With his new album To The One (Abstract Logix/Mediastarz), iconic guitarist and composer and 2010 Grammy Winner John McLaughlin looks backwards and forwards simultaneously. The six original songs are hauntingly evocative – with roiling rhythmic swells, modal expanses, and telepathic group interaction echoing the profound influence of John Cotrane’s 1965 spiritual jazz masterpiece A Love Supreme. Mostly written in July and August of 2009, the music composing To The One was set down in the studio in November and December, with very few overdubs, by McLaughlin’s current performing outfit, the Fourth Dimension: Gary Husband (keyboards, drums), Etienne M’Bappe (electric bass), and Mark Mondesir (drums). Compositional devices clearly inspired by Coltrane are fused with elements of McLaughlin’s own multi-faceted approach, all delivered with a group empathy and shared vision that harkens back to Coltrane’s fearless mid-‘60s quartet of Elvin Jones, McCoy Tyner, and Jimmy Garrison. The effect of Jones’ kaleidoscopic approach to rhythm and drumming is especially felt, brilliantly recast and explored via McLaughlin’s gift for complex metrical structures. McLaughlin’s restless, enquiring spirit is captured with disarming immediacy on To The One, vividly enhanced by both the skill and soulfulness of the Fourth Dimension. From the surging opener “Discovery” to the gently propulsive title track which closes the compact, forty-minute program, McLaughlin’s own playing is at its very peak: emotional and probing, exploding into flourishes of rapid-fire sixteenth notes one moment, candid and unguardedly vulnerable the next. No slavish imitation or sentimental tribute, To The One is a fiery yet open-hearted work, taking on the artistic and spiritual challenges first offered by Coltrane’s jazz masterpiece while making extensive use of the pioneering musical and technical vocabulary that McLaughlin has honed since the beginning of his storied career.
John McLaughlin (Guitar);
Gary Husband (Keys, Drums);
Mark Mondesir (Drums);
Etienne Mbappe (Bass)
Track List :
Discovery
Special Beings
The Fine Line
Lost and Found
Recovery
To the One
Johnny Moeller’s guitar playing is full of voodoo and lighting. The floating bent notes, delicately singing phrases, bursts of staccato picking, and ringing piano-like chords that he sculpts into vibrant solos bring all the beauty, power, and mystery of the blues to life. Yet he’s impossible to pigeonhole. Although Moeller’s the latest in a long line of six-string wizards to hail from Austin, he upholds the Texas music tradition not by imitating the licks of legendary Lone Star State players who’ve influenced him — like Albert Collins, Lightnin’ Hopkins, the Vaughan Brothers — but by being a maverick. “The truth of the matter is I’ve never really tried to emulate anybody else,” explains Moeller, who’s wrapping up a daring new solo album. “There are lots of great guitar players who inspired me, and singers and saxophone players, too. But I don’t like to limit myself to purely one style of music. I have my own thing, which is blues based, and then I like to mix in everything else I love: soul, jazz, funk and rock ‘n’ roll.” That amalgamation comes naturally to the Fort Worth native who grew up on his father’s blues and soul record collection, the classic rock he heard on radio and the albums by everybody from elegant jazz guitarist Grant Green to down ‘n’ dirty boogie architect John Lee Hooker that he bought in high school with his paychecks from the local Piggly Wiggly. But the blues is always Moeller’s compass. It’s been that way since he stumbled on an old Lightnin’ Hopkins album while he flipped through the bins at Record Town. “When I got that album home, the minute I played it I knew that was what I wanted to do,” he recounts. “It was so raw and wild and original that it totally blew my mind.” Since then Moeller’s developed into one of the genre’s most stunning and soulful six-string stylists with an uncanny ability to support heavy hitters. Although his most visible gig is backing Kim Wilson in the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Moeller’s also the Severn Records house guitarist. In that role, he’s lent artful licks to albums by stellar vocalists Darrell Nulisch and Lou Pride, harmonica ace Steve Guyger and others. He’s also been a long-time member of fellow Texan Nulisch’s band and has toured with the Severn Soul Revue backing singers Nulisch, Pride, and Tad Robinson. Moeller says the essential elements of his style — a blend of cool relaxed phrasing and greasy grooves balanced by razor-wire runs and howling tones — have been in place since the days when he landed his first professional gig backing Denton, Texas bluesman Pop Carter with a group that included his brother Jay, who is also in the Thunderbirds, and their lifelong pal Paul Size, another Austin-based guitar legend in the making. “My brother and I were visiting my father in Austin one summer and we went to Antone’s to see Little Charlie and the Nightcats, who we love. My brother told Clifford I played guitar, and before I knew it he was telling the band, ‘Hey, let’s get this kid up there.’ It was surreal, but Clifford was big-hearted. He helped so many musicians in Austin, from giving them gigs to flat-out paying their rent.” Moeller says his upcoming album represents an important step in his evolution. “It’s really an outgrowth of my learning how to be a better frontman,” he explains. “I’m blossoming as a singer, songwriter, and leader. Part of that’s just what I feel I need to do as an artist, and part of that’s inspired by working with the bandleaders I’ve worked with — especially Kim, who really knows how to run a show on stage.” The new Johnny Moeller Band album he’s been recording in bursts for the past four years is more fine-tuned than his previous two releases, 1996’s The Return of the Funky Worm and 2001’s Johnny Blues Aggregation. Those discs were off-the-cuff affairs, built around in-studio jams and produced by the Dallas Blues Society. “This album’s come together at a slower pace because I’ve really been concentrating on the songwriting and arranging, and not just rushing into the studio when I’m off the road,” says Moeller. “I also sing lead on four numbers, which is a whole ’nother world for me, but one I’m becoming more and more comfortable with. The CD’s got boogaloos and dirty blues, and half is originals including some funky instrumentals. The vibe of some of the songs is ‘James Brown meets Frankie Lee Sims’.”Funky Worm and Aggregation alums Jay Moeller and Paul Size appear, plus their fellow Texas bluesman Sean Pittman and the legendary Austin blues siren Lou Ann Barton. Miss Lou Ann’s lush voice pilots a version of Earl King’s “Everybody’s Got to Cry Sometime.” Moeller also leads a swampy boogaloo stomp through King’s classic “Trick Bag.” “On this album and in my live sets these days it feels like I’m really finding myself,” Moeller says. “So even I’m curious about what I’m going to do next.”
The three albums were released between 1981 and 1990 and were a Funk project for bassist Stanley Clarke and keyboard player George Duke ‘Sweet Baby’ from the first album was a US Top 20 single hit The first two albums made the US Top 100 charts Digitally remastered, slipcased and with new notes 
Ex-Graham Bond and Brian Auger guitarist McLaughlin’s career took off when he went to the States in 1969 to join Tony Williams’ Lifetime (this writer had the experience of seeing them in London’s Speakeasy club in 1970)
Fusion drummer Billy Cobham’s pedigree goes from Miles Davis through many jazz artists Dreams was formed with the Brecker brothers (Michael and Randy) and John Abercrombie, and these, their only two albums, date from the very early 1970s Critically acclaimed, the band and these recordings did not gain the commercial success they deserved 
On February 10th, 2010 poet Philippe Jaccottet received the important èprize "Gran Premio Schiller" and has been mentioned as one of the most important poets in french of the 21st century. In this circumstance, Silta Records is pleased to produce this fine and delicate work of Anna Garano: a tribute in music to great writers like Verlaine, Baudelaire and Jaccottet, who personally expressed to the artist his appreciation for this work.
Crooked Still's 4th album is an elegant package of superbly crafted musical styles taking country/folk as the deep foundation and veering off into exhilarating and exciting directions. It's amazing music and it can hardly be called "bluegrass" or be locked into one genre. Where Ray Charles gave us Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music back in 1962, Crooked Still bring those expressions into the new millennium. Recorded during a long blizzard in rural Virginia, Some Strange Country expands on the band's unique blend of Appalachian-based string band styles combining with chamber music strings and pop sensibility, all supporting Aoife O'Donovan's sultry and sometimes spooky vocals. The album was produced by Gary Paczosa (Alison Krauss, Nickel Creek) and features guest contributions of bluegrass legends Ricky Skaggs and Tim O'Brien and vocals from rising star Sarah Jarosz.
This young group of stellar Brooklyn-based musicians performs an incredible array of traditional old-time & honky tonk rock music reminiscent of the 1940's & 50's. Complete with hot licks and sweet girl-on-girl harmonies, they're sure to warm the heart of all you modern day cowboys and girls. The Sweetback Sisters line-up features the lavish voices of Zara Bode and Emily Miller with an all-star cast of instrumentalists including: West Virginian triple threat Jesse Milnes; Stefan "da guns" Amidon on drums; Philly's stringed slayer Ross Bellenoit on rippin' Telecaster, and Bridget Kearny on bass. With sold out concerts across the North East, a special guest appearance on A Prairie Home Companion and now the excellent debut album Chicken Ain't Chicken, these kids are off to an exciting start!
