Michael Holm

More quality dance floor material from Jaques Fred Petrus and Mauro Malavasi steeped in the quality tradition of 80s groove with flair, finesse, panache and SOUL. Here we have a real treat with early performances from young superstars in waiting Alyson Williams and the delicious, delicious Meli'sa Morgan. Helping them shine resplendently is Eric McClinton from one-time Motown outfit Eric & The Vikings. Not only do we have a good album here we have discerning liner notes from 'me old mucker', David Cole of In The Basement magazine. This man's devotion to quality music and his expansive knowledge are first rate and it is fitting to employ him for liner notes such as these.

VA - Stars of The Musicals: The Greatest Musical Songs (3CD) 2015
MP3 320 CBR kbps | Tracks: 60 | 03:26:00 | 492 Mb
Genre: Musical Soundtracks | Label: My Kind of Music

Stars Of Musicals is a stunning collection featuring 60 of the greatest musical songs taken from the most popular musicals including Phantom Of The Opera, The Wizard Of Oz, Annie, Evita, Joseph, Oliver, The Lion King, Oklahoma & more more. The glittering line of artists includes Judy Garland, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Crawford, Bing Crosby, John Barrowman plus many more celebrated stars.

Broken English is one of two-discs' worth of material (along with Short Visit to Nowhere) that the Brötzmann-led tentet recorded in the summer of 2000. Oddly, "Stonewater" was performed on the previous release of the same name in a somewhat shorter version (despite being the only track on that album). Here, it begins with Hamid Drake on frame drum reciting passages from the Qu'ran, soon accompanied by Brötzmann's ecstatic tarogato. Just when the listener thinks the piece will consist of unfolding layers of Middle Eastern exotica, the full band breaks in blaring shades of the leader's early FMP sides. The rest of the work is meted out in episodic fashion, sparse solo interludes mixing with dense ensemble passages, eventually settling into a quasi-groove to take it out. The structure is a bit on the clunky side, but it provides ample space for solid solos from, among others, Jeb Bishop, Joe McPhee, and the ever-astounding Mats Gustafsson. Ken Vandermark's title composition also begins with a vaguely Arabic aura, Michael Zerang's hand drums accompanied by high-register bowed bass, but soon leaps into a raw, up-tempo mode that alternates with a brooding, noir-ish theme for the remainder. In both pieces, the value is found more in the imaginative and heartfelt solo work than in the framework of the compositions. While enjoyable, this isn't nearly as effective as live performances by this group could be, where the composed and the improvised intertwined seamlessly, often to spectacular effect. Broken English is a good album, but the tentet had yet to be captured on disc in all their power.

For those well versed in the mythos of early 80s heavy metal, the name Michael Denner will be inevitably tied to the legacy of Mercyful Fate and the early, highly consequential studio offers of said band’s iconic front man King Diamond in a solo artist capacity. What is perhaps not is well known is that there is a fairly extensive that predates the release of the iconic debut dubbed “Melissa”, one that is heavily steeped in that mixed up era of sonic experimentation in the late 70s where punk, hard rock and heavy metal often converged…