... 7-inch, Vinyl record

With Neil Swainson on bass and Mickey Roker on drums. CD

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". LP, Vinyl record album

A pivotal moment in the development of southern soul – as the album was one of the first really big hits to come out of the growing Malaco scene in Jackson, Mississippi. The style of the record is a mix of older female southern soul styles, plus some of the warmer mellow production that was coming out of the Alston/Miami scene at the same time. And although Malaco mostly moved into cheesy blues during the early 80s, this one's very much in a popular crossover soul style. Features the title hit "Misty Blue", plus "It's So Good", "Too Much Love", "Ain't That A Mother's Luck", "Enough Woman Left (To Be Your Lady)", and "The Only Time You Ever Say You Love Me". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet grooves from the great Bob Marley – a set cut at a time when Marley was really riding his international fame – and able to create the kind of music that reached out way more than conventional reggae! The Kingston roots of the sound are still very firmly in place – but there's also a more globally-expansive vision here too – partly the tight production on the music, partly the warm feelings that ebb and flow throughout the entire set – a vibe that's very different than American soul, and which has turned out to be surprisingly encompassing over the years. Titles include "Is This Love", "Running Away", "Kaya", "Satisfy My Soul", "Easy Skanking", "Sun Is Shining", "She's Gone", "Misty Morning", "Crisis", and "Time Will Tell". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange little record, but a great one too – a posthumous album that took older Wes Montgomery sides and souped them up a bit after his death! The core material here is quartet recordings done in 1965 – Montgomery's guitar in a hip group with Wynton Kelly on piano, Paul Chambers on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – other material recorded at the same time as the Smokin At The Half Note set, discovered later by Verve, and augmented with fuller backings from Claus Ogerman for this record in 1968. In contrast to some of Wes' other albums of this nature, the core combo grooving was done first, which then ends up directing Ogerman's arrangements – and not the other way around – making for a really unique mix of sounds, especially on some of the longer tracks. Titles include "Four On Six", "Oh You Crazy Moon", "Willow Weep For Me", "Misty", "Impressions", and "Portrait Of Jennie". CD

A 50s Fantasy album that brings together 2 earlier 10" jazz sessions – one by Mulligan and one by Desmond, both unusual outings for the players. Side one features Gerry Mulligan working with a strong early group – Chet Baker on trumpet, Chico Hamilton on drums, and Carson Smith on bass – on 4 tracks recorded in San Francisco, and 4 others recorded slightly later in LA. The tunes are short, piano-less, and have that fluid 50s Mulligan groove – and titles include "Turnstile", "Limelight", "Carioca", "Bark For Barksdale", and "Line For Lyons". Side two is a session that features 4 tracks with Paul in a quintet with Dick Collins on trumpet and Dave Van Kriedt on tenor sax – working without a piano, and in a fluid-grooving style that recalls a lot of the Gerry Mulligan style of the time. The other 4 tracks from the set are even more unique – and have Desmond blowing dreamily over a "with voices" chorus – done with the Bill Bates singers in a style that's warmer than similar work by Charlie Parker, and which really points the way towards some of the Desmond solo genius of the 60s. Titles include "Jeruvian", "Garden In The Rain", "Misty Window", "Winky", "Soon", and "Will I Know". LP, Vinyl record album

Joy Dan's a little-known singer from Chicago – but she confidently takes on a variety of soul hits here – working with arrangements that are somewhat modern, but still earthy enough to live up to the indie soul look of the set! Joy's vocals are a bit shaky at times, but that's the great thing about them – as she makes her way through more familiar soul covers – slowly unmaking their cliches as she does so! Think of the album as an appealing lounge set caught at a small club – and enjoy the record's versions of tracks that include "For Your Precious Love", "Midnight Train To Georgia", "Try Me", "Release Me", "Misty", "Stand By Me", "Bridge Over Troubled Water", and "Unchained Melody". LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing collection of work from Jackie Ross – a singer who was arguably the greatest female soul artist in Chicago during the 60s! Jackie's got a really wonderful approach – sweet on top, but with a hard punch below – very much at the best level of some of Motown's heavyweights of the same period – but not nearly as well-known! That aspect makes this set a really fresh discovery – not just Jackie's few hits, but lots of other rare album and single material too – including a few unreleased tracks that really round out the collection wonderfully. And as you'd guess from Ace/Kent, the packaging and presentation is wonderful – not just crystal-clear quality to the recordings, but really rich notes and images that make the whole thing sparkle way more than any previous collection of Ross' work for Chess. Titles include "Everything But Love", "Selfish One", "Misty", "Wasting Time", "You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl", "Honey Dear", "My Square", "Stick To One", "Dynamite Lovin", "Take Me For A Little While", "I Dig His Style", "Trust In Me", "It's Going All The Way", "Jerk & Twine", "I've Got The Skill", and "Haste Makes Waste". CD

