One of Jim Hall's most compelling albums from the 70s – a mix of lightly swinging tunes and more complicated numbers, recorded with some of his best partners from earlier years! Chet Baker is on trumpet, Paul Desmond is on alto sax – and the rest of the group includes Ron Carter bass, Roland Hanna piano, and Steve Gadd on drums. Hall's style is as airy and free-floating as ever – and the spacious arrangements on the album by Don Sebesky only support his work even more. The centerpiece of the album is the 19 minute long "Concierto De Aranjuez", and other tracks include "The Answer Is Yes", "Two's Blues", and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". LP, Vinyl record album

With Ron Carter, Terry Clarke, Steve LA Spina, George Shearing, Don Thompson, and more. CD

Includes 20 tracks on 2 CDs and features work with Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Airto Moreira, George Mraz, Joe Lovano, Christian McBride, and others. CD

A wonderful album from guitarist Jim Hall – different than some of his other work, and with a slightly harder edge! The unique session has him playing in an MPS 60s mode – more straight-on than some of his more airy moments – with a sound and tone that still recalls his work with Paul Desmond or Art Farmer, but a more direct approach, and an occasional groove as well! The trio's as unique as the record – the great Jimmy Woode on bass and drums from Daniel Humair – and titles include "Blue Joe", "Romaine", "Young One For Debra", "Body & Soul", and a great version of "Up Up & Away", which soars to the sky in a way you'd never expect from Jim! LP, Vinyl record album

A rare early trio set from Jim Hall – especially noteworthy because Jim rarely worked in the format as a leader! The album's got Hall working with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – in a mode that slightly recalls some of Barney Kessel's mid 50s recordings over at Contemporary Records, but which also has that airier style that was Hall's first great calling card on his instrument. Some of the best cuts really have the notes hanging in air with incredible grace and a very subtle sense of swing – and titles include "This Is Always", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Stella By Starlight", "Deep In A Dream", "Seven Come Eleven", and "Thanks For The Memory". CD

A rare early trio set from Jim Hall – especially noteworthy because Jim rarely worked in the format as a leader! The album's got Hall working with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – in a mode that slightly recalls some of Barney Kessel's mid 50s recordings over at Contemporary Records, but which also has that airier style that was Hall's first great calling card on his instrument. Some of the best cuts really have the notes hanging in air with incredible grace and a very subtle sense of swing – and titles include "This Is Always", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Stella By Starlight", "Deep In A Dream", "Seven Come Eleven", and "Thanks For The Memory". CD

A rare early trio set from Jim Hall – especially noteworthy because Jim rarely worked in the format as a leader! The album's got Hall working with Carl Perkins on piano and Red Mitchell on bass – in a mode that slightly recalls some of Barney Kessel's mid 50s recordings over at Contemporary Records, but which also has that airier style that was Hall's first great calling card on his instrument. Some of the best cuts really have the notes hanging in air with incredible grace and a very subtle sense of swing – and titles include "This Is Always", "Look For The Silver Lining", "Stella By Starlight", "Deep In A Dream", "Seven Come Eleven", and "Thanks For The Memory". LP, Vinyl record album

Sharp sounds from guitarist Jim Hall – a record that's filled with all the cool, complicated lines the musician could muster on his instrument – yet a record that also manages to swing a bit too! The sound here is a great evolution from the sound of Hall's music in the 50s – even more modern at most moments, with unique phrasing that shows just how much Jim continued to grow over the decades – delivered at a level that's very fresh, and without a debt to any other guitarist on the planet! Part of the album's unique feel comes from the large amount of original Hall compositions – interpreted by Jim with a trio that also features Don Thompson on piano and bass and Terry Clarke on drums – on titles that include "Kyoto Bells", "Echo", "Without Words", "Light", "Something For Now", and "Two Special People". LP, Vinyl record album

Jim Hall on guitar with Scott Colley, Charlie Haden, Dave Holland, Christian McBride, and George Mraz on bass. CD

A work of understated brilliance from guitarist Jim Hall – and one of our favorite records by him! The setting is simple – Hall plays live with a trio, on a set of familiar standards – but the results are remarkable, as both Hall and the rhythm section manage to bring a hell of a lot of swing and imagination into such a tiny space! Hall's always had a rhythmic approach to his work, but here, playing with drummer Terry Clarke and bassist Don Thompson, he really opens into a great groove – stretching things past his usual standard, and bringing a lot more soul into the set than you might expect. The tunes are ones you'll recognize – "Angel Eyes", "Round Midnight", and "The Way You Look Tonight" – but the real charm is what Hall and the trio do with them! CD