In the summer of 2008 multiple Grammy award winning jazz artist Wynton Marsalis and his quintet teamed-up with French accordionist Richard Galliano at the annual Jazz in Marciac festival in Southern France to pay tribute to the late jazz legends Billie Holiday and Edith Piaf.
This album is in many ways a return and revisiting of songs that first engaged me. I have always found the tradition of English lyrical and pastoral ballads an area of sweet melancholy most moving, and although I have known most of these songs over many years, have never recorded, or even sung them before. They are familiar to me from folksong-club floor-singers, residents and from fellow travelling performers. Also, I took myself off to Cecil Sharp House (the home of the English Folk Song and Dance Society) where the Vaughn-Williams Memorial Library is based, and the helpful librarians led me to much source material. I found there, among its massive archive, Chappell’s ‘Popular Music of the Olden Time’ which revealed to me the source of some songs that were current in my childhood. These are written songs of the 17th century that were in the National Song Book, and the like, intended for schools, to be accompanied by piano. Benji, Giles and I then spent time finding suitable settings for the songs, which all came together speedily and naturally. This working on songs is always a good time for me. How songs reveal themselves to different musicians is surprising and delightful. We have tried here to present these jewels in the simplest, acoustic formats, leaving the songs to reveal their power quietly.
Ashley Hutchings and Ken Nicol’s first time collaboration. Copper, Russet and Gold. Comprised of all original compositions that delve into the pairings’ rich musical history. The expected folk feel is certainly there, but also mixed with splashes of jazz, blues and rock. Lyrically too the record is a varied experience with tales of Old England, the misery of supporting a doomed football team, Sir Francis Drake, GIs in World War II Britain and the beauty of Paris. Nicol and Hutchings have made a record that glows with warmth, genuine character and charm.
'Many years ago, after a hard day in the pram, there was nothing I liked better than to relax and listen to a good record; but so often I found there was nothing that I really liked.
If life is determined by a series of happy accidents, then somebody upstairs was beaming long and hard the day the Carnival Band happened across Maddy Prior. Beginning as a one-off experiment for a Radio 2 Christmas Special, their collaboration has become a long term concern lasting over twenty years and counting. Despite forays into other musical styles and influences, it has been their unique approach to Christmas music that has proved the enduring theme of their work together. Their semi-regular Yuletide live show has become the highlight of many a seasonal period, featuring festive favourites played on medieval and modern instruments. 2007 however will see the pairing embark in a new direction. Ringing The Changes is an apt title for an album that sees them eschew their usual approach of adapting music from earlier centuries in favour of all self penned material. Though still a Christmas record in the tradition of Carols And Capers and A Tapestry Of Carols, this is an album that takes a look at all aspects of what the season means today. Thus there is the Jamaican gospel of 'Wake Up!' and the beautiful introspection of 'Bright Evening Star', both dealing with the traditional story of the virgin birth. 'Stuff!' (featuring a guest turn from Monty Python's Terry Jones) looks at the thoroughly modern custom of retail frenzy and panic buying. Elsewhere there is more rumination on the nature of the season and a rich musical landscape that includes medieval and folk music, as well as a Latin text set to a Cuban rhythm. The result is a collection of contemporary reflections on the festive season with fresh musical ideas to match. Christmas is always changing - you could argue whether for better or for worse - but these songs show that amid the frantic materialism, the fragility of family life and the questioning of beliefs there is still room for quiet contemplation, generosity, awe and wonder, a pint and a carol or two.
This seems a particularly fitting release since the globally acclaimed Northumbrian musician was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Medal for Music in 2009. Following on from this award, Kathryn had a very special celebration at the Sage Gateshead in December with special guest Sting amongst others.
