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Excellent work from Betty Carter – much more sophisticated than some of her 60s work! Betty's captured here in her hip trio format that she developed to fantastic heights during the 70s. Betty sings standards and originals with a warmth an imagination that we can hardly describe accurately – bringing emotion into the songs that we'd hardly heard in earlier recordings, and using a trio in ways that we'd never heard before with a vocalist. Incredible stuff all the way through, very much on a par with any of Betty's later work, with "Do Something", "My Shining Hour", "What's New", "Round Midnight" and "I'm Pulling Through".

One of Joe Williams' standout classics from the 50s – just the sort of record that put him on top of his game at the time! The album's one of Joe's classic outings with Count Basie – one recorded for Roulette with a slightly looser, slightly rawer feel than their work together on Verve. Joe's rendition of "Everyday I Have The Blues" is a near-definitive one – tight, syncopated, and grooving in a style that stretches back to its roots, but which also steps out with a fresh sort of groove that points the way towards changes in soulful vocal styles during the 60s. Other titles work equally well in the mode – bluesy, but never hokey, all freshened up by the Basie approach of the time – and titles include "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", "Going To Chicago", "Joe Sings The Blues", and "What Did You Win".

Two nice mellow jazzy numbers, with backing by the legendary Fuzzy Kane trio – and some nice hip vocals from Ernie!

The debut album from Pier Angeli – equally known for her acting ability as well as her singing – and working here in a swinging late 50s American take on the sound of Italian pop! Pier was married to singer Vic Damone, and while his style's perhaps a bit fuller and more emotive than hers, there's a good degree of comparison – as Pier's working here to please the imagined Italy of the American audiences in the years when things settled down after World War 2 – singing in Italian throughout to a nice set of backings from Hugo & Luigi. Most of the album's in a lush, romantic mode that's in keeping with other Roulette vocal sessions of the late 50s – save for the fact that the language is Italian, not English! Titles include "Volare", "Anema E Core", "Nu Quarto E Luna", "Torero", "Arrividerci Roma", and "Suvenir D'Italie".

A really wonderful take on Porgy & Bess and other Gershwin standards by Pearl Bailey – there's just something about her naturally rich, bluesy, husky tone on these tunes that's simply wonderful! The backing is often well measured, but, occasionally a bigger sound and chorus vocals kick in. For the most part Pearl owns this stuff, giving warmth and resonance lost on more showbizzy takes on the style and compositions. Titles include "I Got Plenty Of Nothin". "I Got Rhythm", "Summertime", "Lady Be Good", "A Foggy Day", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "Bess You Is My Woman", "It Ain't Necessarily So", "Clap Yo Hands" and more.

The genius of Basie meets the genius of Quincy Jones – a 60s pairing that's every bit as great as the 50s pairing of Basie and Neal Hefti! Jones and Basie worked together in a number of settings during the 60s – including a very successful album for Frank Sinatra on Reprise – but here, the pair are really going full-on and hard-swinging, in a fresh style that's got all the hipness of Quincy's budding talent in the 60s, played with the deeply soulful manner of the still-great Basie band of the time. Titles include "Rat Race", "For Lena & Lennie", "The Big Walk", "Meet BB", "Jessica's Day", "Muttnik", and "Quince".

A very handsome collection of Count Basie material for Roulette – easily some of our favorite Basie recordings ever!

A rare rare jam from Willie Bobo – a lively little set with a really mod groove! This pre-Verve album has Willie working in a variety of styles – from straight Latin jazz to a mode that's got some groovier 60s touches – emphasized by a bit of electric guitar on a few numbers, and by snapping dancefloor rhythms on a few of the others. Tracks are all short and hard, with a groove that's quite different than the Latin soul styles of Willie's more famous work for Verve. The group's not named in the notes, but there's some pretty nice sax work on a few of the cuts – as well as plenty of that great guitar! Titles include "Twist The Monkey's Tail", "Get Crackin", "The Hip Monkey", "Timbale Groove", "Go Go Go", "Be's The Other Way", and "Ala Bobo".

