12

Kansas is a progressive rock band which formed in Topeka, Kansas, United States in 1970. The band is best known for their international hit singles "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust in the Wind". The band's classic lineup consisted of Steve Walsh (vocals, keyboards), Richard Williams (guitar), Kerry Livgren (guitar), Robby Steinhardt (violin, vocals), Dave Hope (bass) and Phil Ehart (drums). The band currently consists of Walsh, Ehart, Williams, Billy Greer (bass) and David Ragsdale (violin).

Conlon Nancarrow (b. October 27, 1912, Texarkana - d. August 10, 1997, Mexico City) was an American-born composer who lived most of his life in Mexico. Nancarrow is remembered almost exclusively for the pieces he wrote for the player piano. He was one of the first composers to use musical instruments as mechanical machines, utilising their capacity to play complex polyrhythms at tempos far beyond human performance ability.

Read more about Conlon Nancarrow on Last.fm.

Brian Nicholas McFadden (born on 12 April 1980 in Dublin, Ireland), is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 90s as a member of the multi-million selling Irish male band, Westlife. He is now a judge on Australia's Got Talent. In June 1998, McFadden auditioned for the new Irish male band (at the time), Westlife with Nicky Byrne and eventually both joined the group alongside Kian Egan, Mark Feehily and Shane Filan.

The Claudia Quintet is proof positive that the pessimists were wrong: jazz is not dead, despite being embalmed by major labels and confined by the narrow-minded to dead-ends. The stunningly original and lyrical works of this NY based ensemble, led by composer/drummer John Hollenbeck, reveal breathtaking new vistas for jazz beyond genre walls. In compositions that meld mental challenge with charm, captivating audiences with austere beauty or propulsive grooves, jazz breaks through its rigid shell, recombines with a myriad of other musics, and is reborn in a transcendent new form.

Read more about The Claudia Quintet on Last.fm.