A strange pairing – but that's sometimes what makes these Verve "pro meets pro" sets from the 50s so great. Getz and Johnson are backed by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and Connie Kay – and the tracks are longish, with plenty of solo room in the open jam session mode of the recording. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "My Funny Valentine", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange pairing – but that's sometimes what makes these Verve "pro meets pro" sets from the 50s so great. Getz and Johnson are backed by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and Connie Kay – and the tracks are longish, with plenty of solo room in the open jam session mode of the recording. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "My Funny Valentine", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best of the Stan Getz bossa nova sessions – and a record that features the great Laurindo Almeida on guitar – playing with more virtuosity than either Charlie Byrd or Joao Gilberto did on their collaborations with Getz! The record's got a driving rhythm section, with lots of long tracks, and nice laid-back solos by both Getz and Almeida – who's getting in some of his few jazz licks of the 60s here, working in a groove similar to that of his earlier sides with Bud Shank, but which sounds almost even better in the languid company of Getz. Cuts include "Outra Vez", "Winter Moon", "Maracatu-Too", and "Samba Da Sahra". Very nice! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic Jam Session work from Norman Granz – featuring a group with Stan Getz, Harry Edison, Wardell Gray, Benny Carter, Willie Smith, Buddy De Franco, Count Basie, and Freddie Green – on two long tracks, "Oh Lady Be Good" and "Blues For The Count". The session's got a number of interesting aspects – Basie plays organ, Getz is a bit harder than usual, and Willie Smith sounds great, as always, in one of his rare appearances from the time. LP, Vinyl record album

While actually not as electrifying as some of Dizzy's other albums from the time, this one's still pretty darn great, and features his great group with Leo Wright on alto and Lalo Schfrin on piano. The band grooves with a subtly Latinish vibe, and the tracks are nice and long long long. Titles include "Kush", one of Dizzy's best Latin numbers, plus "The Mooch" and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Champ", "Exactly Like You", "Jessica's Day", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Birk's Works", "I Know That You Know", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strongest sides to feature Diz's mid 50s format – a larger group than usual, an octet, with a more tightly arranged style that showed that he continued to develop as an artist long after the days of his early bop sides. The album's also noteworthy for demonstrating Dizzy's great talent for picking strong young talent – as the group features the writing and playing of Gigi Gryce and Benny Golson, plus work by Ray Bryant, Henry Coker, Tommy Bryant, and Charlie Persip. Tracks are short, but backed with that edgey energy that Gryce and Golson brought to their best work – and titles include "Blues After Dark", "Night At Tony's", "Smoke Signals", and "Shabozz". LP, Vinyl record album

A really beautiful pairing of musicians – the fantastic vibes of Lionel Hampton, set up in sweet small group work with Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums! All tracks are nice and long – and the sessions really bring out the best of all players involved – very different than Hampton's other material too. LP, Vinyl record album

A rare treat – 2LPs worth of material by Johnny Hodges, recorded at the end of the 50s, but never issued until this late 70s set! The first disc features a 1959 session, with players that include Harold Baker, Quentin Jackson, Ben Webster, Jimmy Hamilton, and Jo Jones – accompanying Hodges on some shorter tracks that include a good number of original titles, including "Second Klass", "Straight Back", "First Klass", "Third Klass", and "Nite Life". Disc two continues the Ellington-inflected mode, with players that include Baker, Hamilton, Ray Nance, Lawrence Brown, and Harold Ashby – on slightly longer titles that include "Get Ready", "Peaches", "Hygiene", "Starting With You", "I Told You So", and "Wiggle Awhile". LP, Vinyl record album

Late work from the great Billie Holiday – the kind of mature set that made Verve Records such a perfect home for the singer in the 50s! Where other labels might have pushed too much to try to get Billie into more commercial, or more straightforward modes – Verve just relaxes into the kind of small combo sound that usually had the singer at her best – pairing Holiday with a great lineup that includes Harry Edison on trumpet, Ben Webster on tenor, Jimmy Rowles on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar. The songs are short and focused – with Billie at the top of her form on familiar standards like "Comes Love", "Darn That Dream", "Body & Soul", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", and "Embraceable You". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Later work from Billie Holiday – all recorded for Verve with some hip group backing! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

About as classic as you can get for Billie Holiday on Verve – a wonderfully intimate small group session, recorded with top-shelf players and a smokey torchy mood! Billie's in her later years by the time of the set, but somehow singing with even more emotion and life – working with a group that includes Benny Carter, Jimmy Rowles, Harry Edison, Larry Bunker, and John Simmons – on tracks that include "It Had To Be You", "A Fine Romance", "Gone With The Wind", "Isn't It A Lovely Day", "Ghost Of A Chance", and "Come Rain Or Come Shine". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Part of a 4 volume set, all recorded on one night in Denmark. The set is a Norm Granz JATP transplantation to the European stage, and features the sort of group you'd imagine, with stars like Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Benny Carter & Roy Eldridge. Unlike the other volumes in the set, where the group stretches out and riffs over side long takes on standards, this one is more concise, with less jamming (but no less cookin') versions of "These Foolish Things", "The Nearness of You", "You Go To My Head" and 4 more. LP, Vinyl record album

