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 definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". CD

A classic album from one of our favorite jazz singers ever – a set that really set a whole new standard for a generation! Even at this early stage, Lorez Alexandria was an amazingly accomplished vocalist – as you'll hear on this excellent selection of tunes from the Lester Young songbook – laidback and soulful tunes that really let her open up and do her thing! The backing on the album's nice and earthy – provided by a Chicago group that includes King Fleming piano, Charles Stepney vibes, Paul Serrano trumpet, and Vernel Fournier drums – and the overall style is perfect for Lorez' deep soulful vocals. Titles include "DB Blues", "Easy Living", "No Eyes Blues", "This Year's Kisses", and "Jumpin With Symphony Sid". CD

With Houston Person on tenor saxophone. CD

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Always-great work from singer Lorez Alexandria – still sounding wonderful, even at this late date! Her presentation's a bit earthier than before, but no less poised than on earlier sessions – with the same sense of space and timing that's always made her one of our favorite jazz singers! And as always, there's a soulfulness to the music that really makes the whole thing sparkle – a sound that goes way past overdone torchy vocals, or hackney sets of standards – in that unique space that Lorez seems to inhabit nearly on her own. Backing is by a group that includes Houston Person on tenor, Bruce Forman on guitar, and Michael Carvin on drums – and titles include "Star Eyes", "Make Someone Happy", "My One & Only Love", "Someone To Watch Over Me", "Long Ago & Far Away", and "You Stepped Out Of A Dream". CD

Incredible early work from Lorez Alexandria – the kind of albums that instantly set her apart from other singers of the 50s, reissued here properly for the first time in years! On This Is Lorez, the singer is working with sublime small combo backings from the group of pianist King Fleming – an unusual Chicago ensemble that includes Wilber Wynn on guitar, Ronald Wilson on flute and oboe, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Audrey Jones on bongos – a musical lineup that brings in a different sort of sophistication to the record, shading tunes with moody colors on flute and oboe that perfectly support Alexandria's soulful and sensitive interpretations of the tunes. The whole thing is pure genius, and a key look at the new levels of sophistication that were bubbling everywhere on the Chicago scene during the years of Jamal and Sun Ra. Lorez Sings Pres follows in a very similar mode – with backing by a Chicago group that again includes King Fleming piano, plus Charles Stepney on vibes, Paul Serrano on trumpet, and Vernel Fournier on drums – an extremely hip lineup that makes the record far more than just the Lester Young tribute promised in the title! But despite the instrumentalists, the real star on all sides is Alexandria – who sings with dark tones and deep colors that go far beyond conventional jazz vocals – all carried off with that slightly breathy mode that was one more unique aspect of her work! CD features all tracks from both albums – a total of 22 titles that include "Snowstorm", "I'm Glad There Is You", "The Sky Is Crying", "I'm Making Believe", "Necessity", "Penthouse Serenade", "DB Blues", "This Year's Kisses", "Easy Living", "No Eyes Blues", "Jumping With Symphony Sid", and a key early reading of "Baltimore Oriole". CD

A beautiful album from Lorez Alexanderia – one of her two excellent sessions for Impulse! The record was cut after Lorez recorded some great sides for the Argo label – and it works off the strength of those sides, taking her unique vocal approach, forged in R&B, but smoothed by jazz, into a whole new level of expression! The backing is great – small combo, with featured musicians who include Bunk Shank and Paul Horn on reeds, and Victor Feldman and Wynton Kelly on piano – all working with moody, soulful arrangements that are a perfect accompaniment to Lorez' beautiful voice. Includes the cuts "Get Me To The Church On Time", "Satin Doll", "Show Me", "The Best Is Yet to Come", "I'm Through With Love", and 5 more! CD

One of the greatest records ever recorded by vocalist Lorez Alexandria – and a perfect summation of her rich talents as a singer! Backing is by a small Chicago trio that includes John Young on piano, Vernel Fournier on drums, and George Eskridge on bass – but the arrangements of the tracks, and Lorez's unique interpretations drive the tunes into territory that's surprisingly advanced for the 1962 date of the session. You'll recognize most of the tunes – but as the old adage goes, it's not the song, but the singer – and you'll hear Lorez crafting a rich tapestry of sound and emotion from titles like "No Moon At All", "I Was A Fool", "Detour Ahead", "Travlin Light", and "I Want To Talk About You". The album's a gem – right up there with her best work ever – and it's an essential CD reissue that won't be on the market for long! CD

Two albums by one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time! Early In The Morning is a very hip affair – recorded with the Ramsey Lewis Trio backing her up on one side, and a group led by Frank Foster on another – both playing in a tight soul jazz mode that works perfectly for Lorez's great voice, and which takes her way past the straighter style of the King recordings. Includes a version of Louis Jordan's "Early In The Morning", plus "So Long", "Don't Explain", "Baby Don't You Cry", and "Rocks In My Bed". Deep Roots is like hearing Lorez in a smoky club on the south side of Chicago – a perfect summation of her rich talents as a singer! Backing is by a small Chicago trio that includes John Young on piano, Vernel Fournier on drums, and George Eskridge on bass – but the arrangements of the tracks, and Lorez's unique interpretations drive the tunes into territory that's surprisingly advanced for the 1962 date of the session. You'll recognize most of the tunes – but as the old adage goes, it's not the song, but the singer – and you'll hear Lorez crafting a rich tapestry of sound and emotion from titles like "No Moon At All", "I Was A Fool", "Detour Ahead", "Travlin Light", and "I Want To Talk About You". CD

