Gramophone

Nishat Khan transcends musical barriers with his provocative expression and spellbinding technical mastery. Undeniably the foremost virtuoso of the sitar, he is the torchbearer of seven generations and the 400-year old tradition of India 's most renowned musical family. Khan stands at the threshold of the future of sitar and Indian music with his uniquely invigorating, contemporary approach.

Having all of these works collected together is a real treasure. It is one of the most beautiful collections I've heard. 5 cd's of all of Bach's chamber music, exquisitely performed by the outstanding soloists of Musica Antiqua Koln. Reinhard Goebel's performance of the violin works is simply perfect. As I've said before, Bach's sonatas for violin and harpsichord have been in the shadows for too long, they deserve to be heard and this performance proves it. They are a delightful partnership between violin and harpsichord. The tempos are fairly brisk but the performance is so clearly articulated that the result is energetic and very rewarding.

“New Gramophone, Who Dis?” isn’t just a handy excuse for “losing” someone’s number (especially when you’d rather stay home spinning your 78s – or listening to PMJ). It’s also the title of our 13th CD! Who dis, you ask? Well it’s an all-star cast but some of the highlights include American Idol alum Vonzell Solomon fronting a reggae version of Smash Mouth’s “All Star” and Ariana Savalas bringing her flirtatious flair to Shaggy’s anthem for cheaters, “It Wasn’t Me.” Kenton Chen gives Nine Inch Nails’ “Closer” a fabulously funky makeover, and Grace Kelly doubles on vocals and sax for a jazzy remake of Fifth Harmony’s self-empowerment ode, “Worth It.”