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Classic 50s work from vocalist Abbe Lane – and a record that's made all the better by some great arrangements from Tito Puente! Abbe's getting past the sexy tricks of other records here – and singing in a dusky tone that works perfect with Tito's tight, choppy, and highly percussive arrangements. The set's got a wonderful blend of Latin and torch – with tracks that include "Take It Easy", "Green Eyes", "The River Seine", "Babalu", "Pan, Amore & Cha Cha Cha", "Noche De Ronda", and "Whatever Lola Wants". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the strangest things about Abbey Lincoln's career is the fact that, despite her hip affiliations with the left end of the jazz spectrum, she's actually been slotted into a fair number of straighter projects, not only in music, but in film as well. This album's a perfect example of that – and may well be the reason for Abbey's later leanings towards the left – as here, in her debut LP, she comes off as a dreamy girl singer, recorded by Liberty almost in a mode that's similar to Julie London or some of their other gal stars – with complicated backings from Benny Carter and Marty Paich. The record is lacking the stark captivating quality of Abbey's later records, but it does have a certain kind of charm – especially as the love themes in the set are all-adult, at a mature level that you'd really only hear from a rare few other singers, like Shirley Horn or Lorez Alexandria. Titles include "Two Cigarettes In The Dark", "Take Me In Your Arms", "No More", "Affair", "This Can't Be Love", "I Wake Up Smiling", and "Love Walked In". CD

Great later work from Abbey Lincoln – music from that time when she's found just the right setting for the magnificent instrument that was her maturing voice! Abbey always had one of the most distinct styles of any jazz singer around – but in later years, the slight rasp that came in was even more present – adding almost this sort of wisdom that made the lyrics feel even more pointed, especially at some of the more understated moments. The vibe here is nicely laidback – work from a core trio that features Brandon McCune on piano – and guest performances from Jerry Gonzalez on trumpet and Joe Lovano on tenor. Titles include "Tender As Rose", "Windmills Of Your Mind", "Lucky To Be Me", "I'm Not Supposed To Know", "I Could Sing It For A Song", "A Heart Is Not A Toy", "Blackberry Blossoms", and "Somos Novios". CD

Just Abbey Lincoln on vocals accompanied by Hank Jones on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic pairing of the vocals of Abbey Lincoln and the tenor sax of Stan Getz – one that's captured here for the very first time on record, at a point that's just a few months shy of Stan's too-early death! Both players had really grown a lot during the 80s – and the match here is wonderful – the maturing tones of Stan's tenor, and Abbey's way of doing more with less than ever before – a special sort of magic that works equally well on familiar and unfamiliar tunes! The rest of the group here is equally great – Hank Jones on piano, Charlie Haden on bass, Mark Johnson on drums, and Maxine Roach guesting on viola on two tracks too. Arrangements are by Abbey – and titles include "When I'm Called Home", "And How I Hoped For Your Love", "Time For Love", "Summer Wishes Winter Dreams", "You Made Me Funny", and "Bird Alone". CD

Features Billy Drewes on reeds, Frank Kimbrough on piano, and Ben Monder on guitar. CD

Abbey Lincoln in very familiar territory – working through a set of all-original compositions – self-penned tunes that are awash in dark moods and subdued emotions! The setting shows the full depths of Abbey's talents – and is a great reminder that she's not just an old jazz singer that you can trot into the studio for a record of dusted-off standards – but a continually growing, evolving talent – and one with a compositional pen that's as compelling as her instantly-recognizable voice! Instrumentation features guitars from Larry Campbell, accordion from Gil Goldstein, bass from Scott Colley, cello from Dave Eggar, and drums from Shawn Pelton – and Abbey wrote the words and music to all titles save one – a version of "Blue Monk", which features Thelonious' own music. Titles include "And It's Supposed To Be Love", "Should've Been", "Learning How To Listen", "Down Here Below", "The World Is Falling Down", "Throw It Away", and "The Music Is The Magic". CD

One of Abbey Lincoln's earliest albums – an all star session recorded with backing by Kenny Dorham, Sonny Rollins, Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Max Roach! Abbey's still pretty straight at this point – singing a variety of wispy love songs and emotional tunes – but she's also bringing a bit more feeling to the material than most singers of her generation – hinting at the sharper tones that would come just a few years later in her work! And given the strength of the sidemen alone, the album's already a cut above most jazz vocal records from the time – but really takes on a strong voice when Abbey opens up on some of the best numbers on the set. Titles include "Strong Man", "My Man", "That's Him", "Don't Explain", "I Must Have That Man", and "When A Woman Loves A Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Ran Blake on piano and Christine Correa on vocals (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

A rare early session from the lovely Elsie Bianchi – best known for her classic 60s sides on Saba/MPS, heard here in a very similar format! The set features Elsie working with her combo from the Swiss Atlantis nightclub in the early 60s – and was originally issued as a limited-number 10" LP, used only as a promotional item by the club! As on her classic Sweetest Sound album, Elsie sings on a number of tunes – always in English, and in a laidback and mellow way that sounds wonderfully sweet next to her work on piano. The rest of the group includes a bit of clarinet next to the bass and drums – and on a few tracks, Elsie's even overdubbed with a bit of accordion as well! Titles include the originals "Atlantis Blues" and "Baron Lazar" – plus versions of "I Got It Bad", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Stormy Weather", "After You've Gone", and "No Moon At All". CD