A groundbreaking set from The Silver Apples – one of those records that almost didn't get fully appreciated until many decades later! The sound here is quite unique, even for the late 60s psych rock underground – and The Apples work in a blend of spacey electronics, driving percussion, and simple, stark guitar parts – a sound that's almost to their generation what the music of Suicide was to the underground of a decade later. Most tunes pulsate with an almost organic sort of quality, and the lyrics of the songs are often quite tuneful at times – a nice contrast to some of the colder styles of the instrumentation. The album's had a huge influence on countless groups in the past decade or so – for good reasons – and titles include "Oscillations", "Lovefingers", "Velvet Cave", "Whirly-Bird", "Dust", "Misty Mountain", "Program", and "Dancing Gods". LP, Vinyl record album

An incredible live set by Dr. Lonnie Smith – recorded during his 75th birthday celebration at NYC's Jazz Standard! It's mostly in a trio setting with Jonathan Kreisberg on guitar and Johnathan Blake on drums, working through raucous and intimate moments with equal skill. We saw Lonnie play not too long before this impeccable set was recorded, so believe us when we tell you, the next best thing to seeing him do his inimitable thing in person – even as late in the game as his 75th year – is right here! He wastes no time pulling us in with a great take on Wayne Shorter's "Juju", which feels SO good with Lonnie's electric keys, along with some great space for Kreisberg to shine, and the set has some wonderful mellower moments, too. Includes a killer cover of Paul Simon's "50 Ways To Leave Your Lover", Smith's own "Alhambra" and "All In My Mind", plus "Devika", "On A Misty Night"and "Up Jumped Spring". LP, Vinyl record album

A Capitol classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise! The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz vocals that really points the way towards 60s recordings by Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, and others. Backings are by Van Alexander, and include solos from Hank Jones on piano and Jonah Jones on trumpet – plus some great un-credited vibes and guitar – and titles include "The Late Late Show", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Moonray", "Ain't No Use", "Misty", "Summertime", and "What Do You See In Her". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet 80s grooves from the Turkish scene – served up in a mode that mixes earlier styles with instrumentation that's a bit more fitting for the decade – drum machine rhythms and keyboard lines coming into play with more exotic melodies, and vocals served up in a variety of styles! Some of the tunes here are tagged as "disco", but in a way that's really refracted through the span of space and time that led to these recordings – hardly familiar club modes, but still plenty darn groovy – and a nice take on Andaolu modes from a few years before! Titles include "Fiance", "Fidayda", "Emmoglu", "If You Want My Love", "Sunglasses Belly Dance", "Tabancamin Sapini", "Misty Mountain Melodies", and "Eminem". LP, Vinyl record album

Great 70s live work from Sarah Vaughan – material that easily stands alongside her best for the Pablo label at the same time, but which is far more obscure overall! The notes on the CD aren't much – and obviously help enforce the obscurity of the sessions – but we can say that all the performances are from live dates, and backing appears to be from a trio led by Bob James on acoustic piano on some tracks – and by a larger group with Hank Mobley and Dizzy Gillespie on a few more. Sarah's vocals are simple and straightforward, but have a confidence and poise that's totally great – qualities that have always almost made her a better singer live than in the studio. Titles include "Sassy's Blues", "Scat Blues", "Alfie", "Misty", "I Had A Ball", "The Theme", "Lover Man", "What Now My Love", and "Lover Come Back To Me". CD

Great 70s live work from Sarah Vaughan – material that easily stands alongside her best for the Pablo label at the same time, but which is far more obscure overall! The notes on the CD aren't much – and obviously help enforce the obscurity of the sessions – but we can say that all the performances are from live dates, and backing appears to be from a trio led by Bob James on acoustic piano on some tracks – and by a larger group with Hank Mobley and Dizzy Gillespie on a few more. Sarah's vocals are simple and straightforward, but have a confidence and poise that's totally great – qualities that have always almost made her a better singer live than in the studio. Titles include "Sassy's Blues", "Scat Blues", "Alfie", "Misty", "I Had A Ball", "The Theme", "Lover Man", "What Now My Love", and "Lover Come Back To Me". CD

