A surprising bit of genius from Vic Damone – an album done in a mature, adult, easy-going style that we really love! The set's got echoes of 60s Sinatra and Tony Bennett – but also shares a lot with the newer sophistication that was being crafted by some of the hipper female singers of the time – a mode that eschews the charts and bypasses the younger crowd, and goes straight for the boozy, older audiences who've had their hearts broken enough to really get the spirit of the tunes! Arrangements are by Perry Botkin, J Hill, and Dick Grove – and titles include "It Never Entered My Mind", "The More I See You", "I'll Find You A Rainbow", "Two For The Road", "I Never Go There Any More", and "Arrivederci My Love". LP, Vinyl record album

While not as funky as some of her other records for Discovery, this tasty session of vocal tracks still has Lorez singing in a beautifully soulful style, of the type that she's finally getting recognition for these days! The lady has always been one of our favorite vocalists, and she's got some nice backing here from the Mike Wofford trio, plus some additional tenor and flute work by Herman Riley. The whole thing's got a very nice round soulful sound – and titles include "Days of Wine & Roses", "I Remember You", "Early Autumn", and "My Shining Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

Sexy stuff from one of the most famous French stars of the 60s – a record that has Brigitte Bardot working in the same sort of slinky territory as Serge Gainsbourg, but with a slightly different feel overall! The album's a bit jazzier than some of Bardot's later work – with great backings from Claude Bolling and Francois Rauber – served up with some occasional Latin touches, of the type you might find in some of Gainsbourg's music of the time. Backings are somewhat large, but never sleepy – and titles include originals by Bolling and Serge Gainsbourg – titles that include "C'est Rigolo", "Pas D'Advantage", "Noir Et Blanc", "Rose D'Eau", "Invitango", "El Cuchipe", and "Les Amis De La Musique". (French, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Two early calypso albums on Capitol Records – both pretty unique! First up are some of the first-ever recordings by Harry Belafonte – material recorded in 1949, with Pete Rugolo backings that are really amazing – as jazzy and modern as anything Rugolo did for other singers of the time, with only a hint of calypso in the rhythms. Belafonte sounds quite different on the sides than in later years – still with those tremendous vocals, but almost more of a jazz singer at points – which is a really surprising discovery! This aspect's supported strongly by the choice of tunes – which includes "Deep As The River", "Farewell To Arms", "Close Your Eyes", "The Didn't Believe Me", and "I Still Get A Thrill". Next up is a full album of straighter calypso material by Lord Flea & His Calypsonians – but one that also has a bit of a Capitol Records groove! Flea plays acoustic guitar and sings, and percussion is nice and tight – but there's also a fuller sense of space on the record, one that really sets it apart from other 50s efforts of this type – kind of a Capitol clarity that really adds a lot of charm. Titles include "Out De Fire", "Mister Give Me De Rent", "It All Began With Adam & Eve", "Jump In The Line", "Run Run Run", "Love", and "Monkey". CD

An incredible full length debut from vocalist Mario Biondi – a jazz singer we'd rank right up there with the legendary Mark Murphy – supported here with great backings from the High Five Quintet! The grooves here are in a soaring, tightly-stepping style – very much the best club jazz mode of the contemporary European scene – with all-acoustic instrumentation, and rhythms that move along at a really great dancefloor pace! Mario's vocals are really unique too – with a little rasp that catches slightly, and really brings a timeless quality to his voice – mixing personal feeling into the lively numbers on the album, with an unexpected depth that really makes the album stand out from similar sessions of this type! There's echoes of hip vocal jazz work from years past by artists like The Peddlers, Bobby Cole, or Mark Murphy – and titles include "A Child Runs Free", "No Mercy For Me", "This Is What You Are", "I Can't Keep From Cryin Sometimes", "Rio De Janeiro Blue", "Handful Of Soul", "On A Clear Day", "Never Die", "No Trouble On The Mountain", "Slow Hot Wind", and "Gig". (New Grooves, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

Betty Carter recording with strings – one of her first recordings of the type in years, originally released on her own hip Bet-Car label! The session starts with Betty's core trio that includes Khalid Moss on piano, Curtis Lundy on bass, and Lewis Nash on drums – then adds in larger string arrangements by David Amram. The set was recorded live, and the strings really stay in the background – never overwhelming, and instead just couching and cuddling the piano, bass, and drums to bring out an extra level of warmth and sensitivity. Titles include "Abre La Puerta", "I Cry Alone", "New Blues", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "Social Call", and "With No Words". CD

