HellLight was formed in 1996 in São Paulo (Brazil) and is one of the pioneer bands in the Atmospheric Funeral Doom Metal scene. Their music is a unique and intellectual combination which penetrates deep into the mind and soul of the listener. It’s heavy, it’s slow, it’s oppressing.
The Brazilian giants of Atmospheric Funeral Doom hit us again with a new heartfelt piece of art. Full of deep emotions, a new work that transports us to the underworld of darkness, pain, misery, grief and death. After a long wait, HellLight finally presents the eighth album: "We, The Dead". Following the band's traditional style, these 7 new songs come to bring relief to the hearts of fans of one of the most desolate, dense and dark kinds of music.

A backup singer, an occasional producer, and once the leader of an all-girl singing group, Angie Stone presents an impressive fusion of classic soul, '80s funk, and '90s hip-hop in her solo debut, Black Diamond. Purposefully positive, the album chronicles Stone's journeys maintaining personal faith and loving relationships, resplendent with new takes on traditional soul sounds. Stone supports her songwriting and vocal talents with help from A-list musicians/writer/producers such as Lenny Kravitz and D'Angelo. The sophisticated mix is elevated by Stone's incredible voice. With a continuous easy groove, she never resorts to cheap vocal acrobatics to showcase her gifts. With nods to Roberta Flack and Chaka Khan and stylistic similarities to Lauryn Hill, Stone sings of the possibilities of love and life's challenges with "Life Story" and the beautiful standout single "No More Rain"…

A battle of the bands? Not quite – more like a mutual admiration society, with the orchestras of both jazz titans playing together. (The Duke is heard on the right side of your stereo/headphones, the Count on the left.) Ellington's elegance and unique voicings meet Basie's rollicking, blues-based Kansas City swing, and it works gloriously. There's no clutter, each band is focused, and they sound great together. This is not the thoughtful, reflective composer side of Ellington (listeners should check out Far East Suite or Black, Brown & Beige for that). The Duke and his band accentuate their swinging dance band side, while Basie and company have never sounded as suave and exotic as when playing Billy Strayhorn arrangements. Everyone has a good time, and that joy infuses this album from start to finish.

Charlie Rouse's debut as a leader (not counting his earlier work co-leading Les Jazz Modes with the great French horn player Julius Watkins) was made for Jazzland and is available as an OJC CD. The distinctive tenor saxophonist, who had just started a decade-long stint as a member of the Thelonious Monk Quartet, teams up with trumpeter Blue Mitchell, pianist Walter Bishop, Jr., bassist Earl May, and drummer Art Taylor. Together they perform straight-ahead material including Rouse's own uptempo "Upptankt," the standard "They Didn't Believe Me," and songs by Mitchell, Kenny Drew, and Randy Weston. A fine modern mainstream jam session-flavored set.

This double-CD second round of 1969-vintage live King Crimson shows is less compelling than the first, although it does offer a few things not evident on the first release - a Michael Giles drum solo and flute and sax solos by Ian McDonald. The material, of course, overlaps the earlier volume, since their sets were limited to a relatively narrow repertoire, and some songs ("I Talk to the Wind," "Epitaph") have deliberately been left off because of limitations in their equipment at this stage of their careers, playing a pair of English jazz clubs in mid-1969. It seems that without voltage regulators, as the band played ever louder or more lights were put on during the show, the voltage to the band's instruments would drop, which threw the Mellotron increasingly out of tune…

The duo of pianist Johanna Summer and saxophonist Jakob Manz represents a rare stroke of luck for contemporary German jazz. Both are standout figures of their generation, blending supreme virtuosity with fearless creativity and unmistakable individuality. Rooted in jazz yet effortlessly blending influences from classical, pop, and beyond, they create music that is as surprising as it is enchanting. Their intimate duo format highlights a remarkable interplay, where bold spontaneity meets profound sensitivity. With each note, they weave a vibrant, deeply emotional dialogue that feels both free and masterfully composed. This album captures their unique chemistry—colorful, alive, and full of magic.

It is scarcely two years since everything suddenly went quiet, and we all found ourselves living in a "Silent World". For Wolfgang Haffner, the most prominent German drummer of our time, things came to a particularly abrupt halt, not least because his regular schedule is so packed and his habitual work-rate is so prolific. He is normally travelling across all five continents, playing with stellar artists from all kinds of genres; his own exceptional craft as a drummer is to be heard on no fewer than 400 albums. Fortunately, however, Haffner has always considered himself to be at least as much a composer as he is a drummer, so once he had absorbed the initial shock of being grounded at home…taken long walks…watched a lot of TV…it was completely natural that he should devote himself to writing music. And, for once, he wasn’t having to fit it in between other commitments, but could set about it in a concentrated way.