“Jeff Lynne revived Electric Light Orchestra in 2015 -- due to legal reasons, they were now called Jeff Lynne's ELO -- releasing a comeback album called Alone in the Universe and steadily mounting a return to the road. Several dates happened in 2016, but the tour reached its apex in June 2017, when the group played in front of 60,000 people at London's Wembley Stadium. Released five months after that June 24 gig, Wembley or Bust -- which was accompanied by a concert film -- features the entirety of the...

Great album of recordings from the classic Palladium era of Latin music in America [“In 1948, the Palladium Ballroom gained in stature because of the Big Three acts: Tito Puente, Tito Rodríguez, and Machito. The Big Three grew in popularity on the strength of their bookings at the Palladium. These bands were turning out mambo hit after mambo hit...”-Wikipedia]

“Baritone vocalist, percussionist, bandleader Machito and his brother-in-law, the arranger Mario Bauzá were first to create a musical....

"Careful compositions converse with focused improvisations under the precise direction of Steve MacLean who, on this CD, after various excursions that took him through experimental works for piano, interactive insect/guitar compositions and pure electronics, returns to a performing band and a journey through complex polyrhythmic compositions imaginatively intercut with careful, atmospheric inventions, for guitar, bass, keyboard, percussion and various objects. There is a quiet rigour, almost a formality...

Mark “Rockette Morton” Boston – bass
John “Drumbo” French – vocals, harmonica, drums on instrumentals
Gary Lucas – guitar
Denny “Feelers Reebo” Walley – guitar
Michael Traylor or Robert Arthur Williams – drums on vocal tracks

This album and DVD set, recorded live between 2003-20004, was the earliest version of the post-Don, John French-led Magic Band, which means you get the largest number of old Magic Band members involved!
“I know, that's John French doing that amazing...

“Where has this set been? It should have come around 1982 in the wake of Delmark's "Alex Club/Ann Arbor set. This is certainly, at the least, the equal of any other live Magic Sam issue.
First, to save us all time, if you liked the Ann Arbor set, you may as well buy this one now. It is the same band, slightly better sound quality, and a similar (but expanded) set list. In addition, I feel that the performance here is even better!
There are three great BB King covers, including "I've Got Papers"...

Some of you with long memories and/or big record collections from the days of imports with JEM stickers on them, will recognize this name from his two releases on the Egg label ("The Most Progressive European Music Experience") from 1978 and 1980.
This is his 1st release from 1959, and is obviously, quite different, but is still interesting and avant music.

"Originally released in 1959, Musique Tachiste is the first in a series of rare records by French experimentalist Michel Magne. One of...

This isn't new for us, but this is an essential , essential classic from ground zero of electric jazz into rock. This is $5.00 and if you don't own it, you absolutely need this.

This is the 2000, 20-bit remastered edition of this classic fusion album. What can I say? The Mahavishnu Orchestra's 1st 3 albums represent to me all that was good and holy about fusion's heyday. This was the middle of the three and my favorite of the two studio works. And this version of it sounds amazingly good....

An entire studio album lost for 25 years. The follow up to Inner Mounting Flame and Birds of Fire. This is true. This is the lost studio album of the the tracks that the band decided to release in live form (Between Nothingness and Eternity) as their final studio album. But someone realized what this was in 1999 and the tapes from June 25-29, 1973 were exhumed, 20-bit remastered and released. And, while I am happy it came out, for me, I can see why they ultimately decided to release the live versions...

"Maksymenko plays drums with the force and power of a thousand supercomputers, he composes with the originality of a team of duck billed platypuses writing a sequel to Gravity's Rainbow, and he's more fun to listen to than Disneyland."-Henry Kaiser.

This is a collection of some of the very small but very great work by drummer/composer Michael Maksymenko, best known - if at all - for the amazing album and EP he did with the trio Kraldjuranstalten.
It collects eight tracks by Kraldjursanstan...

“Warehouse find of the last copies of this long unavailable 2000 release. Light Trigger is studio recordings from 1998 by the duo of Mat Maneri (viola) and Randy Peterson (drums).
"The voicings on this album are incredible, serene, unnervingly beautiful, and at times ponderous with an almost painful deliberateness. The commitment to each other, the push/pull, the complete acceptance, warm/cold simple facts, illuminated prisms floating precariously above a high wire, compassionately sewn...

“At the age of 16 Carl Mann had a national hit. He followed up with another that used the same formula.
By 17 he was an alcoholic.
But he continued to amass an impressive oevre of recordings with many of the same excellent musicians. Rockabilly was a blend of Rock and Roll and Country and Carl Mann was among the best. To say the Sun label attracted and in most cases retained, at least for the key period in the growth of rockabilly, a high level of rock'n'roll talent is an understatement of the...

Luciano was the guitarist and leader of LA 1919 for many years. Here he works on a project where most of the recordings here he constructed pieces out of guitar improvisations received through the mail, and then added musical materials (his own guitar, as well as other instruments like bass, drumloops, samples, etc.) and assembled it all together. Each guest guitarist gets one track.
Included are: Derek Bailey, Waedi Gysi, Nick Didkovsky, Elliott Sharp, Angelo Avogadri, Franco Fabbri, Eugene...

