Vocalists -- In Stock -- CDs  

Ruth Olay's billed on the cover as a "singing discovery of the Jack Paar Show" -- and she's got a vocal approach that must have been dynamite on TV! At times, her tones are quite low -- almost the dusky style of Dinah Shore -- but she's also got a pretty dynamic quality too, one that... read more

Given that Chet Baker's a singer himself, it's a bit surprising that he's working here with another vocalist -- but that oddity aside, the album's a great little session that's got an intimate feel that's a bit different than Baker's own vocal work! Pace's voice is much fuller and richer than Chet'... read more

A pretty obscure record by Jackie Paris -- a light-voiced jazz singer who cut some key albums in the 50s! The set was very briefly issued by East West, a short-lived Atlantic Records subsidiary -- and features Paris singing to some great small group accompaniment from players that include Barry... read more

Great stuff from Jackie Paris -- one of the hipper male vocalists of the 50s, a singer that we'd rank in an elite small group with Mark Murphy or Matt Dennis for cool small combo singing! The album's one of Jackie's best -- based around Gershwin tunes, but done with a hip jazzy feel -- great small... read more

A heck of a cool group -- with a really cool sound! The Peddlers were a late 60s British trio, with a sound that was part soul, part jazz, part supper-club vocals -- all done with a clean approach and a nice instrumental twist that often included a bit of Hammond organ! A big chunk of the work on... read more

One of the deepest soul sets from Esther Phillips' 70s years on Kudu Records -- a set with some nicely gritty grooves and a surprisingly earthy feel at times -- especially when compared to some of her other albums of the time! Backings are by James Brown's old reedman, Pee Wee Ellis -- and... read more

2 Capitol Records gems from Louis Prima & Keely Smith -- on a single CD, and with bonus tracks too! Hey Boy Hey Girl is a groovy little soundtrack recording -- done for a rare film that starred Louis Prima and Keely Smith, working very much at the height of their 50s Capitol powers! The sound... read more

Pure vocal magic -- featuring the lovely Flora Purim at the height of her California powers -- working in a sublime mix of jazz, fusion, and Brazilian rhythms -- a sound that she virtually invented! The group on the set is one of her greatest of the time -- with players that include Joe Henderson,... read more

Flora Purim's first LP -- and one of the coolest albums ever cut by this legendary Brazilian singer! The record's unlike Flora's later fusion work in the US -- and features strong late bossa arrangements with a nice jazzy finish. The group's an all-star lineup of Brazilian 60's jazz musicians,... read more

One of Flora Purim's last albums for Milestone -- and much less of a straight Brazilian fusion session than some of her other records -- more in the soul style she'd explore in years to come! Flora's singing in English a bit more than before, and some of the tunes have a nice dose of R&B in... read more

A groovy early 70s discovery from Doug Randle -- originally recorded as a broadcast only set for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and later released commercially -- a bit of a protest record, and one of the sweetest sounding ones you'll ever hear! Randle had been a figure in the Canadian and... read more

Beautiful work from an Italian singer -- a vocalist who works here in English throughout, with a breezy vibe that's like some of our favorite work of the 70s! The set's a Dejavu co-production, and as such, has a really classic sound -- deeply soulful instrumentation from a core combo, topped with... read more

Beautiful work from an Italian singer -- a vocalist who works here in English throughout, with a breezy vibe that's like some of our favorite work of the 70s! The set's a Dejavu co-production, and as such, has a really classic sound -- deeply soulful instrumentation from a core combo, topped with... read more

Della Reese gets a Latin twist -- and result is one of her grooviest albums from the early days! Backings are arranged by OB Masingill, who does a good job of mixing RCA Latin modes with the soulful settings used on Della's straighter jazz records -- balancing things out nicely so that the rhythms... read more

A later take on the vocalese style first pioneered by Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross -- sung by a male/female quartet with a wonderfully fluid feel! The group's not nearly as kitschy as you might guess from their name or the Hirshfield cartoon on the cover -- and have the warmth of Singers... read more

All girl singers should be this lucky! Gale Robbins is a pretty nice vocalist, although nothing fancy -- but on this set, she's lucky enough to have some great backings from Eddie Cano -- whose orchestra picks up the pace with plenty of musical flourishes, and the occasional light Latin touches! ... read more

