Columbia, Late 50s. Very Good+
Jimmy Rushing reprises a nice batch of blues classics from the 20s, all of which were sung by early recording artists like Bessie or Clara Smith. The group that backs him is a nice one, and features Buck Clayton on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, and Coleman Hawkins on tenor. As with many of ...
Coral, 1959. Very Good
An oft-overlooked jazz vocal session by Mary Ann McCall, with superb arrangements by Johnny Richards, and a nice batch of tracks that have a surprisingly dark quality to them. Titles inlcude "Blue (and Broken Hearted)", "Lover Is Blue", "Melancholy Nights", "Am I ...
Capitol, Late 60s. Near Mint-
A cool album of tracks that has Dakota singing with a bit tighter arrangement than usual, in sort of a pop soul jazz bag, like some of the other Capitol singers at the time who were working with HB Barnum and David Axelrod. The album includes Dakota's groovy track "Young Generation" ...
Verve, Mid 50s. Near Mint-
Anita O'Day pays tribute to Downbeat poll winners by singing vocal versions of their big hits in this lively set of jazz tracks from the 50s! Arrangements are by Marty Paich and Russ Garcia, both swinging as nicely as they ever did – and the setting of the album keeps Anita nicely in line, ...
Reprise, Mid 60s. Very Good+
Another classic in the Lee Hazelwood/Billy Strange mode, featuring some lusty dusky production that gets a lot better work from Nancy than she could ever do on her own! Lots of Hazelwood originals, including "How Does that Grab You, Darlin?", "My Baby Cried All Night Long", ...
Colpix, 1959. Very Good+
Amazing is right – as Nina Simone is really taking off here – showing the world that she's way more than just another jazz singer – able to hit some righteous currents that would only explode even more in years to come! Nina's emotion is subtle, but extremely powerful – ...
Project 3, 1968. Very Good+ Gatefold
The fab second album by the Free Design – one that has them moving confidently into the realm of groovy pop – magically touching songs with their unique innocent harmony approach, and completely transforming them in the process! The set includes wonderful versions of groovy 60s pop ...
ABC, 1958. Very Good+
One of the first albums ever by this legendary jazz vocal group! LHR do the incredible – and create a set of vocal renditions of standards by the Basie band, putting jazzy lyrics in to replace the instrumental solos, but keeping the same vibe as the original tracks. The sound and approach ...
Verve, 1959. Near Mint-
Very cool work from Anita O'Day – a session cut with Jimmy Giuffre arrangements, in a style that's a bit different than some of her other 50s work for Verve! Jimmy brings a nice touch of modernism to the record – casting the horns in ways that show his own love of creative colors and ...
Prestige, 1962. Very Good
A beautiful album of heartfelt vocal tracks by a young Etta Jones – featuring arrangements by Oliver Nelson that rank among the best sort that he was penning for vocalists of this sort during the 60s. Etta's got a nice mix of material here, and although some of the tracks are a bit well-known ...
Verve, 1962. Very Good+
A great little meeting of two of the better talents on Verve Records in the early 60s – one that pairs the warm vocals of Anita O'Day with the cool vibes of Cal Tjader – in a sweet little session that's actually one of O'Day's best from the time! The feel here is lively, and slightly ...
Columbia, Early 60s. Very Good+
A great batch of jazz and pop vocal tracks, and possibly the finest record that singer Teri Thornton ever cut in the 60s! The title track has Teri singing the theme to the show Route 66, and there's lots of other nice numbers like "This Is All I Ask", "The Day I Stop Loving You" ...
Capitol, 1970. Very Good+
A really great album from Nancy Wilson – a set that still has her working with the jazzy undercurrents of her best 60s work for Capitol Records – yet also moving into some hipper, more sophisticated soul styles too! There's a really strong adult vibe to the record – not that ...
Reprise, 1967. Very Good+
A beautiful little album that shows a whole new side of Sinatra! Frank's a bit late on the bossa game – but the record's a wonderfully gentle batch of bossa nova tunes, performed with musical and occasional vocal accompaniment by Jobim, and larger orchestral backings by Claus Ogerman. Far ...
Inner City, 1978. Sealed
One of the hippest albums ever from singer Joe Lee Wilson – a righteous vocalist with a style we'd rank right up there with Leon Thomas or Andy Bey in the 70s! The album's got an easygoing vibe that's a nice change from some of Joe's other records – a quality that's never too forced, ...