An interesting early album from Betty Carter – less jazz than some of her later work, but with a bit more of an edge than some of her ABC recordings. The album's got sort of an arranged sophisticated jazz style – in the mode of 60s work by Esther Phillips or Dinah Washington – and Betty handles some wonderful material with a dark edge, like "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Nothing More To Look Forward To", "Round Midnight", "I Wonder", "Who What Why Where When", and "The Good Life", all done in a sorrow-drenched style that's incredibly compelling, and a very different side to Betty's career. An album you'll be hard-pressed to find on vinyl – and nicely repacked for CD with 2 bonus cuts: "One Note Samba" and "Shine On Harvest Moon".

Classic trio work by Davis, recorded here with Shirley Scott on organ and Joe Newman joining in on trumpet! The cover's got a picture of Joe standing next to Basie, but the set's all Joe's –although it's also very much in a Basie bag. The tunes are all organ/tenor drivers – with short format and tight hooks – of the sort that would have been popular with Roulette's Birdland crowd. Titles include "Farouk", "Lock Up", "Telegraph", and "A Misty One".

Groovy organ jazz session from the late 60's that has Bill's funky keyboards backed by a larger group that includes players like Billy Butler, Chuck Rainey, Jimmy Castor, and Ray Lucas. The set's got reprises of a few of Doggett's classics – like "Honky Tonk" and "Hold It" – but the sound has a lot more of a groovy feel than his late 50's sessions for King. The organ's got less of the "roller skate" sound that made some of the older sessions not as good, and the production is very sharp, with a good "mod" sound. Tracks include "Bueno", "C'Mon Git It", "Booga Man", "Ko Ko", "Mr. Man", and "Doctor Joy". A nice return to his soul jazz roots after some weaker sessions in the mid 60's for major labels.

Wonderful work from Tyree Glenn – a trombonist like no other, and a player who really could get a great "voice" on the instrument! The set's a nicely earthy batch of tracks – small combo numbers, with help from Hank Jones on piano, Mary Osborne on guitar, Tommy Potter on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – all players who lay back in the groove nicely, and never dominate at all. Glenn also plays vibes on a bit of the record, which sound great too – and titles include "Teach Me Tonight", "Wonder Why", "Dear Old Southland", "Them There Eyes", "Sweet & Lovely", "Marcheta", and "All Of Me".

A pretty serious soundtrack to this depressing film about the aftermath of global nuclear war. The tracks are all dark and dramatic – with heavy use of strings, and some isolated instrumenation that steps sadly through the backings. Titles include "The Boat Race", "Australian Summer Night", "Let's Call Moira", "The Desolate City", and "Take The Final Step".

One of the few beautiful early albums cut by John Handy for Roulette – and an obscure session that has him playing alto with a quartet that includes a young Walter Bishop Jr. on piano. Handy here is fresh from his work with Mingus – and his alto is filled with fire and emotion, yet also touched by a great deal of warm soufulness. His work with Bishop on the album hearkens towards later directions in 70s soul jazz – but it's also firmly rooted in a modernist hardbop vein. Titles include "Strugglin", "No Smiles Please", "Blues For MF", and "Afternoon Outing".

Titles include "Marriage License", "Young Wings Can Fly", "Actions Speak Louder Than Words", "There's No Fool Like A Young Fool", "Make Him Feel Like A Man", and "Bring It To Me".

One of the most obscure Jackie & Roy sessions ever – a split LP that features one side of tracks from the musical By Jupiter, and another from the show Girl Crazy! The style of the set is in a similar mode to Jackie & Roy's best work for ABC – with small combo jazz group backing, and a clever vocal approach that has Jackie taking the lead on some of the more serious tracks, and Roy joining in on some very groovy duets for the more playful numbers. Titles include "Jupiter Forbid", "Everything I've Got", "I Got Rhythm", "Bidin My Time", "Could You Use Me", and "Careless Rhapsody".

