... LP, Vinyl record album

Beautiful 50's material from Jimmy, and some of the best recordings you could ever find by him! The style is classic, with Jimmy's light wispy voice floating over the top of melancholy arrangements of tracks like "Address Unknown", "It's Over", "Am I Wrong", and "I'll Never Deceive You". Sure, his revival years have been pretty good – but this is the real deal, and the record's darn hard to find! LP, Vinyl record album

A tremendous record from one of the hippest soul singers ever – and an album that has Gil Scott-Heron really pushing forward after his initial classics for the Flying Dutchman label! There's less spoken material here and more sung passages – as Gil's really discovering his confidence as a singer, moving effortlessly between jazz and soul – and getting superb accompaniment from Brian Jackson, who plays both acoustic and electric piano next to Gil's electric. Backings are spare – just bass and drums – and it's no surprise that the album was released on the legendary Strata East label, as it rivals the rest on that imprint for righteous spiritual power! Titles include Gil's classic "The Bottle" – which went on to become a huge hit in many versions – plus the beautiful "Your Daddy Loves You", heard here in the original version – and the tunes "Peace Go With You Brother", "Back Home", "Rivers Of My Fathers", and "A Very Precious Time". (Soul, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A famous pairing of talents from the early 60s – Columbia Records giants Dave Brubeck and Tony Bennett, both recorded at a time when that label was at the forefront of jazz in the US – joined up for a special performance at the end of the set! The special performance was done at the Kennedy-era White House – and features an initial instrumental set from the Dave Brubeck Quartet – with completely amazing alto from Paul Desmond, especially on the album's long reading of "Nomad" – one of our favorite overlooked tunes by the the group at the time – plus versions of "Take Five", "Castillian Blues", and "Thank You". Tony Bennett then takes the stage with backings by the Ralph Sharon trio – on titles that include "Make Someone Happy", "One For My Baby", "I Left My Heart In San Francisco", and "Just In Time". But the real highlight of the set is when Bennett sings with backings from the Dave Brubeck Trio – in a mode that's both different from Tony's work with Bill Evans or Basie, and from Brubeck's work with singers like Jimmy Rushing or Carmen McRae! Titles from the Brubeck/Bennett lineup include "That Old Black Magic", "There Will Never Be Another You", "Lullaby Of Broadway", and "Chicago". CD

Titles include "Peter The Hermit", "The Rose", "Dusk", "Love Letters", and "Silent Lady". (Jazz, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

Incredibly groovy pop from the team of Nino Tempo and April Stevens – an LA couple who'd cut some fab work for Atlantic records in the early 60s, but who are sounding even better on this late 60s album for the White Whale label! The feel here is a bit more rock-oriented than some of their earlier work – more guitars, tighter percussion, and an overall feel that's much more in the late 60s "strung out" mode implied by the title. Lots of lovely sunshine pop numbers – with titles that include "Help You To See", "Alone Alone", "Little Child", "Out Of Nowhere", "I Can't Go On Livin", "Bye Bye Blues", "The Habit Of Lovin You Baby", and "You'll Be Needing Me Baby". (Rock, Vocalists) 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

A very cool record – the great Burt Bacharach presented in a mix of songs and music in a special package for radio! The set was a promo-only release – and if you love the man as much as we do, it's a real treasure! LP, Vinyl record album

Great Johnny Mandel arrangements – and titles include "Song From The Oscar", "Girl Talk", "The Gentle Rain", "Emily", "The Pawnbroker", "Samba De Orfeu", and "The Second Time Around". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early album by Oscar – one that focuses on his own compositions, and a few other hip tunes written by other jazz players, with new vocals added by Oscar! These kind of tracks are the stuff that made him a legend instantly – strongly voiced vocal tunes, handled with a flair that few other singers could match, save for Jon Hendricks, who also shared Oscar's talent for crafting a jazz-based lyric. Arrangements are by Oscar's hometown talent Floyd Morris – and titles include "One Foot In the Gutter", "The Snake" (later covered by Al Wilson), "So Help Me (A Little 3/4 For God & Co)", "The Tree & Me", and marvelous lyrical versions of Miles Davis' "All Blues" and Duke Pearson's "Jeanine". Essential stuff for jazz juice fans! LP, Vinyl record album

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

Poland's Ergo Band are a tight combo with a great ear for a groove – sometimes funky in sort of an Average White Band way, sometimes a bit harder jamming, like some of their Eastern Bloc contemporaries! And here, they're joined by singer Grzyna Lobaszewska – who sings on a good number of tracks on the set, in a way that really helps the band find their focus – keeping things in more of a rhythmic mode when Grzyna's singing, so that there's some surprising elements of soul in the music – even though the lyrics themselves are in Polish! The AWB comparison is definitely a good one for the way the group blend great drums, riffing guitar, and horns – and titles include "15 Minut Spozienia", "Nocny Spacer", "A Wiec", "Dzien Jak Blues", "Gdybys", and "Piesn Dla Ciebie". CD features an unreleased live take on the Quincy Jones tune "Boogie Joe The Grinder". (Jazz, Vocalists) CD

