Amazing small group work from Ralph Burns – a real standout, given the amount of his larger ensemble sessions in the 50s! The album features Burns on piano – overdubbed on some tracks – working with a combo that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Clyde Lombardi on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums – all gently modern players who fit perfectly with Ralph's vision for the record. Things aren't as dark or as arch as on some of Burns' bigger dates of the decade – almost a bit warm at times, especially thanks to Ralph's piano lines. Titles include "Autobahn Blues", "Echo Of Spring", "Spring Sequence", "Sprang", "Spring Is Here", and "Gina". CD

A great album – if not just for the Billie Holiday work, then for the titles by Ralph Burns! Side one features 7 classic Holiday tunes – including "Strange Fruit", "The Man I Love", and "All Of Me" – all done in straight Verve mode, which is nice enough. But the real treat is on side two, which features The Free Forms of Ralph Burns, with main soloist Lee Konitz – the modern altoist at the height of his early powers! The set's got 8 original tunes by Burns, which provide a perfect foil for Konitz's icy tone – and the record's a key bit of modernism, in the spirit of Verve's best jazz-with-backing mode. Titles include "Terresita", "Spring Is", "Tantallion", "Places Please", and "Someday, Somewhere". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

A nice once – certainly not as funky as some of Cannon's other work for Capitol, but with a dark edge that really makes it great! The core Cannonball quintet of Nat Adderley, Joe Zawinul, et al, is set up in string arrangements by Ray Ellis – a bit flowery at times, but in a way that makes for an edgey juxtaposition against the undeniably soulful groove of the quintet, even when they're playing ballads and love songs. Adderley's horn breaks out in these free solos, a bit like some of the Charlie Parker/Ralph Burns work from the early 50s – which makes for a very nice sound to our ears! Titles include "Morning Of The Carnival", "Stella By Starlight", "So In Love", "The Song Is You", and "The End Of A Love Affair". CD

Hard-blown baritone from the great Serge Chaloff – one of the greatest jazz players on his instrument, heard here in a set of key late 40s recordings! Serge is perhaps best known for his 2 albums on Captiol – Blue Serge and Boston Blowup – but this collection offers up a great range of earlier 78rpm sessions, recorded for labels that include Motif, Mercer, Keynote, and Savoy – and it stands as a great complement to Capitol sessions. The sides a great progression from swing to bop – and feature Chaloff with players that include Al Cohn, Red Rodney, Allen Eager, Al Haig, George Wallington, Ralph Burns, and Nat Pierce. 22 tracks in all – with titles that include "Blue Serge", "Curbstone Shuffle", "Pennies From Heaven", "Gabardine & Serge", "Serge's Urge", "A Bar A Second", and "We The People". CD

The genius of Joe Chambers knows no bounds – and record after record, his recent stretch has really continued to blow our mind! Chambers was always a hell of a talent back in the day – even at his start as a 60s Blue Note sideman – but in the past decade or so, he's really found his voice – and shows a talent for larger-concept projects that's really amazing – such as this project with his Moving Pictures Orchestra! The group's a largeish jazz ensemble with some top-shelf players – and they work together on Chambers arrangements that definitely have a cinematic feel – but there's also a richer jazz-based approach too – one that almost reminds us of classic charts from Gil Evans or Ralph Burns. Players include Craig Handy on tenor and soprano sax, David Weiss and Frank Greene on trumpets, Conrad Herwig and Steve Davis on trombones, Xavier Davis on piano, Steve Berrios on percussion, Dwayne Burno on bass, and Joe Chambers on drums and vibes. Titles include the "Moving Pictures Suite", plus "Lonesome Lover", "Power To The People", "Theme From M Squad", and "Mendacity" – which features vocals from Nicole Guiland. CD

The first album in a legendary run of vocal jazz classics on Atlantic Records – and a set that really helped Chris Connor move to a new level of expression in her music! The sound here is much richer than Connor's previous recordings for Bethlehem – and the small combo jazz backings have been replaced by fuller orchestrations by Ralph Burns – done in a cool, edgey sort of way that really pushes Chris into newly sophisticated territory! The sound's on a par with the best June Christy/Pete Rugolo collaborations on Capitol – and the group's filled with some great jazz players, including Zoot Sims, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, and Oscar Pettiford. Titles include "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "My April Heart", "He Was Good to Me", "Where Are You", and "Get Out Of Town". (Vocalists, Jazz) CD

Lots of rare work from the great trumpeter – material from the albums Roy & Diz, Roy & Diz Vol 2, Little Jazz, Rockin Chair, Dales Wail, Trumpet Battle, Trumpet Kings, Ralph Burns Among The JATPs, Swing Goes Dixie, That Warm Feeling, The Urbane Jazz Of Roy Eldridge/Benny Carter, Swingin On The Town, Tour De Force, and other 10" and compilation tracks too. CD

