Tony's classic – with the big hit "I Left My Heart In San Francisco" – and other titles that include "Rules Of The Road", "Candy Kisses", "Marry Young", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Smike", and "Tender Is The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

There's definitely many moods here, but the record also features some nice jazzy ones, too – thanks to work by the Ralph Sharon trio, plus guest appearances by Chico Hamilton on drums, Bobby Hackett on cornet, and even Dick Hyman on organ! LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure later session by one of our favorite jazz singers ever – the great Bob Dorough, a vocalist with a sound that's like nobody else! The session actually returns Bob to his early roots – vocalese jazz based around some original compositions, plus a few older jazz classics. Includes the original tunes "Bon Coeur", "I Want To Prove I Love You", "Bijou", and "When You Get There" – plus versions of "I Can't Get Started", "Everything But You", and "Au Privave". LP, Vinyl record album

Well, we don't know if Mr B could ever be considered "modern", but this is a pretty groovy batch of 60s pop tunes – like "Mister Kicks", "People", "Wanted", "Wives & Lovers", and "A Beautiful Friendship" – all done to arrangements by Billy Byers, Benny Carter, and Bobby Tucker, with that great mid 60s Mercury pop feel to them. There's some nice jazz elements in the mix, and Billy's always a treat for us! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album from Georgie Fame – with a hard raw soul sound that shows what a big crossover potential he had with the UK soul market – so much so that this batch of material was issued in the US as well! The album's got some wonderful arrangements – quite raw, with some nice organ, and plenty of heavy vocals from Georgie in a strong blue eyed soul mode. Titles include "Sitting In The Park", "Get Away", "Sweet Thing", "Ride Your Pony", "The In Crowd", "Last Night", and "Music Talk". 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 playfully swinging little set from Morgana King – given the groovy, latenight lounge Reprise sound by producer Jimmy Bowen! This second album for Reprise is a much more extroverted than the quite strong It's A Quiet Thing LP from a year before – with arranger Torrie Zito grooving out into a lightly swinging sound, in place of his chillier, almost noir approach on the previous LP! Morgana's vocals are tastefully grand – doing more with a hushed tone and an unrivaled vibrato than many more famous peers can do with a showier style! Titles include "Anything Goes", "Nobody Else But Me", "I Thought Of You Last Night", "You Fascinate Me So", "The Best Is Yet To Come", "Wild Is Love" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

One of our favorite singers and one of our favorite composers – brought together in a dream of a vocal jazz album! We've always loved the tunes that Michel Legrand penned for films of the 60s and 70s – as they've got a depth, sincerity, and jazziness that goes beyond most of his contemporaries – but they've also never sounded better than in the hands of vocalist Karin Krog and arranger Palle Mikkelborg, who both really deliver a unique twist on the Legrand sound! Mikkelborg's arrangements for the set are extremely beautiful – sometimes using funky backings, sometimes softer strings – but always getting the right balance between emotion and grooviness that Legrand brought to his original recordings of the work. And guitarist Philip Catherine plays some nicely complicated lines that electrify the tunes with a weird, moody feel – often "singing" alongside Karin's deeply icy vocals in a really wonderful way. The tracks are all taken at slightly longer readings than you might expect, which makes for even more room for creative invention – and titles include "Watch What Happens", "Ask Yourself Why", "I Will Wait For You", "Once Upon A Summertime", and "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite a rare album from Peggy Lee – and a strange one too! The album features backings "conducted" by Frank Sinatra, done in a moody, flowing, dreamy and sad style – similar to his own work of the late 50s Capitol years, especially the more melancholy albums that we love so much. Frank's probably not doing the bulk of the work, though, as the record also credits Nelson Riddle with arrangements – and Riddle's sound here is very strong, again in the mood of his best sad work with Sinatra – territory explored on albums like Wee Small Hours or Only The Lonely. Titles include "That's All", "Please Be Kind", "He's My Guy", "Then I'll Be Tired Of You", "The Folks Who Live On The Hill", and "If I Should Lose You". LP, Vinyl record album

