Showing 26 - 50 of 673
Artist: Transmission OK
Led by vocalist/guitar virtuoso Blues Saraceno (who has recorded as a solo instrumentalist and served a stint in Poison), Transmission OK showcases a more radio-friendly side of the guitarist's music, drawing on slightly punky post-grunge rock and tight, melodic songwriting. The quartet's debut album, The Sky, the Stars and the Great Beyond...,... [+] Read More
Artist: Banned from Utopia
A fraternity of musicians that have collaborated with the great Frank Zappa at one point or another, Banned From Utopia is an extension of Zappa's emphasis on spontaneous music. Covering Zappa songs with a loose vibe and exploratory approach while also writing their own material, BFU (as they refer to themselves) lovingly recreate the wacky... [+] Read More
Artist: Charlie Johnson
Not to be confused with ragtime composer Charles L. Johnson, this early recording artist was a guitarist who backed up performers such as harmonica virtuoso El Watson. Producer and recording engineer Ralph Peer was the man responsible for getting these characters in front of a microphone; Johnson shows up on both collections of the Peer... [+] Read More
Artist: Baby Stab Horror
Formed in 2005, Baby Stab Horror came together to record their first release, MANIFESTO INFERNALE, after Thrash Metal virtuoso Demither and long time collaborator Maloderous joined forces with underground black metallers Sardon and D. Blast to create a new force in the stagnant New England metal scene.The band is currently recording tracks for... [+] Read More
Artist: Volodja Balzalorsky-violinist
Violin virtuoso, Volodja Balzalorsky , from Ljubljana, Slovenia, performs internationally as a solo violinist, recitalist, and chamber musician, for which he consistently receives outstanding acclaim.Numerous highly praised concerts, broadcasts, CD and TV recordings in various countries, have established his reputation as an artist with a... [+] Read More
Artist: Pat Kilbride
A virtuoso cittern and guitar player and an excellent singer/songwriter, Pat Kilbride is one of the most dynamic solo performers in Irish music. He was a member of the Battlefield Band for a brief time in the '70s, then moved to Belgium and eventually Brittany, where he performed in a more pop-oriented group. In the '90s, Kilbride moved to New... [+] Read More
Artist: Ossian
Formed in the mid-'70s, Ossian became one of Scotland's best-loved folk revival bands. Members have included fiddler John Martin, Highland bagpipe virtuoso Iain MacDonald, composer and multi-instrumentalist Billy Jackson, and singer and guitarist Tony Cuffe. The group broke up after Cuffe and Jackson moved to the U.S. The other members have... [+] Read More
Artist: Carlos Baguer
This Spanish organist and composer was a virtuoso performer and improvisor. Many of his compositions include sacred vocal works but he did not include contrapunctal voicings (with a few exceptions in organ pieces). Baguer wrote works for piano and orchestra but little separates it from compositions of his contemporaries. He was an above-avergae... [+] Read More
Artist: Heinrich Von Biber
An Austrian violinist and composer who became the most celebrated violin virtuoso of the 17th century. Biber wrote many sonatas for violin that employ both normal tuning and scordatura, where the strings are tuned to a chord instead of in perfect fifths. He also composed many sacred and secular pieces. The "Mystery (or "Rosary") Sonatas," for... [+] Read More
Artist: Eddy Duchin
"Sweet" bands were often more pop than jazz, and Duchin's was no different. His band was hugely popular in the '30s, making not only lots of records but radio and film appearances. His career waned in the '40s due to a combination of military service and illness. Duchin was not a virtuoso pianist, playing the simplest of styles. ~ Ron Wynn, All... [+] Read More
Artist: Gondwanaland
Lead by virtuoso didgeridoo player Charlie McMahon, Gondwanaland has brought the sound of aboriginal music to White Australia. The didgeridoo is a wind instrument fashioned from the hollowed trunk of a eucalyptus tree. It is regarded as a sacred instrument and is used in a variety of religious and communal ceremonies. His album Gondwanaland Wide... [+] Read More
Artist: William Babell
William Babell was an 18th century harpsichordist who studied with Pepusch and Handel (questionably). He was an exceptional player and his transcriptions of a number of Handel's works could only be played by a superior virtuoso. Babell's manuscripts are worth analyis as they disclose important information regarding the art of baroque... [+] Read More
Artist: Dario Castello
An Italian composer of instrumental sonatas: primarily wind instruments as that was his chosen musical medium. These sonatas are comprised of seven to nine definite blocked sections and frequent tempo changes. The music indicates that the changes would take place by oral direction. Castello's upper registered parts (flute, violin, and cornett),... [+] Read More