A 70s set from Sarah Vaughan, but one that's recorded in a classic small combo mode – acoustic overall, and a bit of a change from her other sessions for Mainstream Records! The date's a live one, and the tracks are taken at a looser level than some of Vaughan's studio work – a bit more open, and with a bit of conversation too – which is a nice surprise. The group's a trio – with Carl Schroeder on piano, John Gianelli on bass, and Jimmy Cobb on drums – and titles include "I Could Write A Book", "Love Story", "The Nearness Of You", "Wave", "Misty", "There Will Never Be Another You", "A Foggy Day", and "Round Midnight". CD

Pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto gave us some sublime records in the 70s on the Three Blind Mice label from Japan – and he really continues the spirit of those records here, on a set of tracks that demonstrate that, if anything, his sense of space and timing have gotten even more amazing as the years have gone on! With Yamamoto, it's never a matter of the material he chooses, which is usually common – but the way he puts the tune over while working with a trio – and the way that trio is recorded, which was always a key aspect of Tsuyoshi's records in the 70s. His classic Blues For Tee album was dedicated to his older producer back in the day – as this set is dedicated to Yoshihiko Kannari, who did a great job of capturing the magic from a trio that also features Hiroshi Kagawa on bass and Toshio Osumi on drums. Titles on this first volume include "You Go To My Head", "Misty", "Blues For K", "But Not For Me", and "I'm Glad There Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a really beautiful sound – not just from the core work of the piano trio, but also from the guy who recorded the whole thing too – the legendary engineer for the Three Blind Mice label in Japan, Yoshihiko Kaminari! It's not often that the engineer gets billed on the back cover alongside the members of a jazz combo – but that credit is very well due here, as the album does a beautiful job of capturing all the subtle brilliance of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on the keys of the piano – stepping gently next to the bass of Hiroshi Kagawa and drums of Toshio Ohsumi – both very subtle players who let the pianist dominate the proceedings! The set features a fair bit of Erroll Garner numbers, which creates a nicely different setting for Yamamoto – and his pairing here with Kaminari reunites the same forces that gave the world Tsuyoshi's classic TBM albums Midnight Sugar and Misty. Titles include "Dreamy", "Mood Island", "Solitaire", "Night Wind", "Paris Bounce", "Garner Talk", "Sweet For K", and "When Paris Cries". LP, Vinyl record album

Few songwriters have had such a lasting impact on modern music as Leonard Cohen – an incredible songsmith when he first emerged in the late 60s, and one who continued to create songs at the top of his game for many years after! And although Cohen's own recordings are the stuff of legend – essential to any collection of hip, thoughtful music – many others have picked up his tunes and really done great things with them – a fair bit of whom are included in this set! The package has an unusual scope – in that it includes selections by some of the artists recording right when Leonard was getting his start on record – then jumps forward to the 21st Century, to showcase a number of more contemporary recordings that show just how timeless Cohen's lyrics can be. As always with Ace, the presentation is wonderful – with detailed notes on all the selections – and titles include "So Long Marianne" by Noel Harrison, "Joan Of Arc" by Anna Calvi, "Show Me The Place" by The Webb Sisters, "Anthem" by Father John Misty, "The Stranger Song" by Emmylou Harris, "Blue Alert" by Madeleine Peyroux, "Closing Time" by Fairport Convention, "A Thousand Kisses Deep" by Ann Wilson, "Nightingale" by Anjani, "Is This What You Wanted" by Last Shadow Puppets, "Story Of Isaac" by Judy Collins, "Here It Is" by Jonathan Richman, and "You Know Who I Am" by Mama Cass. CD

Modern Hammond hero Brian Charette gets some great help here – tenor legend George Coleman, whose presence in the group makes an already-solid combo really sound great! Coleman was never a tenor player to work with an organ back in the 60s and 70s – but his work here is really wonderful, and turns that depth of soul that he can bring from the horn into a perfect match with Charette's great sense of phrasing and timing on the Hammond B3 – a pairing that might recall the match of either Booker Ervin or Sonny Stitt with organist Don Patterson back in the Prestige Records heyday. As with those sessions, there's also a great guitarist providing a whole new layer of color here – the mighty Vic Juris – and drums on the set are handled by George Coleman Jr. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "Stella By Starlight", "On A Misty Night", "Body & Soul", and "Tenor Madness". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few 70s albums as a leader from reedman Ronnie Cuber – a player who'd already been making some great appearances on studio sessions with giants like George Benson, Mongo Santamria, and Lonnie Smith – as well as even a few Steely Dan records! But despite that ability to sound tight in the studio, Ronnie really shows a completely different side of his talents here – a hard-burning approach to baritone sax, with a deftness that rivals Pepper Adams in a similar setting – a quality that almost feels like a tenor at times, given Cuber's dexterity and speed of improvisation. The rest of the group's great, too – and includes Barry Harris on piano, Sam Jones on bass, and Albert Heath on drums – who really provide the right amount of soulful hardbop to keep things crackling. Titles include "Star Eyes", "Rifftide", "Tin Tin Deo", "Samba D'Orfeo", "Misty", "Sudwest Funk", and "Prince Albert". CD

