From the very first note Rea and Boltro prove themselves to be excellent lyricists. The first piece of the album, Monteverdi’s "Lasciatemi morire", sounds like a soundtrack of a Sergio Leone film. On most of the pieces Boltro trumpet has a classical, pure sound, which occasionally resembles a Bach trumpet ("Sinfonia dal Barbiere di Siviglia" by Rossini). Rea presents himself as a pianist with highly virtuoso touch and outstanding subtlety.
Despite the respect for the opera classics that is evident throughout the entire album, there is also lots of space for musical innovation. Being two of the most creative improvisers of the scene, Rea and Boltro constantly come up with exciting rhythmic variations. Classical music and jazz merge into one another, without ever sounding contrived or unnatural…
"My name is Christopher von Deylen - and I am Schiller." At some point during every Schiller concert, von Deylen speaks these ten words and the crowd goes wild. Schiller’s ethereal “global pop”, as his fans and the press have coined the style, gives the listener a feeling of floating in a dream world. Inspired by electronic classics such as Tangerine Dream, Kraftwerk, and Jean-Michel Jarre, von Deylen is known for creating visionary sounds that are way ahead of their time.
"Timeline: The Very Best of 1998-2011" looks back on Schiller’s accomplishments through the years as it chronicles the best and most important songs of Schiller’s career - compiling noteworthy tracks from prior albums such as Zeitgeist, Voyage, Day and Night, and Desire. Guest artists include Nadia Ali, Colbie Caillat, Chinese pianist Lang Lang, Indonesian-French artist Anggun, and more.
A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers.
Jazz has always had a certain fascination for the moon. After love, it is one of the more common topics for jazz standards, and for Nils Landgren is no exception. For some time he has planned a ballad album as a sequel to his highly successful "Sentimental Journey", which according to the newspaper Die Welt "stole the hearts of the audience".
These songs include jazz standards, such as Henry Mancini’s "Moon River" or Herbie Hancock’s "Stars in Your Eyes", as well as folk and pop songs like Kris Kristofferson’s "Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends" or "Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens, and he also includes South American song by Kurt Weill called "Holofotes" alongside his own compositions. As such, "The Moon, the Stars and You" has grown into a concept album with a whole spectrum of different moods - meditative, longing, occasionally funky yet continuously inspired and swinging.
Blackie and the Rodeo Kings are a band perfectly willing to wear their enthusiasm on their collective sleeve. After all, the project that brought Stephen Fearing, Colin Linden, and Tom Wilson together and gave them their group name was a tribute to Canadian singer/songwriter Willie P. Bennett, and they've never been hesitant to cover songwriters they look up to or bring in guest artists they admire…