Lovely vocals from British singer Millicent Martin – working here in an easygoing mode with lush backdrops from Tony Osborne! Millicent's big fame at the time was her key appearance in The Boy Friend – and she's definitely got a style here that echoes the era of that show – not an older style of singing, but kind of a rich approach that's different than other late 50s singers. Tony's backings balance things out nicely – never too overdone, and really letting Martin's rich vocals take the lead on all the tracks – as full and fluid as the strings in the backdrops themselves. Titles include "Dream", "The Song Is Ended", "In The Blue Of The Evening", "Imagination", "Sand In My Shoes", and "When Your Lover Has Gone".

Easily one of the greatest albums recorded by Olatunji in the 60s – a set that's even more hard-driving than his classic records for Columbia, with an incredibly percussive groove all the way through! The group features an assortment of percussionists all driving along with Olatunji – plus some excellent sax work from Sun Ra Arkestra members Pat Patrick and Marshall Allen, whose contributions really help flesh out the sound. Most tracks also feature chanted vocals, and all tunes are relatively long as well. Titles include "Aiye Mi Re", "Dakun", "Me Nu Di Aye", "Ljoye", "Eyanu", and "Mojuba".

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".

Incredibly hip big band work from trumpeter Herb Pomeroy – proof that the Boston influence in the 50s was a very good force in modern jazz! The group here is large, but the sound is often quite lean – done with an open focus on the strongest soloists in the group – players who include Joe Gordon on trumpet, Jacki Byard and Boots Mussulli on saxes, and Ray Santisi on piano. The style is swinging and modern, but never too academic or Kenton-styled – and the driving solos on the record are quite heartfelt, and never hokey. Great stuff all around, with titles that include "Blue Grass", "Wolafunt's Lament", "Theme For Terry", "Less Talk", "Big Man", "Feather Merchant", "Our Delight", and "Aluminum Baby".

Ahhh . . . What a mix – and the music is as evocative and smokey as the title and the cover! Jeri Southern's never sounded so good – working here with Lennie Hayton on a set of sad songs of lost love – and the album's proof that she could really be a great jazz-styled singer when she wanted to be. The whole thing's got a great sense of class, poise, and bubbling under sexuality that's probably best summed up by Jeri's pose on the cover! Titles include "Detour Ahead", "Yesterdays", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Deep In A Dream", "I Must Have That Man", and the sublime "Coffee Cigarettes Memories".

A killer package – two full albums, plus bonus tracks too! First up is Maybe – amazing early work from the Three Degrees – tracks cut before their more famous disco years in the 70s – but already showing a whole new approach to girl group soul! At some level, the trio take off strongly from the best late 60s styles of The Supremes – taking the most righteous elements, and working them into a hip new take on female soul – often using slight undercurrents of funk, in ways that are a bit like Honeycone, but even groovier! Arrangements are by Sammy Lowe and Steve Swanson – who bring in a nice east coast bite – and titles include "Sugar On Sunday", "Rosegarden", "You're The One", "The Magic Door", "Collage", "Maybe", and "You're The Fool". Next is So Much Love – a great illustration of the way the female trio could really take off – even without the disco grooves that would later bring them fame! There's a bouncy sound to most numbers here – a bit of Northern Soul here, some 60s mod there – and the girls' vocals are even more amazing than we remember them in later years – really at the top of the girl group pack for the time. Arrangements are by Hutch Davie, Tony Camillo, and Bert DeCoteaux – and titles include "Maybe", "Trade Winds", "I Do Take You", "Who Is She (And What Is She To You)", and "Magic Mirror". 2CD set features a whopping 23 bonus tracks – including "Handle With Care", "Shades Of Green", "Requiem", "Isn't It A Pity", "Yours (long single version)", "There's So Much Love All Around Me (mono)", "Through Misty Eyes (mono)", and mono takes of many album tracks!

