... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

An obscure set, but a great one too – the only full album ever recorded by Flo Bennett, a singer who started in Denver, moved to LA, and managed to cut this sweetly jazzy session with help from arranger Ernie Freeman! The album's on the tiny Gift label, but it's got the care and poise of bigger-label sets from the time – particularly some of the late 50s girl singer sessions on RCA, especially those with a more jazz-based feel. The group's a small combo – with Plas Johnson on tenor, John Anderson on trumpet, and Irving Ashby on guitar – and the tunes themselves are mostly pretty fresh, and include some lesser-known mid-century numbers amidst more familiar standards. Flo's vocal style is nicely raspy at points – almost world-weary, despite a relatively young age – and songs include "Lonely Winter", "If You Were Me", "What To Do", "Half Past Lonely", "Saturday Night", "Out Of Town", "Laugh At Me", and "Never Been So Lost". CD

Buddy Collette's definitely a man of many parts here – and many talents too, considering the reedwork on the set! Buddy plays alto, tenor, clarinet, and flute – using the horns with wonderful invention that really showcases his unique style of the time – that mix of modern and playful modes you'd hear in the Chico Hamilton group when Collette was around! The album features a few different groups, too – with players who include Gerald Wilson on trumpet, Ernie Freeman or Gerald Wiggins on piano, Red Callender on bass, and Larry Bunker on drums. Titles include "Ruby", "Cycle", "Cheryl Ann", "Jazz City Blues", "Zan", and "Jungle Pipe". CD

One of the grooviest of Sammy's albums for Reprise during the 60s – cut with production by Jimmy Bowen and a nicely bouncy set of backings! There's a definite mixed bag approach to the material, but it's that non-unified quality that makes some of Sammy's best albums so great – as he'll deliver a pop number one minute, a tender ballad the next, and a tongue in cheek cover after that – really expressing himself on vinyl with the same range that he brought to his excellent live shows. Bowen keeps things light and lively throughout – and arrangers include George Rhodes, Ernie Freeman, and Al Capps. Titles include the excellent "The Goin's Great" – used famously in a Pam Am campaign at the time – plus bouncy versions of "Bein Natural Bein Me" and "In This Crowded World" – and the tracks "What Became Of Me", "Take It From One Who Knows", "This Guy's In Love With You", and "I Have But One Life To Live". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet, sophisticated musings from Julie London – a set that has her taking on some of the coolest tunes from the first half of the 60s – including a fair bit of soundtrack themes too! Backings are by Richard Wess and Ernie Freeman, who each have their own distinct flavor – and help give the record a nice sort of balance between mellow and upbeat. There's loads of groovy tunes on the set – and London does a wonderful job with "Theme From A Summer Place", "More", "Never On Sunday", "An Affair To Remember", "Boy On A Dolphin", "The Second Time Around", "Charade", and "Wives & Lovers". LP, Vinyl record album

Pure Holiday genius from Dean Martin – a Christmas record we like even better than his already-great set for Capitol, and one that's done in the boozier style of later years! Jimmy Bowen's at the helm of the record, working with arrangements by Ernie Freeman and Bill Justis that present the aging Dino in the best laidback style of his TV show of the time. There's a bit less of the pep and bounce of some of Dean's hits for Reprise, but the album's still a great one – and titles include the always-great "Marshmallow World", plus "Silver Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", "Jingle Bells", and "The Things We Did Last Summer" – a strange inclusion, but a great one! LP, Vinyl record album

Dean sings tunes from one of the best of the Matt Helm films – The Silencers! The music's got Dean very much in the best of his Reprise country-styled singing – with production by Jimmy Bowen that makes strong use of electric bass on the bottom, and arrangements from Ernie Freeman and Gene Page that keep things nice and bouncy even on the slow tunes. The album's got a few original instrumentals – like "The Silencers", "Lord You Made The Night Too Long", and "Lovey Kravezit" – plus Dean doing great versions of standards that include "Side By Side", "Glory Of Love", and "South Of The Border". LP, Vinyl record album

Three full albums from Johnny Mathis in one single set – the last of which was actually issued originally as a 2LP set! First up is Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head – great magic from Johnny Mathis at the start of the 70s – a set that has Johnny working through some groovier tunes from the second end of the 60s – all set to some mighty nice backings from Ernie Freeman! Ernie brings in a fair bit of strings, but also gives things that soulful punch at the bottom that you'll know from his 60s material – and the Mathis vocal maybe is a bit more crisp in the setting, although still with that wonderfully full range that always made the man so unique! Titles include great versions of "Watch What Happens", "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head", "Midnight Cowboy", "Everybody's Talkin", "Jean", "Odds & Ends", and "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Close To You has Johnny Mathis kicking off with his take on the Burt Bacharach title hit, then moving through a number of other late 60s hits – some of which are perfect for the Mathis style, others of which make for a mighty nice stretch – and we mean that in the best way possible! There's some backing elements here that are groovier than usual for Johnny – pushing him in a nice way with modes that seem a bit borrowed from sunshine pop and soul – on titles that include "Come Saturday Morning", "Evil Ways", "Yellow Days", "The Long & Winding Road", "Wave", and "Pieces Of Dreams". In Person is double-length live set from Johnny Mathis – recorded live in person in Las Vegas – with titles that include a fair number of medley tracks that are a nice change from his studio records – the kind of material that really allows Johnny to show his talents as an entertainer in a live setting! There's also some non-medley tracks 6too – including "And Her Mother Came Too", "Maria", "If We Only Have Love", "I Got Love", "Day In Day Out", "Come Runnin", "In The Morning", and "Love Story". CD