A sweet set of vocal tracks from Judy Roberts -- a mix of original tunes and a few covers, all done with a warm fusiony style, and plenty of Brazilian touches! Judy's at the height of her powers here -- partly jazzy, partly in a songstress mode that's inspired by the advances that female singers... read more

Sweetly grooving vocals from Judy Roberts -- a Chicago homegirl, but one with the warm sunny touches of the California scene of the late 70s! The record's got Judy working with a tight small combo -- keyboards, bass, guitar, and percussion -- grooving away in a sweet mode that works well with her... read more

Effervescent French pop from German born Mary Roos -- ultra catchy, sweetly arranged numbers from the early-to-mid 70s! There's an early 70s easy listening vibe here that's wholly top notch, with the voice and melodies leading the way, with punchy rhythms, and a more soaring numbers with bigger... read more

Very groovy 70s work from Annie Ross -- an album that's quite different than her vocalese records of the 50s, but equally great in its own sort of way! Ross is still singing jazz here, but there's often a bit of soul in the mix too -- that hip blend of styles that you might find in the music of... read more

A wonderful 2CD set from Jackie Ryan -- a contemporary California vocalist, but one who sings with a really classic sort of groove! The album reminds us a lot of Bay Area jazz gems from the 70s -- warm and soulful, with an easygoing groove that draws heavily from the instrumental work of Cyrus... read more

A wonderful album from Jackie Ryan -- a contemporary California vocalist, but one who sings with a really classic sort of groove! The album reminds us a lot of Bay Area jazz gems from the 70s -- warm and soulful, with an easygoing groove that draws heavily from the instrumental work of Cyrus... read more

Warm work from singer/guitarist Johan Christher Schutz -- and a set that's not nearly as bossa-oriented as some of his previous efforts! Instead, Schutz emerges here as a bit of a singer/songwriter -- working in a range of different languages, including English, and delivering the tunes with a... read more

Wonderful work from Swedish singer Johan Christher Schutz -- in a mode that hearkens back both to classic bossa from Brazil, and bossa-inspired vocal work from the US scene of the 70s! Johan sings in English throughout, and his lyrics are really wonderful -- smart, but never smarmy -- and catchy... read more

A nicely old school set of vocal work from Jonathan Schwartz -- quite traditional, especially given the time of the recording -- done in a way that makes you feel like you're catching Schwartz working the backroom at some New York club in the wee small hours of the morning! Piano dominates the... read more

A 21st Century date from Jimmy Scott -- recorded live in Tokyo with small combo backing that almost gives him more of a groove than in some of his other late-life sessions! The band's billed as The Jazz Expressions -- and features TK Blue on alto and flute, Jon Regen on piano, Hillard Greene on... read more

A great one from Gil Scott-Heron -- and another wonderful collaboration with Brian Jackson -- who handled all the arrangements on this set, and gave the record that sweet jazzy sound that makes Gil's work from this time some of his best ever! There's loads of excellent electric piano from Jackson -... read more

A heavy collection of work from the legendary Flying Dutchman years of Gil Scott-Heron -- arguably some of the most hard-hitting music that Gil ever recorded! The tunes here are a mix of spoken word tracks, with rhythms -- and other tunes that have a bit more of a song-based approach -- the... read more

An 80s collection, but one that's filled with gems from Gil Scott-Heron's legendary early years at Flying Dutchman -- a time when he was recording some of his most impressively righteous material ever! The music's a hip mix of protest poetry and sweet jazzy numbers -- played with great keyboard... read more

A key crossover set from Gil Scott-Heron -- still every bit as political as his earlier work, but with a stronger sense of soul as well! The great Brian Jackson is firmly in tow here -- bringing warm keyboards and a nice little groove to most of the tracks -- and the previous acoustic moments are... read more

Some of the best tracks ever from the pair of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson -- some of most righteous, authoritative and thematically heavy soul music ever created -- compiled in one incredible set! Messianic, emotive vocals from Gil and stunningly restrained, magical soul jazz arrangements... read more

Jazzy goodness from Saunders Sermons -- a damn great talent we're happy to be hearing -- and just the sort of artist we need to keep things fresh in the contemporary soul underground! Sermons plays trombone on the record, as well as sings, and that mix of talents definitely comes through in his... read more