An excellent early session from Candido – and one of his first to move from straighter Latin into a much groovier vein! The session's done in collaboration with Lalo Schifrin – who was also working for Roulette at the time – and it's got a style that links Candido's older 50s-styled Latin conga work with some of the more fluid grooves that Schifrin was just beginning to forge at the time. There's a very strong jazz sensibility to the album – with Lalo on piano, Charlie Persip on drums, Jimmy Cleveland on trombone, and some really great baritone solos from Jay Cameron – whose playing gives the album an especially soulful sound. Titles include "Conga Soul", "Toccata", "The Champ", "New Secrets", "Dark Eyes", and "Long Long Summer".

A really great album by Billy Eckstine – much more swinging and upbeat than some of his other 50s sessions, and with a strongly pronounced jazz flair overall! The album's supposedly recorded live in Vegas in the wee hours of the morning, and features Billy blowing a bit of trumpet as well as singing – all set to some nicely thumping orchestrations by Bobby Tucker, who really knows how to hit the right groove for this sort of a set. Titles include "Lady Luck", "Have A Song On Me", "Deed I Do", "Without A Song", "Moonlight In Vermont", and "Lush Life". CD features a huge amount of previously unissued bonus tracks – titles that include "Prelude To A Kiss", "Fools Rush In", "I Apologize", "Little Mama", "Prisoner Of Love", "Alright Okay You Win", and "In The Still Of The Night".

Wonderful stuff – a mid 50s LP that compiles some of Stan Getz's best icy sides for Roost Records – material that has the tenorist blowing in a way that really had folks sit up and take notice! There's some of the warmth of Lester Young in Stan's playing here, but also a crisp, modern edge too – a sign of the new voices coming forth on the tenor in the 50s – of which Stan was first and foremost! The record features material from two different sessions – one a quartet that includes Horace Silver on piano and Walt Bolden on drums; the other with Al Haig on piano and Roy Haynes on drums. Titles include "On The Alamo", "Tootise Roll", "Imagination", "Navy Blue", "S Wonderful", "You Go To My Head", and "Hersey Bar".

A legendary Latin funk album – spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s – cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. The grooves are all nice and long – with plenty of hard jamming, and soulful lyrics in English that have a very positive message. All tracks are great – and titles include "Seeds Of Life", "Harlem River Drive", and "Idle Hands". Eddie Palmieri plays piano, and the group grooves hard with a killer Latin funk sound!

A legendary Latin funk album – spearheaded by Eddie Palmieri! The record is a landmark crossover album from the early 70s – cut at the end of the Latin soul era, but featuring that genre's wonderful mix of Puerto Rican soul, Spanish Harlem Latin, and New York funk. The grooves are all nice and long – with plenty of hard jamming, and soulful lyrics in English that have a very positive message. All tracks are great – and titles include "Seeds Of Life", "Harlem River Drive", and "Idle Hands". Eddie Palmieri plays piano, and the group grooves hard with a killer Latin funk sound!

Brilliantly bright, tuneful 60s sounds from Tommy James & The Shondells – groovy stuff that's often as deeply catchy as their bigger hits, but also a bit more obscure as well – which makes this album a lot more fresh than some of their other records! There's still a nice raw jangly quality to the backdrops, which really offsets the sweet vocals nicely – a balance the really sends home these jaunty tunes in a great way! Titles include "Gettin Together", "I Want To Be Around You", "There's So Much Love All Around Me", "Some Happy Day", "So Deep With You", "Real Girl", and "Lost In Your Eyes".

