An excellent record from the short heyday of this wonderful singer – done with arrangements from Johnny Mandel! LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning live material from the great Ray Charles – a 3CD set that brings together a wealth of stage performances from May of 1962, in setting that often lets us focus as much on Ray's incredible piano work as it does his trademark vocals! Charles' talents need no introduction from us, but they're in fantastic formation here – without some of the studio trappings that he was beginning to use in the 60s, and much more of the jazzy flourishes that he was using towards the end of his time at Atlantic Records – played here by a group that includes Marcus Belgrave on trumpet, Hank Crawford on alto, and David Fathead Newman on tenor. The package features 52 live tracks – including "Blue Stone", "The Danger Zone", "From The Heart", "Margie", "One Mint Julep", "Doodlin", "Careless Love", "Hit The Road Jack", and "I Believe To My Soul". Also features a few bonus studio cuts – including work with Louis Jordan! (Soul, Vocalists) CD

A beautiful blend of folksy vocals and light jazz touches – all in a laidback and blue-tinged mode that's not unlike some of the best late 60s Tim Buckley work for Elektra! Like Tim, Gary Marks has a real respect for jazz in the mix – and he allows plenty of space here for vibes from David Samuels, guitar from John Scofield, and piano from Michael Cochrane – all of which serve as a lovely backdrop for Gary's beautifully stretched-out vocals. There's a quality here that's almost a bit like Kenny Rankin at times – but a bit looser, and a bit bluer – and the record's a real under-discovered gem from the prime years of the American singer/songwriter era, only briefly issued on Carla Bley's JCOA label. Titles include "Gathering", "First Snowfall", "Him Sometimes", "A Gina Theme", "Secret She", "Seasons", "We Free", and "Sailing". 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". LP, Vinyl record album

A seminal classic from Michael Franks – one of those records that's almost a whole genre unto itself, and which set a whole new tone for the male voice in American music! The style here is light and jazzy – almost an evolution of modes first begun by Kenny Rankin, and served up here with a similarly compressed production style that really brings out the jazz in the instrumentation. Players include Michael Brecker, Joe Sample, Larry Carlton, and David Sanborn – all sounding great with a bit of added strings from Nick DeCaro. But the real star of the set is clearly Franks – whose light vocals and creative lyrics sound wonderful next to the electric piano on the set. Titles include "Eggplant", "Monkey See Monkey Do", "Jive", "Mr Blue", "Popsicle Toes", "St Elmos Fire", "I Don't Know Why I'm So Happy I'm Sad", and "Sometimes I Just Forget To Smile". LP, Vinyl record album

Features Kenny Barron on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and Grady Tate on drums – plus David Fathead Newman on sax. CD

Maybe the straightest jazz set we've heard to date from Kandace Springs – a record that's got a great old school vibe overall, and the sorts of moody, dark-tinged qualities that takes us back to vintage material by Abbey Lincoln or Nina Simone – something we might not have said about Kandace on previous albums! Springs plays piano, and mostly keeps things in a tight combo mode – with her vocals in the lead, but with occasional guest help from artists who include Chris Potter on tenor, Avishai Cohen on trumpet, David Sanborn on alto, Christian McBride on bass, and Norah Jones on piano and vocals – on tunes penned by artists as diverse as Bob Dorough, Hoagy Carmichael, Lauryn Hill, and Sade. Titles include "Devil May Care", "The Nearness Of You", "Strange Fruit", "Killing Me Softly", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "Ex-Factor", "Pearls", "I Put A Spell On You", and "Gentle Rain". (Neo Soul, Vocalists) CD

An excellent jazz vocal album by one of the lost greats! Ernie Andrews was always a musician's singer – in that he never cracked the masses, but did have tremendous respect among jazz players in the 60s and 70s. Here, in one of his best albums, he's caught live, working with Cannon's classic quintet, and under production work by David Axelrod. The record perfectly captures the live fire of Adderley's group, and mixes it with the strong voice of Andrews in a good set of material that includes "Big City", "I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco", "Don't Be Afraid Of Love", and "I'm A Born World Shaker". Plus, CD also features 3 bonus tracks, previously unissued – "Green Door", "Work Song", and "Come On Back". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

A landmark album for Caetano Veloso – a full set of tracks sung in English, as beautifully done as we ever could have hoped! The arrangements are really fresh – in a style that makes the album far more than just a set of standards – and instead gives it the edgey approach of some of Caetano's best recent work. The set was co-produced by Jacques Morelenbaum, and has a range of instrumental approaches that shifts to fit the mood of each new track – and given that the work on the set runs from tunes by Cole Porter to Nat King Cole, Nirvana, David Byrne, Arto Lindsay, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Bob Dylan – you can imagine the changing moods at work! Titles include "So In Love", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "Diana", "Manhattan", "Nothing But Flowers", "Cry Me A River", "Nature Boy", "Jamaica Farewell", "If It's Magic", "Detached", "Blue Skies", and "Something Good". Loads of tracks, too – 22 in all – and packaged beautifully! (Brazil, Vocalists) CD

