A great little small group session for Dinah Washington – more jazz-based than some of her earlier or later work, sung with a small combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Georgie Auld on tenor, and Herb Geller on alto. Tracks include "Look To The Rainbow", "Goodbye", "Ill Wind", "A Cottage For Sale", "Accent On Youth", and "Make Me A Present Of You". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprising sort of set, one in which Dee Dee Bridgewater pays tribute to Ella Fitzgerald – a link we might never have expected in her style! Dee Dee's not totally copping Ella here, though – although she does sing a good number of tunes from the Fitzgerald songbook – and as usual for Bridgewater, there's a pretty unique flavor to most of the material, something that comes through strongly with help from arrangers Lou Levy, Slide Hampton, and Cecil Bridgewater! The band's upbeat and groovy on most numbers – and titles include the Kenny Burrell-penned "Dear Ella", done as a duet, plus "How High The Moon", "Mack The Knife", "A Tisket A Tasket", "Midnight Sun", "Undecided", "Oh Lady Be Good", and "If You Can't Sing It You'll Have To Swing It (aka Mr Paganini)". CD

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Accompanied by Hank Jones on piano. Tracks include "People Time", "When Lights Are Low", "Come Sunday", "Lush Life", "Something To Live For", and "Stardust". CD

One of the few albums to ever feature the pre-Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross talents of Dave Lambert on vocals – caught here in duets with Buddy Stewart, in a sweet vocalese mode! Backing is by a hip lineup that includes Charlie Ventura on tenor, Red Rodney on trumpet, Tony Aless on piano, Serge Chaloff on baritone sax, and Billy Bauer on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

Dream Of You is one of Helen's best from the 50s, thanks to some great arrangements from Gil Evans! Evans' young and modern talents are a perfect fit for Helen's sadly icy vocals on the set – taking her to new places never reached on some other sessions that were trying for a warmer, sweeter sound. The tunes are all well chosen, too – and the record features a great reading of "Where Flamingos Fly", plus "I'm A Fool To Want You", "I've Never Seen", "He Was Too Good To Me", "By Myself", and "Troubled Waters". CD

Dream Of You is one of Helen's best from the 50s, thanks to some great arrangements from Gil Evans! Evans' young and modern talents are a perfect fit for Helen's sadly icy vocals on the set – taking her to new places never reached on some other sessions that were trying for a warmer, sweeter sound. The tunes are all well chosen, too – and the record features a great reading of "Where Flamingos Fly", plus "I'm A Fool To Want You", "I've Never Seen", "He Was Too Good To Me", "By Myself", and "Troubled Waters". CD

A really great later effort from Helen Merrill – one recorded in Paris at the end of the 80s with some excellent tenor sax work from Stan Getz! The mode of the record is similar to other Merrill records from the time – spare, gentle, and moody – sometimes threatening to lapse into its own blueness, but wonderfully redeemed by Stan's solo lines – which push a boldness and raspy edge into the tunes that really livens things up. The album's a great demonstration of the Getz power on a vocal session – a sound that never overtakes the presence of the singer, but really brings in something fresh – a voice of its own that helps redefine the tunes and create some of the most exciting moments on the record. Other players include Joachim Kuhn and Torrie Zito on piano, JF Jenny-Clark on bass, and Daniel Humair on drums – and titles include "Music Makers", "Cavatina", "It's Not Easy Being Green", "Yesterdays", "If You Go Away", and "Just Friends". CD

One of the few albums ever cut by singer Ruth Olay – a really unique 50s vocalist, working here in a sweetly jazzy setting! Ruth's vocals have a trill that almost takes us back to years before the session was cut – but the backings definitely modernize the set a lot – thanks to work from Howard Roberts on guitar, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Red Norvo on vibes, and a triple-trombone section from Milt Bernhardt, Si Zentner, and George Roberts! Strings seep into the mix a bit more in some mellower moments – and titles include "Lover Man", "Slow But Sure", "Lucky Day", "It Never Entered My Mind", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

