A very cool album from the Italian branch of RCA Records – and a set that features a host of artists from other nations who briefly stopped over in Italy, and recorded some of these gems for the label! There's a core energy to the set, which balances contributions from a few key artists, mostly from America – and for jazz fans alone, the set is noteworthy for two tracks that have trumpeter Chet Baker blowing with orchestrations from a young Ennio Morricone – "So Che Ti Perdero" and "Il Mio Domani"! And there's plenty of other great bits too – singer Helen Merrill working with maestro Armando Trovajoli on "Nessuno Al Mondo" and "Estate" – plus Perez Prado on "Guaglione" and "Arrivederci Roma", Antonio Prieto on "Papa" and "Baciami", and even some very cool cuts from young poppers Paul Anka and Neil Sedaka. (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

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Sublime work by a singer who should have dominated the 60s – had he not left this planet in an auto accident early in his short career! Jesse is wonderful here – getting even more coolness and class on RCA than he did in an indie setting – with help from the groups of Shorty Rogers and Dennis Farnon! Most numbers are standards, but done in a nicely soulful style – with titles that include "Witchcraft", "Guess Who", "Alright OK You Win", "Secret Love", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Now You Know", "Take Me Back To The Island", and "Funny". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 60s gem from Brook Benton, produced by Clyde Otis, done in wonderful, more stripped down style than some of his other efforts of the time. Titles include "My Darling My Darling", "Try A Little Tenderness", "Moon River", "The Second Time Around", and "Call Me Irresponsible". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

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Four late 60s gems from Perry Como – all records that really have him pushing beyond his pop style of the 50s! First up is Lightly Latin – one of the most sublime albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a set that definitely takes its Latin lightly, and instead really goes for the best sort of mellow side of the Como sound! There's definitely a few bossa touches in the mix – a bit of acoustic guitar or light percussion – but they're added in very sparely, and couched with a beautifully subtle wall of sound from arranger Nick Perito, who works here with a lot more understatement than on some other records. Como's vocals are very far from pop – and the album brings out his maturing style wonderfully with a spacious, soft-toned style of production. Titles include "Dindi", "Once I Loved", "Stay With Me", "How Insensitive", "The Shadow Of Your Smile", "Baia", and "Manha De Carnaval". Next is Perry Como In Italy – one of the most haunting albums we've ever heard from Perry Como – a session recorded in Italy during the mid 60s – featuring arrangements by Nick Perito, and backing vocals by the Alessandro Alessandroni Singers! The tunes include a fair bit of older Italian numbers – some sung in the language of their origin, some in English translations that we've come to know on this side of the Atlantic – and Como takes them all with a sad-tinged style that makes the album one of his moodiest ever – a record that oozes melancholy with every song, and which has a late nite, heartbreaking appeal that goes beyond even the understanding of language. The set's a great one to convey the popularity of Italian work on the American market in the 60s – and Como carries off the session even better than some of the more likely singers on the scene during the period. Titles include "Souvenir D'Italie", "Forget Domani", "Anema E Core", "One Day Is Like Another", "Arrivederci Roma", "Oh Marie", and "E Lei". Look To Your Heart is the kind of record that moves so far beyond familiar pop vocalizations, it's almost like Perry's in a universe all by himself! The words seem to just be sneaking out of the singer's voice – these mutterings that are almost to himself, which makes his readings of the tunes feel even more personal than you might expect – even amidst larger backings from Nick Perito – like Como is off to the side of the room, ruminating on love lost and life lived! That quality comes through tremendously on the eerie "Father Of Girls" – a tune that's worth the price of admission alone – and other titles include "Try To Remember", "Look To Your Heart", "In These Crazy Times", "Sunrise Sunset", and "When You're In Love". Seattle is a record that has Perry Como taking on a bit of a country tinge at times – working with Chet Atkins production that almost seems as if the singer is trying to match the Dean Martin spirit of the late 60s, right down to phrasing that feels a bit like ol Dino himself! A few other cuts have more familiar Como modes, with backings by Nick Perito – and titles include the lively title cut "Seattle", plus "Happiness Comes Happiness Goes", "Together Forever", "Sunshine Wine", "Deep In Your Heart", "Hearts Will Be Hearts", "Turnaround", and "Beady Eyed Buzzard". CD

A lost treasure from one of our favorite male jazz singers – the oft-overlooked Matt Dennis, known best as the composer of a few famous standards, but also a great vocalist in his own right – with a sad and torchy approach that's kind of unique! This album's got Matt singing and playing piano, with backing that icnludes guitar, trumpet, and a bit of flute – all in a moody mode that really fits the style of the album's selection of songs. Titles include "This Is My Story", "I'm Through With Love", "Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea", "Spring Is Here", "Heart Of Stone", and "For The Losers". LP, Vinyl record album

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Arranged and conducted by Dick Hyman. LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy backings from Sid Bass – and titles that include "Thrill Me", "Show Me A Man", "Wild Is Love", "Like Love", "Mr Wonderful", "For Every Man There's A Woman", and "Since I've Been To You". LP, Vinyl record album

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A great live date from the best period in Jack Jones' career – with titles that include "Spinning Wheel", "Conversation", "I Had A Dream", "Everything Is Beautiful", and "Brother Where Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic record from singer Salena Jones – recorded in the UK with backings by Brit Easy maestro Johnny Cameron, and a sweet electric groove that really makes the album sparkle! The record's similar to some of Shirley Bassey's work with Johnny Harris – in that it features familiar tunes made slightly funky, grooving with a nice mix of electric and acoustic instrumentation, taking the singer to new territory without sounding hokey at all. Includes a nice breakbeat version of "I Love You", plus surprisingly great takes on "Summertime", "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "You Forgot To Remember", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements by Marty Paich! LP, Vinyl record album

