o Lion

Sinéad O'Connor's debut, The Lion and the Cobra, was a sensation upon its 1987 release, and it remains a distinctive record, finding a major talent striving to achieve her own voice. Like many debuts, it's entirely possible to hear her influences, from Peter Gabriel to Prince and contemporary rap, but what's striking about the record is how she synthesizes these into her own sound – an eerie, expansive sound heavy on atmosphere and tortured passion. If the album occasionally sinks into its own atmospheric murk a little too often, she pulls everything back into focus with songs as bracing as the hard-rocking "Mandinka" or the sexy hip-hop of "I Want Your (Hands on Me)." Still, those ethereal soundscapes are every bit as enticing as the direct material, since "Troy," "Jackie," and "Jerusalem" are compelling because of their hushed, quiet intensity. It's not a perfect album, since it can succumb to uneven pacing, but it's a thoroughly impressive debut – and it's all the more impressive when you realize she only topped it with its immediate successor, before losing all focus.

Willie "The Lion" Smith, one of stride piano's Big Three of the 1920s (along with James P. Johnson and Fats Waller), recorded a lot less than his two friends. In fact, with the exception of two selections apiece with the Gulf Coast Seven in 1925 (which features trombonist Jimmy Harrison and clarinetist Buster Bailey) and 1927's Georgia Strutters (starring singer Perry Bradford, Harrison, and cornetist Jabbo Smith), along with the rare and originally unreleased 1934 solo piano showcase "Finger Buster," this CD does not get started until 1935. Smith's Decca recordings of 1935 and 1937 were formerly quite obscure, showcasing his piano with three different versions of "His Cubs"…

Willie "The Lion" Smith was one of the last remaining giants from the stride piano era when he made this studio recording for Decca in 1965. Although seven of the 15 tracks are Smith's compositions, they are not his better known works, adding to the value of this release. One can hear how a performance like the driving "In a Minor Groove" could have influenced Duke Ellington early in his career. There are also strong takes of oldies like "Ain't She Sweet" and "Some of These Days," along with an elaborate arrangement of George Gershwin's "Summertime" that likely dazzled the composer if he had the opportunity to hear it during his many visits to Harlem. Smith delves into the works of his comrades in stride, including James P. Johnson's demanding and unjustly obscure "Steeplechase" and protégé Fats Waller's well-known "Honeysuckle Rose"…

Musicians who decided to set their emotions free and to explore everything that is fascinating. Progressive, world music, acoustic music, trance, rock, blues. Ethereal forms, uncommon rhythm figures and harmonic solutions. Rock anthems and protest songs. The band absorbs everything that surrounds it. Restrictions and procrastination do not have the right to vote. There is passion, wildness and adrenaline. Rich instrumentation, constant work on the sound, numerous experiments and a group of talented people who record and work with the band on both musical and visual projects – all this allows Lion Shepherd to develop its own unique style and image. The band is in constant motion, becoming a bigger and bigger challenge even for its most faithful listeners.

On 1 0 0 1, Dustin O‘Halloran (Marie Antoinette, Lion, Transparent) contemplates ideas of technology & humanity entering the age of artificial intelligence - one of the most fundamental transformations in the history of mankind. What will distinguish humanity and technology in the future? How will this affect concepts like ‘love’ and the ‘soul’? Will language survive as the primary tool for our species’ communication? What role will consciousness have in a world whose rapid evolution continues to accelerate? 1 0 0 1 is based on a ballet, first premiered in 2019 (collaborating with dancer Fukiko Takase), that was developed further into the album during the pandemic.

The second Classics CD in their Willie "The Lion" Smith series is surprisingly weak. Of the 25 selections, 21 actually feature the dated organ of Milt Herth. Smith's presence in the trio (with drummer-vocalist O'Neil Spencer) fails to uplift the music (Herth's wheezing organ mostly drowns him out) although guitarist Teddy Bunn helps a bit on the last seven numbers. Easily the best selections on the CD are two songs performed by Willie "The Lion" Smith and His Cubs (a septet with trumpeter Frankie Newton and clarinetist Buster Bailey) and a pair of duets with drummer Spencer on Smith's own "Passionette" and "Morning Air." But the preceding and following volumes in this program are much more valuable.

Any Grappelli album contains a wealth of material by the cream of the song-writers and this present LP is no exception; indeed it includes songs which the violinist has never recorded before, plus two of his outstanding originals. The session took place in a vast film studio, capable of housing almost a complete concert orchestra, yet the intimate atmosphere created by Grappelli and Alan Clare points to the dedication to the task at hand. Grappelli and Clare have worked together many times over an extended period.