A spiritually resonant soul jazz gem from truly great vocalist Dwight Trible – whose handful of albums to his own name and his work with the Build An Ark collective and Life Force Trio have all been timeless, passionate and inventive – and this effort on the Katalyst label is as deep and rewarding as any of it! Cosmic reminds us of everything we loved about Dwight's Living Water album a few years back, and this one may be even stronger. His yearning, soaring, soul shaking voice is stunning as always, and both the originals and the unique takes on the more spiritual material of legends such as Duke Ellington, Nina Simone and others is really great. He's backed by stellar group of musicians that includes drummer Dexter Story, bassist Trevor Ware, percussionist Munyungo Jackson, John Beasley on piano and organ, George Harper on tenor sax and others. Includes "Speak To Us Of Love", "I've Known Rivers", Ellington's "In The Beginning GOD", "Love Is Forever", "Little Afrika", "Algeriangeles", Simone's "Hyku For Peace/Come Ye", "It's All About Love" and glorious, soul jazz take on the Five Stairsteps soul classic "Ooh Child". CD

A very early chapter in the career of the great Dinah Washington – a series of sessions she cut for Apollo Records in the mid 50s, right before she would soon rise to fame on Mercury – and material that's every bit as interesting for the players involved as it is for Dinah's vocals themselves! If you know Washington, you'll know that she's hardly a mellow mama – and her work here is a great combination of jazz with some currents of blues – given strong support by a combo that includes Lucky Thompson on piano, Milt Jackson on vibes, and a young Charles Mingus on bass! Other players include the more obscure Karl George on trumpet, Jewel Grant on alto, and Gene Porter on alto and baritone – on titles that include "My Lovin Papa", "No Voot No Boot", "Pacific Coast Blues", "Blues For A Day", "Rich Man's Blues", "My Voot Is Really Vout", and "Walking Blues". CD

A real standout in Chris Connor's legendary run for Atlantic Records – and a unique double-length set that was almost her answer to some of the 2LP Verve songbook sessions from Ella Fitzgerald! Like those, this album's based upon the work of a single composer – and features key Gershwin compositions from the 20s and 30s, redone here with a moody, mellow, jazz-based approach – one that unlocks even more darkness in these tunes than you might expect! Instrumentation is by a number of different small groups – assemblages of players who include Joe Newman on trumpet, Sam Most on clarinet, Herbie Mann on flute, Milt Jackson on vibes, Al Cohn on tenor, and Ralph Sharon on piano – all working with arrangements by Sharon, Ray Ellis, and Stan Free. The album features a whopping 34 titles in all – with tracks that include "A Foggy Day", "Strike Up The Band", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Little Jazzbird", "My One & Only", "That Certain Feeling", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Our Love Is Here To Stay", "Liza", "Soon", and "I Can't Be Bothered Now". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Strike Up The Band" and "Summertime", done in different takes. CD

Music from Ethel Waters, Bucks & Bubbles, Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly, Tony Bennett, Ella Fitzgerald, Dick Hymen, Mel Torme, Sarah Vaughan and more. CD

Tracks include "I Hear Music", "I'm All For You", "Let's Do It", "Romance In The Dark", "St. Louis Blues", and "Georgia On My Mind" – with lots of alternate takes. CD

One of the grooviest of Sammy's albums for Reprise during the 60s – cut with production by Jimmy Bowen and a nicely bouncy set of backings! There's a definite mixed bag approach to the material, but it's that non-unified quality that makes some of Sammy's best albums so great – as he'll deliver a pop number one minute, a tender ballad the next, and a tongue in cheek cover after that – really expressing himself on vinyl with the same range that he brought to his excellent live shows. Bowen keeps things light and lively throughout – and arrangers include George Rhodes, Ernie Freeman, and Al Capps. Titles include the excellent "The Goin's Great" – used famously in a Pam Am campaign at the time – plus bouncy versions of "Bein Natural Bein Me" and "In This Crowded World" – and the tracks "What Became Of Me", "Take It From One Who Knows", "This Guy's In Love With You", and "I Have But One Life To Live". LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible work from Carmen – one of her last great albums! The set was recorded in 1988 – but it's got an "instant classic" feel that makes it one of the best vocal jazz albums of its generation. Carmen's working with a small group that includes Charlie Rouse, Larry Willis, George Mraz, and Clifford Jordan – singing vocal versions of Monk classics like "I Mean You", "Blue Monk", "Well You Needn't", "Ruby My Dear", and "Ugly Beauty" – most of which have lyrics written by Jon Hendricks! This CD makes the original album even better – and throws in some bonus alternate versions of tracks on the album! CD