A well-done set, and one that stretches from the pre-Verve years of these groupings, to the big run when they were starting to really shine on record! The first half features mid 40s material – with performances from Illinois Jacquet, Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young, Flip Phillips, and Jack McVea on tenors – plus Willie Smith on alto, Buck Clayton and Shorty Sherock on trumpets, JJ Johnson on trombone, Nat King Cole on piano, and Les Paul on guitar. The second half features early 50s material, including three long ballad medley tracks – with performances from Benny Carter and Willie Smith on altos, Oscar Peterson on piano, Dizzy Gillespie and Roy Eldridge on trumpets, and Ben Webster, Lester Young, and Flip Phillips on tenors! LP, Vinyl record album

A really goofy little record – one that has the great Spike Jones taking on the hi-fi generation – demonstrating the qualities of your system with a huge amount of sound effects mixed with music! (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Samara Joy is a rare jazz singer – the sort who manages to have ties to the past, but also really bring so much of her own spirit to the music – not subtle inflections on the tunes, but instead this really personal style that has her absorbing older tracks and turning them into something new – and serving up some great vocal styles of her own! In other words, this isn't a retro-styled record of standard jazz remakes – as Samara's her own sort of singer, right from the start – working with no-nonsense small combo instrumentation that features Pasquale Grasso on guitar, Ben Paterson on piano, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Linger Awhile", "Sweet Pumpkin", "Social Call", "Guess Who I Saw Today", "Nostalgia", and "Can't Get Out Of This Mood". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty cool record from legendary drummer Gene Krupa – filled with loads of unusual percussion, all played live for the recording – set to arrangements by George Williams that are mighty dynamic! Tunes are sometimes from classical sources, but swung in a completely different way! LP, Vinyl record album

Kind of a reprise of earlier days – one that reunites Krupa with Anita O'Day and Roy Eldridge, as the group runs through some material from earlier years. Arrangements are by Quincy Jones, Billy Byers, and Nat Pierce – and the set actually swings more cleanly than some of Krupa's material from the 40s. Titles include "Drummin Man", "Drum Boogie", "Slow Down", "Wire Brush Stomp", "That's What You Think", "Rockin Chair", and "Opus 1". LP, Vinyl record album

Gene Krupa and Gerry Mulligan – hardly a pairing that we would have thought of – but one that works surprisingly well here, and which showcases Mulligan's increasing fascination for larger group settings! The album features Gene on drums with a set of players that include Kai Winding, Urbie Green, Phil Woods, Hank Jones, and Barry Galbraith – but the real star of the set is Gerry, who's not playing here, but conducting the larger group of jazz players through charts that are all his own, and which display the same love of fluid ensemble horn parts that he used in his own smaller combo work. There's a lot more brass in the mix than you'd usually get from Gerry – which gives the album a bit more of a Krupa kick – and Gene also gets some nice space to show himself on drums. Titles include "Yardbird Suite", "Margie", "Bird House", "The Way Of All Flesh", "Disk Jockey Jump", "Birds Of A Feather", and "Mulligan Stew". LP, Vinyl record album

