Includes "Lover Man", "Don't Explain", "Solitude", "Easy Living", "Good Morning Heartache", "God Bless The Child", "Them There Eyes", "Ain't Nobody's Business If I Do", and more. LP, Vinyl record album
Early sides by Nat King Cole, recorded in the pre-Capitol years – and done in a mixture of vocal and instrumental modes, with trio backing that featured Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on bass. The tunes are still very much solid early Nat at his best – a lightly blended mix of blues and jazz, revolutionary at the time, and still refreshing for any era! Titles include "I Like To Riff", "Call The Police", "This Side UP", "Babs", and "Are You Fer It". LP, Vinyl record album
A rare Decca album lead by the smoky vocals of Beverly Kenney – a really unique late 50s/early 60s jazz girl who once worked for the Dorsey brothers, the Count Basie Orchestra and others, and only ever cut a handful of albums under her own name! Sings for Playboys is an intimate, sultry batch of tunes that have a really unique feel thanks to the super spare accompaniment of just Ellis Larkins on piano and Joe Benjamin on bass. That approach does a great job of transforming your senses to the smoky, boozy after hours cabaret that must have been in mind when the recordings were conceived. The album only ever appeared briefly in the late 50s (possibly because of the unauthorized and quite obvious reference to Playboy Magazine in the title and in the cover photo) but it's sure great to see it reappear – they didn't make a lot records like this in the big band dominated recordings of the era! 12 tracks including "Do It Again", "A Woman's Intuition", "Mama, Do I Gotta?", "A Lover Like You", "A Summer Romance", "It's Magic", and more. LP, Vinyl record album
(80s Spanish reissue with bonus tracks. Cover has some ringwear and is bent at the top left corner.)
(Original German pressing. Cover has light ringwear, some yellowing from age and some spotty blemishes, bent corners, and some gloss separation around the edges in back.)
A cool session for Decca that has Carmen McRae's vocals flowing out wonderfully amidst some very haunting backings! The sound here is a bit unusual – given that the groups are headed by accordion Mat Mathews and pianist Dick Katz – both of whom have a good ear for unusual phrasing, and who help keep the record from being just another torchy vocal set from the 50s. Carmen's warmly fluid voice cascades nicely over the top of the tunes – and instrumentation often features a bit of guitar from Mundell Lowe luring in the background – furthering the warmth of the record, and almost giving it a nicely laidback, late nite quality. Titles include "Supper Time", "Yardbird Suite", "Something To Live For", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "I'll Remember April", and "This Will Make You Laugh". LP, Vinyl record album
(Mono small black label pressing with deep groove. Cover has light wear, yellowing from age, and a split bottom seam held with yellowed clear tape.)
A lovely vocal chorus album, with kind of a mix of Sunshine Pop and easy modes – all set to arrangements by Al Ham! Titles include "Quentin's Theme", "Jean", "Sweet Caroline", "Yesterday When I Was Young", "My Cherie Amour", "Everybody's Talkin", and "This Girl Is A Woman Now". LP, Vinyl record album
Pretty darn cool stuff from one of the greatest jazz singers around! This one was Mark's first album, cut a long time ago when he was a wee lad – as you'll see by the photo on the cover. The arrangements are by Ralph Burns, and they're pretty darn hip – and although the style is more traditional than some of Mark's later records, it's amazing to hear how well-developed his vocal style is even at this early age. Many of the tracks remind us of some of the harder swinging work that Murphy cut in London and Europe during the late 60s – and tracks include "I've Got Two Eyes", "You Mustn't Kick It Around", "Exactly Like You", "Give It Back To The Indians", and "Fascinating Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album
(Mono small black label pressing with deep groove. Cover has some wear and aging, a light scrape in front, and small seam splits.)
16
Arthur Prysock —
Showcase ... LP Decca, 1960s. Near Mint- ...
$2.99
Something of a concept album from Jeri Southern – a record of familiar tunes, but all strung together as "the story of a love affair", and set to backings by Gus Levene! The approach here is a bit like some of the Sinatra Capitol sides of the mid 50s – with a really unified sort of mood overall, one that's mostly that of sadness and longing – thanks to Levene's darkly gentle string arrangements. Jeri's breathy vocals sound great in the setting, and the album's got a solidity that we really love. Titles include "Close To You", "Close As Pages In A Book", "The Touch Of Your Lips", "Please Be Kind", "Cross My Heart", and "Prelude To A Kiss". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original black & silver label pressing. Cover has light wear, aging, and an ink stamp.)
18
Billie Holiday —
Billie Holiday Story ... LP Decca, Late 40s. Very Good+ 2LP Gatefold ...
Temporarily Out Of Stock
... LP, Vinyl record album
(Early 80s MCA pressing. Cover has ring & edge wear.)
Wonderfully spare early jazz sides by Peggy, and the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work. The album's a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album
Wonderfully spare early jazz sides by Peggy, and the kind of material that's not easy to find amidst the bulk of her pop-oriented work. The album's a moving set of ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work. The combo includes Cootie Chesterfield on trumpet, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Max Wayne on bass, and Ed Shaughnessy on drums. A real treasure – with titles like "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "Love Me Or Leave Me", "Easy Living", and "Black Coffee". LP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl plays with some surface noise. Cover has some light wear, small splits on seams, aging.)
