Vocalists -- Recently Added -- CD  

Sultry vocals from Sallie Blair -- one of the hipper singers of her generation, and an artist with a sound that's unlike anyone else we can think of! Blair's a bit bluesy, a bit soulful, but ultimately a jazz singer at heart -- and her already-cool style gets some sweet extra help on this session ...

A groovy collection of singles from Peggy Lee -- all material from her early return to Capitol Records after a mid-50s stint at Decca -- brought together in a full length album from 1960! The work here already shows a great change in Peggy's style -- that tightening up and hipping up she did ...

2 later Capitol gems from Peggy Lee -- on a single CD, and with some bonus tracks too! Make It With You is very cool work from Peggy -- mostly with arrangements by Benny Golson, and done in a really wonderful style for the 70s! The work's every bit as mature as her other Capitol sides from the ...

Killer Peggy Lee on Capitol Records -- 2 very groovy albums on a single CD! Then Was Then is a sublime mid 60s effort that has Peggy working with arrangers Sid Feller, Billy May, and Cy Coleman -- all of whom continue in the same groovy territory Lee hit at the time with Jack Marshall -- a blend ...

Sunny wonderfulness from one of the grooviest vocal groups of all time! This is Free Design's legendary album for children -- referred to in the title as "very important people" -- and it's a strangely hip set of tracks designed to get the kids to open up in a groovy late 60s kind of way. ...

One of the few albums ever recorded by Lola Albright -- a vocalist as sweet as she was sexy! The album's got a seductive feel -- summarized by the cover and title -- one that might make you think Lola had more to offer in the looks department than the voice -- but the overall sound is pretty nice, ...

Sweetly trilling vocals from the lovely Pat O'Day -- one of the few records issued on the small Golden Crest label, and a rare jazz gem throughout! Pat's style is somewhat sweet, but never as much so as a pop singer -- and backings are by Jack Zimmerman, and often feature some nice horn interplay ...

Bev Kenny sounds surprisingly great in this Basie-styled setting -- one that has Jimmy Jones handling the keys instead of the Count -- with added support from players who include Joe Newman on trumpet, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, and Freddie Green on guitar! Like most of Kenny's sessions of the ...

One of the rare few records recorded by a young Andy Bey and his sisters! The group was an obscure jazz harmony trio formed by Andy in his earlier years -- and it features him on piano, joining with the vocals of his two sisters Salome and Geradine Bey -- in a soulful, moody style that's unlike ...

A wonderful return to form for Roger Nichols & The Small Circle Of Friends -- working here in the same sublime space they hit on their one and only album for A&M Records in the 60s! The style here is somewhat more modern -- but still mostly 70s-styled, as opposed to contemporary -- and in ...

Seminal work from one of the hippest jazz singers ever -- a session that showed the world that Eddie Jefferson was firmly back in business during the 60s! The set's got a really rollicking feel, and a bit more influence from soul than the bop of Eddie's roots -- with elements of gospel and R&B ...

Great early work by Mark Murphy -- perhaps lacking some of the cool breeziness of his 70s work, but still a wonderful batch of vocal tracks with an approach that's a lot hipper than most! Ernie Wilkins handled the arrangements -- and the set includes some very nicely selected material, like Fran ...

A surprisingly great little Latin set from Rosemary Clooney -- one that makes us want to forgive her for all her pop takes on the genre in the early 50s! Backings here are by Perez Prado, who really brings a nice degree of "zing" to the session -- kicking things up with that trademark ...

One of the grooviest albums ever from Eddie Jefferson -- a perfect blend of his earlier vocalese roots with a hipper, more swinging 60s style of soul jazz! The album's got an upbeat, joyous feel throughout -- exploding with the sort of dynamic energy we've always loved in Eddie's singing at its ...

3 great Nina records collected together in one package! Emergency Ward is a great little album cut by Nina Simone during the time she was working with Weldon Irvine. The record features 4 long tracks, all cut live in concert, and with large arrangements done by Weldon, and lots of improvising on ...

An ultra-hip batch of vocal tracks -- and one of the few full albums recorded by singer Barbara Moore! Barbara's got a very groovy style that's part jazz, part easy, part sunshine pop -- all wrapped up into one super-warm blend! Her tracks have been showing up on playlists of beatheads for years - ...