Rare unrelased recordings by the legendary Nat King Cole Trio! Forget all the soppy pop stuff you've heard a million times – this is the real deal, the kind of stuff that got Nat noticed in the first place, and the type of material that he was playing for LA audiences in the immediate postwar years. The trio features the great Oscar Moore on guitar, plus Johnny Miller on bass and Nat on piano and vocals. Tracks include "Everyone Is Saying Hello Again", "I Found A New Baby", "My Sugar Is So Refined", "I'm Through With Love", "Oh, But I Do", and "I You Can't Smile & Say Yes". CD

An album as incredible as its bulls-eye cover – the first record ever from a young Bob Dorough – and easily one of his most swinging sessions! The style here is a bit straighter jazz than on some of Bob's later work – vocalese inspired by Jon Hendricks, King Pleasure, Eddie Jefferson, and others – recorded with a small combo that includes Jack Hitchcock on vibes, Warren Fitzgerald on trumpet, Jerry Segal on drums, and Bob's longtime partner Bill Takas on bass. Many of the tunes are vocalized versions of bop numbers – done with a nicely quirky style that shows that the mad Dorough touch was already in place during these early years – on titles that include "It Could Happen To You", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "Baltimore Oriole", "Yardbird Suite", "Devil May Care", and "Ow" – plus his great original "You're The Dangerous Type"! Also features a bonus alternate take of "Yardbird Suite". CD

Bob Dorough is always great, no matter what format he chooses for self-expression – but we especially love him in a setting like this, a back-to-basics jazz album recorded in the mid 60s, before the heyday of his years at Schoolhouse Rock. The album features a number of great original tunes, all penned with Dorough's requisite wit, plus a few underground jazz favorites that are of the type he always does well. Titles include "Baltimore Oriole", "The Message", "The Crawdad Song", "Better Than Anything", "Baby You Should Know It", "But For Now", and "Better Than Anything". LP, Vinyl record album

A mid 70s repackaging of one of the best vocal jazz albums that Bethlehem ever produced, and a landmark recording in the vocalese tradition! The first record ever from a young Bob Dorough – and easily one of his most swinging sessions! The style here is a bit straighter jazz than on some of Bob's later work – vocalese inspired by Jon Hendricks, King Pleasure, Eddie Jefferson, and others – recorded with a small combo that includes Jack Hitchcock on vibes, Warren Fitzgerald on trumpet, Jerry Segal on drums, and Bob's longtime partner Bill Takas on bass. Many of the tunes are vocalized versions of bop numbers – done with a nicely quirky style that shows that the mad Dorough touch was already in place during these early years – on titles that include "It Could Happen To You", "Polka Dots & Moonbeams", "Baltimore Oriole", "Yardbird Suite", "Devil May Care", and "Ow" – plus his great original "You're The Dangerous Type"! LP, Vinyl record album

We're always big fans of Bev Kelly's work, but this album is way hipper than the usual vocal album of its type from the time – thanks to a sweet little lineup that features Pony Poindexter on alto sax and Flip Nunez on piano! The presence of Poindexter's horn is always a treat, on the handful of smaller group sides he cut from this time – and Nunez's piano lines have an inherently rhythmic groove that comes out even on the mellower numbers – which often are somewhat spacious, but stepping along with a gentle groove underneath Kelly's fantastic vocals. Part of the credit for this groove goes to Johnny Allen, whose work on bass is great – and the group's completed by the drums of Tony Johnson, who's a bit more down in the mix. Titles include "Long Ago & Far Away", "My Foolish Heart", "Night & Day", "Just Friends", "Love Letters", "This Is Always", and "My Funny Valentine". CD

