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A great moody set – one that features compelling arrangements from Coleridge Perkinson! CD

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Four great albums from Lurlean Hunter – a singer who's sadly overlooked these days, but who was a real up-and-comer from the Chicago scene in the 50s! Lurlean's got a style that's surprisingly smooth at times – much richer and more jazz-based than the sometimes-bluesy cover images she was given – a quality that sounds especially great here on these recordings. Titles include "That Old Feeling", "Gentleman Friend", "Crazy He Calls Me", "Alone Together", "Brief Encounter", "Old Devil Moon", and "Blues In The Night". CD

One of the best-remembered jazz albums from singer Bev Kelly – partly for the record's great use of guitar by Johnny Smith, but also for the great vocals from Bev herself! The album's one of a few that really set a new standard for small combo jazz in the 50s – different than the bigger band records with singers, but also not nearly as cabaret-styled as some of the other records with a small group behind the vocalist. Smith's tone is wonderful – that moody, mellow magic he did so well – and his pairing here is not unlike that of Barney Kessel with Julie London, but with much more of a New York vibe overall. Titles include "Looking For A Boy", "Destination Moon", "Tis Autumn", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Snuggled On Your Shoulder", and "Moe's Blues". CD

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Great live work from Mel Torme – a 2CD set that features his best concert performances of the 50s! CD 1 features a live date originally issued on Decca – a whopping 20 track set that's done with spare backings from the Al Pellegrini Trio – possibly the most stripped-down Torme recording from these early years, delivered with an intimacy that's quite different than some of Mel's work on Bethlehem! Pellegrini plays mostly piano, but also a bit of clarinet too – given that Torme also handles a bit of piano – and the backings are always somewhat light, so that Mel's voice really dominates the proceedings. Titles include "County Fair", "Goody Goody", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Jeepers Creepers", "Imagination", "Get Happy", "Get Out Of Town", and "From This Moment On". CD 2 features two albums' worth of material – a performance at the Crescendo from 1957 that was issued on the albums Mel Torme At The Crescendo and Songs For Any Taste – done in the same jazzy style as his studio albums for the Bethlehem label from the 50s! The combo behind Mel is a smallish one – Marty Paich on piano and arrangements, Larry Bunker on vibes, Don Fagerquist on trumpet, Max Bennett on bass, and Mel Lewis on drums – and the arrangements here all have that great mix of sensitivity and swing that Paich was first showing at the time – an approach that really helped Torme hit new levels in his music! Tracks include "Love Is Just A Bug", "Just One Of Those Things", "The Tender Trap", "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "Home By The Sea", "It's De-Lovely", "Taking A Chance On Love", "Nobody's Heart", "Manhattan", and "One For My Baby". CD

Some of the most unique vocal work ever recorded – a stunning collection of Columbia sides by Oscar Brown Jr, a singer who mixed together equal parts jazz, soul, and folk – and came up with a sound that was all his own! Oscar bubbled out of the hip Chicago scene of the early 60s – and had a much more righteous approach than most of his contemporaries – not only writing his own lyrics for most of the tunes, but working in a genre-blending style that crossed over to a variety of difference audiences. Oscar could groove with the best in a southside club, but also appeal to the northside intellectuals – opening doors wherever he went with a fresh approach to jazz vocals! The set features work from all 4 of his Columbia albums – including a number of tracks on CD for the first time – and features arrangements by Quincy Jones, Floyd Morris, and Ralph Burns – on 23 tracks that include "All Blues", "Work Song", "Excuse Me For Living", "The Snake", "Mr Kicks", "Afro Blue", "Signifying Monkey", "Dat Dere", "Hazel's Hips", "Jeannine", "Opportunity Please Knock", "The Tree & Me", "Elegy (Plain Black Boy)", "Tall Like Pine", and "But I Was Cool". CD

Trend-setting vocal work from Oscar Brown Jr – one of the hippest singers of his generation, and a vocalist who really took things to the next level in the 60s! Brown's got a sound that's partially influenced by the vocalese of Eddie Jefferson, Jon Hendricks, and other singers of the 50s – but his groove here is also a bit more fluid and lyrical too – thanks to some great lyrics penned by Oscar, some of which went on to become classics over the years. Like his predecessors, many of the tunes chosen by Brown got their start as jazz instrumentals, but sparkle anew here with fresh lyrics that really liven them up a lot – tales of sin and soul and a lot more, often delivered with a good sense of wit. Titles include great vocal versions of "Dat Dere", "Work Song", and "Afro-Blue", plus some of his great original compositions, like "Brown Baby", "But I Was Cool", and "Rags and Old Iron". The arrangements are great, with a nice jazzy sound – and the group includes the excellent Floyd Morris on piano! CD features 5 bonus tracks that include "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Forbidden Fruit", "World Of Grey", "Mr Kicks", and "Hazel's Hips". CD