Hardly just The Birdland Story – and instead, some incredible work from three key players of the hardbop years – often lost to time because of its appearance in this underwhelming package! The first half features incredible material from both John Coltrane and Lee Morgan – some of their best of the early 60s, and a record that always gets shamefully overlooked! The record features a side apiece of work by Morgan and Coltrane, each acting as the leader for a small group in perfect format. Coltrane is playing with an unusual quartet that includes McCoy Tyner, plus bassist Steven Davis and drummer Billy Higgins. Higgins' gives Coltrane a modal groove that's incredible, and Trane hits these riffs that are almost Nathan Davis-ish on tracks like "Exotica" and "One & Four". The Morgan material is a bit more straight ahead hardbop – but equally excellent – and he's got a tight tight group that features Wayne Shorter, Bobby Timmons, Jimmy Rowser, and Art Taylor. Shorter is incredible, and tracks include "Minor Strain", "Bid For Sid", and "Suspended Sentence". Next is some wonderful work from Thad Jones – sprightly cuts that sparkle wonderfully throughout – in ways that show the later Jones talent for arranging a larger ensemble, but played by a smaller combo here! The group features a great Basie-styled lineup – Thad on trumpet, Al Grey on trombone, Billy Mitchell on tenor, and Frank Wess on tenor, flute, and alto sax – players who really know each others' strengths very well, and who dance around sweet compositions by Jones – including "Subtle Rebuttal", "Tip Toe",and "H & T Blues". Also features bonus tracks – "Friday The 13th", "Subtle Rebuttal (alt)", and "Tip Toe (alt)" from the Thad Jones session – plus "Exotica (alt)" from the Coltrane set.

Nicely swingin' LP put together by the man who supervised some of Stan Kenton's best afro-cuban sessions. Richards is one of the most swinging, hard hitting bandleaders to come out of the post-swing era, and his handling of Latin material is always filled with a lot of fire, and a good sense of rhythm and soloing. Clifford Jordan is handling a number of the tenor solos here, and the rest of the band's pretty hot too. Tracks include "Viva Gordo", "Imprevu", "Pulque", "Manzanita", "Pata De Azul", and "Nada Mas".

Some of the best tunes cut in the 50s by Jimmie Rodgers – the rockabilly and folk/country cat Rodgers, not the vaunted Singing Brakeman of decades past – splitting the difference between hiccuping rockabilly hip shakers and soaring vocal pop! This self-titled debut LP has some fiery uptempo rhythm numbers but also some mellow ballads, folklore story songs, and others that find Jimmie singing out in a big way, a la Marty Robbins. Titles include "Women From Liberia", "Better Loved You'll Never Be", "Water Boy", "The Ballad Of Black Gold", "Hey Little Baby", "The Mating Call", "I'm Just A Country Boy", "Honeycomb" and more.

Stitt hits the Varitone for Roulette, and while his work isn't as funky as that of Eddie Harris or Lou Donaldson, the instrument lets him get in a nice raw tone, with a good honest edge that comes through despite backing by a largeish group. Other players include Ernie Hayes on organ, Walter Perkins on drums, and JJ Johnson on trombone – and the set includes short tracks like "Round Midnight", "Beastly Blues", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", and "Morgan's Song".

Tremendous work from one of the greatest pairings in 50s jazz – the crack later group of Count Basie and the amazing arranging talents of the great Neal Hefti! Hefti later went onto greater fame as a 60s soundtrack composer, but back in the day him and Basie were an incredible team together – as Hefti's talent for quirky, witty, whimsical horn passages really opened up the Basie sound of earlier years – and took the band far past any Kansas City cliches, into a groove that was much more suited for a modern audience! This album's one of the best the two ever cut together – and it's overflowing with Hefti gems that include "Cute", "Pensive Miss", "Sloo Foot", "Scoot", "A Little Tempo Please", "Count Down", and "Pony Tail".

A sweet set of 70s Latin Disco – less Afro-Cuban than you might expect, but a great illustration of the way that older Latin modes had filtered down to more mainstream dancefloors at the time! There's definitely still some Latin elements in the mix – but the set's also got Michael Zager arranging and producing, and giving the whole thing more of a disco focus overall – in ways that criss cross nicely throughout the record. Titles include a sweet clubby cover of Joe Cuba's "Bang Bang", a remake of Sly Stone's "Life & Death In G&A", and the titles "Black Skin Blue Eyed Boys", "Once You Get Started", and "Get Dancin".