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A hip album from Sarah Vaughan – one recorded with great jazz backings from Ernie Wilkins, and featuring a young Cannonball Adderley as the main soloist! The addition of Adderley's alto definitely brings a swinging sound to the set – a sense of soul that's even deeper than usual for Vaughan, and which helps the album live up to its hi-fi promise! Wilkins arrangements have a bit of a Basie bounce at times, but never overwhelm Sarah's vocals – and Jimmy Jones is also on the set, handling the piano lines. Titles include "An Occasional Man", "Oh My", "Soon", "How High The Moon", "It Shouldn't Happen To A Dream", and "Maybe". LP, Vinyl record album

2CD version – with 31 tracks in all – way more than the original album! CD

Very nice jazz-oriented material that has Sarah working with Jimmy Jones, one of her best accompanists, or John Malachi, who was in Billy Eckstine's band at the same time Sarah was with the group. All the tracks have nice small combo instrumentation – and Sarah keeps things nice and warm vocally, free to get a bit more intimate than usual in the album's casual setting. Titles include "All Of Me", "Lover Man", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "Prelude To A Kiss", and "You Hit The Spot". CD

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One of the best jazz-based sessions recorded by Dinah Washington in the 50s – appropriately titled Dinah Jams, which is a pretty good reference to the feeling of the set! The sessions were recorded in a relatively relaxed, intimate feel – not necessarily as unbridled as a true jam session might be, but with a lot more interplay between the instrumentalists in the group than you might get on a typical 50s jazz session. And with horn players that include Cliford Brown, Harold Land, and Herb Geller – alongside rhythm by Junior Mance, Richie Powell, and Max Roach – you'd have to expect that there'd be some good interplay on the set! Titles include "I've Got You Under My Skin", "No More", "Darn That Dream", "You Go To My Head", and a nice open-ended version of "I'll Remember April"! LP, Vinyl record album

Backings by Eddie Chamblee, on a host of Bessie Smith classics – updated with more of a 50s R&B vibe. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic early work from Helen Merrill – with some of the best backings we've ever heard for her chilling vocals! The record has a core jazz group made up of Hank Jones on piano, Milt Hinton on bass, Barry Galbraith on guitar, and Sol Gubin on drums – and they're augmented by string arrangements by Richard Hayman, used in an economical manner that never overtakes Helen's voice, instead providing a breathy pillow that gives her sometimes-thin vocals a nice push. The jazzier side of the record is nicely preserved throughout – and the moody Merrill vocals get some of their best support of the early days! Titles include "Comes Love", "Lilac Wine", "Just You, Just Me", "You Won't Forget Me", and "End Of A Love Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz vocal masterpiece from Sarah Vaughn – one of her greatest albums ever, and a record that raised the bar for countless vocal sessions in years to come! Sarah's working here in an intimate group arranged by Ernie Wilkins – filled with famous trumpet solo work by Clifford Brown, during his last few years on the planet - plus tenor from Paul Quinichette, flute from Herbie Mann, and piano from Jimmy Jones. Sarah's vocals are incredible – curving, turning, and lilting with a tremendous amount of jazz-based inflection – and titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "April In Paris", "September Song", "He's My Guy", and "I'm Glad There Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz vocal masterpiece from Sarah Vaughn – one of her greatest albums ever, and a record that raised the bar for countless vocal sessions in years to come! Sarah's working here in an intimate group arranged by Ernie Wilkins – filled with famous trumpet solo work by Clifford Brown, during his last few years on the planet – plus tenor from Paul Quinichette, flute from Herbie Mann, and piano from Jimmy Jones. Sarah's vocals are incredible – curving, turning, and lilting with a tremendous amount of jazz-based inflection – and titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "April In Paris", "September Song", "He's My Guy", and "I'm Glad There Is You". CD

Dinah's in a perfect setting here – one that gets more jazz out of her style than other records at the time! The "after hours" setting has Dinah singing with a relaxed jazz combo – one that features Eddie Lockjaw Davis and Paul Quinichette on tenor, Clark Terry on trumpet, and Junior Mance on piano – as well as some other nice touches, like congas from Candido, and a bit of organ work from Jackie Davis! The tunes still have the slightly bluesy feel of Dinah's other work, but are more jazz-based in their phrasing and presentation – and titles include "A Foggy Day", "Bye Bye Blues", "Am I Blue", "Blue Skies", and "Love For Sale". CD features one bonus track – an unedited "Blue Skies", which runs over three minutes longer than the originally released version! CD