One of Tadd Dameron's last true jazz sides – featuring the bop maestro composing, arranging, and conducting for a large group that includes Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin, Joe Wilder, Clark Terry, and Philly Joe Jones. There's a bit of Ellington in the album – with somber washes of mood and color, in a manner that was always one of Dameron's strongest suits – and the quality of the players, especially Evans, really adds a lot to the album. Titles include "On A Misty Night", "Just Plain Talkin", "You're A Joy", "Swift As The Wind", and "Dial B For Beauty". LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the best west coast boppers of the postwar years – back together again in a killer revival date cut by Contemporary Records! As the title implies, the set's got a backward-looking sort of feel – at least for the early 60s recording date – but from the perspective of our generation, the whole thing merges nicely into the classic sound of LA bop – perhaps extending out the original Central Ave groove a bit more, thanks to the generous recording spirit of Contemporary, and the longer tracks on the date. Edwards plays tenor, McGhee plays trumpet, and other players include Phineas Newborn on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and Ed Thigpen on drums. Titles include "Together Again", "You Stepped Out Of A Dream", "Up There", "Perhaps", "Misty" and "Sandy". CD

Ella Fitzgerald recorded famously in Berlin for Verve Records at the start of the 60s – but this set's from later on in the decade, and shows just how much Ella had grown as a singer! There's less of the easygoing good vibes of that previous album, and a much more mature, intimate quality at times – mixed with a few of the groovier styles that Fitzgerald was picking up in the second half of the 60s! Throughout it all, backing is just by a trio, but one who rock things with plenty of soul – Jimmy Jones on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Sam Woodyard on drums – on titles that include "So Danca Samba", "Summertime", "You've Changed", "Misty", "Midnight Sun", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Don't Be That Way", "These Boots Are Made For Walking", and "Oh Lady Be Good". Great 2CD package – with 20 tracks in all! CD

The fantastic first Verve album from Tim Hardin – a record that's almost a genre unto itself, given the very unique approach that Tim brings to his music! The set might be one of the first times that the world of folk was able to reach out and really find a home in so many other styles too – as there's a blend of jazz-inflected instrumentation and vocals that helped lift Hardin and these songs way past the pop folk moment of the mid 60s – so much so, there's arguably an influence here that just keeps going on over the decades! Gary Burton provides some great vibes, John Sebastian blows a bit of harmonica, and Artie Butler creates these gentle arrangements that are perfect – still making you feel like you're meeting Tim Hardin on his own, but with secret subtle support. Nearly every song's a classic – and titles include "Don't Make Promises", "It'll Never Happen Again", "Reason To Believe", "How Can We Hang On To A Dream", and "Misty Roses". CD

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

The continuing evolution of the great Jess Roden – an lesser-known 70s talent who emerged from the jazz rock scene in the UK at the end of the 60s – but who's working here in a much more sophisticated mode! Jess always had a lot of soul in his style right from the start – that 60s London love of R&B and American roots – and here he fuses it with some hip arrangements from Leon Pendarvis, who takes the older Roden groove into sweet New York territory that comes across with a surprising degree of modern soul at times. There's lots of jazz in the instrumentation – including sax solos from Harold Vick and Scott Hamilton – and Jess has honestly never sounded better – extremely expressive, even on the mellower moments. Titles include "The Hardest Blow", "Drinking Again", "Sensation", "Misty Roses", "Woman Across The Water", and "The Quiet Sound Of You & I". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare moment in the David Axelrod years at Capitol Records – a set that has the Axe producing sounds by older maestro David Rose! Rose is a lot groovier in the setting – as you might expect – and all the instrumental tunes are new compositions for the record. Tracks include "Look Above", "Busy Afternoon", "Victoria", and "On a Misty Day". LP, Vinyl record album

The Johnny Smith sound is a wonderful one – not just the sound that he makes with his groundbreaking work on the strings of the guitar, but also the way he records the instrument – which set a new standard in jazz guitar albums, and also helped pave the way for countless generations to come! A date like this is a great example of the standard-setting work that Smith was able to give us in his prime – and the approach slightly updates the Smith guitar sound of the early 50s – clarifying it a bit, but still keeping that great tone right out front – with a group that includes Hank Jones on piano, George Duvivier on bass, and Ed Shaughnessey on drums. Titles include "Misty", "Embraceable You", "Blues Chorale", "Prelude", "As Long As There's Music", and "Round Midnight". CD