A tasty early 50s session for Verve – one that has Gene reprising some tunes and a style he used in the Benny Goodman years, but in a way that's more open and laidback – in keeping with Verve's swing-based small group sessions of the time! Even more important, though, is the fact that the set's a unique trio outing – billed as an "orchestra" set, but only featuring Gene on drums, Teddy Napoleon on piano, and Eddie Shu on clarinet and tenor! Shu's the real star of the set, and the spare and open style of the tunes really lets him take off in ways we'd never heard before – making him a real improvisatory genius, in the best mode of Verve stars like Flip Philips or Ben Webster at the time. Titles include "Booted", "Sing Sing Sing", "Love For Sale", and "September Song". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent Verve work from Herbie – a sweet little set with a nice Latin undercurrent! The style here is similar to that of Herbie's Flautista album – and has some larger arrangements from a nonet set the backdrop for some evocative flute solos from Mann. The instrumentation is very much in the spirit of the title – with some strong use of vibes by Johny Rae, plus conga from Ray Mantilla, bongos from Ray Barretto, and snakey bass work from Nabil Totah! Includes the great track "Ritual", arranged by AK Salim – plus "Dearly Beloved", "I'll Remember April", "Autumn Leaves", and "Fife N Tambourine Corps". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more like his arranged work for other players, and which even include some nicely funky tunes! A real gem – lost amidst most of his catalog – possibly because the marketplace wasn't ready for such zodiacary! Titles include "Sad Eyes", "Long Live The King", "Close Your Eyes & Follow Me", "Can't Help Dancing", "Runaway Heart", "Thanks But No Thanks", and "Days Dipped In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Gary McFarland – lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible – a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling – often also featuring wordless jazz vocals – scatting along with the groove in a melodic and lovely kind of way! The whole thing's incredibly charming, and even familiar tunes come across sounding quite different in McFarlands hands. Titles include "From Russia With Love", "More", "Emily", "La Vie En Rose", "The Love Goddess", and even a groovy take on "I Want To Hold Your Hand". For you true swingers, the cover includes directions for mixing a "Soft Samba Cocktail" (courtesy Spanish Sherry Institute)! LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic on Verve! Back in the 60s, Wes Montgomery must have been California Dreaming – because by the time of this LP, he'd come a long way from his Indiana roots – and had used the best part of the hip west coast scene to add a lot to his style – fuller rhythms and tighter production that never dampened his sound, and instead really let him open up into a whole new range of sounds! As with some of his other albums on Verve, Montgomery plays warmly chromatic riffs over dark jazzy backings by Don Sebesky – and although tracks are short, Wes gets a lot into his solos on the set – a masterful approach that was almost better in a tighter setting than a looser one! Titles include "Sun Down", "Without You", "Sunny", "Green Peppers", "Mr Walker", and "Winds Of Barcelona". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Wes Montgomery's grooviest albums on Verve – a set that features his smooth chromatic work on guitar set to lively arrangements from Oliver Nelson! Nelson gives the set more of a "punch" than some of Montgomery's other Verve records – and the style uses a tight brace of brass and woodwinds as the backdrop for Montgomery's moody solo work. The tracks have a nice edgey quality, but also maintain a smooth stepping quality as well – and Wes' tone, as always, is sublime! Titles include "Golden Earrings", "Twisted Blues", "O Morro", "Boss City", and "Naptown Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

An assortment of material that Wes Montgomery recorded for Verve before his too-early death – which the label then collected together as a surprisingly good posthumous release for Wes! There's a really great feel to the record – a mix of small combo and large group settings that offers up both sides of Montgomery's genius in the 60s – all without any sort of confusion of sounds or modes, thanks to a really great assemblage of material. A number of tunes that that sly, stepping groove that always made Wes so great – especially the album's great version of "Bumpin On Sunset", which is offered up here as a small group number. Other titles include "Wives & Lovers", "Sunny", "The Big Hurt", "Tequila", and "Just Walkin". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little large group session from Gerry – a bit harder swinging than some of his mid 50s small group work, but still with that mellifluous glide that's the trademark Mulligan sound! Arrangements are by some great talents – including Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Bob Brookmeyer, who also plays valve trombone on the set – and titles include "Blueport", "Body & Soul", "Black Nightgown", and "Let My People Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collection of live work from Gerry's early 60s Concert Jazz Band – a really forward-thinking large group that was one of Mulligan's greatest accomplishments of the time! In some ways, the ensemble worked in a sound that was like that of Mulligan's small group recordings of the 50s – with the horns moving around in free space, interacting beautifully in a fresh, modern, unfettered style. Gerry himself plays a bit of piano on the session, but most of the strength of the set is from the horn interplay from the larger group – from players that include Gene Quill, Bob Brookmeyer, Nick Travis, Gene Allen, Conte Candoli, and star soloist Zoot Sims. Material was recorded on a European tour of the time – and titles include "Go Home", "Barbara's Theme", I Want To Live", "Red Door", and "Apple Core". LP, Vinyl record album

The sound of Gerry Mulligan in the early 60s – and one of the best records by his larger than usual Concert Jazz Band! Given Gerry's piano-less experiments of the 50s, it's surprising to actually have him as the pianist on this session – hitting the keys with a nice light touch, so that the larger horn section can take over most of the tunes – a beautifully-arranged ensemble who have a feel that's lighter than some of the groups of the 50s – such as the Kenton ensemble – yet one that's equally modern at times! The lineup is wonderful – with Clark Terry and Nick Travis on trumpets, Willie Dennis and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, and Gene Quill, Gene Allen, and Eddie Caine on saxes – plus guitar from Jim Hall, bass from Bill Crow, and drums from Gus Johnson. Titles include "Big City Life", "Bridgehampton South", "My Kind Of Love", "Pretty Gypsy", "Bridgehampton Strut", and "Big City Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