A 2CD set, with 2 late 60s gems from Johnny Mathis! Those Were The Days is a title tune sung famously by Mathis as a single – but even better are the rest of the tracks on the set – a cool batch of 60s numbers that really show Johnny stretching out comfortably with some new material, but never in ways that mess with his amazing vocal approach at all! Backings often have a gentle dip underneath the strings – letting Mathis pick up some slight groovy rhythms at points, on titles that include "Light My Fire", "59th Street Bridge Song", "This Guy's In Love With You", "You Make Me Think About You", "The World I Used To Know", and "Turn Around Look At Me". Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet has Johnny Mathis taking on the title tune of the famous film, and also dipping into a mix of other soundtrack numbers from the time – plus a bit of pop material as well! As with other Mathis albums from this stretch, we really love the selection of tunes – penned by Michel Legrand, Francis Lai, Nilsson, and other songwriters we love so much from the generation – writers who really get Johnny past the familiar styles of his early hits. Ernie Freeman did some of the arrangements – which makes for a nice change – and titles include "Live For Life", "Without Her", "Windmills Of Your Mind", "Love Me Tonight", "Didn't We", "We", "The World I Threw Away", and "Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine In". CD

An incredibly groovy record from the LA scene of the 60s – part of a trio of cool Capitol sets with cover art by Ed "Big Daddy" Roth – all put together by studio genius Gary Usher! The tunes here are all originals – jaunty numbers with a definite hot rod vibe, but with a groove that's even hipper than usual – kind of a swinging soundtrack sort of approach, especially on the ultra-catchy vocals! Usher sings leads with Dick Burns – and the combo features Glen Campbell and Billy Strange on guitars, Ernie Freeman on piano, Carol Kaye on bass, and Earl Palmer on drums – all making for a rock-solid approach to the music. Titles include "The Lonely Stocker", "Three Kats In A Tub", "Hey Rat Fink", "1947 Avanti", "The Waltz Of The Rat Finks", and "The Ballad Of Effin Fink". LP, Vinyl record album

A key turning point for Frank Sinatra in the 60s – a record that got him firmly back on the charts with a great new sound! The leadoff title cut really sets the pace for the whole thing – a slyly syncopated groover that works perfectly with Sinatra's aging vocals – originally issued as a single, then used here as the cap of a whole album of subtle numbers that are perfect mid 60s Frank at his best! Ernie Freeman and Jimmy Bowen put together the title cut, but Nelson Riddle and Sonny Burke do a great job following the whole thing up – using a nice touch of organ in the mix, and lilting the bottom ever so slightly to swing things past some of the more lush Sinatra modes of years past. Titles include "Strangers In The Night", "Summer Wind", "Call Me", "On A Clear Day", "Downtown", "Yes Sir That's My Baby", "All Or Nothing At All", and "My Baby Just Cares For Me". CD

A key turning point for Frank Sinatra in the 60s – a record that got him firmly back on the charts with a great new sound! The leadoff title cut really sets the pace for the whole thing – a slyly syncopated groover that works perfectly with Sinatra's aging vocals – originally issued as a single, then used here as the cap of a whole album of subtle numbers that are perfect mid 60s Frank at his best! Ernie Freeman and Jimmy Bowen put together the title cut, but Nelson Riddle and Sonny Burke do a great job following the whole thing up – using a nice touch of organ in the mix, and lilting the bottom ever so slightly to swing things past some of the more lush Sinatra modes of years past. Titles include "Strangers In The Night", "Summer Wind", "Call Me", "On A Clear Day", "Downtown", "Yes Sir That's My Baby", "All Or Nothing At All", and "My Baby Just Cares For Me". CD

Sweet arrangements from Ernie Freeman – who gives Frank Sinatra that great little bounce that made the title hit, and so many other 60s tunes, so great! Titles include "That's Life", "Sand & Sea", "What Now My Love", "Tell Her", "Give Her Love", and "I Will Wait For You". CD

One of THE classic Motown Christmas albums of the 60s – a mighty statement of Holiday pride from The Supremes – who are as strong here as on any of their other non-seasonal work from the time! The class and care of the trio really fits the new spirit of Christmas that was emerging in 60s soul music – not the kinds of raw songs about boozing or sadness on the holiday, which were a staple of blues and R&B – but instead these warmly crafted songs of home and hearth, set up perfectly with production by Harvey Fuqua and arrangements from Gene Page, HB Barnum and Ernie Freeman. The whole thing's incredibly soulful – but in a gentle way too – and the set features a dozen holiday numbers including "Silver Bells", "The Little Drummer Boy", "My Christmas Tree", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "Joy To The World". Includes 4 bonus tracks. CD

