Titles include "Crazy Rhythm", "C Jam Blues", "Basin Street Blues", "Jazz Me Blues", "Honeysuckle Rose", and "Oh! Lady Be Good". CD

Titles include "Crazy Rhythm", "C Jam Blues", "Basin Street Blues", "Jazz Me Blues", "Honeysuckle Rose", and "Oh! Lady Be Good". LP, Vinyl record album

Great live work from the Dave Brubeck Quartet – a batch of recordings from Boston's legendary Storyville night club! The lineup features Dave on keys and the mighty Paul Desmond on alto sax – already stepping out here with a clear, crisp tone that's simply beautiful – a style that's a surprisingly nice match for the Boston scene of the 50s, which was budding similar altoists like Charlie Mariano and Boots Mussulli – recorded here with bass by Bob Bates, and drums by Joe Dodge. Tracks are relatively long, and titles include "Back Bay Blues", "When You're Smiling", "Here Lies Love", and "Gone With The Wind". LP, Vinyl record album

A great CD that combines volumes 1 and 2 of Stan's early live recordings at Storyville – excellent small group sessions done with a group that includes Jimmy Raney on guitar, Al Haig on piano, Teddy Kotick on bass, and Tiny Kahn on drums. The mix of guitar and tenor is great together – a sound that became one of Stan's calling cards in the early 50s – and even the live setting can't stifle the strength of his unique tone. The CD features a total of 13 cuts in all – and titles include "Budo", "Jumpin With Symphony Sid", "Yesterdays", "Thou Swell", "Mosquito Knees", and "Parker 51". CD

3CDs, and one DVD – a heck of a lot of music in one groovy little box set! The 3CDs each feature a different overseas performance by American tenor legend Johnny Griffin – working in very familiar territory of Copenhagen, in long, open-ended recordings that really show his inventive strengths on the tenor sax! CD 1 features a 1964 performance with Kenny Drew on piano, Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – on titles that include "Doctor's Blues", "Night In Tunisia", "Wee Dot", and "Body & Soul". CD 2 features a 1984 performance with Eddie Lockjaw Davis joining Griff in the frontline on additional tenor – with rhythm by Harry Pickens on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – on titles that include "Funky Fluke", "Hey Lock", "Lester Leaps In", "Blues Up & Down", and "Oh Gee". CD 3 features a 1989 date, with Drew on piano again – on titles that include "Just Friends", "Isfahan", "Slukefter Blues", and "Hush A Bye". The set also features a DVD – with 3 tracks from a Village Vanguard performance by Griffin in 1981, with Ronnie Matthews on piano – on titles that include "A Monk's Dream", "56 & Closing", and "Opening/Blues For Gonzi". DVD also features 2 more 1985 tracks by Eddie Lockjaw Davis (without Griffin) – "S'Wonderful" and "Shiny Stockings" – both recorded in Copehagen. CD

Earl Hines on piano. CD

One of the first albums ever from the team of Jackie Caine and Roy Kral – and one of the best, too! The album's got a relaxed, open-ended approach to jazz vocals that already carries all the hallmarks of the Jackie & Roy style – wordless scatting on some tunes, playful lyrical interplay on others, and a focus on Jackie's ballad talents on some of the gentler numbers – all wrapped up in small combo backing that's sensitive, creative, and modern – yet never in a way that overwhelms the vocals. It's hard to match the poise, class, and cleverness of this one – and the album easily set a new standard for vocal jazz in the 50s! Titles include a few great early tunes by Tommy Wolf – the songwriter who would become so important for the pair – and backing is by Roy on piano, Barney Kessel on guitar, Red Mitchell on bass, and Shelly Manne on drums. Titles include "Let's Take A Walk Around The Block", "You Smell So Good", "Listen Little Girl", "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most", "Bill's Bit", "Dahuud", "I Wish I Were In Love Again", and "Lover". (Vocalists, Jazz) LP, Vinyl record album

Tight early work from Lee Konitz – recorded on location at the very hospitable Storyville nightclub in Boston – a sweet setting for his angular tones on the alto! The style here is great – cutting lines that are incredibly precise, yet crafted with enough soul to keep them from just being exercises in sound – delivered with a bit more warmth than some of Lee's other recordings of the time. The group's a quartet with Ronnie Ball on piano, Percy Heath on bass, and Al Levitt on drums – and titles include "Sound Lee", "Subconscious Lee", "Hi Beck", and "These Foolish Things". Great reissue of the original 10" LP! CD

Gerry Mulligan brings the piano back in nicely here – but in a way that still hangs onto all the best modern tones of his earlier Pacific Jazz sessions! The date's a live one – done at Storyville in Boston – but the sound is wonderfully intimate, with Gerry on baritone sax and piano, Bob Brookmeyer on valve trombone, Bill Crow on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums. The Crow/Bailey rhythm section is superb – nicely swinging throughout – and Gerry's work on piano has that airy, moody quality that would show up even more strongly in the 60s. Titles include "Bweebida Bwobbida", "Open Country", "Rustic Hop", "Bike Up The Strand", and "Storyville Story". CD