Massive music from Ella Fitzgerald – 4CDs worth of sublime small group recordings – all of them live, and all of them previously unissued! The set follows the same format of the Verve Ella In Hollywood album – recorded in a small club setting, with combo backing that really lets Fitzgerald open up and swing – inflecting the tunes with the kind of warmth and spontaneity that she brought to her famous live performances of the time – which were almost always more compelling than her studio sides, no matter how great those were too! The first 3CDs feature material from two weeks' worth of recording in May of 1961 – with backing from Jim Hall on guitar, Lou Levy on piano, Wilfred Middlebrooks on bass, and Gus Johnson on drums – and CD four features Ella returning to Hollywood for two more nights in 1962, with trio backing from Paul Smith on piano, Middlebrooks on bass, and Stan Levey on drums. There's a massive 77 tracks in all – handsomely package in a hardcover 7" square book – which also features beautiful color pages inside, lots of notes on the music, and design that's every bit as groovy as the old albums on Verve. Titles include "Joe Williams' Blues", "It's De-Lovely", "Lorelei", "I Can't Get Started", "Round Midnight", "Perdido", "Little White Lies", "Lover Come Back To Me", "Across The Alley From The Alamo", "Love For Sale", "Exactly Like You", "Mack The Knife", "Teach Me Tonight", "My Kind Of Boy", "It Had To Be You", "Hard Hearted Hannah", "All Of Me", and "Too Darn Hot/Ella's Twist". And, in case you're wondering, there's almost no repetition in the set at all – all discreet, unique tunes – not just the sort of rehash you might get in other concert box sets of this nature! CD

A great collection that compiles Billie's famous sides for the Commodore label in New York – recorded in 1939 and 1944, with accompaniment by the Eddy Heywood group and/or orchestra, plus additional sides led by pianist Sonny White. Titles include "Strange Fruit" (the original 1939 version), "How Am I To Know", "Fine & Mellow", "I'll Get By", "My Old Flame", "Lover Come Back To Me", "As Time Goes By", and "Billie's Blues" – with lots of alternate takes. You can't get any more classic than this! CD

Possibly one of the most essential Billie Holiday albums for Verve – a set that carries the same title as her famous autobiography, and which also features many key numbers from her songbook at the time! The feel here is quite easygoing and relaxed – with small group backing behind Billie's vocals, which themselves are recorded cleanly and clearly throughout. One side features backing by a combo that includes Wynton Kelly on piano, Kenny Burrell on guitar, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, and Paul Quinichette on tenor – and the other features a group that includes Bobby Tucker on piano, Charlie Shavers on trumpet, Barney Kessel on guitar, and the great Willie Smith on alto sax. Titles include plenty of classics – including "God Bless The Child", "Strange Fruit", "Lady Sings The Blues", "No Good Man", "Good Morning Heartache", "I Must Have That Man", and "Trav'lin' Light". LP, Vinyl record album

Accompanied by Ray Ellis and orchestra. LP, Vinyl record album

Also features The Four Preps and The Piltdown Men. (Rock, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A classic album of Cole Porter tunes – sung by Mabel Mercer with just a bit of tinkling piano in the background! The overall sound's a bit older than you might guess from the date of the record – a mode that takes most of the Porter tunes relatively straight, served up in Mercer's trilling style of vocals – which have more of a 20s approach to the material than other 50s singers who were making Porter swing a bit more. Backing is by Cy Walter or Stan Freeman on piano, plus a bit of bass by Frank Carroll – and titles include "Ours", "Where Oh Where", "After You", "So In Love", "Looking At You", "Ace In The Hole", and "It's Delovely". LP, Vinyl record album

Heavenly dreamy pop – and one of our favorite A&M albums by the legendary Chris Montez! Chris was unlike any other 60s singer we can think of – an artist who was at once pop, but also had a unique depth too – despite a lightly floating voice that was really unique! The great Nick DeCaro arranged and produced – giving the whole record a breezy, bouncy sparkle that's completely sublime – one of those rare totally-perfect meetings of talents in the music industry that would never have the artist sounding as great otherwise. Titles include "The Face I Love" (a great Marcos Valle song!), "Nothing To Hide", "Spooky", "Where Are You Now", "Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars", and "Look Of Love". LP, Vinyl record album

(Rock, Vocalists) LP, Vinyl record album

A classic from Jimmy Rushing – recorded at a time when he was really finding a new audience for his vocals! In a style that Columbia was using on a number of sides in the late 50s and early 60s, Jimmy and Buck do a bit of educatin' – and trace a progression of jazz styles from New Orleans, to Chicago, to Kansas City, and New York. The Odyssey's not really Jimmy's, so much as it is the jazz that was defined by the white liberal tastes that always were the main force between Columbia in the early years – but the set's still a nice one, like all of Jimmy's later work for Columbia, which features some of the best-recorded vocal work of his career. Titles include "New Orleans", "Doctor Blues", "Rosetta", "Piney Brown Blues", "Lullaby Of Broadway", and "Some Of These Days". LP, Vinyl record album

Breathy brilliance from April Stevens – the sexy west coast singer who made some really wonderful records in the 50s! At some level, April was a bit like Julie London – in that she sang in a laidback, seductive tone that was quite risque at times – but she was also a bit more pop than jazz, and was always up for a catchy arrangement or a slight production gimmick to really help send over a tune! The title track was a hit single, but the whole album's great – and titles include "I'm In Love Again", "Do It Again", "Teach Me Tiger", "That's My Name", "When My Baby Smiles At Me", "I Want A Lip", and "In Other Words". LP, Vinyl record album