David Cross Making

Best known as husband and producer of wife Keiko Matsui, Kazu has quietly become one of the genre's most interesting studio craftsmen through his work with Porcupine and others on his own label. His 1991 debut Sign of the Snow Crane was a tender showcase for his haunting shakuhachi playing, but it failed to ignite the fire his other productions offered. In making the far superior, infinitely more rhythmic and melodic Wheels of the Sun, he found the solution: collaborate with David Lindley, the thoughtful blues-rock guitarist who perfectly balances the spiritual beauty of the flute. Lindley adds spark, groove, and unpredictable energy to more cooking tracks like "Red Sea," yet can provide understatement when Matsui focuses on a sweeping symphonic turn. Achieving an effortless cross between different cultures, the Eastern heritage of his flute is complemented by guests like Keiko, Brian Bromberg, Steve Reid, and Porcupine's Bernie Dresel.

Countless gigs have come and gone for musical buddies David Hazeltine and Eric Alexander since the first volume of Blues Quarters (CRC 1188) came out in 1998, making this second edition an even stronger statement, with bassist Peter Washington and drummer Joe Farnsworth completing the line-up. Among an already fine set of originals are outstanding updates to the classics "Going Out Of My Head" and "Unforgettable" with a Latin groove adding some extra spice.

"Red" is the seventh studio album by English progressive rock group King Crimson, released in 1974 by Island Records in the United Kingdom and by Atlantic Records in the United States. It was their last studio recording of the 1970s and the last before the lead member Robert Fripp temporarily disbanded the group. Though their lowest-charting album at the time, spending only one week in the UK charts, Red has received critical acclaim.