A great collection – 42 tracks in all, with a really great range of material! Includes work with Woody herman, George Shearing, and Sarah Vaughan. (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A landmark meeting of two talents! This rare session has the poet Langston Hughes reading his own jazz-based work, set to arrangements by Charles Mingus, with additional work by Horace Parlan. Hughes' voice is incredible – a bit frail, with a wispy integrity that really opens up his own writings. Hughes was always a big jazz listener, and his work in this respect is a perfect consummation of ideas that he'd always said were present in his work. Titles include "Could Be", "Testament", "Commercial Theater", "Consider Me", "Jump Monk", and "Weird Nightmare". LP, Vinyl record album

The bands of Bobby Byrne and Kai Winding playing four tunes each in their own style – "Perdido", "That's A Plenty", "Get Happy", and "Hot & Cool Blues" – with Byrne playing with Yank Lawson, Arrtie Baker, Jack Lesberg, and more, and Winding with Howard McGhee, John Lewis, Percy Heath, and Kenny Clarke! LP, Vinyl record album

We can't say for sure that Buddy's actually the king of the clarinet, but this record is mighty nice work – and a crackling little set that catches DeFranco at a time when he was one of the strongest players on his instrument, and one of the few to equally absorb bop and swing influences. As with other DeFranco standouts from the time, the rhythm section is what really makes the record – and here he's working with Kenny Drew on piano throughout, plus either Art Blakey or Art Taylor on drums, Teddy Kotick or Curley Russell on bass, and a bit of guitar from Jimmy Raney. Titles include "Cairo", "Lover Come Back To Me", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Street Of Dreams", "Gone With The Wind", and "Sophisticated Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite albums ever from Bill Evans – an amazing session of Fender Rhodes material that's quite different than most of his other work! The sound here is incredibly gentle – Bill barely hitting the keys of the Rhodes to send out spare, shimmering notes amidst larger arrangements from Michael Leonard – a talent we hardly know at all, but who fits Evans' piano with a great deal of sensitivity for the set. There's some wonderful tones and colors on each number here – and Eddie Gomez also helps to flesh out the sound a little bit with his basswork, providing those slow pulses of low tones that have a very subtle approach to rhythm. Titles include an amazing version of Luiz Eca's classic "The Dolphin" – plus "Soiree", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", "Children's Play Song", "I'm All Smiles", and "Lullaby For Helene". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums ever recorded by Stan Getz – an unusual early 70s outing that pairs his tenor genius with some very cool larger arrangements, all produced to perfection by the great George Martin! The record's surprisingly great overall, with some groovy charts handled by Richard Hewson – not an artist usually associated with Getz, but then again, neither is Martin – and as with Dynasty, Communications 72, and other unusual projects from the time – the set really shows Stan opening up to some new ideas, while still winning us all over again with that wonderful sense of tone! Titles include great versions of "Without Her", "Cecilia", "Marrakesh Express", "The April Fools", and "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual special on the history of jazz – recorded live, with performances by Billie Holiday, Brownie McGhee, Coleman Hawkins, Buck Clayton, and others! Dick Hyman directs, and Leonard Feather narrates – and obviously, things get very interesting on sides three and four, as things move into more modern jazz territory! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from Lalo Schfrin! This one mixes together bossa piano and sweeping string arrangements – in a style that's incredibly dark-edged and driving, with a sound that's at once spooky and lovely – a dancing groove that makes the best tracks really sparkle! The album's light years away from other "piano with strings" albums of the time – proof that Schifrin was easily one of the most imaginative forces of his generation, and an arranger who really helped reshape music in the 60s. Titles include the incredible version of "Maria" that's played quite often by Gilles Peterson – plus loads of other nice ones, like "The Wave", "Insensatez", "You And Me", "Murmurio", "Rapaz De Bem", "Rio After Dark", and "Time For Love". CD

Features vocals by Mel Torme on two tracks – and by Kitty Kallen on one more! LP, Vinyl record album