Amazing work from singer Ann Burton – simple, elegant, and unrestrained! The backing on the set is only piano and bass – no drums – and Burton's warmly swinging approach to singing more than fills in all the spaces that one might miss from the stripped-down lineup. The album features wonderful readings of classics like "The End Of A Love Affair", "Skylark", "The Days Of Wine & Roses", "The Very Thought Of You", and "Thursday's Child" – all done in unique arrangements that make them sound quite fresh! Plus, the CD features some bonus tracks recorded a bit later, with a full piano trio – on tracks that include "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "He's Funny That Way", and "Rainy Days & Mondays". CD

Four classic albums from Jackie DeShannon – all in a single set! First up is Me About You – sophisticated Jackie at her best – working with great arrangements from Jack Nitzsche and Nick DeCaro – both cats from the California scene we can really trust for "cut-above" pop work like this – music that goes way past the simple sounds of DeShannon's start – into cool adult territory that really makes the album great. Jackie's vocals are surprisingly soulful in the setting – even more so than before – and the tunes include lots of gems, including versions of Van Dyke Parks' "High Coin", John Sebastian's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", and Tim Hardin's "Baby Close Its Eyes". Also includes "I Keep Wanting You", "Me About You", and "Nicole". Next is Laurel Canyon – heady work from Jackie DeShannon's later years in 60s pop – an album with themes and styles that go way beyond her earlier recordings – as you might guess from the hip Laurel Canyon reference in the title! Jackie's working here in a mode that's much more strongly in a singer-songwriter style than before – with arrangements and backings that are a lot more organic, and less pop-tuned than ever – almost in a Laura Nyro approach on some numbers. As usual, a good portion of the tracks were written by Jackie herself – including "Holly Would", "Come & Stay With Me", "LA", "Too Close", and "Laurel Canyon" – and the album also features a few well chosen tracks by other writers too, like "Bitter Honey" by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols, "I Got My Reason" by Barry White, and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by Smokey Robinson. Put A Little Love In Your Heart is quite possibly the last great hit from singer Jackie DeShannon – an album built around the righteous spirit of the title track – filled with really wonderful original tunes penned by Jackie and soul singer Jimmy Holiday! The album may well be the best to explore the space between pop and soul that often characterized Jackie's work – and the overall sound is somewhat similar to some of Dusty Springfield's best pop/soul work from the same stretch. 10 of the album's 12 tracks are originals by Holiday and DeShannon – all set to soaring orchestrations by James Langeford, which often have a pronounced influence from the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 60s! Titles include "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "You Are The Real Thing", "River Of Love", "Movin", "You Can Come To Me", "You Have A Way With Me", and "I Let Go Completely". To Be Free is an interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again". (Rock, Vocalists) CD

One of the great Pablo Records efforts to revisit the jazz sound of the 50s – but in fresh new ways allowed by the freer recording modes of the 70s! The album features Ella Fitgerald and Joe Pass, plus nobody else – just voice and guitar coming together in quiet, introspective ways that are completely sublime, and a very nice change from some of Ella's fuller band recordings of the few years before this album. And far from being sleepy, the intimacy of the record almost seems to set a new kind of fire – one that comes from the gentle persona of Ella, which is a far cry from the glass-breaking singer that she'd come to be known as in the mainstream! Titles include "Take Love Easy", "Once I Loved", "Lush Life", "You're Blase", "A Foggy Day", "I Want To Talk About You", and "You Go To My Head". CD