A Capitol classic from Dakota Staton – and the record that made her a real leading lady at the label in the years before Nancy Wilson's rise! The set's got a wonderfully laidback feel that's in keeping with the title, yet it also swings nicely too – kind of a new level of soul in jazz vocals that really points the way towards 60s recordings by Gloria Lynne, Etta Jones, and others. Backings are by Van Alexander, and include solos from Hank Jones on piano and Jonah Jones on trumpet – plus some great un-credited vibes and guitar – and titles include "The Late Late Show", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Moonray", "Ain't No Use", "Misty", "Summertime", and "What Do You See In Her". CD

A really great groove from guitarist Gabor Szabo – a set that has the musician working with legendary producer Wayne Henderson, in a mode that moves into soul while still keeping all the best jazz elements intact! Szabo plays acoustic guitar alongside electric from Marlon McClain, with both players wrapped up nicely by Fender Rhodes work from the great Bobby Lyle – whose keyboard lines really act as the glue for all the grooves, while Henderson works to give them all the right sort of punch from the bottom! The mix of talents here comes together perfectly – like some of the best work on the Fantasy label at the time, or maybe a bit like some of the Mizell productions – but in a different way. Titles include "The Biz", "Magic Mystic Faces", "Gloomy Day", "Desiring You", "Misty Malarky Ying Yang", "Alicia", "The Last Song", and "Estate". LP, Vinyl record album

A warm, wonderful set of Gene Clark recordings from the early 70s – material that probably should have been issued as a proper album in the States back in the day, as sounds pretty much as solid to us as some of his great work in preceding years – but was issued only in Europe at the time! Roadmaster was pulled together from 1972 sessions that were essentially abandoned, but it's truly top notch Cali country rock featuring Byrds and Burrito Brothers in the sessions. Titles include "She's The Kind Of Girl", "Full Circle Song", "Roadmaster", "In A Misty Morning", "She Don't Care About Time", "Shooting Star", "Rough And Rocky", "One In A Hundred", "I Remember The Railroad" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Two classic albums from the great Gene Clark – back to back in a single set! First up is White Light – a key part of that scattered legacy that really helped cement his individual genius after leaving The Byrds! Much of the record is a spare and intimate affair – with Gene's warm vocals accompanied by his own gently picked acoustic guitar, along with producer Jesse Ed Davis (who does a masterful job in the booth on this one) also on guitar. The tunes are also sweetened by waltzy basslines, and Byrds-y keyboard riffs by Ben Sidran, but Gene's wonderful vocals and his amazingly strong songwriting are obviously the biggest draws – not standard country or roots rock, and instead delivered with a sense of sophistication that's almost a genre unto itself. Titles include the amazing "For A Spanish Guitar" – plus "The Virgin", "With Tomorrow", "White Light", "Where My Love Lies Asleep", "1975", and a great reading of The Band & Bob Dylan's "Tears Of Rage". Roadmaster is a warm, wonderful set of Gene Clark recordings from the early 70s – material that probably should have been issued as a proper album in the States back in the day, as sounds pretty much as solid to us as some of his great work in preceding years – but was issued only in Europe at the time! Roadmaster was pulled together from 1972 sessions that were essentially abandoned, but it's truly top notch Cali country rock featuring Byrds and Burrito Brothers in the sessions. Titles include "She's The Kind Of Girl", "Full Circle Song", "Roadmaster", "In A Misty Morning", "She Don't Care About Time", "Shooting Star", "Rough And Rocky", "One In A Hundred", "I Remember The Railroad" and more. CD

It's not really fair to say that Coltrane's playing for lovers on this one, because the album's not a concept project designed to aid bachelors in the success of their romantic endeavors, so much as it is a collection of warm mellow ballads recorded by Trane during the late 50s for Prestige. The album features a number of different groupings of players that include Red Garland, Tadd Dameron, Art Taylor, Jimmy Cobb, and Paul Chambers – and the work is typical of the early recordings he made at the time when he was working with Miles Davis. Titles include "I Love You", "Violets For Your Furs", "On A Misty Night", and "Like Someone In Love". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best Sonny Criss albums ever – one of our favorites from his late 60s run at Prestige – and that's really saying a lot! The set's a warmly lyrical session that really has Criss opening up, changing up his groove to display the deep growth he'd experienced as a musician in the 60s. The rhythm section is wonderful – pianist Eddie Green, over the rock-solid team of Bob Cranshaw on bass and Alan Dawson on drums – who really help Sonny Criss transform the tunes on the record. Even 60s pop tunes like "Misty Roses" and "Eleanor Rigby" come off sounding fresh and wonderful – as do older jazz nuggets "The Masquerade Is Over" and "Rockin In Rhythm" – both tunes that are recorded so often you might expect hoke, but which sparkle anew in the hands of Sonny's soulful vision! CD

One of Tadd Dameron's last true jazz sides – featuring the bop maestro composing, arranging, and conducting for a large group that includes Bill Evans, Johnny Griffin, Joe Wilder, Clark Terry, and Philly Joe Jones. There's a bit of Ellington in the album – with somber washes of mood and color, in a manner that was always one of Dameron's strongest suits – and the quality of the players, especially Evans, really adds a lot to the album. Titles include "On A Misty Night", "Just Plain Talkin", "You're A Joy", "Swift As The Wind", and "Dial B For Beauty". CD

A sublime early set from John Coltrane – and one of Tadd Dameron's greatest moments on record ever! The session's a laidback quartet one – with John Simmons on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums, completing the group with Dameron on piano and Trane on tenor – all coming together in a style that's loose, but still quite sharp overall – especially given Coltrane's tremendous tone, which really helps take the record to the next level from the very first moment it comes into the mix! Dameron's piano is strong, but subtle – and his compositions are what really make the record great – tunes that include "Soultrane", "Mating Call", "Romas", "Super Jet", and "On A Misty Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

An album that's often overlooked amidst some of the bigger "songbook" Verve sessions by Ella Fitzgerald – yet a really special record that shows off a side of Ella that's not ever captured this well on other records! The record was also initially billed as tied into the book and film Let No Man Write My Epitaph – but there's nothing soundtrack-like at all about the performance, as Fitzgerald works with only backing from pianist Paul Smith – a player who sounds wonderful next to the singer, and brings just the right sort of inflections to open up Ella's vocals for the date! There's a spare quality that's completely captivating – proof that Fitzgerald was a hell of a jazz singer at the core, even when her star was rising on the international scene – maybe even more compelling without any large arrangements at all, as she takes on superb material that includes versions of "Misty", "Black Coffee", "Angel Eyes", "I Cried For You", "Who's Sorry Now", "September Song", "Then You've Never Been Blue", and "Reach For Tomorrow". CD

A great album from Astrud Gilberto – one that has her pushing past the simple bossa of early years, running through a range of 60s styles that all sound great – really opening up, finding new confidence in her vocals, and bridging a few different musical worlds in the process! Arrangements are by Deodato and Don Sebesky – and handled with this growing sophistication that holds on to bossa elements, but elevates the style with some of the cooler late 60s touches we love on Verve Records – all at a level that's completely sublime, and which does really wonderful things for Astrud's vocals. There's still plenty of Brazilian tunes in the mix – like "Oba, Oba", "Canoeiro", "Bossa Na Praia", "Nao Bate O Corocao", and Marcos Valle's great "The Face I Love" – and the album also features great versions of "Misty Roses", "You Didn't Have To Be So Nice", and "Stay". Plus, this CD reissue features 5 bonus tracks not on the original LP! CD

Dexter Gordon in Tokyo, but working strongly with a lineup that helped him make some of his best 70s recordings in Europe – that wonderful quartet with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Albert Tootie Heath on drums! The format is familiar, and Dex is right on the money – spinning out those wonderfully strong, richly imaginative solos that make his Copenhagen material so strong over the years – that special Gordon way of taking a familiar tune, and opening it up completely in the space of his extended solo! Titles include Gordon's classic "Fried Bananas" – plus "Misty", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Jelly Jelly Jelly". CD features two bonus tracks – "Rhythm A Ning", recorded with the same group, but with Espen Rud on drums in 1973 – and "Old Folks", recorded with an unusual quartet that features Ronnie Mathews on piano, Stafford James on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums. CD

The fantastic first Verve album from Tim Hardin – a record that's almost a genre unto itself, given the very unique approach that Tim brings to his music! The set might be one of the first times that the world of folk was able to reach out and really find a home in so many other styles too – as there's a blend of jazz-inflected instrumentation and vocals that helped lift Hardin and these songs way past the pop folk moment of the mid 60s – so much so, there's arguably an influence here that just keeps going on over the decades! Gary Burton provides some great vibes, John Sebastian blows a bit of harmonica, and Artie Butler creates these gentle arrangements that are perfect – still making you feel like you're meeting Tim Hardin on his own, but with secret subtle support. Nearly every song's a classic – and titles include "Don't Make Promises", "It'll Never Happen Again", "Reason To Believe", "How Can We Hang On To A Dream", and "Misty Roses". LP, Vinyl record album

