A beautiful set of quest-driven songs from Kurt Elling – material directed by inspiration from a passage by Rainer Maria Rilke, then given a spin by Elling that's completely his own! For more than two decades, the singer has redefined the role of the voice in jazz – and here, he's still very much at the top of his game – a fantastic expressionist when singing "straight", and even more compelling when he opens up the full range of his creative process – which he does here often, in the company of a great lineup that includes Marquis Hill on trumpet, Branford Marsalis on tenor, Stu Mindeman on piano, and Jeff Tain Watts on drums. You'll definitely recognize a number of the tunes, but taken together like this – and handled by Kurt – they really have a completely different vibe, as you'll find on "Lonely Town", "Endless Lawns", "The Enchantress", "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall", "A Happy Thought", and "Washing Of The Water". CD

(78 RPM, Vocalists) 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A seminal collection of material that was originally issued on 78s – Okeh and Brunswick label releases, and the work that helped cement Billie Holiday's reputation as a groundbreaking vocalist at the end of the 30s! Some tracks have Billie singing with the orchestra of pianist Teddy Wilson, some are billed under her own group too – and players include Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Lester Young on tenor, Johnny Hodges on alto, Harry Carney on baritone and clarinet, and Teddy Wilson on piano! LP, Vinyl record album

An amazing set – really really beautiful, and a whopping 10CDs' worth of material that Billie Holiday recorded during the 78rpm era – for labels that include Columbia, Okeh, Vocalion, Decca, and Parlophone! The package has an oversize cover, with a giant book in the middle – and the set features Holiday singing with Duke Ellington, Teddy Wilson Eddie Heywood, Benny Goodman, and her own group as well. 239 tracks in all – and a bargain at this price! CD

Early 40s 78 material recorded for Okeh and Harmony – with Jimmy Hamilton on clarinet, Emmett Berry on trumpet, Teddy Wilson on piano, Benny Morton on trombone, Georgie Auld on tenor, and Benny Carter on alto! CD