One of the great Pablo Records efforts to revisit the jazz sound of the 50s – but in fresh new ways allowed by the freer recording modes of the 70s! The album features Ella Fitgerald and Joe Pass, plus nobody else – just voice and guitar coming together in quiet, introspective ways that are completely sublime, and a very nice change from some of Ella's fuller band recordings of the few years before this album. And far from being sleepy, the intimacy of the record almost seems to set a new kind of fire – one that comes from the gentle persona of Ella, which is a far cry from the glass-breaking singer that she'd come to be known as in the mainstream! Titles include "Take Love Easy", "Once I Loved", "Lush Life", "You're Blase", "A Foggy Day", "I Want To Talk About You", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the great Pablo Records efforts to revisit the jazz sound of the 50s – but in fresh new ways allowed by the freer recording modes of the 70s! The album features Ella Fitgerald and Joe Pass, plus nobody else – just voice and guitar coming together in quiet, introspective ways that are completely sublime, and a very nice change from some of Ella's fuller band recordings of the few years before this album. And far from being sleepy, the intimacy of the record almost seems to set a new kind of fire – one that comes from the gentle persona of Ella, which is a far cry from the glass-breaking singer that she'd come to be known as in the mainstream! Titles include "Take Love Easy", "Once I Loved", "Lush Life", "You're Blase", "A Foggy Day", "I Want To Talk About You", and "You Go To My Head". CD

Great small group backing – with arrangements from pianist Claude Hopkins, plus tenor from Coleman Hawkins, trumpet from Doc Cheatham, and clarinet from Buster Bailey! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure set from Johnny Hartman – cut in the years before his more famous Impulse recordings, and with a mellower, lusher sound that casts his incredible vocals in a warm romantic setting! The orchestrations are by the little-known Rudy Traylor, and have a full feel that's similar to other Roost and Roulette vocal sessions of the time – a bit jazz, but also with these darker, moodier corners that are perfect for late-nite listening – and which put those rich Hartman vocals in really sublime territory. Johnny serves up a sad-tinged batch of tunes that includes "Little Girl Blue", "But Beautiful", "Long Ago & Far Away", "I Should Care", "To Each His Own", and "How Long Has This Been Going On". LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique little record from Jackie & Roy – one that has them singing a super-fresh batch of tunes from budding songwriters Andre and Dory (nee Langdon) Previn! The tunes are all really great – the kind of playful material that seems to bring out the best in Jackie & Roy, on a level that matches all those excellent Tommy Wolf/Fran Landesman tunes that sparkled so much on the pair's 50s albums for ABC. Backing is in a small combo mode, and the set has the best energy of Jackie & Roy's earlier years – in a format that sometimes has them singing duet, sometimes trading lines, and sometimes stepping out solo. Titles include "Like Love", "The Runaround", "Sing Me An Abstract Song", "Control Yourself", "You're Married", and "Where, I Wonder". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet bit of California work by Julie Kelly – part jazz singer, part singer-songwriter – with a style that's steeped in that warm late 70s sound that was so popular with some of the female singers in the Bay Area. There's a nice open-ended feel to the album – in that Julie works her way through material that steps past the traditional jazz vocalist format, and really makes for a fresh little set. The album was co-produced by Steve Kaplan, who also plays keyboards on the set – and titles include "Better Than Anything", "Groovin", "Do Something", "We're On Our Way", "Follow Your Road", "Somebody Else That Will", and "All My Tomorrows". LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by singer Beverly Kenny – a great 50s jazz vocalist who never got her due, but who managed to make some pretty fine records at the time! This album's one of them, and features backings from Ralph Burns – not as dark and moody as some of his other work of the 50s, and in a lightly, sprightly swinging style that really works well for Bev – often with a nice gentle swing that works well with the jazz modes of her vocals. Titles include "If I Were A Bell", "This Can't Be Love", "Give Me The Simple Life", "You Make Me Feel So Young", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

Essential work from vocalist Karin Krog – one in a number of sessions cut with some of the best saxophonists of her time (Dexter Gordon, Archie Shepp, John Surman) – a record that features some incredible late tenor from Warne Marsh, set beautifully alongside one of the few vocalists who could match him! Instrumentation for the record comes only from Warne's tenor and the bass of Red Mitchell – leaving Karin plenty of room to open up with imaginative interpretations of the tunes – and almost letting Marsh emerge as a second "voice" that contributes equally to the album. The approach is wonderful – spare and moody, but extremely soulful – and even familiar chestnuts sound completely fresh in the setting. Titles include "I Remember You", "Trane", "Moody's Mood For Love", "Loverman", and "Speak Low". LP, Vinyl record album

