John Sanford Twisted Prey

All newly-expanded and remastered 2-CD set to John Williams 2005 sci-fi gem! Steven Spielberg directs, Tom Cruise stars, Dreamworks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) provide the spectacular effects and of, course, H.G. Wells lays the groundwork with his ever-influential 1897 novel. With John Williams providing the score, you know everything will be a sensation! It’s a score filled to the brim with all manner of excitement, from the interior and complex, to the richly moving and elegiac, from the powerful and terrifying, to the aggressive and relentless. Think large orchestra replete with chorus! Spielberg’s fresh and visceral take on this classic tale of invaders from another world launching an all-out war on Earth with the goal of nothing less than human harvest and annihilation.

Andrew Nethsingha and The Choir of St John’s College, Cambridge release the second volume in the highly praised ‘Magnificat’ series, presenting nine settings of the Evening Canticles by celebrated Organist-Composers, written between 1932 and 1952 and non-church musicians from 1974-1989.

2023 release. Entertainment icon Olivia Newton-John's legendary career immortalized in 11 classic duets with her dear friends. Vol. 2 includes new, never-before-released duets "I'm Counting On You" with Johnny O'Keefe, and "I Will Be Right Here" with David Campbell. Other duets include Burt Bacharach penned "Wishin' And Hopin'" with Dionne Warwick, "Falling" with Marty Raybon, Dave Aude produced bonus Track "You Have To Believe (We Are Magic)" with Olivia's daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, and more.

A relatively short span in the career of guitarist John Scofield, but one that really shows him changing a lot as well! Scofield first came up as a musician with a more breezy, open tune – that approach to jazz guitar that really blossomed in the 70s – particularly as some of the more soul-based players of the previous decade opened their minds to more spiritual and experimental settings, particularly on labels like ECM or Muse. Here, Scofield almost goes the other way – starting out with more of those open, chromatic hues that were one of his biggest calling cards in the 80s – then shifting into more groove-oriented material, pointing towards a stronger soul jazz direction he'd take as the 90s moved on. The five albums here cover the span of five years of recording – and each are presented in cool little LP-styled sleeves – in a package that includes the records Time On My Hands, Meant To Be, Grace Under Pressure, Hand Jive, and Groove Elation.

Over the course of two albums, bandleader/composer/arranger John Beasley has reimagined Thelonious Monk’s iconic compositions through his inventive, versatile MONK’estra­ – a big band able to deftly navigate the legend’s eccentricities from a variety of perspectives, from boisterous swing to raucous funk to Afro-Cuban explosiveness. MONK’estra, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 each garnered a pair of GRAMMY® Award nominations, alongside widespread critical acclaim. Beasley veers off in new directions on his stunning third album in the series, MONK’estra Plays John Beasley. As the title implies, this time out the band shifts focus to its fearless leader’s own estimable compositions and piano playing, alongside a quartet of Monk classics and a tune apiece by Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker.

Built on the Afro-Caribbean past, forged by visionaries such as John Santos and his comrades, and steeled by its rootedness in American life, Latin jazz is a major force shaping contemporary American musical culture. Over decades of performing, arranging, producing, and teaching, Santos has helped make the San Francisco Bay area a Latin jazz stronghold. In Art of the Descarga, The John Santos Sextet and a parade of stellar guests mine the music’s imaginative motherlode, the descarga—the spontaneous, improvisatory interplay that is the beating heart of Latin jam sessions. Orestes Vilató, Jerry González, Orlando “Maraca” Valle, Tito Matos, Juan “Juango” Gutiérrez, and other luminaries join the sextet in this spectacular collision of beauty, design, and time-honored creativity.

The Journey Home: Live from the Kennedy Center. Inspired by the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, the concert, which sold-out at the time, explores timeless themes of longing, loss, love, and the search for peace in the wake of catastrophe. Musical selections range from Schubert's Der Wanderer, to Vaughan Williams' Songs of Travel, as well as popular tunes and art songs by composers and poets who died in the war. The concert is performed by Grammy Award winning baritone, John Brancy, and pianist (and host of NPR’s From the Top), Peter Dugan in a 2018 live performance from the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theater. The concert was presented by Vocal Arts DC and the General Delegation of Flanders to the United States. Brancy and Dugan will also release a single and music video from their performance of, “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” from the album.