The "plus one" on the set is Stanley Turrentine – who really warms up the sound nicely! Titles include "Gene's Lament", "Misty", "Uptown Sop", and "Yours Is My Heart Alone". CD

A key album in the career of Richard Groove Holmes – his first session ever for Prestige Records, and the one that yielded the monster crossover hit version of "Misty"! The sound here is much leaner and cleaner than Groove in his Pacific Jazz years – a tight trio approach that brings plenty focus on Holmes' soaring style on the Hammond – that way of holding a note that made his organ work instantly recognizable in the 60s, in a groove that really set the tone for plenty of spacious keyboard work to come from others who would cop his style! Players include Gene Edwards on guitar and Jimmie Smith on drums – but Groove's organ dominates the records, and clearly sets the tone for the rhythm with his amazing sense of space and timing! Titles include a 6 minute version of Groove's "Misty", plus "Groove's Groove", "Song For My Father", and "Soul Message". LP, Vinyl record album

Mellow vocals from the lovely Ayako Hosokawa – one of Japan's greatest jazz vocalists of the 70s, singing here in a warm and intimate setting. Ayako sings in English, mostly American standards plus a few pop numbers – and the backing for the set includes keyboards, tenor, guitar, and strings – flowing out in the best mellow style of the Three Blind Mice label of the time. The real standout cut is Ayako's great reading of "Feel Like Making Love" – worth the price of the album alone for its dope 70s groove – and other cuts include "When You Smile", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Misty", "Mr Wonderful", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". CD

60s Ahmad Jamal in the studio is already pretty darn great – but live, his group is even more amazing – as the pianist is able to stretch out more, and take a lot more chances too – not just in the way he's striking the keys of the piano, but also working with the fantastic rhythms of Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums! The trio have a legendary way of working together – sensing space as much as moments of music – and their work here on this series of unreleased tracks is completely sublime – and maybe one of the best recorded demonstrations of why Jamal was so revolutionary at the time! The mix of new ideas and soulful swing is incredible – and tracks here are mostly nice and long, filled with bold energy throughout – on versions of "Naked City", "Mr Lucky", "Where Is Love", "Dance To The Lady", "Fantastic Vehicle", "Gloria", "Misty", and "Autumn Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

60s Ahmad Jamal in the studio is already pretty darn great – but live, his group is even more amazing – as the pianist is able to stretch out more, and take a lot more chances too – not just in the way he's striking the keys of the piano, but also working with the fantastic rhythms of Jamil Nasser on bass and Frank Gant on drums! The trio have a legendary way of working together – sensing space as much as moments of music – and their work here on this series of unreleased tracks is completely sublime – and maybe one of the best recorded demonstrations of why Jamal was so revolutionary at the time! The mix of new ideas and soulful swing is incredible – and tracks here are mostly nice and long, filled with bold energy throughout – on versions of "Naked City", "Mr Lucky", "Where Is Love", "Dance To The Lady", "Fantastic Vehicle", "Gloria", "Misty", and "Autumn Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

Lovely lovely work from Irene Kral – a Japanese-only session from the 70s, and one of her best efforts from the time! Irene's vocals have never sounded better – strong and confident, but not in a cloying way that gets in the way of the tunes – working with a piano trio led by Alan Broadbent that's wonderfully adaptive to the mood of the tunes, especially from a rhythmic standpoint – as a number of the tracks turn out to be great groovers in the end! The album's a perfect example of the way that American singers were always able to find a hipper vibe when recording in Japan during the 70s (like Dee Dee Bridgewater or Lorez Alexandria, to name a few others recorded this way!) The set's got a great version of "On A Clear Day", a snapping jazz dance take on "You Are The Sunshine Of My Life", plus the cuts "Star Eyes", "Misty Roses", "Angel Eyes", "Corcovado", and "Everytime We Say Goodbye". LP, Vinyl record album

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". Cassette

Hard rock perfected! It's around Led Zeppelin IV that you can easily say that the group moved up from being incredibly great to flat-out legendary – really in a class by themselves, although maybe they'd already reached that point with the sublime sounds of the previous three records! There's a darkness here – and a sense of magick too – an eerie new energy that still has all the balls-out rock power of before, but which has the group moving into this heady territory that's really all their own. Every song is a classic – and tracks include "Black Dog", "Stairway To Heaven", "Rock And Roll", "Misty Mountain Hop", "When The Levee Breaks", "Going To California", "Four Sticks", and "Battle Of Evermore". LP, Vinyl record album

