There's nothing particularly Appalachian about this set, other than the cover, really, but it is a graceful and balanced holiday album featuring Mark O'Connor's brilliant fiddle playing on several Christmas classics, along with friends and guests Renée Fleming, Alison Krauss, ...

Esperanza Spalding's Chamber Music Society reached the number one spot on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz Chart and netted her a Best New Artist Grammy. Radio Music Society is a companion piece to its predecessor. In addition to her regular band featuring ...

Recording information: Bý Studios, Los Angeles (06/2011-07/2011); Bý Studios, Los Angeles (12/2009-03/2010). Photographer: Raj Naik. Arranger: Brian Bromberg. Personnel: Brian Bromberg (acoustic bass, electric bass); Vinnie Colaiuta (drums). Audio Mixers: Tom McCauley; Brian Bromberg.

Liner Note Author: Doug Ramsey. Recording information: Van Gelder Recording Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ (03/22/2012). Personnel: Joey DeFrancesco (organ); Larry Coryell (guitar); Jimmy Cobb (drums). Audio Mixer: Rudy Van Gelder.

After his wildly successful DARE TO DREAM album, the iconic New Age performer Yanni decided to rein in the dense, propulsive, synthesizer-heavy element of his music, opting for a more intimate, piano-led sound on 1993's IN MY TIME. The stylistic ...

Recording information: Kilgore Studios, New York, NY (05/31/2011-06/02/2011); MSR Studios, New York, NY (05/31/2011-06/02/2011). Photographer: Stefan Falke. Arranger: Matt Munisteri. Personnel: Catherine Russell (vocals); Matt Munisteri (guitar); Dan Block (clarinet, alto saxophone); Andy Farber (tenor saxophone); Jon-Erik Kellso (trumpet); John Allred (trombone); Mark ...

Recording information: MIXart Studios; Ventura Digital Audio. Photographer: Bruno Robitaille. Arrangers: Susie Arioli; Jordan Officer. Personnel: Susie Arioli (vocals). Audio Mixer: Bill Szawlowski.

Audio Mixer: Chris Standring. Liner Note Author: Chris Standring. Recording information: Barry Paul Recording, North Hollywood, CA; Rhodes Ave, Studio City, CA. Photographer: Tim Sabatino. Arranger: Chris Standring.

Hot House is the seventh recording by the duo of pianist Chick Corea and vibraphonist Gary Burton. This time out, Corea and Burton picked pieces by some of their favorite composers -- mostly from the jazz world, of course -- ...

Recording information: Avatar Studios, New York, NY (02/24/2012-02/25/2012); Avatar Studios, New York, NY (12/27/2011-12/28/2011). Editor: Brian Montgomery. Photographers: John Rogers ; Tom Kershaw. Personnel: Anat Cohen (clarinet, bass clarinet, soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Jason Lindner (piano); Daniel Freedman (drums). Audio Mixer: James Farber.

Albums that sell vast quantities are not always to be recommended. This exceptional example of solo piano is the biggest selling record in the 25 year history of the pioneering jazz label ECM. It is an almost perfect recording of ...

It's hard not to hear Brenton Wood's biggest hit, "Gimme Little Sign," and not be convinced that it very well might be the greatest single ever cut. It relies on no one thing -- the song is slinky, surprising, and ...

Despite the sometimes syrupy background vocals (courtesy of arranger Shorty Rogers), CHRISTMAS ALBUM is a fairly straightforward Herb Alpert outing, with plenty of uptempo numbers given the Brass's good ole Mexican cantina treatment. The rub here, naturally, is that the ...

Michael Buble's third major US release (including the mostly live COME FLY WITH ME) stays on message--this young Canadian loves the lush, swaying music of his parents' and grandparents' generations. Buble's albums, however, are much more than mere back-in-the-day exercises. ...

Recorded between 1977 & 1991. Includes liner notes by Clayton Riley. There have been numerous attempts at summarizing Phyllis Hyman's career on one disc. Most have been severely flawed, whether it has come down to missing hit singles or poor selection ...

All-Time Greatest Hits is a 12-track budget-priced collection that features some of Dean Martin's biggest hits on Capitol Records, including "That's Amore," "You Belong to Me," "Memories Are Made of This," "Volare," "Standing on the Corner," and "You're Nobody 'Til ...

Although the plaudits for Melody Gardot's debut album, WORRISOME HEART, were entirely justified, it sometimes seemed as if the young singer-songwriter's compelling personal story--hit by a car and severely injured at the age of 19, the aspiring fashion designer began ...

A three-disc grab-bag of tunes by country supergroup the Highwaymen, this self-titled collection actually consists ofsolo tracks by each of the quartet's famous members--Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Waylon Jennings. A number of the tracks are live versions. Triple ...

Boney James comes back from car accident injuries that jeopardized his embouchure and makes his label debut with Contact on Verve Forecast Records. But, really, it's just steady-as-she-goes musically, as the contemporary jazz saxophonist turns in a typical set of ...

A remarkably versatile singer, Lou Rawls distinguished himself in soul, but was also adept at performing pop, blues, and jazz. This excellent 21-track Capitol compilation forgoes the latter two styles and draws from his 1960s/'70s recordings, presenting listeners with the ...

The winner of the sixth season of the NBC reality show America's Got Talent, Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. keeps things light and swinging on his 2011 debut, That's Life. A vocalist in the traditional pop style of Frank Sinatra and ...

While there's no shortage of Glenn Miller collections, there aren't many that rival Bluebird/Legacy's THE ESSENTIAL GLENN MILLER. This two-disc, 38-track compilation covers the peak years of the iconic bandleader/trombonist's career, and includes a welcome handful of numbers recorded with ...

Rhino's 2001 retrospective The Very Best of Miki Howard is a generous, near-definitive overview of Howard's biggest R&B hits from the '80s. She didn't have many crossover hits, but she did have numerous entries on the R&B charts, all of ...

The follow-up to his smash 2009 concert album Live in Boston, Chris Botti's studio album Impressions features more of the cool trumpeter's crossover jazz, pop, and classical stylings. Focusing on Botti's love of melody, Impressions is an aesthetically varied album ...

Rio, the double-disc solo concert recording by Keith Jarrett, marks his 40th anniversary as an ECM recording artist; coincidentally, Facing You, his debut for the label, was a solo piano recording, though cut in a studio. Many of Jarrett's improvised ...