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A groovy 60s session from vibist Cal Tjader – and an excellent little Latin set, with a mixture of bossa nova and Latin jazz that goes way beyond the promise of the title! The great Clare Fischer arranged the set – and if you know his work with Cal, you know that he's got a wonderful approach to jazz that works perfectly with Tjader's unique phrasing – a spacious sensibility, and a great sense of timing – one that always ensures the tunes sparkle with a sweetly stepping groove. Fischer plays piano on the record – and other players include Laurindo Almeida on guitar, Paul Horn on reeds, Johnny Rae on timbales, and Milt Holland on percussion. Titles include "Choro E Batuque", "Nao Diga Nada", "Elizete", "Imagen", "Vai Querer", and "Que Tristeza". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the smartest moves Phil Woods ever made was to move to Paris in 1968 and pick up a European rhythm section that featured George Gruntz, Henri Texier, and Daniel Humair. At the time, the idea of a European rhythm section might have been considered suicide by some folks – but for Woods, it was a liberating move that allowed him to expand his sound tremendously. With the help of these three players – all loose modernists who still knew how to swing – Woods was able to craft some incredible tunes, long flowing numbers that featured his amazing tone stretching out in kind of a post-Coltrane sort of mode. This live set is one of the group's best recordings, and features extended versions of tracks that include "Capricci Cavaleschi", "I Remember Bird", "Ad Infinitum", and "Riot". CD

One of our favorite albums ever from Bill Evans – an amazing session of Fender Rhodes material that's quite different than most of his other work! The sound here is incredibly gentle – Bill barely hitting the keys of the Rhodes to send out spare, shimmering notes amidst larger arrangements from Michael Leonard – a talent we hardly know at all, but who fits Evans' piano with a great deal of sensitivity for the set. There's some wonderful tones and colors on each number here – and Eddie Gomez also helps to flesh out the sound a little bit with his basswork, providing those slow pulses of low tones that have a very subtle approach to rhythm. Titles include an amazing version of Luiz Eca's classic "The Dolphin" – plus "Soiree", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", "Children's Play Song", "I'm All Smiles", and "Lullaby For Helene". CD features 4 bonus tracks too – alternate takes on titles in the album. CD

Page Morton's floating in a sea of red on the cover of this rare album – and the music has her swimming in a similarly watery style too! Arrangements are handled by Leo Addeo – who you might know from late 50s tropical and exotica sides – and although his approach here is more in keeping with a vocal session, he also still shows his great ear for those languidly seeping tones around the corners of the edges – a feel of flow that draws us in even before Page's vocals pick up the lyrics! There's a bit of organ used at times to emphasize this approach, and some occasional other exotic instrumentation too – on titles that include "Bill", "Don't Blame Me", "That Old Feeling", "May You Always", "Until The Real Thing Comes Along", and "Paradise". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Unusual quintet material from George Shearing – with Chuck Wayne on guitar, Margie Hyams on vibes, Denzil best on drums, and John Levy on bass. (78 RPM, Jazz) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

The other side of Jimmy Smith is a mellow side – as this album's nearly all ballads and standards, set to moody late night orchestrations by Johnny Pate. Jimmy's playing is very very nice – and in a relaxed introspective mode that he hadn't really been allowed since some of his Blue Note sessions. Pate's got more of rep for funk and soul, but he does a pretty nice job here – and Jerome Richardson plays some nice flute on many tracks. Titles include "My Romance", "Nobody Knows", "My Way", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?", and "Bewitched". LP, Vinyl record album

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Excellent album recorded by vibist Walt Dickerson during the mid 60's. Ostensibly a "soundtrack session", Dickerson freely improvises on themes from the movie A Patch Of Blue, and turns the score into a great platform for moody jazz playing on vibes and piano. Even more surprising is the fact that Sun Ra is the pianist in the quartet, making a rare non-Arkestra appearance – and on a major label, too! Titles include "Bacon & Eggs", "Alone In The Park", "Selina's Fantasy", and "Thataway". CD

One of the greatest jazz soundtracks of all time! Johnny Mandel composed the memorable score for this late 50's film starring Susan Hayward, and the music is played by Mandel's orchestra and a smaller group led by Gerry Mulligan, which includes Art Farmer, Shelly Manne, and Bud Shank. The music was originally issued on 2 different albums – but the CD brings together both LPs worth of tracks, for a whopping 22 selections, wrapped in an overstuffed package brimming with notes and photos, and pressed on an "expanded CD" that also has Quick Time archival material! The whole thing's a jazz soundtrack lover's delight – and tracks include "Poker Game", "Stakeout", "Black Nightgown", "Death Scene", "The Last Mile", and "Gas Chamber Unveiling". (Soundtracks, Jazz) CD