From the very moment that Steeleye Span first married electric instruments and traditional music, Maddy Prior has always been an innovator. Throughout her career, both with the band and in her solo career. 2006, however, saw her undertake he most challenging project yet – The Quest. Inspired by the legend of the Holy Grail, it was to be a tour of the UK that visited some of the most historic and dramatic location in the country, many of which were tied into the myths that surround the holy vessel. Maddy Prior has always been fascinated by the stories and legends of these isles and has written or adapted most (if not all) of the great folk tales over the years. Of late, however, she has begun to explore perhaps the most enduring myth of all – that of King Arthur and the Holy Grail. The question whether the Grail made a journey through Britain, whether Joseph of Arimathea did visit here as a trader, even if he brought a young Jesus with him, has enthralled both artists and historians down the ages. The Quest is another in a long line of creative endeavours designed to engage with the story. Accompanied by her long-term musical colleagues Nick Holland and Troy Donnockley, the tour saw Maddy revisit her solo catalogue for the first time in some years. The Quest CD/DVD includes material from ‘Flesh & Blood’, ‘Year’ and ‘Ravenchild’ releases, the trio of albums that she released to critical acclaim during the nineties. However the centrepiece of the live set comes in the form of the song cycle from ‘Arthur The King’, which deals with one of the key figures at the centre of the myth of the Grail. Yet there was more to The Quest than just the music. This was to be the first interactive music tour, whereby internet watchers the world over would be able to follow the progress of Maddy, musicians and crew online as they were followed every step of the way by a film crew. Each day new footage, both on and off stage, was posted on the Quest website to provide a unique insight into the touring process. The best of these is available with a special bonus DVD that accompanies the album, featuring many of the most memorable performances from the tour alongside some fascinating and often hilarious behind the scenes footage. The Quest may have come to its conclusion, but this is a document that will ensure that the special atmosphere that created will never be forgotten. 
The album is a culmination of his last few years touring and contains 14 songs, perfectly balanced between classic hits and new treasures from the Grammy Award-winning “Fair & Square.” Complete with duets from some of John’s favorite touring partners; Iris DeMent, Sara Watkins, Emmylou Harris, Josh Ritter, Kane Welch & Kaplan, this album shows Prine’s passion and relevance still hold true after all these years. These recordings were hand-picked from hundreds of recent concerts, and the result is Prine’s most memorable live album to date. If his biggest fans had a collective voice, it is no doubt these would be the recordings they'd choose. ( No Depression ) 
Barber's first live recording. This one followed a couple of years of touring with the quartet featured. This band was receiving rave reviews wherever it appeared and this record, a "companion" piece to modern cool, captures the band's infectious live vibe. Highlights include Barber's groovy version of Sonny & Cher's "The Beat Goes On" and her outspoken statement on the jazz scene, "If This Isn't Jazz?"
If Nightclub was a left turn, and it was, so too was Verse as Barber followed an all-standards album with her first all-originals album. This one was named #1 Jazz Recording of 2002 by the Los Angeles Times. It contains some of the most refined Barber compositions on record to date including the haunting "Clues," the sultry "I Could Eat Your Words" and the beautiful and poetic "If I Were Blue." A great band too including Dave Douglas on trumpet and Joey Baron on drums.
This record, a collection of jazz standards made partly at the request of her mother, was planned by Barber for over ten years but held. "It was important to me that I try and establish my own sound, my own music, before I did a record of standards. With 'modern cool' I felt I had done that," says Barber. Nightclub benefits from the long incubation period. Barber is a seasoned performer of classic jazz material. Highlights include her stunning version of "Yesterdays," the rarely recorded vocal version of "Invitation" and her version of Alfie, which features guitarist Charlie Hunter.
Barber's first for Premonition, this one introduced her powerful quartet of the time featuring John McLean on guitar and Mark Walker on drums. This might be the classic Barber album in that it blends pop covers, jazz standards, and original material in a thoroughly unique and interesting way. That was not the norm in 1994 as it would be years later. This one also features Barber's first attempt at setting poetry to music with "Mourning Grace," a haunting Maya Angelou work.
This one earned 5 stars in DownBeat. Say no more. Another strong, blending of material as on cafe blue but heavier on the originals. Features the same band as on cafe blue with the addition of trumpet star Dave Douglas. Highlights include Barber's originals "Touch of Trash," "Company," and "Winter," her version of The Doors "Light My Fire" and her setting of an e.e. cummings poem.
"Pianist Bill Carrothers brings together one hell of a trio with the inclusion of Drew Gress on Bass and Bill Stewart on Drums. Highly recommended for jazz and bop lovers!"
"Five on One": the work of five friends. Five musicians who can find each other in the dark and thereby have developed an intense interplay characterized by an intimate warmth. These are gorgeously harmonious, masterful recordings played by musicians who could care less about what happens to be in vogue. Five radical individuals who play as one