Glenn Hughes and David Coverdale might be reuniting to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their joining the “Mark III-IV” versions of Deep Purple — and to pay tribute to the group’s fallen keyboardist, Jon Lord.

For all of the musical ferocity associated with Bob Mould — both as a solo artist and as a key creative force in Husker Du and Sugar — there’s one key influence some might never have guessed: Folk legend Richard Thompson.

Journey co-founder Neal Schon knew, from the first, that Eddie Van Halen was a special guitar talent. He’d also worked with Sammy Hagar on a project away from Journey — and that’s how Schon played a role in the second Van Halen era.

<<< BACKWARD (“Century’s End”) ||| ONWARD (“Reflections”) >>> *** STEELY DAN SUNDAY INDEX *** “Century’s End” wasn’t just released as a part of a soundtrack, it was the A side to a Donald Fagen single. Thus, Fagen had to come up with another song and so he recorded a rare instrumental, “Shanghai Confidential.”

The title is so very appropriate, and not just because this set was recorded during a week-long stint at the Village Vanguard. Fred Hersch, after a near death experience in 2008, has never sounded more present — more, in short, alive.

“Woo!!!” And with that, we have “2” — the official total number of “Woo!”‘s in the ECM catalog. This one comes from Enrico Rava, as guitarist John Abercrombie unleashes a particularly intense solo passage.