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An early gem from singer Freda Payne – recorded back in the days when she was a jazz vocalist, years before her famous hits as a soul artist in the early 70s! The album's a darkly-tinged session with arrangements by Manny Albam – done in the late nite mode that you'd expect from the title, and featuring the kind of sad songs that you'd hear on an album from the time by Lorez Alexandria. The highlight of the album is a great vocal reading of Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman" – and other tracks include "Out Of This World", "Sweet September", "Blue Piano", and "After The Lights Go Down Low". LP, Vinyl record album

Four early 80s classics from Johnny Mathis – presented here in a single 2CD package! Different Kinda Different is a tremendous start to the 80s for Johnny Mathis – and a set that really continues that strong shift into soul-based territory he begun in the 70s! Gene Page handles a lot of the arrangements here, and gives the whole thing that strong blend of strings and soul that he worked on other 70s classics for different artists – a perfect approach for that magnificent Mathis voice, especially when the tunes have a bit of a groove! Two of the best numbers here – "Different Kind Of Different" and "I'll Do It All For You" – are duets with Paulette McWilliams, who'd recorded on her own, but who really seems to hit her stride with Johnny, and in a way that's different than any of his other soul partners in duets. Other titles include "Never Givin Up On You", "With You I'm Born Again", "I Will Survive", "The Lights Of Rio", and "Love Without Words". Friends In Love is mature 80s work from Johnny Mathis – a set that features two duets with Dionne Warwick, plus some other nice material that shows that Johnny wasn't going to be left behind in the shadows of his older work! At some level, the approach of the 80s, and the rise of a new sort of adult contemporary scene, really helped Mathis find a new audience – especially when teaming with Dionne, who was also having a rebirth at the time! Titles include the classic duet title cut "Friends In Love", and another duet on "Got You Where I Want You" – plus other titles that include "What Do You Do With The Love", "When The Lovin Goes Out Of The Lovin", "I Remember You & Me", and "Somethin's Goin On". Special Part Of Me is a sweet 80s set from Johnny Mathis – one of those great later albums when he brought a good deal of soul into the mix! The feel here is almost more modern R&B than the vocal jazz mode that first brought Johnny fame – and it turns out that the Mathis mode is wonderful for such a setting – rich and full of feeling, and arguably better than some of his younger contemporaries on the charts! The ballads are beautiful, but there's also a few surprising midtempo numbers – and titles include a sublime remake of "Love Won't Let Me Wait", done with Deniece Williams – plus "Love Never Felt So Good", "Simple", "Priceless", "One Love", "Right Here & Now", and "Lead Me To Your Love" – plus "You're A Special Part Of Me", a duet with Angie Bofill. Live is a later live album from Johnny Mathis, and one that brings together classics, newer cuts, and a few titles he'd never sang before – all served up with a sound that shows the continuing strengths of the legendary singer! There's a variety of arrangers used on the set – including Gene Page and Michel Colombier – and titles include "Orange Colored Sky", "When A Child Is Born", "Begin The Beguine", "I Believe In Love", "Fly Away", "99 Miles From LA", and "A Certain Smile". CD

It's time to swing, but with a classy sound throughout – very much the best mix of modes Dakota Staton brought to her key early years at Capitol Records! Backings are by Sid Feller, and are pretty darn jazzy throughout – more so than some of Sid's other work of the time – a perfectly soulful setting for Staton's amazing vocals – very poised at points, yet never as stiff or stodgy as some of her contemporaries. Dakota's got a deep-toned approach to these tracks that really helps make the album way more than just another recording of familiar standards – and instead, does a great job of taking tunes into rich new territory. There's loads of great reedwork – from Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, and Budd Johnson – and titles include "If I Should Lose You", "When Lights Are Low", "Willow Weep For Me", "But Not For Me", "The Song Is You", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". Bonus tracks include "You'd Better Go Now", "You've Changed", "All In My Mind", "Detour Ahead", and "Once There Lived A Fool". CD

June's got rhythm, sure, but the real thing that makes her great is her dark and moody sense of melody! This album's one of June's late 50s efforts done with husband/arranger Bob Cooper – not as arch modern as some of her recordings with arranger Pete Rugolo, but still in a style that's definitely inspired by the classic work of albums like Something Cool and Off Beat. Backing is by a small group of LA jazzers – including Shelly Manne, Russ Freeman, Laurindo Almeida, Frank Rosolino, and Cooper – and titles include "My One & Only Love", "Blue Moon", "I Can Make You Love Me", "When Lights Are Low", and "Gypsy In My Soul". CD also features 4 tracks from the rare Cool School album – "Small Fry", "Looking For A Boy", "Aren't You Glad You're You", and "Baubles Bangles & Beads". CD

One of the few albums ever cut by singer Frank D'Rone – an excellent vocalist in the Pal Joey mode! Frank hailed from Chicago, and was a second (or third) tier singer – a bargain basement Sinatra, with a rougher style that actually has a great edge, and which recalls the tougher days of barroom gigs for singers who weren't so lucky as those with their name in lights. Billy May handled the arrangements on the set, giving D'Rone a swinging, jazzy kind of feel that pushes the record a bit farther than his other Mercury album from the 50s – and the whole thing's brings a nice punchy kind of feel to tracks that include "It's You Or No One", "Warm All Over", "After The Ball", "Oh Look At Me Now", and "Why Can't This Night Go On Forever". CD

One of Lena's best from the RCA years – with arrangements by Ralph Burns and Lennie Hayton, on titles that include "Love", "Let's Put Out The Lights & Go To Sleep", "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", "Honey In The Honeycomb", and "Baubles Bangles & Beads". LP, Vinyl record album

A lesser-known set from vocalist Matt Dennis – not as well-remembered as his 50s dates for RCA and Kapp, but still pretty darn great nonetheless! Matt's working here with full backings from Sy Oliver – in a set that showcases his talents more as a singer than a songwriter – but which still manages to include a few great Dennis originals. And despite a cover that looks a bit lurid – with Dennis cornering a model inside a hotel room – the overall feel of the record is quite homey and domestic, with tunes that echo images of hearth and family, but often with the kind of nod and a wink which you might expect from Matt's usual approach to a tune. Titles include "Home", "Welcome Mat", "Back In Your Own Back Yard", "By The Fireside", "A Cup Of Coffe A Sandwich & You", "Let's Put Out The Lights", and "Your Family". LP, Vinyl record album

(Global Grooves, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite recordings ever of George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess – done by Bethlehem Records in the mid 50s, and featuring nearly every one of the label's great talents at the time! The choice of the lead characters is a bit odd – as Mel Torme plays Porgy and Francis Faye plays Bess – but both singers are actually pretty darn great for the set, and really bring a lot out of the tunes. Plus, the other artists on the set really keep things interesting – as the collection features vocal performances by Johnny Hartman, Frank Rosolino, Betty Roche, Bob Dorough, and Sallie Blair. Plus, the whole thing's presented as Gershwin wrote it – complete with narration by Al Jazzbo Collins, and a number of strong instrumental passages. Music is performed by groups led by Russ Garcia, Duke Ellington, Pat Moran, and Stan Levy – and players are an array of the best of both the New York and LA scenes at the time! CD

Brilliant work by Peggy Lee – very different than most of her later more pop-oriented recordings! Peggy signed to Decca as a solo act right after working with bigger bands in the 40s, and her recordings for the label are wonderful – featuring many ballads and torchy numbers, recorded in small-combo fashion, in a style that's similar to some of Chris Connor's later Bethlehem work, plus some larger arrangements that push her even further, and which move into a wealth of interesting styles that show her to be an incredibly talented vocalist. The package features a total of 46 tracks in all – and tracks include "Black Coffee", "Lover", "You Go To My Head", "Let Me Go Lover", "Joey Joey Joey", "My Old Flame", "Street Of Dreams", "Where Flamingos Fly", "Johnny Guitar", "Sisters", "Bouquet Of Blues", "Love Letters", and "Sans Souci". CD

