A great Tony Bennett LP – very different than others from the time (or any time!) in that the format pairs the master vocalist with the "who's who" of drummers and percussionists of the late 50s – including Art Blakey, Jo Jones, Candido, and Sabu. The sound is as majestic and crashing as you'd imagine, and cuts include "Let's Begin", "Love For Sale", "Crazy Rhythm", and "Let's Face the Music and Dance". A great LP, and one of his best. If you've ever doubted Tony's committment to jazz, check this one out, and be pleasantly surprised! CD

A great colleciton – spoken word material, hip singers, and more – with tracks from Jack Kerouac, Lord Buckley, Babs Gonzalez, Carl Sandburg, Allen Ginsberg, Del Close, Dizzy Gillespie, William S Burroughs, King Pleasure, Ken Nordine, Langston Hughes, The Gordons, and many more! (Spoken Word, Vocalists) CD

A loving reissue that brings together two of the best June Christy albums on one CD! Both albums were cut a bit later than some of Christy's more famous work, and they represent the peak of her emotional maturity as a singer. The arrangements on both albums were done by Pete Rugolo, and he brought the same sort of eerie sound to the records that he did to Something Cool, his earlier classic with June. There's 20 cuts in all, and titles include "Off Beat", "The Bad & The Beautiful", "Saturday's Children", "Out Of This World", and "Nightime Was My Mother". Incredibly haunting work by one of our favorite all-time jazz vocalists! CD

A very nice small combo album from Peggy Lee – singing here with live backings by the George Shearing Quintet, in a style that's very different from a lot of her other work for Capitol! The set's got a slight Latin feel, thanks to George's mix of percussion, vibes, piano, and guitar – and Peggy's never sounded better, stepping out strongly on tunes that include "Do I Love You", "Get Out Of Town", "There'll Be Another Spring", and "Mambo In Miami". Features 2 bonus tracks. CD

Includes music by Tracy Rogers, Bimbi Worrick, Claire Francis, Angela Deen, The Carolines, Lesley Dawson, Diane Lancaster, Kiki Dee, Lori Balmer, and others – 20 tracks total. (Rock, Vocalists) CD

Not a live album – as you might think from the title – but a tight batch of tunes that shows the full funk and soul talents of the legendary Esther Phillips! The album's got a nicely dark undercurrent at times – a sound that's not as smooth as some of Esther's other Kudu albums from the 70s, with bits of R&B bubbling underneath the more contemporary arrangements. Backings are penned by Pee Wee Ellis and Gary King – and players include Bob James and Richard Tee on keyboards, Hubert Laws on flute, and Bernard Purdie and Steve Gadd on drums – the latter of whom provides a sublime beat on the album's standout funky number "Disposable Society" – one of those great little groovers that never did anything for Esther at the time of its release, but which has really gotten rediscovered in recent years! Other tracks include "Doing Our Thing", "Living Alone", "Can't Trust Your Neighbor With Your Baby", and "I Feel The Same". (Soul, Vocalists) CD