A work of understated brilliance from guitarist Jim Hall – and one of our favorite records by him! The setting is simple – Hall plays live with a trio, on a set of familiar standards – but the results are remarkable, as both Hall and the rhythm section manage to bring a hell of a lot of swing and imagination into such a tiny space! Hall's always had a rhythmic approach to his work, but here, playing with drummer Terry Clarke and bassist Don Thompson, he really opens into a great groove – stretching things past his usual standard, and bringing a lot more soul into the set than you might expect. The tunes are ones you'll recognize – "Angel Eyes", "Round Midnight", and "The Way You Look Tonight" – but the real charm is what Hall and the trio do with them! CD

A rare 70s set from guitarist Jim Hall! The record's got maybe a bit more bite than some of Jim's airier sessions from the 70s – a strong power with Hall in the lead not just as a sound-shaper, but also as a more pronounced force in the trio – with some surprisingly edgey moments that really make the album stand out from the pack! There's some wonderfully deft passages here that really remind us how great Hall can be in the right setting – and the setting here features Don Thompson on bass and Terry Clarke on drums – on titles that include "Twister", "St Thomas", "Billie's Bounce", "Secret Love", and "Chelsea Bridge". LP, Vinyl record album

Jim Hall on guitar, Steve LaSpina on bass, and Akira Tana on drums. CD

Jim Hall on guitars, Derek DiCenzo on steel drum, Terry Clark on drums, Scott Colley on bass, Ryan Kisor on trumpet, Joe Lovano on soprano saxophone, Jim Pugh on trombone, Claudio Roditi on flugelhorn and Gil Goldstein conducting. CD

Featuring Paul Desmond, Bill Smith, Carl Parkins, Red Kelly, Red Mitchell, Monty Budwig, Percy Heath, Shelly Manne and Connie Kay. CD

One of the hippest albums we've ever heard from guitarist Jim Hall – a set of free-thinking, open-ended tracks that show him really expanding his horizons at the end of the 60s! The album's drenched in Jim's warm, chromatic tones – whether gently played on a few mellow numbers, or falling over themselves like cascading water on the more upbeat tunes. The record's got some great drums and percussion from Airto, plus piano by Benny Aronov, who also plays electric on a few tracks as well. Titles include a great version of "Vera Cruz", plus "Minotaur", "Simple Samba", "Careful", "Wehre Would I Be", and "Goodbye My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Jim Hall on electric and acoustic guitar – accompanied by the David Matthews Orchestra featuring Tom Harrell on trumpet, Gerry Neiwood on tenor and flute, and Ronnie Cuber on baritone! Tracks include "Ara Cruz", "Red Dragon Fly", and "Concierto De Aranjuez". LP, Vinyl record album

Jim Hall on guitar, Joe Lovano on reeds, George Mraz on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums. CD

The title's an apt one, as the session features spare, unaccompanied duets between guitarist Jim Hall and bassist Ron Carter – done at a time when both players were stepping into some of their warmest, most sensitive years. Hall's especially great here – and even though he had already built a career out of working in lighter, less rhythm section-based settings, the early 70s saw him moving into even more unfettered territory – and opening up with incredibly personal, sensitive notes that danced equally well with the space around them. Titles include "St Thomas", "I'll Remember April", "Alone Together", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", and "Autumn Leaves". CD

A surprisingly nice record – and one of Roger Kellaway's best straight jazz sessions of the 60s! The set's a gently grooving one, featuring many original compositions by Kellaway – played in a playful and freewheeling style that's a lot better than we would have imagined. Roger's a demon on the keys – and although the rhythm combo's not listed in the notes, they play with a good degree of soul and space on the best numbers. Jim Hall's also credited as being on the set, but most of the tunes sound like trio ones – and titles include "Double Fault", "Cinderella", "Here Today Gone Tomorrow", and "Same Old Same Old". CD

A classic meeting of east and west coast artists of the third stream jazz sphere of the late 50s – one that features the team of John Lewis and Percy Heath of the Modern Jazz Quartet working alongside the west coast tenor of Bill Perkins, plus the guitar of Jim Hall and drums of Chico Hamilton! The whole album's got quite a unique feel – one that's as airy as that of the MJQ work of the time, but not nearly as academic or sleepy – thanks to a nice biting tone from Perkins' tenor, which really seems to stretch out in the space provided by Lewis. There's almost a similarly sublime quality here as on Lewis' album with Sacha Distel – Afternoon In Paris – which featured a similar use of space for great tenor sound (in that case, the tenor of Barney Wilen.) Titles include "2 Degrees East 3 Degrees West", "Easy Living", "Skylark", and "I Can't Get Started". LP, Vinyl record album

A key moment in the career of pianist Michel Petrucciani – and a set that features an amazing collaboration with guitarist Jim Hall, and a fair bit of great tenor and soprano sax from Wayne Shorter too! Hall's guitar is heard on every track on the set – ringing out in those wonderfully spare, openly flowing notes he first started crafting in the 50s – a surprisingly wonderful counterpart to the piano of Petrucciani, which seems to take on an even more sensitive and evocative feel for the date. Shorter comes in on a few of the album's tracks – arcing great lines over the colors of the pair, in a way that's a bit like some of the Jimmy Giuffre experiments with Hall in the 50s – but more tuned towards Shorter's own sense of tone and timing. Titles include "Careful", "Bimini", "Morning Blues", "Limbo", and "Waltz New". CD

Some of the best-recorded work to ever come from the Preservation Hall scene in New Orleans – one of Atlantic Records' great 60s albums of material from the legendary venue! Side one features a small combo led by trombonist Jim Robinson – a group with a great gutbuckety groove, thanks to banjo, bass, and drums on the rhythms – and graces with some especially nice clarinet by Louis Cottrell in the lead with Jim. Titles include "Gettysburg March", "You Tell Me Your Dream", and "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It". Side two features the classic group of trumpeter Joseph De De Pierce and pianist Billie Pierce – in a lineup that has George Lewis on clarinet and Louis Nelson on trombone. Titles include "Shine", "San", "Ciribiribin", and "Shake It & Break It". LP, Vinyl record album

With Johnny Wiggs on trumpet, Raymond Burke on clarinet, Bob Greene on piano, Allan Jaffe on tuba, and Yoichi Kimura on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

A double album collecting Newk's excellent quartet recordings with Jim Hall for RCA. As such it contains work from The Bridge and What's New?, plus a few numbers that got tacked onto the Standard Sonny Rollins. Given Hall's gentleness and spare modernity on the guitar, a fan of Rollins' hard-blowing late 50s sessions might not expect the album to work – but instead, it sets up his playing in a whole new mode that brings out a leaner, more confident, more sophisticated solo mode that shows that his time woodshedding in retirement was well spent. 13 numbers in all, including "John S.", "The Bridge", "You Do Something To Me", "Where Are You", "Without A Song", "If Ever I Would Leave You", "Brownskin Girl", "Don't Swtop The Carnival", "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes", "My Ship", "Love Letters", "Long Ago (An Far Away)" and "God Bless the Child". CD

Duo piano and guitar recordings with titles that include "Street Of Dreams", "To Antonio Carlos Jobim", "Careful", "I See Nothing To Laugh About", "Without Words", "I Hear A Rhapsody", "To Tommy Flanagan", and "Emily". LP, Vinyl record album

Nice mid 60's session that stands as one of Raney's strongest from the decade, and a tight quintet performance by a group that includes Jim Hall on second guitar, Zoot Sims on tenor, Steve Swallow on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. The tracks are fairly standard, but there's a lot of nice Brazilian titles like "A Primera Vez", "Presente De Natal", "Este Seu Olhar", and "Coisa Mais Linda". Raney's tone is nice and deep, as always, with a good heavy sound on the lower strings. LP, Vinyl record album

A previously unreleased live date from late in the career of Ben Webster – recorded at The Renaissance in Hollywood in 1960, but unissued until nearly 25 years later! The group features Jim Hall on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Frank Butler on drums – and tracks are all longish, and live-feeling – with that sense of fragility that marked some of Webster's later recordings in this mode, and even further deepened the humanity in his tone. And while the recording quality is definitely "live" at times, Ben's tone comes through loud and clear – different than on some of the tighter Verve recordings of a few years before, but in a way that's really great. Titles include "Georgia On My Mind, "Caravan", "Stardust", and "Ole Miss Blues". CD features 4 more bonus tracks – "Gone With The Wind", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "Mop Mop", and "Renaissance Blues". CD

The complete Riverside recordings! Complete! That's 12 CDs worth of Bill Evans, documenting some of the finest performances he ever recorded. As you'd expect, there's quite a lot of trio sides presented here, including the great group featuring Scott LaFaro and Paul Motian, but there's also a few early excursions into the solo setting he'd return to again and again as well as a few sessions featuring horns. The list of sidemen is filled with heavies from Paul Chambers, Teddy Kotick, Philly Joe Jones and Cannonball Adderley to Freddie Hubbard, Jim Hall, Zoot Sims and Ron Carter. If you know any of the Riverside recordings, you know this is where Evans established himself as one of the leading pianists of his age, and laid the blueprint for a much imitated style. This set features the entirety of loads of great LPs, like New Jazz Conceptions, Everybody Digs Bill Evans, Waltz For Debby, Portrait In Jazz, Sunday At The Village Vanguard and more! CD

Lost Bill Evans material from his tremendous early run on Riverside Records – sessions recorded in 1959, but unreleased to the public for many years! The core of the record features Evans working with Paul Chambers on bass and Philly Joe Jones both rhythm players that Bill interacted with while working in the Miles Davis group, and a strongly-voiced team to echo the sense of space and timing that was the particular Evans touch in the early days. Why these tracks never came out is a real mystery to us – because Bill's still very much at the top of his game, despite having not liked the material at the time of recording – and the Chambers/Jones rhythm section give the tunes a very solid focus throughout. Titles include "You & The Night & The Music", "My Heart Stood Still", "On Green Dolphin Street", "How Am I To Know", and 2 takes of "Woody N You". Added to that number is a really surprising bonus – a 1962 recording of "Loose Bloose", done with Jim Hall on guitar and Zoot Soms on alto – making for one of those rare non-trio dates by Evans! CD

A real standout in the Bill Evans catalog for Riverside – and that's saying a lot, given how important all of his Riverside albums are! The core session's a rare quintet outing for Evans – one that breaks the mode of the usual trio format by adding in Freddie Hubbard on trumpet and Jim Hall on guitar – alongside rhythm players Percy Heath on bass and Philly Joe Jones on drums – already a unique enough match for Evans' talents. In a way, the record's one of those sessions that Riverside would sometimes do – pairing a key new voice as a leader with others in an all-star group – but in another way, it's also a return to the sound that first brought Evans' to a wider audience in the 1957 and 1958 years – when he was working in non-trio groups with more famous players – adding his unique piano stylings to their (then) better-known solo modes. The pairing of Evans and Hall has been beautifully documented on other records – and sounds equally great here – but the real treat is Freddie Hubbard's horn, which often lays back on most of the tracks, then bursts in with a brashness that really ignites some of the tunes! He's playing a bit muted here, trying to go for that Miles/Evans combination from the late 50s – but that's plenty ok with us, as we love those records a lot. Titles include "When You Wish Upon A Star", "You & The Night & The Music", "I'll Never Smile again", "You Go To My Head" and the Evans original, "Interplay". This double-length set also expands the original Interplay album with even more material from another group session in 1962 – a set recorded also with Philly Joe Jones on drums and Jim Hall on guitar – plus Ron Carter on bass and Zoot Sims on tenor. Titles include "Time Remembered", "Loose Bloose", "Fun Ride", "There Came You", "Fudgesickle Built For Four", and "My Bells". CD

One of Tal's most compelling albums of the 50s – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own! Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". Plus, the One of the most compelling Verve albums from guitar genius Tal Farlow – a drummer-less trio session, recorded with Eddie Costa on piano and Vinnie Burke on bass – really opening up at a level that lets you hear just how revolutionary Farlow's approach was at the time. Tal's tone is as great as always – edgily carving out some rhythms with the trio, swinging more gently than the title might imply, in a mode that might later be taken up by Jim Hall, but which here is all Tal's own – a fantastic modernist change from the way the guitar had been just in jazz just a few short years before. Titles include "Meteor", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Yardbird Suite", "Like Someone In Love", and "I Love You". CD features 4 bonus tracks – 2 versions of "Gone With The Wind, and alternate takes of "Yardbird Suite" and "Taking A Chance On Love". Great stuff – with over 60 minutes of music. CD

Never-issued music from a really legendary group – titled in a way that's similar to their famous 60s record for Atlantic Records – but a batch of live material recorded in Sweden with an equally sublime sort of feel! Art Farmer works here on flugelhorn alongside guitarist Jim Hall – a brief but important pairing in 60s modern jazz – especially when combined with the talents of Steve Swallow on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – four artists who make for a really revolutionary quartet, as they explore the space of sound, and the space between the notes, in ways that still sound as revolutionary now as they did when recorded back in 1964! Titles include "Theme For Jobim", "Sometime Ago", "Waltz Hot", "Birk's Works", "I Love You", and "Bilbao Song". CD