Dreamy Japanese pop from Martha Miyake -- a set that mixes Martha's lovely vocals with some fuller arrangements that have a nice blend of jazz, bossa, and European styles! The lyrics are often in English, and they have a nicely dark quality throughout -- moody and mellow, with an undercurrent of ...

Lynn Taylor's got a bit of a Kim Novak look on the cover of this one -- but her vocals aren't nearly as deep, and come off with a really warm quality overall! The album's the only one we've ever seen from Lynn, which is a bit of a shame, considering how great she sounds on the set -- a well-voiced ...

2 very obscure sessions from vocalist Helen Merrill -- both recorded in Tokyo during the early 60s! The first half of the CD is from the album Helen Merrill In Tokyo -- a wonderful small combo set arranged by drummer Takeshi Inomata, played by a combo that includes alto, baritone, and trumpet -- ...

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas -- easily one of his greatest albums! The album was recorded in 1969, right at the time Leon was working with Pharoah Sanders -- and his days with the spiritual jazz giant shine through brightly on the session. The players include James Spaulding, Lonnie Liston ...

An excellent 70s set by Jackie & Roy -- very different than their work of the 50s and 60s, with an approach that's much more far-reaching and complicated -- a style that opens up their vocal talents majestically! Gone are the simplier ditties of earlier years, and in their place are warmly ...

A lost gem from European jazz singer Ann Burton -- recorded in Tokyo in the early 70s, and featuring a batch of really unusual tunes done with a lively feel! There's an easygoing groove to most of the work in the set -- a lightly rhythmic pulse brought to the record by the Ken McCarthy trio, and ...

An easygoing live set from vocalist Ann Burton -- one that has her working with the trio of pianist Rob Agerbeek, and which features a few guest appearances from Mark Murphy! The whole thing's got an approach that makes you feel like you're right in the club with Ann -- as Rob's trio handle a few ...

The team of Jerry Lieber & Mike Stoller are usually best associated with older rock and roll tunes of the 50s and 60s -- but they also deserve a heck of a lot of credit for re-igniting Peggy Lee's career! Peggy had sung a few of the pairs tunes on earlier Capitol records, but at the end of the ...

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria -- an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title -- a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's ...

A rare and exceptional vocal jazz LP -- cut by the obscure Marilyn Moore, then the wife of Al Cohn -- who's pictured in profile on the cover of the record! Marilyn's got a style that's somewhat raspy -- clearly inspired by Billie Holiday at times, and not what you'd expect in comparison to some of ...

A 60s classic from Tony Bennett -- a record that sported a huge title hit, but which also stands strongly as a really unified album! Tony's at his maturing best here -- still working with core jazz inspiration from the Ralph Sharon Trio, but also getting fuller strings from George Siravo -- who ...

Fantastic stuff, and proof that Rosemary Clooney was always one heck of a great singer -- with strengths in jazz that you didn't always hear in her pop work! As you'd guess from the cover, Duke Ellington's leading the group on the album -- and most of the tracks here are older Ellington standards, ...

A late 70s set from Anita O'Day -- recorded live in Japan, where she seemed to do some of her best work of the decade! The style here is simple, swinging, and soulful -- backings from the trio of pianist Dwight Dickerson, who seem to give Anita a groove that's slightly hipper than in years past -- ...

Sublime early work from Johnny Mathis -- a session that really shows the jazzy charm he had at the start! The setting is as spare as you might guess from the title -- no large orchestra, and instead just two guitars (played by Tony Mottola and Al Caiola) supporting Johnny's vocals in a very open-en ...

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 ...

There's few singers we like better than Blossom Dearie -- and this great little record captures Blossom at her unfettered best, working live before an intimate crowd at London's Ronnie Scott's nightclub in the 60s! The performance is in the same small combo mode as some of Dearie's Verve albums ...

Kitty White's first album for Mercury -- packaged here with a bonus album recorded a few years later for Roulette! First up is New Voice In Jazz -- a sublime set recorded right at the height of Mercury's jazz years -- and done in a personal, unfettered style that's really great -- right up there ...

A mad mad afternoon with the great Babs Gonzales -- one of the hippest jazz singers ever! The set is one of Babs' best on records, and it features a mix of jazz vocals and hipster monologues that shows perfectly the mixture of talent and hustling that Babs used to make a name for himself in the ...

