... LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little quartet session from the mid 50s – one of Chet Baker's legendary albums recorded in Paris at the time, with a quality that's nicely different from some of his work in the US! Part of that quality is the group – an unusual lineup that includes Gerard Gustin on piano, Jimmy Bond on bass, and Bert Dahlander on drums – but Baker is also changing things up a bit from the Pacific Jazz years too, and working with a more sophisticated understanding of sound and tone that would develop even more strongly in the later half of the 50s! As usual with Chet, the tunes are standards, but completely transformed by his handling – titles that include "I'll Remember April", "Tenderly", "Lover Man", "Summertime", and "You Go To My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most obscure albums ever recorded by Stan Getz – an unusual early 70s outing that pairs his tenor genius with some very cool larger arrangements, all produced to perfection by the great George Martin! The record's surprisingly great overall, with some groovy charts handled by Richard Hewson – not an artist usually associated with Getz, but then again, neither is Martin – and as with Dynasty, Communications 72, and other unusual projects from the time – the set really shows Stan opening up to some new ideas, while still winning us all over again with that wonderful sense of tone! Titles include great versions of "Without Her", "Cecilia", "Marrakesh Express", "The April Fools", and "Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head". LP, Vinyl record album

The lovely Kim Sang Hee takes on the music of both Tom Jones and Burt Bacharach – in a setting that has her working with nicely different backings for each of the different sources! The Burt Bacharach material is maybe our favorite – as Kim's sweet voice works wonderfully with the small combo backing of pianist Masahiko Sato, who really seems to get the right sense of space and timing for the Bacharach tunes that include "April Fools", "I'll Never Fall In Love Again", "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head", and "This Girl's In Love With You". The Tom Jones material includes a range of different songs associated with Jones, not necessarily written by him – with groovy larger backings from the New Herd of Toshiyuki Miyama, with arrangements by Norio Maeda – on cuts that include "It's Not Unusual", "Little Green Apples", "Delilah", and "Green Green Grass Of Home". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's noteworthy not just for the presence of alto saxophonist Lee Konitz, and for the leadership of baritonist Gerry Mulligan – but a record that also features the great Chet Baker on trumpet, working here as part of a trio of musicians who were really helping transform the sound of jazz in the early 50s! And maybe most noteworthy in the set is the lack of any piano at all – a strategy of Mulligan's at the time, but used in a way that also echoes some of Lee's sublime quartet sessions of the mid 50s too – and a nice setting for Chet, as he has plenty of space to open up and craft those magical notes of his youth! The rest of the group features Larry Bunker on drums, and either Carson Smith or Joe Mondragon on bass – and material was recorded partly live, and partly in the studio – with titles that include "Broadway", "Sextet", "Almost Like Being In Love", "Too Marvelous For Words", "Lover Man", "I'll Remember April", and "All The Things You Are". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a very vintage-styled cover, but a set that's contemporary overall – jazzy work from Daniel Ogren, who plays all the instruments pictured around him on the cover – mixed with some occasional vocals from Anna Ahnlund, plus live drums and keyboards that almost hit a clubby sort of vibe at times! The record's got a sound that's really hard to peg – not really right for our jazz section, or new grooves – but certainly not rock, and not really global – although global elements clearly influence some of the rhythms on the record too. Most tunes have a melody that warms things up out of the darker corners of the rhythms – and titles include "Picasso", "Levi", "Hjalmarsfjorden", "Idag", "April", "Oktober", and "Annalena (album version)". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazzy trio, and one with lots of cosmic inclinations – which is maybe no surprise, given that drummer Tommaso Cappellato has played on some great club tracks in recent years! Here, though, he's recording in LA in a combo with Tony Martin on bass and Diego Gaeta on keyboards – the latter of whom brings in all sorts of great phrasing to the set – almost handling the keys at times as if he's blowing a reed instrument, with a real smoothness of flow – offset by other moments that are more punctuated next to the drums. Titles include "Nautilesque", "All Knowing Smiles", "Melody Lounge", and "April In Parrish". LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz vocal masterpiece from Sarah Vaughn – one of her greatest albums ever, and a record that raised the bar for countless vocal sessions in years to come! Sarah's working here in an intimate group arranged by Ernie Wilkins – filled with famous trumpet solo work by Clifford Brown, during his last few years on the planet - plus tenor from Paul Quinichette, flute from Herbie Mann, and piano from Jimmy Jones. Sarah's vocals are incredible – curving, turning, and lilting with a tremendous amount of jazz-based inflection – and titles include "Lullaby Of Birdland", "April In Paris", "September Song", "He's My Guy", and "I'm Glad There Is You". LP, Vinyl record album