A magnificent set from the team of Art Farmer and Jim Hall – one of those rare pairings in jazz that somehow comes off sounding even way better than the sum of its parts – and that's saying a lot, given that the parts here are already pretty darn great! Farmer's flugelhorn and Hall's guitar create these wonderful shapes in sound – softly coming together with a vibe that's very modern, yet also soulful – gently swinging while still experimenting – with a combination that's completely wonderful! Think of Bob Brookmeyer and Clark Terry, or Bill Evans and Jim Hall – and you'll be somewhere in the territory of these magically unique sounds – augmented with some gentle rhythm work by Steve Swallow on bass and Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "By Myself", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Sometime Ago", and "My Kinda Love". CD only bonus track "Loads of Love" CD

Beautiful work from the legendary Art Farmer – sounds from a time when the trumpeter was really coming into his own, and finding a way to carve out a special space for himself in modern jazz! The sounds here are fresh, but never overstated – blown with that compact mode that makes Farmer's phrasing so distinct, and set up here with a perfect quartet that features Jim Hall on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums. All players are masters of understatement – and the band is sort of a perfect extension of some of Jimmy Guiffre's earlier work on Atlantic with Hall – as they've perfected a simple style that leaves the instrumental solos floating in air, interacting with each other in subtle complex ways that never cease to amaze. Tracks are longer than on some of the studio albums by the group – and titles include "Swing Spring", "I Want To Be Happy", and "What's New". CD

Beautiful work from the legendary Art Farmer – sounds from a time when the trumpeter was really coming into his own, and finding a way to carve out a special space for himself in modern jazz! The sounds here are fresh, but never overstated – blown with that compact mode that makes Farmer's phrasing so distinct, and set up here with a perfect quartet that features Jim Hall on guitar, Steve Swallow on bass, and Walter Perkins on drums. All players are masters of understatement – and the band is sort of a perfect extension of some of Jimmy Guiffre's earlier work on Atlantic with Hall – as they've perfected a simple style that leaves the instrumental solos floating in air, interacting with each other in subtle complex ways that never cease to amaze. Tracks are longer than on some of the studio albums by the group – and titles include "Swing Spring", "I Want To Be Happy", and "What's New". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique little album that features jazz versions of themes from Swedish folk music – all served up by a sublime quartet that features Art Farmer on flugelhorn and Jim Hall on guitar! The exploration of folk roots in jazz is not a new one – and a number of the postwar Swedish modernists were especially strong in their love of folk music for inspiration. But the genre's never been handled this well before, and Farmer's warmly lyrical sensibilities really transform the tunes – opening up a timeless sense of expression in their melodies, yet still keeping things strongly in a modern jazz vein with his timing and phrasing. The other members of the piano-less quartet certainly help in this respect – Steve Swallow on bass and Pete LaRoca on drums – and Jim Hall's guitar is always a treat in a stripped-down session like this. The sound of the record is both warm and eerie at the same time – and titles include "Va Da Du?", "De Salde Sina Hemman", "Kristallen Den Fina", and "Visa Vid Midsommartid". CD

2 of Art Farmer's best 60s albums – back to back on one CD! Both albums feature the flugelhorn work of Farmer alongside mellow guitar work from Jim Hall, bass by Steve Swallow, and drums by either Walter Perkins or Pete La Roca. There's a spare brilliance to both albums – a sense of space, sound, and timing that is simply magical – modern, but never abrasive, and done in a spirit that's clearly influenced by the late 50s experiments of Jimmy Guiffre, but which also has more of a swinging center. The work of Hall is incredible in a setting like this, and Swallow's round, circular work on the bass seems to even further widen the center of the sound – letting both Jim and Art stretch out magically. To Sweden With Love features newly arranged versions of older Swedish tunes – including "Visa Vid Midsommartid", "Va Da Du", "De Salde Sina Hemman", and "Och Hor Du Unga Dora" – and Live At The Half Note includes the tunes "Swing Spring", "What's New", "I Want To Be Happy", "Stompin At The Savoy", and "I'm Getting Sentimental Over You". CD

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". Features bonus tracks not on the original album! CD

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". Features bonus tracks not on the original album! CD

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". CD

Quite a popular live album from Ella – recorded in Berlin at the height of the cold war years – featuring a famous recording of "Mack The Knife" that almost blew away Bobby Darin's hit with the cut! The album's nicely free of some of the stodginess of some of Ella's Songbook albums from the same time – with light and jazzy backing by a group that includes Jim Hall, Paul Smith, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. Titles include "Mack The Knife", "How High The Moon", "Too Darn Hot", "Gone With The Wind", "Misty", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little Verve session that breaks from the usual format – especially the "Songbooks" one – and features Ella in LA with small group backing by Jim Hall, Lou Levy, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. The set was recorded live at the Crescendo – in a jazzily swinging mode that's a bit looser than some of Ella's other Verve sessions, but which still demonstrates some nice control on the vocals. Titles include "Mr Paganini", "Stairway To The Stars", "Air Mail Special", "Blue Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "Just In Time". CD