The tenor of Stan Getz meets the baritone sax of Gerry Mulligan – and then they switch things around for half of the record, as Stan picks up the baritone and Mulligan takes on tenor! Gerry always seems to open up whole new sides of his playing when sharing the leader spotlight with another star – and here, in the company of Getz, he hits a shimmering, sparkling sound that's really great, and filled with feeling. Stan's wonderful too – very much in his best mid 50s Verve period – working in a groove that's deep and laidback, with a strong undercurrent of warmth – thanks to familiar rhythm backing from the trio of Lou Levy on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. Titles include "Anything Goes", "Ballad", and "That Old Feeling". LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work from one of our favorite arrangers! Nelson was a super-hip super-soulful genius who crafted some of the best charts in the 60s. He managed to work in a great amount of jazz where other arrangers would leave things cold – and on a record like this he manages to make a large group swing really nicely in a very confined space. His own work on alto dominates the record, but the groups backing him up include Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, Clark Terry, Romeo Penque, and Jimmy Raney – many of whom manage to sneak in some nice sharp solo moments. Titles include "Back Woods", "Full Nelson", "Skokiaan", "Majorca", "Miss Fine", "Paris Blues", and "Lilia's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

Anita sings it swinging and simple – working with a smallish combo to back her up, and vocalizing in a relatively uncluttered style that's in keeping with her best mode at Verve! The tunes are mostly standards, sung in a way that bridges swing and later styles of jazz vocalization – no real scatting or vocalese, but still with a good sense of the rest of the group overall. Titles include "Stella By Starlight", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Tenderly", "Old Devil Moon", "S Wonderful", and "You Turned The Tables On Me". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Very cool work from Anita O'Day – a session cut with Jimmy Giuffre arrangements, in a style that's a bit different than some of her other 50s work for Verve! Jimmy brings a nice touch of modernism to the record – casting the horns in ways that show his own love of creative colors and careful phrasing, which makes for a bit more sensitivity than you'd hear on some of her dates with Billy May. Anita really responds to this shift with her vocals – stepping around the tunes carefully, and seeming to slide in alongside Giuffre's horn charts in a really fresh way. The vibe's a bit like that of June Christy on Capitol with Pete Rugolo – which is a great recommendation to us – and titles include "Hershey Bar", "A Lover Is Blue", "Mack The Knife", "You're A Clown", and "Orphan Annie". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Great small group work – with Kid Ory on trombone, plus Teddy Buckner on trumpet, Frank Haggerty on guitar, Caughey Roberts on clarinet, and Cedric Haywood on piano! Nice David Stone Martin cover, too. LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 2 in Verve's LP collection of Parker's work for the label, with a mix of tracks that includes some straight quartet material, and some recorded with strings from the Midnight Jazz At Carnegie Hall LP. The quartet sides are some of the best, and include "Repetition", "Laird Baird", "Confirmation", and "Now's The Time" – but the strings session also includes a great version of "Repetition". LP, Vinyl record album

Volume 3 in Verve's LP run through their Charlie Parker catalog, with some straight quartet sides, and a number of tracks from the Jam Session LPs. The small group stuff includes "Au Prive", "She Rote", "Mohawk", and "Begin The Beguine"; and the Jam Session tracks include "Jam Blues", "Funky Blues", "Celebrity", and "Dearly Beloved". LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Bird and strings is hard to describe – an edgey approach that really goes far past most other "jazz with strings" projects, not a ballad-driven one, but a tensely strained one that brings out some of Parker's best soloing, almost in a moody soundtrack-type way. The tracks are a lot freer and less bop-driven than some of Bird's normal work, and it's incredible to hear him soloing with such complexity – even more proof of the genius he clearly exhibited in relation to his contemporaries. LP features some of Bird's best work in the strings format – some tracks recorded in 1950 at Carnegie Hall, others arranged by either Jimmy Carroll or Joe Lippmann. Titles include "Repetition", "April In Paris", "Summertime", "I'm In The Mood For Love", "East Of The Sun", "I'll Remember April", and "Easy To Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Charlie Parker in a Latin mode – one of those ideas that shouldn't work that well, but does – and went on to influence a whole generation in jazz! Parker's alto and Latin rhythms are an amazing combination – rhythms that move even more frenetically than regular bop modes – and a horn that simply soars over the top, driven on by their inspiration – and hitting these grooves that few later Latin jazz musicians could ever hope to touch! Much of the material here is in a small group mode – in contrast to the fuller charts on some other Parker cubop recordings from the time – with players who include Walter Bishop on piano and a young Kenny Dorham on trumpet. Titles include "Mama Inez", "Estrellita", "Tico Tico", "Fiesta", and "Un Poquito De Tu Amor". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that brings together the famous Charlie Parker performance on one of Verve's Jam Session albums in the early 50s – with other material too! Parker plays alto alongside Benny Carter and Johnny Hodges – in a group that also includes Ben Webster on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, and Barney Kessel on guitar – on a long "Ballad Medley", plus "Jam Blues", "Funky Blues", and "What Is This Thing Called Love". Also features a sextet with Flip Philips on tenor and Charlie Shavers on trumpet – on Blues For The Midgets", "Cottontail", and "If I Had You" – plus a quintet with Benny Carter, Oscar Peterson, and Buddy Rich – on "I Got It Bad", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "I've Got The World On A String". LP, Vinyl record album

