop world, and house which became know as “lounge” and created a new genre world-wide. This beautiful best-of 3CD compilation, features selections from Claude's first albums (1996-2005), categorized in the three CD as "Love", "Life" and "Dance". Enjoy relaxing, inspirational music from one of the masters of the kind.

"VA - Claude Challe: The Best Of" (2005) is a compilation album that brings together a selection of tracks curated by Claude Challe, a renowned French DJ, producer, and music curator, known for his influence in the chill-out and lounge music scenes. The compilation features a collection of tracks from his extensive catalog and those that fit his signature style, which blends a mix of ambient, world music, chillout, and downtempo vibes.

A great compilation, it's at the level of American Big Bands. The sound recording is perfect. It's a pity that the orchestral grabds are dying out.