A hugely expanded version of The Supremes classic Merry Christmas album from 1965 – presented here with full stereo and mono mixes, a new 2017 mix, and even bonus tracks too! The core album was one of THE classic Motown Christmas albums of the 60s – a mighty statement of Holiday pride from The Supremes – who are as strong here as on any of their other non-seasonal work from the time! The class and care of the trio really fits the new spirit of Christmas that was emerging in 60s soul music – not the kinds of raw songs about boozing or sadness on the holiday, which were a staple of blues and R&B – but instead these warmly crafted songs of home and hearth, set up perfectly with production by Harvey Fuqua and arrangements from Gene Page, HB Barnum and Ernie Freeman. The whole thing's incredibly soulful – but in a gentle way too – and the set features a dozen holiday numbers including "Silver Bells", "The Little Drummer Boy", "My Christmas Tree", "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "Joy To The World". 2CD version features 50 tracks in all – 12 mono tracks, 12 stereo, and 12 more titles that are all these very cool alternate mixes of the album, some with alternate vocals! Then, there's lots of Supremes bonus tracks too – including "The Christmas Song (duet version)", "Season's Greetings", "My Favorite Things (live)", "It Won't Be Long Til Christmas", "Just A Lonely Christmas", and "O Little Town Of Bethlehem". CD

One of the grooviest Si Zentner albums of the 60s – thanks to a host of hip spy themes that keep things interesting throughout! The material really brings out the best in Si – as does the album's excellent arrangements from Ernie Freeman and Bill Holman – both talents who know how to find the right mix of groovy and jazz that works the best for the Zentner touch! Titles include "Mr Lucky", "Dragnet", "Burke's Law", "James Bond Theme", "Charade", "007", and "The Fugitive". LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Bo Diddley, The Platters, Ruth Brown And Her Rhythmakers, The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon, The Ernie Freeman Combo, The Teen Queens, Howlin' Wolf, Bobby Mitchell, Ray Charles, The Moonglows, Little Richard And His Band, James Brown With The Famous Flames, Fats Domino, Clyde McPhatter, and more - 30 songs in all. CD

Includes music by Big Mama Thornton, Sam Cooke, The Drifters, Fats Domino, Little Richard, The Platters, Ernie Freeman, Lavern Baker, The Coasters, Clyde McPHatter, and more – 50 tracks total. CD

A stunning roster of players made up the house band at Hermosa Beach, CA's legendary Lighthouse Cafe – an outfit accompanied on these early-to-mid 50s dates by tenor sax giant Stan Getz – with work that's as much an aural snapshot of the sound of place and time as it is a piece of the players' pedigrees! The 2CDs in this set is made up of work captured on a few dates in 1953 and 1955 – some of it laidback and charming, and some of it with more than a little bit of heat and heaviness – with lots of players that include Russ Freeman on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, Jimmy Guiffre on baritone, Teddy Charles on vibes, Howard Rumsey on bass, Shorty Rogers and Maynard Ferguson on trumpets, Milt Bernhart on trombone, and others! Disc 1 titles include "I Only Have Eyes For You", "Jive At Five", "Moonlight In Vermont", Topsy", "Bernie's Tune", "Solitaire" and more. Disc 2 includes "Morgan Davis", "La Soncailli", "The Big Top", "The Duke You Say!", "Mood For Lighthouse", "Casa De Luz" and more. CD

Two albums with a very unusual pedigree – both recorded for the Japanese Yupiteru/Atlas Records label – both as Art Pepper sessions, but with Sonny Stitt in the lead – because Pepper was then under contract to Fantasy Records! Both albums are great, and have Art in some of the sharpest settings of his later years – as Sonny Stit's alto sax seems to bring out an even bolder tone in Pepper's horn – as does the approach of the record label, with is maybe a bit more focused than some of the freewheeling tracks from the Fantasy/Galaxy years. The groups feature Lou Levy or Russ Freeman on piano, John Heard or Chuck DeMonico on bass, and Carl Burnett on drums – and titles include "Walkin", "Wee", "Bernie's Tune", "Atlas Blues", "Lester Leaps In", "Imagination", "Autumn In New York", "My Funny Valentine", and "Lover Man". Also features four bonus alternate takes from the first album! CD

A set of two live dates from the late 30s – from the Hotel Lincoln's Blue Room in 1938, with Les Robinson and Hank Freeman on alto; Tony Pastor, Ronnie Perry, and Georgie Auld on tenor; Chuck Peterson, Johnny Best, and Bernie Privin on trumpet; Geroge Arus, Les Jenkins, and Harry Rodgers on trombone; Bob Kitsis on piano, Al Avola on guitar, Sid Weiss on bass, and Cliff Leeman and Buddy Rich on drums; and from the Hotel Pennsylvania's Cafe Rouge in 1939, with most of the same personell but with Harry Geller replacing Johnny Best. LP, Vinyl record album

With Bud Freeman, Yank Lawson, Bernie Privin, Lou McGarity, Buddy Morrow, Bernie Leighton, George Duvivier, and Gus Johnson. LP, Vinyl record album