David Lacapelle

Mojo Presents David Gilmour & Friends. Some three years ago, David Gilmour very kindly sent Mojo a cover version of The Beatles’ "Here, There And Everywhere". After a spot of cajoling he’s finally agreed to let include it on the free CD that comes with this edition of Mojo (October 15 / #263). "I really wish I had been in The Beatles," Gilmour tells Mojo of the genesis behind his cover. "They taught me how to play guitar, I learnt everything. The bass parts, the lead, the rhythm, everything. They were fantastic." That love is manifested on the wonderful harmony-filled cover of the 1966 Revolver original recorded with his son Joe. Previously unreleased anywhere. A number of Gilmour’s closest collaborators appear on this compilation while the guitarist is featured on six of the tracks himself, including songs from Phil Manzanera, Robert Wyatt and The Pretty Things.

David Arkenstone's career has been a long and unusual one. On one hand, he makes new age music that takes influence from composers like John Williams, Brian Eno, and Tangerine Dream. On the other hand, most of his songs are highly based in fantasy and science fiction, taking their inspiration from the works of Mercedes Lackey and J.R.R. Tolkien. It is this bizarre mishmash of influences that produces some of the most recognized and respected instrumentals of the '80s and '90s. The album is programmed quite nicely, taking the listener on a sonic journey through Arkenstone's career by attempting to capture certain moods and styles from song to song. The transitions are flawless, leaving the listener without any tracks to skip through or slow moments…

Luck and Strange is David Gilmour's fifth solo record and only his third of the 21st century. The Pink Floyd guitarist clearly understands his life's privilege; he has made some of rock's most memorable music, toured its biggest stages, and been named a Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He could easily coast along for the duration of his career. Instead, he has continued to tour, collaborated widely, advocated for numerous just causes, and donated the money from selling his home and guitars to charity. If he wants to make just one album per decade, he's earned the right. Appearing nine years after 2015's Rattle That Lock, Luck and Strange brings together a supporting cast that's both fresh and familiar, and also familial.

Schütz’s ‘Christmas story’ is an absolute delight from beginning to end, its charming tableaux of angels, shepherds and wise men completely belying the composer’s old age and constrained circumstances. Here it’s the jubilant climax to a programme of Christmas motets from the 1640s.

The greatest diva of the Netherlands, Fay Claassen, joins forces with gifted Belgian singer-composer-lyricist and longtime Parisian David Linx on 'And Still We Sing', a magnificent collaboration with the WDR Big Band, conducted by Magnus Lindgren. The title of this reunion of Claassen and Linx (they sang together on 2005's 'One Heart, Three Voices') is a paraphrase of one of Maya Angelou's most famous poems: "…And Still I Rise." Claassen brings her crystal clear delivery and adventurous scatting chops to the program, blending beautifully and organically with Linx, a singular talent who has gained notoriety throughout Europe while still flying under the radar on the United States jazz scene. Produced by WDR tenor saxophonist (and Claassen's husband) Paul Heller, 'And Still We Sing' features stellar big band arrangements by Heller, Lindgren, Bob Mintzer and Michael Abene.