Excellent cool jazz vocals from The Netherlands! In the immediate post-war years, the Dutch jazz scene was one of the first to emerge with a sophisticated understanding of the American jazz form. Rita Reys was one of the country's leading talents in this respect, and she had a wonderfully cool vocal style that was similar to American singers like June Christy or Chris Connor. This great Japanese reissue of an album from 1956 has her fronting 2 different groups – one the legendary Wessel Ilcken Combo, the other an early version of The Jazz Messengers, featuring Horace Silver and Hank Mobley. The Jazz Messengers sides were apparently recorded in New York, and the Ilcken sides are of Dutch origin. Both are great – and titles include "I Should Care", "It's Alright With Me", "Old Black Magic", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

An unusual live set – one that features Coleman Hawkins on tenor with vibes from Harry Sheppard on side one – plus Benny Morton on trombone and Nat Pierce on piano on side two! LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant album by Hozan Yamamoto – a flute player with a great ear for mixing traditional sounds and modern jazz! The set's a suite of sorts – performed by a cool quartet with Yamamoto on bamboo flute, plus Masabumi Kikuchi on piano, Gary Peacock on bass, and Hiroshi Murakami on drums – all with a rich sense of poetry and feeling, that newly expressive sound that Japanese jazz hit as the 70s approached! Yamamoto's flute work alone is worth the price of admission – but alongside Kikuchi's well-timed (and toned) piano lines, and Peacock's roundly sensitive bass, the instrument is even more brilliant – heard on tracks that include "Silver World", "Stone Garden Of Ryoan Temple", "A Heavy Shower", and "Sawanose". CD

Make ours Swedish Style too! This set's one of the best early albums by Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund – one of our favorite singers ever, and one of those rare European lovelies who could sing in English with the best of American vocalists, but who could also pick up on the changes in European jazz at the time, and take her work past the usual standards of vocal jazz. This nicely swinging set features Monica's voice over backings by the Bill McGuffie Quartet, a tight little ensemble that includes a conga, which gives the tracks a nice rolling groove – always a plus, considering how much Monica loves to swing! Titles include "Left Alone", "Blue Prelude", "He's My Guy", "Detour Ahead", "You've Changed", and "The Second Time Around". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Make ours Swedish Style too! This set's one of the best early albums by Swedish singer Monica Zetterlund – one of our favorite singers ever, and one of those rare European lovelies who could sing in English with the best of American vocalists, but who could also pick up on the changes in European jazz at the time, and take her work past the usual standards of vocal jazz. This nicely swinging set features Monica's voice over backings by the Bill McGuffie Quartet, a tight little ensemble that includes a conga, which gives the tracks a nice rolling groove – always a plus, considering how much Monica loves to swing! Titles include "Left Alone", "Blue Prelude", "He's My Guy", "Detour Ahead", "You've Changed", and "The Second Time Around". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

One of the cookinest albums we've ever heard from pianist Lou Levy – an obscure early 60s trio session that shows a whole new side of his sound! Lou's playing with likely suspects Max Bennett on bass and Stan Levy on drums – but unlike some of his west coast sides of the late 50s, this album's got a broader, freer approach – one that brings in more hues and colors than we're used to hearing in Lou's piano, and which has a kind of sparkle that we really love. Timings for the tunes are all a bit unconventional, making things more interesting even on the familiar tunes – and titles include "Davana", "My Old Flame", "Won't You Please Let Me In", "The Piccolino", and "The Hymn". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare later album by harpist Dorothy Ashby. Titles include "My Favourite Things", "Blues For Mr. K", "Misty", "Amor En Paz", "Django", and "Round Midnight". CD

Rare work as a leader from baritone saxophonist Harry Carney – working here in a swinging smaller group of players from the larger Ellington ensemble – including Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Willie Cook and Ray Nance on trumpets, Booty Wood on trombone, and Rollins Griffith on piano. The set's got a very different feel than the usual Ellingtonian outing like this – as it features songs and arrangements from Kenny Graham – the inventive British leader of the 50s who really knew how to work some fresh sounds from players like these. There's definitely a London modern vibe going on – and tracks include "Mabulala", "Five O'Clock Drag", "Tree Of Hope", "Blues For Blokes", "Baby Blue", and "Rock Me Gently". LP, Vinyl record album

