Simon Gurfunkel Old Friend

Old Friends is the second box set of Simon & Garfunkel songs, released in November 1997. The three-disc anthology collects most of the duo's best-known works, and also includes previously unreleased outtakes…

It's no secret that Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel didn't end their partnership on the friendliest terms. Despite a brief reunion every decade or so – most notably in the fall of 1981 at The Concert in Central Park – Simon & Garfunkel were notorious for not speaking to each other, so their reunion at the 2002 Grammy Awards, opening the show with "The Sound of Silence," was a big deal. It was a good performance, too, whetting the appetites of an audience eager for a full-fledged reunion tour, which the duo delivered in 2003 and into 2004…

Chris Anderson has been a mainstay on the Southern Rock scene since the 1970s, playing with, touring, or writing songs in groups such as the Outlaws, Grinderswitch, Lucinda Williams, The Allman Brothers, Bad Company, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackhawk, Hank Williams Jr, Steven Stills, Johnny Neel, Neil Carswell and many others. His Debut Album “Old Friend” has been described as a cross between Stevie Ray Vaughan Eric Clapton, and Duane Allman. The New York Times described it as one of the 10 best albums you’ve never heard. Rolling Stone Magazine gave it Five Stars. “Old Friend” is a well rounded effort charged by Anderson's vibrant guitar playing and the emotional depth of great songs sung with unremitting conviction, and delivered with the authority of a veteran bluesman.

Al Jarreau and George Duke were friends long before they became household names. They began playing together in the mid-1960's in San Francisco as Al Jarreau and the George Duke Trio. The successes of these performances are what helped to launch both their careers. George's tragic passing in August, 2013, inspired Al to record this loving tribute to his longtime friend. With the exception of the fitting title track composed by Jarreau, all the tunes were written by George. Guest artists/collaborators include Gerald Albright, Stanley Clarke, Dr. John, Lalah Hathaway, Boney James, Marcus Miller, Jeffrey Osborne, Kelly Price, Dianne Reeves and Patrice Rushen. There's even a song with George Duke playing on it!

SoulMusic Records is exceptionally pleased to present the first-ever box set of the music of the late Phyllis Hyman, who created a wonderful legacy of recordings over close to twenty-years that continues to resonate today with her dedicated global audience and beyond.

Alan Pasqua's My New Old Friend is mostly a set of sensitive and relaxed trio improvisations. Pasqua, bassist Darek Oles and drummer Peter Erskine, three of the top jazz musicians based in Los Angeles, perform subtle reshapings of five standards which alternate with six of Pasqua's generally introspective originals. One is reminded of Bill Evans (particularly on the standards) in Pasqua's sophisticated chord voicings and the close interplay of the musicians, but that is only a point of reference rather than a direct copy. However fans of Evans' treatments of ballads will certainly enjoy this accessible and thoughtful effort.