Features Ben Webster on tenor sax, Alan Branscombe on piano, Lennie Bush on bass, and Jackie Dougan on drums. Tracks include "In A Mellow Tone", "Gone With The Wind", "Perdido", "Ben's Theme Tune", and "Over The Rainbow" – plus a short interview track with Ben Webster. CD

Includes the songs "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning", "Time On My Hands", "Early Autumn", "Prisoner Of Love", "When I Fall In Love", "Willow Weep For Me", "Prelude To A Kiss", "Chelsea Bridge", "My Funny Valentine", "You're Getting To Be A Habit With Me", and more. CD

Includes a handful of tracks from each leader – 11 tracks total. CD

A posthumous release of live material recorded in Sweden, during a time when tenor genius Ben Webster was doing some of his best work overseas! The tracks here feature Ben in a few different settings – with piano from Teddy Wilson or Lasse Sjosten, bass from Red Mitchell or Sture Nordin, and drums from Ed Thigpen and Frederik Noren. But maybe best of all is the trumpet work on most tracks – played by either Arne Ryskog or Rolf Ericson, both players whose presence really brings a lot – and makes the record a bit different than some of those other "older American soloists with a European rhythm section" dates of the time. Titles include "Indiana", "C Jam Blues", "The Theme", "Satin Doll", "I Got Rhythm", and "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". CD

Includes the songs "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", "Stompy Jones", "Going Home", "I Got It Bad", "Cottontail", "Come Sunday", "Our Blues", "Sunday", and "Old Folks". CD

Ben Webster and Ole Kongsted on tenor saxophone, John Darville on trombone, Arnvid Meyer on trumpet, Kenny Drew and Niels Jorgen Steen on piano, Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen on bass, and Alex Riel and Hans Nymand on drums. CD

Wonderful stuff! Ben Webster blows soulful late night ballads over strings – a perfect combination, and a wonderful idea that was first executed on two LPs in the 50s: Music For Loving and Music With Feeling, both of which are reissued here with some extra unreleased material! Backings are by Ralph Burns and Billy Strayhorn – both of whom can be trusted to keep things hip, using the strings to create mood, emotion, and tension, instead of a pillow to smother the sound of Webster's incredible tenor work. Added to those two albums and bonus cuts is the even rarer Harry Carney with Strings session, recorded in the same era, and a perfect addition to the package that makes for over 3 LPs worth of material on 2 CDs, all packaged with great notes and some very cool Verve artwork! Titles include "Chelsea Bridge", "Some Other Spring", "Blue Moon", "Early Autumn", "My Fantasy", "Love Is Here To Stay", "Under A Blanket Of Blue", "You're Mine You", "Love's Away", and "All Too Soon". CD

Glenn Zottola on trumpet. CD

With Rex Stewart, Cootie Williams, Johnny Hodges, Herb Jeffries, