A beautiful classic from mid 60s Verve – and the kind of a session that we wouldn't have expected to come off so well! In a style they were using with older artists at the time, Verve brought Ella and Duke into the studio together – with Duke's band and compositions providing the ... read moreCD
An incredible album from Arthur Prysock – an amazing set of mature love modes, set to beautiful backings by Mort Garson! The album's easily Prysock at the height of his 60s sophistication – a complete reworking of the This Is My Beloved modes away from more mainstream readings, in ways ... read moreCD
A Swingin Session indeed – as Frank steps out with Nelson Riddle on one of his last great albums for Capitol! The record's got the bounce and lilt of Frank's earlier gems with Riddle – a sly mix of jazz and strings that's every bit the best fit for Blue Eyes' vocals at the end of the ... read moreCD
One of Oscar Brown's great ones, recorded live at the Cellar Door in Washington before an enthusiastic crowd of hipsters! The record's a beautiful mix of soul, jazz, and folk – in the same Chicago tradition that spawned Terry Callier (although Brown's style has a bit more of a "show" ... read moreCD
Tracks include "Just You, Just Me", "Sunday", "I Cover The Waterfront", "Lester's Bebop Boogie", "The Man I Love", and "I Cried For You". 16 tracks total. CD
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 ... read moreCD
A fantastic pairing of the vocals of Abbey Lincoln and the tenor sax of Stan Getz – one that's captured here for the very first time on record, at a point that's just a few months shy of Stan's too-early death! Both players had really grown a lot during the 80s – and the match here is ... read moreCD
Two great lost albums from Carmen – very different than her earlier work, kind of a mixture of jazz, soul, and pop, in territory that's a bit like work by Nancy Wilson or Marlena Shaw. Sound of Silence has Carmen working with arrangments by Shorty Rogers and Jimmy Jones – nicely jazzy, ... read moreCD
An album of mixed vocal and instrumental cuts, some with Nancy in the lead, backed by Shearing's combo, others with Shearing's group alone. The vocal tracks are quite nice jazz ones – and include "On Green Dolphin Street", "Born To Be Blue", "All Night Long", ... read moreCD
Hard to imagine Etta Jones being lonely and blue – especially when she sounds as great as this! The album's one of Jones' early classics from Prestige – a date that really has her classing things up a lot, and drawing on bits of Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington's styles, to mix in ... read moreCD
Nice backing on most tracks by a small combo that features Oscar Peterson on piano and Herb Ellis on guitar – and a larger group on a few more, with Stan Getz, Coleman Hawkins, and Lester Young on tenors! Titles include "Stompin At The Savoy", "Goody Goody", "Ill ... read moreCD
Later work by Billy Eckstine – a nice little album from the early 60s, recorded in a dark and somber tone that shows a whole new side to his voice! The album features amazingly restrained arrangements by Billy May – a mix of jazz and strings that has a sadder, deeper style than before ... read moreCD
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
Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong —
Porgy & Bess ... CD Verve, 1957. Used ...
$3.99
One of the hippest takes ever on the Porgy & Bess score – done in duet format by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in a fuller spirit than their other albums for Verve! Like many late 50s albums of Gershwin's score, this one was issued in advance of the film with Sidney Poitier – ... read moreCD
This is a 60s set that brings together the 2 volumes released separately. Among the 30 plus songs are "All Through The Night", "Anything Goes", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "I Love Paris", "Easy To Love", "You're The Top", "Let's Do ... read moreCD
Late work from the great Billie Holiday – the kind of mature set that made Verve Records such a perfect home for the singer in the 50s! Where other labels might have pushed too much to try to get Billie into more commercial, or more straightforward modes – Verve just relaxes into the ... read moreCD
(Out of print Verve Master Edition, teeth inside case are broken.)
Tony Bennett —
Cloud 7 ... CD Columbia, 1955. Used ...
