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Accompanied by Eddie Duran on guitar, Stan Getz on tenor, Chuck Bennett on trombone, Charlie McCarthy Jr on alto, Al Plank on piano, Willie Colon on congas, Jim Dukey on baritone, Rob Fisher and Dean Reilly on bass, and Vince Lateano on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of Tony Bennett's greatest jazz sessions – a sublime mid 50s outing that features small combo backing from guitarist Chuck Wayne! The setting is extremely spare for the time – a real contrast from the higher drama of some of Tony's 50s chart hits, and the kind of a record that really lets him open up with the warmer vocal tones that could sometimes be lost on the pop numbers. Wayne's guitar is great too, really chromatic and moody, bringing out the darker colors in the tunes nicely. Other players include Dave Schildkraut on alto and Al Cohn on tenor – and titles include "Darn That Dream", "My Reverie", "I Fall In Love Too Easily", "My Heart Tells Me", "Old Devil Moon", and "Love Letters". CD

Sure, Rickie Lee Jones went onto become a bit of a cliche in later years, but this early album's still got an undeniable power – and was a great breath of fresh air, at a time when it seemed like most of modern music was forgetting its roots! What is it with the LA scene from the 60s onward that they always seemed to find their best inspiration in the past? Artists like Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and others set the stage for a record like this – by reaching back into older styles and bringing them forward with a more contemporary spin. (And why was it that LA seemed to be the center of this mode – and New York, Chicago, and other cities never worked that way?) Rickie serves up a nice assortment of older-styled vocal cuts – performed with a mixture of traditional and 70s jazz backings, supported by some extra-classy Warner production from Lenny Waronker. Titles are all originals, but done with an older hipser sort of feel – and titles include "Easy Money", "Chuck E's In Love", "Young Blood", "The Last Chance Texaco", "Danny's All Star Joint", "Weasel & The White Boys Cool", "Company", "Coolsville", and "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963". (Rock, Vocalists) CD

Sure, Rickie Lee Jones went onto become a bit of a cliche in later years, but this early album's still got an undeniable power – and was a great breath of fresh air, at a time when it seemed like most of modern music was forgetting its roots! What is it with the LA scene from the 60s onward that they always seemed to find their best inspiration in the past? Artists like Harpers Bizarre, Randy Newman, Tom Waits and others set the stage for a record like this – by reaching back into older styles and bringing them forward with a more contemporary spin. (And why was it that LA seemed to be the center of this mode – and New York, Chicago, and other cities never worked that way?) Rickie serves up a nice assortment of older-styled vocal cuts – performed with a mixture of traditional and 70s jazz backings, supported by some extra-classy Warner production from Lenny Waronker. Titles are all originals, but done with an older hipser sort of feel – and titles include "Easy Money", "Chuck E's In Love", "Young Blood", "The Last Chance Texaco", "Danny's All Star Joint", "Weasel & The White Boys Cool", "Company", "Coolsville", and "On Saturday Afternoons In 1963". (Rock, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Accompanied by Chuck Loeb on guitar, Mark Soskin and Jose Gallegos on keyboards, Brian Brake and Portinho on drums, Paul Socolow on bass, Manolo Badrena on percussion, and Mauricio Smith on flute and sax. LP, Vinyl record album

Very jazzy work from vocalist Beverly Kenny – sung with small combo backings throughout, and a style that's always fresh and lean! Some of the titles here are from earlier years, as implied by the title – but the sound of the record is in the best late 50s vocal jazz mode, thanks especially to the lineup of players on the set. Some musicians are stated outright – including Jerome Richardson on reeds, Chuck Wayne on guitar, Johnny Rae on vibes, and Eddie Bert on trombone – while other players are listed simply as "a flautist" or "a trumpeter", most likely due to contractual reasons! But even with this obscured identity in the notes, the players are all plenty darn great – and really help shape the sound of the record throughout. Titles include "Undecided", "I Had The Craziest Dream", "More Than You Know", "The Dipsy Doodle", "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", "A Sunday Kind Of Love",a nd "Tampico". CD

Poor Tony Perkins! He actually does a pretty nice job on this early album as a vocalist, and we imagine that he forever regretted having that part of his career closed down once he played the part of Norman Bates in Psycho. Still, there's a bit of a psycho feel to this album – from the cover shot of Tony walking down a wet street, to the eerie choice of material played by a small jazz group that includes Hal McKusick, Chuck Wayne, and Jerome Richardson. Titles include "The World Is Your Balloon", "Why Was I Born", "I've Got Sand In My Shoes", "You Came Along", and "Darn That Dream". CD

