At the time, this was probably the longest jazz-generated work in existence (its length has since been exceeded by recent pieces like Wynton Marsalis' Blood On the Fields), a massive, messy, all-encompassing, all-star ego trip that nevertheless gave Carla Bley an immense cachet of good will among the avant-garde. Bley and librettist Paul Haines called it a "chronotransduction," whatever that means. The critics called it a jazz opera -- which it isn't. Escalator is, however, very much of its time, a late-'60s attempt to let a thousand flowers bloom and indulge in every trendy influence that Bley could conceive. There is rock music, early synthesizer and ring modulator experiments, the obligatory Indian section, repeated outbreaks of Weimar Republic cabaret in 3/4 time that both mock and revere European tradition. The incomprehensible "libretto" and a good deal of the lugubrious writing for big band amount to a textbook of avant-garde pretension. And yet sometimes this unwieldy hash pulls itself together -- the woolly, somber, sectional "Hotel Overture" with avant-squeal solos from clarinetist Perry Robinson and the young Gato Barbieri in all his Wild Bull of the Pampas glory, the clear voice of Linda Ronstadt brightening up a song called "Why," Don Cherry's clarion trumpet work, the power trio of John McLaughlin, Jack Bruce and Paul Motian rumbling energetically away amidst the Indian structures of "Rawalpindi Blues." Originally released on three LPs, an almost unheard-of extravagance in 1971, today this giant relic fits comfortably on two CDs. Yet the hard-to-find LP version does have an advantage, for the work concludes with an endless windy drone via one of those locked run-out grooves, an effect that obviously cannot be transferred to a CD, which shuts off automatically.© Richard S. Ginell /TiVo

He has played brilliantly alongside double bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and drummer Johnathan Blake for quite a few years, but Kenny Barron had not yet released an album with this addictive rhythmic approach that suits him so well. The result jumps out at the listener immediately with the magnificent Book Of Intuition released on Impulse!. Elegant, intelligent, refined and with a more than perfect swing, this record is an ambassador for the famous motto: less is more. Not a note overboard, No technical showboating. Each theme (all bearing Barron's signature except for two covers Thelonious Monk, Shuffle Boil and Light Blue, and one by Charlie Haden, Nightfall) is discussed here with formidable class. Kenny Barron is one of the last giants of the eternal and timeless piano, and one that does not seek to revolutionize the genre nor the instrument but rather to find the just the right tone. A project that succeeds thanks to the precious involvement of Kitagawa and Blake. The three musicians reach a sort of aesthetic grace together here. A great album to listen again and again.© MZ/Qobuz, Translation/BM

When he’s not working on a film score or paying a musical visit to one of his numerous friends, Mark Knopfler focuses on producing high quality solo albums. Down The Road Wherever is no exception, it’s arguably up there with Golden Heart and Get Lucky at the top of the heap. For this ninth album, available in different editions (something which has become a habit for him), he demonstrates more than ever the sheer scope of styles he can play with outstanding subtlety and elegance. He’s like a magician refusing to show off with shiny new tricks, but rather favouring his older acts with a few delicate updates, of which he seems to have many up his sleeve!More relaxed and confident than ever, particularly in his perfect guitar performances, Knopfler is second to none when it comes to harmoniously juxtaposing jazzy (When You Leave, Every Heart In The Room), bluesy (Just A Boy Away From Home), funky (Back On The Dance Floor, Nobody Does That), folk (Nobody's Child, Matchstick Man) and trad (Drover's Road, One Song At A Time) atmospheres, at times incorporating inspired Latin touches – samba, bossa nova, or cha cha chá − (Floating Away, Slow Learner, Heavy Up, Rear View Mirror) or electro layers (Good On You Son)… Even though the album starts off like Dire Straits’ Love Over Gold with the perky Trapper Man, and then My Bacon Roll which would fit right into Brothers In Arms, he has obviously come a long way, setting himself apart from a band whose memory is slowly fading. © Jean-Pierre Sabouret/Qobuz