Rare work by Charlie Parker, recorded at Storyville Nightclub in Boston in 1953 – originally broadcast on radio station WHDH, and featuring Bird in a more open, relaxed style than his studio sessions. The recording quality is a bit dated, but the quality of the playing isn't – with extremely fresh solo work by Parker, and great supporting work by players that include Herb Pomeroy, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke, and Sir Charles Thompson. Titles include "Cool Blues", "Dancing On The Ceiling", "Groovin High", "Out Of Nowhere", "Moose The Mooche", and "I'll Walk Alone". CD

Rare work by Charlie Parker, recorded at Storyville Nightclub in Boston in 1953 – originally broadcast on radio station WHDH, and featuring Bird in a more open, relaxed style than his studio sessions. The recording quality is a bit dated, but the quality of the playing isn't – with extremely fresh solo work by Parker, and great supporting work by players that include Herb Pomeroy, Red Garland, Roy Haynes, Kenny Clarke, and Sir Charles Thompson. Titles include "Cool Blues", "Dancing On The Ceiling", "Groovin High", "Out Of Nowhere", "Moose The Mooche", and "I'll Walk Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

Given the coolness of the Swedish jazz scene in the postwar years, we can imagine that the arrival of Charlie Parker on the scene must have set things on fire quite a bit! The album's a great example of the Bird magic even in the most unusual of circumstances – as the settings are less than key, the recording quality a bit muted, and the players all fine, but sometimes not as well matched as they might be – yet none of that matters to Charlie, because he soars out here with the kind of hard-burning solo work that's all-Parker, all the way – pure jazz magic that's still strongly inspiring, even after all these years. The set features live recordings done at Folkets Park and an unknown restaurant, with players that include Rolf Ericson on trumpet, Gosta Theselius on piano, and Rowland Greenberg on trumpet – and titles include "Body & Soul", "Strike Up The Band", "Star Eyes", "Cool Blues", "Fine & Dandy", and "How High The Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

With Ruby Braff on trumpet, Ephy Resnick on trombone, and Red Richards on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

With Ruby Braff on trumpet, Ephy Resnick on trombone, and Red Richards on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from pianist Geri Allen – a set that features the musician both with her trio, and with a larger nonet that was put together as part of her winning the 1996 Jazzpar prize – as well as a set that features some great late work from trumpeter Johnny Coles! The first half of the record features the trio – a wonderfully warm group that includes Palle Danielsson on bass and Lenny White on drums – really stretching out on the titles "Feed The Fire" and "A Beautiful Friendship". Then, Johnny Coles joins the trio – and gets a great solo space on a version of "Old Folks" – before the larger group comes in, still with Coles up front in the lead on flugelhorn. Those large group titles include "Smooth Attitudes", "Some Aspects Of Water", and "Skin". CD

Collects 45 songs from Albert Ammons, Meade Lux Lewis, and Pete Johnson. CD

A great set of trad jazz grooves from the Boston scene of the 50s – recorded with an easygoing groove that's totally great, and put together by George Wein in the same spirit as some of his better-known live events of the time! Players include Ruby Braff on trumpet, Vic Dickenson and Dick Lefave on trombones, Al Drootin on clarinet, Sam Margolis on tenor, Buzzy Drootin on drums, and Wein himself on piano – and the tunes are open-ended swing-based numbers, with titles that include "High Society", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "Swinging The Blues", "At The Jazz Band Ball", and "After You've Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful small combo set from this unusual team – put together in ways that are somewhere between the Bob Brookmeyer/Stan Getz pairings of the early 50s, and some of Zoot Sims' work for the Dawn label! Zoot's horn is maybe a bit sharper, and bolder than on his Dawn sides, though – that quality that really made him a favorite with hip listeners of the 50s, and which maybe even beats some of the Stan Getz work of the period – matched by Brookmeyer's impeccable work on valve trombone, which is more straightforward and swinging here than usual! The group also features Hank Jones on piano, Bill Crow on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – and titles include "The King", "Whoo-eeee", "Morning Fun", "Box Cars", and "Snake Eyes". LP, Vinyl record album

With Kenny Drew on piano, Jesper Lundgard on bass, Ed Thigpen on drums, and Richard Boone on vocals. CD

With Kenny Drew on piano, Jesper Lundgard on bass, Ed Thigpen on drums, and Richard Boone on vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

Very hip work from the Boston modern scene of the mid 50s! The album's one of Serge Chaloff's few as a leader – and is much harder to find than his more widely-issued work for Capitol – an obscure date for the Storyville label, and one that originally only circulated as a 10" LP! The set's also unusual in that it features Serge at the head of a nonet – with strong players that include Charlie Mariano on alto, Herb Pomeroy on trumpet, and Dick Twardzik on piano – all working wonderfully with Chaloff in a groove that's sharply modern, but also plenty darn swinging! There's a strong dose of Boston soul in the mix here, thanks to contributions from the horn players – and the album's got a freshness that's a nice contrast to Serge's more familiar work at Capitol. Titles include originals like "Sherry", "Slam", "A Salute To Tiny", and "Ennie Meenie Minor Mode" – written by group members Mariano and Twardzik! LP, Vinyl record album