A nice little Verve session that breaks from the usual format – especially the "Songbooks" one – and features Ella in LA with small group backing by Jim Hall, Lou Levy, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. The set was recorded live at the Crescendo – in a jazzily swinging mode that's a bit looser than some of Ella's other Verve sessions, but which still demonstrates some nice control on the vocals. Titles include "Mr Paganini", "Stairway To The Stars", "Air Mail Special", "Blue Moon", "This Could Be The Start Of Something Big", and "Just In Time". LP, Vinyl record album

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 2CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued before the Hip-O/Verve Select box set! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! Vols 1 & 2s feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums. A brief intro rolls into beautiful material on 2CDs – 37 tracks in all: "Lover Come Back To Me", "Too Close For Comfort", "Little White Lies", "I Found A New Baby", "Perdido", "'Round Midnight", "Take The 'A' Train", "Mr Paganini", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "I Can't Get It Started", "Give Me The Simple Life", "Lorelei", "Witchcraft", "That Old Black Magic", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Imagination", "Joe Williams' Blues" and more. CD

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 4CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! The first 3CDs feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums – and CD four features Ella returning to Hollywood for two more nights in 1962, with trio backing from Paul Smith on piano, Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. There's a massive 77 tracks in all – handsomely package in a hardcover 7" square book – which also features beautiful color pages inside, lots of notes on the music, and design that's every bit as groovy as the old albums on Verve. Titles include "Joe Williams' Blues", "It's De-Lovely", "Lorelei", "I Can't Get Started", "Round Midnight", "Perdido", "Little White Lies", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Across The Alley From The Alamo", "Love For Sale", "Exactly Like You", "Mack The Knife", "Teach Me Tonight", "My Kind Of Boy", "It Had To Be You", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "All Of Me", and "Too Darn Hot/Ella's Twist". And, in case you're wondering, there's almost no repetition in the set at all – all discreet, unique tunes – not just the sort of rehash you might get in other concert box sets of this nature! CD

Very groovy CD that brings together 2 different albums that Stan Getz cut with larger groups and more baroque orchestrations than usual. The Cool Velvet set is from 1960, and has Stan's breathy alto blowing with arrangements by Russ Garcia. The material has Garcia's usual off-kilter sense, and although the sound is a bit 50's, Getz cuts through the tracks nicely. The real treat, though, is the incredible Voices album, which has stunning arrangements by Claus Ogerman, and beautiful jazz playing by Herbie Hancock, Jim Hall, Ron Carter, and Artie Butler. We love this album to death, and it's filled with some of Getz's best playing of the 60s. Titles include "Zigeuner Song", "Infinidad", "Darling Joe", "Once", and "Nica's Dream". The whole CD's packaged beautifully, and it's got a total of 21 lovely lovely tracks! CD

A great burner from Diz – and one that features a large group, long tracks, and some stellar early work from Lalo Schifrin! Schifrin was in Diz's group at the time, playing piano and contributing fantastic Latin-tinged arrangements that gave the band a whole new life. Other players on this session include Candido, Leo Wright, Julius Watkins, and Willie Rodriguez – and the tracks include "Africana", "Blues", and "Panamerica". An incredible live set from Dizzy Gillespie – one that has him working in stunning big band mode, but with all the depth and agility of a small combo! The set features variations on a number of classic Gillespie themes – including "Kush", "Manteca", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy (Night In Tunisia)" – recast with that ever-growing Latin influence that Dizzy was picking up in the 60s, supported strongly by the presence of a young Lalo Schifrin, who plays piano on the set. Horn players include Dizzy, Clark Terry, and Nick Travis on trumpets; Gunter Schuller and Jim Buffington on French Horns; Leo Wright on sax and flute; and Don Butterfield on tuba – supported by rhythm from Schifrin on piano, Art Davis on bass, and Charles Lumpkin on drums. Tunes are awash in soulful solos and deeply colored hues – and titles include "Manteca", "This Is The Way", "Kush", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy". CD

