2 albums on 1 CD – and a package that not only features great work from leader Lennie Neihaus, but also some great tenor from Bill Perkins too! On the first album Lennie swings, but he keeps it cool too – as this rare Mercury set steps off of the same octet energy Niehaus brought to his better-known sides for Contemporary in the mid 50s! The players here are a bit lesser known than some of Niehaus' other all-star groups – with Ken Shroyer on trombone, Ed Leddy on trumpet, and Steve Perlow on baritone – alongside some nicely searing tenor from Bill Perkins, whose presence always makes a set like this sparkle! Lou Levy plays piano and Red Kelly is on bass – and titles include "Soon", "Little Girl Blues", "P & L", "Four Eleven West", "He Ain't Got Rhythm", "Kiss Me & Kill Me With Love", and "I See Your Face Before Me". The second half of the CD drops out Lennie Niehaus entirely, and features the album Bill Perkins Live On Stage – originally recorded for Pacific Jazz in 1956, and featuring Niehaus arrangements on 2 tracks. The group includes Perkins on tenor, Bud Shank on alto, Jack Nimitz on baritone, Stu Williamson on trumpet, Carl Fontana on trombone, Russ Freeman on piano, Red Mitchell on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums. The live setting takes nothing away from the perfection of the group's conception, as Perkins' leadership is impeccable, bringing together the horns in a beautiful wash of sound. Titles include "Let Me See", "Zing Zang", "For Dancers Only", "One Hundred Years From Today", "Song Of The Islands", and "As They Reveled". CD

Sublime work from this oft-overlooked alto player – a wonderful album that features Lennie playing in quintets with Bill Perkins, Bob Gordon, Stu Williamson, and Hampton Hawes – plus added string quartet backings on most of the tunes – making for a shimmering sound that's really magical! The album has traces of Charlie Parker's work with strings – in that Lennie's alto soars over the top of the arrangements with a mellifluous glide and incredible precision, never getting too buried in the arrangements, and striking out with more soul than we've heard on some of his smaller combo records. Titles include "All The Things You Are", "Cross Walk", "Troubled Waters", "Rondo", "Star Eyes", and "Lens". CD

A gem of a session from Lennie Niehaus – one of his best 50s albums for Contemporary, and one of his most obscure too! The album features Lennie's alto in the company of a group that includes Bill Perkins on tenor and flute, Jimmy Giuffre on baritone, and Stu Williamson on trumpet. There's no piano at all in the group, and the four horns come together magically – with a well-composed sound that's got all the tightness of LA in the 50s, but with more than enough solo room ot let Lennie and the others sparklet. Titles include "Belle Of The Ball", "Fond Memories", "Knee Deep", "Take It From Me", and "Elbow Room". CD

Quintet and Octet recordings by saxophonist/arranger Lennie Niehaus – both of them great! The first 8 tracks of the CD feature Lennie stepping out of the larger Stan Kenton orchestra, into the limelight with a hip quintet that includes Jack Montrose on tenor, Bob Gordon on baritone, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. The feel here is quite similar to the best Montrose/Gordon collaborations from the time – impeccably tight reed lines, but still played with enough sense of soul to bring in a good deal of humanity to the otherwise modern setting. The tracks are tight and short – and titles include "Bottoms Up", "I Remember You", "Inside Out", "Prime Rib", and "Whose Blues". The Octet sides are almost even better – large group material, but tracks that really have Lennie grooving on alto – blowing in a tighter, harder style than most west coasters – more in the realm of Herb Geller or Art Pepper than some of his other contemporaries on the instrument – really shining in a larger group that includes Bill Holman, Jimmy Giuffre, Bob Gordon, Jack Montrose, and Pete Jolly. Arrangements are beautiful, and titles include "Rick's Tricks", "Figure 8", "How About You", "Bunko", "Night Life", "Have You Met Miss Jones", and "Seaside". CD

One of the first moments of genius as a leader from saxophonist/arranger Lennie Niehaus – a set that has Lennie stepping out of the larger Stan Kenton orchestra, into the limelight with a hip quintet that includes Jack Montrose on tenor, Bob Gordon on baritone, Monty Budwig on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. The feel here is quite similar to the best Montrose/Gordon collaborations from the time – impeccably tight reed lines, but still played with enough sense of soul to bring in a good deal of humanity to the otherwise modern setting. The tracks are tight and short – and titles include "Bottoms Up", "I Remember You", "Poinciana", "I Should Care", "Inside Out", "Prime Rib", and "Happy Times". CD

Pretty incredible work from Lennie Niehaus – one of his seminal albums for Contemporary – nearly all of which were as poorly titled as this one, but equally worth checking out! This side has Lennie grooving on alto – blowing in a tighter, harder style than most west coasters – more in the realm of Herb Geller or Art Pepper than some of his other contemporaries on the instrument – really shining in a larger group that includes Bill Holman, Jimmy Giuffre, Stu Williamson, and Pete Jolly. Arrangements are beautiful, and there's a lot more soul on the set than you might first expect! Titles include "They Say It's Wonderful", "Rick's Tricks", "Yes Yes Honey", "Rose Room", and "Cooling It". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Monty Alexander, Barry Harris, Ray Brown, Walter Davis Jr, Ron Carter, and Charles McPherson playing alongside original solos by Charlie Parker. CD

An action score from Jerry Fielding, but one that's done in a great mix of modes – definitely with some of the driving numbers you might expect, but also with these mellower, moodier tracks that are perfect for a film starring Alain Delon – and which really do a great job of linking it to some of his famous French cinematic efforts! Fielding's got his roots in American jazz, and always does a great job with action – but we're even more impressed here as he gets into some more deeply introspective passages, mixed with moments of subtle tension – served up with orchestrations that are completely sublime – and which rival those of 70s soundtrack contemporary Jerry Goldsmith. Jazz artists Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie conducted the orchestrations, which might explain some of their strength – and titles include "The Imperial Vaults", "On The Plane From Paris", "The Russian Wags His Tail", "All Fall Down", "Hide & Seek Underground", and "The Parisian Connection". CD version features 24 tracks in all! CD

With featured soloists including Art Pepper, Shorty Rogers, Milt Bernhart, Ray Wetzel, Bob Cooper, Lennie Niehaus, Bill Holman, Lee Konitz, Kent Larsen, Bill Perkins, Jack Sheldon, Richie Kamuca, Jerry McKenzie, San Noto, Gabe Baltazar, Dick Hypde, Bud Shank, and John Lowe. LP, Vinyl record album

A great set by Stan Kenton – one that applies the dark tones of his style to a range of popular numbers that end up completely transformed! The album features some wonderful charts from arranger Lennie Niehaus – emerging here as one of the more complicated talents of the west coast scene of the time – and stepping off the strength of his 50s small group sessions, into a realm that really points the way towards his later soundtrack work. The sound is lush and filled with colors from the dark end of the spectrum – mostly carried by a mellophonium-heavy horn section, but also featuring some redemptive moments on breakout solos. Titles include "Darn That Dream", "Moonlight Becomes You", "How Do I Look In Blue", "Time After Time", "My One And Only Love", and "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual later album from early Warner label great Van Dyke Parks – done with arrangements from jazz maestro Lennie Niehaus! CD

A masterpiece of soundtrack scoring from Jerry Fielding – done for Sam Peckinpah's classic Mexico-set thriller with Warren Oates in the lead! Those other two names are more than enough to get us to needle drop the record – but it's Fielding's music that really captivates us – deep orchestrations that we never would have expected in his work the decade before – handled by Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie, both of whom really unlock these channels of rich tonal colors in the music – while Jerry's score serves up all these nice changes throughout, including some key action moments, a touch of solo guitar flavoring, and other bold elements that really make the record leap from the speakers the way the film leaps off the screen. Titles include "Bring It To Me", "Gathering Information", "Marriage Plans", "Bennie's Revenge", "Killer's Rhapsody", "Requiem For Alfredo", "El Jefe", and "Road Kill". Intrada reissue includes 10 tracks from Fielding's score for the film Killer Elite, released the following year. CD

Great early work from Quincy Jones – 2 ABC big band sessions, back to back on one CD! First up is This Is How I Feel About Jazz – a set that has Jones working in some of his hippest settings of the 50s – scoring longish versions of jazz tunes for groups that include players like Lucky Thompson, Art Farmer, Gene Quill, Charles Mingus, Phil Woods, and Hank Jones. There's a sublime 10 minute version of "Walkin" that kicks off the album with a great soulful groove – plus original tunes "Evening In Paris", "Stockholm Sweetnin", and "Boo's Blues", as well as a version of Cannonball Adderley's "Sermonette". Next up is Go West – a set in which Quincy turns his arranging style to a band filled with West Coast players – getting them to groove a lot more than you'd expect! Players include Herb Geller, Art Pepper, Charlie Mariano, Bill Perkins, and Walter Benton. The tracks are short, with tight solo space, and most of them were written and arranged by West Coasters like Jimmy Giuffre, Lennie Niehaus, and Johnny Mandel. Titles include "Be My Guest", "London Derriere", "Kings Road Blues", "The Oom Is Blues", and "Bright Moon". CD

A genius set from Stan Kenton – seductively simple, but featuring some great arrangements from Lennie Niehaus! Despite the title, the album's less of a showtune affair than you might think – as Stan and his group run through a number of popular tunes from the 50s, remaking them in washes of color and sound – working beautifully with the Niehaus arrangements to give them all the Kenton touch! Players include Bill Perkins, Jack Sheldon, and Niehaus himself – and titles include "The Party's Over", "Lullaby Of Broadway", "Hey There", "Bali Hai", "Whatever Lola Wants", "All At Once You Love Her", and "I Love Paris". LP, Vinyl record album

A masterpiece of soundtrack scoring from Jerry Fielding – done for Sam Peckinpah's classic Mexico-set thriller with Warren Oates in the lead! Those other two names are more than enough to get us to needle drop the record – but it's Fielding's music that really captivates us – deep orchestrations that we never would have expected in his work the decade before – handled by Lennie Niehaus and Greg McRitchie, both of whom really unlock these channels of rich tonal colors in the music – while Jerry's score serves up all these nice changes throughout, including some key action moments, a touch of solo guitar flavoring, and other bold elements that really make the record leap from the speakers the way the film leaps off the screen. Titles include "Bring It To Me", "Gathering Information", "Marriage Plans", "Bennie's Revenge", "Killer's Rhapsody", "Requiem For Alfredo", "El Jefe", and "Road Kill". CD features bonus tracks – including the 12 minute "Hacienda Suite". CD

Easily the most successful album that Stan Kenton ever recorded – a brilliant reworking of older Kenton band standards, done with the dynamics of the 50s hi fi scene! The album's a much-needed one to any fan of Stan's genius – as the tunes are presented here in recordings that really sparkle a lot more than their original 40s readings – recordings that not only benefit from the better fidelity of the time, but also from Kenton's finer-tuning on the arrangements, in a way that pushes his original vision even more strongly than before. Players include Lennie Niehaus, Maynard Ferguson, Pete Candoli, Jack Nimitz, Vido Musso, and Bill Perkins – and titles include "Artistry Jumps", "Interlude", "Minor Riff", "Painted Rhythm", "Southern Scandal", and "Eager Beaver". LP, Vinyl record album