One of a number of great small group sessions done by singer Teddi King for the Storyville label – nicely relaxed, with backing from a septet that features Billy Taylor on piano, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Gene Quill on alto! The Storyville approach really brings out the best in Teddi's vocals – as the easy-going nature of the record has King sounding a bit more grown-up and adult than before – singing lines in a slightly sultry style, yet still with some of the bird-like notes heard on other albums. Taylor's piano adds a nice grounding to the record – and titles include "Old Folks", "Why Do You Suppose", "I'm In The Market For You", "You Hit The Spot", "Something To Live For", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". CD

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. (Now Sound, Vocalists) CD

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. (Now Sound, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of a number of great small group sessions done by singer Teddi King for the Storyville label – nicely relaxed, with backing from a septet that features Billy Taylor on piano, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Gene Quill on alto! The Storyville approach really brings out the best in Teddi's vocals – as the easy-going nature of the record has King sounding a bit more grown-up and adult than before – singing lines in a slightly sultry style, yet still with some of the bird-like notes heard on other albums. Taylor's piano adds a nice grounding to the record – and titles include "Old Folks", "Why Do You Suppose", "I'm In The Market For You", "You Hit The Spot", "Something To Live For", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. (Now Sound, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool collection, and one that will definitely blow your mind if you only know the Burt Bacharach/Dionne Warwick collaborations, or some of Burt's solo albums on his own! Bacharach started out young and early, and was effortlessly penning pop songs for singers in a variety of styles – working as part of that songwriting scene in New York that was always hustling, and able to get a surprising amount of songs into the hands of up-and-coming singers of the time! The scope of this set is stunning – as the first 3CDs feature 95 tracks penned by the young Bacharach himself – sung by a variety of artists who include The Exotics, Etta James, Gene McDaniels, Paul Evans, Marlene Dietrich, Tommy Sands, The Drifters, Frankie Avalon, The Four Coins, Marty Robbins, Sonny James, Jack Jones, Jo Stafford, Bob Manny, and many others. CD4 21 more tracks that showcase unusual but important influences on Burt's compositional style – including work by Henry Cowell, Alban Berg, Leonard Bernstein, Gill Evans, and Tadd Dameron. CD

Sublime stuff! Sure, it's easy to sit back and say that you don't really dig Ray Charles albums that mix together country music and soul, and that you prefer his hard raw raunchy Atlantic recordings from the earlier days. But let's be honest, Ray really made his biggest splash with this stuff – and although it became extremely popular over the years, it's also part of a huge country soul tradition that's a very accurate representation of the rich crossover culture going on in southern soul, a tradition that for some reason always gets underplayed by folks who want to carve up the world in easy racial lines. Truth is, Ray was not the only soul artist to embrace country, and we can think of a host of others – including Solomon Burke, Ivory Joe Hunter, Joe Simon, Clarence Carter, Brook Benton, and Bobby Womack who all participated in this rich tradition. This set's essential if you're interested in checking out this side of Ray's career – and the price is pretty nice, considering that you get 4CDs, a great book, and 92 songs in all! Work is pulled from Ray's classic ABC sides in the format, plus others from before and after that generation. Titles include "A Born Loser", "I'm Movin On", "Busted", "Crying Time", "Teardrops In My Heart", "Half As Much", "No Letter Today", "Oh Lonesome Me", "Ring Of Fire", "What Am I Living For", "Let Your Love Flow", "Down In The Valley", and "Take These Chains From My Heart". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Robert Mitchum singing calypso? Stranger things have happened, sure – and it's not so surprising when you read that Mitchum was actually a huge devotee of the music, and took his work in the genre very seriously. This great set was first issued by Capitol in the late 50s – and it's got Bob singing over some 50s calypso tunes that recall Harry Belafonte's work for RCA, made all the stranger by Mitchum's deep raspy vocals. Titles include "What Is This Generation Coming To", "From A Logical Point Of View", "Beauty Is Only Skin Deep", "Mama Looka Boo Boo", "They Dance All Night", and "Coconut Water". CD also includes 2 bonus cuts – "Ballad Of Thunder Road", lifted from the great film of the same name, and "My Honey's Lovin Arms". CD

