Guitarist, singer and songwriter Alvin Youngblood Hart is continuing in the path laid down by acoustic blues practitioners like Taj Mahal, Guy Davis and other 1990s blues revivalists, but his roots go back much further than that, to the classic stylings of Bukka White, Charley Patton, Leadbelly and Blind Willie McTell.

Rush had truly hit their peak at this point. As great as 2112 and A Farewell to Kings were, they were still missing that extra something. These two previous albums showed them mastering the art of epic tracks ("2112", "Cygnus X-1", "Xanadu"), as well as some development when it comes to shorter songs. But they still hadn't fully put it together to create a masterpiece. That is, until Hemispheres came out. This is truly the band at the height of their powers.

Music Makin' Mama starts with a bang and ends with a boogie -- the bang is Rabson's revved-up take on Huey "Piano" Smith's "Baby, Every Once in a While," and the boogie is a solo instrumental ode to two of her piano heroes, Jimmy Yancey and Meade Lux Lewis.

In 2000, you would have been hard-pressed to find a more lowdown blues-oriented recording than singer/guitarist Doug MacLeod's Whose Truth, Whose Lies?, which should appeal to anyone who likes his/her blues dark, shadowy, and moody.

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"Karajan was Austrian, and however far from home he roamed, to his dying day he never lost his touch with Johann Strauss. This is one of his analog collecitonns of Struass waltzes--all the old goodies--and it couldn't be better. I would rate this one of my desert island choices." Customer review at Amazon.com

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This album, recorded in 1976, has been regarded as "The Best Jazz Recording of the Century"! Most audiophiles all over the world should have already be in possession of one. Its musical artistry and sonic excellence have few peers. With the blessing of the latest mastering technology and replication in XRCD this recording has come out in its unprecedented musical glory! Give yourself a justifiable treat - Get one as quickly as you can! The XRCD version contains all tracks from the original LPs, not like the stripped down ordinary SACD release.

Yes' 1974 release Relayer gets a somewhat mixed reaction from Yes fans, but for my money it's their strongest release. Relayer shows a band backing off a bit from the topographic oceans and into material that is a bit more chaotic than what listeners had grown accompanied to. Certain sections of the side-long epic "The Gates of Delirium" as well as the frenetic chopfest "Sound Chaser" certainly come to mind here. Nevertheless a comparison has to be made to Close to the Edge, what with the presence of the aforementioned side-long, a mostly instrumental workout ("Sound Chaser" vs. "Siberian Khatru") and an epic ballad rounding things out ("To Be Over" vs. "And You And I").

Paganini: After a Dream is a landmark album from the acclaimed violinist Regina Carter. This recording-which features Carter and her band of Werner "Vana" Gierig, piano, Chris Lightcap, bass, Alvester Garnett, drums, and Mayra Casales, percussion-is the culmination of a fairy tale: a once-in-a lifetime encounter between a jazz musician from Detroit and the most famous violin in classical music, Paganini's Guarneri.