We're always big fans of Bev Kelly's work, but this album is way hipper than the usual vocal album of its type from the time – thanks to a sweet little lineup that features Pony Poindexter on alto sax and Flip Nunez on piano! The presence of Poindexter's horn is always a treat, on the handful of smaller group sides he cut from this time – and Nunez's piano lines have an inherently rhythmic groove that comes out even on the mellower numbers – which often are somewhat spacious, but stepping along with a gentle groove underneath Kelly's fantastic vocals. Part of the credit for this groove goes to Johnny Allen, whose work on bass is great – and the group's completed by the drums of Tony Johnson, who's a bit more down in the mix. Titles include "Long Ago & Far Away", "My Foolish Heart", "Night & Day", "Just Friends", "Love Letters", "This Is Always", and "My Funny Valentine". LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty weird one! Vicky Lane's always been one of the more dramatic singers from RCA's 50s gal catalog – and she's working here with LA jazzer Pete Condoli, who conducts a small jazz combo with lots of added percussion! The style's halfway between straight vocals and hi-fi type numbers with lots of added instrumental twists – and players on the set include Barney Kessel, Jimmy Rowles, Alvin Stoller, and Joe Mondragon, plus percussionists Milt Holland, Gene Estes, Larry Bunker, and Lou Singer. Tracks include "I Love You", "My Heart Stood Still", "My Romance", "Our Very Own", "The Trolley Song", "The Song Is You", and "Love Isn't Born". LP, Vinyl record album

Groovy groovy work from the Japanese scene of the late 60s – performed by a cool quartet who harmonize vocally along with their instruments! The group's got a jazzy style – using piano, guitar, bass, and drums to lay down a groove – but their real charm comes from their harmonies, which are often recorded with a bit of echo, and which sound quite different than American or Brazilian work of this type, due to the Japanese lyrics! Many tunes appear to be original – which is great, as these cats aren't just harmonizing 60s hits, like so many other groups did at the time – and the record has a fresh feel that we really like, kind of a cross between American and Euro easy vocal group modes of the 60s. Song titles are all in Japanese, as are the notes – but there's a definite appeal here to Western ears! CD

Gregory Porter is a really hip singer – the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup". CD

Gregory Porter is a really hip singer – the type that only comes around once in a blue moon! Like Jon Hendricks, Mark Murphy, or Kurt Elling – all perfect references for Porter's style – Greg has a wonderful way of coming up with his own lyrics for a tune – making him way more than just a singer of standards, and instead a richly expressive voice that has every bit to offer as you might get from a jazz instrumentalist! The arrangements are great, too – handled by Porter with help from pianist Chip Crawford and producer Kamau Kenyatta – bold, soulful, and soaring on the best tracks – all in beautiful declaration of Gregory's rich power and presence. Titles include a great version of Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile", and the original tracks "1960 What", "Lonely One", "Water", "Pretty", "Illusion", and "Magic Cup". CD

2 Nancy Wilson Capitol sets from 1966 – back to back on one CD! From Broadway With Love is Broadway material – but given the Nancy Wilson twist – and sung in a mode that's a lot more soulful than other records of its type! Nancy's at her strong early Capitol best here – working with arranger Sid Feller in a set of tunes that get some nice syncopation and jazzy inflections from Sid – pushing them past their showier roots, and into leaner territory that really matches the class of the Nancy Wilson voice! And although they all came from musicals, most titles have had their own life as standards and pop songs – making the record less of a dip into Broadway than just a continuation of modes that Wilson was already exploring at Capitol in the 60s. Titles include "I've Got Your Number", "He Loves Me", "Here's That Rainy Day", "Hey There", "Makin Whoopee", and "Young & Foolish". Tender Loving Care has Nancy singing with arranger Billy May – who comes across here with a bit more sensitivity than usual for his Capitol work, especially given the 60s time of the recording! Sometimes, May is using full strings as a broad pillow of sound for Nancy's vocals – but other times, he strips things down and goes for a livelier, jazzier approach that's even better – one that helps give the familiar tunes a new lease on life in the hip Wilson style of the 60s. Titles include "As You Desire Me", "Like Someone In Love", "Don't Go To Strangers", "Tender Loving Care", "Love-Wise", "Try A Little Tenderness", and "Close Your Eyes". CD

A really lovely little record from Japan – one that's got some slight elements of bossa nova in the backings, but also some European elements too – with a moody vibe that's really wonderful, and very much in keeping from the image on the cover! There's a strong current of melancholy that really makes the whole set shine – and the light vocals of Kazumi Yasui are somewhere in the late 60s territory of Nico and Astrud Gilberto, and almost given some Verve-like backings on the record from Kawachi Kunio, Makoto Kawaguchi, and others! Vocals and song titles are all in Japanese, but the record's got this universal appeal that's very different than so many other records of this type from the time. (Japanese, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album