A really standout score from Oliver Nelson – a set that's got some of his groovier touches at times, but also features some pretty great straighter scoring as well! The record really shows Nelson stepping out from his older role as a strictly jazz-based arranger – and although there are some jazz touches here, there's also some even more impressive larger orchestrations that soar out with a majestic use of strings. George Kennedy (remember that stretch when it seemed he was in every movie?) – and although half the album's straight soundtrack material, there's some groovy tracks that make it worthwhile. Roy Orbison sings a vocal number called "Zigzag" – but the real charmers are the jazzier themes, which include "The Other Car", "Love Theme", "Earphones", and the great "Variation Of Themes", which has a wonderfully dancing bossa groove to it! (Soundtracks, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Wild Raymond Scott orchestrations – on titles that include "Coming Down To Earth", "Jackrabbit", "Rub Dub", "Tired Teddy Bear", and "Two Guitars". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great meeting between Kenny Burrell and Jimmy Smith – and a set that's one of Jimmy's standout small combo sessions for Verve! The feel here is much more Jimmy Smith at Blue Note than some of the bigger group Verve dates of the 60s – and Kenny Burrell's sensitive guitar lines provide wonderful company for Smith on the date – shading in his Hammond lines with a nice sense of color, in ways that really fit the late nite setting of the record. Other players on the date include either Bill English or Mel Lewis on drums, George Duvivier or Milt Hinton on bass, Vince Gambella on guitar, and Art Marotti on percussion – and titles include "Kenny's Sound", "Blues For Del", "Blue Bash", "Travelin", and "Soft Winds". LP, Vinyl record album

Light mellow Verve-y instrumental orchestral stuff, featuring Don Costa's versions of contemporary pop stuff, like "Heroes & Villains", "All You Need Is Love", "Ode To Billie Jo". and "Valley of the Dolls". Not totally jazzy, but a nice package of soft groovy grooves, in a cool gatefold cover (with notes), and a great subdued easy feel throughout. (Now Sound, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Bill Evans' first famous appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival – a great 60s trio session, with Eddie Gomez on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! The tunes are mostly relatively familiar ones, but the ensemble on the set gives them a freer and more lyrical feel than you might expect – especially with DeJohnette on drums, who is a somewhat more powerful choice than some of Bill's other drummers of the 60s. Eddie Gomez is great, as always – with that round bass sound that we totally love – and titles include "Nardis", "Sleepin Bee", "Embraceable You", "Someday My Prince Will Come", "Mother Of Earl", "One For Helen", and "Walkin Up". LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic Verve Records material from Bill Evans – a set that follows the no-nonsense trio style of his Riverside material, but which definitely shows the evolving Evans style of the 60s! The group here is a nicely mellow one – bassist Chuck Israels, whose sound is tremendous – and drummer Larry Bunker – a player you might know from percussion work on other albums, which seems to give him a very sensitive touch on the drum kit here! Both players have a dancing quality that goes far beyond strict rhythmic timekeeping – and this approach opens up Evans' solos in to a freer mode than on some of his early 60s sets. The result is a wonderful album that really transforms the tunes – as you'll hear on the set of tracks that include "Round Midnight", "Israel", "Elsa", and "How My Heart Sings". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Bill Evans' most beautiful albums from the time – and one that features the fantastic team of Jeremy Steig and Eddie Gomez, who were cutting some beautiful records for other labels at the time. Steig's flute later got very silly, but at this point, he's got a raw stripped-down sound that works perfectly with Gomez's warm, slightly funky basslines – making for a slightly soulful approach that really transforms the session. Evans is no slouch either – and the youthful company makes him play some of his best bits in years – on titles that include "Time Out For Chris", "So What", "Spartacus Love Theme", and "Autumn Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from the Verve bossa years – a session that features the sweet tenor sax work of Stan Getz, alongside some swinging bossa arrangements from the great Gary McFarland! Given the strength of Gary's own work for Verve at the time, it's no surprise that he's a perfect accompanist for Getz on the session – working with just the right amount of space to let Stan stand out from the pack, and really creating a great blend of Brazilian rhythms and some of the modder 60s styles at Verve. Gary contributed a number of originals to the session too – and titles include "Bim Bom", "Manlancolico", "Balanco No Samba", "Noite Triste", "Chega De Saudade", and "Manha De Carnival". LP, Vinyl record album

The swing is soft by the sound is never sleepy – thanks to some always-great tenor work from Stan Getz! The album definitely moves in a slightly mellow mode – as implied by the title – but the groove is still plenty darn soulful! Iif anything the album offers almost a bit more space than usual for Stan to do his thing in the lead – carving out beautiful tenor lines that almost hang by themselves in space at varying points – but which also receive some gentle rhythmic support from the trio of Mose Allison on piano, Jerry Segal on drums, and Addison Farmer on bass. Titles include "Down Beat", "Pocono Mac", "All The Things You Are", "Bye Bye Blues", and "To The Ends Of The Earth". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful dreamy album that's quite different from the classic Getz/Gilberto collaboration – but which also shares much of that set's lyrical beauty! This album was recorded live, in 1964, when Stan Getz was playing with his quartet that included Gary Burton on vibes – an incredible lineup that made for some wonderfully moody sounds! The vibes/tenor approach was a high point in Getz's career – especially as the young Burton could create these beautiful washes of sound that were a perfect counterpoint to Getz's breathy playing. And although Astrud Gilberto is thrown into the mix here to give the album a bit of bossa appeal – vocals on 6 titles that include "Corovado", "Eu E Voce", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "One Note Samba", "Only Trust Your Heart", and "The Telephone Song" – there's also 4 more tracks that are all instrumental, and which show the Getz/Burton union in all of its glory! These tracks include "6 Nix Pix Flix", "The Singing Song", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "Summertime". And for reference, the rest of the group includes Gene Cherico on bass and Joe Hunt on drums – but on 3 tracks, Chuck Israels plays bass instead of Cherico, and on a few others, Helcio Milito plays drums instead of Hunt, and Kenny Burrell joins in on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A strange pairing – but that's sometimes what makes these Verve "pro meets pro" sets from the 50s so great. Getz and Johnson are backed by Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, and Connie Kay – and the tracks are longish, with plenty of solo room in the open jam session mode of the recording. Titles include "Billie's Bounce", "My Funny Valentine", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Blues In The Closet". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly an "encore" of the first Stan Getz Jazz Samba album – as this set's got a slightly different feel, and lots of great elements that make it really unique! This time around, Brazilian musician Luiz Bonfa is on guitar – already a skilled proponent of the bossa by the time of the record, and arguably one of the few who really got it going back home in Rio. Stan's tenor sounds wonderful – as carefully and soufully blown as on the first set, but also with some new colors and tones too. Bonfa's wife Maria Toledo sings a bit on the record – hinting at Stan's work to come with Astrud Gilberto (this album was cut right before the Getz/Gilberto collaboration) – and the record also features added work on piano and guitar from the great Antonio Carlos Jobim – more than enough proof that the album's got a pure bossa pedigree! Titles include "Menina Flor", "Ebony Samba", "Saudade Vem Correndo", "Sambalero", "Samba De Duas Notas", and "Mania De Maria". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "The Champ", "Exactly Like You", "Jessica's Day", "It Don't Mean A Thing", "Sometimes I'm Happy", "Birk's Works", "I Know That You Know", and "Night In Tunisia". LP, Vinyl record album

Part of a 4 volume set, all recorded on one night in Denmark. The set is a Norm Granz JATP transplantation to the European stage, and features the sort of group you'd imagine, with stars like Coleman Hawkins, Don Byas, Benny Carter & Roy Eldridge. Unlike the other volumes in the set, where the group stretches out and riffs over side long takes on standards, this one is more concise, with less jamming (but no less cookin') versions of "These Foolish Things", "The Nearness of You", "You Go To My Head" and 4 more. LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty cool record from legendary drummer Gene Krupa – filled with loads of unusual percussion, all played live for the recording – set to arrangements by George Williams that are mighty dynamic! Tunes are sometimes from classical sources, but swung in a completely different way! LP, Vinyl record album

