A rare jazz treasure from the European scene of the early 70s – killer material from a wealth of American artists and local talents – all done as special sessions for Dutch radio, and never issued to the public on record! Despite the radio origins of the music, the sound here is tremendous – easily on a par with the best MPS sessions of the time – which is no surprise, given that many of the artists here worked in similar circles! The first half of the set features the trio of pianist Louis Van Dyke augmented with guests who include Mark Murphy, Helen Merrill, Eddie Jefferson, Toots Thielemans, Herb Geller, and Dave Pike – all stepping out into the spotlight while Van Dyke's combo backs them up with lively grooves that are often heavy on bossa influences! The second half features larger orchestrations from The Metropole Orchestra – a soaring big band who groove wonderfully, often in support of vocals from Murphy or Greetje Kauffeld, but also featuring instrumental solos from European players Ack Van Rooyen, Piet Nordijk, Ferdinand Povel, and others. The whole set is worth it alone for the vocals of Murphy – because the record easily stands as some of his best work ever from this decade – and given how great Mark was at the time, that's really saying a lot! Small group titles include "Children Of The Sun", "So What", "Love Sick", "Sao Paulo", "Con Alma", "Seventh Day", and "Falling In Love With Love" – and bigger group numbers include "Out Of This World", "My Shining Hour", "Let's Fall In Love", "Get Happy", "I'll Wind", "This Time The Dream's On Me", "Paper Moon", "One For My Baby", "Come Rain Or Come Shine", and "That Old Black Magic". 37 tracks in all! (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

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"! CD

A wonderful little album by Mel Torme – easily one of his best albums of the 50s, despite the tighter focus implied in the title! Although the set's a tribute to Fred Astaire. the album's got a very similar feel to Mel's classic album with Marty Paich's Dek-Tette for Bethlehem – arranged by Paich, and done in a similar style of small-orchestra jazz – with great lines and solos from key west coast players who include Herb Geller on alto, Bob Enevoldsen on trombone, Jack Montrose on tenor, and Don Fagerquist and Pete Candoli on trumpet. There's a smooth, warm brilliance to the album that's undeniable – and although many of the tunes are older ones from Fred Astaire movies from decades back, they're updated beautifully by Marty Paich's arrangements! Titles include "The Piccolino", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "A Foggy Day", "They All Laughed", and "Let's Call The Whole Thing Off". CD