Continuum was a collaboration between Steven Wilson and Dirk Serries (VidnaObmana, Fear Falls Burning) that resulted in two releases, Continuum I (2005) and Continuum II (2007), originally issued by US label Soleilmoon in limited editions that sold out almost instantly. The project was motivated by their immense passion for a wide-range of musical styles, ranging from spacious ambience to pounding doom metal.

On Sounds of a Playground Fading, the band’s tenth studio album, In Flames officially complete their transition from Swedish melodic death metal pioneers to unpredictable Swedish progressive pop/rock/neo-classical metal innovators. Their first outing without founding member and chief songwriter Jesper Strömblad (the 13 tracks rely solely on the music of Björn Gelotte and the lyrics of Anders Fridén), Playground Fading's technical acumen and slick infusion of modern rock dazzles for the most part, especially on stand-out tracks like “A New Dawn,” “Fear Is the Weakness,” and the soaring title cut, all of which, in true In Flames fashion, aim for the bleachers and end up exploding into the night sky, but for all of the bells and whistles, there’s not a whole lot of variety to be had here…

An exciting and high-powered virtuoso pianist, Michel Camilo came from a very musical family (with all nine of his uncles being musicians). Originally playing accordion, he switched to piano when he was 16. After moving to New York in 1979, his song "Why Not?" became a hit for the Manhattan Transfer and caught on as a standard, and "Caribe" entered the repertoire of Dizzy Gillespie. Camilo, who worked with Paquito d'Rivera's band for three years (cutting an album with "Why Not?" as the title cut), recorded for Electric Bird (sessions reissued by Evidence) and Columbia, and worked as a leader beginning in the mid-'80s.

Pussycat was a Dutch country and pop music group from the Netherlands, driven by the three Kowalczyk sisters: Toni, Betty and Marianne. Other members of the band were Lou Willé (Toni's ex husband), Theo Wetzels, Theo Coumans and John Theunissen. In 1975 they scored a big European hit with the song "Mississippi". However they had to wait a further year for the single to make the British charts when it climbed to number one in the UK Singles Chart in October 1976. Penned by Werner Theunissen, who had been the sisters' guitar teacher, it is estimated that "Mississippi" sold over five million copies worldwide. It was later followed by "Smile" in 1976, and "Hey Joe" in 1978. Other hits were "If You Ever Come to Amsterdam", "Georgie", "Wet Day in September" and "My Broken Souvenirs". Their career in Europe spanned more than a decade and included some seventeen albums.

Three simple words define gorgeous close harmonies, impeccable fashion sense and trailblazing re-workings of pop and classic songs… The Puppini Sisters! Often copied, never equalled, this truly original trio, founded in 2004 by Marcella Puppini and featuring Kate Mullins and Emma Smith, seamlessly blend elegance and sophistication with a touch of retro and turn it into a must have lifestyle. The Pasadena Roof Orchestra (PRO) is a contemporary band from England that specialises in the jazz and swing genres of music of the 1920s and 1930s, although their full repertoire is considerably wider. For over forty years the Pasadena Roof Orchestra has delighted audiences all over the world with its mix of swing and hot dance music.

The Overture, Scherzo and Finale (German: Ouverture, Scherzo und Finale) in E major is a work for symphony orchestra by Robert Schumann. It is his opus 52, and was written in 1841. Schumann originally considered it his second symphony. The work is in three movements: An overture (Andante con moto in E minor[- Allegro in E major and 2:2 time) (sketched and completed in April 1841); A scherzo (Tempo: Vivo), in 6:8 time and in C♯ minor, whose theme is based on that of the overture. It has a trio section in D♭ major, in contrasting 2:4 time[5] whose material reappears as the coda of the movement; Finale (Allegro molto vivace) (orchestrated around May 1841). The Overture, Scherzo and Finale was received tepidly by critics, was revised in 1845[2] and published the next year, with a dedication to Johannes Verhulst.