The mood here is pretty darn groovy – so much so, it will help you get past the gratuitous image of naked women on the cover! Just keep your clothes on, and enjoy the wonderful selection of cuts within – funky numbers from a variety of genres – jazz, soul, easy listening, and other odd sources – brought together in a collection of cuts that more than lives up to the genius of this long-running series! As with previous volumes, there's no set style, just a batch of cool cuts in pursuit of all things groovy – as you'll hear on titles that include "Cool Echo" by Piet Van Meren, "Pink Movement" by Experience, "Disco Tek" by Syd Dale, "Stepping Stones" by Johnny Harris, "Chica Boom" by Jimmie & Vella, "All I Dream" by Estelle Leavitt, "Use Me" by Kimiko Kasai, "Get Off The Streets Y'All" by Eric & The Vikings, "Damn Somebody Stole My Pants" by Leroy Vinnegar, "Tuane" by Hammer, "Romantic Attitude" by John Fitch, and "Land Of 1000 Dances" by Nino & April. LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of postwar Italian jazz – the combination of 2 sessions from the end of the 50s, both featuring the octet of tenorist Gianni Basso and trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini! The pair are joined in the frontline by Dino Piana on trombone on about half the set – and by the baritone sax of the great Swedish player Lars Gullin on another four tunes – and together, the tracks have a lively and hard-swinging feel that's very much in keeping with the best jazz showing up on Italian soundtracks at the time – no surprise, since the Gassman in the title is Vittorio Gassman, one of the greatest Italian character actors of the 50s and 60s! Tunes include "Fata Morgana", "Guess Who", "Ciau Turin", "Crazy Rhythm", "Peter Of April", and "Blues For Gassman", a strong original written by Piero Umiliani! LP, Vinyl record album

Early work by Kenny Dorham as a leader – a Riverside session recorded in two "contrasting" moods that both perfectly show his young talents on the trumpet! Side one is a bit more in a hardbop mode – with two long lyrical tracks ("Falling In Love With Love" and "I'll Remember April") – recorded with a quintet that features Sonny Rollins on tenor, Hank Jones on piano, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Max Roach on drums – with plenty of space for all players to solo nicely! Side two features the same group, but also adds in some work on harp by Betty Glamman – an unusual player, but one who works well in the setting – and really helps to emphasize the sweeter sounds in Kenny's horn! Titles on that side include "La Villa", "Larue", and "My Old Flame". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary pairing of two classic postwar singers – each of whom were really finding their own sort of sound in the 50s, then found a way to make some real magic together on a record like this! Louis Armstrong was very much senior to the younger Ella Fitzgerald – but both had become such beautifully expressive singers, their voices here really ignite a special sort of energy that maybe even elevates the record past some of their solo sets of the time. Backings are in a nice small combo mode – with Armstrong on both trumpet and vocals – and Ella and Louis carry most of the set with their great vocal interplay – warm, personal, and pretty darn charming – in a mode that should be hokey, but comes across great, thanks to the quality of both vocalists! Titles include "April In Paris", "Can't We Be Friends", "Isn't This A Lovely Day", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", and "A Foggy Day". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album that perfectly mixes both sides of Aretha Franklin's talents – the hard-edged soul singer who first flourished at Atlantic records in the late 60s, and the artist who was growing even more as a vocalist – really reaching out her wings to more sophisticated material! There's a balance here that makes the record one of the deepest that Franklin ever recorded for Atlantic – lots of larger Arif Mardin touches, but also some raw moments that really round things out – on titles that include Aretha's classic take on the Weldon Irvine/Nina Simone tune "Young Gifted & Black", the funky classic "Rock Steady", the wonderful mellow groover "Day Dreaming", the hit "Brand New Me", and the strangely compelling "First Snow In Kokomo" – plus other titles that include "All The King's Horses", "Oh Me Oh My", "Border Song", "Didn't I Blow Your Mind", "April Fools", "I've Been Loving You Too Long", and "The Long & Winding Road". LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful trio set – one that seems to resonate as strongly with the bass work of George Mraz as it does with the lyrical genius of the great Hank Jones! The recording quality is superb, and all the elements of the group's performance seem to hang in air at a level that's even more breathtaking than if you were able to hear the whole thing in person – and along with Mraz and Jones, the great Kenny Washington is superb on drums – really at that point in his career when his special talent in a group like this was starting to hit its stride. Titles include "Interlude", "Wind Flower", "Recorda Me", Blue Monk", "Round Midnight", "I'll Remember April", "Interface", and "A Child Is Born". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a very vintage-styled cover, but a set that's contemporary overall – jazzy work from Daniel Ogren, who plays all the instruments pictured around him on the cover – mixed with some occasional vocals from Anna Ahnlund, plus live drums and keyboards that almost hit a clubby sort of vibe at times! The record's got a sound that's really hard to peg – not really right for our jazz section, or new grooves – but certainly not rock, and not really global – although global elements clearly influence some of the rhythms on the record too. Most tunes have a melody that warms things up out of the darker corners of the rhythms – and titles include "Picasso", "Levi", "Hjalmarsfjorden", "Idag", "April", "Oktober", and "Annalena (album version)". LP, Vinyl record album

An assortment of tracks from those years when a lovely face on the cinema screen might also lead some work in the recording studio too – served up here in a mix of tracks from female singers you'll know as jazz artists, plus others you'll remember as movie stars too! The sounds are all lovely, certainly deserving of the pin-up promise in the title – and this volume features 20 tracks that include "Why Try To Change Me Now" by Connie Stevens, "Teach Me Tiger" by April Stevens, "Hit The Road To Dreamland" by Betty Hutton, "Let's Do It" by Jayne Mansfield, "The Thrill Is Gone" by Mitzi Gaynor, "Oh Oh Cheri" by Francoise Hardy, "I Used To Be Color Blind" by Ginger Rogers, "Am I That Easy To Forget" by Debbie Reynolds, and "The Party's Over" by Judy Holliday. LP, Vinyl record album