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A beautiful later set from Lorez Alexandria – produced by Houston Person, and put together with a sensitivity that really stands out! Although Lorez always sparkles on tunes that swing, she really rises to the occasion even more here on the ballads – really gentle tunes that are taken in a laidback, personal sort of way – sometimes stretching out to the 10 minute mark, and presented by Lorez in a way that's open, unhurried, and a far cry from the usual quick take on an evergreen standard. The group features the great Gildo Mahones on piano – plus Herman Riley on tenor, Grant Geissman on guitar, Andy Simpkins on bass, and Sherman Ferguson on drums. Mahones handled the arrangements – always a plus – and titles include "I Should Care", "Love Walked In", "I'll Never Stop Loving You", "No Moon At All", "All My Life", "For All We Know", and "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning". CD

Includes the albums The Band Swings – Lorez Sings, Singing Songs Everyone Knows, Lorez Alexandria & The Ramsey Lewis Trio – Early In The Morning, and Sing No Sad Songs For Me. CD

Fantastic work by the great Lorez Alexandria – a 2-in-1 CD that brings together both of her rare albums for the Impulse label! Lorez The Great was recorded after Lorez cut some great sides for the Argo label in the early 60s – and it works off the strength of those sides, taking her unique vocal approach, forged in R&B, but smoothed by jazz, into a whole new level of expression. The backing's by musicians like Bud Shank, Wynton Kelly, Victor Feldman, and Paul Horn, and the arrangements are nice and moody, and are a perfect accompaniment to Lorez' beautiful voice. Includes the cuts "Get Me To The Church On Time", "Satin Doll", "Show Me", "The Best Is Yet to Come", "I'm Through With Love" and 5 others. More Of The Great has Lorez in a perfect setting – with sophisticated backing that really lets her take charge, and direct the songs tightly with her incredibly soulful voice. The set's a wonderful blend of jazz and soul styles, with bits of bossa running through the mix – and vocals that are handled in that lightly groovy style that's always made Lorez so great! The album features a great bossa rendition of "O Barquinho", plus the cuts "Dancing On The Ceiling", "Once", "Angel Eyes", "No More", and "That Far Away Look". CD

Perhaps one of the straightest albums that Lorez ever cut – but still pretty darn great! She's got a unique voice that's capable of being fairly smooth and mainstream, yet still manages to hit these wonderful soulful passages that transform any kind of material and makes it her own. That's definitely the case in this set, which features mostly standards (done with a "touch of jazz"), but which also move past the regular vocal jazz album of the time. There's a lot of deep soul in the best cuts – and titles include "Better Luck Next Time", "Long Ago & Far Away", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", and "Lush Life". CD

One of the strangest things about Abbey Lincoln's career is the fact that, despite her hip affiliations with the left end of the jazz spectrum, she's actually been slotted into a fair number of straighter projects, not only in music, but in film as well. This album's a perfect example of that – and may well be the reason for Abbey's later leanings towards the left – as here, in her debut LP, she comes off as a dreamy girl singer, recorded by Liberty almost in a mode that's similar to Julie London or some of their other gal stars – with complicated backings from Benny Carter and Marty Paich. The record is lacking the stark captivating quality of Abbey's later records, but it does have a certain kind of charm – especially as the love themes in the set are all-adult, at a mature level that you'd really only hear from a rare few other singers, like Shirley Horn or Lorez Alexandria. Titles include "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Take Me In Your Arms", "No More", "Affair", "This Can't Be Love", "I Wake Up Smiling", and "Love Walked In". CD

The funky third volume of the Living In The Streets series – and easily the best in this great series – a really hard and heavy batch of rare funk tunes that pushes past the cliches of the title to come up with an all-solid batch of tracks that's sure to please any fan of deep funk. Loads of great little groovers from a range of different labels – organ jazz meets heavy soul vocals meets dancing bassline funk, hard drums, heavy riffing, and beyond – all wrapped up together with a sound that never lets up. Tracks include "Mary Jane" by Bobby Rush, "Bustin Outta The Ghetto" by Carlos Malcolm, "I'm A Good Woman" by The Generation, "Dance Girl" by The Mighty Tom Cats, "Peace Love Not War" by Johnny King with The Fatback Band, "The Truth Shall Make You Free" by King Hannibal, "I'm Wishin" by Lorez Alexandria, "I've Known Rivers" by Gary Bartz, "Viva" by Jade, "Seeds Of Life" by East LA Car Pool, "Starvin" by Winfield Parker, and "He Called Me Baby" by Spanky Wilson. CD

Ernestine Anderson at the height of her powers – caught during a very successful run at Concord Records, where she was easily one of the hippest things going down at the time! The group here is a trio, and very tight – Hank Jones on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Jeff Hamilton on drums – all shifting easily to fit the mood and personal demeanor of Anderson's performance, which is a fair bit more dynamic than other jazz singers of the period. In a way, the record's got a similar feel to Lorez Alexandria's albums from the time – hip soul jazz vocals at its best, with just the right twists, turns, and rhythmic impulses to keep things interesting – but not enough to goof things up too much! Titles include "Big City", "Welcome To The Club", "All Blues", "All I Need Is You", "Spring Is Here", and "I'll Never Pass This Way Again". CD

Includes music from Holly Cole, Dianne Reeves, Julie London, Betty Carter, Ella Fitzgerald, Dodo Green, Lorez Alexandria, Jerri Southern, Nina Simone, and Nancy Wilson. CD

An amazing step forward for the young Etta James – a singer who was delivering a raw, shouting form of R&B just a few years before – but who here ascends into soul music heaven with her famous work on the album! The title cut is the stuff of legend – played and played, again and again over the years – but the whole record's wonderful, and handled with this new level of soul sophistication by arranger Riley Hampton – the great Chicago talent who'd reach similar heights in his charts for singers that include Lorez Alexandria and Walter Jackson. Hampton's dark use of strings brings out a whole new side of James' brilliance – a quality that raised Etta James up out of the R&B ghetto, and forever put her into the legions of legendary 60s soul stars! Titles include the perennial classic "At Last", plus "All I Could Do Was Cry", "Tough Mary", "Sunday Kind Of Love", "Anything To Say You're Mine", and "Trust In Me". Includes 4 bonus tracks – "My Heart Cries", "Spoonful", "It's A Crying Shame", and "If I Can't Have You". CD

A massive overview of the genius Chicago scene of the late 60s – and a set that's overflowing with some of the heaviest music ever recorded! The collection focuses on the most groundbreaking work from the later Chess years – particularly the funky blues, psychedelic soul, and tripped out jazz that was coming out of the Cadet Concept studios in the hands of producers like Charles Stepney, Richard Evans, and Marshall Chess! The Chess groups were ahead of their time by decades – blending together styles without a thought of simple genre restrictions, often forsaking chart fame and record sales in pursuit of an adventurous groove. And while some of the artists on the set may be familiar names, we can promise that most of them are presented in styles that you may not have heard before – as the collection features many unreissued numbers that are making their first reappearance here! CD set comes with a 40 page set of notes – and features 20 tracks in all, including "Please Newsboy" by Eve Barnum, "Burning Spear" by Soulful Strings, "More & More" by Little Milton, "Baltimore Oriole" by Lorez Alexandria, "Soul Vibrations" by Dorothy Ashby, "Evil" by Howlin Wolf, "Stereo Freeze" by The Stereos, "The Way I Feel" by Phil Upchurch, "Mama's Got A Good Thing" by Laura Lee, "The Wailer" by Sonny Cox, "Leave It In The Hands Of Love" by Fontella Bass, "Why Am I Treated So Bad" by The Majestic Choir & The Soul Stirrers, "She Suits Me To A Tee" by Buddy Guy, "Memory Band" by Rotary Connection, and "In My Body's House" by Gene Chandler. CD

An extremely eclectic selection of groovers – with that spiritual jazzy vibe that you'd expect from the London scene, and from the crates of the legendary Russ Dewbury. The compilation has a similar feel to the Freedom Time set – with a batch of tracks that move beyond the usual heavy funk numbers to include some excellent jazz vocal numbers, and some other more complicated tracks that have a sweet fusiony sound. Just about all the tracks on here are super-obscure, and you won't find them easily on original vinyl – nor in such a set as lovingly put together as this one! Titles include "Morning Spring" by Copeland Davis, "Afro Beat" by Jazz Techniques, "Let The Sunshine In" by Sons & Daughters Of Life", "If You Can Live With Yourself" by Dale Dennard, "Gang Progress" by Andre Ceccarelli, "Partido Alto" by Airto & Flora, "Pretty Bird" by Terea, "No Other Love But You" by Clarice Labbe, "Gemstones" by Jack Wilson, "Morning" by Lorez Alexandria, and "Frozen Tundra Lady" by Steamheat. Loads more, and packed with rare tracks! CD

Easily our favorite volume in this legendary series – a mindblowing batch of grooves put together by the godlike talents of Patrick Forge! Forge's work in many genres is well known – and the set's a mix of older funk, soul, jazz, and club numbers – plus a newer tracks that really maintain the classic vibe! There's plenty of treasures here that still haven't been reissued over the years – and titles include "Nothing's Changed" by Ten City, "Summer Bummer" by Crazy Penis, "Send In The Clowns" by Lorez Alexandria, "Motivation" by Atmosfear, "The Way We Live" by Raw Soul Express, "Berimbau De Ossanha" by Easydelics, "Guiro Electro" by Bobby Matos, "Spring Again" by Kevin Yost, "In Good Faith" by Norman Harris, "Straight Ahead" by Brooklyn Express, and "African Mailman" by Nina Simone. CD