Small Changes

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the '70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the '80s….

Jethro Tull was a unique phenomenon in popular music history. Their mix of hard rock; folk melodies; blues licks; surreal, impossibly dense lyrics; and overall profundity defied easy analysis, but that didn't dissuade fans from giving them 11 gold and five platinum albums…

Joe Venuti and Eddie Lang cut different figures. Joe was combative, a joker and man about town. Eddie was quiet, considerate and careful with money. They were born in Philadephia - Eddie in 1902, Joe in 1903 - to Italian immigrant parents. Both studied the violin. Their partnership began in their mid teens when Eddie joined Joe's newly-formed band as a guitarist. Soon they were performing as a duo. Eddie made the early running. In 1919 he joined Charlie Kerr's Orchestra as a violinist, switching to banjo.

From New Orleans to Harlem. The most important recordings of the golden age. Mit King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbecke, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden, Red Nichols, Clarence Williams, Muggsy Spanier, Frank Teschemacher, Adrian Rollini u.a. 100-CD-Box with original recordings. From the early days to the late 1950s, the highlights of Swing are presented on these 100 CDs.

Johann Schenck - Scherzi Musicali op. VI [3 Suites]
Classical, Baroque | 1 CD | EAC | FLAC, CUE, LOG | Scans | 318 MB | Rapidshare
Recorded: 9/11 July 1998, Capella dell'Istituto alla Querce, Firenze| Released: 1999 | Label: Dynamic CDS 226 | TT: 63:34
Bettina Hoffmann - viola da gamba | Modo Antiquo (Alfonso Fedi - harpsichord & organ | Luca Franco Ferrari - viola da gamba | Paolo Fanciullacci - violone | Gian Luca Lastraioli - theorbo & baroque guitar)

I've always associated the term "stylus fantasticus" with some of Buxtehude's works, but now I see that these "fantastic and bizarre caprices with sudden and contrasting changes of tempo and character, often rhythmically free and never constrained by the instrument's technical limits" … apply to Schenck too. … None of Schenck's music is for the faint-hearted. The Amsterdam-born composer (1660-17??) was a true original, and he obviously had a formidable command of the bass viol if the technical demands of his music are anything to go by. Fugues, finger-crunching chords and an exploitation of the full register of the instrument are some of his compositional footprints and Ms Hoffmann is certainly equal to the challenge. (Patrice Connelly, 2001, avdgs.org.au)

Once Upon A Time is the definitive last word on Family. A long-awaited 14 disc box set that collects the band's entire back catalogue for the first time…

Generation 13' is Saga's top achievement: after a not so impressive return to the music arena in the early 90s, with two albums that simply had some interesting moments, 'Generation 13' showed a band that decided to challenge itself massively…