A very groovy mid 60s set from Chris Connor – quite different than her famous 50s sides for Bethlehem, thanks to some hip arrangements by Don Costa! Don never goes to over the top here, but he does add in some nice groovy touches – things like bossa rhythms and electric harpsichord, used sparingly, but to very nice effect – and all in ways that help Connor hit some new ground for the times! Vocals are still totally top-shelf – as you'd expect from Chris – and tracks include "Love Life", "You're Gonna Hear From Me", "Who's Afraid", "Nowhere Man", and "Goin Out Of My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

Great second-period work from Eydie Gorme – one of the wonderfully mature 60s albums when she was really developing herself as a singer! The album's got a careful sort of poise – emotive, but never overdone – and arranged to perfection by Don Costa, in ways that are even more sensitive to Eydie's strengths than his previous work with the singer. Titles include "Every Time We Say Goodbye", "What's Good About Goodbye", "Guess I Should Have Loved Him More", "Softly As I Leave You", and "All Alone". LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent early album form Johnny Nash – one that's quite different than his later hits, and which has Johnny singing in a jazzy sort of mode that reminds us a lot of Jesse Belvin! Like Belvin, Johnny's got a warmly sweet voice that's lighter than Billy Eckstine, Joe Williams, or other contemporaries crossing the bounds between jazz and R&B – and this album showcases that style especially well, by setting Nash up with some strong arrangements from Don Costa – all nicely bright, and with plenty of breakout jazz moments. Titles include "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "I Got Rhythm", "S Wonderful", "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", "Baby Baby Baby", and "It's All Right With Me". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Mellow magic from Kenny Rankin – an album that follows nicely from his Kenny Rankin album of a few years before, and which has a relatively similar approach! Like that one, Don Costa's at the helm – producing as well as arranging – and most instrumentation is from a core small combo that includes some great keyboard work from Wendy Haas, who warms up Kenny's sound a bit, but never in a too-smooth sort of way. A few tracks bring in some bigger strings, but still keep up the rasp and personal feel of Rankin's music – and titles include "Down The Backstairs Of My Life", "Woman Woman", "Lyin Eyes", "Strings", "After The Roses", and "What Matters Most". LP, Vinyl record album

A simple title, but a classic album – arguably one of Kenny Rankin's biggest hits of the 70s, but every bit as great as his lesser-known work! Don Costa arranged the set, but the sound is still wonderfully intimate – with a focus on Kenny's vocals and acoustic guitar, steeped in folksy roots, but carried off with plenty of warmer, chromatic tones that have a great dose of jazz in the mix. The core group's a quartet, with electric piano and organ from Wendy Haas – and titles include the megahit "On And On", plus "House Of Gold", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Through The Eye Of The Eagle", "Make Believe", "I Love You", and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few small group sessions from vocalist Betty Roche – a singer who was known for her work with Duke Ellington, but who sounds even better in this setting! Betty's got a style that's warmly raspy – a bit more edge than some of the cooler vocalists on the Bethlehem label at the time, but still backed with a group that's slightly modern – in keeping with other dates on the label. The combo features Eddie Costa on vibes, Donn Trenner on piano, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Whitey Mitchell on bass, and Davey Williams on drums – all grooving gently with Betty on a set of tracks that includes "Take The A Train", "Something To Live For", "All My Life", "All Too Soon", "You Don't Love Me Any More", "Go Away Blues", and "September In The Rain". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the few small group sessions from vocalist Betty Roche – a singer who was known for her work with Duke Ellington, but who sounds even better in this setting! Betty's got a style that's warmly raspy – a bit more edge than some of the cooler vocalists on the Bethlehem label at the time, but still backed with a group that's slightly modern – in keeping with other dates on the label. The combo features Eddie Costa on vibes, Donn Trenner on piano, Conte Candoli on trumpet, Whitey Mitchell on bass, and Davey Williams on drums – all grooving gently with Betty on a set of tracks that includes "Take The A Train", "Something To Live For", "All My Life", "All Too Soon", "You Don't Love Me Any More", "Go Away Blues", and "September In The Rain". Japanese CD features 3 bonus alternate takes. CD

Arranged by Don Costa – with tracks that include "Rain In My Heart", "Both Sides Now", "Cycles", "Pretty Colors", "Wandering", "Moody River", and "My Way Of Life". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool package – one that has Frank Sinatra narrating his career in music – as he performs re-recorded versions of classics, with backings by Nelson Riddle, Johnny Mandel, Count Basie, Gordon Jenkins, Don Costa, and Billy May! The spoken bits are wonderful – and the whole thing is one of the best "texts" you could ever find on the Sinatra persona in the 60s! LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent set – one of Sinatra's last great albums! Side one features more bossa material – with arrangements by Deodato, and a guest appearance by Jobim. The tracks have the floating easy groove of Sinatra's album with Jobim from earlier years – and there's some great numbers like "Drinking Water", "Don't Ever Go Away", "One Note Samba", and "This Happy Madness" that feature English language versions of bossa favorites. Side two is less great– with poppish tunes arranged by Don Costa, and titles that include "Leaving On A Jet Plane", "I Will Drink The Wine", "Close to You", and a very odd version of "Bein Green"! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent early 60s work for Roulette Records – with work from Barney Kessel or Mundell Lowe on guitar on some tracks, and larger backings from Count Basie, Don Costa, and Jimmy Jones! CD

Dinah Washington only recorded for Roulette Records for two years, but during that time she cut some of her most fantastic, most mature work on record – all included here, along with some unissued tracks too! The set features work that originally appeared on the albums Stranger On Earth, Drinking Again, In Love, Dinah 62, Dinah 63, In Tribute, Back To The Blues, The World Of Dinah Washington, We Three, and Dinah Washington – with arrangements by Marty Manning, Fred Norman, and Don Costa. CD

Very groovy – 18 tracks of cocktail lounge and bachelor pad grooves – work by Jack Costanzo, Martin Denny, Al Caiola, Julie London, Terry Snyder, Gloria Wood, John LaSalle, and others! (Now Sound, Vocalists) CD