A late 50s album that issues some killer combo material by Bird! One half of the album features work by a group that includes Red Rodney, John Lewis, Ray Brown, and Kenny Clarke – and the other features Parker with Miles Davis, Walter Bishop Jr, Max Roach, and Teddy Kotick. Tracks are short, and include some classics – and the album includes alternate takes of 4 numbers. Titles include "Si Si", "Swedish Schnapps", "Back Home Blues", "Lover Man", "Au Privave", "She Rote", and "Star Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 70s album, one that collects material from three historic Jazz At The Philharmonic Concerts in 1946 – with crucial solo work from the young Charlie Parker, as well as Lester Young – and other material from Dizzie Gillespie and Buck Clayton on trumpets, and Coleman Hawkins on tenor! Also features work from Willie Smith on alto, Charlie Ventura on tenor, Mel Powell and Arnold Ross on piano, and Irving Ashby on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

An expanded version of the first album to carry the Jazz At The Philharmonic formula into the studio – and a record that virtually coined the term "jam session" for 50s jazz! Norman Granz repeats the style he'd done so well in a live setting – and brings together a host of all-star players in a very relaxed, open environment – one that gives them all plenty of space to open up and hit some nice long solos. Players include Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Benny Carter in a three-alto frontline, plus Flip Phillips and Ben Webster on tenor, Barney Kessel on guitar, Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and JC Heard on drums. Side one features the original "Jam Blues", and side two features a "Ballad Medley", with each solo star taking one of the tunes in the set. Also features the material from vol 2 – "Funky Blues" and "What Is This Thing Called Love". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of Oscar Peterson's biggest records ever – one of those albums we turn up time and time again when digging through classic jazz collections – and for good reason too, given the lasting power of the set! The album's got a rock-solid sound that's filled with soul – almost a bit more down and dirty than some of Peterson's earlier work, very much in the spirit of the group's hit performance of the title track. In a way, the album's almost Oscar's answer to some of the rising younger stars in the soul jazz scene – and is proof that the master still can do things as great as the artists he inspired. Ray Brown is on bass and Ed Thigpen is on drums – and tracks include "Bag's Groove", "Georgia On My Mind", "Easy Does It", "Band Call", and "Night Train". LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar follows up the original Night Train album – one of his most famous sessions and best selling albums! The format here is the same – Peterson working with likely suspects Ray Brown and Ed Thigpen (save for 2 tracks, which feature Herb Ellis, Brown, and Buddy Rich) – playing open and bluesy on tracks that include "Lil Darlin", "Night Train", "Easy Does It", "D&E", "Close Your Eyes", and "Blues For Basie". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual live date for Oscar Peterson – in that it wasn't actually officially recorded by Verve, but done by a fan and handed over to Norman Granz at a later date! Given that origin, though, the material is quite strong – recorded with an edge that's slightly earthier than usual for Verve at the time, but with a clarity that still beautifully displays Peterson's dynamic work on the keys – as well as the gentle guitar backing of Herb Ellis and the always-great bass tones of Ray Brown. Titles include "Daahoud", "Bluesology", "Budo", "Evrev", and "We'll Be Together Again". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Strong work from the Peterson Trio's London House gig in Chicago in 1961 – material that offers some slightly longer than usual takes on the group's sound, especially on a few numbers that really let Oscar open up on the keys! The group here is the legendary combo with Ed Thigpen on drums and Ray Brown on bass – but on the album's long versions of "Sometimes I'm Happy", "In The Wee Small Hours" and "Chicago", it's Oscar's inventive work on the keys that really dominates the nearly 10 minute run of each track. Other shorter tunes include "Billy Boy", "Whisper Not", and "The Night We Called It A Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Milt Jackson joins the Oscar Peterson Trio – helping the group to hit some great new space with his magical work on vibes! Jackson's got an open, airy feel – an approach that almost lets Peterson punctuate the tunes a bit more with his piano – while the pair get strong rhythmic support from the bass of Ray Brown and lyrical drums of Ed Thigpen. Tunes are open and relaxed, letting Milt hit some great mellow tones – and titles include "Green Dolphin Street", "Heartstrings", "The Work Song", "John Brown's Body", "A Wonderful Guy" and "Reunion Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A collection of Bud's work for Verve – put together as a memorial album after Bud's passing in 1966. The tracks are nearly all from the 50s, but also fetaure a few numbers from 1949 – with Bud playing solo on 3 tracks, and in various trios on others – alongside players that include Max Roach, Art Taylor, Kenny Clarke, and Percy Heath. Titles include "Tempus Fugue-it", "Round Midnight", "Buttercup", "Woody N You", "Mediocre", and "Be-Bop". LP, Vinyl record album

