The Dutch Swing College Band (DSCB) is a traditional dixieland band founded on 5 May 1945 by bandleader and clarinettist/saxophonist Peter Schilperoort.

Recorded on 25 and 26 April 1991 at the Teatro Bulevar Casa de Cultura in Torrelones (Madrid) and originally released in October 1991, it was a respectful flamenco vision of Spanish classical music in a flamenco style. In it, Paco de Lucía performs with the Cadaqués Orchestra, conducted by Edmon Colomer, the concerto for guitar and orchestra that Joaquín Rodrigo wrote under the title Concierto de Aranjuez. To complete the album, he recorded with Juan Manuel Cañizares and Jose María Bandera three pieces, arranged by Juan Manuel Cañizares, from Isaac Albéniz's Suite Iberia. The result was absolutely devastating and is one of the best known and recognised versions of Maestro Rodrigo's masterful work.

"Bravo Mozart!" exclaimed Emperor Joseph II as he stood up and tipped his hat at the end of the first performance of Piano Concerto No. 18 KV 456 , played by Mozart himself on 30 September 1784.

Amongst a pantheon of great Czech composers it is Bedrich Smetana who is revered as the musical personification of his country’s national spirit and the founder of its modern musical character. Composed after the onset of Smetana’s incurable deafness, Má vlast (My Fatherland) is an unprecedented cycle of six related symphonic poems that evoke ancient Czech legends and celebrate the majestic beauty of the country’s landscapes. Acclaimed with ‘unending storms of applause’ at its 1882 premiere, Má vlast reflects the unique characteristics that form the living heart and soul of the Czech nation.

A native of Bergen, Edvard Grieg almost single-handedly brought the riches of Norwegian national style to worldwide attention during the 19th century with the use of folk music in his compositions. The ambitiously scaled Symphonic Dances features a compelling selection of regional melodies and jaunty rhythms to brilliant effect. Music from the eloquent drama of Sigurd Jorsalfar and the Two Elegiac Melodies are also included along with the Bridal Procession and the ever-popular Lyric Suite. These classic Vox recordings by Maurice Abravanel and the Utah Symphony Orchestra were originally issued in 1976 and have been newly remastered from the original tapes.

b. Eddy Conrad, 1959, Gary, Indiana, USA. Conrad grew up in Indiana obsessed by the sound of Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From Shaft’. The first record he ever purchased, Conrad would spend his pocket money continually attending reruns of the film at local cinemas. ‘As a kid you always have heroes but with John Shaft [the film’s protagonist] it was serious. He had that certain macho feeling that every kid wishes he had too.’ In 1985 he fulfilled a long-held ambition by re-recording the track, which became a number 13 UK chart hit. It might well have charted higher had another version of ‘Theme From Shaft’ by Van Twist not been released at the same time. Afterwards, however, Conrad and his band disappeared from view completely.

Big Star, considered to be among the founders of power pop, has been cited as an influence by many of the major alternative bands of the ’80s and ’90s, and continues to be a powerful presence in today’s musical landscape. Artists such as R.E.M., Teenage Fanclub, The Replacements (who famously penned the song “Alex Chilton”) and Wilco all enthusiastically tout the artistic impact of the group. Mike Mills recalls Big Star as “a band who had gotten it right, who made records that sounded like rock and roll bands should sound. A band who wrote all the songs, from flat-out rockers to achingly beautiful ballads that were still somehow rock songs.”

Having taken Benson along with him when he founded CTI, Creed Taylor merely leaves the guitarist alone with a small group on his first release. The payoff is a superb jazz session where Benson rises to the challenge of the turbulent rhythm section of Jack DeJohnette and Ron Carter, with Clarence Palmer ably manning the organ. Benson is clearly as much at home with DeJohnette's advanced playing as he was in soul/jazz (after all, he did play on some Miles Davis sessions a few years before), and his tone is edgier, with more bite, than it had been for awhile. The lyrical Benson is also on eloquent display in "Ode to a Kudu" (heard twice on the CD, as is "All Clear"), and there is even a somewhat experimental tilt toward Afro-Cuban-Indian rhythms in "Somewhere to the East." A must-hear for all aficionados of Benson's guitar.

On L’Affaire Dominici (1973), Alain Goraguer creates a theme of great melodic clarity from a palette of breathy flutes, clavinet D6 baroque textures, wah-wah guitars and slow-paced drums that clearly reminds La Planete Sauvage’s atmosphere.

French composer Alain Goraguer who first made a name for himself as a sideman and arranger for Serge Gainsbourg wrote very few soundtracks, but amongst them, the legendary La Planète Sauvage (1973) is an absolute staple of France’s essential music.

Second in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Soul Makossa' originally released in 1973. Transparent blue colored LP.

First in a series of reissues from Pierre Jaubert’s Parisound studio archive on Strut Record IS Lafayette Afro Rock Band's elusive funk/Afro original album, 'Malik,' originally released in 1974. Transparent blue colored LP.

Artiste pluridisciplinaire, Nicole Croisille passe allègrement de la chanson au cinéma et de la comédie musicale au théâtre. L'iinterprète de l'immortel « Chabadabada » d'Un Homme et une femme (1966) a multiplié les succès au cours des années 1970 : « Une femme avec toi », « Téléphone moi », « Parlez-moi de lui (Il ne pense qu'à toi) » ou « Les Uns et les autres » ont marqué les esprits par sa voix chaude et puissante. En 2006, elle rend hommage à Claude Nougaro dans un spectacle et le disque Nougaro, le jazz et moi.

Artiste pluridisciplinaire, Nicole Croisille passe allègrement de la chanson au cinéma et de la comédie musicale au théâtre. L'iinterprète de l'immortel « Chabadabada » d'Un Homme et une femme (1966) a multiplié les succès au cours des années 1970 : « Une femme avec toi », « Téléphone moi », « Parlez-moi de lui (Il ne pense qu'à toi) » ou « Les Uns et les autres » ont marqué les esprits par sa voix chaude et puissante. En 2006, elle rend hommage à Claude Nougaro dans un spectacle et le disque Nougaro, le jazz et moi.

Formed in 1981, The Blue Aeroplanes are Bristol’s longest running band and a true art-rock institution who have inspired countless post-punk and alternative groups including R.E.M., Radiohead, and Manic Street Preachers. ‘Beatsongs’ was first released in 1991 and became their highest charting album, featuring standout tracks such as ‘Yr Own World’, ‘Fun’, ‘Colour Me’, and ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ (a cover of the Paul Simon classic).