Perhaps the rarest of all Jimmy Scott albums – and perhaps the best, too! Jimmy cut this one for Ray Charles' Tangerine label (it was the label's first) – a fact that's driven home on the front cover, where a lounging sexy couple is reclining in front of a fire with a bottle of wine and two of Ray's albums from the time! The real star here, though, is Jimmy – who lays down some of the best vocals of his career over totally sympathetic arrangements by Marty Paich and Gerald Wilson, carefully crafting sad lonely versions of standards like "There Is No Greater Love", "They Say It's Wonderful", "Someone To Watch Over Me", and "How Deep Is The Ocean". Jimmy makes these tunes all his own, singing the songs in that wispy fragile gender-bending way that's always been both his biggest strength and greatest curse! CD

The Mastersounds seem to take a page from the book of the MJQ – especially with a title like this – but as usual, the end results are a fair bit hipper! The album features the classic lineup with Buddy Montgomery on vibes, Monk Montgomery on electric bass, Richie Crabtree on piano, and Benny Barth on drums – all working through a batch of extremely mellow numbers that put Buddy's vibes right out front, ringing out with a clear, clean sound that cuts through any potential sleepiness. Titles include "Little Stevie", "Solar", "Monk's Ballad", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "One Mint Julep", and "The Champ". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This limited version of the expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a huge booklet of notes and photos, as well as essays on Dennis' music – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

A surprisingly sweet solo effort from Beach Boy Dennis Wilson – a record of surprising depth and darkness, and arguably stronger than most of the albums at the time from the larger group! Dennis produced the album himself, with some executive help from James William Guerico – whose guidance here seems key, given the overall quality of the set. There's some echoes of Beach Boys' styles in the music, but the sound is much more personal as well – Wilson's ragged vocals in the lead on all numbers, sometimes upfront and fragile, sometimes given a bit more umph through the use of processing – at that level that the whole group would often experience in the studio during the 70s. The album's as much of a showcase for Dennis' writing skills as it is for his vocals – and songs are co-written with co-producer Gregg Jakobson, as well as Carl Wilson, Mike Love, and Karen Lamm-Wilson. Titles include "River Song", "Friday Night", "Thoughts Of You", "Dreamer", "Time", "You And I", and "What's Wrong". This expanded Legacy edition is really amazing – with a 24-page booklet with notes and photos – plus session bonus tracks that include "Mexico", "Holy Man", "Only With You", and "Tug Of Love". Also features a full bonus CD with the sessions for the unreleased Bambu album – with tracks that include "School Girl", "It's Not Too Late", "Under The Moonlight", "Are You Real", "He's A Bum", "Cocktails", "I Love You", "Constant Companion", and "Time For Bed". CD

Fantastic work from Durand Jones & The Indications – a group who've really come a long way in the past few years – in ways that push Durand's vocals to places we wouldn't have guessed on previous records! This set's way more than just a funk band with a soul singer upfront – as the whole thing's a fully-formed soul record through and through – with these larger arrangements that really add a lot, and open up all these righteous 70s currents mixed with a few contemporary flourishes that really give the album a very distinct sound! The songwriting is even better than before, too – and the group seems to have found a voice for themselves that's unlike any of their contemporaries. The record features guest work from Brandee Younger on harp and Joel Ross on vibes – and titles include "Love Will Work It Out", "Witchoo", "Reach Out", "Sexy Thang", "More Than Ever", "Private Space", "Sea Of Love", "I Can See", and "Ride Or Die". CD

Three beautiful ECM albums from pianist Steve Kuhn – each quite different and wonderful in their own way! First up is Motility, a spacious set done with Steve Slagle on alto, soprano sax, and flute – soaring out alongside Kuhn's warmly flowing acoustic piano lines with a great sense of soul – all the lyrical depth and power that we love so much in Steve Kuhn's music during these key years. Other group members include Harvie Swartz on bass and Michael Smith on drums – and at times, the group almost has the well-honed tightness of a fusion group, but plays with an acoustic soul that's even more beautiful. Titles include "The Rain Forest", "Oceans In The Sky", "Catherine", "The Child Is Gone", and "A Danse For One". Next up is Playground, one of Steve Kuhn's amazing collaborations with vocalist Sheila Jordan! Although Kuhn's a pianist at heart, he always seems to have an ear for singers – especially at this time in his career, when both his playing and his compositions gave such new inspiration to a 70s decade of vocal experimentalists. Jordan's definitely at the forefront of that generation, and works here beautifully with Kuhn's piano – in a group that also includes Harvie Swartz on bass and Bob Moses on drums. Most tunes are relatively spare, and build up with a great sort of sensitivity – and titles include "Deep Tango", "The Zoo", "Life's Backward Glance", and "Gentle Thoughts". Last up is Ecstasy, a solo set from Kuhn – recorded in the mid 70s, with an even more careful, thoughtful tone than some of his other albums of the decade! Steve's piano is captured in a warmly intimate setting – somewhat echoey at points, and spinning out with these captivating lines and tones that hold us more hypnotically than other albums of this nature. Titles include "Thoughts Of A Gentleman – The Saga Of Harrison Crabfeathers", "Ulla", "Silver", and "Life's Backward Glance". CD

The title's a bit misleading – as Chet Baker never really stopped singing, and in fact had found a way to mix his vocals with really nicely stretched-out solos on some of his European recordings from this generation! But the set does feature maybe a bit more vocals upfront than some of Chet's other records from the time – although there's also plenty of trumpet too – on nicely compact tracks performed with a great group that's perfect for the laidback, airy style of this generation of the Baker sound – one that we love more and more as the years go on! The quartet features the great Michel Graillier on piano, Ricardo Del Fra on bass, and John Engels on drums – on titles that include "How Deep Is The Ocean", "I Can't Get Started", "All Of You", "Look For The Silver Lining", "My Funny Valentine", "Alone Together", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

Recent live material from Djavan – caught with a smallish rock-oriented band, in front of a very lively crowd. The overall feel is quite strong – and Djavan's guitar and soulful voice always manage to please, whatever the setting. There's 2 discs in the set – and titles include "Boa Noite", "Lilas", "Sina", "A Carta", "Esquinas", "Oceano", "Serrado", "Azul", "Samurai", "Meu Bem Querer", and "Amar E Tudo". CD