A strong live set from the great Paco DeLucia – one that has his sublime acoustic guitar sounds really ringing out in the large space of a theater – which creates a slightly different vibe than some of his more close-up studio records of the 70s! DeLucia is extremely commanding in this space – and seems to reach out with even more majesty than ever – incredibly deft work on the strings of the guitar, full of fire and feeling – on a set of original numbers that reference tradition, then completely dismantle it as well. Ramon De Algeciras joins on a bit of second guitar, and titles include "Solea", "Fandangos", "Rumba", "Guajiras", "Alegrias", and "Tarantas". (Global Grooves, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Although he sucked monumentally during the 70s, when he was blowing his head off with his group Passport, Klaus Doldinger was actually a damn good soul jazz tenorist during the 60s – and he cut some great groovy LPs that were issued in the US, like this one from 1963. The record features Doldinger with his classic quartet – featuring the great Infried Hoffman on organ, and Klaus Weiss on drums. The band has a really lively sound that feels a bit like American soul jazz, but which also carries a lot of the Saba/MPS groove – mostly because of a lighter rhythmic touch, which lets the band dance around a bit more on the sound of the tracks. Titles include "Song Of Delilah", "Signal", "Solar", and "Bluesy Toosy". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer batch of large ensemble numbers – very much in the mode of the Clarke-Boland Big Band, or some of the other groups on MPS at the time! The group's led by Jerry Van Rooyen, the Dutch jazzman and composer who did some excellent funky soundtrack work over the years – a fact that certainly shows up in the tracks on the set – which have a sweetly grooving feel mixed in with the large ensemble jazz – a great approach that would have been right at home in some hip Euro film score from the time! Van Rooyen gives the material a soulful feel that's a lot like some of Quincy Jones' best scoring from the 60s – blending together work on organ, Fender Rhodes, and piano (played by Frans Elsen, Rob Madna, and Rob Franken) – with breakaway horn solos by players like Benny Bailey on trumpet and Rolf Ericson on trumpets, Ake Persson and Jiggs Whigham on trombones, and Herb Geller, Ferdinand Povel, and Tony Coe on reeds – most of whom are players who've sparked great notes previously on sets with the Clarke-Boland Big Band, or other hip MPS ensemble projects. Titles include "Sonlite", "Because I Love You", "Some Blues", "For Nathalie", "The Runners", "JBW", "Green", and "Whirligig". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare European gem from Johnny Griffin – recorded in quartet formation with backing from the rhythm trio of the Clarke Boland Big Band! Johnny was working with the trio in the bigger group at the time, but he gets plenty of space to state his case here – stretching out on hard-bitten, almost-modern solos that are some of his most adventurous to date on record – supported strongly on the album's longish tracks by Francy Boland on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums! There's a quality to Griffin's tone that's incredible – urgent, edgey, but never too far out – completely in command of itself, and able to run free, but without wasting at note at all – unlike some of his over-stretched European solos of later years. The set features beautiful long readings of Boland's "Night Lady" and "Old Stuff", plus Griffin's "Scrabble", and versions of "Summertime", "All The Things You Are", and "Little Man You've Had A Busy Day". CD

One of the real landmarks in Australian jazz from the 70s – a freewheeling set by a group who've picked up plenty of influences from the Coltrane generation, but mix them up in a great way that's all their own! The group features Roger Frampton on piano and alto sax, Howie Smith on tenor and soprano, Jack Thorncraft on bass, and Phil Treolar on drums – but along the way, there's some nice surprises too. Tracks vary in length in a great way – and this initial album is still the group's best moment! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most soulful sessions we've ever heard from Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi – a brilliant quintet outing that features some really great work on tenor and soprano sax! Kikuchi's piano is usually enough to grab our attention, but the album's got a great added bonus in the presence of Kosuke Mine on soprano sax and Hideo Miyata on tenor – both players whose horns bring in some added sharpness to the date, and further underscore the spiritual elements in Kikuchi's music – almost with the same mix of reeds and driving rhythms you'd find in the post-Coltrane work of Elvin Jones. Titles include "Green Dance", "Bell", "Admire But Destest", "Gin Kai", and "Drizzling Rain". CD

