Find the most popular songs of the Soul's legend reinterpreted by the Jazz scene. A selection of the most beautiful covers from "Superstition" to "Sir Duke" or "You Are The Sunshine of My Life" with Tok Tok Tok, Viktoria Tolstoy, Stéphane Belmondo, Ida Sand. Tracklisting was made by the specialist Lionel Eskenazi, a famous French jazz journalist (Jazz Magazine).

Windy City Soul: Smooth '70s Soul from Chicago Review by Thom Jurek
Back Beats Records is strictly a compilation company based in the U.K. and distributed throughout the European Union at a budget price. What they do is simply compile collections of dance music by well-known and obscure artists from the disco era to the late '90s. And for what it’s worth, when it comes to licensing, they do a terrific job, and this set is a case in point. Compiled by Ian Dewhirst, Windy City Soul collects 21 tracks of Chicago soul recorded during the '70s, most of it in 7" versions. There are plenty of “name” artist mainstays here, such as Barbara Acklin, Major Lance, Gene Chandler, Tyrone Davis, the Chi-Lites, the Impressions, the Dells, etc. What isn’t so obvious are some of the track choices and artists included, such as Sidney Joe Qualis and his slippery, positive groover “Run to Me,” or Mighty Doug Haines original 45 rpm mix of “I’ll Be Right Here,” a stellar example of Northern soul from its latter period. The same goes for Otis Leavill's gorgeous falsetto on “I Love You.” Also check the female vocal trio the Promises' “(I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real,” There isn’t a weak track in the bunch, and this is essential listening for any soul music fan.

Violet are a melodic rock/AOR band from Germany formed in 2020, releasing their debut album ‘Illusions’ in 2022.

Kraut! Demons! Kraut!: German Psychedelic Underground 1968-1974 Review by Richie Unterberger
This is the kind of compilation you can expect to flourish as the realization comes to pass that several types of special-interest rock cults will not be catered to by the CD explosion. There's no label or catalog number on it, but if you're in a big city or hip college town with a record store oriented toward specialty collectors, you might be able to find it. What we're dealing with here is rare Krautrock, some taken from private pressings that reached only into the three figures. None of these artists will be familiar, even to those who listen to college radio stations willing to play vintage Krautrock, with the exception of Can (represented by a 1969 single, on one side of which the band backed Margareta Juvan). This is actually more accessible than the more widely known, progressive rock-oriented style of Krautrock's salad days, as it bears a heavier influence of late 1960s psychedelia.

The internationally celebrated Vermeer Quartet, known for its extensive, major-label recordings of standard repertoire, has turned to its hometown record label, Chicago’s Cedille Records, for a program of important yet surprisingly neglected Tchaikovsky works.

Hyperion is delighted to introduce the highly sought-after German cellist Alban Gerhardt to the label with these dazzling performances of three cello concertos written within the span of five years either side of the close of the nineteenth century. This disc is a fitting start to Hyperion’s new series of Romantic Cello Concertos; a follow-up to the highly successful Romantic Piano Concerto series and Romantic Violin Concerto series.

Tavener wrote the extraordinarily moving …Depart in Peace… following the death of his father. Written for soprano, violin, tampura and strings it features Eastern elements and a glittering setting of the Song of Simeon ; Patricia Rozario and Clio Gould are outstanding soloists in this beautiful piece. Clio Gould’s perfectly pitched and emotive violin playing takes centre stage in My Gaze is Ever upon You and Tears of the Angels . John Tavener, who passed away in 2013, was described as one of ‘ the very best creative talents of his generation ’ by The Times; these compositions are among his finest.

Ruth Gipps (1921 – 1999) was born in the English seaside resort of Bexhill-on-Sea. Encouraged as a child by an ambitious pianist mother, she appeared locally as a prodigy pianist. She was accepted by the Royal College of Music in 1937, at the age of sixteen, having won the Caird Scholarship. She quickly matured, both as composer and pianist. She studied with Vaughan Williams and Gordon Jacob, and later the oboe with Leon Goossens. During the Second World War she gained a position as oboist with the City of Birmingham Orchestra and devoted a great deal of her time to composing.

Brainbox is a Dutch rock group from the late 1960s/early 1970s. The band was founded in Amsterdam by guitarist Jan Akkerman, drummer Pierre van der Linden and singer Kazimir Lux (Kaz). Their debut single was "Down Man", which established their progressive blues sound. They had several hit singles in the Netherlands, including "Down Man". "Doomsday Train", "Summertime", "To You", "Virgin" and "The Smile".

Limited edition, vinyl only live EP comprised of live recordings from The Smile’s debut album, A Light For Attracting Attention, as well as the band’s rendition of Thom Yorke’s 2009 solo track FeelingPulledApartByHorses. Recorded in various cities (including venues such as London Roundhouse and Berlin’s Tempodrom and Primevera Sound, Barcelona) over the course of The Smile's first ever tour last summer.

One of trombonist Nils Landgren's early inspirations was Cannonball Adderley's group. Paint It Blue is dedicated to Adderley with Landgren performing five songs associated with the altoist plus seven originals that pay tribute to Cannonball's bands. Some of the music is in the soul-jazz vein while other tunes (particularly the originals) are more modern, even incorporating a little bit of rap in a couple places. Landgren is a fine trombonist (sometimes a little reminiscent of Wayne Henderson) and he manages to keep up with Michael and Randy Brecker, who in this situation are superior supportive soloists. Without merely copying the past, Landgren expands on the legacy of Adderley quite successfully.

This album found them at a musical peak as a stellar 70s rock band who had oodles of swamp blues and funk, with a loose shambling style that spoke of confidence rather than sloppiness. Lowell George was singing better than ever on this album, notably with the sublime "Roll Um Easy," where his voice was chillingly expressive. Bill Payne and Richie Haywood play their respective keyboard and drums with calm and precision. There are no weak tracks here, and this is another vital album, in keeping with all recordings that featured George.

So this is, on the whole, a fine performance. The only other commercial recording of Die Meistersinger to come along in the last couple of decades has been Sawallisch's (for my review see Fanfare 18:3). And that one, despite its many virtues, is seriously disfigured by Weikl's Sachs. So if you want a Meistersinger in up-to-the-minute digital sound, you would do better with Solti. I must add, however, that while the sound on this new recording is very full and clear, it lacks warmth.

This new CD of Les Boréades de Montréal, features acclaimed Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin in two French Baroque Cantatas: Orphée by Nicolas Clérambault and L'Hyver by Joseph Bodin de Boismortier. The recording is completed by two instrumental pieces: the lively suite from the opera Don Quichotte chez la Duchesse by Boismortier and by Michel Corrette's Concerto comique no 25 Les Sauvages.

The out of print 1972 CD from Shirley Bassey, And I Love You So, gets two additional bonus tracks on its 2000 re-release, and the more Bassey in the world the better. Her over the top rendition of pianist Jack Dieval's "The Way of Love" keeps the gender intact, as did Kathy Kirby and Cher on their respective hit versions, of a woman singing a song of heartbreak to another woman, only Bassey puts her trademark style on it bringing it into another realm. Chris White includes two lengthy pages of liner notes in the informative eight-page booklet which includes four lovely photos of the queen diva. Perry Como's hit version of the title track, "And I Love You So," a composition from the pen of Don McLean, might've kept this album from getting more exposure, but it is essential Shirley Bassey which her fan base is well aware of…