The first album ever released by Sammy Davis Jr – a great debut for Decca Records, filled with a range of tunes that beautifully sum up his many talents! The Sam heard here is a fair bit straighter than the Sammy D of later Ratpack years – an amazing young singer with a really incredible voice – one that's just perfect for mellow ballads or more upbeat, swinging numbers. Backings are by Mort Stevens, Sy Oliver, and Joseph Gershenson – often with a hint of jazz, but usually with a fuller, more dramatic approach that matches the incredible vocal range of the young Davis. Titles include "And This Is My Beloved", "Lonesome Road", "Hey There", "My Funny Valentine", "Spoken For", "Birth Of The Blues", and "Stan Up & Fight". LP, Vinyl record album
A wonderful lost gem from Ella Fitzgerald – very much in the mellow mood hinted at in the title, with only the piano of Ellis Larkins to back her up! The sound is incredible – and even very different than any of the work she recorded at Verve – with a moody, evocative quality that seems to offer up a whole different side of Ella than we'd ever known. Larkins is always perfect in such a setting – able to be richly emotive on the keys without interfering with the singer at all – and honestly, we're stunned to hear how much Ella makes with the empty space left on the set, and wish we'd had more of a chance to hear her in this format. Titles include "Please Be Kind", "I'm Glad There Is You", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "Imagination", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album
Incredibly haunting early work from Peggy Lee! The record is one of her moodiest, and is essential listening for anyone who's ever though of Peggy only as a schmaltzy pop singer. The arrangements are fantastic, and they have a sad somber quality that we'd compare to those on Frank Sinatra's legendary Wee Small Hours album. The tracks are similar, too – and filled with pain, loss, and longing – really some of the deepest work of Peggy's career at this time! Titles include "So Blue", "What's New", "Street Of Dreams", "Too Late Now", and "Dancing On The Ceiling". LP, Vinyl record album
A selection of tunes from the film Pete Kelly's Blues – a 20s tale of jazz and gangsters that starred and was directed by Jack "Dragnet" Webb! Given the setting of the film, the tunes often have a more traditional jazz bent to them – with backing from the orchestra of Harold Mooney that features a fair bit of Kansas City-styled jazz. Peggy and Ella's vocals are pure 50s Decca, though – and if anything, the album's a great chance to hear them singing in a slightly different setting, but with all the strength of their best work of the time. Peggy sings on about 2/3 of the album – on tracks that include "Sugar", "I Never Knew", "Somebody Loves Me", and "I'm Gonna Meet My Sweetie Now". Ella sings on the last third – on tracks that include "Ella Hums The Blues", "Pete Kelly's Blues", and "Hard Hearted Hannah". LP, Vinyl record album
30
Carmen McRae —
Blue Moon ... LP Decca, 1956. Very Good ...
Out Of Stock
Some of the hippest early work ever cut by Carmen McRae – with backings by Tadd Dameron and Jimmy Mundy, and a great selection of songs that brings out all the sophistication in Carmen's style, yet stays away from overly-done standards and love numbers. The set's a perfect example of how great Carmen could be in the right setting – and it's filled with great tracks like "All This Could Lead To Love", "I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket", "Summer Is Gone", "I Was Doing All Right", and "Even If It Breaks My Heart". LP, Vinyl record album
Hip early work from Carmen McCrae – with jazzy arrangements by Fred Katz, featuring mostly west coast players running through some off-kilter backings that give Carmen a different sound than usual. The album's definitely got the "cool" in the title, but Carmen's sophisticated phrasing of the songs brings a lot of warmth to the tracks – in a kind of counterpoint that works really well with the music. Titles include "I Remember Clifford", "What's New", "Weak For The Man", "A Shoulder To Cry On", "Any Old Time", "Without A Word Of Warning", and "The Night We Called It A Day". LP, Vinyl record album
Sammy Davis Jr —
Sammy Awards ... LP Decca, Late 50s. Near Mint- ...
Out Of Stock
... LP, Vinyl record album
36
Sammy Davis Jr & Carmen McRae —
Boy Meets Girl ... LP Decca, 1957. Very Good ...
Out Of Stock
A real classic from Sammy Davis Jr & Carmen McRae! Given Sammy's great talent for personal interaction on the stage, as heard often on his key Rat Pack recordings, he's a real natural for this sort of duet mode – as he manages to talk and sing his way through the tunes beautifully, really opening up Carmen a heck of a lot, and getting her past the staid, serious mode of most of her 50s albums. Titles include "People Will Say We're In Love", "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance", "You're The Top", "Cheek To Cheek", "Baby It's Cold Outside", and "Tea For Two". LP, Vinyl record album
A wonderful lost gem from Ella Fitzgerald – very much in the mellow mood hinted at in the title, with only the piano of Ellis Larkins to back her up! The sound is incredible – and even very different than any of the work she recorded at Verve – with a moody, evocative quality that seems to offer up a whole different side of Ella than we'd ever known. Larkins is always perfect in such a setting – able to be richly emotive on the keys without interfering with the singer at all – and honestly, we're stunned to hear how much Ella makes with the empty space left on the set, and wish we'd had more of a chance to hear her in this format. Titles include "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "You Leave Me Breathless", "Baby, What Else Can I Do", and "Nice Work If You Can Get It". (Funky 45's, Vocalists)7-inch, Vinyl record
A gimmicky album – but a nice one! Carmen sings a set of "bird-related" songs – like "Skylark", "Bob White", "Flamingo", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Baltimore Oriole" – and while the idea of such a record might be painful, it's made surprisingly great thanks to some help from arranger Ralph Burns! Burns backs Carmen with some strong mid-size combos, and comes up with some shimmering approaches to the songs that get past the hokier style they might have, and suits them perfectly to Carmen's deeply soulful vocals. LP, Vinyl record album
A really great collection – one that offers up the earliest work by Nat King Cole – before he even recorded for Decca or Capitol! The music here was all recorded in Hollywood, when Nat was fresh on the scene – and a number of titles were never issued at all! The group features Oscar Moore on guitar and Wesley Prince on bass – and some tracks have extra vocals from Maxine Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album
(1989 pressing. Cover has light wear.)
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