Gene Krupa and Gerry Mulligan – hardly a pairing that we would have thought of – but one that works surprisingly well here, and which showcases Mulligan's increasing fascination for larger group settings! The album features Gene on drums with a set of players that include Kai Winding, Urbie Green, Phil Woods, Hank Jones, and Barry Galbraith – but the real star of the set is Gerry, who's not playing here, but conducting the larger group of jazz players through charts that are all his own, and which display the same love of fluid ensemble horn parts that he used in his own smaller combo work. There's a lot more brass in the mix than you'd usually get from Gerry – which gives the album a bit more of a Krupa kick – and Gene also gets some nice space to show himself on drums. Titles include "Yardbird Suite", "Margie", "Bird House", "The Way Of All Flesh", "Disk Jockey Jump", "Birds Of A Feather", and "Mulligan Stew". LP, Vinyl record album

Great stuff from Gary – one of his more obscure albums, and a record dedicated to the signs of the Zodiac! The tracks are a mixture of Gary's usual easy jazz approach – with vibes, whistling, and bossa-style rhythms showing up a lot – plus a few more driving numbers that are more like his arranged work for other players, and which even include some nicely funky tunes! A real gem – lost amidst most of his catalog – possibly because the marketplace wasn't ready for such zodiacary! Titles include "Sad Eyes", "Long Live The King", "Close Your Eyes & Follow Me", "Can't Help Dancing", "Runaway Heart", "Thanks But No Thanks", and "Days Dipped In Dreams". LP, Vinyl record album

A dream of a record from Gary McFarland – lightly jazzy instrumentals with a warm bossa nova undercurrent! The style is incredible – a sweet blend of vibes, guitar, and even some light whistling – often also featuring wordless jazz vocals – scatting along with the groove in a melodic and lovely kind of way! The whole thing's incredibly charming, and even familiar tunes come across sounding quite different in McFarlands hands. Titles include "From Russia With Love", "More", "Emily", "La Vie En Rose", "The Love Goddess", and even a groovy take on "I Want To Hold Your Hand". For you true swingers, the cover includes directions for mixing a "Soft Samba Cocktail" (courtesy Spanish Sherry Institute)! LP, Vinyl record album

A stone classic on Verve! Back in the 60s, Wes Montgomery must have been California Dreaming – because by the time of this LP, he'd come a long way from his Indiana roots – and had used the best part of the hip west coast scene to add a lot to his style – fuller rhythms and tighter production that never dampened his sound, and instead really let him open up into a whole new range of sounds! As with some of his other albums on Verve, Montgomery plays warmly chromatic riffs over dark jazzy backings by Don Sebesky – and although tracks are short, Wes gets a lot into his solos on the set – a masterful approach that was almost better in a tighter setting than a looser one! Titles include "Sun Down", "Without You", "Sunny", "Green Peppers", "Mr Walker", and "Winds Of Barcelona". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic from Wes Montgomery – and exactly the kind of record that made him a legend in the 60s! The set's one of Wes' collaborations with arranger Claus Ogerman – a key talent who was really on the rise at the time, and who understood how to perfectly balance Montgomery's unique sound on the guitar with larger arrangements in the back. There's a slightly Latin feel to some of the rhythms, as you might guess from the title – but it's very slight, and more there just to give the tracks a bit of a slink, in the classic full-on production way that Wes was using for his best Verve and A&M work in the late 60s. Titles include the classic groover "Bumpin On Sunset", plus the cuts "The Big Hurt", "Midnight Mood", "The Thumb", and "What The World Needs Now". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little large group session from Gerry – a bit harder swinging than some of his mid 50s small group work, but still with that mellifluous glide that's the trademark Mulligan sound! Arrangements are by some great talents – including Al Cohn, Johnny Mandel, and Bob Brookmeyer, who also plays valve trombone on the set – and titles include "Blueport", "Body & Soul", "Black Nightgown", and "Let My People Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collection of live work from Gerry's early 60s Concert Jazz Band – a really forward-thinking large group that was one of Mulligan's greatest accomplishments of the time! In some ways, the ensemble worked in a sound that was like that of Mulligan's small group recordings of the 50s – with the horns moving around in free space, interacting beautifully in a fresh, modern, unfettered style. Gerry himself plays a bit of piano on the session, but most of the strength of the set is from the horn interplay from the larger group – from players that include Gene Quill, Bob Brookmeyer, Nick Travis, Gene Allen, Conte Candoli, and star soloist Zoot Sims. Material was recorded on a European tour of the time – and titles include "Go Home", "Barbara's Theme", I Want To Live", "Red Door", and "Apple Core". LP, Vinyl record album