Despite any prejudice you might have against Maynard Ferguson, he actually does a damn good job backing up Chris Connor's lovely voice on this record – probably because his band is super-hip, and includes players like Jaki Byard, Joe Farrell, and Rufus Jones. Connor is in fine icy form, as usual – and it's nice to hear her get a bit more jazzy backing than some of the more somber arrangements you'll hear on her Atlantic sessions. Titles include "The Wind", "Send For Me", "Where Do You Go?", and "Deep Song".

An obscure session that Chet recorded in the mid 60's with a rhythm section from Detroit that includes the Kirk Lightsey, Herman Wright, and Roy Brooks – and that features some firey playing by George Coleman on tenor. Tracks include "Rearin' Back", "Grade A Gravy", and "Fine & Dandy". Much more soulful than some of Chet's other LPs – and a record that was oddly licensed both to Prestige and Roulette!

The hard wailing trumpet of Maynard Ferguson gets a perfect showcase on this obscure MPS session from the 60s – a record that offers up a nice bridge between his earlier albums on Roulette, and his more famous funk sides for Columbia! The sound here is mostly acoustic, but definitely hard-grooving – in ways that are similar to other MPS big band projects of the period, such as records by Gustav Brom, or the Clarke Boland Big Band! Like the latter, there's a great ensemble working with Maynard here – and even though he's the main soloist, the sense of the larger ensemble always helps shape the sound nicely. Deiter Reith plays piano on the date – and arrangements are by Slide Hampton, Don Sebesky, Bill Holman, Willie Maiden, and Mike Abene – on cuts that include a great reading of Slide Hampton's "Got The Spirit", plus the tracks "Knarf", "Ole", "Dancing Nitely", and "Whisper Not".

A great little solo set from Gene Harris – and a perfect example of that magical time after he'd left the Three Sounds, but hadn't yet hit the more standard styles of later years – a period when Harris was really experimenting with a wide range of keyboards and sounds! The set has arranger Jerry Peters weighing in – bringing some of his own quirky touches into play with Gene's wonderful work on keyboards – which includes plenty of Fender Rhodes and moog, as well as other keys of the time too. Funky titles include "Koko & Lee Rose", "Funky Business", "Rushin Roulette", "HRD (Boogie)", and "Gettin Down Country" – and the set's got a great mellow moody soul track called "Prayer 76", with a bit of a Roy Ayers feel.

Early work from Topeka, KS psychedelia and garage-tinged rockers Morning Dew – mixing hooky guitar rocker with a fuzzy sound and charisma to spare – a collection their mid-to-late 60s singles and unreleased material! We were hipped to the group via their fantastic At Last LP cut for Roulette a little later, but this earlier work cuts nearly as deep. There's just the right amount of grit to the recordings, balanced by a knack for catchy rockers and charismatic vocals. 19 tracks in all! Includes "No More" (unreleased alternate version), a cover of "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone", "Look At Me Now", "Be A Friend", "Go Away", "Sycamore Dreamer", "Sing Out", "Young Man", "Cherry Street" and more. 14 tracks in all.

A great date from the non-Louis Prima years of Keely Smith – a rare radio performance done with backing from the Count Basie Band! Both Keely and Basie are at the height of their powers here – and the album has a format that alternates vocal numbers with some equally great instrumental tracks – played by the Count's group with all the soulful, dynamic qualities of their best recordings for Roulette Records! Given the radio presentation, the recording quality is great – and the combination of talents makes for a really unique date that's quite different than any of Smith's other solo records. Titles include "Corner Pocket", "Cherry Point", "Gonna Build A Mountain", "Crazy He Calls Me", "Basically Blue", "Why Not", "Make The Man Love Me", and "My Heart Cries For You".