The album's way more than just a sense of "interpretations" – because with Bud Powell at the helm, everything here is remade anew! The album's possibly the most focused of Powell's mid 50s sides for Verve – George Duviver on bass and Art Taylor on drums – and features the same trio throughout, on material all recorded in a single date, which is different from other Powell albums that brought together more than one session. The rhythm is very pronounced here – with a pulse that grooves most numbers along nicely, while Bud takes plenty of left (and right) turns with his angular work on the keys of the piano. At times, there's almost a Monkish quality to some numbers – and titles include "Conception", "Willow Weep For Me", "Bean & The Boys", "Ladybird", "Stairway To The Stars", and "Willow Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible pairing of two important 60s talents – magnificent vocals from Arthur Prysock, and some of the best backings he ever received – thanks to Basie! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an unusual record for Sonny Rollins – but a great one too! At first glance the concept is a strange one – almost a crazy decision to pair modernist tenorist Sonny Rollins with a set of large brassy arrangements – but oddly, the idea works, and works nicely – as Rollins' edgey solos cut through the heavy arrangements with ease, creating some angular counterpoint and a tight little space to make his own sound. The group was conducted by Ernie Wilkins, and the flipside of the album features Rollins playing in a small trio with the great Henry Grimes on bass (who also played with Rollins on some of his best sessions from the time!) and Charles Wright on drums. Titles include "Manhattan", "If You Were The Only Girl In the World", "Who Cares?", and "Far Out East". Originally issued on MGM/Metro – but this is the Verve pressing. LP, Vinyl record album

The great Lalo Schifrin plays piano and leads a crack group of studio players through some larger orchestral material with a nice jazzy feel! The overall approach is similar to Lalo's classic 60s soundtrack work – with nice solos arching out over sweeping strings and orchestral passages, and all tracks written with a good deal of punch, plus lots of little Latiny influences. Easily one of his most perfectly conceived albums of the 60s – and pretty darn tough to find. Tracks are long and titles include "El Salon Mexico", "New Fantasy", "Sabre Dance", and "Prelude #2". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's a stunning departure for reedman Tony Scott – a set that's completely different than his more straight ahead jazz on the American scene in the 50s! The set is an early step on a spiritual journey that Scott would continue overseas in years to come – an initial moment of opening up his familiar jazz clarinet to reed styles from other scenes – in this case a very Japanese-based one, as the trio here features work from Shinichi Yuize on koto and Hozan Yamamoto on shakuhachi – a very different group than Scott would have blown with in the previous decade! The album is less jazz-based than some of Tony's later projects – and also less jazz than some of Yamamoto's records to come – but there's definitely a sense of improvisation, and the whole thing is really a delight in getting to hear a musician open up whole new aspects of his instrument. Titles include "To Drift Like Clouds", "The Murmuring Sound Of The Mountain Stream", "Is All Not One", "Satori", "Sanzen", and "After The Snow The Fragrance". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful album from Artie Shaw – one that takes his older groove and nicely strips it down for the 50s, and which features some especially great guitar work from Tal Farlow! Other players in the group include Hank Jones on piano, Joe Roland on vibes, Tommy Potter on bass, and Irv Kluger on drums – coming together in a loosely swinging mode that has lots of interplay on the longer-than-usual tracks on the set. Titles include the originals "When The Quail Come Back To Town", "Lugubrious", "The Grabtown Grapple", and "Lyric". LP, Vinyl record album

Totally cool Jimmy Smith album that has him playing a lot of funky groovy versions of TV and Film themes, like "Goldfinger", "Theme From The Munsters", "Theme From Man With the Golden Arm", and "Theme From Bewitched". Oliver Nelson leads a large band and does the arrangements, and Jimmy's in fine fine form, with hard solos that come out wailing over the top of the orchestrations. LP, Vinyl record album

A strange record, and pretty darn goofy – but proof that the Jimmy Smith/Oliver Nelson team could tackle just about anything and make it come up hard and swinging! The album has Nelson arranging a jazz version of Prokofiev's Peter & The Wolf, with Smith soloing out front on most tracks, and lots of nice players in the group, like Billy Butler, Grady Tate, Richard Williams, and Richard Davis. The reed players really stand out, as they play the voices of the characters in the piece, and the album includes some very deft work by Jerome Richardson, Jerry Dodgion, Phil Woods, and Bob Ashton. Titles include "Duck Theme", "Jimmy & The Duck", "Cat In A Tree", and "Elegy For A Duck". LP, Vinyl record album

