One of the most creative albums we've heard from Dee Dee Bridgewater in years – a set of tracks recorded with a host of Malian artists – in a unique cross-cultural mode that's unlike anything else Dee Dee has ever recorded! The core style here is still very firmly rooted in Bridgewater's jazz roots – but that sound is augmented strongly by the additional singers and musicians – in a mix of jazz and Mali musics that comes off surprisingly well. There's hardly any of the overdone cliches that you might expect from such a record – and Dee Dee herself seems creatively re-ignited in the setting – singing with a sense of freedom and exploration we haven't heard in a long long time, and which is a great reminder of why we've always stood by her over the years. Guest artists include Toumani Diabate, Kasse Mady Dibate, Zoumana Tereta, Baba Sissoko, and Oumou Sangare – and the jazz side of the music is handled quite strongly by pianist Edsel Gomez and bassist Ira Coleman. Titles include "Afro Blue", "Bad Spirits", "Dee Dee", "Mama Don't Ever Go Away", "Footprints", "No More", "Four Women", "The Griots", and "Oh My Love". Also features 3 Parisian tracks too – "Compared To What", "Red Earth", and "Meanwhile". CD

A great collection of bop sides from 40s LA – tracks that ostensibly feature Cole on piano, jamming with Lester Young on tenor and Red Callender on bass! Oddly, no other players are listed in the notes – even though there's clearly a drummer and trumpeter on the session – so it's a bit hard to date the material, or figure out the actual source of the work. But we can say that Young's tone alone is more than worth the price of admission – beautifully firm and strong – blown in a way that rivals his best early performances for Verve, but perhaps even with a bit more grit and soul. Titles include "SM Blues", "Jammin With Lester", "Can't Get Started", "Body & Soul", and "Indiana". (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful Holiday album that's stayed fresh for years – a date that was maybe done as a seasonal one-off for singer Ella Fitzgerald, but one that's gone on to become one of her best-selling records of all time! Ella's got a perfect style to interpret these numbers – upbeat and swinging, very much as promised in the title – with a quality that makes the tunes move, and avoids some of the too-blue and more melancholy modes that can sometimes get in the way of making a Christmas jazz vocal album work this well! Fitzgerald has great arrangements here – working with Frank DeVol and Russ Garcia – on a set of lightly jazzy versions of Christmas favorites like "Sleigh Ride", "Jingle Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Frosty The Snowman", and one of the best versions of "What Are You Doing New Years Eve" ever recorded! (Holiday Music, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Vocalist Rene Marie has been quietly growing her craft for years – really turning into a hell of an artist, with a sound and a style that's a lot fresher than most! Where others might be content to recover familiar ground, Marie's always trying something new – writing great songs of her own, which make up the entire album – and moving to some soulful styles, while still holding onto her roots in jazz – a blend that maybe makes her the female equivalent of Gregory Porter, although Marie's been at it for a few more years! This set's a real reward to anyone who's followed Marie's music – and a great treat for anyone discovering her for the first time – and backing is by a core trio with John Chin on piano – alongside some guest appearances from Romero Lubambo on guitar, Sherman Irby on alto, and Etienne Charles on trumpet. Titles are all original – and include "Lost", "Stronger Than You Think", "Sound Of Red", "If You Were Mine", "Joy Of Jazz", "This Is Not A Protest Song", and "Many Years Ago". CD

Pure Holiday genius from Dean Martin – a Christmas record we like even better than his already-great set for Capitol, and one that's done in the boozier style of later years! Jimmy Bowen's at the helm of the record, working with arrangements by Ernie Freeman and Bill Justis that present the aging Dino in the best laidback style of his TV show of the time. There's a bit less of the pep and bounce of some of Dean's hits for Reprise, but the album's still a great one – and titles include the always-great "Marshmallow World", plus "Silver Bells", "Winter Wonderland", "Blue Christmas", "White Christmas", "Jingle Bells", and "The Things We Did Last Summer" – a strange inclusion, but a great one! (Holiday Music, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Mavis Rivers sings a set of tracks originally made famous by Mildred Bailey – with backing by a combo led by Red Norvo, and featuring Harry Edison, Bill Harris, and Eric Dixon. The sound's hipper than you might think from the Bailey reference, thanks to Red – and titles include "Easy To Love", "I'm Confessin That I Love You", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Please Be Kind", and "My Last Affair". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest Mel Torme albums ever – a smoking little live set that has the Velvet Fog hitting a whole new soulful sound for the 60s – with a leaner groove than ever before! Backing is from the trio of pianist Jimmy Wisner – although Mel himself also plays a bit of piano on the record – and the rhythms have this upfront, super-tight sound that really makes Torme's vocals pop – coming across with a fresh, swinging sound that's quite a change from the 40s and 50s! Yet throughout it all, ol' uncle Mel still keeps his pipes in perfect tune – that amazing voice that never lets up for a minute – and which holds its own beautifully on tunes that include "Anything Goes", "Love For Sale", "Love Is Just Around the Corner", "Shakin The Blues Away", and "In Other Words". LP, Vinyl record album