Some of you picked up Rhys' first album, which was a really strong singer/songwriter album with heavy progressive touches. This is his second and falls much more heavily into the progressive rock category, but it keeps its distinctive sound. Lots...

“Unless you're of a certain age, 65 to 75+, and a real guitar freak, most Americans probably don't know who Hank Marvin is or heard him....what a pity if you haven't!
Growing up in California in the 50's & 60's my guitar hero's were Chet Atkins, Wes Montgomery, Herb Ellis, Les Paul, Howard Roberts, etc. for the Jazz guys...I lumped Chet in with the Jazz guys because he could do it all! But when it came to Rock n Roll guitar, there was Chuck Berry, Duane Eddy, Jimi Hendrix, Link Wray, and on & on...

Totally wonderful round up of all the 7” and EP titles that Geoff Leigh (ex-Henry Cow) released in the late 70s and early 80s. Quite wonderful arty-art-damaged post punk whatever whoo-haa! Recommended.

“Zig-zagged music, the specialty of MCCB. Across a wide spectrum of sound comes minimal electronics, jilted avantpop, artpunx, and progressive music. Some folk in there as well, somehow. This is a very fine collection of Leigh's various musings, and with it his sharp humor and immense talent shines...

Matta Gawa are a DC-based guitar/drums duo who I saw many times until Ed moved to Ohio, which either means that this is the final release from MG, or that they will just have to work as the distances allow. In any event, Sam's blend of hardcore roots and free-music influences on drums and Ed's explorations of the full sonorities available to the guitar + boxes makes for good listening.

"Tambora is the second full-length from the Washington DC-based 'free rock' drums+guitar duo Matta Gawa. Named...

"Astonishing music which ranges from large gamelan ensembles to peaceful duets of traditional Southeast Asian folk songs. Porter Records is proud to bring you the debut CD of Andrew McGraw. Andrew has spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Asia...

“The performances on this disc were broadcast on CBC/CBOF-FM in Montreal at the University of Quebec on July 3, 1988.
This disc features jazz alto sax great Jackie McLean leading a quartet as he was getting ready to make more albums after a relatively quiet decade on the recording front [due to educational responsibilities].
Featured are four songs he'd cut for his Dynasty album four months later (1990), as well as his composition "Minor March", which he first recorded with Miles Davis and Milt.

"Only this disc's short length (34 minutes) qualifies as something worthy of complaint; otherwise, this is seminal blues piano, performed by a great player and singer, Memphis Slim. This 1959 session had everything: super piano solos, a strong lineup of horn players, clever, well-written and sung lyrics, and a seamless pace that kept things moving briskly from beginning to end. Other than Slim, instrumental honors go to guitarist Matt Murphy, a marvelous accompanist who was able to blend sophistication...

Eric Mertens-keyboards, flutes
Dirk Descheemaeker-sax, clarinet, bass clarinet
Mark Verdonck-sax
Hugo Mathijssen-tuba
Anne Mertens-voice
Lieve Vandewalle-cello
Rik Vercruysse-French horn
Eddy Verdonck-trombone.

"What essentially emerges from this record is that while being sophisticated, it is also very accessible to a large audience. You don't grow tired of listening to it, and the strong melodies are perfect visual aids and inspirations for the imagination."

“Broadcast live on WBCN-FM radio, this performance captures Pat Metheny at a fascinating point in his career. His debut album, the classic Bright Size Life, had recently been released, but he'd already moved on, forming a quartet for the forthcoming Watercolors LP, issued in 1977.
Featuring material from both albums, it showcases the guitarist at his youthful best and is presented here with background notes and images.”

“This set captures great live performances of the Pat Metheny Group during their Brazilian-influenced era, one of my favorites.
The performances here are more up tempo and looser than the versions from The Road To You and capture more of the crowd.
If you're looking for the best fidelity, this recording is lacking (after all, this came from an FM broadcast) but nevertheless it is decent and the performances are definitely engaging. I found myself just sitting back and enjoying the music - both..

“This disc contains every known song from legendary million dollar quartet session recorded by SUN RECORDS of Memphis. It was December 4th 1956 Carl Perkins was completing a recording session in which Jerry Lee Lewis had been playing piano for him with Johnny Cash cutting in to see how things were turning out
This already formidable trio was the joined by Elvis Presley, who dropped by to visit his old friends at Sun. Before too long the million dollar quartet was launched into a jam session. Sun...

Tito Pueblo-vocals
Bill Gilonis-guitar (of The Work)
Ilja Komarov-bass
Trixa Arnold-drums

"Tito Pueblo, aka Rob Murphy (Orchestre Murphy), has been responsible for some terrible lapses of judgement & taste. Here he gives us an album of post-Beatles pop songs that deal with the key issues of our times - drinking, sex, love, melancholy, obsession, & drinking. Expect fake French accordion, ludicrous cowboy songs & Flamenco rip-offs."-Chris Cutler

One of the legendary fiascos of modern music, which deserves a second look and reconsideration.
The concert was originally conceived as a "live workshop" of newly composed music which would be recorded for release by United Artists (this was also a way to save money) but rescheduling, lack of rehearsal time, poor sound and interruptions led to the event and subsequent album, which featured only about half the material recorded, being considered a disaster, it features the leader performing...