"Baroque Conversations” showcases Greilsammer’s seductive, deeply intelligent playing of an astonishing range of music. Four groups of musical encounters bracket 20th- and 21st-century works with earlier music, bathing all in kaleidoscopic colors.

The fretwork of guitarist Andrew McKenna Lee (b. 1974) is nothing short of remarkable. Opening Gravity and Air with an homage to Bach—a sensuous rendition of “Prelude for Lute in D Minor, BWV 999”—Lee continues with five gorgeous “Refractions,” or responses, to the “Prelude.” Discover an altered sense of the passage of time with this remarkably introspective album.

Frank Zappa - Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar (1981) [2CD] {2012 UMe Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 727 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 260 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 12 Mb
© 2012 UMe / ZFT | ZR 3863
Rock / Experimental Rock

Mastered by Bob Ludwig, Gateway Mastering, 2012. Vaultmeisterment & Analog Transfers by Joe Travers, March 2012, UMRK. 1981 Analog Master, remastered by Bob Ludwig from the original tapes. Reverts to two CDs (mimicking the approach taken on the pre-1995 CDs), and eliminates the 1995-era segue between "Why Johnny Can't Read" and "Stucco Homes." Reports on sound quality are very positive. Who would ever want to hear half an hour of wall-to-wall guitar instrumentals? When the soloist in question is Frank Zappa, the answer is anyone who should ever require proof that Zappa was one of the most gifted electric (and occasionally acoustic) guitarists of the rock & roll era.

This fourth Azymuth album on Far Out Recordings was recorded in Rio De Janeiro and succeeds in re-capturing the authenticity, feeling and spirit of Azymuth's sound and their native city. The atmosphere on the album is mellow and reflective allowing this longpayer to pull in a new generation of fans yet manging to rekindle the atmosphere of Azymuth when they first formed in the early 70s.

This interesting collection finds Chick Corea playing seven then-new originals with a variety of musicians including flutist Hubert Laws, tenor saxophonist Joe Farrell, trumpeter Al Vizzutti, bassist Stanley Clarke and, on "Flamenco," tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson. The music is pleasing and spirited if not all that memorable; an average release from a hugely talented jazzman.

Vanquish in Vengeance is Incantation’s first album in six years. Strangely, their profile has grown considerably during their silence.The limelight has changed little for Incantation. This band is a hermetically-sealed institution; civilization could collapse and it wouldn’t affect their approach. Ironically, Vanquish In Vengeance concerns itself far less with lo-fi orthodoxy than do most Incantation disciples. The performances on Vanquish are drum-tight; the tones, muscular and clear.2012 has been a banner year for death/doom. Asphyx, Hooded Menace, Indesinence, Inverloch, and Emptiness have all released compelling material. But right now, Vanquish In Vengeance might take the annual crown. Closer “Legion of Dis” is the best slow death metal jam I’ve heard this year; it starts with claustrophobic groove and gradually opens up into a gaping abyss. Listen for yourself.

The new album from Finnish doom death metal band Astral Sleep demonstrates brilliant skills of musicians which have reached higher level. Four tracks, almost an hour in length, create magnificent visions featuring rich color palette. The group operates with epic riffs, graceful acoustic interludes, harsh guitar strokes pierced with excellent melodies and diverse vocals. Preserving their original style familiar by the previous albums the musicians succeed to combine doom death metal with traditional epic doom metal in a single perfect works with carefully mastered sound. «Visions» is the album for thoughtful listening, the music for those who is able to perceive.

As one of the leaders of modern jazzrock guitar, two-time Grammy nominee Mike Stern never slows down in his drive to crank out blistering solos and pretty, reverb-laced ballads. On GIVE AND TAKE, one of Stern's most well rounded albums, the guitarist mixes some of his best new compositions with a few of the most challenging standards in the repertoire.

This CD culls four works written between 1982 and 1996 (all recorded in 1997-1998), revolving around the notion of a labyrinth and the poetic world of Jorge Luis Borges. All the pieces employ instrumentalist and composer Lawrence Casserley on live computer processing. The pièce de résistance is Labyrinth, featuring Simon Desorgher on flute………

François Couture @ Allmusic

This disc of orchestral works does in many ways display the more than slight tension between Dessau's commitment to social realism and his avant-garde inclinations - a tension between conformity and defiance to the highly politicized art of Eastern Germany (conformity through the choice of themes, defiance in terms of musical voice); "Meer der Stürme", for instance, strongly suggests that Dessau sought an excuse in purported pictorialism for deploying radical compositional techniques…..

G.D @ amazon.com

B.B. King - Ladies and Gentleman… Mr. B.B. King (2012) [10CD Box Set] {Universal}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC(image)+CUE+LOG -> 4,76 Gb | MP3 @320 -> 1,71 Gb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 1,17 Gb
© 2012 Universal Music / Amazon.com Exclusive | 0600753384992
Blues / Soul-Blues

B.B. King is one of America's few, long-standing musical treasures whose stature has grown to an unassailable, international level. Despite his 85 years, King continues to tour, perform and to grow in influence, casting a shadow that reaches far beyond the blues scene from whence he first came. His warm, down-home vocal style, his distinctive, talking blues guitar playing, and his songs that sing of love's joys and hardships Sweet Sixteen, How Blue Can You Get?, Help The Poor, The Thrill Is Gone and countless others are all indelibly imprinted elements in the modern musical heritage. Celebrating his 50th Anniversary signing to ABC-Paramount Records in 1962 we bring you this multi-format career retrospective. Leading the way with a slick 10 CD, 194 track collection chronicling his entire career from his first recordings in 1949 through to his most recent studio album.