A great burner from Diz – and one that features a large group, long tracks, and some stellar early work from Lalo Schifrin! Schifrin was in Diz's group at the time, playing piano and contributing fantastic Latin-tinged arrangements that gave the band a whole new life. Other players on this session include Candido, Leo Wright, Julius Watkins, and Willie Rodriguez – and the tracks include "Africana", "Blues", and "Panamerica". An incredible live set from Dizzy Gillespie – one that has him working in stunning big band mode, but with all the depth and agility of a small combo! The set features variations on a number of classic Gillespie themes – including "Kush", "Manteca", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy (Night In Tunisia)" – recast with that ever-growing Latin influence that Dizzy was picking up in the 60s, supported strongly by the presence of a young Lalo Schifrin, who plays piano on the set. Horn players include Dizzy, Clark Terry, and Nick Travis on trumpets; Gunter Schuller and Jim Buffington on French Horns; Leo Wright on sax and flute; and Don Butterfield on tuba – supported by rhythm from Schifrin on piano, Art Davis on bass, and Charles Lumpkin on drums. Tunes are awash in soulful solos and deeply colored hues – and titles include "Manteca", "This Is The Way", "Kush", "Ool Ya Koo", and "Tunisian Fantasy". CD

Two vintage radio broadcasts – the first from Dizzy Gillespie, fronting a small group with Leo Wright and Lalo Schifrin – the second with Art Farmer leading a quartet with Jim Hall and Steve Swallow! CD

2 amazing albums from the 2nd version of the Jimmy Giuffre 3! After working with his first combo of Bob Brookmeyer and Jim Hall during the late 50s, Giuffre hooked up with a pair of younger modernists – Paul Bley and Steve Swallow – reintroducing the piano and bass to his trio format, instruments that had been previously missing because Giuffre wanted to explore the possibilities of melodic composition freed from rhythmic constraints. With this trio, Giuffre was still working in that mode – as you'll hear on Bley and Swallow's incredibly free playing. The group's performances are not free jazz by any means, but they're a key link in that tradition – as Giuffre and crew do an excellent job of creating unconventional compositions, most of which feel like little sculptures in sound. There's a total of 20 tracks on 2CDs – and titles include "Cry, Want", "Trudgin", "Jesus Maria", "Ictus", "Sonic", "Whirrrrr", "The Gamut", "Herb & Ictus", and "Flight". Both records originally available on Verve, now repackaged by ECM. CD

Groundbreaking trio work from the great Jimmy Giuffre – an album that cut loose both the piano and the drums – in a way that took Gerry Mulligan's earlier rhythm-less experiments with jazz, and pushed them one degree further! The group on the session features Giuffre on clarinet, tenor, and baritone sax – alongside the guitar of Jim Hall and bass of Ralph Pena – all working together with no other accompaniment, but in a way that's as swinging as it is airy – an amazing exercise in tone, color, and control! The sound is out of this world, and the notes just hang lightly in air – beautifully dancing around one another. Titles include "Voodoo", "Train & The River", "My All", "Crawdad Suite", and "Two Kinds Of Blues". Travelin' Light is one of the most sublime Jimmy Giuffre albums of all time – and a perfect realization of his piano-less/bass-less trio style! The approach here is really revolutionary, especially for the time – as the group simply features Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Jim Hall on guitar, and Giuffre on reeds. The titles are a mix of standards and originals – but all tracks sound completely unique, with a sound unlike anything else we can describe – and titles include "Swamp People", "Lonely Time", "Green Country", and "Travelin Light". CD

The Easy Way? Jimmy Giuffre never did anything the easy way – and his classic albums from the late 50s, some of the strongest modern jazz sides of the time, are a great testament to that fact! This album's one of the most obscure – and features Jimmy in his groundbreaking percussion-less trio mode – blowing tenor, clarinet, and baritone in a group with Jim Hall on guitar and Ray Brown on bass. The notes hang magically in air – still quite rhythmic, despite the freedom of the setting, but also stretching forth in an unfettered style that set the stage for countless jazz experiments to come. Titles include "Montage", "Time Enough", "Off Center", "A Dream", "Ray's Time", and "Careful". CD

Two very different groups – both presented in unissued performances recorded on the same day in Copenhagen during the spring of 1959! First up is the Jimmy Giuffre trio with some tremendous guitar from Jim Hall – a key player who really helped Jimmy find that airy, open approach on his Atlantic Records gems at the end of the 50s – working here with just the bass of Buddy Clark for accompaniment. Giuffre mostly plays modern clarinet, in that famous style of his, but also handles a bit of tenor – on titles that include "Time Machine", "Careful", "The Little Melody", and "Song Of The Wind". And speaking of clarinet, that instrument gets a nice workout on the Gene Krupa tracks – as does tenor and flute, all handled by Ed Wasserman – who plays in a Krupa quartet that also includes Ronnie Ball on piano and Jimmy Gannon on bass. The music has that open, lively small combo vibe that marked some of Gene's best 50s sessions for Verve – and titles include long takes on "Undecided" and "Flamingo" – plus a 25 minute reading of "Sing Sing Sing". CD