(Funky 45's, Vocalists) 7-inch, Vinyl record

Henri Rene and his orchestra accompany Eartha on this record named after her 1956 autobiography. There is an tiny excerpt from her book on the back cover but the songs don't seem to necessarily reflect her life story. It's a nice collection of some relatively tame tunes in that throaty Earth Kitt style. Titles include "Oggere," "Jonny," "Lazy Afternoon," "Lisbon Antigua," "Mademoiselle Kitt" and "Just An Old Fashioned Girl." LP, Vinyl record album

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A set that features lots of great arrangements from Shorty Rogers – upbeat and jazzy, in ways that aren't exactly the Latin modes promised by the title, but still pretty darn great! Rogers his hitting nicely here on all burners – that leaner 60s approach he used in some of his own great records of the time, with rhythms that borrow a bit from bossa and Latin jazz, but turn their elements towards a west coast sort of groove in the end. Lennie Hayton conducts the orchestra, but he's definitely moving in a Rogers-directed mode – much more so than on earlier dates with Lena for RCA. Titles include "Meditation", "More", "Old Devil Moon", "My Blue Heaven", "Cuckoo In The Clock", "From This Moment On", and "Take Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A record that's sometimes overlooked in the career of the legendary Eartha Kitt – a set that came out on MGM in the early 60s, after Kitt's initial rise to fame on RCA, and before taking off for a long stretch overseas! The set hints at the sound of that era a bit – and arrangements by Billy May and Bill Loose have this gently sophisticated style that fits the growing sophistication in Kitt's phrasing as she really develops her style. Songs follow the themes of her famous work – and titles include "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend", "Good Little Girls", "Never On Sunday", "Always True To You In My Fashion", "La Dolce Vita", "All I Want Is All There Is & Then Some", and "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House". LP, Vinyl record album

A later date from Audrey Morris – the Chicago singer who's probably best remembered for some classic RCA sessions in the 50s, but who also kept on doing her own thing for decades later in the Windy City! The set's got a very old school feel – quite different than the usual 80s jazz set – very much in classic small combo vocal mode, with Audrey's lead accompanied by piano from Bruce Robins, and some occasional tenor from Stu Genovese. And although the set was issued on a small label, it's got a very professional approach – almost an attempt to go for the classic sound that bigger labels were doing with small singer sessions a few decades before. The song choices are great, and titles include "Nobody", "I'm A Dreamer Aren't We All", "My Silent Love", "Mira", "Rain Sometimes", "But I Loved You", and "Afterthoughts". LP, Vinyl record album

All girl singers should be this lucky! Gale Robbins is a pretty nice vocalist, although nothing fancy – but on this set, she's lucky enough to have some great backings from Eddie Cano – whose orchestra picks up the pace with plenty of musical flourishes, and the occasional light Latin touches! The tunes are sung by Gale in a style that's a bit torchy and a bit boozy – as much from the chest as from the heart, if you know what we mean – and Cano's backings really make the set a late 50s standout from RCA. Titles include "Best Of All", "Golden Earrings", "How Deep Is The Ocean", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "Here I Go". CD

Pretty darn amazing – and one of the campier vocal jazz albums on RCA from the late 50s! Lizabeth sings in a "guy crazy" mode that these days would really only be the province of drag acts – and it's compelling to hear a record like this, in which songs like "Men", "He is A Man", "Legalize My Name", and "It's So Nice To Have A Man Around The House" are taken at a relatively serious tone. Henri Rene handled the arrangements, and the record has a great version of "Can't Get Out Of This Mood" that begins with a cool monologue. Lizabeth is a real looker, too – and the photo on the front is practically worth the price of the record! CD

A pair of Capitol Records classics from Nancy Wilson – back to back with bonus tracks too! On Today My Way, Nancy Wilson takes on the sound of today – circa 1965 – singing her versions of songs by a host of other female singers of the time, and blowing away most of them in the process! Wilson is the consummate portrait of soul and class throughout – working well well-balanced arrangements that are mostly from Sid Feller, plus a few more from Oliver Nelson – often with a mix of syncopated rhythms and strings that echo Bacharach a bit, but which are much better fitted to Nancy's personal style! Titles include "Reach Out For Me", "Dear Heart", "Welcome Welcome", "I'm All Smiles", "Don't Come Running Back To Me", and "Take What I Have". Nancy Naturally is a great one from Nancy Wilson – a set that has the singer working with full arrangements from Billy May, who's got this surprisingly subtle approach at times that works really well with the soulful currents in Nancy's vocals! The approach is almost more like Oliver Nelson, especially with the bluesier currents that May brings into the horns at points – and the album scores equally well on the groovers and the more slinky numbers that are especially wonderful – almost an update of an earlier Dakota Staton mode, but a bit more hip – as we'd expect from Wilson! Titles include "Watch What Happens", "Smack Dab In The Middle", "I Wish I Didn't Love You So", "In The Dark", and "Ten Years Of Tears". CD features 6 bonus tracks too – including "Be True To Me", "Go Away", "The Power Of Love", "That Special Way", "Afterthoughts", and "Where Does That Leave Me". CD