One of the most soulful sessions we've ever heard from Japanese pianist Masabumi Kikuchi – a brilliant quintet outing that features some really great work on tenor and soprano sax! Kikuchi's piano is usually enough to grab our attention, but the album's got a great added bonus in the presence of Kosuke Mine on soprano sax and Hideo Miyata on tenor – both players whose horns bring in some added sharpness to the date, and further underscore the spiritual elements in Kikuchi's music – almost with the same mix of reeds and driving rhythms you'd find in the post-Coltrane work of Elvin Jones. Titles include "Green Dance", "Bell", "Admire But Destest", "Gin Kai", and "Drizzling Rain". CD

A great one – and the kind of European jazz album that kicks like a Clarke/Boland Big Band album! Hans Koller directs a large-scale swinging big band of some of the best European and American expatriot players of the time – like Sahib Shihab, Benny Bailey, Donald Byrd, Johnny Griffin, and Albert Mangelsdorff – and the set screams with intense solos, and a tight groove that pushes past any of the cliches you could imagine for a set like this. One of the things that makes the session great is some groovy organ, played by Infried Hoffman, the German player who was in Klaus Doldinger's early group. Doldinger's also on here, and his sound is way better than on his 70's work. Titles include "Hip Hit", "Revelation", "Conversation", "Knodel-Waltzer", and "Blazy Bones Revisited". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous early work from Karin Krog – a great example of her rich vocal talents and creative energy, recorded well before her more experimental sessions of the 60s! Even at this early date, Karin's got a strong commitment to improvisation and unique phrasing – a style that really transforms all the tunes in the set, and marks them as her own through inventive performance with the trio of Egil Kapstad on piano, Kurt Lindgren on bass, and Jon Christensen on drums. Krog's voice is amazing – icy, yet never heartless – and her tones ring out especially beautifully on the modal groover "Karin's Kicks" – but sound great throughout, on other tunes that include "All Blues", "Lover Man", "By Myself", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", and "Mood Indigo". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A classic album – one that pairs the arranging talents of the great French composer Michel Legrand, with a host of American jazz players – including Miles Davis, Ben Webster, Milt Hinton, Donald Byrd, Hank Jones, and John Coltrane. The tracks are a beautiful blend of Legrand's best arranging styles from his soundtrack work, and they show his keen talent for setting up complicated orchestrations, then letting the soloist step forth into the spotlight with individual brilliance. The titles are mostly jazz standards, but they're done in a great way, with lots of twists and turns that keep things fresh. Titles include "Round Midnight", "Night In Tunisia", "Nuages", "In A Mist", and "Django". CD

2 jazzy gems from Michel Legrand – back to back on a single CD! Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers is a pretty wonderful album by Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". On the second album, Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays". CD

A landmark in Brazilian music – one of the best jazz recordings to come out of the country during the 60s! Saxophonist JT Meirelles heads up a crack combo that includes Luiz Carlos Vinhas on piano and Dom Um Romao on drums – and the set bristles with the intensity of the best American 60s recordings on Blue Note. The complex rhythms set up the best of Brazil in the post-bossa era – and the soulful solos by Meirelles and Vinhas really give the session a tremendous amount of depth and expression. A fantastic treat all the way through – and not to be missed if you're a fan of either Brazilian music or jazz! Titles include "Tania", "Blue Bottles", "Quintessencia", "Solitude", and "Contemplacao". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

