Insomnia

This octet session, recorded live in the studio in June 1997 but not released until 2011, is a departure for Tim Berne. His 1990s quartet Bloodcount (with clarinetist Chris Speed, bassist Michael Formanek, and drummer Jim Black) is augmented by trumpeter Baikida Carroll, violinist Dominique Pifarély, cellist Erik Friedlander, and acoustic guitarist Marc Ducret. The disc contains only two compositions, the first running over 35 minutes and the latter a shade under 30…

Anima Mundi is a Cuban progressive rock band formed in 1996. Anima Mundi have always combined prog sounds with other music genres and used instruments that are uncommon for rock. Echoes of Celtic, Cuban, New Age, and Symphonic Rock music can be clearly distinguished. Musically similar to the commercially successful British symphonic acts of the 1970s, the group incorporates multiple layers of synthesizer-led progressions with a rhythmic and percussive backdrop of sharp bass and polyphonic drumming while showcasing the virtuosity of lead synthesizers and guitar. Their songs are characterized by lengthy instrumental suites divided by vocal passages with surreal and spiritual lyrics.

With a sound that captures all the elegance, exuberance and flamboyance of the swinging ‘60s, Chaise Lounge delivers music that is high on style and sophistication. This Washington DC based ensemble of six accomplished musicians performs a groovy hybrid of pop-influenced jazz and swing that seems to both embody another era and belong to the present moment. Members playfully describe the group’s style as “ music that sounds like it was recorded at Capitol Recording Studios in 1962”, “early stereo” or “ perhaps lounge with a capital ‘L”.