A classic! This is one of the best-ever albums by the legendary Marlena Shaw -- and it's a tremendous live set that really lives up to the righteous promise of her earlier work on Cadet Records! The album was cut with a small combo, and the overall feel is incredibly hip -- a mixture of jazz and... read more

At last! Someone's finally gone and put together a real collection of Marlena Shaw's fantastic jazzy soul work! Sure, there's been other compilations out on the market -- but this one's the real deal, and spans her years at Chess/Cadet, Blue Note, and Columbia -- years that saw Marlena emerging... read more

Amazing! 2 of the best Marlena Shaw albums packaged together, with 10 extra bonus cuts! All the material here was recorded during Marlena's years at Cadet records -- when she was working with Richard Evans, and turning out some of the hippest soul of the late 60s! Marlena's roots were in jazz,... read more

An amazing batch of sophisticated soul tracks -- and a favorite with the righteous groove scene! On the surface, the record's a combination of jazz and soul tracks in the same mode that you'd find on some of Nancy Wilson's albums for Capitol during the same time -- but digging deeper, you'll find... read more

A great record that has Marlena Shaw further developing her style as a sophisticated soul diva with a sharp modern edge! Although already great in the 60s, Shaw emerges here as an all-adult, all-woman singer -- dealing with issues that never would have gotten touched in the decade before, all with... read more

Surprisingly wonderful work by Cybill Shepherd -- recorded early in her career, and a very serious attempt to express herself as a jazz vocalist! Part of the reason for the success is the fact that Cybill's working here with a great group that includes Stan Getz on tenor, Frank Rosolino on... read more

A whole new level of genius from one of our favorite artists of the past few years -- not just a remix of previous tracks by Elizabeth Shepherd, but some new tunes, cover versions, and live numbers as well! The collection is kind of a "1.5" stage in her career -- a step past her amazing... read more

A killer second album from Elizabeth Shepherd -- every bit as wonderful as her first, and with a deeper sound overall! As before, the grooves are a wonderful blend of Shepherd's vocals and piano work -- sometimes acoustic, sometimes on Fender Rhodes -- supported by some highly rhythmic bass, drums... read more

An incredible record from one of the freshest talents we've heard in years -- singer/pianist Elizabeth Shepherd, an artist with a nearly timeless talent! In a world of Starbucks-era fake torch vocalists, Shepherd reminds us what jazz singing is really about -- creative invention on the vocals, and... read more

A great little album from Nina -- mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that always brings out the best of Nina's vocals. Titles include "The Backlash Blues", "Please Read Me",... read more

A full set's worth of remixes of older Nina Simone tunes -- served up hot on the heels of the big success of Simone songs from the Verve Remixed series! Ulike the Verve series, the work here is all pulled from Nina's RCA recordings of the late 60s and early 70s -- some of her hippest work on... read more

Rare live work from singer Carole Simpson -- a vocalist best known for her album of the 50s, but one who sounds just as great here! There's an intimate format to the recordings that makes for a really classic sound -- backing by just bass and drums behind Carole's piano and vocals -- both of which... read more

Frank Sinatra's first run of Christmas work -- material recorded for Columbia Records in the late 40s, but quite similar to his better-known Holiday sides for Capitol in the 50s! As with that work, the style here is quite respectful of the spirit of the season -- more reverent than playful,... read more

A very sweet and well chosen compilation of Christmas gems from Frank Sinatra & friends put together by Sinatra's peeps and Concord Records -- featuring some of our personal favorite cheerful swingers by Frank, and more from Tony Bennett & Bill Evans, Ray Charles & Betty Carter,... read more

Sublime vocal work from Carol Sloane -- one of her earliest sessions, and one of her greatest too -- recorded in 1959 by Larry Elgart, yet never issued at the time! The album is very intimate, and Carol's vocals really sound beautiful in the setting -- moving with more poise and gentle power than... read more

Beautiful early work from vocalist Carol Sloane -- material recorded with a very groovy guitar-based group, in the years before her better-known sides on Columbia Records! The style here is quite intimate -- as Sloane's mostly singing in a small combo with guitar from either Chuck Wayne or Bucky... read more