Excellent cool jazz vocals from The Netherlands! In the immediate post-war years, the Dutch jazz scene was one of the first to emerge with a sophisticated understanding of the American jazz form. Rita Reys was one of the country's leading talents in this respect, and she had a wonderfully cool vocal style that was similar to American singers like June Christy or Chris Connor. This great Japanese reissue of an album from 1956 has her fronting 2 different groups – one the legendary Wessel Ilcken Combo, the other an early version of The Jazz Messengers, featuring Horace Silver and Hank Mobley. The Jazz Messengers sides were apparently recorded in New York, and the Ilcken sides are of Dutch origin. Both are great – and titles include "I Should Care", "It's Alright With Me", "Old Black Magic", "Taking A Chance On Love", and "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

The debut of British guitarist Terry Smith – a lost gem produced by Scott Walker, and featuring work by an elite group of UK jazz players of the time! Terry's got a raspy, almost gritty tone on the guitar – one that he'd explore on later jazz rock outings with the group If, but which here is cast almost in a George Benson late 60s mode – one that has Smith's fluid lines stepping out in front of larger arrangements by Jimmy Deuchar and Harry South. Other players on the album include Gordon Beck on piano, Ray Warleigh on alto and flute, Kenny Wheeler on trumpet, and Jim Lawless on vibes – and although there's little in the way of the sound to echo Scott Walker's contribution, it's kind of nice to know he was behind the glass in the studio! Titles include the originals "Fall Out" and "Early Morning Groove", plus nice takes on "Windows Of The World", "The Look Of Love", and "I Love You" – as well as Harry South's groovy "Harry's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

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One of the greatest albums ever cut by Swedish vocalist Monica Zetterlund – a landmark album that has her singing with the Bill Evans Trio! The album was recorded in 1964, with a spare sound that's quite different from most of Monica's other work. As usual, her vocals are wonderfully cool and icy, and she runs through a strong set of material that includes a few jazz standards, a few jazz versions of traditional Swedish material, and a remake of "Waltz for Debby". Other cuts include "Once Upon a Summertime", "It Could Happen to You", "So Long Big Time", and "Lucky To Be Me". Sophisticated jazz vocals by one of the biggest talents of the continent, and a rare recording by Bill Evans from the classic years! (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from one of the most unique guitarists on the European scene – working here in trio formation, with either Pierre Michelot or Michel Gaudry on bass, and Kenny Clarke or Daniel Humair on drums! The tracks are short and tight – with hints of Django, but also some other unique influences that give the guitar work a strangely jangly sound. Titles include "Opus De Funk", "Take Five", "On Green Dolphin Street", "Milestones", and "Nuages". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little session from Luiz Bonfa – one that features a hip core combo mixed with slightly larger backings – all in a groove that really stands out from other mainstream bossa albums of the 60s! Bonfa's acoustic guitar is set up here with Jerome Richardson on flute, Don Payne on bass, and Helcio Milito on drums – all working in a sound that's lightly touched with occasional bits of strings or woodwinds from Hal Mooney – never too much to over-sweeten the music, and often in ways that underscore the bluer, sadder tones in the music. Bonfa contributed to me great original tunes to the record that really stand out – numbers that include "Avocado", "Moonlight In Rio", "Embolada", "Her Face", "Dream Girl", "Sambalero", and "Zomba" – all of which make the record stand out from other familiar bossa tunes of the time. (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