A whole new chapter in the career of trumpeter Dusko Goykovich – and a beautiful one at that! The set has Dusko playing a set of bossa-inspired tunes – working with a quartet that includes guitar, bass, and drums – in a warmly chromatic style that reminds us a lot of the classic Art Farmer/Jim Hall sessions of the early 60s! Dusko's playing is as imaginative as ever – and takes on whole new levels of expression in this setting. The light rhythms of the tunes are a real contrast from the modal and soul jazz approaches of earlier years – and in some ways, they seem to set Dusko free to explore whole new territory. Great stuff all around – with titles that include "The Fish", "Quo Vadis", "Sunset", "Samba Do Mar", "Jim's Ballad", and "Love & Deception". CD

One of Chico's earliest albums for Pacific Jazz – a set of tightly arranged tracks with a cool chamber feel to them – featuring a lineup that includes Buddy Collette on reeds, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on bass. Collette, Katz, and Hall are at the height of their powers here – a bit restricted, perhaps, but in the way that Hamilton was using to craft some of the more creative sounds of the 50s LA jazz scene – perfectly shaped and formed throughout! Just about every band member contributed a song and an arrangement to the album – and titles include "The Ghost", "Chrissie", "Jonalah", "Sleepy Slept Here", "Drums West", "The Squimp", and "Sleep". LP, Vinyl record album

Forget the Ellington in the title, because this is more a moody album of west coast chamber jazz, in the best tradition of the Chico Hamilton group! This album features the version of Chico's group with Paul Horn on flute and alto sax – plus Jim Hall guitar, Fred Katz cello, and Buddy Collette on tenor and alto sax. The sound differs a bit from the version you may know from the CD reissue – as that one features Dolphy in the group – but it's still great, with titles that include "Azure", "In A Mellotone", "Day Dream", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", and "I'm Just A Lucky So & So". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure release by Chico Hamilton – but with some really great moments that more than rival his famous sides for Pacific Jazz in the 50s! The set was issued on the obscure Crown label, and is a bit short on notes – but side one features work by Chico's early trio – a cool group with either Howard Roberts or Jim Hall on guitar, and George Duvivier on bass – really sounding open and airy, yet swinging too – on titles that include "Nutty", "Skinned Strings", "Street Of Drums", and "Blues On The Rocks" – played by a group that seems to feature bass, drums, and guitar. Even better, though, is side two, which features the more complicated "Suite For Horn" – a long piece built around the flute work of Paul Horn – presented here with a shorter track called "Montuna", which is mostly just heavy percussion, bass, and very noisy cello from Fred Katz! CD

A rare set of work by Chico Hamilton's original quintet – the groundbreaking lineup that features Buddy Collette on flute and saxes, Fred Katz on cello, Jim Hall on guitar, and Carson Smith on drums – all working together in a really unique blend of rhythm and melody! The sound here is a bit looser than the group's studio albums for Pacific Jazz – given the live setting of the album, at the Strollers club in Long Beach. Yet despite that locale, the sound is quite clear and clean – just right for bringing out the subtle nuances in the string work by Katz and Hall, and some of the lighter notes laid out by Collette's reeds. But there's also a firmer, bolder sound here too – a bit more of a groove than you might expect at times. Titles include "Fast Flute", "Cute Little Deal", "Crazy Rhythm", "Caravan", "Change It", "Free Form", and "A Mood". CD

A real lost slice of work from the career of Chico Hamilton – recorded for the short-lived Dig label, owned by R&B artist Johnny Otis in the mid 50s! The group here is slightly different than Hamilton's quintet that recorded for Pacific Jazz – in that it's got a sound that's a bit less arranged, and which often opens up into some more freewheeling jazz styles at times. Buddy Collette and Jim Hall are on the session from Chico's regular group – and Buddy's really the co-leader of the set, and contributed some fantastic original tunes that are perfect for his colorful work on reeds. And the group's also got Curtis Counce on bass and Gerald Wiggins on piano – bringing a decidedly heavier groove to the record than on most 50s Hamilton work – one that's topped off by the trumpet of John Anderson, often muted but still powerful enough to make its presence known on the set. Titles include the Collette originals "It's You", "Green Dream", "Jungle Pogo Stick", "Tanganyika", and "A Walk On The Veldt" – plus other session originals "And So Is Love", "Wagnervous", and "The Blindfold Test". LP, Vinyl record album