The second Prestige album from Al Smith -- a great little singer with a sublime blend of blues, jazz, and soul! Smith really came on strong at the start of his career, but then dropped out of sight pretty quickly after this one -- and we're really not sure why, given what a great little record it... read more

Two groovy 60s albums from the lovely Joanie Sommers -- easily one of the most versatile singers of her generation! Positively The Most has Joanie working with some great arrangements from Marty Paich and Tommy Oliver -- both of whom help things stay lively, even when sweet -- and almost give the... read more

An incredible relic of the righteous underground of the late 60s from the Spirit House Movers -- and one of the few classic albums on the Jihad label! The group was a vocal group of sorts -- sometimes singing, sometimes rapping in a Last Poets-styled way -- often doing both at the same time, in a... read more

An incredible collection of some the best 60s singles ever cut by Dusty Springfield -- issued complete in a 2CD set which includes all of the B Sides! The approach is an excellent one -- with all of those famous songs -- and some lesser note bits of blue eyed soul and smoky-voiced 60s pop. Dusty'... read more

Lovely Capitol Records work from Jo Stafford -- a full album of recordings with Paul Weston, packaged with a heck of a lot of bonus tracks as well! The set starts out with the core Autumn In New York set -- a record that features Stafford's sentimental vocals wrapped up warmly in backings from... read more

Dakota Staton's looking a bit fuzzy in the photo on the cover, but her sound on the set is as sharp as ever -- that soulful approach to jazz vocals she first crafted so well back in the 50s and 60s! The album's a surprisingly nice later date from Dakota -- one done with a really classic feel,... read more

It's time to swing, but with a classy sound throughout -- very much the best mix of modes Dakota Staton brought to her key early years at Capitol Records! Backings are by Sid Feller, and are pretty darn jazzy throughout -- more so than some of Sid's other work of the time -- a perfectly soulful... read more

One of Sylvia Syms grooviest records ever -- a set that takes her past some of the cocktail vocals of earlier albums, thanks to use of some great soul jazz players in the backings! The style here is still intimate and often mellow -- done in that small club, late nite mode of Syms' 50s records --... read more

A bossa-styled set from singer Pat Thomas -- one that boasts some especially nice backings from the great Lalo Schifrin! Lalo's using a fair bit of strings on the set, but he also keeps things lean too -- a bit in the mode of his own bossa work for Verve during the time, although with Pat's vocals... read more

Wonderfully fragile work from singer Rhonda Thomas -- a set that's somewhat different than her Breathe New Life album, and much more jazz-based overall! Thomas works here with only the guitar of Michael Coppola for support -- in a gentle setting that mixes up echoes of older bossa and jazz... read more

A great collection of work from Scandinavian singer Radka Toneff -- a vocalist we'd never heard before, and one who's really got a tremendous approach to her music! Radka's style is often a bit laidback -- not as experimental as some of her 70s European contemporaries, and done with a warm,... read more

A nice little live set from Mel Torme -- recorded for a special A&E TV show, but done with a really classic small combo format! Mel's a bit less overstated than on some of the previous Concord live dates -- swinging easily with trio backing from Mike Renzi on piano, John Letham on bass, and... read more

An excellent set from the contemporary Italian scene -- one that's steeped in older jazz and modal influences from the 60s and 70s! The album's a great Paolo Scotti production, with the same all-classic feel as his other work on DejaVu -- kind of a return to the greatness of the Italian jazz... read more

Definite magic from Jackie Trent -- a great collection of work from one of the sweetest singers of the Brit pop scene of the 60s! There's a definite Bacharach influence happing on many of these tracks -- a groove that's nicely syncopated, even when sweet -- so that the mellower tunes retain a... read more

A weird batch of tracks from Twiggy -- the ultra-skinny late 60s model who set the tone for countless others to come! Twiggy displays a rare vocal side of her talents here -- singing on 4 of the album's 12 tracks with a cool London female pop style -- one that's perhaps a bit more subdued than... read more

An obscure American recording by Japanese vocalist Miyoshi Umeki -- recorded under the aegis of Arthur Godfrey, with arrangements by Hugo Peretti! The tracks are a mixture of standards and tunes that have a slightly "eastern" feel -- a bit kitsch, perhaps, but it makes for a nice album... read more