Great stuff – one of Flora Purim's more R&B-sounding albums from the 70s, produced by George Duke with an appreciation for Flora's Brazilian jazz roots, but with a smoother sound that's in keeping with Duke's own work of the time! The combination is pretty sweet – a professional culmination of the mixture of fusion and Brazilian jazz that had been happening in the San Francisco scene during most of the 70s, and featuring many of the musicians who had helped make that groove so strong. Players include Airto, Sheila Escovedo, Joe Farrell, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Lyle, and Larry Williams – and tracks include "Niura Is Coming Back", "From The Lonely Afternoon", "Freeway Jam", "Beijo Partido", "Corine", and "Love Lock". (Brazil, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Three wonderful albums from this legendary Brazilian singer – all presented in a single set! First up is Nothing Will Be As It Was Tomorrow – a record that's quite different from Flora's earlier work, but in a way that we find very compelling! The record was produced by Leon Ndugu Chancler, and it's got a smooth fusion sound that's kind of in a southern California R&B mode, played by a huge range of excellent Brazilian and west coast talents that include Patrice Rushen, Dorothy Ashby, Fred Jackson, Raul De Souza, Toninho Horta, and Airto. While this sound overwhelms the core of Flora's usual Brazilian jazz approach, it also expands some of the tracks to a great groove – with Flora's vocals on top, stretching out in a whole new way! Includes a great English language version of the Milton Nascimento classic "Nada Sera Como Antes", plus the cuts "You Love Me Only", "I'm Coming For Your Love", "Corre Nina", "Angels", "Bridges", and "Fairy Tale Song". Every Day Every Night is a beautifully soulful record from Flora Purim – still awash with touches from her Brazilian roots, but also done with a great 70s LA sound! Airto's helping Flora out on production, but the real hero here is Michel Colombier – who handles most of the arrangements and wrote a good deal of the tunes with Purim and Airto – mixing his own expansive studio talents with their organically-forged groove, in a way that makes the record a real standout from the California fusion scene of the 70s! Players include Randy Brecker, Lee Ritenour, George Duke, Herbie Hancock, Harvey Mason, and other jazz heavyweights – and titles include "The Hope", "I Just Don't Know", "In Brasil", "Blues Ballad", "Why I'm Alone", "Walking Away", and "Samba Michel". Carry On is one of Flora Purim's more R&B-sounding albums from the 70s, produced by George Duke with an appreciation for Flora's Brazilian jazz roots, but with a smoother sound that's in keeping with Duke's own work of the time! The combination is pretty sweet – a professional culmination of the mixture of fusion and Brazilian jazz that had been happening in the San Francisco scene during most of the 70s, and featuring many of the musicians who had helped make that groove so strong. Players include Airto, Sheila Escovedo, Joe Farrell, Ronnie Foster, Bobby Lyle, and Larry Williams – and tracks include "Niura Is Coming Back", "From The Lonely Afternoon", "Freeway Jam", "Beijo Partido", "Corine", and "Love Lock". Includes bonus tracks too – "Tango Blues" and "Sad Song". (Brazil, Vocalists) CD

Great stuff from Nimoy – and proof that his committment to being more than just a sci-fi actor was real, if not successful! The record features groovy pop and vocal tracks with arrangements by George Tipton, and a nice mod-ish feel that works well with Nimoy's Scott Walker-ish vocals and seriousness. The record features a number of very nice original tracks like "Contact", "Piece Of Hope", "The Man I Would Like To Be", and "Maiden Wine" – plus covers like "Cycles", "Nature Boy", and "A Trip To Nowhere". Very groovy! LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool little 70s set from jazz vocalist Carol Sloane – the kind of small label affair that showed that the genre was alive and well at the time! The feel here is intimate, but never sleepy – with backing by a small combo that's always pretty "live" – backing Sloane with the same sort of groove you might hear in a club, but held together slightly more tightly overall. Players include Benny Aronov on piano, George Mraz on bass, Joe LaBarbera on drums, and Norris Turney on alto sax – and the sax is perhaps one of the nicest elements here, as it really helps push the record past the "singer with piano trio" sound that could too often dominate albums like this. Titles include "Baby Don't You Quit Now", "Jackie", "Tomorrow Mountain", "Something Cool", "Jackie", and "You're A Bad Influence On Me". LP, Vinyl record album