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The fourth album by Procol Harum was released as the band was in the midst of a significant shift. With the departure of organist Matthew Fisher, guitarist Robin Trower stepped more to the fore. The two-keyboard approach was still being utilized, with singer Gary Brooker's piano being joined on some selections by the organ playing of multi-instrumentalist Chris Copping. However, the stately grandeur that had been previously applied with grace and subtlety gave way to a band that rocked much harder…

"He will quickly be forgotten." That was Rimsky-Korsakov's unkind but not inaccurate prediction made shortly after his pupil Anton Arensky's death from tuberculosis at the age of 35. His prediction was unkind in the sense that Arensky's stylish and lyrical works rank with those of Liadov, Kalinnikov, and Ippolitov-Ivanov for melodic charm and orchestral color. But his prediction was accurate to the extent that there have been few performances or recordings of Arensky's music in the century since his death in 1906. Indeed, aside from this undated recording with Evgeny Svetlanov leading the Academic Symphony Orchestra, there has apparently been only one other recording of Arensky's symphonies in the past half century – Valery Polyansky's on Chandos – and none before that at all. For die-hard fans of Russian music, this state of affairs is a shame because as Svetlanov's performances demonstrate, Arensky's symphonies deserve to be heard.

The Nighthawks were founded in 1972 by vocalist/harmonica player Mark Wenner and guitarist Jimmy Thackery, and joined early on by bass player Jan Zukowski and drummer Pete Ragusa. Based in Washington, D.C., they built on their Chicago blues roots to create a unique musical repertoire that features blues, roots rock, rockabilly and soul. They became known as one of the hardest working and most popular blues bands as they toured nationally in the ‘70s and ‘80s, playing 300 shows a year from the mid-‘70’s to the mid-‘80’s.

Each generation has had its share of jazz musicians whose playing keeps the traditions of "bop" and "swing" alive. With roots in the past, and with eyes and ears for innovation, new ground is broken.
Enter Joshua Breakstone.

..The brilliance of Strauss' thematic manipulation and the skills of his orchestration were perceived from the beginning, while the exuberant presentation of his ideas came under suspicion as aimless meandering..

On September 24th 1973, Sarah Vaughan climaxed a tour of Japan with a concert at Sun Plaza Hall in Tokyo. Fortunately this is not one of these extraordinary musical events that endure only in the memories of those in attendance. The concert was recorded and the result ranks among the most durably rewarding of all of Sarah Vaughan's albums. In my own view, this two-volume triumph is matched only by a Gershwin set Sarah recorded some years ago under the aegis of Bobby Shad who also produced this album. Sarah's transmutation of Gershwin songs is no longer available according to the Schwann catalogue and therefore this Tokyo revelation of the full range of Sarah's prowess is all the more valuable.