A sublime debut from the up-and-coming Cecile McLorin Salvant – a fresh new jazz singer with really rich roots – and a vocalist who's equally at home with both contemporary styles, and modes from the earliest years of jazz! There's a really complex approach to this record – both stylistically and referentially – and Salvant wants to show right from the start that she's a force to be reckoned with – a singer who can resonate with the best of the contemporary jazz underground, yet one who's got a special attention to creative roots as well. The tunes are a really surprising blend of well-chosen nuggets and a few original numbers – and Cecile gets some killer backing from a creative quartet that features Aaron Diehl on piano and Rodney Whitaker on bass. Cecile's got a sound that's right up there with the best work by Dee Dee Bridgewater or Carmen Lundy in recent years – yet an approach that's definitely all her own as well! Titles include "Baby Have Pity On Me", "Woman Child", "Nobody", "Le Front Cache Sur Tes Genoux", "You Bring Out The Savage In Me", and "Deep Dark Blue". 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

The voice of Audrey Morris is a great one – sweet, but also sad too – but never in a too-sentimental way, and perfect for the gentler touch of the Bethlehem label! Audrey's working here with backings penned by Marty Paich – who also plays celeste on the album, with a group that features Stu Williamson on trumpet, Bill Pitman on guitar, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Irv Cottler or Alvin Stoller on drums. Paich uses a bit of strings on the date – never too much, but just enough to underscore the sadness of the bluer tunes, and create a bit of softness on a few of the ballads – all in a way that's never too dramatic, and which always gives way to Audrey's vocals when they slide into the mix – preserving the intimate quality that always makes for her best sort of setting. The track selection is great – far more unusual than the typical Bethlehem vocal date, with some great late nite numbers that include "If Love Were All", "I Never Mention Your Name", "It's Always You", "What More Can A Woman Do", "Blue Turning Gray Over You", "I Go For That", and "I Wonder What Became Of Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy groovy work from the Japanese scene of the late 60s – performed by a cool quartet who harmonize vocally along with their instruments! The group's got a jazzy style – using piano, guitar, bass, and drums to lay down a groove – but their real charm comes from their harmonies, which are often recorded with a bit of echo, and which sound quite different than American or Brazilian work of this type, due to the Japanese lyrics! Many tunes appear to be original – which is great, as these cats aren't just harmonizing 60s hits, like so many other groups did at the time – and the record has a fresh feel that we really like, kind of a cross between American and Euro easy vocal group modes of the 60s. Song titles are all in Japanese, as are the notes – but there's a definite appeal here to Western ears! CD

One of our favorite-ever albums from Esther Phillips – an album that really helped her transform her sound for the 70s! The approach here is a lot more jazzy than before – served up with a good dose of funk, thanks to arrangements from Pee Wee Ellis – fresh from his work with James Brown, but even more electrically-oriented here! The groove is great – and the album's one of the best Kudu sides from the early 70s – a perfect blend of soul, jazz, and funk – all wrapped up with a new level of sophistication that benefits all parties involved. Other players include Richard Tee on keyboards, Eric Gale on guitar, Bernard Purdie on drums, Airto on percussion, and Hank Crawford on alto sax. Titles include an incredible cover of Gil Scott Heron's "Home Is Where The Hatred Is", plus "From A Whisper To A Scream", "Till My Back Ain't Got No Bone", "Your Love Is So Doggone Good", Scarred Knees", and "Baby, I'm For Real". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Breezy electric vocals from 70s Sweden – a great little record that's heavy on electric piano and organ, and which features some sublime vocals from singer Meta Roos! The record does a great job of blending influences from bossa nova and sophisticated American soul – in a style that manages to draw on some of the bigger songwriters of the time, but which makes the work come across with a fresh sound of its own – thanks to creatively grooving arrangements from keyboardist Nippe Sylwen! Sylwen's keys dominate the music almost as much as Meta's warm vocals – and titles include great versions of "Zazueira", "Feel Like Makin Love", "For Peace & Love", "Oh Lori", "Here We Are Falling In Love Again", "You've Got A Friend", and "Street Walking Women". LP, Vinyl record album

Breezy electric vocals from 70s Sweden – a great little record that's heavy on electric piano and organ, and which features some sublime vocals from singer Meta Roos! The record does a great job of blending influences from bossa nova and sophisticated American soul – in a style that manages to draw on some of the bigger songwriters of the time, but which makes the work come across with a fresh sound of its own – thanks to creatively grooving arrangements from keyboardist Nippe Sylwen! Sylwen's keys dominate the music almost as much as Meta's warm vocals – and titles include great versions of "Zazueira", "Feel Like Makin Love", "For Peace & Love", "Oh Lori", "Here We Are Falling In Love Again", "You've Got A Friend", and "Street Walking Women". CD