The second great session from two of Verve's biggest jazz stars of the 60s – organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery – an unlikely pair, to be sure, but one who work great together on the set! The real change here is in Wes' playing – as it's shifted from the mellower style used over larger backings on most of his Verve sets, back to the rootsier soul jazz tone of his earliest recordings from his days on the Indianapolis scene. Jimmy and Wes are working with a core combo that includes Grady Tate on drums and Ray Barretto on conga – making for a lean organ/guitar groove that's only got percussion to kick it along. Titles include "Call Me", "OGD", "King Of The Road", "Mellow Mood", and "Maybe September" – plus a great version of "Milestones" that features some hard swinging larger backings from Oliver Nelson! LP, Vinyl record album

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The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully laidback blowing from the great Ben Webster – captured here in perfect late 50s formation, with wonderful rhythm support from the Oscar Peterson Trio! The tunes aren't super-long, but still have a relatively open feel – possibly improvised in the studio, with a mellow but deeply soulful sound throughout, thanks to Webster's massive tone on the tenor sax. Peterson's on piano, and other players include Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – and titles include "The Touch Of Your Lips", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Sunday", and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

The stuff of legends, and one of the best sides that Webster cut for Verve in the 50s, this reissue adds a whole 'nother set of quartet sides, recorded with almost the same group, minus Herbn Ellis and replacing Stan Levey with Ed Thigpen. On the original LP the group's a quintet – with the usual suspects (Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Stan Levey), and a rolling easy groove that's a perfect platform for Webster's gutsy tenor. Norman Granz's formula of easy swing sessions didn't always work for everyone, but in this case, it's a perfect format – as you'll hear on tracks like "Soulville", "Last Date", and "Ill Wind". 15 tracks in all, also including "When Your Lover Has Gone", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Lover Come Back To Me" and "This Can't Be Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Two different sides of Verve Records in the 50s – one modern, one a bit more traditional – and both represented in live material from the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Side one features a stunning live performance from pianist Teddy Wilson – working in a tight trio with Milt Hinton on bass and Spec Powell on drums – and really blowing away any conceptions we might have had about Wilson being aging or flowery at the time. Instead, he's got a sharp edge and command of the keys that's amazing – and which almost seems to have a bit more bite than usual in this concert setting. Titles include "Stompin At The Savoy", "Basin Street Blues", and "Airmail Special" – and Gerry Mulligan joins the group on baritone for a reading of "Sweet Georgia Brown". Mulligan then takes off with his own group, in a completely different format – no piano at all, just beautiful work from Joe Benjamin on bass and Dave Bailey on drums – and sublime sounds from Bob Brookmeyer's valve trombone, which is a perfect match for Gerry's deep tones. The group plays long takes on "My Funny Valentine" and "Utter Chaos". LP, Vinyl record album

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A classic session of mellow magic from tenorist Lester Young and pianist Teddy Wilson – both giants of jazz from an earlier generation, but maybe sounding even better here in a sublime Verve Records setting from the 50s! Young's tenor fronts the trio of Wilson – with Gene Ramey on bass and Joe Jones on drums – a somewhat unassuming group, which means that Lester's power really holds sway throughout – these magical solos that so easygoing they almost seem effortless – but which are filled with soul and imagination. Titles include "Love Me Or Leave Me", "All Of Me", "Prisoner Of Love", and "Love Is Here To Stay". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little Verve session from the late 50s – recorded in a very relaxed mode, with plenty of solo room for all the players. The tracks are all pretty extended – and include "Salute To Benny", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Romping", and "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone". Young's tone is worth the price of the set alone! LP, Vinyl record album

A pair of Verve Classics – back to back on this UK album from the 70s! First up is Jazz Giants 56 – a timeless ensemble session from Verve Records! The feel here is almost in jam session mode, but perhaps a bit tighter – a group of all-star players from the mid-50s, with Lester Young on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Teddy Wilson on piano, and Freddie Green on guitar – a nice mix of generations and styles that really helps open up the sound of the record. Tracks are nice and long, taken in that open, solo-conscious Verve mode – and tunes include "I Guess I'll Have To Change My Plan", "This Year's Kisses", "You Can Depend On Me", and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was". Next is Pres & Teddy – a classic session of mellow magic from tenorist Lester Young and pianist Teddy Wilson – both giants of jazz from an earlier generation, but maybe sounding even better here in a sublime Verve Records setting from the 50s! Young's tenor fronts the trio of Wilson – with Gene Ramey on bass and Joe Jones on drums – a somewhat unassuming group, which means that Lester's power really holds sway throughout – these magical solos that so easygoing they almost seem effortless – but which are filled with soul and imagination. Titles include "Love Me Or Leave Me", "All Of Me", "Prisoner Of Love", and "Love Is Here To Stay". LP, Vinyl record album

The first album to carry the Jazz At The Philharmonic formula into the studio – and a record that virtually coined the term "jam session" for 50s jazz! Norman Granz repeats the style he'd done so well in a live setting – and brings together a host of all-star players in a very relaxed, open environment – one that gives them all plenty of space to open up and hit some nice long solos. Players include Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Benny Carter in a three-alto frontline, plus Flip Phillips and Ben Webster on tenor, Barney Kessel on guitar, Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and JC Heard on drums. Side one features the original "Jam Blues", and side two features a "Ballad Medley", with each solo star taking one of the tunes in the set. LP, Vinyl record album