2 classic rare albums by Mel Torme – both of them very live! Mel's swinging jazz vocals are always a treat, but he really opens up in a warm live setting – as you'll hear on this 2-in-1 CD that brings together 2 older albums from his years at Atlantic. The Red Hill sessions are great – and feature Mel swinging hard with a tight jazz group, on nice little numbers like "Love For Sale", "Love Is Just Around the Corner", "Shakin The Blues Away", and "In Other Words". His voice is perfect, and it's great to hear how he keeps his wonderful tone, even in a live setting. The other album's a bit later, and a bit schmaltzier, but Mel's still got a heartwarming quality that makes the music work, even when it shouldn't. Nice numbers on that one include "Jet Set", "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life", "Superstition", and "It Takes Too Long To Live Alone". CD

Ran Blake on piano and Christine Correa on vocals (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

A set that starts out sounding like one of the most old school, straight ahead records we've ever heard from trombonist Roswell Rudd – but which soon opens up to all the creative, compelling modes we've always loved in Rudd's music! The record's the result of recent work with vocalist Heather Masse – a hell of a singer who takes Roswell back to older eras of jazz in style, but in ways that are still touched with all the creative tones we've always loved in his work on trombone! The mix is a bit like some of Roswell's 70s album with Sheila Jordan – in the way the songs are familiar, the structure is mostly standard, but the whole thing's open to these amazing inflections that really keep things interesting. Masse really surprises us, too – as while she can sing straight some times, she can also open up with these modes that are both modern and inventive, but never in a way that ignores older jazz roots. The pair have a way of embracing decades of jazz history at once – a bit in the way that Jaki Byard was always able to do – and they work here alongside Rolf Sturn on guitar and Mark Helias on bass – on titles that include "Social Call", "I'm Goin Sane", "Winter Blues", "Con Alma", "Tova & Kyla Rain", and "Blackstrap Molasses/Old Devil Moon". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

The first-ever massive look at the female pop legacy of UK genius producer Joe Meek – a studio talent maybe best known for his work with instrumental groups, but one who also created some real magic with girl singers too! Joe's ear for twangy guitars, offbeat sounds, and otherworldly echo really works wonders here – as he takes more familiar styles of tunes and really gives them a great spin – bringing out some of the best quality in the female singers, many of whom never really cracked the charts that strongly in the 60s – and certainly never sounded as great as in the hands of Joe Meek! The package offers up very detailed notes on the singers, the songs, and Mee's special approach to the music – and the 3CD set features 88 tracks in all, with work from Valerie Masters, Lea & Chess, The Halos, Gunilla Thorn, Eve Boswell, Yolanda, Carol Jones, Pat Reader, Flip & The Dateliners, Diane & The Javelins, Glenda Collins, and others – including some unknown singers, and a number of unissued tracks too! (Rock, Vocalists) CD