$4.99
One of Tony Bennett's greatest jazz sessions – a sublime mid 50s outing that features small combo backing from guitarist Chuck Wayne! The setting is extremely spare for the time – a real contrast from the higher drama of some of Tony's 50s chart hits, and the kind of a record that ... read moreCD
Early Pablo recordings from Ella Fitzgerald – captured in performance in Nice in 1971, with a trio led by Tommy Flanagan on piano! The set's got a nice medley titled "The Bossa Scene" – almost worth the price of the record alone! CD
Freddy Cole on vocals and piano, Eddie Edwards on bass, and Ed Zad on drums – performing titles that include "Where Did Everyone Go?", "The Best Man", "Funny (Not Much)", "Home Fried Potatoes", and "Nat Cole Medley" – a 10 minute tribute ... read moreCD
Esperanza Spalding —
Esperanza ... CD Heads Up, 2008. Used ...
$4.99
Sublime work from a truly amazing artist – one who both sings and plays acoustic bass – all in a captivating blend of jazz, soul, and Brazilian styles! Esperanza Spalding has a fresh, unique feel that's all her own – the warmth of a jazz singer like Carmen Lundy, the sharper ... (Neo Soul, Vocalists)read moreCD
A reworked vision of Blue Note Records for the 90s – put together by Bob Belden, and featuring some excellent remakes of classics from the Blue Note songbook! Each tune has a slightly different flavor – and all work is played by the best artists of the then-revived label – a ... (Jazz, Vocalists)read moreCD
Annie Ross —
Gasser ... CD Pacific Jazz, 1959. Used ...
$5.99
Great stuff – one of Annie Ross' rare albums as a solo act away from her trio with Jon Hendricks and Dave Lambert – and a great little session cut with small combo jazz backing, which gives the song a nice swinging edge! Zoot Sims is the main soloist on the tunes, Russ Freeman lays ... read moreCD
Curtis Stigers on tenor sax and vocals, Larry Goldings on piano and organ, David Tronzo on guitar, Ben Allison on bass, and Matt Wilson on drums. (Jazz, Vocalists)CD
Crucial late 40s material – recorded with the group of Teddy Wilson, and also with her own combo – with either Hot Lips Page or Charlie Shavers on trumpet! CD
Early genius from Kurt Elling – one of Blue Note's best vocal signings of the 90s, and a richly talented singer who's still not well understood by many audiences! The set's got Kurt doing a bit of everything he does great – completely transforming old standards like "Nature ... read moreCD
(Out of print, promotional sticker on booklet cover and stamp on CD.)
Peggy's sweet as sugar, but working here with a heck of a lot of spice – thanks to arranger Benny Carter, who brings in a wonderfully jazzy feel to the set! The album's one of Peggy's best from her comeback years at Capitol – and a prime example of the syncopated, slinking mode of ... read moreCD
A great collection of pre-Mercury work from Sarah Vaughan – including some obscure material from 78rpm singles! Titles include "Pinky", "Perdido", "Black Coffee", "While You Are Gone", "Just Friends", "After Hours", "Ooh ... read moreCD
A nice back to basics session from jazz singer Etta Jones – recorded with backing by a small combo that includes Houston Person on tenor – and done in the laidback style that always seems to bring out the best in her singing. Other players include Idris Muhammad, Jimmy Ponder, and ... read moreCD
Great later work from Jimmy Scott – sides recorded for Milestone Records near the end of his life – at a time when Jimmy's music was finally getting its due, and reaching wide exposure to a whole new audience! The sound is pretty laidback and mellow on most numbers – and Scott ... read moreCD
Could anyone ever utter a sexier line than "Don't go to strangers, come to me?" We think not, and it's material like that that makes the album a real killer from Etta Jones – one of her best from the 60s, cut when she was really developing her skills as a vocalist, but still had ... read moreCD
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 ... read moreCD
Vocalist Jimmy Rushing first came to fame working with Count Basie in the 30s, but it wasn't until the 50s that he really got the chance to step out on his own and cut a number of great sessions in the studio! This set features one of Jimmy's finest moments of the 50s – material recorded for ... read moreCD
(Out of print, CRC pressing.)
Carol Welsman —
For You ... CD Welcar, 2017. Used ...
