Robin McKelle on vocals – accompanied by Kenny Barron on piano, Peter Washington on bass, and Kenny Washington on drums – plus special guest Kurt Elling on "I Won't Dance". CD

Just about the only album the Rat Pack ever did together, and the soundtrack to the goofy mob spoof that starred Sinatra, Dino, Bing, Sammy, and Peter Falk. The movie stinks – which you'll know if you've ever seen it – but the score has some very nice moments, including "Mister Booze" with Bing, Dean, Sammy, and Frank; "Style" with Bing, Frank, and Dean; and "Don't Be A Do-Badder", with just about the whole group singing. Peter Falk even sings one track, and Sinatra does his famous "My Kind Of Town". Nelson Riddle arrangements throughout! (Soundtracks, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Features Steve Coleman and Greg Osby on alto, Robin Eubanks on trombone, and Graham Haynes on trumpet. CD

All of Prima's sides for Capitol from the late 50s and early 60s, plus wife and colleague Keely Smith and band leader Sam Butera's solo work from the era in an incredible 8 CD box! We often think of Louis as kinda of a loungey, Vegas cool cat, but what is so awesome about the material you'll find here is how furiously manic so much of it is. The first 3 discs document Prima at his wild, hard-swinging studio best – and could give Tito Puente a run for his money in the sweaty big-beat department! Tracks include "Buona Sera", "Just A Gigolo/I A'int Got Nobody ", "Jump, Jive, And Wail", "The Closer To The Bone", "Pennies From Heaven", "Pump Song", "Fee Fio Foo", "Lazy River", "I've Got You Under My Skin", and tons more. Discs 4 covers live sets at the Harrah's Club and the Sahara, and includes "On The Sunny Side Of The Street", "A Foggy Day", "Robin Hood", "Judy", and "Greenback Dollar Bill". Discs 5 & 6 cover Keely's sweeter but nearly as great sides, with Nelson Riddle and others, and tracks include "I Wish You Love", "It's Magic", and "Nothing In Common" and "How Are Ya' Fixed For Love?" with Frank Sinatra. Finally, Sam Butera's solo work is collected on the last 2 discs, returning things to Prima-style rockin' jazz, and including "Bim Bam", "Twinkle In Your Eye", "Bugs", "Tennessee Waltz", "Better Twist Now Baby", and "I'll Feel Good All Over". Great stuff from one of the tightest working units from the era, and a real treat to have in one place! CD

Four classic albums from Jackie DeShannon – all in a single set! First up is Me About You – sophisticated Jackie at her best – working with great arrangements from Jack Nitzsche and Nick DeCaro – both cats from the California scene we can really trust for "cut-above" pop work like this – music that goes way past the simple sounds of DeShannon's start – into cool adult territory that really makes the album great. Jackie's vocals are surprisingly soulful in the setting – even more so than before – and the tunes include lots of gems, including versions of Van Dyke Parks' "High Coin", John Sebastian's "Didn't Want To Have To Do It", and Tim Hardin's "Baby Close Its Eyes". Also includes "I Keep Wanting You", "Me About You", and "Nicole". Next is Laurel Canyon – heady work from Jackie DeShannon's later years in 60s pop – an album with themes and styles that go way beyond her earlier recordings – as you might guess from the hip Laurel Canyon reference in the title! Jackie's working here in a mode that's much more strongly in a singer-songwriter style than before – with arrangements and backings that are a lot more organic, and less pop-tuned than ever – almost in a Laura Nyro approach on some numbers. As usual, a good portion of the tracks were written by Jackie herself – including "Holly Would", "Come & Stay With Me", "LA", "Too Close", and "Laurel Canyon" – and the album also features a few well chosen tracks by other writers too, like "Bitter Honey" by Paul Williams & Roger Nichols, "I Got My Reason" by Barry White, and "You've Really Got A Hold On Me" by Smokey Robinson. Put A Little Love In Your Heart is quite possibly the last great hit from singer Jackie DeShannon – an album built around the righteous spirit of the title track – filled with really wonderful original tunes penned by Jackie and soul singer Jimmy Holiday! The album may well be the best to explore the space between pop and soul that often characterized Jackie's work – and the overall sound is somewhat similar to some of Dusty Springfield's best pop/soul work from the same stretch. 10 of the album's 12 tracks are originals by Holiday and DeShannon – all set to soaring orchestrations by James Langeford, which often have a pronounced influence from the sound of Atlantic Records in the late 60s! Titles include "Put A Little Love In Your Heart", "You Are The Real Thing", "River Of Love", "Movin", "You Can Come To Me", "You Have A Way With Me", and "I Let Go Completely". To Be Free is an interesting little record – with kind of a crossover California soul feel overall – recorded with Rene Hall arrangements that echo a few rootsy modes at times, mixed in with fuller orchestrations that step a bit back towards Jackie's earlier years on Imperial – a surprisingly nice blend, with a fresh sound for the 70s. The album features a number of great tracks co-written with Jimmy Holiday – a fellow Imperial talent – and titles include "Mediterranean Sky", "Sooner Or Later", "What Was Your Day Like", "Livin On The Easy Side", "Brighton Hill", and "When Morning Comes Again". (Rock, Vocalists) CD