A lost bossa jazz classic from Dizzy Gillespie – recorded at a time when Lalo Schifrin was working in his combo! The record's got a cool, laidback kind of groove – one that's miles away from Gillespie's earlier bop work, and which shows him opening up his rhythmic conception strongly in the 60s. Rhythms are percolated by the piano of Schifrin, guitar of Bola Sete, bass of Chris White, and some well-chosen added percussion work – and the overall groove is one of the best American takes on the bossa jazz sound of the time, delivered with wonderful horn work from Dizzy on trumpet, Leo Wright on flute and alto, and Charlie Ventura on tenor! Even familiar tunes are transformed by the sound – and titles include "In A Shanty In Old Shanty Town", "Careless Love", "Taboo", "One Note Samba", "Pergunte Ao Joao", and "Chega de Saudade". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from one of Dizzy's greatest periods – and a record not to pass up! The set features Diz playing 5 old bop tunes, and 4 new tracks from the pen of the great Tom McIntosh, one of the scene's brightest arrangers at the time, and a talent who was looming large, thanks to support from folks like Diz and James Moody. Moody's in the group – blowing tenor with a quintet that includes Kenny Barron on piano, Chris White on bass, and Rudy Collins on drums – and his tone is incredible, with a darkness that he'd rarely had before, and the whole group has a mixture of modern tones and soulful grooves that's beyond compare! Titles include "November Afternoon", "The Cup Bearers", "The Day After", "This Lovely Afternoon", "Good Bait", and "Dizzy Atmosphere". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most hard-burning Johnny Griffin records of the 70s – a cooking live se recorded in Tokyo, with energy that's much more freewheeling and open than his studio records of the time! The tracks are all quite long, and move with a quickly-expressive quality that's totally great – that fast-thinking tenor solo mode that Griff first forged back in Chicago, getting some great support here from a group that includes Horace Parlan on piano, Mads Vinding on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The interplay of the rhythm section really opens up the long tracks to plenty of creative exploration – and titles include "When We Were One", "All The Things You Are", "Wee", "The Man I Love", and "Soft & Furry". CD

An excellent album – and one of Joe Henderson's boldest sets from the early 70s! The record features Joe working with a hip group of young Japanese players that includes Terumasa Hino on trumpet and Masabumi Kikuchi on piano and electric piano – and the sextet format of the session stretches way past Joe's other Japanese recording from the time, which was issued in the US on Milestone. This one features very long tracks, with tremendous intensity from both the group and Joe, who's got a real edginess to his playing here. Includes a version of "So What", plus the originals "Sunrise In Tokyo" and "Get Magic Again". CD

Some of the greatest jazz work ever recorded by Michel Legrand! Although Legrand's always been known for his sweet soundtrack work and his famous easy listening sides – he's also a heck of a jazz pianist, and here in this rare 1959 session, he works in a trio format that puts him right up there with the best of the French piano-technics of his generation, like Maurice Vander or Rene Utreger. The arrangements are wonderfully off-beat – and Legrand dances around the piano with a versatility that we didn't know he had. The group features Guy Pedersen on bass and Gus Wallez on drums – and titles include "Paris In The Spring", "Sous Les Ponts De Paris", "Paris Canaille", "Moulin Rouge", and "La Vie En Rose". CD

A tremendous first outing as a leader for Japanese saxophonist Kosuke Mine – one of our favorite players of the 70s, already sounding wonderful here right at the start! The album's got a freewheeling vibe – not entirely avant, and maybe more in the modal territory unlocked by Miles Davis a few years before – although with a very different vibe, given the Mine's in the lead on alto! Yet the group also features some very Miles-like use of electric piano – handled here by Masabumi Kikuchi, a key young contemporary of Mine, and one who'd gotten a bit more of a head start in the world of recording – really adding a lot to the record here, next to the very forward-thinking rhythm duo of American players Larry Ridley on bass and Lenny McBrowne on drums! All tracks are nice and long, and most are originals – the kind of open, long-spun cuts that really herald all the great changes taking place on the Japanese jazz scene at the time. Titles include "Little Abbi", "McPhee", "Love Taken", "Morning Tide", and "Bar L'Len". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet session of Japanese fusion – one that features guitarist Hiroki Miyano working in the US with arrangements from Teo Macero! The sound here is bright and sunny – somewhat polished, but never too much so – in the best Japanese fusion styles of the time. And although we don't normally associate Macero with this sort of a record, his help on arrangements is really great here – bringing a nice sort of depth to the record that really surprised us. Other players include Ryo Kawasaki on guitar, Marcus Miller on bass, Dave Valentin on flute, Warren Bernhardt on Fender Rhodes, and Jorge Dalto on drums – and possibly best of all, singer Ilana Morillo joins the group on three tracks, singing in a cool wordless way that has some great traces of Brazilian fusion! Titles include "Manhattan Skyline", "Go Away From Summer", "Song Of Clouds", "Slow Down For Love", "Sunset City", and "Teo's Dance". LP, Vinyl record album