A swirling array of tones, colors, and sounds – written and arranged by JJ Johnson, conducted by Gunther Schuller, and with Dizzy at the helm, blowing some of his most complicated solos ever. The approach is firmly in the Verve jazz orchestra tradition – and recalls the earlier brilliance of such projects in the hands of Ralph Burns, done here with a great depth of expression, and none of the coldness that you might expect from Schuller's participation. Clearly, there's a Miles/Gil Evans influence here, but the crew retains their identity strongly – and Dizzy's hot tone on the trumpet provides a broder spectrum than Miles ever could. Titles include "Fantasia", "Ballade", "Jubelo", and "The Sword Of Orion". CD

Incredible work from composer/arranger George Handy – a brilliant set of inventive tunes that easily place him on a level with better-known 50s arrangers like Ralph Burns, Gil Evans, and George Russell! There's as much modernism here as in the work of any the three above – but also a style that's a bit more swinging, and sometimes playful too – not as filled with tricks as Pete Rugolo, but still very open to a broad flourish from a key soloist. The instrumentation's quite unique too – mixing bits of oboe and violin with saxes and trumpets at odd moments – creating an interplay that's almost other-worldly in sound, but which still swings nicely throughout! Players include Dick Sherman and Gene Orloff on trumpets, Frank Rehack on trombone, Dave Schildkraut on alto, Tommy Mace on tenor, and Tony Aless on piano – and titles include "Heavy Hands", "Pulse", "Tender Touch", "Pensive", "Maretet", "The Flatterer", and "Knobby Knees". CD

A wonderful set from this mighty ensemble – a record that opens up immediately in a range of complex colors and tones, yet all with a quality that still manages to swing throughout! That balance is part of the real strengths of pianist/arranger David Matthews at this point in his career – able to draw on a few decades' worth of innovation in big band material, yet all without hitting you over the head with it – almost a return to the more organic shifts of sounds you'd get in a 50s arranger like Ralph Burns. The players are all great – and include Randy Brecker and Byron Stripling on trumpet, George Young and Chris Hunter on saxes, and Danny Gottlieb on drums – and titles include "Doxy", "Spanish Blue", "Sir Duke", "One Black Orchid", and a great take on Duke Jordan's "No Problem". CD

A great little album – a lot better than you might think from the concept! After the death of JFK, Oliver Nelson penned this extremely strong tribute to the man – featuring snippets of speeches made by Kennedy during his time in office as president, used as bridges between jazz based backings by Nelson that are filled with some of his strongest writing of the time. The notes are more devoted to Kennedy's memory and Nelson's genius than the usual liner notes – so we're not sure who the players are – but the overall style is right up there with some of Nelson's best serious work from the time, and features a striking use of strings against jazz solo instrumentation, almost in a manner that recalls Ralph Burns' best styles of the 50s. Titles include "The Artists Rightful Place", "Jacqueline", "Day In Dallas", "Let The Word Go Forth", and "John Kennedy Memory Waltz". CD

Wonderful stuff! Ben Webster blows soulful late night ballads over strings – a perfect combination, and a wonderful idea that was first executed on two LPs in the 50s: Music For Loving and Music With Feeling, both of which are reissued here with some extra unreleased material! Backings are by Ralph Burns and Billy Strayhorn – both of whom can be trusted to keep things hip, using the strings to create mood, emotion, and tension, instead of a pillow to smother the sound of Webster's incredible tenor work. Added to those two albums and bonus cuts is the even rarer Harry Carney with Strings session, recorded in the same era, and a perfect addition to the package that makes for over 3 LPs worth of material on 2 CDs, all packaged with great notes and some very cool Verve artwork! Titles include "Chelsea Bridge", "Some Other Spring", "Blue Moon", "Early Autumn", "My Fantasy", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", "You're Mine You", "Love's Away", and "All Too Soon". CD

A fantastic package – a must-have for any fan of older jazz! This CD set reissues material originally packaged in the rare Jazz Scene box set issued by Verve at the end of the 40s – a limited package of 78rpm singles that documented the styles and sounds of modern jazz at the time, filled with great drawings and photos, and one of those super-rare collectibles that you never ever see! This set does a fantastic job of re-presenting the material – filling one CD with tracks in the original box set, and a whole other CD with bonus material that was never issued at the time! Plus, it comes with great notes, reproductions of the original art, photos, and a whole lot more. It's a rare treasure both visually and musically – as the edgey recordings are in the best late 40s modern mode, blending bop, swing, and influences from other fields – really incredible work that deserves to be heard again and again! Titles include "Introspection" by Ralph Burns, "Sono" by Duke Ellington, "Swingin For Julie & Brownie" by Flip Phillips, "Spring In Naples" by Ralph Burns, "Tailspin" by Billy Strayhorn, "Tea For Two" by Willie Smith, and "Tanga" by Machito. CD