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That's "gone" – as in the way June Christy really sends us – vocals that take us to a place that few other 50s singers could ever hope to reach! June's work here is a masterpiece of melancholic understatement – far less overblown than some of her pop contemporaries, but also filled with feeling in a way that's different from some of the other icy singers of the time. A big part of the album's strength lies with arranger Pete Rugolo – who gives June here some of the same dark corners and modern elements you'd find in her classic Something Cool album – which really hits the right sort of emotion for Christy. Titles include "When The Sun Comes Out", "It's So Peaceful In the Country", "When You Awake", "Lazy Mood", and "Interlude".

One of our all-time favorites from vocalist June Christy – part of an excellent 50s run for Capitol Records in collaboration with arranger Pete Rugolo – a talent who transformed the sound Christy cut with the Kenton band into a whole new range for jazz vocals! The setting is rich and sophisticated, yet never sleepy, either – and has a sense of edge and darkness that really sets June apart from just about all her contemporaries – even some of the jazz singers with similar roots! The whole thing's great, and even the familiar tunes are really transformed by the treatment – as you'll hear on titles that include "Saturday's Children", "I Wished On The Moon", "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else", "Nobody's Heart", "I Remember You", and "Night Time Was My Mother".

A great example of the Kenton powerhouse in action – a 90 minute double-live recording that really set a new standard for jazz sets of its type! The album features a side apiece dedicated to each of the three acts – one by Kenton's orchestra, one by Christy on vocals, and one by the Four Freshmen – the latter two supported by Kenton's group on their own sides, then joining together for a final fourth side that features all artists together. The approach is a great one – very vibrant, and certainly crowd-pleasing – and titles include "Artistry In Rhythm", "My Old Flame", "I Want To Be Happy", "Midnight Sun", "Day In Day Out", "Angel Eyes", and "Love For Sale".

Always brilliant work from the great June Christy – an album that's got a lot more darkness than you might think from the title and the bright-colored cover! The style is very booze-soaked and sad – with plenty of echoes of the classic Something Cool album – and like that set, this one features sublime arrangements from the great Pete Rugolo – who has a perfect way of shading things in with the dark tones and modern elements that always work best for Christy's vocals! One of our favorite-ever records from June – with titles that include "Let There Be Love", "When Sunny Gets Blue", "I Want To Be Happy", "Imagination", "No More", "Better Luck Next Time", and "The Best Thing For You".

A great one from June – on a par with the Something Cool album, and featuring arrangements by the great Pete Rugolo! Like that one, this one's a pretty dark effort – filled with some great boozed-up late night vocals. Titles include "Saturday's Children", "I Wished On The Moon", "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else", "Nobody's Heart", "I Remember You", and "Night Time Was My Mother".

Fantastic stuff by one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century! The album is filled with haunting vocal tracks, twisted by arranger Pete Rugolo into complicated arrangements, and sung by Christy with a deep sense of sorrow and loneliness, masked by a weak smile that only seems to further emphasize Christy's inner pain. Despite a sunny day image on the cover, the whole thing's got an incredibly sad icy sound. Titles include "When The Sun Comes Out", "It's So Peaceful In the Country", "When You Awake", "Lazy Mood", and "Interlude".

One of June's all-time classics – and perhaps her most famous album, next to the sublime Something Cool. The set, like that one, was arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo – whose icy and modern touches are the perfect foil for June's sad and dark voice. Familiar tunes are completely transformed by the pair's masterful handling – and titles include "The Wind", "There's No You", "For All We Know", "This Year's Kisses", "That's All", and "Maybe You'll Be There".

From its booze-soaked title cut, to its haunting selection of lonely ballads like "Midnight Sun" and "Stranger Called The Blues", this is one of the most fantastic vocal jazz albums of all time – and a record that we'd recommend instantly to anyone! June Christy has an incredibly icy tone on the record, filled with sorrow, regret, and loneliness – all of which are amplified even more deeply by Pete Rugolo's eerie, off-kilter arrangements. Titles include "Something Cool", "It Could Happen To You", "Lonely House", "I'm Thrilled", and "The Night We Called It A Day". Plus, this special CD reissue features the mono and stereo recordings of the album – completely different ones, as the album was originally recorded in mono in 1954, and completely re-recorded again with the same arrangements in 1960!

Probably the best-ever album by this obscure bluesy singer from Chicago! Jimmy Giuffre handled the arrangements, and the record has a bit more polish than some of her other albums. The tracks feature some very nice jazzy arrangements – with Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Jones on piano, and Harry Edison on trumpet. Lurlean's voice is deep and rich, with a sound that's a mix of Ella Fitzgerald and some of the icier singers, like Chris Connor or June Christy. Tracks include "Blue Turning Grey Over You", "Just Imagine", "My Kinda Love", "As Long As I Live", and "The Song Is You".

