In his later years, Leonard Bernstein became one of the most-respected conductors in the world of classical music – but at the start, he was working in more popular territory, mixing some of his more ambitious musical ideas with the more down-to-earth form of the music – mostly working in New York, where a series of productions really helped define the city on the rise in the postwar years! This package brings together all those important early Bernstein creations – including two different recordings of the "Fancy Free" ballet, both the songs and the ballet from "On The Town", plus the 1960 recording of the musical – plus "Wonderful Town", "West Side Story", and the "On The Waterfront" symphonic suite – as well as lots of other jazz interpretations of some of these themes – work by Frank Sinatra, Bill Evans, Blossom Dearie, Billie Holiday, Stan Kenton, Dave Brubeck, and others. CD

A very cool record! The album's sort of an American tribute to the emerging French sex goddess Brigitte Bardot – one that features a gatefold cover with a wraparound photo of Brigitte, and some nice images on the inside. Music on the set is by Pete Rugolo – the master arranger who'd worked with June Christy, Stan Kenton, and others – and although Bardot doesn't sing or even make an appearance on the set, Pete does more than enough of a good job of conjuring up her presence with a good selection of jazzy tunes. Players include Pete Candoli and Jack Sheldon on trumpets, Frank Rosolino on trombone, Paul Horn and Bud Shank on reeds, and Laurindo Almeida on guitar. Gloria Wood sings on one track – and titles include "Arsenic Blues", "Paris BB", "Jeff's Blues", "Mambo Bardot", "A T'Aimer", and "The Night Heaven Fell". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

A great little soundtrack from Pete Rugolo – Stan Kenton's right-hand man during the early 50s modernist years, and a hell of an arranger in his own right! Pete wrote some of the best crime jazz soundtracks of the late 50s and early 60s – and his work for television ranks up there with the best by Mancini or Nelson Riddle. This 24-track set is the first time that Rugolo's work for the original Fugitive TV show has been reissued – and it's a nice mix of crime themes, chase numbers, and mellower scene-setting tunes. Titles include "Kimble vs One Armed Man", "The One Armed Man's Name is Fred Johnson", "Theme From The Fugitive", "Tragic Homecoming", "Under Arrest", "On The Run", "Brass Interlude", "Freedom & Finale", and "Back On The Road". CD

Excellent work by composer/leader Pete Rugolo – Stan Kenton's old partner in modernist jazz, and the force behind excellent work by June Christy, The Four Freshmen, and others. This album's got a great "crime jazz" sound – with an approach that sort of starts at the Peter Gunn level, but which gets much crazier as the record goes on. Titles include "The Teaser", "Richard Diamond Theme", "Who's Sam?", "All Star", and "Teen Age Rock". LP, Vinyl record album