Three CD box set of Chick Corea’s piano music, reminding us that the distinguished solo piano tradition at ECM started in 1971 with Corea’s spontaneously-recorded volumes of improvisations and jazz tunes (all by Chick save for Monk’s “Trinkle, Tinkle” and Wayne Shorter’s “Masqualero”). The “Children’s Songs”, recorded in 1983, are finely-honed yet playful solo piano miniatures that can be related to the tradition of Bartók’s “Mikrokosmos” and Kurtág’s “Játékok”. Violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Fred Sherry join Chick for an “Addendum”. Booklet includes liner notes by Chick Corea and Neil Tesser, plus archive photos.

Once upon a time, a reviewer would've noted the influence of Chicago blues on the English music scene of the 1960s. Thirty or so years later, it is just as relevant to note the influence of the English blues revival on contemporary players like Michael Messer. His sensibilities, in fact, draw from early Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall, and on occasion, the Rolling Stones. This, however, isn't meant to imply that Second Mind is no more than a revival of the revival. On "Blue Letters" he mixes a brooding guitar with a backtrack of scratching vinyl to carve out a sound reminiscent of Chuck Prophet's later work…..

Robby Z’s 2004 release has been part of Jazzercise music and has thousands of Jazzercise lovers dancing to it nightly. Thousands of copies of the CD have been purchased by Jazzercise and have been distributed to its 6,000 Jazzercise Instructors worldwide for use in their class routines.– by cdbaby

Eleven original songs written by Robby Z ranging from blues to contemporary alternative rock. This CD features Night Ranger lead guitarist Brad Gillis (also of Ozzy Osbourne fame). Brad “tears up” several tracks with his incredible guitar work while Robby adds in his sultry vocals.– by cdbaby

This is the second installment of archive series by the Hungarian Prog ensemble Solaris, presenting the early recordings by the group, which were never previously released. The material is similar to what the Solaris fans already know, including the 22 minutes long suite, which gives the album its title…

Laughter, derision, parody, jokes and satire: all 'tools for social survival' (Éric Smadja). The comic, parodic and satirical poetry presented on this CD provides, in performance, a thematic backdrop to a rich feast of medieval music. While at its heart lies a group of earthily humorous 15th-century sonnets in Paduan dialect — whose local flavour is typical of folk tradition but whose literary qualities are skilfully exploited — this collection of music, songs and courtly dances can only be defined as European (in the sense that these works are cross-cultural, rather than having anything to do with the modern political entity).

Swedish Mezzo-soprano and former winner of BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Competition, Katarina Karnéus is joined on this disc by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki to perform three of Gustav Mahler’s orchestral songs. As a composer, Gustav Mahler was absorbed by song and symphony as complementary genres deeply involved with each other. In his first symphony, Mahler included two themes from the song cycle Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, originally scored for voice and piano, which he had recently composed to his own poems. It was perhaps the experience of orchestrating these themes in his symphony that a few years later inspired Mahler to create the version for voice and orchestra.