One of the grooviest Verve albums of all time -- a rare American session from Brazilian legend Marcos Valle -- and his only US album to feature vocals! The album's even dreamier than Valle's early bossa sides from Brazil -- and the setting has some nice Verve-like touches from Deodato -- who... read more

One of the last great records ever made by Sarah Vaughan -- a really solid session of Brazilian tunes, one that's produced by Sergio Mendes, arranged by Dori Caymmi, and which features guest vocals by Milton Nascimento! The general approach is west coast mellow -- as the group features Alphonson... read more

A lush album by Sarah Vaughan -- recorded in Paris in 1958, with orchestrations by Quincy Jones -- and large group backing that includes some nice tenor work by Zoot Sims! The session's one of Vaughan's most cohesive albums of the period, and although it's got "violins" in the title, it's... read more

A warm, wonderful set by Sarah Vaughan -- and a later one, closing the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1971 -- released for the first time ever! Sarah is backed for most of the set by the trio of Billy Mays on piano, Bob Magnusson on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums -- with Sarah managing to both portray... read more

An incredible album that has Cleanhead moving way past his usual bag! Sure, he's normally known as an R&B vocalist and alto player, but here, in one of those great Riverside "Cannonball Adderley Presents" sessions, Vinson gets into a whole new bag on some cuts. He's playing with... read more

Scott Walker's fifth solo album, and an oft-overlooked gem that really shows some new sides of his talents! The style here is a bit less iconic than that of the previous two records -- more personal or sentimental at times, yet still served up with that uncannily observent sensibility that Scott... read more

It's plenty easy to make way for Dionne Warwick with an album as great as this -- the kind of set that spawned countless imitators in later years, but which still sounds better than most of the rest! Hearing the record is almost like going back to the headwaters of 60s pop -- especially the more... read more

The birth of a genius -- and Dionne Warwick's first album in a mighty 60s run for Scepter Records! The album's the first full length collaboration between Warwick and the team of Burt Bacharach and Hal David -- but it's already the stuff of legend -- an album that easily bridges the worlds of soul... read more

One of 2 ESP sessions by Patty Waters -- one of the most groundbreaking vocalists of the 60s, and a singer with a style that mixed equal parts jazz and folk! In a way, Patty's got a sound that's somewhat like Nina Simone at her best -- in that she dominates a tune completely, singing as if she's... read more

Few folks have a voice as great as Andy Williams -- and it sounds especially nice on these early sides done for the Cadence label! First up is the Andy Williams self-titled LP -- a record that mixes Williams warm vocals with some slightly rocking arrangements -- bits of Caribbean influences in the... read more

One of the hippest albums ever from singer Joe Lee Wilson -- a righteous vocalist with a style we'd rank right up there with Leon Thomas or Andy Bey in the 70s! The album's got an easygoing vibe that's a nice change from some of Joe's other records -- a quality that's never too forced, and which... read more

Beautiful mid 60s Capitol albums from the great Nancy Wilson -- 1964's Gentle Is My Love and 1965's How Glad I Am --together in a single package and very well paired sets from a fertile creative period for Nancy! How Glad I Am is actually up first in the set, with some grander, more swinging... read more

A recent album by Nancy Wilson -- but a really great one too, and a set that takes her back to the jazziest style of her roots! The record's a simple, unadorned affair -- with smaller combo jazz backings on most numbers, arranged by John Wilson, Jay Ashby, and Llew Matthews -- all of whom bring in... read more

A surprisingly ambitious album from Phil Woods -- and a surprisingly charming one too! The album features original compositions by Woods, based on the writings of AA Milne -- particularly his Winnie The Pooh classic, which features heavily in the recording. Many cuts are vocal numbers -- with... read more

One of the only records we've ever heard from Japanese vocalist Minami Yasuda -- a very soulful singer from the 70s, and one who really opens up with some scattingly creative energy on this date! Backings are from the trio of pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, which leaves plenty of space for Minami to do... read more

A compelling array of rare recordings from the early part of the 20th Century -- all lovingly remastered from old 78s and sound cylinders -- and brought together as a fascinating document of a musical underground! All the tunes here have origins in Jewish vaudeville -- and most are comedy numbers... read more