A beautiful album from Lorez Alexanderia – one of her two excellent sessions for Impulse! The record was cut after Lorez recorded some great sides for the Argo label – and it works off the strength of those sides, taking her unique vocal approach, forged in R&B, but smoothed by jazz, into a whole new level of expression! The backing is great – small combo, with featured musicians who include Bunk Shank and Paul Horn on reeds, and Victor Feldman and Wynton Kelly on piano – all working with moody, soulful arrangements that are a perfect accompaniment to Lorez' beautiful voice. Includes the cuts "Get Me To The Church On Time", "Satin Doll", "Show Me", "The Best Is Yet to Come", "I'm Through With Love", and 5 more! LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest albums ever from Lorez Alexandria – an ultra-hip singer who recorded for Impulse and King, but who sounds especially wonderful on this rare date for Chess Records! The album's got a groove that definitely lives up to its title – a jazzy, bouncy sort of rhythm that's definitely "for swingers only", and which is a nice contrast to overdone torch or standard jazz vocal modes. Alexandria's singing is completely sublime – quite fluid, yet with a soulful depth that's really amazing – and her backing combo is equally hip – a group led by John Young on piano, and also featuring George Eskridge on guitar, Jimmy Garrison on bass, Phil Thomas on drums, and Ronald Wilson on flute and tenor – an obscure player whose reed work really makes the album sparkle! The song choices are great too – a mix of some under-recorded gems and a few blue-toned classics – all redone amazingly by Lorez with a sound that's quite unique. Titles include her classic Argo reading of "Baltimore Oriole", which begins with an amazing drum/bass passage that's worth the price of the album alone – and other tracks include "The End Of A Love Affair", "Baltimore Oriole", "All Or Nothing At All", "Mother Earth", "Love Look Away", and "Traveling Down A Lonely Road". CD

Incredible early work from Lorez Alexandria – the kind of albums that instantly set her apart from other singers of the 50s, reissued here properly for the first time in years! On This Is Lorez, the singer is working with sublime small combo backings from the group of pianist King Fleming – an unusual Chicago ensemble that includes Wilber Wynn on guitar, Ronald Wilson on flute and oboe, Vernel Fournier on drums, and Audrey Jones on bongos – a musical lineup that brings in a different sort of sophistication to the record, shading tunes with moody colors on flute and oboe that perfectly support Alexandria's soulful and sensitive interpretations of the tunes. The whole thing is pure genius, and a key look at the new levels of sophistication that were bubbling everywhere on the Chicago scene during the years of Jamal and Sun Ra. Lorez Sings Pres follows in a very similar mode – with backing by a Chicago group that again includes King Fleming piano, plus Charles Stepney on vibes, Paul Serrano on trumpet, and Vernel Fournier on drums – an extremely hip lineup that makes the record far more than just the Lester Young tribute promised in the title! But despite the instrumentalists, the real star on all sides is Alexandria – who sings with dark tones and deep colors that go far beyond conventional jazz vocals – all carried off with that slightly breathy mode that was one more unique aspect of her work! CD features all tracks from both albums – a total of 22 titles that include "Snowstorm", "I'm Glad There Is You", "The Sky Is Crying", "I'm Making Believe", "Necessity", "Penthouse Serenade", "DB Blues", "This Year's Kisses", "Easy Living", "No Eyes Blues", "Jumping With Symphony Sid", and a key early reading of "Baltimore Oriole". CD

The second album by this excellent all-female San Francisco jazz combo – a live date that's even more cooking than their debut! As before, there's a sweetly breezy style to the record – that hip SF sound of the 70s – with echoes of Braziliana and soul amidst the group's jazzier leanings – all wrapped together with a sound that's tight, but never uptight! The female vocals give the music a feel that's like Janet Lawson, Sheila Landis, or some of the hipper European singers of the 70s – and instrumentation is mostly acoustic, save for a bit of Fender Rhodes. Titles include a version of Gil Scott-Heron's "Willing", plus "Greeting Song", "Call It Jazz", "Too Bad", "Golden River/Golden Dream", and "Heaven Is In Your Mind". CD

A great cooker from the glory days of Ernestine Anderson on Concord Records – a time when the singer was rediscovered, and revamped in a bit of a bluesy mode – reaching a wide new audience at the time! Her vocals really shine at this point in her career, as she lets loose with a bit more personality too – as you'll hear on this swinging set of down home numbers, cut with a combo that includes Red Holloway on tenor, Ray Brown on bass, and Gene Harris on piano! Titles include "Someone Else Is Steppin", "Goin To Chicago Blues", "Alone On My Own", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "I Love Being Here With You". LP, Vinyl record album

A great cooker from the glory days of Ernestine Anderson on Concord Records – a time when the singer was rediscovered, and revamped in a bit of a bluesy mode – reaching a wide new audience at the time! Her vocals really shine at this point in her career, as she lets loose with a bit more personality too – as you'll hear on this swinging set of down home numbers, cut with a combo that includes Red Holloway on tenor, Ray Brown on bass, and Gene Harris on piano! Titles include "Someone Else Is Steppin", "Goin To Chicago Blues", "Alone On My Own", "Mercy Mercy Mercy", and "I Love Being Here With You". CD