Excellent vocal jazz from postwar Paris! The Blue Stars were a legendary combo that were led by Blossom Dearie, and which featured a host of great vocal talents that would later go onto form groups like Les Double Six or The Swingle Singers, including Mimi Perrin and Christine Legrand, as well as ...

Lorry Raine may not be one of the biggest names on the LA scene of the 50s, but she's working here with top-shelf backings from arrangers Nelson Riddle and Russ Garcia! The album's a bit jazz, but also a bit more of a fuller vocal affair -- similar to the sort you might find on Capitol from the ...

A great little CD -- not only for the very nice price, but for the fact that the double-length set brings together two albums' worth of work that Carmen McRae recorded for the Groove Merchant label in the early 70s! The style here is strongly jazzy, but with a firm dose of soul too -- all in a ...

Wonderful early work from Ben Sidran! The album's got a hip jazzy vocal style -- similar to some of the best late 60s work by Bob Dorough or Dave Frishberg, but also with New Orleans touches -- as in the work of Mose Allison or Dr John! Sidran brings in a smoother, groovier feel than those ...

2 ABC classics from Jackie & Roy -- back to back on a single CD! Bits & Pieces is incredible early work from the duo -- one of their sublime 50s classics on ABC, done in a style that's even groovier than their sessions for Storyville! The whole thing's upbeat, lively, and extremely cheery ...

A lush album by Sarah Vaughan -- recorded in Paris in 1958, with orchestrations by Quincy Jones -- and large group backing that includes some nice tenor work by Zoot Sims! The session's one of Vaughan's most cohesive albums of the period, and although it's got "violins" in the title, it's ...

Was there a sexier 70s celebrity than Joey Heatherton? It's hard to think so -- and the cover of this one is more than enough proof that she was America's greatest answer to Brigitte Bardot! And while we certainly remember her from countless variety show appearances at the time, it's actually a ...

Way more than just a traditional vocal jazz session -- and a really unusual bit of modernist work from singer Inge Brandenburg, made even cooler by backings from the Gunter Hampel Quartet! There's a sharp, angular edge to most of the work here that easily makes Inge stand with the hippest singers ...

A bit smoother than Ben's earlier albums -- but a great little set all the way through -- and about as classic as you can get for Sidran in the 70s! The album's got a bit more soul in the mix, but still has some jazzy elements in the backings -- and where things were sometimes messed up in the ...

A huge package of rare live work from Billie Holiday -- essentially a CD collection of all of the previous LPs issued in the 60s and 70s by ESP! The work here really runs the gamut -- as you might guess from the dates -- and performances offer up an ever-changing picture of Billie Holiday from the ...

A full set's worth of remixes of older Nina Simone tunes -- served up hot on the heels of the big success of Simone songs from the Verve Remixed series! Ulike the Verve series, the work here is all pulled from Nina's RCA recordings of the late 60s and early 70s -- some of her hippest work on ...

A long-overdue look at the genius of Paul Williams -- an incredible singer who's work as a songwriter influenced a generation -- and whose own recordings are a key link between Sunshine Pop and adult sounds of the 70s! You may only know Williams as that funny-looking guy who showed up a lot on 70s ...

A double-length set from Dakota Staton -- featuring 2 of her albums for the Groove Merchant label! First up is I Want A Country Man -- very hip work from Dakota, and one of her great early 70s albums for the Groove Merchant label! Backings here are by the band of Manny Albam -- in a mode that's ...

One of Nina's first for RCA -- a mixture of jazz and soul tunes handled with some classy arrangements by Sammy Lowe, most of which feature nice electric bass work at the bottom by Gene Taylor! Taylor's bass gives the tracks a nice "dip" that's not exactly funky, but does provide a strong ...

Kenny Rankin at the height of his powers -- working in an amazing blend of styles that includes bits of folk, jazz, and bossa -- all wrapped together with a really warm feel overall! The album's got a somewhat full feel -- but like Kenny's best work on his debut, there's a really personal quality ...

One of our favorite records of all time -- a landmark piece of 60s pop that we'd easily rank with the best work by Brian Wilson, Millennium, Gary Usher, Van Dyke Parks, or any of those other California sunny-eyed hipsters! The style is sweet A&M vocal pop -- with an emphasis on groovy ...