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Sylvia's Decca recording with backing by the Ralph Burns Orchestra, tracks include "Lilac Wine", "My Ship", "Woman's Intuition", "I'm So Happy I Could Cry", "Experiment" and "Honey In The Honeycomb".

Louis Armstrong recreates the sound of the 20s in these later recordings for Decca!

Some consider this the worst point in Louis' career – when he was singing odd pop material for Decca, and had really left his jazz roots behind. We don't think it's that bad, though – and the album's got a wonderfully playful style that shows what a great entertainer Louis could be when he was up for the challenge. Gordon Jenkins did the arrangements, and the record features Louis' version of "Blueberry Hill" – plus the tracks "Chlo-e", "Jeannine", "Spooks!", "Trees", and "It's All In The Game".

Not the usual jazz outing from trumpeter Pete Candoli, and more an album of pop instrumentals, designed to cash in on the success of the big hit single "Moscow Mule"! (Pete didn't do the original version of that, right?) Tunes are short, jaunty, and use the trumpet in the kind of 60s pop way that was working big with Al Hirt and Herb Alpert – not as cool as Pete's 50s jazz work, but groovy enough if you're not looking for that. Titles include "Wild Turkey", "Rum & Coca Cola", "Moscow Mule", "Tequila", "Cool Green Grasshopper", and "Scotch & Soda".

Includes "Tiger Rag", "After You've Gone", "I'm Just Wild About Harry", and "St Louis Blues".

A lost groover from this obscure soul jazz guitarist – recorded with some pretty interesting backing, and a firey guitar style that makes us wish he'd recorded more! The record sports two main groups backing up Forriest's guitar – one with Ernie Hayes on organ, Bernard Purdie on drums, Willie Rodriguez on conga, and Albert Winston on bass; the other with Grachan Moncur on trombone, Frank Haynes on tenor, Charles Davis on baritone, and Leo Morris on drums. Sonny's guitar work is right out front – very complicated and bluesy, mostly single-note plucked, in the manner of Grant Green, but with a lot more inflection on the strings. Titles include "Minor Blast", "My Soul Is Happy", "Mashin It", "Steppin", "Miss Dee McC", and "Bitter With The Sweet".

A mixture of serious and sensuous themes written for this later film starring Lana Turner. Some of the music is adapted from the "Swedish Rhapsody" by Charles Wildman, and a few other tracks are variations on themes by Liszt. Titles include "Depths Of Despair", "Future Plans", "Christmas Holly", "The End Of a Dream", "Madame X On Trial", and "Headlines & Holly".

A wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s – played by the Chico Hamilton group as part of the soundtrack! The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic error, given that the music on the set is so great. The quality's a bit like some of the Hamilton Quintet work on World Pacific – but there's a slightly freer, more urgent feel here too – work that's sometimes somewhat driving, and beautifully blended from the guitar of John Pisano, clarinet of Paul Horn, cello of Fred Katz, piano of Carson Smith, and drums from Chico. Side one features a lot of short incidental cuts – like "Susan", "Cheek To Chico", "Jam", and "Night Beat" – and side 2 is an extended "Concerto Of Jazz Themes From The Soundtrack Of Sweet Smell Of Success".

One of the rare few albums cut by 50s tenor star Joe Holiday – and a gem of a session that has him fronting a larger group, blowing lean well-cut solos on a number of very hip original tunes! The group's a large one, but the sound's still quite tight and swinging – a great follow-up to Joe's previous recordings on Prestige, showing an even more mature side of his talents. Holiday's got a great tone here – slightly echoey in its own right, and almost with some of the presence of bolder tenor players in the R&B world – yet still all jazz all the way through. Other players on the sessions include Thad Jones, Blue Mitchell, and Art Farmer on trumpets; Eddie Bert on trombone; Cecil Payne on baritone sax; and Duke Jordan on piano – and some of the arrangements are by Hal Mitchell. Titles are all originals by Joe – and include "Mimi The Champ", "Hello To You", "Opening Night", "Timmy's Tune", "Cousin Nino", "Skeetie", and "Tiny Mite".

A bit dreamy – but still quite nice work from Legrand – written for this 1967 remake of Noel Coward's Pretty Polly, a film that starred Hayley Mills in the lead role! Legrand's score has less of the jazzy touches of his French work from the time – but still breaks out with some really nice melodies at times. Matt Monro sings the title song in two versions – in that best "at the movies" style, the one that always made him a hit with soundtrack work. Titles include "The Race Is To The Swift", "Bugis Street, Where Old Friends Meet", "The Beautiful Transformation", "Goodbye Mr Critch", and "Lovers On The Shore".

Oh for the days when you could go to a club and hear a singer like this – peppy, jazzy, but also able to put over a sad and dreamy tune when she wants to. Marian only recorded a few records, and this one's probably her best – a jaunty set of tunes with arrangements by Charles Albertine, Sy Oliver, and Ray Scott. Some tracks are groovy, some sad and lonely, and others have a nice playful feel that keeps the set fresh – and titles include "There's A Time & A Place For Everything", "Give Me The Simple Life", "I'm The Lonesomest Gal In Town", "It Makes No Difference", and "I'll Sing You One Song".