Hip early work from Carmen McCrae – with jazzy arrangements by Fred Katz, featuring mostly west coast players running through some off-kilter backings that give Carmen a different sound than usual. The album's definitely got the "cool" in the title, but Carmen's sophisticated phrasing of the songs brings a lot of warmth to the tracks – in a kind of counterpoint that works really well with the music. Titles include "I Remember Clifford", "What's New", "Weak For The Man", "A Shoulder To Cry On", "Any Old Time", "Without A Word Of Warning", and "The Night We Called It A Day". LP, Vinyl record album

Features swinging arrangements from Buddy Bregman – and titles that include "All Through The Night", "A Wonderful Guy", "Something Wonderful", "Hello Young Lovers", "Give A Little Get A Little", and "If This Isn't Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Killer early work from Freda Payne – an early album recorded for MGM many years before her later hit "Band Of Gold" – and a set with a great mix of soul and jazz modes, all arranged by the mighty Benny Golson! The record's got a really classy feel – one that has a lot more poise than some of Freda's later soul, and shows elements of the jazz she'd bring more to the forefront on Impulse Records. Yet Golson's backings also still keep plenty of soul in the mix too – using full arrangements to almost give Payne an uptown soul sound, with a heavy groove on some of the album's most memorable numbers. Titles include "San Juan", "I Don't Love You Anymore", "Too Late", "You Never Should Have Loved Me", "Feeling Good", "It's Here For You", "If You Loved Me", and "Sad Sad September". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly compelling album from Michelle Phillips – recorded years after the breakup of The Mamas & The Papas – with a smooth late 70s LA sound that works perfectly for her more mature sexy approach! Jack Nitzsche handled the production and arrangements on most of it, and the album's got more of an edge than you might think from first look or listen – slightly self-reflexive, and less a comeback attempt than an expression of identity finally put on record. Wonderful! Titles include "Aching Kind", "Trashy Rumors", "Let The Music Begin", "Victim Of Romance", "Where's Mine", "Just One Look", "Paid The Price", "Lady Of Fantasy" (the lone track here produced & arranged by John Phillips) and more (Rock, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Prime late 60s work from Dusty Springfield – an excellent American album that compiles some of her best singles from the UK! The sound is incredible – a blend of easy, soul, and tight British pop orchestrations – with arrangements handled by Pat Williams, Ivor Raymonde, Reg Guest, and Wally Stott. Dusty's voice never sounded better, and tracks include "The Look Of Love", "Give Me Time", "Come Back To Me", "Sunny", "What's It Gonna Be", "Welcome Home", and "Take Me For A Little While". LP, Vinyl record album

A set cut with British maestro Edmundo Ros – in a style that's similar to some of his own albums from the time – not really straight Latin, but more a blend of tropical and exotic influences with some fuller big band modes! The style has almost an older sort of sound here – reminding us of work that might have appeared on RCA or Columbia during the previous decade – and Ros' sense of subtle drama is a nice counterpoint to Caterina's sometimes sweeter vocals. Titles include "Baiao", "Canto Karabali", "Frenesi", "Fale Baixinho", "Felicidade Infeliz", and "Saudades Da Bahia", which features Ros and Valente scatting together beautifully! LP, Vinyl record album

Classic King R&B material from Vinson, featuring some great backing by a surprising amount of jazz players! The album includes playing by Frank Foster, Joe Newman, Charlie Rouse, Ed Thigpen, Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, and Nat Pierce – and the sound owes a lot to Joe Turner's work with Basie. Titles include "Cherry Red", "That's The Way To Treat Your Woman", "Kidney Stew", "Hold It Right There", and "Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine". (Blues, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

