Seminal work from vocalist Teddi King – quite possibly her best material ever, recorded during a memorable run for RCA in the mid 50s! King first came to fame as more of a small combo jazz singer, but during her time at RCA, she tried out a variety of different modes – some of the sweeter female styles of the 50s mainstream, some highly emotive, expressive ballads, and a few standout cuts that come across with a bit more of a playful feel. Most of the backings here are by Hugo Winterhalter – except for a few arranged by Ralph Burns – and the set features 17 tracks from Teddi's RCA years, with great notes on the music by Will Friedwald. Titles include "A Ride On A Rainbow", "Traveling Down A Lonely Road", "I Can Honestly Say It's A Lie", "Should I Ever Love Again", "Baisez Moi", "Say A Prayer", "A Lot In Common", "Then It Starts Again", and "Married I Can Always Get". CD

... CD

... CD

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

... CD

With Houston Person, Cecil Bridgewater, and Steve Turre. CD

5 classic albums from Nina Simone – packaged together in one sweet little set! First up is Nuff Said – a great little album from Nina – mostly recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair, with a hip mix of jazz, soul, and folk that's stretched out in a slightly informal setting that always brings out the best of Nina's vocals! Tracks include "The Backlash Blues", "Please Read Me", "Sunday In Savannah", "Why? (The King Of Love Is Dead)", and the nice jazzer "In The Morning". Plus, the album also includes one straight soul number – "Do What You Gotta Do", with some great arrangements by Horace Ott. Next is To Love Somebody – one of Nina's greatest records – recorded with her cool combo that included Weldon Irvine! Weldon's on organ on the set, and he co-wrote the two-part track "Revolution" with Simone, one of the album's strongest numbers! That track is set amidst covers of other hip 60s material, including "Turn Turn Turn", "To Love Somebody", "I Can't See Nobody", and "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" – all done with a freely righteous style that has Nina cutting loose at the end of the 60s! Black Gold is a real classic from Nina, one of the excellent sets she cut with the Stroud Productions imprint during the early 70s! The style here is even hipper than her late 60s work on Philips – with a mixture of open-ended jazz and soul that's best summed up in the album's extended reading of "Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair", and a great version of "To Be Young Gifted & Black", which was written by Weldon Irvine, who's probably playing piano here with Nina. It Is Finished is the kind of record that once made purists turn up their noses, but which is now being rediscovered as a unique jazz/soul crossover album, filled with loads of nice moments! The instrumentation's pretty darn interesting – and includes sitar, harp, Spanish guitar, and other odd percussion instruments. Includes Nina's nice version of "Funkier Than a Mosquito's Tweeter", plus "I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl", "Dambala", "Obeah Woman", and "The Pusher". Nina Simone & Piano is a strong back to basics session for Nina, one that featured her piano and vocals only, a very spare approach that was markedly different from her work a few years previously for other labels. Nina's tone on the piano is incredible – and she's working with some striking modern jazz changes that offset the folksiness of her vocals in a fantastic way, creating a sound that's a lot fuller than you'd expect! Titles include "Seems I'm Never Tired Lovin You", "Compensation", "Everyone's Gone To The Moon", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "I Think It's Going To Rain Today", "The Desperate Ones", "The Human Touch", and "Another Spring". CD

A vital box set of both classic and rare Nina Simone! This is much more than just another Nina Simone hits package – and instead, a massive collection of work – one that not only features 8 previously unissued tracks, but also a full bonus DVD, which contains a never-reissued documentary on Nina! The package is quite impressive, drawing from a variety of different record labels – and even the presentation is different than the usual box treatment – 3CDs, 1 DVD, and a 48 page booklet that features rare family photos, and track by track details on the music. Unreleased titles include "Zungo (live)", "Nina (live)", "Let It Be Me (live)", "Tanywey", "No Opportunity Necessary (live)", and "When Malindy Sings/Swing Low Sweet Chariot (live)" – and the set features 51 tracks in all, with other numbers that include "Mood Indigo", "Mississippi Goddam (live)", "Four Women", "Feeling Good", "Baltimore", "Here Comes The Sun", "Just Like A Woman", "To Love Somebody", and "Revolution (live)". DVD features "Nina – A Historical Perspective" – a 1970 TV special with rare performances and interviews! CD

... CD

Wonderful work from Leon Thomas – easily one of his greatest albums ever, and a set that was recorded at the same time he was working with Pharoah Sanders! Thomas really rose to fame on Sanders' classic "The Creator Has A Master Plan" – and this set really takes off from that moment – letting Leon spin out some spiritual vibes of his own, and step into a few fresh new styles as well! The album's plenty righteous right from the start – partly because the lineup includes James Spaulding on alto and flute, Lonnie Liston Smith on piano, Cecil McBee on bass, and the enigmatic "Little Rock" on tenor – who is actually Pharoah Sanders – but also because Leon serves up a shorter take on "The Creator Has a Master Plan" – done in a great style! The album also features a classic vocal take on Horace Silver's "Song for My Father", with lyrics that we totally love – plus the frenetic "Malcolm's Gone" – and the tracks "One", "Echoes", "Let The Rain Fall On Me", and "Damn Nam". CD include 3 versions of "Take The 'A' Train", 2 takes of "Walkin'", 2 takes of "Willow Weep For Me", and 2 takes of "If It Didn't Hurt So Much". CD

Really mind-expanding work from British singer Julie Tippetts – an artist who's come a long way from the straighter soul sounds she was doing with Brian Auger in the late 60s! The album shows the same evolution expressed by many of Julie's British jazz rock contemporaries – a progressive, expanded sound that's brought in influences from different 70s strands in jazz and rock, and which exhibits a penchant for longer tunes that have a free interplay – yet one that's still pretty dedicated to rhythmic progression – ala mid 70s Soft Machine or solo work by Robert Wyatt! Keith Tippet plays piano on the session – which also has work from Elton Dean on reeds, Brian Godding on guitar, and Louis Moholo on drums – on tracks that include "Sunset Glow", "Mind Of A Child", "Lilies", and "What Is Living". CD

Jimmy sings with the group of Jay McShann – which features Seldon Powell, Hilton Jefferson, Heywood Henry, and Ray Copeland. Titles include "Jumpin The Blues", "Hootie Blues", "Confessin The Blues", "Froggy Bottom", and "Blue Monday Blues". CD

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