One of Mark Murphy's first albums – quite different than his later work, but swinging and jazzy as he could always be! Ralph Burns arranged the set, and even at this early point, you can hear what a talent Murphy is – singing with a confident swing that wasn't often the case for male singers of the time – balancing carefully between older jazz modes, without falling into cocktail cliches that could often trap other vocalists. Titles include "Elmer's Tune", "Pick Yourself Up", "Let Yourself Go", "Ridin' High", and "Crazy Rhythm".

Not the most authentic Brazilian album you'll ever find – but a great batch of bossa jazz tracks! The set was put together in New York by pianist Bill Potts, and it features some great work by Zoot Sims on tenor, Louie Ramirez on percussion, Chano Pozo on conga, and a special unnamed guest artist on vibes! We're guessing that this artist can't be listed because of contractual reasons, but his playing is great, and the vibes give the record a great added touch. Includes a version of "Samba Saravah/My Heart Loves The Samba" from A Man & A Woman – plus "Brasilville", "Teach Me Tonight", "Que Se Vaya", and "Forgetting You".

One of the best albums by this groovy piano/percussion combo who played a nice mix of bossa and soul jazz. The set has 2 nice originals with a deep groove – "Watusi Warrior" and "Sheryl Likes Bananas" – plus groovy covers of "Summertime", "Taste Of Honey", and "More". Nice stuff, and very cool mix of piano, bass, drums, and congas.

A dramatic soundtrack to this Douglas Sirk film!

Features Inez Matthews, Sheila Guyse, and Todd Duncan.

A landmark live set from The Who – a record that offers the group with a blistering intensity that blows away all their other studio albums of the time! Although offered during the Who's Tommy-era expansion into broader themes and more complicated instrumentation, the album's a real return to basics – and features a guitar-heavy version of the group performing a number of older rock n roll classics like "Summertime Blues", "Shakin All Over", and "Young Man Blues" – plus really extended jamming takes on their own "My Generation" and "Magic Bus", and a searing 2 minute take on "Substitute" that's probably everything you ever need to know about The Jam!

An incredible album – and one of the most revolutionary rock albums of the late 60s! The Who recorded this one as a tribute to mainstream radio at the time – linking together some solid stand alone tunes with shorter, wittier tracks that were recorded as commercials for products that included baked beans, acne cream, and deodorant – as well as cool announcer bits too! The end result is one of the most sonically complex records issued by a mainstream rock act of the time – sort of like The Who said "yeah, everyone's trying to copy Sgt Peppers with big arrangements, but we'll take this concept album thing in a whole new direction!" Brilliant all the way through, and with tracks that include "Armenia City In The Sky", "Heinz Baked Beans", "Mary Anne With The Shaky Hand", "I Can See For Miles", "I Can't Reach You", "Rale", "Sunrise", and "Silas Stingy".

One of the greatest records ever by one of the greatest bands ever! The tracks of Who's Next are the stuff of legend – classics like "Baba O'Riley", "Bargain", "Going Mobile", "Behind Blue Eyes", and "Won't Get Fooled Again", tracks that show the group growing tremendously beyond their roots as mod rockers.

Includes tracks by Mildred Bailey & Her Alley Cats, Meade Lux Lewis, Bed Freeman & His Windy City Six and Joe Marsala & His Delta Six.

A really great collection of some of Basie's first important material – 2LPs worth of classics that set the tone for generations to come!

A full LP issue of singles that Billie Holiday recorded for Decca during the mid and late 40s – all small group sessions, with occasional added instrumentation on small string sections, or vocals. The sides are a nice counterpoint to Billie's work for Verve and Columbia – as the players differ nicely on many of the numbers, and a few tracks even feature a backing vocal group! Titles include "Lover Man", "Old Devil Called Love", "Porgy", "Girls Were Meant To Take Care Of Boys", "This Is Heaven To Me", "There Is No Greater Love", and "Solitude".

Macca's soundtrack to the 1966 film The Family Way – with music composed by Paul McCartney, conducted and orchestrated by George Martin – and performances originally credited to The George Martin Orchestra! There's lots of organ, piano, big and bursting brass and some lilting strings in the score – you really can hear McCartney styled melodies in the craft, here. A bit of a leftfield relic of Beatles-related lore, and pretty nice stuff!

Although Osibisa were one of the most successful of the London-based Afro-funk groups, they were also one of the best. This cool first album is filled with (as the label says) "criss cross rhythms that explode with happiness". Translated, that means that the record's got lots of nice cuts that have African percussion, electric funk rhythm, and a fairly joyous groove. Tracks include "Akwaaba", "Oranges", "The Dawn", "Think About The People", and the groovy "Music For Gong Gong".

The first and loosest of the Jazz Studio series from the 50s – an quite possibly the most Verve-like too. This set's got a very open-ended jam session feel – with a group that include Paul Quinichette and Frank Foster on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Benny Green on trombone, Joe Newman on trumpet, Johnny Smith on guitar, and Kenny Clarke on drums – playing two long tracks, one on each side: "Let's Split" and "Tenderly" – taken in long versions that have plenty of room for solo space!

Hard to go wrong with this one – and the original Tommy album in its entirety is still amazingly tripped-out – much more so than you'd expect from the individual songs on their own, or from the later schlocky movie!