The title does a good enough job of summing up the range of styles that Ramsey and his trio would use to please the crowds during their countless engagements in the early 60s – taking tunes from a variety of settings, including classical, and infusing them with a soul jazz style dripping in blues, and bound to make any tune instantly likeable! The trio on the set is Ramsey's famous one with Eldee Young and Red Holt – and Richard Evans joins the group on bass on 2 tracks. Titles include "Dance Mystique", "Peace & Tranquility", "Sadness Done Come", "Travel On", "For The Love Of A Princess", and "Misty Days Lonely Nights". LP, Vinyl record album

Two giants from the LA bop scene of years past – still sounding wonderful here in the later years of their career! We're not sure we'd rapidly embrace the "young" in the title – but only because there's a maturity of playing here that really makes the record great – a sense of pacing and individuality that makes the trumpet of Howard McGhee and tenor of Teddy Edwards so strong – as they get respectful accompaniment from Art Hillery on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums – all players who seem to step into the McGhee/Edwards mode, rather than shape things on their own. Titles include "Reflections", "Relaxin At Camarillo", "Yardbird Suite", "On A Misty Night", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

Solo guitar by Joe Pass – a beautiful little album that's a perfect showcase for the new sensitivity in his music during his years at Pablo records! The Joe Pass heard here is light years away from the guitar player who made a few gimmicky records a decade before – and this album has Joe coming across with a gentle, but sophisticated approach to his instrument that we never would have expected in the past! Titles include "Blues For Basie", "Blues For OP", "Misty", "Grooveyard", "Giant Steps", "Five Hundred Miles High", and "Limehouse Blues". CD

With Buster Williams on bass and Billy Higgins on drums. Titles include "Straight Street", "Arrival", "One For Hakim", "Medi II", and "Misty Thursday". LP, Vinyl record album

A richly-recorded album, one that really brings out the best of the bass of Yoshio Chin Suzuki and the piano of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto! The sound quality is a bit like some of those classic Three Blind Mice dates from the 70s – familiar jazz territory, but a bit different too – and opened up with a tremendous ear for the color and tone of the individual players, especially Suzuki – who gets to open up a number of tracks with solo bass passages that are really beautiful! Titles include "Last Tango In Paris", "Blues For Edith", "The Loving Touch", "Summertime", "Misty", "Cleopatra's Dream", and "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise". LP, Vinyl record album

A dozen classics from sassy Sarah Vaughan's Mercury years, including "Misty", "Broken Hearted Melody", "Make Yourself Comfortable", "Autumn In New York", "Moonlight In Vermont", "How Important Can It Be", "Smooth Operator", "Whatever Lola Wants", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Eternally", "Poor Butterfly" and "Close To You". LP, Vinyl record album

An album with a really beautiful sound – not just from the core work of the piano trio, but also from the guy who recorded the whole thing too – the legendary engineer for the Three Blind Mice label in Japan, Yoshihiko Kaminari! It's not often that the engineer gets billed on the back cover alongside the members of a jazz combo – but that credit is very well due here, as the album does a beautiful job of capturing all the subtle brilliance of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on the keys of the piano – stepping gently next to the bass of Hiroshi Kagawa and drums of Toshio Ohsumi – both very subtle players who let the pianist dominate the proceedings! The set features a fair bit of Erroll Garner numbers, which creates a nicely different setting for Yamamoto – and his pairing here with Kaminari reunites the same forces that gave the world Tsuyoshi's classic TBM albums Midnight Sugar and Misty. Titles include "Dreamy", "Mood Island", "Solitaire", "Night Wind", "Paris Bounce", "Garner Talk", "Sweet For K", and "When Paris Cries". CD

An album with a really beautiful sound – not just from the core work of the piano trio, but also from the guy who recorded the whole thing too – the legendary engineer for the Three Blind Mice label in Japan, Yoshihiko Kaminari! It's not often that the engineer gets billed on the back cover alongside the members of a jazz combo – but that credit is very well due here, as the album does a beautiful job of capturing all the subtle brilliance of Tsuyoshi Yamamoto on the keys of the piano – stepping gently next to the bass of Hiroshi Kagawa and drums of Toshio Ohsumi – both very subtle players who let the pianist dominate the proceedings! The set features a fair bit of Erroll Garner numbers, which creates a nicely different setting for Yamamoto – and his pairing here with Kaminari reunites the same forces that gave the world Tsuyoshi's classic TBM albums Midnight Sugar and Misty. Titles include "Dreamy", "Mood Island", "Solitaire", "Night Wind", "Paris Bounce", "Garner Talk", "Sweet For K", and "When Paris Cries". CD