The final third of Jackie DeShannon's legendary run for Imperial Records in the 60s – a smashing batch of singles that really represent some great musical growth at the time! On these sides, Jackie's even more soulful than before – definitely taking inspiration from the generation of singers who were singing her songs – and from the growing wave of girl vocalists who were working with more soulful styles too – especially those from the Brill Building scene. The result is a great blend of New York uptown and LA sunshine – a superb batch of tunes that really sums up the unique place that Jackie DeShannon had in modern music. Many tunes are originals by Jackie – and the set also features great tunes penned by Jimmy Holiday and Bobby Womack too – titles that include "Changin My Mind", "I Keep Wanting You", "What Is This", "Nicole", "Nobody's Home To Go Home To", "You Keep Me Hangin On/Hurt So Bad", "Brighton Hill", "Christmas", "Keep Me In Mind", "Bird On The Wire", "What Was Your Day Like", "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "Always Together", and "Do You Know How Christmas Trees Are Grown". (Rock, Vocalists) CD

A vocal-heavy entry in the Ultra Lounge catalog – and one that follows the spirit of the single-artist titles in the Wild Cool & Swinging series from Capitol! The set's pretty darn upbeat – never too wild, nor too cool, and almost always swinging – and the tracks are mostly great bits from that late 50s/early 60s point when jazz vocals were grooving things up a bit more – shaking off some of the more romantic modes of previous years, and really packing a punch for the growing Vegas generation! Titles include "Fever" by Peggy Lee, "More" by Bobby Darin, "Dig That Crazy Chick" by Sam Butera, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" by Dean Martin, "Closer To The Bone" by Louis Prima, "Nobody But Me" by Lou Rawls, "Little Girl" by Vic Damone, "LOVE" by Nat King Cole, "Hello Dolly" by Bobby Darin, "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" by Julie London, and "Danke Shoen" by Wayne Newton. (Now Sound, Vocalists) CD

A pretty amazing set from Esther Phillips – her final album for Kudu – and a beautiful mix of soaring soul sounds from one the most unique, emotionally-inflected soul vocalists of her era! Esther's in prime Kudu mode here – working with jazzy arrangements by David Matthews and Pee Wee Ellis, adding her unique, grit-inflected soul chanteuse vocals to a smoother mix of instrumentation that creates a perfect counterpoint that took her way past her earlier work! There's also a couple of really sweet disco skewed numbers that work incredibly well – with spacier bits of synth and a dancefloor soul bed of percussion and rhythms – and in general, the arrangements are pretty great from track-to-track! Players include Randy Brecker and Mike Brecker on trumpet and tenor sax, Bray Miles on synthesizer, Bobby Lyle on clavinet, Eric Gale on guitar, Joe Farrell on tenor sax and alto flute, percussionist Ralph MacDonald and other excellent name musicians and others bring a grand sweep and sweeter intimacy when the mood requires. Titles include "Magic's In The Air", "A Beautiful Friendship", "Boy I Really Tied One On", "Higher & Higher", and "All The Way Down". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

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 an undercurrent of politics, feminism, and social commentary delivered with surprising intensity. Marlena Shaw's voice is generally sweet, but she's set up in some extremely powerful arrangements by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney that recast even the simplest phrase into a whole new setting of strength and pride – and Bobby Miller of Dells fame also helped make the record what it is, and helped write some of the best songs on the record. The set includes Marlena's classic original reading of "Woman Of The Ghetto", which has been sampled by just about everyone, plus "California Soul", which has a nice hard break, and the tunes "Liberation Conversation", "Where Can I Go?", and the original version of "Go Away Little Boy" – as sweet a statement of womanhood if there ever was one! (Soul, Vocalists) CD

A beautiful little record from singer Carol Sloane – a singer who's billed as a discovery from the Newport Jazz Festival – but who sings here with shimmeringly modern arrangements that recall some of June Christy's best 50s work with arranger Pete Rugolo! The force behind the backings here is mostly Bill Finegan – of Sauter-Finegan fame – who uses just the right amount of subtle modern colors and tones to instantly announce Sloane as a singer from a new generation – one who's not trying to cross over to pop, nor please the dancers – and instead revel in all the advances that jazz vocals had made in the postwar years. Bob Brookmeyer also arranged a few tunes – and plays often on the record, with a great tone that underscores the blue vibe of the set – and titles include "Who Cares", "My Ship", "Little Girl Blue", "Life Is Just A Bowl Of Cherries", "Night & Day", "My Silent Love", and "The More I See You". LP, Vinyl record album

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 an undercurrent of politics, feminism, and social commentary delivered with surprising intensity. Marlena Shaw's voice is generally sweet, but she's set up in some extremely powerful arrangements by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney that recast even the simplest phrase into a whole new setting of strength and pride – and Bobby Miller of Dells fame also helped make the record what it is, and helped write some of the best songs on the record. The set includes Marlena's classic original reading of "Woman Of The Ghetto", which has been sampled by just about everyone, plus "California Soul", which has a nice hard break, and the tunes "Liberation Conversation", "Where Can I Go?", and the original version of "Go Away Little Boy" – as sweet a statement of womanhood if there ever was one! (Soul, Vocalists) CD

At the time of this album, Johnny Hartman definitely was the voice that is – a singer with a new level of maturity for the 60s, and a voice that's far more masculine than the geeky look of the photo on the cover! Hartman's sound here is smooth and warm, but never in a too-commercial way – a great antidote to some of the bigger singers of his generation, and cast perfectly here in some lightly jazzy arrangements by Bob Hammer. A few tracks feature backing by a quartet led by Hank Jones – and the rest feature a slightly larger group with 2 guitars and some nice Latin percussion. Titles include "Funny World", "Waltz For Debbie", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Let Me Love You", "My Ship", "The Day The World Stopped Turning", "Slow Hot Wind", and "The More I See You". CD

An obscure moment in June Christy's career, but a great one too – a rare later recording, done many years after her time at Capitol Records – in a laidback setting with a hip group of west coast players! June's voice definitely shows a bit of age, but she's still head and shoulders above most jazz singers of her generation – mixing subtle feeling and darkness together beautifully, in a way that makes for a wonderfully moody record! Lou Levy leads the group on piano, and other players include Bob Cooper on tenor and flute, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Jack Sheldon on trumpet – although the horns don't seem to appear on all the tracks on the date. Titles include "The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye", "My Shining Hour", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Show Me", "Willow Weep For Me", "Everything Must Change", and "Autumn Serenade". CD

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 an undercurrent of politics, feminism, and social commentary delivered with surprising intensity. Marlena Shaw's voice is generally sweet, but she's set up in some extremely powerful arrangements by Richard Evans and Charles Stepney that recast even the simplest phrase into a whole new setting of strength and pride – and Bobby Miller of Dells fame also helped make the record what it is, and helped write some of the best songs on the record. The set includes Marlena's classic original reading of "Woman Of The Ghetto", which has been sampled by just about everyone, plus "California Soul", which has a nice hard break, and the tunes "Liberation Conversation", "Where Can I Go?", and the original version of "Go Away Little Boy" – as sweet a statement of womanhood if there ever was one! (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Includes music from the Carpenters, Perry Como, BJ Thomas, Aretha Franklin, the Shirelles, the Drifters, Tom Jones, Gene McDaniels, Tommy Hunt, the Searchers, Bobby Vinton, Chuck Jackson, Dusty Springfield, Jack DeShannon, Cilla Black & more. CD

An obscure moment in June Christy's career, but a great one too – a rare later recording, done many years after her time at Capitol Records – in a laidback setting with a hip group of west coast players! June's voice definitely shows a bit of age, but she's still head and shoulders above most jazz singers of her generation – mixing subtle feeling and darkness together beautifully, in a way that makes for a wonderfully moody record! Lou Levy leads the group on piano, and other players include Bob Cooper on tenor and flute, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Jack Sheldon on trumpet – although the horns don't seem to appear on all the tracks on the date. Titles include "The Trouble With Hello Is Goodbye", "My Shining Hour", "Once Upon A Summertime", "Show Me", "Willow Weep For Me", "Everything Must Change", and "Autumn Serenade". LP, Vinyl record album