Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra is a compilation album by American duo the Carpenters. It was released on 7 December 2018, by A&M Records and Universal Music Enterprises. The album features Carpenters' "original vocal and instrumental tracks" accompanied by new orchestral arrangements by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The Japanese release has "Please Mr. Postman" as a bonus track. Richard Carpenter served as the album's arranger, conductor and co-producer. The Royal Philharmonic recorded its portions at Abbey Road Studio. The album was completed at Capitol Studios in Los Angeles.

While Tangerine Dream amassed its vast catalog throughout the '70s and '80s, chief Dreamer Edgar Froese was quietly releasing influential records of his own. This handy, two-disc set is a fine collection of some of the better moments from Froese's numerous solo outings, including 15 new tracks recorded specifically for this set, and the rest are extensively reworked with "new timbres." Consequently "Beyond The Storm" comes off less as a compilation than as a whole studio album based upon old themes. If you're a fan of Froese or TD this is a nice slice of that pie.

The Morgan Studios session team's sophomore album is a classic example of (very) early-'70s British pop, an exquisitely performed, flawlessly arranged collection of lightly rocking originals that are not quite soft enough to be as cloying as similar efforts by contemporaries Harmony Grass and the Brotherhood of Man, but only occasionally memorable enough to actually stick in the mind. The title track, Blue Mink's third U.K. hit, was the original album's main selling point – subsequently, of course, the group's prototype rendition of "Gasoline Alley Bred" attracted the most attention, courtesy of the Hollies' hit version, and it must be said that there is little to choose between either version. Impressive, too, is "You Walked Away," a Madeline Bell showcase that layers her vocals over sultry percussion and percolating guitar, while the closing "Jubilation" is a "Get Back"-style rocker that illustrates just what a powerful bunch of musicians Blue Mink was…

Despite his Italian name, Mario Bernardi was a native-born Canadian and one of his country's leading conductors. His family sent him back to the Old Country to study music as a child, though, and this was through the entirety of World War II. He studied piano, organ, and composition at the Manzato Conservatory in Treviso (1938 - 1945) and the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory in Venice (1945). Young Bernardi returned to Canada after the war to complete his studies in piano and conducting at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (1948 - 1951).

Elmore James Jr., son of the great Elmore James, is an accomplished and masterful Chicago blues singer, slide guitarist, and former rock & roll drummer. Second CD for Wolf Records, titled Old School Lover, is one of the best traditional Chicago blues albums of 2012. Includes six new songs and six traditional tunes in the Chicago blues style. Features Eddie Taylor Jr., Ed Williams, and Illinois Slim.

Krystian Zimerman is getting better as he gets older. He used to be one of a half-dozen great young pianists, a brilliant virtuoso with tremendous expressivity, enormous soul, and a habit of making even fewer recordings than Argerich or Pollini. Over the years of ever-fewer recordings, he's grown into an astounding virtuoso and the emotional power of his interpretations have grown with his technique.

Quincy Jones had jazz fans wondering when he released his killer Gula Matari album in 1970. That set, with gorgeous reading of Paul Simon's "Bridge Over Troubled Water" with a lead vocal by none other than Valerie Simpson, pointed quite solidly into the direction Jones was traveling: unabashedly toward pop, but with his own trademark taste, and sophistication at the forefront of his journey. Its follow-up, Smackwater Jack, marked Jones, along with Phil Ramone and Ray Brown in the producer's chair, and knocked purist jazz fans on their heads with its killer meld of pop tunes, television and film themes, pop vocals, and big-band charts. The personnel list is a who's- who of jazzers including Monty Alexander, Jim Hall, Pete Christlieb, Joe Beck, Bobby Scott, Ernie Royal, Freddie Hubbard, Jerome Richardson, Ray Brown, Jaki Byard, Toots Thielemans, and many others…

These guys are an Irish band from the late 70's. The vocals remind of Rory Gallagher and the songs have a Thin Lizzy-ish quality with some nice dual harmony guitars. Songwriting is in the same mold as Lizzy as well as is the pace of the album. Nice guitars on this one supplied by Jim Armstrong who was in Them and also Truth (the Chicago-based one).
Anyone who remembers Them (with Van Morrison) between 1967 and 1968, and (without Van Morrison) between 1969 and 1971, or a Chicago-based band called Tuth, cannot fail to recall the playing of one of the world's great rock guitarists Jim Armstrong.
Following the demise of Truth in 1971, Armstrong retreated from the international scene to gig at a more relaxed pace in his native Belfast…

Following in the footsteps of Milos and his guitar revival, Deutsche Grammophon presents the charismatic young Israeli musician Avi Avital, champion of yet another beautiful and underestimated stringed instrument the mandolin. Avi Avital is a young man with a dream. Overflowing with charm, intelligence and enthusiasm he looks set to become the first international superstar of the mandolin.