A really amazing set of recordings – vocal sessions done by Fred Astaire in the later season of his career – recorded in the studio with intimate backing by a Verve group that includes Oscar Peterson, Barney Kessel, Charlie Shavers, and Flip Phillips! The material features lovely new interpretations of tunes made famous by Astaire in films, but offered here in a much more relaxed, jazz-based mode. And whether you're a fan of his films or not, Astaire is one heck of a great singer – and hearing him in a setting like this, without the distraction of dancing or film, is really great proof of that fact! Titles include "Cheek To Cheek", "S'Wonderful", "You're Easy To Dance With", "Fascinating Rhythm", "Top Hat White Tie & Tails", "No Strings", and "I Concentrate On You" – plus a few instrumental numbers by the combo. CD

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Re-recorded hits from the 30s through 50s, with accompaniment by The Pete Moore Orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

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A groovy little vocal group with a swinging 50s sound – working here with some great jazzy arrangements from trombonist Kai Winding! The style of the set prefaces Winding's pop/jazz sides for Verve in the mid 60s – but has a sound that's somewhat similar – with lead vocals by the male/female Axidentals group, and some trombone-based jazzy backings that showcase Winding's horn amidst a larger brass section. There's a great poppy punch to these tunes – and the Axidentals themselves can be credited for some extremely inventive vocal arrangements at times – in styles that go way beyond those of conventional groups of the period, in a mode that reminds us of some of the work by the Kirby Stone Four or the John LaSalle Quartet. Titles include "Walkin", "Out Of This World", "You Gotta Wail", "No Moon At All", "Day In Day Out", and "Close To You". LP, Vinyl record album

Very groovy work from one of Sweden's hippest jazz singers! The recordings on the set capture Alice Babs in her early years, singing with the Swe-Danes trio – a group that featured Alice on lead vocals, plus male support by violinist Sven Asmussen and guitarist Ulrik Neumann – both of whom also sing harmony vocals behind Alice's lead. The approach is light and groovy – kind of The Chordettes meet Lambert Hendricks & Ross – with a blend of harmony and vocalese styles, all done with a nice jazzy flourish. Titles include "Swe Dane Shuffle", "Scandinavian Shuffle", "Hot Toddy", "Goofus", "Paul's Chicken", and "Not Yet". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes work with the orchestras of Red Norvo, Eddie Sauter, Teddy Wilson, and Benny Goodman. LP, Vinyl record album

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We know it's hard to think of anyone named Mildred as hip, but take it from us, the lady's actually a great singer with a deep capacity for jazzy blues and mellow R&B. These rare Savoy sides were cut during the years 1946 and 1947, and they feature great backing by pianist Ellis Larkin on nearly every cut, set up in either small combo or large group settings. Titles include "At Sundown", "Love In Vain", "It's A Woman's Prerogative", "You Started Something", and "Born To Be Blue". LP, Vinyl record album

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Two of the coolest trumpeters from the LA scene of the 50s – reunited here in a never-issued album from the start of the 70s! At the time of the set, Jack Sheldon was the real star of the date – big on TV, and a very confident, cool player – as well as a singer with a wonderfully distinct sound (which some folks might remember from Schoolhouse Rock or The Merv Griffin Show!) Jack started out in the mellow modes shared by Chet Baker during his early years – but by the time of this set, he was a nicely different player – which makes the pairing with Baker so great – especially as this was a time when Chet was really laying low, and hardly recording at all. The rest of the group features Jack Marshall on guitar, Dave Frishberg on piano, Joe Mondragon on bass, and Nick Ceroli on drums – a very sprightly combo who add a lot to the record – and both Chet and Jack sing on the record, in addition to serving up trumpet solos too. The record is an especially great one for Sheldon – very confident vocally, and really at the height of his powers here as both a singer and instrumentalist – with that wry approach that we love so much. Titles include "Evil Blues", "You Fascinate Me", "Once I Loved", "Too Blue", "Just Friends", "But Not For Me", "I Cried For You", and "Historia De Un Amor". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD