Portugal. The Man: Shish

On November 7, 2025, “Thirty Tigers” and “KNIK Records” labels released “Shish”, the tenth Portugal. The Man studio album. It was recorded in 2025, and was produced by Kane Richotte and John Gourley.

Personnel:

  • John Gourley – vocals, guitar, Fender 6, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, programming, piano,
  • Zoe Manville – vocals, rapping
  • Kyle O’Quin – string arrangement, cello
  • Kane Ritchotte – drums, Wurlitzer, bass, guitar, programming, Mellotron, organ, synthesizers, acoustic guitar, Moog, percussion, Enner, engineer
  • Nick Reinhart – guitar, bass
  • Dani Bell – vocals, whistles, Omnichord
  • David Marion – vocals
  • Malcolm McRae – vocals
  • Asa Taccone – vocals
  • Jared Tankel – saxophone, baritone saxophone
  • Ryan Wiggins – trumpet
  • Sam Gellerstein – trombone
  • Dylan Rieck – cello
  • Kyle Smith – engineer
  • Edgar McRae – engineer
  • Zach Bloomstein – engineer
  • John Congleton – mixing
  • Randy Merrill – mastering

Track listing:

  1. Denali
  2. Pittman Ralliers
  3. Angoon
  4. Knik
  5. Shish
  6. Mush
  7. Tyonek
  8. Kokhanockers
  9. Tanana
  10. Father Gun

Mavis Staple: Sad And Beautiful World

On November 7, 2025, “Anti-“ label released “Sad and Beautiful World”, the fourteenth Mavis Staples studio album. It was recorded in 2025, at “Lost Boy”, “Chicago Recording Company Studio D”, and was produced by Brad Cook. Two of the album’s tracks received awards at the 2026 “Grammy Awards”, including “Beautiful Strangers” for “Best American Roots Performance” and “Godspeed” for “Best Americana Performance”.

Personnel:

  • Mavis Staples – lead vocals
  • Phil Cook – acoustic and electric guitar, piano, organ, Wurlitzer, synthesizers
  • Rick Holmstrom – electric guitar
  • Buddy Guy – electric guitar
  • MJ Lenderman – acoustic and electric guitar, drums, backing vocals
  • Nathan Stocker – acoustic and electric guitar, synthesizers
  • Derek Trucks – slide guitar
  • Andrew Marlin – mandolin
  • Colin Croom – pedal steel
  • Bonnie Raitt – slide guitar, backing vocals
  • Andy Kaulkin – piano
  • Jeff Tweedy – bass
  • Will Miller – EVI bass synthesizer, trumpet
  • Brad Cook – drum programming, bass synthesizer, vibraphone, acoustic guitar, bass, synthesizers, tambourine, horn arrangement
  • Matt McCaughan – drums, percussion, OP-1 bass, drum programming, synthesizers
  • Spencer Tweedy – drums
  • Matt Douglas – saxophone
  • Trevor Hagen – trumpet
  • Eric Burton – harmony vocals
  • Sam Beam – backing vocals
  • Nathaniel Rateliff – backing vocals
  • Tré Burt – harmony vocals
  • Amy Ray – backing vocals
  • Anjimile – backing vocals
  • Kara Jackson – backing vocals, outro poem
  • Katie Crutchfield – backing vocals
  • Justin Vernon – backing vocals
  • Patterson Hood – backing vocals
  • Brad Cook –engineer, mixing
  • Paul Voran – engineer, mixing
  • Justin Vernon – additional engineering
  • Tom Schick – additional engineering
  • Joel Jaffe – additional engineering
  • Mathieu Lejeune – additional engineering
  • Jonathan Lackey – additional engineering
  • Brian Hernandez – additional engineering assistance
  • Jimmy Mahoney – additional engineering assistance
  • Chris Shaw – mixing
  • Tim Smiley – mastering
  • Trevor Hernandez – layout, design
  • Lauren N. Bailey – layout, design
  • Elizabeth De La Piedra – photography

Track listing:

  1. Chicago – Tom Waits, Kathleen Brenan
  2. Beautiful Strangers – Kevin Morby
  3. Sad and Beautiful World – Mark Linkous
  4. Human Mind – Andrew Hozier-Byrne, Allison Russell
  5. Hard Times – David Todd. Gillian Welch
  6. Godspeed – Christopher Breaux, James Ho
  7. We Got to Have Piece – Curtis Mayfield
  8. Anthem – Leonard Cohen
  9. Satisfied Mind – Jack Rhodes, Red Hayes
  10. Everybody Needs Love – Eddie Hinton

Polaris: Home

On November 7, 2002, “Familysong” label released “Home”, the second Polaris album. It was recorded 2001 – 2002, at “Studio 1970”, “Marbletron Audio”, “St-Robo”, “Liquidroom Shinjuku”, and was produced by Yusuke Oya, Yuzuru Kashiwabara and Manabu Sakata,

Personnel:                                                                    

  • Yusuke Oya – vocals, chorus, guitar, arrangements, recording, mixing
  • Yuzuru Kashiwabara – bass, recording, mixing
  • Manabu Sakata – drums, percussion, acoustic guitar, electronics, chorus, recording, mixing
  • Hideaki Wac – acoustic guitar
  • KOMIYA, Manabu Sakata, Ne-chan, Rinda☆, Yuzuru Kashiwabara – tambourine
  • Tetsuya Saito – piano, accordion, melodica
  • Ichizo Nishikawa – recording
  • Masayuki Nakano, Yuz, ZAK – recording, mixiing
  • Masayo Takise – mastering
  • Shojiro Shimaoka – art direction, design
  • Yuko Murata – painting
  • Masayo Goto – design
  • Kazuo Munakata, Kazuya Kinoshita, Kenichi Makimura – executive producer
  • Hiroya Sakaguchi, Motoki Sagawa – production manager

Track listing:

  1. 白日
  2. ねじまわし
  3. Spin
  4. 光と影
  5. 天気図
  6. You Are My Song
  7. Slow Motion
  8. 6:37 AM
  9. 愛の手の中に
  10. 季節

The Shamen: Axis Mutatis

On November 7, 1995, “One Little Indian” label released “Axis Mutatis”, the sixth Shamen (The) studio album. It was recorded in 1995, and was produced by Colin Angus, Victoria Wilson-James, Bob Breeks, Richard West and Gavin Knight.

Personnel:

  • Colin Angus – vocals, guitar, keyboards, bass guitar
  • Victoria Wilson-James – vocals
  • Bob Breeks – keyboards
  • Richard West (Mr. C) – vocals, keyboards
  • Gavin Knight – drums, electronic percussion
  • William Latham – artwork
  • The Designers Republic – design

Track listing:

  1. Destination Eschato
  2. Transamazonia
  3. Conquistador
  4. MK2A
  5. Neptune
  6. Prince Of Popocatapetl
  7. Heal
  8. Persephone’s Quest
  9. Moment
  10. Axis Mundi
  11. Eschaton Omega
  12. Agua Azul
  13. S2 Translation

M: The Official Secrets Act

On November 7, 1980, “Sire” label released “The Official Secrets Act”, the second M studio album. It was recorded in 1980, at “Lombard” in Dublin, and was produced by Robin Scott.

Personnel:

  • Robin Scott – vocals, guitar, whistling
  • Brigit Vinchon – vocals, whistling
  • David Vorhaus – synthesizer
  • Wally Badarou – synthesizer
  • Julian Scott – bass guitar
  • Philip Gould – drums
  • Mark King – guitar, drums; bass
  • Gary Barnacle – saxophone
  • Paddy Keenan – uilleann pipes
  • The Dublin Symphony Orchestra – orchestra
  • Audrey Parkes – leader
  • Billy Brown – vocals, whistling
  • Deidre Costello – vocals, whistling
  • Denis Blackham – vocals, whistling
  • Des Smith – vocals, whistling
  • John Keogh – vocals, whistling
  • Mog Aherne – vocals, whistling
  • Dónal Lunny – arrangements
  • Bill Whelan – arrangements
  • Dave Aston – engineer
  • Denis Blackham – engineer
  • Philip Begley – engineer
  • Peter Ashworth – front cover photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Robin Scott, except where noted.

  1. Transmission (The World Is at Your Fingertips)
  2. Join the Party
  3. Working for the Corporation
  4. You Country Needs You
  5. M’aider
  6. Relax
  7. Maniac
  8. Keep it to Yourself
  9. Abracadabra – Robin Scott, Brigit Novik
  10. Official Secrets

Bill Withers: Naked & Warm

On November 6, 1976, “Columbia” label released “Naked & Warm”, the fifth Bill Withers studio album. It was recorded in 1976, at “Record Plant” in Los Angeles, and was produced by Bill Withers.

Personnel:

  • Bill Withers – lead and backing vocals
  • Benorce Blackmon – guitar
  • Geoffrey Leib – guitar, acoustic and electric piano
  • Clifford Coulter – Moog synthesizer
  • Don Freeman – acoustic and electric piano, synthesizer
  • Youseff Rahman – electric piano
  • Larry Nash – electric piano
  • Jerry Knight – bass, backing vocals
  • Melvin Dunlap – bass
  • Larry Tolbert – drums
  • Earl “Crusher” Bennett – congas, cowbell, slapstick, tambourine, vibraslap
  • Kwasi “Rocky” Dzidzornu – congas
  • Dorothy Ashby – harp, obbligato vocals
  • Lenny Booker – backing vocals
  • Lois Booker – backing vocals
  • Helen Gonder – backing vocals
  • Marsha Johnson – backing vocals
  • Bob Merritt – engineer
  • Phil Jamtaas – engineer assistant
  • Rick Smith – assistant engineer
  • Bernie Grundman – mastering
  • Ken Anderson – design
  • Tom Steele – design
  • Elliot Gilbert – cover photography

Track listing:

All tracks by Bill Withers.

  1. Close to Me
  2. Naked & Warm (Heaven! Oh! Heaven!)
  3. Where You Are
  4. Dreams
  5. If I Didn’t Mean You Well
  6. I’ll Be with You
  7. City of the Angels
  8. My Imagination

Lee Morgan: Delightfulee

In November 1967, “Blue Note” label released “Delightfulee”, the 22nd Lee Morgan album. It was recorded April – May 1966, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Alfred Lion.

Personnel:

  • Lee Morgan – trumpet
  • Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone
  • McCoy Tyner – piano
  • Bob Cranshaw – bass
  • Billy Higgins – drums

Track listing:

All tracks by Lee Morgan, except where noted

  1. Ca-Lee-So
  2. Zambia
  3. Yesterday – John Lennon, Paul McCartney
  4. Sunrise, Sunset – Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick
  5. Nite Flite
  6. The Delightful Deggie

Jimmy Smith: Christmas ’64

In November 1964, “Verve” label released “Christmas ’64”, album by Jimmy Smith. It was recorded April – September 1964, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Creed Taylor.

Personnel:

  • Jimmy Smith – organ, arrangements
  • Kenny Burrell – guitar
  • Quentin Warren – guitar
  • Art Davis – double bass
  • Grady Tate – drums
  • Billy Hart – drums
  • George Devens – percussion
  • Ernie Royal, Danny Stiles, Joe Wilder, Bernie Glow – trumpet
  • Joe Newman – flugelhorn
  • Paul Faulise, Tommy Mitchell – bass trombone
  • Chauncey Welsch, Jimmy Cleveland – trombone
  • Jim Buffington, Earl Chapin, Donald Corrado, Morris Secon – French horn
  • Harvey Phillips – tuba
  • Margaret Ross – harp
  • Billy Byers – arrangements, conductor
  • Al Cohn – arrangements
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Val Valentin – director of engineering
  • Bob Irwin – mastering
  • Hollis King – art direction
  • Sherniece Smith – art producer
  • Acy Lehman – design
  • Howell Conent – photography

Track listing:

  1. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen – traditional
  2. Jingle Bells – James Pierpont
  3. We Three Kings of Orient Are – John Henry Hopkins Jr.
  4. The Christmas Song – Mel Tormé, Bob Wells
  5. White Christmas – Irving Berlin
  6. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town – J. Fred Coots, Haven Gillespie
  7. Silent Night – Franz Gruber, Josef Mohr
  8. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Herbie Hancock: Empyrean Isles

In November 1964, “Blue Note” label released “Empyrean Isles”, the fourth Herbie Hancock studio album. It was recorded in June 1964, at “Van Gelder Studio” in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, and was produced by Alfred Lion.

Personnel:

  • Herbie Hancock – piano
  • Freddie Hubbard – cornet
  • Ron Carter – double bass
  • Tony Williams – drums
  • Rudy Van Gelder – engineer
  • Reid Miles – design
  • Francis Wolff – photography
  • Nora Kelly – liner notes

Track listing:

All tracks by Herbie Hancock.

  1. One Finger Snap
  2. Oliloqui Valley
  3. Cantaloupe Island
  4. The Egg

Julian “Cannonball” Adderley: Know What I Mean?

In November 1962, “Riverside” label released “Know What I Mean?”, the 19th Julian “Cannonball” Adderley album. It was recorded January – February – March 1961, at “Bell Sound Studios” in New York City, and was produced by Orrin Keepnews.

Personnel:

  • Cannonball Adderley – alto saxophone
  • Bill Evans – piano, arrangements
  • Percy Heath – acoustic bass
  • Connie Kay – drums
  • Bill Stoddard – recording
  • Ken Deardoff – design

Track listing:

  1. Waltz for Debby – Bill Evans, Gene Lees
  2. Goodbye – Gordon Jenkins
  3. Who Cares? (Take 5) – George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin
  4. Venice – John Lewis
  5. Toy – Clifford Jordan
  6. Elsa – Earl Zindars
  7. Nancy (With the Laughing Face) – Phil Silvers, Jimmy Van Heusen
  8. Know What I Mean? (Re-take 7) – Bill Evans
  9. Who Cares? (Take 4)
  10. Know What I Mean? (Take 12)

musicalphabet