Patti Page at her grown up best – sounding wonderful on this 50s album that shows that she was way more than just a pop singer – and instead a rich-toned vocalist capable of surprisingly great delivery! The backings have a slightly modern edge – not June Christy at Capitol, but maybe not that far off either – and although there's a fair bit of strings at times, they often have these tones that set off just the right sort of darkness for the tunes – and bring inflections to the music that we don't always hear with Patti. Yet the Page punctuation is still also nicely in place, especially on the few swingers – and titles include "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye", "Indiscretion", "Autumn Leaves", "Everything Happens To Me", "I'll Walk Alone", and "You Call Everybody Darling".

What a singer! Anne Phillips is someone that we know nothing about – we'll admit – but this gem of an album is one we'd gladly stack next to our favorite 50s vocal sides, including work by June Christy and Chris Connor! The arrangements are superb – a blend of jazz and lusher styles, handled by Kermit Leslie in a subtly sweet style that never gets to cloying – and Anne's vocals are moody and dusky, but never self pitying. Wonderful stuff all around – and with tracks that include "For Heaven's Sake", "Lonelyville", "I've Got To Pass Your House To Get To Mine", "When Sunny Gets Blue", and "A Stranger In Town".

A fantastic album by this obscure vocalist – one of the first in a great run of work recorded by Sue Raney on the west coast scene! This session has Sue sounding a fair bit like Chris Connor or June Christy – often a bit icy, and sometimes sweet – but without some of the fuller modes on her later records. The album's got surprisingly understated arrangements by Billy May that have a nice jazzy edge – and Raney's vocals have all the wistful qualities you might guess from the title and cover! Titles include "A Blossom Fell", "Impossible", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", "My Prayer", "Wanna Laugh?", "Rain On The Roof", and "Blue Tears".

Music from June Christy, Andre Previn, Johnny Green, Victor Young & others.

A masterpiece – and possibly the greatest record ever by the Four Freshmen! The album is arranged by Kentonite Pete Rugolo, who gives it a very dark feel – similar to his amazing work on June Christy's Something Cool album (which is a perfect complement to this one) – and he's selected a core group of west coast jazzers to back the Freshmen up, including Barney Kessel, Shelly Manne, Frank Rosolino, and Claude Williamson. Don't worry about the "trombone" part, because the horns are used to provide dark deep washes of emotion to the songs – with the boys' vocals way out over the top, in mindblowing harmonies that could also exist perfectly without any backing. Titles include "Speak Low", "Love Is Just Around The Corner", "I Remember You", "Love", and "Guilty".

A fantastic album by this obscure vocalist – one of the first in a great run of work recorded by Sue Raney on the west coast scene! This session has Sue sounding a fair bit like Chris Connor or June Christy – often a bit icy, and sometimes sweet – but without some of the fuller modes on her later records. The album's got surprisingly understated arrangements by Billy May that have a nice jazzy edge – and Raney's vocals have all the wistful qualities you might guess from the title and cover! Titles include "A Blossom Fell", "Impossible", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", "My Prayer", "Wanna Laugh?", "Rain On The Roof", and "Blue Tears".

A moody set of vocals by singer Pat Healy – set to arrangements by Fred Katz with a very sad and somber feel. The mood here is very similar to work by June Christy – especially during her later, more mellow years at Capitol – and titles are a good mix of unusual tunes, with songs that include "Don't Ever Leave Me", "Boys & Girls", "I'm A Dreamer, Aren't We All?", "You Never Knew About Me", and "Nobody Else But Me".

Genius, pure genius! If you've ever wondered why folks think Stan is so great, check out this landmark set of postwar modern swing tunes – some of the most groundbreaking work of its generation, and proof that there was still a lot of room to grow within the big band format. June Christy provides some icy vocals on a few numbers, and other strong players on the set include Vido Musso, Boots Mussulli, Kai Winding, Eddie Safranski, and Shelly Manne. Arrangements are by Pete Rugolo, Gene Roland, and Stan – and titles include "Artistry In Bass", "Artistry In Percussion", "Fantasy", "Come Back To Sorrento", "Soothe Me", "Opus In Pastels", and "Artistry In Bolero".

The first album in a legendary run of vocal jazz classics on Atlantic Records – and a set that really helped Chris Connor move to a new level of expression in her music! The sound here is much richer than Connor's previous recordings for Bethlehem – and the small combo jazz backings have been replaced by fuller orchestrations by Ralph Burns – done in a cool, edgey sort of way that really pushes Chris into newly sophisticated territory! The sound's on a par with the best June Christy/Pete Rugolo collaborations on Capitol – and the group's filled with some great jazz players, including Zoot Sims, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, and Oscar Pettiford. Titles include "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "My April Heart", "He Was Good to Me", "Where Are You", and "Get Out Of Town". CD features 2 bonus tracks – "Circus" and "Flying Home".