Resident New Orleanian singer, pianist and songwriter Stephanie Nilles is a unique talent. An iconoclast from the American underground, a free spirit and a rebel, an authentic and skilled musician with a heavy background in classical music, a jazzwoman with a punk attitude. Unpretentious and brave, she sings against the cynicism of the age, passionately attacking the hypocrisies of life in the 21st century. She is an authentic voice from America and a lot of fun, like a granddaughter to Mose Allison and a sister to Ani DiFranco. At the end of the day, however, Stephanie Nilles sounds like just one person: herself. This is her fourth album.

The legendary „Grandmother of Raï“ from Algeria – performing live at “Women in (E)Motion” Festival, Kulturzentrum Schlachthof, Bremen/Germany, March 21th 1998. With a five-piece ensemble, the septuagenarian Remitti confirmed the magnitude of her historic status as well as her contemporary greatness. More than just a fearless mediator between Algerian musical tradition and the modernist renewal of raï, Cheikha Remitti embodied the unflinching rebellious spirit of the music with intensity and passion. A hypnotic live recording, praised by critics, featuring an artist who - even after her passing in 2006 - continues to be revered as a great voice of North African music.

For their second T & M release, Toronto’s Sisters Euclid offer a unique project: an album of select cover versions. Classic songs from rock, blues, jazz, pop and folk – from Billie Holiday and Howlin’ Wolf to The Doors and The Velvet Underground. For the whole album, guitar virtuoso Kevin Breit & Co. are joined by two very special guests: singer Sandy Dillon and guitar player Ray Majors. The expatriate American from London and her musical foil (of Mott The Hoople fame) are known for the emotional intensity and dark passion they bring to each project. The result: an album that gets under your skin. A dozen famous songs featured in a new and very personal light – for posterity’s sake.

US roots music legend Geoff Muldaur called – and everyone came to join him: Stephen Bruton (†), Johnny Nicholas, Cindy Cashdollar, Suzy Thompson, Bruce Hughes and special guest Jim Kweskin, jugband music man extraordinaire. Reflecting the Golden Era of Traditional American Music, the Austin “Texas Sheiks” sessions turned into a unique and moving event. Irresistible - and obscure - pieces of classic blues, string band, Texas swing and jump blues repertoire, sung and played with masterful expertise, great authority and captivating joy. A wonderful collection of “modernist classical music” (T-Bone Burnett) from America. Some years down the line from the “O brother”-phenomenon - and just as great. A celebration of life.

Michael Kaeshammer is a man of many talents: piano virtuoso, singer, songwriter, entertainer. With his sixth album, the German-born Canadian is making waves in new directions – not dissimilar to Englishman Jamie Cullum. With Kaeshammer’s pianistic influences ranging all across the board from classic jazz and blues to R’n’B, he now also makes a point in commissioning his immense skills to songs that fuse his background with a nimble-footed pop sensibility - without challenging his musical integrity. Employing a wide range of styles from New Orleans grooves to ballads, Michael Kaeshammer switches from original songs to covers from many different worlds and back. A major step forward for one of Canada’s most interesting young piano men.

The first vinyl edition of Taj Mahal’s legendary Bremen concert from October 1993 is a true piece of art. Not only did the renowned Berlin visual artist Henning Wagenbreth again design the cover. He decided to come up with a new picture for each song, the combination of which constitutes the album sleeve. It is a multi-faceted work of art – to be a collector’s item soon. Especially since this wonderful German visual artist proves how much his work is sparked by his love for African-American culture. With these new paintings, the classic Mahal solo / duo performances – Howard Johnson guests on five tracks – is enriched in a vibrant and meaningful kind of way, adding to a new listening experience. It may be a familiar repertoire but these songs seem to never have sounded better, with the added visual dimension providing fresh energy and a renewed spirit.

Since debuting on European stages some years back, this American in London has won many fans especially on the Continent. Her harsh but soulful „blues mutations“ have been compared with the work of Tom Waits and Captain Beefheart. The songs on „Living In Dreams“ again have been hard won from personal experience, from the dark void of loss, illness and a past remembered. Along with multi-instrumentalists Ray Majors and David Coulter, this amazing singer and performer again conjures up an inspired musical universe of shimmering intensity. Drawing from blues, folk, classic jazz and avant rock, Sandy Dillon’s one-of-a-kind voice hijacks listeners’ imagination and leads into a twilight world, where intense emotion is turned into captivating music that knows no boundaries of genre.