$4.99
A mostly solo album, with Carol Welsman on piano and vocals, and a bit of guest guitar from Paulinho Garcia. CD
18 tracks in all featuring appearances by Lester Young, Roy Eldridge, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Gerry Mulligan, Mal Waldron, Milt Hinton and Osie Johnson. CD
The greatness of Gregory Porter continues to grow and grow – as the vocalist keeps moving past the straighter jazz of his roots, into a role as one of the greatest soul singers of the 21st Century! Porter's got a depth and maturity that few folks have had in recent years – especially ... read moreCD
Two albums from Peggy Lee on one CD. First up is I Like Men! – an obscure album of "guy" songs from the end of the 50s! There's a playful feel to the music that fits Lee's vocals very well – as do the bouncy arrangements from Jack Marshall, who turns out to be one of the ... read moreCD
Vanessa Rubin —
Pastiche ... CD RCA/Novus, 1993. Used ...
$2.99
With Houston Person, Cecil Bridgewater, and Steve Turre. CD
Lizz Wright —
Orchard ... CD Verve, 2008. Used ...
$2.99
One of the most deeply soulful sets we've ever heard from singer Lizz Wright – a record that has an even more acoustic feel than before, which really opens up the sound nicely! Given the depth of Wright's vocals, this shift is a really great move – one that lets her really stand out ... (Neo Soul, Vocalists)read moreCD
One of Lou's most jazz-oriented albums – featuring backing by Les McCann's famous trio with Leroy Vinnegar and Ron Jefferson, perfectly suited to Lou's soulful renditions of the tunes on the album. Most of the numbers are bluesy ones, but as usual, Lou manages to give them his own hip twist ... (Soul, Vocalists)read moreCD
Trudy Desmond —
RSVP ... CD Jazz Alliance, 1988. Used ...
$3.99
One of the more obscure albums by Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross – a session of Basie tunes, performed with backing by the Count, plus additional lead vocals by Joe Williams, the voice most closely associated with the Basie group at the time! The style is similar to the trio's Sing A Song Of ... read moreCD
They got that title right, because with decades of performances on the strip, Wayne certainly earned the name of "Mr Las Vegas"! However, Newton oddly never recorded a live album in Vegas during his years working for Capitol – so this collection is oddly one of the few non-live ... read moreCD
An intimate trio date from the late, great Mose Allison – recorded in 2006 but not released until 2015. Tracks include "City Home", "Lucky So & So", "Numbers On Paper", "My Backyard", "One Of These Days", and "You Can Count On ... read moreCD
Although most of Chris Connor's best recordings for Atlantic have always been darn tough to find, and rarely reissued, this excellent 2-fer makes these classic albums of icy vocals available once again! Chris sings in her best cool voice, with backing by a number of different groups made up of ... read moreCD
(1999 Collectables pressing, barcode has a cutout hole.)
Righteous and soulful! The work that Nina Simone did at Philips is among some of her best work ever – and this set features 12 great cuts that aren't always that easy to find on wax. Includes the anthemic feminist classic "Four Women", the slightly-funky "Mississippi ... read moreCD
Nnenna Freelon —
Heritage ... CD Columbia, 1993. Used ...
$1.99
The name, and the title, give the whole game away – as Eliane performs a set of older Brazilian tunes, all in that wonderful light-hearted style of hers! About half the tracks feature Eliane on vocals, the rest just piano – working with players that include Eddie Gomez, Jack DeJohnette ... read moreCD
An incredible pairing of two important 60s talents – magnificent vocals from Arthur Prysock, and some of the best backings he ever received – thanks to Basie! CD adds in three more tracks – originally done for Old Town Records! CD
A great later set from Nina Simone – quite sensitive at times, and with a different feel than some of her 70s work – but one that's still pure Simone all the way through! There's a return-to-classic feel going here – the sort of album that Jimmy Scott and others were making in ... read moreCD
Music from Matt Dennis, Peggy Lee, Chet Baker, Mark Murphy, Kay Starr, Lou Rawls, June Christy, Dick Haymes, Irene Kral, Sheila Jordan, Jeri Southern, Dinah Shore, Nat King Cole, Hoagy Carmichael, and Cassandra Wilson. CD
Titles include "My Foolish Heart", "She's Funny That Way", "Where I Belong", "The Best Things Happen While You're Dancing", and "Freddie's Yen For Jen". CD