Brad Mehldau’s "10 Years Solo Live" Out Now in 4-CD Box Set

This weeks marks the release of Brad Mehldau's 10 Years Solo Live as a four-CD box set on Nonesuch Records. The set, which was first released as an eight-LP vinyl box set last month, is culled from nineteen live recordings made over a decade of the pianist's European solo concerts and is divided into four thematic subsets of four sides each: Dark/Light, The Concert, Intermezzo/ Rückblick, and E Minor/E Major.

The new set "contains some of the most impressive pianism Mr. Mehldau has captured on record," exclaims the New York Times' Nate Chinen. It "also confirms that his pristine technique and prismatic elaboration are distinctive traits unto themselves," closing with a performance that is "an astonishment even by his lofty standards." Jazzwise, in a five-star review, calls it "a monumental achievement, and one of the most rewarding solo piano collections of the 21st century so far." The BBC Music Magazine five-star review says it's "a powerful picture of a renaissance artist at the height of his powers."

The Irish Times has named 10 Years Solo Live its Album of the Week. "To listen intently is to engage in the tangle of a great musician's mind, one whose influence may now be discerned in pretty much every jazz pianist that has come after him," says the five-star review. "Nothing can replace the thrill of actually being in the room when Mehldau is in the act of creation, but 10 Years Solo Live is a close second."

They Might Be Giants Back With "Why?" on November 27

 

 

Brooklyn, NY’s original alternative rockers, They Might Be Giants, are in the middle of an epic year! Having already released a new album of original songs, Glean, TMBG is gearing up to release their new family album Why? on November 27th via Idlewild Records.  And, the cool new album features the catchy track “Or So I Have Read” (listen above).

 

And, the band announces a national spring 2016 tour that will bring their explosive live show to cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, and more.  All shows are for ages 14+ unless otherwise noted.

Placido Domingo Brings In The Holiday Season With The Release Of His New Album, "My Christmas"

A heart-warming world of Christmas magic comes alive on Placido Domingo's new holiday album, My Christmas (available now on Sony Classical). Available now, the album is filled with seasonal favorites, plus duets with a variety of special guests including Idina Menzel, Jackie Evancho, Placido Domingo Jr., The Piano Guys and others.

My Christmas features Domingo performing his favorites numbers like "Guardian Angels," the haunting song composed by Harpo Marx and made famous by Mario Lanza with Idina Menzel, fresh from her triumph as the voice of Queen Elsa in Disney's Frozen; "Pie Jesu" the pure, ethereal melody from Andrew Lloyd Webber with Jackie Evancho, the 15 year-old American singing phenomenon, who is also the youngest top-10 debut artist in USA history; "White Christmas," the evergreen Irving Berlin classic with his son Placido Domingo Jr.; and "Silent Night" with The Piano Guys, whose witty mash-ups of classical favorites and pop standards have been seen over half a billion times on YouTube.

Other artists featured on My Christmas singing holiday classics with Domingo include the German superstar Helene Fischer ("What Child Is This"), whose albums have sold more than 9 million copies to date; the French heart-throb tenor Vincent Niclo ("Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"); and the New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra performing "Loving Christmas," a new song written by Placido Domingo Jr.

Carly Simon's New Memoir Gets "Songs from the Trees" Musical Companion CD Release

Just days before Carly Simon’s long-awaited memoir, Boys in the Trees, arrives, Rhino will release the book’s musical companion, SONGS FROM THE TREES (A MUSICAL MEMOIR COLLECTION).

In the two disc CD collection’s liner notes, the acclaimed singer/songwriter explains the music’s connection to her book: “This is a special album that serves as an additional way to look at my stories. Most of these songs are precursors to what eventually became the book...If you feel like playing this puzzle, there are clues of how to cross-reference the songs with the chapters, pages and words.”

With 31 tracks spread across two disc, the compilation spans a great deal of the award-winning artist’s stellar career, from her musical debut as half of The Simon Sisters performing folk songs with her sister Lucy in Greenwich Village, to her meteoric solo career, which yielded 13 top 40 hits, including the #1 song “You’re So Vain.”

The Staples Singers Box Set Announced by Stax

Stax/Concord Music Group will release the first-ever comprehensive, career-spanning overview of the Staple Singers, one of the most important American musical acts of the 20th century.  Due out November 13, this limited edition 4-CD box set—titled Faith and Grace: A Family Journey 1953-1976—also includes a very special bonus: the earliest known recording of the gospel, soul and R&B group, housed on a 7" vinyl record, marking the first time that this track has been available in any format since the Staples' self-released edition of 500.

Housed in a deluxe, old-school "45-folio" package, the accompanying book features new liner notes by Mavis Staples, James Miller, Opal Louis Nations and compilation producer Joe McEwen, as well as rarely seen photos of the family band taken over the course of their career.

The long-lost recordings embodied on the 7" record, "Faith and Grace" and "These Are They," are the earliest known recordings of the Staple Singers and were made in a friend of Pops Staples' basement in Chicago in 1953. These have never before been commercially available in any format except the 500 or so copies the Staples pressed themselves on 78-RPM records. The box set also contains the live recording "Medley: Too Close/I'm On My Way Home/I'm Coming Home/He's Alright [Live]." This live performance from 1960 Clarksdale, Mississippi has never before been available in its entirety.

100+ Song "Frank Sinatra:A Voice on the Air" Releasing in November

In a matter befitting the 100^th birthday of an American icon, Sony Music's Legacy Recordings announces the November 20th, 2015 release of Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955), a historic 100+ track, 4-CD deluxe box set culled from an invaluable collection of rare radio broadcasts and rehearsals – immaculately restored from the original recording masters for unprecedented high-fidelity sound.