Capitol, 1973. Near Mint-
An excellent lost album from Nancy – and one of her most original! The record takes the sophisticated soul vocals of her late 60s albums on Capitol, and twists them with a hip LA jazzy style arranged by Don Sebesky, and performed by The Crusaders and Arthur Adams. Great stuff, and with the ...
ABC, 1966. Very Good+
One of Della Reese's greatest records – and a unique little session cut "live in the studio" before a very appreciative crowd! Bobby Bryant wrote out some very hip charts for the session, and they're made even better by organ work by Bill Doggett and piano lines by Gerald Wiggins ...
Verve, Late 50s. Near Mint-
An excellent album of vocals by the great Joe Williams! Joe's always been a fine singer, but with Basie, he really gets the backing he needs to do his work the best. And although this album isn't as authenico as it might be, it still comes from a time when Verve really knew how to handle singers ...
Decca, Mid 50s. Very Good+
Pretty darn cool stuff from one of the greatest jazz singers around! This one was Mark's first album, cut a long time ago when he was a wee lad – as you'll see by the photo on the cover. The arrangements are by Ralph Burns, and they're pretty darn hip – and although the style is more ...
Columbia, 1966. Near Mint-
One of the greatest, straightest sets from Mel Torme – an all-classic batch of tracks that's quite different than his other album for Columbia! Torme checks in as a totally committed, totally serious jazz vocalist here – with an impeccable approach to the music that puts this album ...
Columbia, 1962. Very Good+
Includes the tracks "I'm Just Wild About Harry", "Doodle Dee Doo", "On the Sunny Side of the Street", and "Tom Dooley".
Columbia, Late 50s. Sealed
A classic from Jimmy Rushing – recorded at a time when he was really finding a new audience for his vocals! In a style that Columbia was using on a number of sides in the late 50s and early 60s, Jimmy and Buck do a bit of educatin' – and trace a progression of jazz styles from New ...
Direction, 1968. Near Mint- Gatefold
An incredible late album from Bobby Darin – and a real treasure! The record was cut after Darin's mid 60s fascination with the work of Tim Hardin, most of which he re-recorded for Atlantic during that time – but it's got a similar style to the Hardin years, yet features some stunning ...
Colpix, 1963. Near Mint-
A hip set of live tracks from Nina Simone – very dark and moody, with backing by only a small combo that includes two guitars, bass, and drums by Montego Joe! Nina handles all the arrangements herself – with a quality that really shows her stepping forward from straight jazz, and ...
Atco, 1961. Very Good-
One of the greatest Bobby Darin albums ever! Gone are all the gimmicks of some of his teen records, and in their place is a solid, serious approach to jazz vocals that has Darin standing tall with the likes of Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. Honest, this is one of our favorite vocal ...
RCA, 1971. Very Good+
Classic RCA work from the great Nina Simone – and an album that definitely shows Nina hitting more of the soul spectrum than some of her folk and jazz work of the 60s! The set's got these wonderful arrangements from Harold Wheeler – a bit electric, and done in a way that takes familiar ...
Reprise, 1961. Very Good
This was Sinatra's first swing record for Reprise and his third collaboration with Billy May who arranged and conducted this 1961 recording. It features some standards from the likes of Rodgers & Hart ("Have You Met Miss Jones?") and George & Ira Gershwin ("Love Walked ...
RCA, 1956. Very Good+
Henri Rene and his orchestra accompany Eartha on this record named after her 1956 autobiography. There is an tiny excerpt from her book on the back cover but the songs don't seem to necessarily reflect her life story. It's a nice collection of some relatively tame tunes in that throaty Earth Kitt ...
Mercury, 1962. Very Good+
Fantastic – and a record that will send chills down your spine! The recording quality of this one is superb – and Billy's rich voice has a bottomless quality that echoes out over the depths of moody arrangements by Billy Byers and Torrie Zito that are some of the best we've ever heard ...
Riverside, 1961. Near Mint-
One of the best albums from singer Teri Thornton – a jazz vocalist who was really starting to come into her own at the beginning of the 60s, and shines here in a way that's different from some of her bigger label sets! Backings are by Norman Simmons – a pianist we love on his own, and ...