Beautiful vocal work from Guy Cabay – put together with a strong touch of jazz, a bit of bossa, and a swirling vibe that's mighty nice! Guy's got a breathy style of singing that works perfect with the backings – and its bits of guitar, organ, and other elements – often used as gently as Cabay's vocals, but in a style that's warm and sophisticated – like some of the hippest material on Saravah Records in the 70s, particularly work by Pierre Barouh! These tunes also often have a breezy rhythm that borrows from bossa nova, and which really suits the style of Guy's vocals – on titles that include "Julia Deus", "Pove Tiesse", "Tot Reguede", "Camamele Et Cataplame", "A M'Vwezene", "Li Robaleu", "Pax Pollinibus Bonae Voluntatis", and "Li Sabat D'Sinte Mere L'Oto". (French, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

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Sad and dreamy early 60s work by Alaide Costa – one of the early divas of bossa nova! The album's one of Alaide's most solid from the time – and features backing either by a small combo led by Cesar Camargo, or by a larger group led by Maestro Lindolfo Gaya, the force behind more great Brazilian vocal sessions than we could ever hope to name! Alaide's voice is wonderful – kind of in a compressed emotional mode that's a striking contrast from some of her more overblown contemporaries – and it works well next to the lightly jazzy backings of the album. Titles include "Afinal", "E Agora?", "Igrejinha", "Ouvi Tua Voz", "Historinha", "Como E Gosto De Voce", and "Manha Chegou". (Brazil, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A stunning look at one of our favorite singers of all time – captured here in the grooviest period of her career, and presented with a huge amount of rare and unreleased material too! In the late 60s, after her famous recordings for Verve, Blossom Dearie moved to the London scene, worked with hip arrangers, songwriters, and producers – and came up with a sound and style that was even more sublime than her earlier work – sometimes with touches of mod rhythms, sometimes bits of jazz, bossa, or soundtrack elements – and delivered in a mode that's unlike anything else she recorded before, or afterwards! This massive package brings together four albums from that time – That's Just The Way I Want To Be, Soon It's Gonna Rain, Sweet Blossom Dearie, and Blossom Time At Ronnie Scott's – plus two full CDs with 27 more London sessions that appear here for the first time ever! Those tracks include mono versions of some album tracks, but also some unusual tracks too – like "You Have Lived In Autumn", "The Joker", "Rings & Things", "Now That We're Here", "Wave", "What Is", "Feeling Good Being Me", "Windows Of The World", "Inside A Silent Tear", "Until It's Time For You To Go", "Didn't We", "Inside Out", "Let It Be Me", "While We're Lovin Me", "My Favorite Things", "What The World Needs Now", and "I'm Hip" – and the package then also has some bonus singles added to the albums – including "The Music Played", "Discover Who I Am", "Moonlight Saving Time", "Wallflower Lonely Cornflower Blue", and "Feelin Groovy". Plus, the whole thing comes in a cool 10" slipcover, with a huge booklet of notes and images in the middle! CD

Something groovy always happens to Ella Fitzgerald in London – and in the 60s and 70s, the city became home to some of her best post-Verve recordings! This date's a compelling live performance recorded at Ronnie Scotts in 1974 – with backing by a quartet that includes Tommy Flanagan on piano and Joe Pass on guitar – gently grooving behind Ella in a setting that's one of the most relaxed live dates we've ever heard her do. Some of the tunes feature a bit of patter on the introductions – showing the Fitzgerald charm that extended way beyond singing – and titles include "The Man I Love", "Everytime We Say Goodbye", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "You've Got A Friend", "Happy Blues", and "Lemon Drop". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful work from bassist Charlie Haden and his Quartet West – a lovely look back at the styles and chanteuses of the 50s & 60s noirish jazz – with some lush strings accompaniment and guest vocalists including Cassandra Wilson, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Ruth Cameron and Diana Krall! It's the kind of thing that could come of hokey without a genuine love if the material in the mix, and the Haden & co. pull it off wonderfully. The quartet players include Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano and Rodney Green on drums. Includes "If I'm Lucky" with Melody Gardot, "Sophisticated Lady", "Today I Am A Man", "Ill Wind" with Norah Jones, "My Love And I" with Cassandra Wilson, "Theme From 'Markham'", "Angel Faces", "Goodbye" with Diana Krall, "Wahoo" and more. (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

