It's hard to go wrong with Jackie & Roy at this early point in their career – and the sound here is completely sublime – unlike anything else we can think of! The album has the pair coming off their seminal early work with Charlie Ventura – working in a mode that's deeply informed by bop, and which has the singers hitting vocal lines that only the hippest of the 50s could match! Yet there's also a sweetness too – a style that sets them apart from the work of Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, or Jon Hendricks – especially given that some of the tunes have Jackie & Roy taking the lyrics straight, instead of riffing with an instrumental solo-inspired sound. Some cuts feature scatting, others vocalese, and still others offer great straight-up readings of the lyrics – and backing is by a small combo that features Roy on piano, Barry Galbraith on guitar, Bill Crow on bass, and Joe Morello on drums. Titles include "Slowly", "Thou Swell", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Cheerful Little Earful", "Hook Line & Sinker", and "Yesterdays". 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