Enrico di Borgogna is a melodramma per musica that was premiered in Venice in 1818, marking Donizettis stage debut. The plot of this rarely performed opera follows a rather traditional scheme: Enrico wants to defeat the son of the villain who usurped his fathers throne and is about to marry his beloved Elisa. Fortunately, he succeeds in stopping the marriage and regaining his inheritance. This release is a world première video recording of the 2018 Donizetti Opera Festival performance, which received excellent reviews for its brilliant staging.

Known for both his years with the Temptations and his major solo hits of the 1970s, Eddie Kendricks was among the many soul legends who did his part to put Motown on the map. The expressive vocalist (who often sang in a falsetto), born Edward James Kendrick, grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, but it was Detroit's Motown label that made him a star. Kendricks was still living in Alabama in the late '50s when he formed the Primes with Kell Osborne and Temptation-to-be Paul Williams. After moving from Alabama to Detroit, the Primes caught the attention of a Motor City group known as the Distants, whose members included Temptations-to-be Otis Williams, Elbridge Bryant, and Melvin Franklin. The Primes broke up after being together only a few years, and the Temptations (originally known as the Elgins) were formed when, in 1961, members of the Primes and the Distants came together.

Kenny Wheeler has long been a talented composer, improviser, and soloist, though he is still overlooked by some jazz fans because most of his work has been issued by European labels. Among the composers of his generation, Wheeler is one of the best, along with the late Bob Brookmeyer, in writing and scoring creative works for a large ensemble. For this session, Wheeler's charts are performed by a 17-piece big band – with the addition of Diana Torto's wordless vocals – conducted by Pete Churchill.

Berne calls this band Caos Totale, and if it doesn't quite achieve that lofty goal, it comes close enough to provide a fine mix of rich, involved compositions and lusty, almost rockish, improvisations. One of Berne's songwriting trademarks has been lengthy pieces (often exceeding 30 minutes) with multiple themes that emerge and disappear in an organic but unpredictable way, and this is clearly on view here. Pieces begin in one place but invariably end in another area entirely, but the ride is quite scenic…

The gestation of this project lasted two years. Anna Prohaska and Julius Drake finally concentrated their research on the themes of Eve, Paradise and banishment. Some songs were obvious choices, such as Fauré’s Paradis, in which God appears to Eve and asks her to name each flower and animal, or Purcell’s Sleep, Adam, sleep with its references to Genesis. But Anna Prohaska also wished to illustrate the cliché of the woman who brought original sin into the world and her status as a tempter who leads man astray, as in Brahms’s Salamander, Wolf’s Die Bekehrte or Ravel’s Air du Feu. In Das Paradies und die Peri, Schumann conjures up the image of Syria’s rose-covered plains. Bernstein also transports us to the desert with Silhouette. John Milton’s seventeenth-century masterpiece Paradise Lost was the inspiration for Charles Ives and Benjamin Britten, also featured in this very rich programme that constitutes an invitation to travel and reflection.

There's a simple, basic, and direct approach that pervades the duets from pianist Camilo and acoustic guitarist Tomatito. But that seemingly bottom-line approach is transcended by the brilliant musicianship of these two players, as they play ultra-melodic music to its ultimate zenith time and time again. The tone is set from the get go as they languish in the freedom of Rodrigo and Chick Corea's "Spain," played as perfectly and spirited as anyone could want. But "Besame Mucho" is changed up, interpreted in loose associations extrapolated out of strict time on this famous melody. Tomatito wrote two of the eight tracks as the pair use a combination of counterpoint and unison lines, approaching sheer telepathy on the brightly melodic "A Mi Nino Jose," while evoking more Chick Corea-isms with melodies passionately flying about on "La Vacilona."

In addition to being one of Beethovens most emblematic works, the Piano Sonata no.32 op.111 (1821-22) is a manifesto of radical modernity. It begins the process of disintegration of sonata form, a formal pillar for any composer of the preceding century, and introduces in its second movement a new method of constructing the musical phrase, to such an extent that some commentators regard it as marking the first stirrings of jazz. The innovations it presented, particularly in the field of rhythm, left most of the composers contemporaries perplexed. Here is an ideal space for the Aka Moon trio to occupy. It has called on three strong musical personalities for the occasion: the singer Fredy Massamba, who contributes his expressive power as an African storyteller.