A brilliant live set by Betty Carter – originally issued on her own Bet-Car label in 1980, and a perfect summation of the underground soul that was bubbling through her work in the 70s! The Betty you hear here is way different than the Betty of earlier years – freer, more soulful, working in an unfettered setting that lets her take off on piano and vocals, working in a mode that's got a modal vibrant quality unmatched by most other singers! The album includes a great version of "Open The Door", a 25 minute reading of the landmark tune "Sounds", and the tracks "Tight", "Fake", "So", "My Favorite Things", "Caribbean Sun", and "I Think I Got It Now". CD

The great Harold Mabern kicks it hard with a key core group – then finds a way to open up with some surprise guest artists as well – including singers Gregory Porter, Kurt Elling, Jane Monheit, and Norah Jones! The core of the album features Mabern's piano rocketing out with rhythm from John Webber on bass and Joe Farnsworth on drums – and getting some strong tenor work from the mighty Eric Alexander – and as the set goes on, the group also brings in Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and Steve Turre on trombone. But the key force here is the singers – especially Porter and Elling, who seem to find an old school space with the group that really takes them back to their roots. Elling sings on "You Needed Me", "Portrait Of Jennie", and "Billie's Bounce"'; Porter sings on "Afro Blue" and "The Man From Hyde Park"; Monheit sings on "I'll Take Romance" and "My One & Only Love"; and Norah Jones sings on "Don't Misunderstand" and "Fools Rush In". CD also features Alexis Cole on "Such Is Life" – and the instrumental tracks "The Chief", "Mozzin", and "Bobby Benny Jymie Lee Bu". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

14 compositions by Nurock based on vocal and body noises, with guests Skip LaPlante, Jay Clayton, Michael Meadows, Rebbeca Armstrong, and approximately 100 volunteers! (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most righteous albums that Max Roach ever cut – and a monumental jazz release from the heart of the Civil Rights era! As you can guess from the cover and title, there's a very political bent to the record – served up in righteous lyrics penned by Oscar Brand Jr, and sung by Abbey Lincoln at her most biting – really stepping out here in just a few short years from her previous role as a straight jazz singer, and firmly grabbing up territory no other female vocalists had touched! For this momentous event, Roach gathered together a really special group for the record – players who include regular partners Booker Little on trumpet and Julian Priester on trombone – alongside surprising guests like Coleman Hawkins on tenor sax, Olatunji on percussion, and Ray Mantilla on congas. There's no piano at all on the record, and the tracks are all long ones – stretching out with soaring horn passages next to the vocals, and plenty of percussion at the bottom to get things moving! Titles include "Driva' Man", "Tears for Johannesburg", "Freedom Day", "All Africa", and "Prayer/Protest/Peace". (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Max's many great records from the late 50's, most of which tend to get overlooked in favor of his more experimental sessions. The group here includes Ray Bryant, Stanley Turrentine, Julian Priester, and Turrentine's great brother Tommy – and they're joined by Abbey Lincoln on vocals on a number of tracks. The set is mostly standards, and titles include "Never Let Me Go", "Namely You", "Speak Low", and "Wild Is The Wind". (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked album from the legendary Nina Simone – recorded in Paris in the early 80s, and not circulated as much as some of her records from the 60s and 70s – but every bit as compelling in its own sort of way! Nina's working here with a greater array of global elements than on previous recordings – very much in that way that the French scene was embracing sounds from the Caribbean and African cultures in these post-colonial years, and using them to forge a wealth of wonderful new styles in the studios of Paris. The approach is still jazz-based, but with lots of earthy percussion, including some handled by Nina with her own piano work – a mode that's not foisted on Simone by another producer, but arranged and conceived by the lady herself. Lyrics are in French and English, and titles include "I Sing Just To Know That I'm Alive", "They Took My Hand", "Stop", "Liberian Calypso", "Vous Etes SEuls Mais Je Desire Etre Avec Vous", "Fodder In Her Wings", "Thandewye", "Heaven Belongs To You", and "Le Peuple En Suisse". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the best albums from singer Teri Thornton – a jazz vocalist who was really starting to come into her own at the beginning of the 60s, and shines here in a way that's different from some of her bigger label sets! Backings are by Norman Simmons – a pianist we love on his own, and for his work in small groups with other singers – but a real surprise here for his work on the album's dark-tinged charts, which have a similar undercurrent of modernism to some of the work at the time by Abbey Lincoln. The group's relatively small – and features work by Seldon Powell on tenor, Clark Terry on trumpet, Earl Warren on alto, Freddie Green on guitar, and Wynton Kelly on piano – and titles include a version of Bob Dorough's "Devil May Care", plus dark takes on "My Old Flame", "Dancing In The Dark", "Left Alone", "What's New", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". LP, Vinyl record album

Completely wonderful work from Georgie Fame – a stone cooking collection of his mid 60s mod recordings for Columbia Records in the UK – a unique combination of jazz, soul, and R&B – all delivered with a style so original, it can only be dubbed Fame-like! Georgie's approach really digs deep on the American scene – a bit of New Orleans soul, a dose of New York soul jazz, all filtered together with a London appreciation of the best elements of both, and delivered with a tightness that almost beats out most US recordings that even try to come close! The collection does a great job of avoiding material already compiled on the Polydor Fame set from years back – and really goes for upbeat, hard-grooving numbers that show why Georgie's music had such a big role in the hippest sides of the London scene of the 60s. Titles include "Sweet Thing", "Something", "Point Of No Return", "Lil Darlin", "El Bandido", "Dawn Yawn", "Music Talk", "Outrage", "It's Got The Whole World Shakin", "Move It On Over", "Last Night", "The World Is Round", and "See Saw". CD

Etta Jones on vocals – with Houston Person on tenor sax, Norman Simmons on piano, John Webber on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums. CD