From the beginning of Blues Dream, the listener knows that something special is going on. The spare notes of Ron Miles' trumpet and the relaxed guitar work of Greg Leisz lay the groundwork for a spacious sound on the title cut. This openness remains throughout the album, even when alto and trombone are added into the mix. The instrumental "Ron Carter" begins with the loose, electrified feel of an early Miles Davis fusion piece, with Bill Frisell's distorted guitar exploring the space of the piece without resorting to excessive volume. The short and sweet "Pretty Stars Were Made to Shine" leans heavier on the country side, with steel guitar and Chet Atkins' fingerpicking dominating. The arrangements on Blues Dream are a big change from last year's solo effort, Ghost Town. An essential part of the overall sound is Leisz' steel guitar and lap steel work. He also played with Frisell on Good Dog, Happy Man, and helps to set the mood and pace throughout Blues Dream. Ron Miles plays a smaller role, but it is fascinating how well his relaxed trumpet, with its carefully chosen notes, fits into the mix on the title cut and the short "Episode." Blues Dream is a perfectly chosen title: the material, steeped in the blues, is approached in a lazy, dreamlike fashion. Frisell's fondness for putting unusual combinations of instruments together adds to the overall effect, leaving the listener to wonder why no one has ever tried this before. Blues Dream is a lovely release that should satisfy Frisell fans as well as jazz, country, and blues fans looking for a genre-bending experience.© Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr. /TiVo

For his second long player, John Coltrane (tenor saxophone) joined forces with his Prestige labelmate Red Garland (piano) to command a quartet through a five song outing supported by a rhythm section of Paul Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). The absence of any unessential instrumentalists encourages a decidedly concerted focus from Coltrane, who plays with equal measures of confidence and freedom. The Coltrane original "Traneing In" is a rousing blues that exemplifies the musical singularity between Coltrane and Garland. Even though the pianist takes charge from the start, the structure of the arrangement permits the tenor to construct his solo seamlessly out of Garland's while incrementally increasing in intensity, yet never losing the song's underlying swinging bop. Chambers then gets in on the action with an effervescent run that quotes the seasonal favorite "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town." The poignant "Slow Dance" is a dark ballad with a simple, refined tune that is established by Coltrane. He turns things over to Chambers, and then Garland -- whose respective style and grace are virtually indescribable -- before bringing it home with one final verse. "Bass Blues" is the second Coltrane-penned selection on the album. Right from the tricky opening riff, the slightly asymmetrical melody showcases Chambers' ability to mirror even the most intricate or seemingly improvised lines from Coltrane. The mid-tempo pace is a springboard for the tenor's spontaneous inventions as he interfaces with a rollicking and ready Garland alongside Chambers' unfettered bowing. "You Leave Me Breathless" provides everything that a love song should with long, languid runs by Coltrane, Garland, and what is arguably Paul Chambers at his absolute finest. Few passages can match the grace and stately refinement of the bassist as he pilots the proceedings behind Taylor's steady metronome and Garland's luminous, effective comps. John Coltrane with the Red Garland Trio (1957) draws to a close on the bebop lover's dream, a fast and furious interpretation of the Irving Berlin classic "Soft Lights and Sweet Music." Clearly Coltrane excels within this context, laying down his note clusters more rapidly than the listener can actually absorb them. These are clear demarcations pointing toward the remarkable sonic advancements Coltrane was espousing. And although it would be a few years before he'd make the leap into full-blown free jazz, the roots can clearly be traced back here.© Lindsay Planer /TiVo

Infinite Disco is a live album from Australian artist Kylie Minogue featuring a recording of a livestream in support of her 2020 album DISCO. Initially released as part of a deluxe reissue of DISCO, the stream was eventually made available digitally and on vinyl in 2022. The live set features tracks from the 2020 album as well as from Minogue's vast back catalog.© Rich Wilson /TiVo

One reason why it is better to be a music critic than a film critic is illustrated by this album. The poor film critic may be left to ponder why filmmakers have chosen to do so many screen adaptations of Jane Austen's 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice for both theatrical release and television broadcast, especially in recent years, and to weigh the competing talents of, say, Laurence Olivier, Colin Firth, and, now, Matthew MacFadyen in portraying the character of Mr. Darcy. But the music critic isn't really called upon to compare Herbert Stothart's score for the 1940 film with Carl Davis' music for the 1995 TV mini-series, and, now, Dario Marianelli's. They are entirely different entities and can be treated separately. As stated in a producers' note, the intention of the creators of the 2005 theatrical film Pride & Prejudice was to have Marianelli compose music that conceivably could have been heard at the time the story is set, in the late 18th century. Thus, he has come up with a couple of dance cues ("Meryton Townhall," "Another Dance") that actually recall the dance music of the period, as well as a march ("The Militia Marches In") that a military band actually might have been expected to play at the time. But the main scoring, calling upon Beethoven's sonatas for its inspiration, finds Marianelli providing music for pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, sometimes accompanied by the English Chamber Orchestra, that has a strong Romantic flavor to accompany the familiar romantic plot. No doubt Stothart and Davis (among others) also did their homework in preparing their scores, but they may not have been as concerned as Marianelli with essentially impersonating an 18th century composer.© TiVo

In the 16 years that elapsed since the Pastels' last full album, 1997's Illumination, they stayed busy with collaborative projects (2009's Two Sunsets made with Tenniscoats), soundtracks (2003's The Last Great Wilderness), and real life (Stephen Pastel established a record shop, Monorail, in Glasgow). During that time, the group's two core members (Stephen and Katrina) gathered many similarly minded musicians (including Gerard Love and multi-instrumentalist Tom Crossley) and slowly changed the way they approached their music. While still extremely melodic and based in pop structures, the (sporadic) work they did over those years grew warmer and more peaceful, the arrangements blossoming into tapestries with each inch filled with voices and instruments. Instead of sounding overstuffed, the songs felt like warm blankets of sound that instantly transported you to somewhere still and magical. Slow Summits is the beautiful culmination of this years-long expansion process, as the Pastels bring a full complement of collaborators (members of To Rococo Rot and Tenniscoats, Katrina's sister Alison, and Norman Blake, to name a few), a producer who knows how to wrangle the sound into something perfectly ordered yet still organic (John McEntire), new guitarist John Hogarty, and original member Annabel Wright to help make this the best-sounding album of their long career. Though some date back to the period just after Illumination, the nine songs here fit together like stones on the bottom of a stream, with gently meandering instrumentals ("After Image," the title track) balancing slowly unspooling, heartbreakingly sincere ballads (the Craig Armstrong-arranged "Kicking Leaves" and "Secret Music," which features a lovely cameo from Wright) and bobbing uptempo songs ("Check My Heart") swaying hand in hand with soulful midtempo groovers ("Come to the Dance"). The arrangements, too, interlock perfectly, with flutes peeping around the edges, Alison Mitchell's trumpet ringing out, the guitars playing off each other like old friends, and the extra bits, like handclaps, bells, and the occasional keys, adding just the right amount of autumnal color. Stephen and Katrina's vocals sound just right in this context: his understated croon hints at depths of passion without being obvious about it; her fantastically sweet singing transmits heart and compassion. They might be the least assuming vocal duo in pop music, but maybe the one that cuts the deepest. With the steady bolstering of the music around them, they convey large swaths of the human experience in these songs. It's the most real and approachable album they've done yet, hitting hard with one of the most joyful-sounding tracks they've done ("Check My Heart"); digging deep with the kind of searching, pastoral folk music that Nick Drake might have done if he were just coming up today ("Summer Rain"); and making the most heartbreakingly pretty music anyone is likely to hear anywhere ("Secret Music"). Slow Summits is an unhurried, understated masterpiece that should make fans of the band, and of music in general, glad that the Pastels have not only stuck with it for so long, but grown into the kind of group that could release something this warm and beautiful.© Tim Sendra /TiVo

Get Lifted netted John Legend a major hit ("Ordinary People") that will be heard on adult contemporary stations and throwback-oriented programs as long as they exist, platinum status, and three Grammy titles -- including the potential kiss of death that is Best New Artist. If Legend hadn't linked up with Kanye West or any other connected industry figure, he'd probably be well into a string of independent albums and would likely have a fanatical cult following through persistent touring. It doesn't take much exposure to his songs to sense this alternate scenario. No one can deny that Legend has had considerable help from his collaborators, and he continues to get that support this time out -- there's West, will.i.am, Sa-Ra, Raphael Saadiq, Plant Life's Jack Splash, and a massive crew of session musicians, but it's already evident that Legend only needs a piano to get by. Even with its many producers, Once Again is much more focused than Get Lifted, and the quality of its songs is equally high. Legend's obviously doing everything in his power to not fall off. He pours so much of himself into each one of these songs, whether they're about flings with groupies or breakups with long-term girlfriends, that the album can begin to wear around the eighth track. The songs flit back and forth between easygoing, butterflies-of-love-type sentiments and deep drama, with both sides expressed through similar levels of intensity. As much as anyone else, Legend would benefit from the recent (and generally welcomed) return of the 40-minute R&B album. If the album is missing something, it's a snappy, unapologetically swaggering track in the vein of Get Lifted's "Used to Love U," or perhaps a song or two that doesn't seem intent on displaying impressive musicality, but there are enough undeniably bright spots to please those who have already been won over. While Once Again might not get as much attention as its predecessor, it's more assured and sounds nothing like an experiment to see what sticks. Legend now knows exactly where he fits, and he's not holding back in the least.© Andy Kellman /TiVo