A key moment in the career of Esther Phillips – and a record that really has her shaking off the rougher bluesy styles of the earlier years, and pointing the way towards strong jazz success in the 70s! The album's definitely burnin, but with a sophisticated vibe too – as Esther works with backing from a small combo that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – a lineup that almost hits the same vibe as her later work on CTI/Kudu – and which brings out a new depth in Esther's vocals that's simply amazing! There's a heartbreaking quality to most of the numbers – a mix of roots and class, depth and poise – all served up in a style that's unlike any other singer before or since. Titles include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", "I'm Getting Long Alright", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

2 albums recorded by Esther in the years before she broke into big fame on the Kudu label. Burnin is a stunning live set that marked Esther's move from being a loud young R&B singer into an older, more mature interpreter of material in a more jazzy style. She's backed here by a good group that includes Jack Wilson on piano, Richard Tee on organ, Chuck Rainey on bass, and Cornell Dupree on guitar – and she moves through a heartbreaking set of material that heralds her later 70's recordings for Kudu. Tracks include "Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", "And I Love Him", "Shangri-La", and "Please Send Me Someone To Love". Confessin points back at Esther's earlier career in R&B, but has a nice jazzy finish – thanks to players like Sonny Criss, Teddy Edwards, and Herb Ellis – and the record also features a few more sides from the Burnin sessions at Freddie Jett's Nightclub in LA. Titles include "Romance In The Dark", "I Wonder", "I'm Getting Long Alright", "In The Evenin", and "I Love Paris". Due to time limit restrictions, the CD excludes the cuts "I'm Getting Long Alright" and "It Could Happen To You" from the LPs. (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Fantastic work from Arthur Prysock – a singer who really helped redefine the role of the male singer in the 60s, even though he's hardly remembered today! The title cut is one of his anthems – the kind of song that's heartfelt, yet masculine at the same time – almost a different twist on territory that singers like Jerry Butler or Chuck Jackson would explore in their work. Great arrangements – with a mix of strings and jazz – and titles include "I Worry Bout You", "My Everything", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "You Loved Me Yesterday", and "Keep A Light In The Window For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Two full albums from one of the most popular jazz singers of his day – back to back on the same CD, with bonus material too! First up is the album I Worry About You – fantastic work from Arthur Prysock – a singer who really helped redefine the role of the male singer in the 60s, even though he's hardly remembered today! The title cut is one of his anthems – the kind of song that's heartfelt, yet masculine at the same time – almost a different twist on territory that singers like Jerry Butler or Chuck Jackson would explore in their work. Great arrangements – with a mix of strings and jazz – and titles include "I Worry Bout You", "My Everything", "I Just Want To Make Love To You", "You Loved Me Yesterday", and "Keep A Light In The Window For Me". Next is Sings Only For You – a beautiful record from a hell of a great singer – one who established a genre that was all his own, and set a whole new standard for male jazz singers in the 60s! Arthur Prysock's got some of the depth of the Billy Eckstine generation that came before him – but he's also got a mode that's more personal, almost conversational too – sophisticated, but never stand-offish – just this hip cat that really knows how to deliver a tune and make it his own! The arrangements here really fit that style too – nicely understated, but again with all these modern elements that really make things great – as Prysock makes his way through tunes that include "Only For You", "Let Her Wonder", "When I Fall In Love", "Imagination", "Don't Quit Me Now", and "Time After Time". CD features four bonus tracks – "Do You Believe", "Good Rockin Tonight", "One More Time", and "Pianissimo". CD

Sublime vocal work from Carol Sloane – one of her earliest sessions, and one of her greatest too – recorded in 1959 by Larry Elgart, yet never issued at the time! The album is very intimate, and Carol's vocals really sound beautiful in the setting – moving with more poise and gentle power than on other records – alongside backing that just features light guitar from either Chuck Wayne or Bucky Pizzarelli, plus bass and a bit of cello! There's no drums or piano at all – so the feel is very moody, and nicely blue-tinged through the use of guitar – in ways that make even the familiar tunes sound quite unique and special. Titles include "April Ador Cools", "Summertime", "Angel Eyes", "It Could Happen To You", "Hush-A-Bye", "In The Wee Small Hours", and "Guess Who I Saw Today". CD