Music from The Nat King Cole Trio, Carmen McRae, Chet Baker, Mel Torme, Annie Ross, Nancy Wilson, Sarah Vaughan, June Christy, Beverly Kenney, David Allyn, and more. CD

Music from the Johnny Mann Singers, David Mccallum, Francis Lai, Mel Torme, Hollyridge Strings, Buddy Morrow, Peggy Lee, the Royal Blue, the Little Big Horns, Henry Jerome, Lord Zitar, Julie London & more. (Now Sound, Vocalists) CD

Jazzier stuff than usual for Jimmy – but that's probably because he's got backing group a group that includes Gerald Wilson, Teddy Edwards, Jimmy Allen, Hampton Hawes, and Harry Edison. David Axelrod – believe it or not – was the album's producer, and although the set sounds nothing like his later work at Capitol, the quality of the session shows his care with jazz from the early days onward. Titles include "All That's Good", "There's Good Rockin Tonight", "SK Blues", "Sweet's Blues", and "When I've Been Drinkin". CD

David Murray finds a fantastic new outlet for his many talents here – working with the younger songwriter Saul Williams – who delivers some fantastic lyrics throughout! Saul's as much a spoken word artist as he is a singer – and his passages on the album have this righteous power that takes us back to the hippest sort of music like this from the 70s – but also filtered through some of the lyrical possibilities of the better side of the hip hop generations, especially in the way the power of his messages come across! Murray is fantastic, too – really soulful and swinging, both on tenor and clarinet – and the songs often have Williams or Murray soloing first, then the other taking over. The rest of the group is pretty great as well – with Orrin Evans on piano, Craig Harris on trombone, Jaribu Shahid on bass, Nasheet Waits on drums, and a bit of Fender Rhodes from Jason Moran. Almost all tracks are originals – with titles that include "A Mirror Of Youth", "Kush", "Forever Brothers", "Music Of The Mind", "Deep In Me", "Positive Messages", "Obe", and "Citizens" – and the album also features a version of the Sun Ra tune "Enlightenment". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

Arguably one of the greatest albums ever cut by Jimmy Witherspoon – recorded live at an early Monterey Jazz Festival, and done in a style that shows the strong link between jazz and blues in Jimmy's work! The group on the set includes Ben Webster, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, and Woody Herman – and the longish tracks on the set give them all more than enough room to solo alongside Jimmy's bluesy vocals. The album's also one of the first to be produced by a young David Axelrod – and shows a clear respect for both the singer and the musicians, in a combination that would come out even more strongly on Axe's later productions for Capitol. Titles include "No Rollin Blues", "Big Fine Girl", "Good Rockin Tonight", "Ain't Nobody's Business", and "When I Been Drinkin". LP, Vinyl record album

A recent set by Marlena Shaw – still going strong in her fourth decade as a singer! The album's got a slightly stiffer feel than some of Shaw's best-known recordings of the 60s or 70s – but it's still quite nice overall, with jazz-tinged backings that are often cut with a bit of added keyboards to charge things up. The core group features David Hazeltine on piano, plus some guest tenor from Stanley Turrentine on a few tracks. There's a slightly bluesy quality to a few numbers, but the focus is still mostly jazzy soul overall – and tracks include "Your Mind Is On Vacation", "Where Do You Start", "Why Oh Why", "Brothers", "Once Again We've Begun To Love", "I'm Alone Again", and "Paint Your Pretty Picture". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

One of the greatest albums to ever sum up the genius of Lou Rawls in the 60s – a brilliant live set put together with the talents of David Axelrod! The record perfectly captures the easy-going soul of Rawls in the early years – a natural approach to his music that made him one of the best singers of his genre at the time, and which comes out especially strong in the album's upbeat monologues, which are often delivered by Lou with musical accompaniment, then leap strongly into the lyrics of a tune. Backing is by a small jazzy combo that includes Herb Ellis on guitar and the great rhythm team of Jimmy Bond on bass and Earl Palmer on drums – both of whom bring a nice little groove to most of the album's numbers. Titles include "Street Corner Hustler's Blues/World Of Trouble", "Southside Blues/Tobacco Road", "The Shadow of Your Smile", "In The Evening When The Sun Goes Down", "I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good", and "The Girl From Ipanema". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Carter recording with strings – one of her first recordings of the type in years, originally released on her own hip Bet-Car label! The session starts with Betty's core trio that includes Khalid Moss on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – then adds in larger string arrangements by David Amram. The set was recorded live, and the strings really stay in the background – never overwhelming, and instead just couching and cuddling the piano, bass, and drums to bring out an extra level of warmth and sensitivity. Titles include "Abre La Puerta", "I Cry Alone", "New Blues", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Social Call", and "With No Words". CD