Luxuriously packaged with a 60-page book, Frank Sinatra: A Voice on Air (1935-1955) is an essential addition to Sinatra's voluminous discography, offering a unique glimpse into the formative period of America's first teen idol: Frank Sinatra, the man who became known the world over as "The Voice." Included in the book are an introductory essay by renowned singer, pianist and archivist Michael Feinstein; a personal remembrance by Frank's eldest daughter Nancy Sinatra and detailed essay by foremost Sinatra historian, author and box set producer Charles L. Granata. The package was designed by noted Art Director Maria Marulanda, who created the landmark 2007 Columbia/Legacy box set Frank Sinatra: A Voice in Time.

In assembling this groundbreaking box set marking the first official release anthologizing Frank Sinatra's seminal radio performances, the producers have mined treasures from their own extensive Sinatra broadcast transcription collections and the world's most prestigious archives and sound recording repositories including The Library of Congress, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, the Paley Center for Media, the Michael Feinstein Great American Songbook Initiative archive and The University of Colorado's Glenn Miller Archive. Included are dozens of rare photographs and recording artifacts that help to illustrate the scope of Sinatra's incredible radio career.

Tim McCraw's "Damn Country Music" Out in November

To McGraw, his new album’s title track is reflective of the entire record’s tone and his musical journey thus far. “When I recorded ‘Damn Country Music,’ it was one of those electric moments. It speaks to a passion and being at a crossroads in your life when you make that decision to pursue it knowing you might pay a heavy price,” says McGraw. The November release of Damn Country Music will cap off an exceptional year for McGraw, which began with a critically-acclaimed & trending performance of “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” from Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me at the 87th Academy Awards on February 22.

In April, McGraw was included on TIME 100 – Time Magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people – and narrated the ESPN Films & SEC Network documentary Shaq & Dale, which detailed the enduring relationship between basketball icon Shaquille O’Neal and his former Louisiana State University coach Dale Brown. Continuing to bolster his film career, McGraw starred in Disney’s Tomorrowland in May before kicking off his wildly successful Shotgun Rider tour in June. The tour thrilled thousands of fans and awarded mortgage-free homes to veterans through McGraw’s partnership with Operation Home front & Chase in more than 30 cities throughout the summer. The tour will conclude on September 19 in Irvine, CA to a sold-out crowd.

Chris Isaak Readies November "First Comes the Night" Release

Chris Isaak’s  new album FIRST COMES THE NIGHT,  produced by Paul  Worley (Dixie Chicks, Lady Antebellum), Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell) and longtime Isaak collaborator Mark Needham, will be released on Vanguard Records on November 13, 2015.

Recorded primarily in Nashville and Los Angeles, FIRST COMES THE NIGHT is Isaak’s 13th studio album consisting of twelve new songs.  A second configuration, a deluxe version with five additional cuts, will be released simultaneously.

This new set marks Isaak’s first recording of all original songs in over six years. FIRST COMES THE NIGHT is the follow-up release to Isaak’s critically acclaimed 2011 BEYOND THE SUN, his breathtaking tribute album to Sun Records, Sam Phillips and the visionary artists who helped shape the early sounds of rock ’n’ roll.

THE BEATLES’ VIDEOS AND TOP HITS COME TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME !

After The Beatles stopped touring, and because traveling around the globe to promote new releases was impossible, the band increasingly made what could be described as “mini movies.” These pioneering promotional films and videos helped to define the way we have come to watch music, not least because The Beatles approached filming with the same ease and innovative spirit they brought to the recording studio, exploring new creative possibilities with infectious delight. Showcasing the band’s filmed work to accompany their 27 No.1 U.K. and U.S. singles, The Beatles 1 is newly restored and expanded in multiple configurations for global release on November 6 by Apple Corps Ltd/UMG.

 The 27-track CD/DVD and CD/Blu-ray pairs beautifully restored videos for each song with new stereo and 5.1 Dolby Digital and DTS HD surround audio mixes. The brand new Beatles 1+ celebrates their career in over 200 minutes through 50 promotional films and videos. This includes the 27 No.1s, with the restored videos, along with a second disc of 23 videos, including alternate versions, as well as rarely seen and newly restored films and videos; all include new audio mixes in deluxe CD/2DVD and CD/2Blu-ray packages. The 27-track audio CD is also being made available with new stereo mixes. A 2LP, 180-gram vinyl package release will follow.

The new editions of The Beatles 1 have been made possible following extensive research, and restoration of the original promo films, classic television appearances and other carefully selected videos spanning the band’s history. Apple Corps dug deep into The Beatles’ vaults to select a broad range of films and videos for their rarity, historical significance and quality of performance. An 18-person team of film and video technicians and restoration artists was assembled by Apple Corps to undertake painstaking frame-by-frame cleaning, color-grading, digital enhancement and new edits that took months of dedicated, ‘round-the-clock work to accomplish.

Justin Beiber Asks "What Do You Mean", New Album Announcecd

Global superstar Justin Bieber's brand new single, "What Do You Mean" took over the #1 spot at iTunes this week within nanoseconds of its global release. The single is playing on iHeart radio's 800+ stations across the USA every hour on the hour today. The arrival of "What Do You Mean" caps a hugely successful viral 30 day Instagram countdown and Twitter lyric reveal campaign, garnering over a 100 million impressions.

Listen to "What Do You Mean" here-


The lyric video for "What Do You Mean," featuring professional skater Ryan Sheckler, premiered on YouTube this week too.