Charlie Haden's ode to the silver screen, Raymond Chandler, and 1940s Hollywood – with help from Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Lawrence Marable on drums – plus vocals from Jo Stafford, Jeri Southern, and Billie Holiday. CD

Gentle Rain, and a very gentle sound from Irene Kral – a wonderfully intimate album that has the vocalist working with only the piano of Alan Broadbent for accompaniment! Kral's always a pretty expressive singer, but she sounds especially so here – really getting a lot of space to stretch out, and inflect the tunes her own way – bringing a richly personal approach to the record, almost as if we're capturing the lyrics as snippets of overheard conversation at the end of a bar, instead of in standard vocal modes. The tracks are very well chosen too – and include versions of Dave Frishberg's "The Underdog" and "You Are There" – plus "If You Could See Me Now", "The Gentle Rain", "Blue Gardenia", and "What's New". CD

A tribute to Wes Montgomery, in case you can't guess by the title – with a number of tunes penned by Wes himself! Other players include Bob James on piano and keyboards, Dave Witham on Hammond B3, Harvey Mason on drums and percussion, and Alan Broadbent on piano. CD

Charlie Haden on bass, Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Larance Marable on drums – plus guest violin by Stephane Grapelli. CD

Mid 70s magic from vocalist Irene Kral – one of a handful of albums that really had Kral setting herself apart from most other jazz vocal contemporaries! The approach here is very simple – just Irene's voice and piano backing from Alan Broadbent – but a hell of a lot goes on in the spare space, thanks to subtly expressive vocals from Kral – never too overdone, yet filled with a mature sophistication that's wonderful – almost conversational at points, yet always with a soft swing that reminds us that she's a jazz singer at heart. Titles include "Love Came On Stealthy Fingers", "I Like You You're Nice", "When I Look In Your Eyes", "A Time For Love/Small World", "Never Let Me Go", "Lucky To Be Me/Some Other Time", "Don't Look Back", and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most". CD

Features Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, and Lawrence Marable on drums – with a string orchestra conducted by Broadbent. CD

Beautiful work from bassist Charlie Haden and his Quartet West – a lovely look back at the styles and chanteuses of the 50s & 60s noirish jazz – with some lush strings accompaniment and guest vocalists including Cassandra Wilson, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones, Ruth Cameron and Diana Krall! It's the kind of thing that could come of hokey without a genuine love if the material in the mix, and the Haden & co. pull it off wonderfully. The quartet players include Ernie Watts on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano and Rodney Green on drums. Includes "If I'm Lucky" with Melody Gardot, "Sophisticated Lady", "Today I Am A Man", "Ill Wind" with Norah Jones, "My Love And I" with Cassandra Wilson, "Theme From 'Markham'", "Angel Faces", "Goodbye" with Diana Krall, "Wahoo" and more. CD

Hip, breezy, and wonderful – a totally hip batch of jazzy tracks with a 70s approach to the kind of underground songwriter styles used in the 60s by artists like Jackie & Roy or Bob Dorough. No surprise that Kral sings some tracks by cronies of those singers – like Tommy Wolf, Fran Landesman, and Dave Frishberg. Backing's by an acoustic quartet that features Alan Broadbent on piano and Emil Richards on vibes and percussion – and tracks include "Small Day Tomorrow", "Some Time Ago", "It's Nice Weather For Ducks", "Experiment", and "Wheelers & Dealers". CD

Wicked work from saxophonist Don Menza – really stretching out here in a massively beautiful 70s session for Catalyst Records! Menza was a heck of a player, but one who mostly kept things pretty close to the chest – yet on this album, he blows with a soulful, flowing tone that's simply impeccable – gently gliding along electric rhythms with a really mellow feel! The album unfolds like the petals of some hip 70s flower – gently opening up from tune to tune, peeling back layer upon layer of soulful sound – as Menza blows on tenor, soprano, and flute – with a group that includes Alan Broadbent on piano and electric keys, Frank Rosolino on trombone, and Paulinho and Claudio Slon on percussion. All tracks are original, and titles include "Samba De Rollins", "Magnolia Rose", "Ballad Of The Matador", and "Groove Blues". Features a full bonus CD of alternate tracks from the session – plus the unissued titles "Bones Blues", "Intrigue", and "Spanish Boots". CD

Features Pete Christlieb on tenor, Alan Broadbent on piano, Mundell Lowe on guitar, and Tommy Newsom on alto and flute. Titles include "Playin It Straight", "Steeplechase", "That Old Feeling", "Lover", "Here's That Rainy Day", and "On Green Dolphin Street". CD

With Alan Broadbent on piano. CD