2 genius 60s moments from Gerry Mulligan – back to back on one CD! The first half of the record is from the album Butterfly With Hiccups, a nice little record from Gerry – and one that has him working with a small group that often features a piano, with a light airy feel that's a bit bossa in the nicest parts! The record is one of a few gems that Mulligan cut in the 60s – with a playful feel that moves past the academicism of some of the 50s work, and which manages to pick up a bit of soul on the way. The group includes Art Farmer, Bob Brookmeyer, Jim Hall, and Dave Bailey – and tracks include "The Ant Hill", "Crazy Day", "Butterfly With Hiccups", and the haunting "Theme For Jobim". Next up is Night Lights – a record that has Gerry working with a sextet that includes Jim Hall, Art Farmer, and Bob Brookmeyer, in addition to usual Mulligan rhythm-mates Bill Crow and Dave Bailey. There's a nice soulful bottom to the set, and stronger interplay from the horns than you might get in a Mulligan album of a few years before – nothing fancy, but a strong set of original tunes that break from the mode of the 50s. Titles include "Tell Me When", "Festive Minor", "Wee Small Hours", "Prelude In E Minor", and "Night Lights". CD also features the bonus 45 "The Lonely Nights"! CD

A really nice one from Gerry – an oft-overlooked mid 60s session, one that has him working with a sextet that includes Jim Hall, Art Farmer, and Bob Brookmeyer, in addition to usual Mulligan rhythm-mates Bill Crow and Dave Bailey. There's a nice soulful bottom to the set, and stronger interplay from the horns than you might get in a Mulligan album of a few years before – nothing fancy, but a strong set of original tunes that break from the mode of the 50s. Titles include "Tell Me When", "Festive Minor", "Wee Small Hours", "Prelude In E Minor", and "Night Lights". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite possibly the clearest moment of genius ever from the legendary Hermeto Pascoal – a tremendous album that helped reshape instrumental Brazilian music for many years to come! At one level, the record shares a sound with some of the fuller, richer orchestrations going on in the post-bossa years – especially the work of Edu Lobo and Marcos Valle – but at another, it's filled with the kind of inventive instrumental interplay that's always made Hermeto so great, but which has never come off so perfectly as it does here! As you might expect from Pascoal, there's some especially great reed passages – crafted in a flurry of colors and tones – but there's also a warmer, more flowing quality to the whole album – less of the dark notes and pointy edges that show up often in Hermeto's work from later years. Bits of strings help the whole thing glide tremendously – and the record's a genre-busting blend of jazz, Brazilian roots, and complicated arrangements – unlike anything else we've ever heard, and still one of our favorite albums of all time! Titles include "Bebe", "Asa Branca", "Carinhoso", "Plin", "Gaio Da Roseira", and "Sereiarei". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A one of a kind record that still sparkles as brightly today as it did back in the late 60s – an amazing collaboration between Brazilian vocalist Elis Regina and Scandinavian jazzman Toots Thielemans – done in a style that easily makes it one of the best records ever from both artists! Elis is at the height of her jazzy late 60s powers here – working in a soaring, breezy sort of style – but one with a lot more depth and soul than some of her contemporaries. She brings a great deal of feeling to the tunes, but always without doing too much – and this leaves plenty of space for Toots to add his touches – on harmonica, guitar, and even a bit of whistling – which really sits in nicely with the grooves. The production and overall sound is sublime – one of those never matched again sort of studio dates – and titles include great versions of "Canto De Ossanha", "Wave", "Voce", "Wilsamba", "Five For Elis", "Volta", and "O Sonho". (Brazil, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual album from the west coast scene of the 60s – recorded under the name of the Lighthouse All Stars, but featuring arrangements and compositions by Bob Cooper – who was the real driving force behind the set. Conte Candoli's in the group on trumpet – and other players include Buddy Colette and Bud Shank on alto and flute, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Victor Feldman on vibes and percussion, Stan Levey on drums, and Cooper himself on tenor. The overall sound is relatively tightly constrained, in a "jazz suite" mode – but there's plenty of room for solo space on the set, and Cooper's writing is as fluid as his ability is strong to bring these players together as conductor. The set's got a really great feel that gets way past some of the more academic west coast work of its sort – with a lot more soul than you'd expect. Titles include "Rain Blues", "Genesis (pt II)", "Architectonics", "Directional Suite", and "The Worker". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set that has the vocal talents of the Swingle Singers backed by the sweet and mellow instrumentation of the Modern Jazz Quartet! Given that John Lewis & Co were essentially local residents in Paris for so many years, it's amazing it took them until 1966 to hook up with Ward Swingle's hip vocal group – but the album's more than worth the wait, as the MJQ really help open things up, and take the Swingles into more complicated territory than before. Milt Jackson's vibes are especially great alongside the groovy vocals – and titles include "Little David's Fugue", "Vendome", "When I Am Laid In Earth", "Air For G String", and "Three Windows". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live at the International Jazz Festival Berne, with Harry Edison on trumpet, Eddie Davis on tenor, Leonard Gaskin on bass, and Oliver Jackson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite singers and one of our favorite composers – brought together in a dream of a vocal jazz album! We've always loved the tunes that Michel Legrand penned for films of the 60s and 70s – as they've got a depth, sincerity, and jazziness that goes beyond most of his contemporaries – but they've also never sounded better than in the hands of vocalist Karin Krog and arranger Palle Mikkelborg, who both really deliver a unique twist on the Legrand sound! Mikkelborg's arrangements for the set are extremely beautiful – sometimes using funky backings, sometimes softer strings – but always getting the right balance between emotion and grooviness that Legrand brought to his original recordings of the work. And guitarist Philip Catherine plays some nicely complicated lines that electrify the tunes with a weird, moody feel – often "singing" alongside Karin's deeply icy vocals in a really wonderful way. The tracks are all taken at slightly longer readings than you might expect, which makes for even more room for creative invention – and titles include "Watch What Happens", "Ask Yourself Why", "I Will Wait For You", "Once Upon A Summertime", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark work by one of the greatest Brazilian jazz groups ever! This mid 60s gem is the second release by sax player JT Meirelles and his legendary Copa 5 combo – a killer group that featured Eumir Deodato on piano, Edison Machado on drums, Roberto Menescal on guitar, Manoel Gusmao on bass, and Waltel Branco on electric guitar. The tracks pick up from the brilliance of the group's first album – mixing bossa nova with American hardbop styles, soloing majestically with a skill that you'll find in few other Brazilian groups of the time. The album's a winner both for fans of jazz and Brazilian rhythms – and titles include "O Novo Som", "Samba Do Carioca", "Samba De Verao", "Solo", "Serelepe", and "Diz Que Fui Por Ai". (Brazil, Jazz) CD

A fantastic early recording from the great French tenor saxophonist Barney Wilen – best known as an artist who recorded famously in the soundtrack world of the French new wave, and with Art Blakey – but who's even more striking here on a rare small combo date from the 50s! The session's a monster – cut with rhythmic backing by Milt Jackson on piano (!?), Percy Heath on bass, and Kenny Clarke on drums – and two cuts feature additional percussion by Gana M'Bow, which gives the set a wonderful kick, and an unusual sound for the period – as Gana plays toumba, at a level that forecasts some of Wilen's later experiments crossing jazz with elements of African music. The quality of the set is wonderful – hardbop, but with lots of new ideas going on – on titles that include "Nuages", "Swing 39", "Epistrophy", "Minor Swing", "Swingin Parisian Rhythm", "J'Ai Ta Main", "La Route Enchantee", and "Menilmontant". LP, Vinyl record album