The great Jimmy Webb is one of our favorite songwriters of the 60s – a young man at the start, but one who could come across with a maturity that few of his contemporaries could match – arguably setting the scene for a key step into adult pop that would really explode in the 70s! Yet by that, we don't mean that Webb is any sort of "adult contemporary" figure from the softer side of the spectrum – as his tunes are open, honest, and filled with an understanding of the heart and its ability to break, delivered in ways that are still as powerful today as they were back when first written. The package features some of Jimmy's greatest songs, some in their famous recordings, but many more in lesser-known takes that only stand as further testament to Webb's words on the page – which really work some magic, no matter what the setting! In the best Ace tradition, the whole thing comes with a superb set of notes and details on the material – mostly late 60s tracks from Jimmy's key years, but a few gems from later too. Titles include "If This Was The Last Song" by Dee Dee Warwick, "I Keep It Hid" by The Supremes, "Carpet Man" by The Nocturnes, "I Need You" by Shane Martin, "Midnight Mail" by Joey Scarbury, "MacArthur Park" by Waylon Jennings, "Do What You Gotta Do" by Nina Simone, "The Worst That Could Happen" by BJ Thomas, "Requiem 820 Latham" by Mel Torme, "Magic Garden" by Dusty Springfield, "Rosecrans Blvd" by 5th Dimension, "Honey Come Back" by Chuck Jackson, "Wichita Lineman" by Tony Joe White, "Didn't We" by James Darren, "Which Way To Nowhere" by Brooklyn Bridge, and "Clowns Exit Laughing" by The Fortunes. (Rock, Vocalists) CD

A really cool collection of car-themed tunes – not 60s hot rod numbers, but mostly 50s tracks from those years when the automobile was really beginning to dominate American culture – and served as the inspiration for car-based cuts in a variety of different styles! A good number of the cuts here are 50s rockers, including some wild novelty-oriented numbers – but there's also country tracks, vocal tunes, and plenty more too – served up in a really well-done assortment of 33 songs that goes way past the familiar material you might find on a collection like this! As always, Bear Family have done a really great job – with presentation, notes, track selection, and more – on titles that include "Freeway USA" by The Bonnevilles, "Stop Jivin Start Drivin" by Bert Keyes, "Cruisin Central" by Faron Warmer, "Keep A Driving" by Chuck Willis, "Flat Tire" by The Del Vikings, "Wow Man" by Bobby Jackson, "The Drive In" by The Aquatones, "Get Out Of The Car" by The Lancers, "Cruisin" by Bucky & The Premieres, "Hey Little Car Hop" by George Weston, and "Big Green Car" by Jimmy Carroll. (Rock, Vocalists) CD

Includes music from the Carpenters, Perry Como, BJ Thomas, Aretha Franklin, the Shirelles, the Drifters, Tom Jones, Gene McDaniels, Tommy Hunt, the Searchers, Bobby Vinton, Chuck Jackson, Dusty Springfield, Jack DeShannon, Cilla Black & more. CD

Genius, pure genius! (Have we said that about Lee too many times before?) The work of Lee Hazlewood is beyond description – a bit of vocals, a bit of country, a bit of lounge, and a bit of rock – all wrapped up with a sinister edge that has you believing that this was the man who used to refer to his frequent musical partner as "Nasty" Sinatra over the headphones during recording sessions! The set features 35 tracks from Lee's obscure years at MGM records – wonderful vocal tunes that rank with some of his best ever, plus a few weird instrumentals, recorded by Lee Hazlewood's Woodchucks. Insanely wonderful stuff – records that we come back to again and again and again over the years – finally presented in their entirety, with a great set of notes on the music! Tracks include "Hands", "Mannford Oklahoma", "This Town", "Sand", "Child", "Little War", "Fort Worth", "Summer Wine", "I Move Around", "After Six", "Batman", "Summer Nights", "Suzi Jane Is Back In Town", "In Our Time", "When A Fool Loves A Fool", and "So Long Babe". CD

Features music by Dean Martin, Connie Francis, Jerry Vale, Al Martino, Domenico Modugno, The Three Chuckles, Louis Prima, and more. CD