The O'conners are very skilled horseman and quite good at teaching as well. Although I don't value them like Buck Brannaman, Tom and Bill Dorrace or Ray Hunt, because I like working with horses more than horse ridding, the O'Conners are very professional and a lot can be learned from their perspective on the sport.

Bob and Bruce Kulick share their technique and insight into being part of the Hottest Band In The World - KISS! Bob Kulick's contributions to KISS include KISS Alive II, KISS Killers band Paul Stanley's solo album and tour as well as various KISS songwriting credits.

Sarah Vaughan recorded frequently during her three years with Roulette, and all 16 albums she completed for them plus five previously unissued tracks are included in this comprehensive eight-CD boxed set from Mosaic. The gifted singer is heard in a variety of settings, from superb small-group sessions to big-band settings and various dates bordering on easy listening; the sessions omitting the often syrupy string sections are the cream of this bumper crop. It's a joy to hear Vaughan sharing the spotlight with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra (with its leader sitting out in favor of her regular pianist, Kirk Stuart) in a swinging "Teach Me Tonight" and a playful take of "If I Were a Bell"; it's a shame that they never recorded an entire album together. Benny Carter's big-band charts also bring out the best in Vaughan. With the exception of the forgettable "The Green Leaves of Summer," Billy May's provides the vocalist with very compatible settings. The scaled-down session with guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George Duvivier is among her greatest achievements of her career; the singer is relaxed and stimulated by her accompanists. A similar follow-up date with Barney Kessel and Joe Comfort is equally rewarding. The sessions which add strings, led by various musicians (Jimmy Jones, Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Joe Reisman, Don Costa, and Marty Manning) serving as both arranger and conductor, vary greatly in quality. Often first-rate (and sometimes somewhat obscure) material is sabotaged by heavy-handed writing awash in strings. But for the most part, Vaughan's gorgeous voice is able to overcome even bland backgrounds. Mosaic remains the pinnacle of reissue labels with this handsome boxed set, which includes detailed liner notes by James Gavin, lots of session photos, and a thorough discography.

heater star Sarah Brightman turns up the heat in this sexy, baroque DVD counterpart to her 2003 world music CD, Harem. Brightman's artistic purpose on that album--marrying the rhythms of the Middle East to her otherwordly pop sound (as opposed to her boomy, operatic sound)--aren't lost here, but don't expect to catch a glimpse of such exciting studio collaborators as violin star Nigel Kennedy amidst countless shots of the diva in various states of undress. The lavish visual production sets several songs in exotic recreations of fabled harems, where lust is tempered by decorum but sex is clearly on the menu. For a change, Brightman's ethereal version of "Stranger in Paradise" (from Kismet) is shot against a starkly beautiful, mountainous backdrop, and "What You Never Know," a song about the passage of time, includes touching images of children and old people.