Live radio broadcasts from Eddie Condon's club in Greenwich Village. Shifting lineup includes Wild Bill Davison on cornet, Cutty Cutshall on trombone, and Ed Hall on clarinet. CD

Danish recording with John Darville's Quartet featuring Kenny Drew on piano, Hugo Rasmussen on bass, Svend Erik Norregard on drums, and John Darville on trombone. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

With Jerry Coleman on drums. CD

Features Niels Lan Doky on piano, John Scofield on guitar, Niels Henning-Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Terri Lynne Carrington on drums. CD

Kenny Drew caught live in the UK in the early 90s – playing with a wonderfully fluid tone, and a bit more sensitivity than in earlier years! The tracks are all quite long, with very drawn-out solos – similar to Drew's best live dates of the 70s – and the trio here features frequent partner Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and the great Alvin Queen on drums. Many tunes have Kenny really dominating with long-flowing piano lines – and titles include "All Blues", "Hush A Bye", "In Your Own Sweet Way", "Bluesology", and "It Could Happen To You". CD

An intimate album with Kenny Drew playing solo and in a duo format, accompanied by either Bo Stief or Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass. CD

Kenny Drew's the star of the set on piano – playing solo here on a session from 1978, with a young bassist Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen in 1966, and an early 80s set of duets with bassist Bo Steif on the remainder of the tracks! The album does a nice job of blocking things out – so that the earliest tracks begin the record – but with the kind of open, sensitive modes we're normally used to hearing from the Storyville label in their later years – clearly marking these guys as pioneers in giving a player like Drew the kind of space to express himself in ways that didn't always happen back home in the US. Titles include "Ode To Mariann", "Blues For Nils", "Whisper Not", "Bluesology", "Ack Varmeland Du Skona", "Everything I Love", "Yesterdays", and "A Simple Need". CD

Radio broadcasts – sponsored by the Treasury Department! Volume 3 collects two full treasury shows as well as a performance from the New Zanzibar club broadcast by NBC. Tracks include "Black & Tan Fantasy", "Clementine", "All At Once", "Blue Cellophane", "West Indian Dance", "Harlem Air Shaft", "In A Mellotone", plus rare wartime bond promos. CD

49 songs over two CDs. CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

Rare live work from Tubby Hayes – recorded for Swedish Radio in one of the last years of his life, and a really rock-solid set! Given the professional recording of the performance, the set's quite different than some of the more dodgy Hayes live dates – and given Tubby's disappearance from the studio during these later years, the record may well stand as one of the few good documents of his talents at the time! Backing is by a hip trio that features Staffan Abeleen on piano, Niels Henning Ordsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – and all tracks are quite long, with beautifully-crafted solos that spin out nicely – all in ways that are a bit looser and more free than some of Tubby's 60s work. Titles include "C Minor Bird", "Off The Wagon", "Vierd Blues", "I Thought About You", and "Without A Song". CD

Rare live work from Tubby Hayes – recorded for Swedish Radio in one of the last years of his life, and a really rock-solid set! Given the professional recording of the performance, the set's quite different than some of the more dodgy Hayes live dates – and given Tubby's disappearance from the studio during these later years, the record may well stand as one of the few good documents of his talents at the time! Backing is by a hip trio that features Staffan Abeleen on piano, Niels Henning Ordsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel on drums – and all tracks are quite long, with beautifully-crafted solos that spin out nicely – all in ways that are a bit looser and more free than some of Tubby's 60s work. Titles include "C Minor Bird", "Off The Wagon", "Vierd Blues", "I Thought About You", and "Without A Song". CD

Three broadcast sessions from the historic Storyville Club in Boston! The group here includes Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, Bob Neel on drums, and Baker on trumpet. Tracks include "Maid In Mexico", "Long Ago & Far Away", "My Funny Valentine", and "The Wind" – 19 tracks including intermissions. CD

One of the better Ruby Braff albums of the 50s – recorded for the Storyville label, with help from players who include Vic Dickenson, Jo Jones, Edmond Hall, Milt Hinton, and Sam Margolis! CD

Very hip work from the Boston modern scene of the mid 50s! The album's one of Serge Chaloff's few as a leader – and is much harder to find than his more widely-issued work for Capitol – an obscure date for the Storyville label, and one that originally only circulated as a 10" LP! The set's also unusual in that it features Serge at the head of a nonet – with strong players that include Charlie Mariano on alto, Herb Pomeroy on trumpet, and Dick Twardzik on piano – all working wonderfully with Chaloff in a groove that's sharply modern, but also plenty darn swinging! There's a strong dose of Boston soul in the mix here, thanks to contributions from the horn players – and the album's got a freshness that's a nice contrast to Serge's more familiar work at Capitol. Titles include originals like "Sherry", "Slam", "A Salute To Tiny", and "Ennie Meenie Minor Mode" – written by group members Mariano and Twardzik! Includes 5 alternate takes. CD