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Although most of Chris Connor's best recordings for Atlantic have always been darn tough to find, and rarely reissued, this excellent 2-fer makes these classic albums of icy vocals available once again! Chris sings in her best cool voice, with backing by a number of different groups made up of jazz players like Zoot Sims, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, and Oscar Pettiford – plus some larger orchestral arrangements by Ralph Burns. Cuts include "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "My April Heart", "Circus", "Something To Live For", "High On A Windy Hill", "Thursday's Child", "About The Blues", and "Round About". We should also let you know that two tracks have been switched from the Chris Connor album for some reason – possibly because of trouble with the original masters. CD

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Beautiful work from singer Doris Day – and a record that may well be her jazziest for Columbia – thanks to backing from the Andre Previn trio! The pianist is still at the height of his early jazz powers here – able to solo boldly when needed, but almost more equipped as a painter in tonal color – which he uses beautifully to emphasize all the right emotive currents in Day's vocals. The approach is great – quite sophisticated, and almost at the level of a Chris Connor record at times – and very different than the Doris you might expect from her comedic films of the time. Yet that sense of surprise is also what always made her one of the secret sexy stars of her generation – as comes through beautifully on tunes that include "Yes", "Close Your Eyes", "Remind Me", "Daydreaming", "Give Me Time", and "Nobody's Heart". Includes five bonus tracks. CD

Two great lost albums from Carmen – very different than her earlier work, kind of a mixture of jazz, soul, and pop, in territory that's a bit like work by Nancy Wilson or Marlena Shaw. Sound of Silence has Carmen working with arrangments by Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Jones – nicely jazzy, but with other sophisticated touches that open up Carmen's palette a lot. Titles include "Watch What Happens", "Sound Of Silence", "MacArthur Park", "Can You Tell", and "Gloomy Sunday". Portrait Of Carmen is one of her hippest LPs ever, and a great set of vocal gems that often gets overlooked. Arrangements are by Benny Carter, Shorty Rogers, and Oliver Nelson – and the album's got a swinging groovy style that pushes Carmen past her schmaltzier jazz vocal roots. The album kicks off with an amazing reading of Tommy Wolf's "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco", done by Carmen in a way that makes you know she owns the song – and then it moves through a compelling blend of compositions that includes "My Very Own Person", "Ask Any Woman", "Boy, Do I Have A Surprise For You", and "Elusive Butterfly". CD

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Bobby Short on piano and vocals, backed by Rolly Bundock on bass and Larry Bunker on drums. CD

23 classic tracks from Nina's prime early years – laid out on one studio LP, and one great live set, recorded at Town Hall in New York! Titles include classics like "Black Is The Color Of My True Love's Hair", "Fine & Mellow", and "I Don't Want Him" – plus "Middle of The Night", "Summertime", "Return Home", "Chilly Winds Don't Blow", and "That's Him Over There". Lots of nice stuff, and it's some of her best material for the Colpix label! CD

A Capitol classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise! The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz vocals that really points the way towards 60s recordings by Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, and others. Backings are by Van Alexander, and include solos from Hank Jones on piano and Jonah Jones on trumpet – plus some great un-credited vibes and guitar – and titles include "The Late Late Show", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Moonray", "Ain't No Use", "Misty", "Summertime", and "What Do You See In Her". CD

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2 albums recorded by Esther in the years before she broke into big fame on the Kudu label. Burnin is a stunning live set that marked Esther's move from being a loud young R&B singer into an older, more mature interpreter of material in a more jazzy style. She's backed here by a good group that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and she moves through a heartbreaking set of material that heralds her later 70's recordings for Kudu. Tracks include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". Confessin points back at Esther's earlier career in R&B, but has a nice jazzy finish – thanks to players like Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, and Herb Ellis – and the record also features a few more sides from the Burnin sessions at Freddie Jett's Nightclub in LA. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Wonder", "I'm Getting Long Alright", "In The Evenin", and "I Love Paris". Due to time limit restrictions, the CD excludes the cuts "I'm Getting Long Alright" and "It Could Happen To You" from the LPs. (Soul, Vocalists) CD

2 early albums from Della – back to back on one CD! Story Of The Blues is a mostly-traditional set of numbers – showing the evolution of the blues style in the early 20th century – with backing by Sid Oliver, and titles that include "Empty Bed Blues", "Lover Man", "There's Always The Blues", "Stormy Weather", and "Squeeze Me". Melancholy Baby is a much better album, and has Della singing at that sophisticated level that she used on her best work – with backing by Sid Bass, and a great set of adult love songs that include "It's Monday Every Day", "I Could Have Told You So", "All Alone", "One For My Baby", and "I Get Along Without You Very Well". 23 tracks in all. CD

One of the rarest albums by Frank Rosolino – and a surprisingly great vocal set as well! The tunes are short, but Frank manages to both sing and turn in his usual trombone solo work here – and while the latter is great, we especially love the former! Frank's vocals have a raspy, playful quality that's a bit like Jack Sheldon's singing – and as with some of the later Sheldon albums, this one's a great illustration of the under-recorded side of some of the talents of players on the LA scene – their "entertainer" personas that were often used when working the bandstand in a live environment. And if you're suspicious about the vocals, don't be – because Frank is really great here, and manages to transform the tunes heavily – taking old standards and playfully inflecting them with new life and a rough edge – a bit similar to work by Bob Dorough or Johnny Watson (for his Chess session) on similar material. The rest of the group is a quartet that features Charles Berghofer on bass, Victor Feldman on piano, and Irv Cottler on drums – and titles include "It Had To Be You", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Whatcha Gonna Do On Monday", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "It Had To Be You", and "Please Don't Bug Me". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

One of Mel Torme's hippest albums of the 60s – and a strong shift towards more swinging material after some of his mellower work for other labels! There's a bit of electric piano in the mix, and plenty of that Atlantic records pop/soul jazz approach – a take on soul jazz that's similar to tunes by Herbie Mann at the same time, but with vocals. The whole thing's filled with greatly grooving tracks – and it draws no small influence from Jon Hendricks' excellent work of the time! Titles include "Hi Fly", "Comin Home Baby", "Dat Dere", "Sidney's Soliloquy", and "Moanin". CD

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2 of Oscar Brown's classic Columbia albums – back to back on one CD! Tell It Like It Is is a great early album by Oscar – one that focuses on his own compositions, and a few other hip tunes written by other jazz players, with new vocals added by Oscar! These kind of tracks are the stuff that made him a legend instantly – strongly voiced vocal tunes, handled with a flair that few other singers could match, save for Jon Hendricks, who also shared Oscar's talent for crafting a jazz-based lyric. Arrangements are by Oscar's hometown talent Floyd Morris – and titles include "One Foot In the Gutter", "The Snake" (later covered by Al Wilson), "So Help Me (A Little 3/4 For God & Co)", "The Tree & Me", and marvelous lyrical versions of Miles Davis' "All Blues" and Duke Pearson's "Jeanine". Essential stuff for jazz juice fans! In A New Mood is a tight set featuring Oscar Brown Jr. performing jazz material written (mostly) by other composers, shifting the focus away from his earlier records, which have more of his own compositions. Ralph Burns and Al Cohn handled the arrangements – and Oscar sparkles with a straight jazz flair on tracks that include Mood Indigo", "Hey There", "Go Down Moses", "Where or When", and "Straighten Up and Fly Right". CD

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