A sprawling, double-sized set of Northern Soul singles – compiled by Richard Searling and with a focus on the pivotal mid 60s period – from the vaults of labels/imprints both big and small! It's got great singles issued at the time on Roulette, Capitol, United Artists, Sue, Veep, Minit, Liberty and more – mostly from '65-'68 – with some fairly famous names and comparably forgotten ones. Most of these tunes became rarities quite soon after they appeared – and it's s a massive set, too – with 50 tracks on 2CDs! Includes "Better Use Your Head" by Little Anthony & The Imperials, "Dance Dance Dance" by The Casualeers, "I'll Do Anything" by Doris Troy, "He Always Comes Back To Me" by Clydie King, "Movin' Away" by Kenny Lynch, "The Drifter" by Ray Pollard, "Breakout" by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels, "My Dear Heart" by Shawn Robinson, River Of Tears" by by Barbara Banks, "She Blew A Good Thing" by The Poets, "I'm On My Way" by Dean Parrish and more.

Two great albums from a time when Maynard Ferguson was really hitting his stride – back to back on one CD! New Sounds is a really nice set, and very much in the best spirit of the excellent early 60s albums that Maynard cut for Roulette! As with those, there's some great players working in the group – a lineup that includes Willie Maiden on tenor sax, Dusko Goykovich (horribly misspelled in the notes) on trumpet, Ronnie Cuber on Baritone, and Lanny Morgan on alto – all of whom get to step out in short but soulful solos that make the tracks bristle with more excitement than you'd think. And as with other Cameo jazz sides from the time, Rufus Jones is on drums – bringing in a nice little punch to the tracks that kicks them up in just the right sort of way. Titles include the originals "Bossa Nova De Funk", "Maine Bone", and "At The Sound Of The Trumpet" – plus a version of "Watermelon Man", and the bonus track "The Song Is You". Come Blow Your Horn is a surprisingly nice album of big band material from Maynard – recorded at a time when he was just getting his start as a big name, and still handling some hip enough players to make the groove swing! One track claims to have a "Dusan Goykovich" as a soloist – who we can only imagine to be our man Dusko Goykovich – and the record has plenty other nice solos by Lanny Morgan. Arrangements are by Don Sebesky, Al Cohn, Willie Maiden, and Oliver Nelson – and tracks include "Groove", "Whisper Not", "Blues For A Four String Guitar", "New Hope", and "Naked City Theme".

Two Sonny Stitt dates with organ – both from different ends of the 60s! First up is Soul Shack – a mellow burner, and a real classic from the early 60s soul jazz years of Prestige Records! The album brings together the saxes of Sonny Stitt (both alto and tenor) and the Hammond of Jack McDuff – who's really coming into his own at this point, and has a lean, mean tone that's a perfect match for Stitt's horn. There's a bluesy undercurrent to the record, but without any of the cliches that might have crept in a few years before – leaving Stitt in the modern company you might expect, in ways that are similar to his dates with Don Patterson. Rhythm is from Leonard Gaskin on bass and Herbie Lovelle on drums – and titles include "Shadows", "Soul Shack", "Sunday", "Love Nes", "For You", and "Hairy". Night Letter is a great set of Varitone sax numbers from Sonny Stitt – recorded for Prestige with a bit more bite than some of his albums of the type for Roulette! The album's got a tight tenor/organ vibe throughout – thanks to work on Hammond from Gene Ludwig, working under the "nom de date" of Booker Patterson – bumped along strongly with some tight guitar from the great Pat Martino! Drums are by Randy Gelispie – and Stitt's electric horn melds in with the organ and guitar wonderfully – with a sound that's a lot deeper than other uses of the instrument at the time. Titles include "Loose Walk", "Night Letter", "Stringing The Jug", and "Blue String".

Tragically beautiful doo wop by the youthful Frankie Lymon, and his legendary Teenagers group. Includes the classic "Why Do Fools Fall In Love", plus "I'm Not A Juvenile Deliquent", "I'm Not A Know It All", "Love Is A Clown", and "Please Be Mine".