To our modern minds, the idea of not holding on tightly to one's own intellectual property is a complete anathema. By the same turn, artistic works that can't be indisputably attributed to a single named creator are mysteries to be solved rather than accepted. However, while plagiarism was beginning to become a concept during the seventeenth century, an artist was still only likely to see it as an important issue if they were planning to publish their works for commercial gain. If not, and if they were part of a collaborative family musical dynasty, it was much less of a thing to get hot under the collar about.

It must be something in the water. The movement known as the French touch encompasses a huge sweep of music, from Justice’s heavy metal take on house to Dimitri From Paris and St Germain’s slinky lounge jazz. But one thing that they all seem to have in common is an ability to take sounds from square centre in the middle of the road and then re-invent them as something chic and glamorous. Think of, for instance, the monstrous success of Daft Punk, who took questionable 70s disco and Barry White samples and re-purpose them as the coolest dancefloor fire in town.

Harmonica player, guitarist, and whistler Jean Baptiste "Toots" Thielemans was credited by jazz aficionados as being among the greatest jazz harmonica players of the 20th century, improvising on an instrument more known in folk and blues music. Thielemans was known to audiences young and old, his harmonica heard on the Sesame Street theme and his whistling heard in an "Old Spice" commercial.

Riga-born Ksenija Sidorova is today one of the most eminent global ambassadors of the classical accordion. She has proudly borne the colours of her instrument in appearances in the world’s leading halls and with the foremost orchestras. Here she pays homage to Piazzolla in her own way: ‘Piazzolla the revolutionary, the ground-breaker, a man thinking ahead of his time … Playing this repertoire gave me a sense of artistic freedom and ignited my belief in advocacy of my instrument.

The Nova Hawks are a British blues rock n' roll band centered around two supremely talented musicians in vocalist Heather Leoni and guitarist Rex Roulette. The music they are currently prepping for their debut album, “Redemption,” came about while writing between London, the West Midlands, New York, and Los Angeles. They found their musical path by binding the styles of each unique location where they wrote, adding the roots of British rock, the desert sounds of California, the rawkus leads of New York City, the smokey ambience of London, and then spiced up the mixture by looking to the gospel roots of the blues.

Ubuntu Music is delighted to announce the signing of internationally acclaimed pianist/composer Yoko Miwa, to release her forthcoming album late this year.Yoko is one of the most powerful and compelling performers on the scene today.

The dynamic duo of pianist David Kikoski and bassist Boris Kozlov is a triumph of musicality and virtuosity. There's some kind of magic happening between the two kindred spirits that goes beyond the notes.

Epic Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release expanded digital editions of the classic albums recorded by The Jacksons as they built on their Jackson 5 boy band origins and emerged as avatars of an R&B/pop revolution.

Epic Records and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release expanded digital editions of the classic albums recorded by The Jacksons as they built on their Jackson 5 boy band origins and emerged as avatars of an R&B/pop revolution.