Nexus

This Argentine quintet has its roots in the Seventies when a group of schoolboys from the capital Buenos Aires were impressed by the symphonic rock and soon Nexus was born. Eventually a dream came true but not until the end of the Nineties when Nexus eventually released their first album entitled "Detras Del Umbral" in '99. The impressive sound is very bombastic and loaded with great keyboards. The female vocals are strong and powerful and also give the music an emotional value in order to avoid 'technical overkill'. Most obvious hints are from ELP (Hammond organ play), mid-Genesis (lush symphonic sound) and Marillion (synthesizer flights)…

Were just one example to be given of the richness and diversity of Mozart's achievements, Concertos Nos. 23 & 24 would undoubtedly make excellent candidates. Completed almost simultaneously in Vienna in early 1786, the two concertos contrast starkly and seem to have been written years apart – or by two distinct yet connected minds of equal genius. Even more astonishing is the fact that they were written in parallel with the first masterpiece of the Da Ponte trilogy, The Marriage of Figaro, while sharing with it very few stylistic similarities.

This CD is not only a fine addition to the Pat Martino catalogue, it is also of historical importance with respect to his personal and musical development. Recorded at the well-known eclectic nightclub the Tin Angel in Philadelphia in the mid-nineties (the exact date is not given and probably unknown), it is a duet set (or selections from multiple sets) featuring Martino with pianist Jim Ridl, a giant creative force in his own right, who for about ten years worked with Martino as a duet and in the latter's groups.

You really must get this and all their albums (this is really their third, the first is hard to find). This latest effort captures more of their live show power…

Argent were an English rock band founded in 1969 by keyboardist Rod Argent, formerly of The Zombies. They were best known for their songs "Hold Your Head Up" and "God Gave Rock and Roll to You." In Deep, released in 1973, is the 4th studio album by Argent; originally released by Epic Records. It features the original full-length recording of "God Gave Rock and Roll to You", which reached No.18 in the UK charts (U.S. #114); when released as a single in edited form later the same year. It was later remade by Kiss as "God Gave Rock 'n' Roll to You II" for the film Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey in 1991, when it was a massive worldwide hit. Nexus is the fifth album by British rock band Argent. Released in 1974 on CBS Records (USA: Epic Records).

Through inspired improvisations, Nexus with Paul Horn on flutes and alto sax created an emotionally potent and stylistically diverse album merging rhythms and cultural influences from South America, Africa, India, Tibet and the U.S.A. The Nexus personnel at the time were John Wyre, Russell Hartenberger, Bob Becker, Bill Cahn, Michael Craden, and Robin Engelman.
Paul Horn’s flute and saxophone playing on this recording is at times fast and jazzy, and at other times reflective and meditative. Nexus add many percussive colours ranging from tabla drums to marimba. Always tasteful - yet masterful.

As son of Yes guitarist Steve, Virgil Howe was born into a house full of music, tinkering on his dad’s synth at four, learning multiple instruments as he grew up and destined to follow in his father’s footsteps…

One of the most accessible of all jazz pianists, Gene Harris' soulful style (influenced by Oscar Peterson and containing the blues-iness of a Junior Mance) was immediately likable and predictably excellent. After playing in an Army band (1951-1954), he formed a trio with bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Bill Dowdy which was, by 1956, known as the Three Sounds. The group was quite popular, and recorded regularly during 1956-1970 for Blue Note and Verve. Although the personnel changed and the music became more R&B-oriented in the early '70s, Harris retained the Three Sounds name for his later Blue Note sets. He retired to Boise, ID, in 1977, and was largely forgotten when Ray Brown persuaded him to return to the spotlight in the early '80s. Harris worked for a time with the Ray Brown Trio and led his own quartets in the years to follow, recording regularly for Concord and heading the Phillip Morris Superband on a few tours; 1998's Tribute to Count Basie even earned a Grammy nomination.