BBE Music presents a meeting of musical spirits in a unique live recording captured just a few months before the world changed due to a global pandemic. Recorded in September 2019, Live at Café Oto sees two giant heavyweights of the post-war Japanese jazz scene come together with a pair of exemplary musicians from the heart of the new UK jazz movement. Generations and continents apart but united as one for a very special concert.

The stage cantata David features Eleni Karaindrou’s music for a unique piece of Aegean drama, a verse play with words by an unknown 18th century poet from the island of Chios. Its text (first published only in 1979), invites a musical response and Greek composer Karaindrou rises splendidly to the challenge, imaginatively moving between past and present in her settings for mezzo-soprano and baritone singers, instrumental soloists, choir and orchestra. Kim Kashkashian’s evocative viola against strings may trigger associations with Karaindrou’s acclaimed writing for Ulysses’ Gaze. The music also draws inspiration from the world of baroque opera as singers Irini Karagianni and Tassis Christoyannopoulos are brought to the foreground. Karaindrou’s David is a work of changing music colours . Recorded live at the Athens Megaron, it was edited and mixed by Manfred Eicher and Nikos Espialdis for CD release.

Before emerging as a cult star in the 1970s, Lowell George was a presence on the L.A. folk-rock/psychedelic scene in the 1960s. With his group the Factory, he only managed to release one single during this time. Lightning-Rod Man rescues 15 tunes cut by this unit, including the single and over a dozen outtakes and demos. Almost exclusively original material, most of these tracks were recorded in 1966 and 1967. They show the group pursuing a slightly eccentric folk-rock vision that neither bears much similarity to George's more famous work nor matches the best work done in this genre by their L.A. peers. At times they echo Kaleidoscope in their vaguely spacy, good-natured folkish rock; just as often, they take cues from Captain Beefheart and Frank Zappa in their skewed blues-rock and obtuse songwriting. In fact, Zappa himself produced and played on a couple of the demos, and one-time Mothers of Invention members Elliot Ingber and Roy Estrada show up on a few others. A few songs cut toward the end of the decade feature a heavier, bluesier sound that show George edging in a different direction. An enjoyable vault find, but not a major revelation.

When it comes to technique, speed, power, and the ability to put together incredible drum solos, Buddy Rich lived up to the billing of 'the world's greatest drummer.' His was a career that spanned seven decades, beginning when Rich was 18 months old and continuing until his death in 1987. Immensely gifted, Rich could play with remarkable speed and dexterity despite the fact that he never received a formal lesson and refused to practice outside of his performances. This album is a collection of the very best live solos Buddy performed on the road in the mid to late 70s, recorded with Rich's permission by Buddy Rich Band alumnus Alan Gauvin. With over 70 minutes of pure energy captured at the prime of Buddy's career, this rare, exclusive and all original collection is a windfall for avid Buddy Rich fans and drummers alike.

The Magic of Boney M. is a greatest hits album of recordings by Boney M. released by Sony BMG in October 2006. The compilation which is an updated version of 1993's Gold - 20 Super Hits and 2001's The Greatest Hits includes eighteen of Boney M's best known hits from the 1970s and 1980s, a new remix of 1976 single "Sunny" by German DJ and record producer Mousse T. as well as one new recording featuring original Boney M. lead vocalist Liz Mitchell. While this compilation is digitally remastered it contains both original recordings and overdubbed or remixed versions dating from Gold - 20 Super Hits.

The Alan Broadbent Trio's previous Savant release, New York Notes (SCD 2166), received rave reviews in the international press. The Guardian (UK) wrote, "The bubbling stream of notes is both unpredictable and inevitable, and following it's twists and turns is a joy." Couleurs Jazz (France) proclaimed, "Behold! A precious gem of a jazz recording." "Trio in Motion" finds Broadbent, Billy Mintz and Harvie S reunited in the pianist's New York apartment-studio recording music that is spontaneous, surprising, possessing a sly humor and emotionally involving. Broadbent received two Grammy awards and has collaborated with Natalie Cole (Unforgettable), Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Diana Krall and Paul McCartney. Each tune on the setlist is imbued with a warm intimacy and the refreshing, slightly piquant glow of intensity which warms both the listener's heart and mind.

Elegant orchestrations, playful rhythms, and unforgettable voices shaped the soundtrack of la dolce vita era, music that still carries the charm, wit, and romance of its time.

Japanese only collection. Blessed with good looks, a powerful voice, and a gift for communicating with an audience, Julio Iglesias is one of the most popular and enduring figures in the history of Latin music, a true international superstar who has sold over 300 million albums worldwide and remains a popular concert draw and chart-topping recording artist in a career that has spanned six decades. It is estimated that during his career he has performed in more than 5000 concerts, for over 60 million people in five continents. In April 2013, Iglesias was inducted into the Hall of Fame of Latin Composers. During his career, Iglesias has won many awards in the music industry, including the Grammy, Latin Grammy, World Music Award, Billboard Music Award, American Music Award and Lo Nuestro Award. He has been a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame since 1985.

Bi Kyo Ran (美狂乱, Bikyōran) is a progressive rock band from Japan which began in 1973. They gained some attention when they performed the soundtrack to Cromartie High School (under the pseudonym of Bikyoran). They also performed the ending theme for the show (entitled "Trust Me"); however the opening theme was by Yoshida Takuro. Their sound is often compared with King Crimson (they started as a King Crimson tribute band) which is understandable given guitarist Kunio Suma's emulation of Fripp's renowned style and some similarity in song titles ("Vision of the City", "21st Century Africa").

One has to admit, the German psychedelic rock reissue label Garden of Delights puts a lot of care in its sampler albums. They are generous - occasionally to the detriment of an album - and packaged with informative and lavish 16-page booklets. For every tenth release of their catalogue they pick a track from each of the nine previous releases and compile them under a volume of this series. All catalogue numbers are an integer multiple of ten. The tracks chosen for these samplers comprise recordings from the field of progressive rock music in all its different shades, ranging from psychedelic to symphonic, fusion and blues-rock, provided that there are progressive elements in it.

Every five years since 1986, the corporate custodians of Impulse! have served up batches of Coltrane reissues and unreleased tapes to commemorate a birthday ending in "0" or "5." In the year 2001, which would have been Coltrane's 75th birthday, current label owner Vivendi Universal delivered four single CDs, three of which serve tourists who want to get on the 'Trane for the first time. Standards is probably the least eventful of the lot, offering no unreleased material or particularly enticing packaging. But you won't get shortchanged by the music, which takes us from the first galvanic Impulse! album Africa/Brass ("Greensleeves") through the run of projects by Coltrane's classic quartet of the first half of the '60s (McCoy Tyner, Jimmy Garrison, Elvin Jones)…

This is one of Heldon's most impressive recordings. It offers the continuity of a group sound throughout, with Pinhas' keyboards and guitars supported by Francois Auger playing drums and percussion on most tracks, and additional assistance from Patrick Gauthier on moog synthesizers and either Didier Batard or Janick Top on bass. Stylistically, it's a great leap forward from previous Heldon releases, and much closer to the fusion jazz of Mahavishnu Orchestra, than to conventional psychedelic or prog-rock. The five pieces (one in both a live and a studio version) have no real melodies or themes; rather, they use simple patterns and chord sequences as guidelines, and let the musicians improvise around them. The opening "Marie Virginie C." almost sounds like late Coltrane free jazz, or perhaps like Hendrix at his most frenzied, with guitars and synthesizers howling, and Auger thrashing wildly in the background…