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

A really fantastic final album from The Peddlers – the UK trio who effortlessly mixed jazz and soul in the 60s, but who work here in a more expanded format! All the best elements of the group's sound are still nicely in place – those raspy vocals, strong use of keyboards, and especially their great sense of a groove – one that's made them a favorite for samples for more sophisticated DJs and producers over the years! But here, the sound is maybe even cooler – thanks to work from the London Philharmonic. Group leader/singer/keyboardist Roy Phillips composed the whole thing, and the Peddlers are at the core – but they're also helped out by percussionist John Punter and guitarist Toney Walmsley, and Peter Robinson – who did the larger orchestrations. Titles include "This Strange Affair", "Raining In London", "Sequence Of Thought", "Did She", "Sequence Of Thought", "In Juxtaposition", "Under London Nights", "River Lives", "I Have Seen", "Impressions", and "A Year And A Day Metamorphosis". CD includes 6 bonus rarities – equally strong singles the trio cut between 1971 and 1973 – compiled by St Eteinne! Titles include "Manah", "Have You Ever Been To Georgia", "Nothing Sacred", "Sing Me An Old Song" and "It's So Easy". (Soul, Vocalists) CD

With Paul Weston and his orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Jeri Southern can be a hell of a jazz singer when she wants – and that was definitely the case on this gem of a record – a laidback small combo setting with excellent guitar accompaniment from Johnny Smith! Smith's trademark tones really color the record in a great way – enriching the sound and offsetting some of the more understated vocals from Jeri – but in a way that also lets us really hear her phrasing, too. The setting is spare and simple – and the song choice is great, too – with shifts between standards and a few more obscure numbers that show Jeri working at a deeper range than we know from other records. Titles include "Robins & Roses", "Without A Warning", "Where Or When", "Two Sleepy People", "Isn't It Romantic", and "Until The Real Thing Comes Along". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

One of the most obscure albums ever from the amazing singer Jeanne Lee – and that's saying a lot, given how obscure most of her albums are in general! The record has a beautifully poetic feel – a mixture of songs, improvisations, and some spoken passages too – set to fantastic improvisation from a group of players that includes Sam Rivers on soprano, tenor, and flute; Gunter Hampel on piano, vibes, alto, and flute, Jack Gregg on bass, and Steve McCall on drums – plus guest work from Mark Whitecage on alto, and both Perry Robinson and Allan Praskin on clarinet. There's some of the spirituality of a Strata East recording here, mixed with some of the more open modes of the New York loft jazz scene too – and titles include "Sundance", "Yeh Come T Be", "Jamaica", "Subway Couple", "The Miracle Is", "Your Ballad", "Angel Chile", and "Conspiracy". CD

One of the most obscure albums ever from the amazing singer Jeanne Lee – and that's saying a lot, given how obscure most of her albums are in general! The record has a beautifully poetic feel – a mixture of songs, improvisations, and some spoken passages too – set to fantastic improvisation from a group of players that includes Sam Rivers on soprano, tenor, and flute; Gunter Hampel on piano, vibes, alto, and flute, Jack Gregg on bass, and Steve McCall on drums – plus guest work from Mark Whitecage on alto, and both Perry Robinson and Allan Praskin on clarinet. There's some of the spirituality of a Strata East recording here, mixed with some of the more open modes of the New York loft jazz scene too – and titles include "Sundance", "Yeh Come T Be", "Jamaica", "Subway Couple", "The Miracle Is", "Your Ballad", "Angel Chile", and "Conspiracy". LP, Vinyl record album

Leslie Odom's already given us another album of Holiday tunes, but this set is even better than the first – a record that begins with a strong original co-written by Leslie, and which continues in a range that's maybe more soul-based than before! Most folks know Odom from his work in Hamilton, but he's a great singer in a setting like this – very expressive, but in a different way – and working with lots of modern soul touches in the arrangements. Guests include Michea Walls, Nicolette Robinson, and Cynthia Erivo – and titles include "Snow", "Winter Song", "Mele Kalikimaka", "Heaven & Earth", "Last Christmas", and "It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas". (Holiday Music, Vocalists) CD

A fantastic and ambitious project that's in the best tradition of the Jazz Composers Orchestra – a set that features music by Carla Bley and words by Paul Haines – in an extended set that mixes avant jazz instrumentation with spoken passages by a surprising lineup of voices – including Bley, Jack Bruce, Don Cherry, Jeanne Lee, and even Linda Ronstadt! Musicians are the cream of the crop of the international avant scene at the time – and include Roswell Rudd on trombone, Gato Barbieri on tenor, Perry Robinson on clarinet, Carla Bley on organ, Don Preston on moog, Michael Mantler on ring modulated piano, Paul Motian on drums, Charlie Haden on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, and many others – too numerous to mention here! (Jazz, Vocalists) CD