Includes work with the orchestras of Red Norvo, Eddie Sauter, Teddy Wilson, and Benny Goodman. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful classic from mid 60s Verve – and the kind of a session that we wouldn't have expected to come off so well! In a style they were using with older artists at the time, Verve brought Ella and Duke into the studio together – with Duke's band and compositions providing the structure of the set, and Ella handling vocals. The tunes are mostly Ellington classics, but they provide a nice change of pace for the Fitzgerald of the 60s – taking Ella into more sophisticated territory on some darker themes that really surprised us. Players are all of the Ellington stalwarts of the time – and titles include "Imagine My Frustration", "Duke's Place", "What Am I Here For", "Azure", "A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing", "Passion Flower", and "Something To Live For". CD

Two great lost albums from Carmen – very different than her earlier work, kind of a mixture of jazz, soul, and pop, in territory that's a bit like work by Nancy Wilson or Marlena Shaw. Sound of Silence has Carmen working with arrangments by Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Jones – nicely jazzy, but with other sophisticated touches that open up Carmen's palette a lot. Titles include "Watch What Happens", "Sound Of Silence", "MacArthur Park", "Can You Tell", and "Gloomy Sunday". Portrait Of Carmen is one of her hippest LPs ever, and a great set of vocal gems that often gets overlooked. Arrangements are by Benny Carter, Shorty Rogers, and Oliver Nelson – and the album's got a swinging groovy style that pushes Carmen past her schmaltzier jazz vocal roots. The album kicks off with an amazing reading of Tommy Wolf's "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco", done by Carmen in a way that makes you know she owns the song – and then it moves through a compelling blend of compositions that includes "My Very Own Person", "Ask Any Woman", "Boy, Do I Have A Surprise For You", and "Elusive Butterfly". CD

Very hip gospel work by Sister Rosetta Tharp – singing here with her own guitar accompaniment, plus backing by small combos that include players like Ernie Hayes, Panama Francis, Ernest Richardson, and Harry Doc Bagby, who plays organ on about half the record. The sound is a folksy mix of gospel and blues styles, with traces of early soul as well – and titles include "When They Ring The Golden Bell", "Two Little Fishes Five Loaves Of Bread", "I Shall Know Him", "Fly Away", "How About You", and "99 1/2 Won't Do". (Gospel, Vocalists) CD

This was Sinatra's first swing record for Reprise and his third collaboration with Billy May who arranged and conducted this 1961 recording. It features some standards from the likes of Rodgers & Hart ("Have You Met Miss Jones?") and George & Ira Gershwin ("Love Walked In"), plus some others like "Granada" and "Moonlight on the Ganges." There is a charming photo of Frank on the back cover swinging a golf club in fine form. (This is the record that was later changed to Sinatra Swings.) CD

2 key albums in the early career of Nancy Wilson – back to back on one CD! For Hollywood My Way, Wilson turns her wonderfully sophisticated vocal style towards a batch of hits from Hollywood films of the 40s, 50s, and 60s – arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones, in that classy blend of jazz and soul that suited Wilson so well in the 60s! The style is really a cut above the usual – handled with great poise by Nancy throughout, but also done in a mode that's relaxed enough to get past some of the stodgier sounds of records like this. The mellower tunes are actually some of the best here – personal, reflective, and echoing the "Guess Who I Saw Today" sound of Wilson in the 60s. Titles include "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Almost In Your Arms", "When Did You Leave Heaven?", "My Shining Hour", "Days Of Wine & Roses", and "Wild Is The Wind". Broadway My Way is also arranged and conducted by Jimmy Jones – and as usual with Wilson in this sort of setting, the material is really transformed by her presentation – taken way past its roots in popular shows of the time. Titles include "Loads Of Love", "My Ship", "Getting To Know You", "Tonight", "You Can Have Him", and "I Believe In You". 24 tracks in all. 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

Despite the fact that he's one of the most influential jazz singers of all time (and certainly one with the biggest hit, as the original recording of "I'm In the Mood For Love" probably sold more copies than most other vocalese recordings combined), King Pleasure only ever cut three full albums – and this third one is the hardest to find! The album was recorded for United Artists during the time when Alan Douglas was cutting sides for the label, and it's very much in the same mode as his earlier recordings for Prestige and HiFi, apart from some occasional spare string backing that's added to the small group jazz playing. Pleasure's vocals are wonderful – incomparable, and right at the peak of vocalese sublimity – and the album's filled with great numbers like "That Old Black Magic (Diaper Pin)", "This Is Always", "Jazz Jump", "Don't Get Scared", "Swan Blues", and "Mean To Me", all completely transformed by Pleasure! LP, Vinyl record album

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A jazz vocal masterpiece from Sarah Vaughn – one of her greatest albums ever, and a record that raised the bar for countless vocal sessions in years to come! Sarah's working here in an intimate group arranged by Ernie Wilkins – filled with famous trumpet solo work by Clifford Brown, during his last few years on the planet - plus tenor from Paul Quinichette, flute from Herbie Mann, and piano from Jimmy Jones. Sarah's vocals are incredible – curving, turning, and lilting with a tremendous amount of jazz-based inflection – and titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "April In Paris", "September Song", "He's My Guy", and "I'm Glad There Is You". CD

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Features Eric Alexander, Wynton Marsalis, and Renee Rosnes, who also provides most of the arrangements. CD

Sarah Vaughan is working here with the Count Basie orchestra – but in a way that's still relatively relaxed, and very much in keeping with her best modes of the Pablo years! There's less of the Basie bombast than you might expect on the record – and the group, arranged and conducted by Sam Nestico, leave plenty of room for Vaughan to step out in that warmly flowing vocal style that characterized her best later albums. Most numbers build slowly – with Sarah's vocals leading the cues, and the band glowing in the background to color things in before taking off – and titles include "I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues", "Just Friends", "Ill Wind", "If You Could See Me Now", "I Hadn't Anyone Till You", "Indian Summer", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD

One of the nice records made by Joe during his funky comeback of the late 60s/early 70s. He's singing here in a setting that's decidedly hipper than on earlier albums – with the early 70s Nat/Cannonball Adderley collective that includes George Duke on piano, Carol Kaye on bass, and production work by David Axelrod. Titles include "Heritage", "Sad Song", "Yesterday, Today, & Tomorrow", and "Who She Do". CD

A key moment in the career of vocalist Ernestine Anderson – a record that not only returned her to the public eye after a flurry of initial sides in the late 50s and early 60s, but which also finally helped Anderson find a sound that worked! The album's done with backing by the Monty Alexander trio – in a style that's bluesy and soul jazz inflected, but with a sweeter west coast sound – almost an early 80s equivalent of the groove explored by Lou Rawls or Ernie Andrews in LA during the mid 60s, but done with an even more relaxed, jazz-based approach here. The title track – "Never Make Your Move Too Soon" – was an instant standout that got Anderson play in many corners of the US – and other tracks are more familiar numbers, but done in a similar mode – with titles that include "Old Folks", "As Long As I Live", "Just One More Chance", "Poor Butterfly", and "My Shining Hour". CD

Includes tracks by Robert Mitchum, Della Reese, Peggy Lee, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme, Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, Xavier Cugat, and Louis Prima – 18 tracks total. (Now Sound, Vocalists) CD

A later date from Audrey Morris – the Chicago singer who's probably best remembered for some classic RCA sessions in the 50s, but who also kept on doing her own thing for decades later in the Windy City! The set's got a very old school feel – quite different than the usual 80s jazz set – very much in classic small combo vocal mode, with Audrey's lead accompanied by piano from Bruce Robins, and some occasional tenor from Stu Genovese. And although the set was issued on a small label, it's got a very professional approach – almost an attempt to go for the classic sound that bigger labels were doing with small singer sessions a few decades before. The song choices are great, and titles include "Nobody", "I'm A Dreamer Aren't We All", "My Silent Love", "Mira", "Rain Sometimes", "But I Loved You", and "Afterthoughts". LP, Vinyl record album

A brilliant record – Kenny Rankin's first, and a really unique mix of styles that's completely different from his more famous later albums! The album has a gentle folksy style with touches of jazz – a bit like some of Tim Hardin's work for Verve, but without as much of a sad loser finish. Arrangements are by the great Artie Schroeck, and they're a mix of jazz, strings, acoustic guitar – all wrapped up in the light and breezy style of Artie's great late 60s work on Verve. Rankin's voice has a really unique quality – sparkling with a harmonic mode that's got definite ties to folk, but bubbling with the jazzy phrasing that you'd expect to hear more from Tim Buckley or Nick Drake. Titles include "Cotton Candy Sandman", "The Dolphin", "Every Passing Moment", "In Never Changes", "Song For A Winter's Night", "The Girl I Left Behind", and "Minuet". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Mulgrew Miller on piano, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, and Chris Potter on tenor! CD

One of a number of great small group sessions done by singer Teddi King for the Storyville label – nicely relaxed, with backing from a septet that features Billy Taylor on piano, Bob Brookmeyer on trombone, Nick Travis on trumpet, and Gene Quill on alto! The Storyville approach really brings out the best in Teddi's vocals – as the easy-going nature of the record has King sounding a bit more grown-up and adult than before – singing lines in a slightly sultry style, yet still with some of the bird-like notes heard on other albums. Taylor's piano adds a nice grounding to the record – and titles include "Old Folks", "Why Do You Suppose", "I'm In The Market For You", "You Hit The Spot", "Something To Live For", and "Like A Ship Without A Sail". CD

A record that's sometimes overlooked in the career of the legendary Eartha Kitt – a set that came out on MGM in the early 60s, after Kitt's initial rise to fame on RCA, and before taking off for a long stretch overseas! The set hints at the sound of that era a bit – and arrangements by Billy May and Bill Loose have this gently sophisticated style that fits the growing sophistication in Kitt's phrasing as she really develops her style. Songs follow the themes of her famous work – and titles include "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", "Good Little Girls", "Never On Sunday", "Always True To You In My Fashion", "La Dolce Vita", "All I Want Is All There Is & Then Some", and "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House". LP, Vinyl record album

(78 RPM, Vocalists) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Julie London's shortened her trademark tresses for the cover of this album – but as the title will tell, she's very much in the best sultry territory of her earlier years! This time around, Don Bagley's turned in some near-perfect arrangements that really bring back the London sound of the late 50s – very spare, slow-moving backdrops that are heavy on jazz, and also feature nice use of guitar – an instrument that's always worked well for Julie. Titles include the excellent "Nice Girls Don't Stay For Breakfast" – plus "I've Got A Crush On You", "There Will Never Be Another You", "I Surrender Dear", "Give A Little Whistle", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", and the very odd "Mickey Mouse". CD

A great little record that's way more jazz than some of Joanie Sommers' other albums – thanks to arrangements from Marty Paich and Tommy Oliver – both of whom help things stay lively, even when sweet – and almost give the album a similar feel to some of the best Bethlehem or Mode label jazz vocal sides of the 50s! Joanie's got none of her pop trappings here – and her vocals are nicely deep and mature – really feeling out the songs with a deeply personal vibe, and way more grown-up than we might have expected. The album's a real standout from Sommers' too-short career – and titles include "What's New", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Oh But I Do", "That Old Devil Moon", and "So In Love". CD

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A great little CD – not only for the very nice price, but for the fact that the double-length set brings together two albums' worth of work that Carmen McRae recorded for the Groove Merchant label in the early 70s! The style here is strongly jazzy, but with a firm dose of soul too – all in a mode that follows nicely from Carmen's late 60s sessions for Atlantic Records, but with a sound that's almost even more focused and in the pocket. The band is largeish, but the rhythms are tight – and even the mellower tunes seem to have a nice sort of lilt at the bottom, one that goes great with the way that Carmen spaces out her vocals on the set. Players include Joe Pass on guitar, Larry Bunker on vibes, Zoot Sims on tenor, and Dick Shreve on piano – and the CD features 19 tracks that include "Hey John", "Inside A Silent Tear", "The Right To Love", "You & I", "Sunshine Of My Life", "The Good Life", "It Takes A Whole Lot Of Human Feeling", "Livin", "Masquerade", "You're Mine You", and "There Will Come A Time". CD

Features backing by Joe Henderson and Chris Potter on tenor, Jon Faddis on trumpet, and Mike Renzi on piano. Tracks include "The Song Is You", "Isn't It A Pity", "Easy To Love", "Speak Low" and "Sunday In New York". CD

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Features Fred Hersch on piano and Benny Golson on tenor sax! CD

One of the wildest of the classic Free Design albums, and one that will leave you scratching your head – thinking that these guys were either the biggest acid freaks around, or the most simplistic kiddie-minded adults you'll ever meet! We don't know what got into the water in the studio on this one, but the group are really expanding their minds here – taking on some groovy-as-groovy can be material – all with the sweet mixture of harmony vocals, easy instrumentation, and hippie-era naivete! The titles alone state the case – with tunes that include "Stay Off Your Frown", "Bubbles", "Kije's Ouji", "That's All, People", and "Butterflies Are Free" – plus a great cover of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head". LP reissued on nice heavy vinyl, with a sweet gatefold cover! LP, Vinyl record album

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Carmen McRae pays tribute to Sarah Vaughan – backed by a piano trio led by Shirley Horn! CD

(Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album from Lorez Alexanderia – one of her two excellent sessions for Impulse! The record was cut after Lorez recorded some great sides for the Argo label – and it works off the strength of those sides, taking her unique vocal approach, forged in R&B, but smoothed by jazz, into a whole new level of expression! The backing is great – small combo, with featured musicians who include Bunk Shank and Paul Horn on reeds, and Victor Feldman and Wynton Kelly on piano – all working with moody, soulful arrangements that are a perfect accompaniment to Lorez' beautiful voice. Includes the cuts "Get Me To The Church On Time", "Satin Doll", "Show Me", "The Best Is Yet to Come", "I'm Through With Love", and 5 more! CD

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All of Prima's sides for Capitol from the late 50s and early 60s, plus wife and colleague Keely Smith and band leader Sam Butera's solo work from the era in an incredible 8 CD box! We often think of Louis as kinda of a loungey, Vegas cool cat, but what is so awesome about the material you'll find here is how furiously manic so much of it is. The first 3 discs document Prima at his wild, hard-swinging studio best – and could give Tito Puente a run for his money in the sweaty big-beat department! Tracks include "Buona Sera", "Just A Gigolo/I A'int Got Nobody ", "Jump, Jive, And Wail", "The Closer To The Bone", "Pennies From Heaven", "Pump Song", "Fee Fio Foo", "Lazy River", "I've Got You Under My Skin", and tons more. Discs 4 covers live sets at the Harrah's Club and the Sahara, and includes "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", "A Foggy Day", "Robin Hood", "Judy", and "Greenback Dollar Bill". Discs 5 & 6 cover Keely's sweeter but nearly as great sides, with Nelson Riddle and others, and tracks include "I Wish You Love", "It's Magic", and "Nothing In Common" and "How Are Ya' Fixed For Love?" with Frank Sinatra. Finally, Sam Butera's solo work is collected on the last 2 discs, returning things to Prima-style rockin' jazz, and including "Bim Bam", "Twinkle In Your Eye", "Bugs", "Tennessee Waltz", "Better Twist Now Baby", and "I'll Feel Good All Over". Great stuff from one of the tightest working units from the era, and a real treat to have in one place! CD

A double-length set – recorded on Bobby's home turf, with titles that include "Sorry Grateful", "Losing My Mind", "Miss Brown To You", "It's Not You", "I Happen To Like New York", "For All We Know", and "New Orleans Hop Scop Blues". CD

A set that's maybe a bit more of a straight jazz vocal record than some of Sathima Bea Benjamin's earlier material – but that might also be because the great Kenny Barron is part of the group on piano – supporting Sathima's great voice with the help of Buster Williams on bass and Billy Higgins ond rums! Tunes are mostly standards, but it's great to hear them opened up with Benjamin's unique phrasing – that voice that was raised up on more righteous material in earlier years, and which still seems to bring some of that power to tunes that include "Street Of Dreams", "Lush Life", "One Alone", "I'm Glad There Is You", and "I've Heard That Song Before". CD