One of the more obscure albums by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – a session of Basie tunes, performed with backing by the Count, plus additional lead vocals by Joe Williams, the voice most closely associated with the Basie group at the time! The style is similar to the trio's Sing A Song Of Basie album for ABC, but handled here with a bit more of an edge, and a rougher, more freewheeling groove that's a better fit for the great Basie sound of the late 50s – a great adaptation of the groove by Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert, and Annie Ross! The record's a nice sometimes-overlooked chapter in the excellent Count Basie run on Roulette – and titles include "Every Tub", "Rusty Dusty Blues", "The King", "Shorty George", and "Let Me See". CD

A rare early session from the lovely Elsie Bianchi – best known for her classic 60s sides on Saba/MPS, heard here in a very similar format! The set features Elsie working with her combo from the Swiss Atlantis nightclub in the early 60s – and was originally issued as a limited-number 10" LP, used only as a promotional item by the club! As on her classic Sweetest Sound album, Elsie sings on a number of tunes – always in English, and in a laidback and mellow way that sounds wonderfully sweet next to her work on piano. The rest of the group includes a bit of clarinet next to the bass and drums – and on a few tracks, Elsie's even overdubbed with a bit of accordion as well! Titles include the originals "Atlantis Blues" and "Baron Lazar" – plus versions of "I Got It Bad", "You're Driving Me Crazy", "Stormy Weather", "After You've Gone", and "No Moon At All". CD

At the time of this album, Johnny Hartman definitely was the voice that is – a singer with a new level of maturity for the 60s, and a voice that's far more masculine than the geeky look of the photo on the cover! Hartman's sound here is smooth and warm, but never in a too-commercial way – a great antidote to some of the bigger singers of his generation, and cast perfectly here in some lightly jazzy arrangements by Bob Hammer. A few tracks feature backing by a quartet led by Hank Jones – and the rest feature a slightly larger group with 2 guitars and some nice Latin percussion. Titles include "Funny World", "Waltz For Debbie", "It Never Entered My Mind", "Let Me Love You", "My Ship", "The Day The World Stopped Turning", "Slow Hot Wind", and "The More I See You". CD

Groovy 70s sounds from the fab vocal arranger – with keyboards by David Briggs, bass from Tommy Cogbill, and a touch of steel guitar from Robert Seymour – on titles that include "I'll Play For You", "At Seventeen", "I Love", "Every Time You Touch Me I Get High", "Love Will Keep Us Together", "The Masterpiece", and "Your Love's Return". 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

Heavenly dreamy pop – and one of our favorite A&M albums by the legendary Chris Montez! Chris was unlike any other 60s singer we can think of – an artist who was at once pop, but also had a unique depth too – despite a lightly floating voice that was really unique! The great Nick DeCaro arranged and produced – giving the whole record a breezy, bouncy sparkle that's completely sublime – one of those rare totally-perfect meetings of talents in the music industry that would never have the artist sounding as great otherwise. Titles include "The Face I Love" (a great Marcos Valle song!), "Nothing To Hide", "Spooky", "Where Are You Now", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars", and "Look Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavenly work by one of the greatest vocal jazz combos ever! The Singers Unlimited cut many mighty albums for MPS with arrangements by some of the label's best bandleaders – but this one features them all alone, with only their voices to hold them up, which they do wonderfully, thanks to some crack arrangements by Gene Puerling of the group! The approach is natural – given that their vocal interplay was always the group's strongest calling card – and thanks to sublime MPS production, acapella vocals have never sounded so amazing. Titles include "The Fool On The Hill", "Emily", "Since You Asked", "Lullaby", and "London By Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Ed Townsend's best known as a famous songwriter and producer – whose work through the 60s and 70s made him more than a bit of green – but this early album has Ed trying his pipes as a male vocal lead, singing in a style that's smooth and mellow, a bit in the vein of Jesse Belvin, and really sounding great overall! Orchestrations are by Nelson Riddle, and the album's got a gentle swing that we really enjoy – Ed singing over some lesser known tracks, and bringing a raspy soulfulness to the more familiar ones. Titles include "What's Wrong With Me", "Golden Earrings", "I'm In Love", "Don't Ever Leave Me", and "On The Street Where You Live". LP, Vinyl record album