Artist: Valentin Dretzel
An organist, composer and instrumentalist who held positions at Frauenkirche, Spitalkirche for Caspar Hassler, St Lorenz, and St Sebald which was the highest position in Nuremberg. It is clear that Valentin was a virtuoso performer on the organ and his compositions included ricercares, canzones, motets, fugues and songs. Dretzel's "Sertulum... [+] Read More
Artist: Giovanni Antonio Guido
No known compositions are attributed to Giovanni Antonio Guido. Accreditation is difficult as he employed the use of the surname Guido and Antonio. He did serve in the court of the Duke of Orleans having given a concert before the Queen of England while in his service. Guido also received acclaim for his playing at the Concert Spirituel in 1728... [+] Read More
Artist: John Hebden
The compositions by this English composer included six solos for flute and bass cello and six concertos for violin, viola, violin cello, and bass cello. He may have been playing the bassoon in London around 1744 and was considered a virtuoso cellist and bassoonist around 1750. The aforementioned compositions were known in Germany, particualrly... [+] Read More
Artist: Joseph Cherniavsky
Cherniavsky was the front man for the "Yiddish American Jazz Band," which, as its name suggests, took a traditional klezmer lineup and blended it with modern American dance styles such as the fox-trot. Featuring virtuoso clarinetists Naftule Brandwein and Dave Tarras, the Band was immensely popular on the Yiddish dancehall circuit. ~ Leon... [+] Read More
Artist: Michael Crowley
Mike Crowley was born in Holdenville, OK and attended Phillips University in Enid, OK, before turning to music as a profession. A self-taught musician and a multi-instrumentalist, he was the virtuoso backbone of the Back Porch Majority during the middle and late '60s. In recent years, he has performed as a member of Jimmy Dale Gilmore's touring... [+] Read More
Artist: Moses Sedler
Cellist Moses Sedler is based out of California's Bay Area, and during the second half of the '90s, played world music in the groups Davka and Ancient Future. Already influenced by Western classical, jazz, and Eastern European folk music, Sedler began studying North Indian classical music in the late '90s with sarod virtuoso Ali Akbar Khan and... [+] Read More
Artist: Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe
An outstanding bass violist who is credited with the seven string viol by two of his students. He was active in Paris and considered a virtuoso upon his instrument. He was a student of Hotman and had students ranging from Rousseau to Marais. Sainte-Colombe's playing style was descriptively cantabile and his compositions included approximately... [+] Read More
Artist: John Bhengu
Although only introduced to South Africa in the 16th century, the guitar was readily adapted by Zulu singers, who found that it complemented, rather than diluted, their vocal styles. John Bhengu's innovation, starting in the 1950s, was to move from strumming the guitar to picking, an art that he performed with virtuoso skill, and which became... [+] Read More
Artist: Kolkheti Ensemble
The music and dance traditions of Soviet Georgia have been preserved through the performances and recordings of the Kolkheti Ensemble. Attracting attention since 1987, when they won first prize in an international festival of folklore in Austria, the Shavtvala Gogona-led group showcases the diversity of Georgian culture. In addition to singing... [+] Read More
Artist: Alejandro Camara
A virtuoso of the charango, a mandolin-like instrument played with the fingers in a flamenco style, Alejandro Camara is one of the few musicians to master the musical traditions of each region of Bolivia. Performing as soloist or with his five-piece band Sayubu, which features Andean guitarist Javier Mendoza, Camara continues to expand on the... [+] Read More
Artist: Southern Gentlemen
Shred-guitar virtuoso David T. Chastain formed the Southern Gentlemen as a vehicle for exploring heavy, Southern-fried blues-rock in the vein of idols, like Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, and ZZ Top. The group was rounded out by bassist Kevin Kekes and drummer Dennis Lesh, while Chastain assumed lead vocal duties. Exotic Dancer Blues, the band's... [+] Read More
Artist: Federigo Fiorillo
Active in St. Petersburg, Riga, Paris and London Fiorillo's musical performances alone would have earned him a memorable place in musical history. Mandolin playing was his early forte and continued on into London where he was also featured on the viola and later the violin. Compositions for the violin require the touch and facility of a virtuoso... [+] Read More