Bill Evans is reunited with singer Monica Zetterlund – in a live date done more than a decade after their classic Waltz For Debby album! The first side of the record features Evans in a trio mode – working instrumentally, without Monica, in a group that features the great Eddie Gomez on bass and Eliot Zigmund on drums – easily some of the better-recorded European live material by Bill from the 70s, caught in a way that really shows his new sensitivity in the later decade. Evans' piano is breathtaking here – a subtle symphony of shades and tones that delights the ears at each new twist and turn – recorded in some slightly longish takes on tunes that include "Sugar Plum", "Sareen Jurer", "Very Early", and "Gloria's Step". Bill continues the feeling of the first side wonderfully on the flip – as Zetterlund joins the group, and shows how much she's matured as well since here last meeting with Evans. Most of the tunes are standards, but they've got a sensitivity that goes way beyond familiar readings – carried off wonderfully by Monica in some beautifully dark-toned vocals. Titles include "Come Rain Or Come Shine", "The Second Time Around", "Once Upon A Summertime", "What's New", and the lovely "Samba". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

The team of Jackie & Roy have a charm that never seems to go away – even on later recordings like these which you might imagine to be suspect! The pair fit together so perfect vocally – and after decades of swinging together on a range of jazzy material they seem better equipped than ever to tackle a range of musical challenges. As usual, Jackie dominates on the gentler tunes, but the best numbers have Roy coming up with strong and warm support. Backing is by a trio led by Roy on piano, plus additional horns, strings, and guest instrumentalists that vary from track to track. Highlights include the Annie Ross tune "Music Is Forever", Jackie's own "Fred Astaire", and the lovely Fran Landesman tune "Through The Windows Of Cars" – and the album also features new versions of Jackie & Roy classics "Cheerful Little Earful" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" – and the tracks "I Know That You Know", "You Didn't Tell Me It Was Wrong", and "The Duke". CD

A sweet little collection of work recorded by Mark Murphy for the Muse label – one that shows the rich array of styles and modes that Mark was using at the time – a great run through Brazilian, soul jazz, and more traditional jazz vocal sounds! The depth of Murphy's talents has been noted often by us on these pages – but his work at Muse deserves especial note, because the label offered him freedom to explore the full range of ideas – and Mark's years at Muse were filled with the kind of tunes that few other jazz singers could match. Highlights include his seminal readings of "Red Clay", "Stolen Moments", and "Cantaloupe Island" – plus a great English version of Jobim's "Two Kites", and the tracks "Blood Count", "Young & Foolish", "Moody's Mood", "Time On My Hands", and a version of "Parker's Mood" that includes a reading from Kerouac's The Subterraneans! CD

Mindblowing work from Minnie Riperton – her first solo album, cut at the end of the 60s, after a number of years of work with the group Rotary Connection. The album builds off the now famous sound of Rotary Connection – but takes it to the next level, with arch-baroque production by the great Charles Stepney – who couches Minnie's fantastic vocals in a suite of shimmering soulful tracks that mix strings, horns, jazzy piano, and slight touches of bouncing rhythms. The overall sound is impossible to describe – sort of a cross between Burt Bacharach on A&M, Scott Walker's 3rd album, and the sound of Marvin Gaye's What's Goin' On. The album's pure genius all the way through – one of the highlights of the Chicago scene of the 60s – and proof that Riperton, Stepney, and crew were shooting for the outer limits of soul music! Titles include "Les Fleur", "Only When I'm Dreaming", "Rainy Day In Centerville", "Memory Band", "Expecting", "Whenever Wherever", and "Oh, By The Way". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

It's time to swing, but with a classy sound throughout – very much the best mix of modes Dakota Staton brought to her key early years at Capitol Records! Backings are by Sid Feller, and are pretty darn jazzy throughout – more so than some of Sid's other work of the time – a perfectly soulful setting for Staton's amazing vocals – very poised at points, yet never as stiff or stodgy as some of her contemporaries. Dakota's got a deep-toned approach to these tracks that really helps make the album way more than just another recording of familiar standards – and instead, does a great job of taking tunes into rich new territory. There's loads of great reedwork – from Phil Woods, Jerome Richardson, and Budd Johnson – and titles include "If I Should Lose You", "When Lights Are Low", "Willow Weep For Me", "But Not For Me", "The Song Is You", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album