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A world's worth of guitar instrumentals from Santo & Johnny!

Very groovy work from Jennie Smith – a singer known for her work on the Tonight Show, but who sounds even hipper here! Mort Garson handled the backings, and they've got lots of the playful touches that you'd hear on his groovier 60s instrumental work – mixed with some of the watery strings used on mellower dates – both a perfect match for Smith's vocals, in ways that help take her out of the straighter style she was using in the late 50s. There's kind of a hip 60s "adult" feel to the record – quite different than the more sentimental modes of RCA a few years before – and Smith turns out to be a wonderful singer in such a setting. Titles include "Gravy Waltz", "Fly Me To The Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something", "Let's Face The Music & Dance", "My Man", and "Nice & Easy". CD features the bonus track "As I Love You".

Possibly the first true moment of genius from Paul Bley – a key indie standout after a few years working for bigger American labels! By the time of this early ESP album, Paul Bley was no stranger to the American scene – having recorded a few records for different labels in the 50s, and making some surprise appearances on other sessions in the early part of the 60s. But by the time of this mid 60s set, Bley was really coming into his own – working in a style that would have a huge influence on the style of jazz piano for the next few decades, and which was one of the first strong statements of modernism from the Canadian scene. Here, he's working with Steve Swallow on bass and Barry Altschul on percussion in a trio format, working through a great batch of tracks by then wife Carla – like "Ida", "Start", "Closer", "Batterie", and "Sideways In Mexico" – as well as versions of Ornette Coleman's "Crossroads", Annette Peacock's "Cartoon", and his own "Figfoot".