Don't let the title fool you, because although the cover of the record says "Many Sides Of Toshiko", the album only features one – her great approach to bop-inflected trio material – recorded here in a classic Verve session with a distinct Bud Powell influence! Not that we're complaining, though – because Toshiko's at her youthful best here, working with Eugene Cherico on bass and John Hanna on drums – in a set that's even got a few original numbers! The best of these is the 3-part suite "Tosh's Fantasy" – a trio adaptation of one of Akioshi's larger jazz orchestra works. Other titles include "Imagination", "Minor Mood", "Studio J", and "Bags Groove". LP, Vinyl record album

2LP set of Roy Eldrige's classic Verve sides from the mid 50's, featuring the great trumpet player in a variety of groups that include Herb Ellis or Barney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Oscar Peterson on piano and organ! The organ sides by Peterson are perhaps some of the most intriguing on the set, and they include "Love For Sale", "Dale's Wail", and "Oscar's Arrangement". Other tracks include "Little Jazz", "Roy's Riff", "Echoes Of Harlem", and "Feeling A Draft". LP, Vinyl record album

Short tracks with a spare swinging groove – featuring the trumpet of Eldridge, with backing by Ronnie Ball on piano, Benny Moten on bass, and Edward Locke on drums. The focus is on Eldridge's lightly playful trumpet style – and tracks include "Song Of the Islands", "Bossa Nova", "The Way You Look Tonight", "I've Got A Crush On You", "Misty", and "Easy Living". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Bill Evans – an amazing session of Fender Rhodes material that's quite different than most of his other work! The sound here is incredibly gentle – Bill barely hitting the keys of the Rhodes to send out spare, shimmering notes amidst larger arrangements from Michael Leonard – a talent we hardly know at all, but who fits Evans' piano with a great deal of sensitivity for the set. There's some wonderful tones and colors on each number here – and Eddie Gomez also helps to flesh out the sound a little bit with his basswork, providing those slow pulses of low tones that have a very subtle approach to rhythm. Titles include an amazing version of Luiz Eca's classic "The Dolphin" – plus "Soiree", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", "Children's Play Song", "I'm All Smiles", and "Lullaby For Helene". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bill Evans' most beautiful albums from the time – and one that features the fantastic team of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez, who were cutting some beautiful records for other labels at the time. Steig's flute later got very silly, but at this point, he's got a raw stripped-down sound that works perfectly with Gomez's warm, slightly funky basslines – making for a slightly soulful approach that really transforms the session. Evans is no slouch either – and the youthful company makes him play some of his best bits in years – on titles that include "Time Out For Chris", "So What", "Spartacus Love Theme", and "Autumn Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

Oft-overlooked album that's actually one of Getz's most far-reaching of the 60s! Recorded in the year before he got caught up in his bossa pop frenzy, the record shows Getz as a darkly toned modernist, weaving out complex solos over the album's extended suite "Focus", written and arranged by the great Eddie Sauter, with whom Stan worked on the Mickey One soundtrack. The album's a surprisingly refreshing one, and shows yet another complex side of Getz's endlessly compelling career. Titles include "Pan", "Her", "Night Rider", and "Once Upon A Time". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little session – and a meeting that was one of the best things to happen to the Oscar Peterson trio during the 50s! Stan's tone fits perfectly with the group here – and his playing next to the guitar of Herb Ellis recalls many of the fine strengths of the early 50s Getz sides with Jimmy Raney – although somehow coming across with even more depth and imagination here – probably a result of the more sophisticated approach to productions handled by Verve! Peterson's no slouch, either – but Stan's the man who really makes the session sparkle – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Tour's End", "Bronx Blues", "I Was Doing All Right", and "I'm Glad There's You". LP, Vinyl record album

One of those records that no home should be without – not only a pivotal album in the growth of bossa nova in the 60s – but a set that also really helped set the career of tenorist Stan Getz on fire! The real credit here might almost go to guitarist Charlie Byrd – as Byrd was a big early proponent of bossa nova rhythms, and had already been experimenting with them on his records of the time – yet also gets a key extra "umph" here in the presence of Stan's tenor – a bold, rich, soulful sound that really helps give the music a lot of direction – in ways that still resonate strongly all these many years later! Getz is completely sublime – a master of tone and timing throughout – and perfectly fit to these tunes. Rhythms are mostly from Byrd's trio, augmented with some extra percussion – and titles include the classic "Desafinado", plus "E Luxo So", "Samba Dees Days", "Samba Triste", "O Pato", "Samba De Uma Nota So", and "Baia". LP, Vinyl record album