All of the music except for one piece on Shadow Dances comes from the first half of the 20th century, and all of it is absolutely delightful, enough so to make one shake one's head at its neglect. The album has the flavor of a personal enthusiasm for flutist Adam Walker, who gets the liveliness in this light but never trite music. Listeners can pick their own favorites, but near the top of most lists may be the Suite de Ballet of Ralph Vaughan Williams, as close as he ever came to pure neo-classicism but with a hint of English folk song all the same. All of the pieces are quite short; William Alwyn's largely obscure Sonata comes in at under eight minutes but is fully distinctive with its mysterious, sinuous opening movement. Arnold Bax's Four Pieces were taken from an abortive ballet in the French style; carving them down to these chamber dimensions was a unique project and probably did the material good. The only composer represented twice is York Bowen, with two works from four decades apart framing the rest, all of which have their own flavors even as they fall into the same stylistic universe. With excellent sound from the Wyastone Estate Concert Hall, this is a little gem. © James Manheim /TiVo

Lovelines commemorated the duo's 20-year association with A&M Records, though Karen had passed away six years before. Ten of the 12 tracks were recorded for other albums but were not included for various reasons; two are remixes of previously released material. Richard penned the liner notes, which give some insight into the history of the pieces. "When I Fall in Love" brings a tear to the eye as it captures that indefinable and completely unique quality that Karen brought to each song she sang. While the material in this compilation is not sensational or ground-breaking, it is definitely a sentimental selection of tunes that go easy on the ear.© Dacia A. Blodgett-Williams /TiVo

Unlike most sequels, Time Further Out is a worthy successor to Time Out. Among the numbers introduced on this impressive set are "It's a Raggy Waltz" and "Unsquare Dance" (the latter an ancestor of Don Ellis' "Pussy Wiggle Stomp"). The selections, which range in time signatures from 5/4 to 9/8, are handled with apparent ease (or at least not too much difficulty) by pianist Brubeck, altoist Paul Desmond, bassist Eugene Wright, and drummer Joe Morello on this near-classic. © Scott Yanow /TiVo

By the mid-'80s, Beverly Glenn-Copeland had been best known as a starring actor in the Canadian children's program Mr. Dressup, in addition to providing guest vocals on records by iconic singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn and other folk artists. He had also released two obscure albums of poetic folk-jazz at the beginning of the 1970s, then a slightly funk-tinged soft rock EP in 1983. He recorded Keyboard Fantasies solely using a Yamaha DX7 keyboard and a Roland TR-707 drum machine -- a very restricted set-up by current standards, but one which Glenn-Copeland felt had limitless possibilities at the time. Channeling the practicing Buddhist's feelings of peace and solitude in the surrounding woodlands of his home in Ontario, the music is relaxing and meditative, brimming with joy and comfort. "Ever New" starts the album with a trickling stream of gentle notes, before a distinctive melody forms, and Glenn-Copeland's warm, friendly, slightly warbly voice sings lyrics which praise nature and welcome people of all ages, viewing life as a period of eternal youthfulness and hope. "Winter Astral" is beatless and wordless, but its brassy melodies are bold and valiant, encouraging the listener to put aside fear and live a fulfilling life. "Let Us Dance" is the most playful and childlike selection, with a steadily paced waltz tempo, parping keyboards, and Christmas-like electronic bells accompanying Glenn-Copeland's double-tracked voice. Finding strength and motivation in the sunshine and the serenity of nature, he feels excited to travel the road ahead of him. Following two instrumentals, including the downright snuggly "Old Melody," the album ends with "Sunset Village," a truly soothing song with simple yet empowering lyrics ("Let it go, let it go now, it's okay"), tying with "Ever New" as the album's most blissful, touching moment. Self-released as a cassette in 1986, Keyboard Fantasies largely remained an unheard curiosity for decades until it was rediscovered by music collectors during the 2010s, leading to several reissues and prompting the septuagenarian artist to tour internationally for the first time and record new music. More than just a wholesome story about an artist who found success late in his career, Glenn-Copeland's music and life experience speaks to the power of maintaining a positive outlook and remaining true to one's unique vision.© Paul Simpson /TiVo