Leon

It's a little problematic to put together a compilation of such an album-oriented artist. But unless you're very deeply into the Leon Russell catalog, this two-CD, 40-track best-of will serve as a retrospective of all that you need, largely covering his work from the first half of the '70s (a couple of songs from his 1992 Virgin album are also included) and featuring his best-known hits, big and small. It's a well-done tour through his blend of swamp rock, gospel, and bits of blues and country, with material from eight of his Shelter LPs, including the one he recorded in 1969 as part of the Asylum Choir. Interesting rarities include a 1974 single of "Wild Horses," a 1970 cover of Dylan's "She Belongs to Me" that only showed up on a compilation, and a folk-rockish 1965 single for Dot.

What connects a seemingly disparate selection of names from across Renaissance Europe is the spiritual progression from darkness (‘in the midst of life we are in death’) to light (‘blessed be the name of the Lord’). And, of course, the shrewd musical judgement of Peter Phillips in its devising.

The ultimate rock & roll session man, Leon Russell's long and storied career included collaborations with a virtual who's who of music icons spanning from Jerry Lee Lewis to Phil Spector to the Rolling Stones. A similar eclecticism and scope also surfaced in his solo work, which couched his charmingly gravelly voice in a rustic yet rich swamp pop fusion of country, blues, and gospel. Born Claude Russell Bridges on April 2, 1942, in Lawton, Oklahoma, he began studying classical piano at age three, a decade later adopting the trumpet and forming his first band.

This remix project was an opportunity to revisit the first album of Awir Leon Giants acclaimed by the medias (BBC, KCRW, Clash, Hypebeast, Les Inrocks, Tsugi).

Leon III (pronounced Leon The Third), is the new project from former Wrinkle Neck Mules members Andy Stepanian and Mason Brent. To kick off this fresh endeavor, the pair decamped to Nashville for the legendary Beech House Studios and put their songs and their trust in the hands of a small army of session musicians. And their collective efforts helped shepherd into reality a measured masterpiece of sweetly psychedelic ramblers, spacious folk-pop, and lived in roots-rock.
Leading the charge was Mark Nevers. A veteran of the country-leaning indie scene thanks to his peerless work with Bonnie Prince Billy, Lambchop, and Silver Jews, he was the bands first choice for collaborator on this new endeavor.

Mitten im vermeintlichen Sommerloch veröffentlicht da eine Band ihr neues Album, der man den Spaß am Musikmachen durchweg anhört: Leon Francis Farrow aus Berlin. Ganz bewusst lehnt es sich an Vorbilder aus den 60ern an – was „King Future“ allerdings von anderen Bands der Retro-Welle absetzt, ist, dass es sich nicht hinter der selbstverständlich schon im Titel mitschwingenden Ironie versteckt, sondern ganz offen Verletzlichkeit und Unsicherheit zugibt. Eine Rezension.

SOMM Recordings is pleased to announce Leon McCawley’s Second Volume of Piano Sonatas by Franz Joseph Haydn. McCawley’s admired first volume, pairing Haydn’s Sonatas and Variations (SOMMCD 0162), received a coveted Diapason d’Or for playing of “great intelligibility and sensitivity”. Sonata No.60 from Volume I has been selected by Diapason to appear on its next CD, Les indispensables de Diapason, featuring six Haydn sonatas played on different keyboards.