A fantastic record from singer Salena Jones – recorded in the UK with backings by Brit Easy maestro Johnny Cameron, and a sweet electric groove that really makes the album sparkle! The record's similar to some of Shirley Bassey's work with Johnny Harris – in that it features familiar tunes made slightly funky, grooving with a nice mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, taking the singer to new territory without sounding hokey at all. Includes a nice breakbeat version of "I Love You", plus surprisingly great takes on "Summertime", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "You Forgot To Remember", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the hippest 70s albums you could hope to find by Sheila Jordan – originally recorded for the East West label in Japan! The set features Sheila singing with a small group that includes Norman Marnell on tenor, Alan Pasqua on piano, Cameron Brown on bass, and Beaver Harris on drums – and their mix of styles and directions gives the album a wide range of moods that aptly fits Sheila's enigmatic selection of tunes. The album features a slightly funky reading of the cut "Pearlie's Swine", which begins with a beautiful bassline from Brown – plus the tracks "Because We're Kids", "My Favorite Things", "Confirmation", "Why Was I Born", and "Inch Worm". CD

Intimate live date with Sheila Jordan on vocals and Cameron Brown on bass! CD

The cover of this one might make the album one of the campiest records on Verve – but the session's a surprisingly great one, with a straighter vocal approach than you'd guess! Monica's got a really sweet vocal style – a bit sexy, and certainly adult – arranged here with some nice jazzy touches from Frank DeVol, working in backings that are a lot hipper than those we remember him using with other singers from the time. Monica handles herself like a big girl in front of all those Marines – all-woman, but clearly not giving it away to the first man in blue who walks down the street. Titles include "Blues In The Night", "Miss You", "Rough Ridin", "All Alone", "The Song Is You", "Undecided", and "I'll Be Seeing You". CD

Pretty darn amazing – and one of the campier vocal jazz albums on RCA from the late 50s! Lizabeth sings in a "guy crazy" mode that these days would really only be the province of drag acts – and it's compelling to hear a record like this, in which songs like "Men", "He is A Man", "Legalize My Name", and "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House" are taken at a relatively serious tone. Henri Rene handled the arrangements, and the record has a great version of "Can't Get Out Of This Mood" that begins with a cool monologue. Lizabeth is a real looker, too – and the photo on the front is practically worth the price of the record! CD

A fantastic later album from Gil Scott-Heron – a set that came out in the mid 90s, at a time when Gil had been away from the studio for many years – but definitely hadn't lost any of the qualities that made him so great in the first place! Despite the space of a decade, the album picks up right where the Arista records left off – and in fact, maybe even gives things a deeper, jazzy current after the last few – just the right sort of production to support both Gil's message in his lyrics, and the jazz vocal style that always makes that message come across so well. The album's got a nice extended track called "The Other Side", plus nice ones like "Don't Give Up", "Spirits Past", and "Spirits". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

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Early Sinatra performances from The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, with titles that include "Tenderly", "Little White Lies", "Haunted Heart", "Lady From 29 Palms", "I'll String Along With You", "Civilization", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

2 Nancy Wilson Capitol sets from 1966 – back to back on one CD! From Broadway With Love is Broadway material – but given the Nancy Wilson twist – and sung in a mode that's a lot more soulful than other records of its type! Nancy's at her strong early Capitol best here – working with arranger Sid Feller in a set of tunes that get some nice syncopation and jazzy inflections from Sid – pushing them past their showier roots, and into leaner territory that really matches the class of the Nancy Wilson voice! And although they all came from musicals, most titles have had their own life as standards and pop songs – making the record less of a dip into Broadway than just a continuation of modes that Wilson was already exploring at Capitol in the 60s. Titles include "I've Got Your Number", "He Loves Me", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Hey There", "Makin Whoopee", and "Young & Foolish". Tender Loving Care has Nancy singing with arranger Billy May – who comes across here with a bit more sensitivity than usual for his Capitol work, especially given the 60s time of the recording! Sometimes, May is using full strings as a broad pillow of sound for Nancy's vocals – but other times, he strips things down and goes for a livelier, jazzier approach that's even better – one that helps give the familiar tunes a new lease on life in the hip Wilson style of the 60s. Titles include "As You Desire Me", "Like Someone In Love", "Don't Go To Strangers", "Tender Loving Care", "Love-Wise", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "Close Your Eyes". CD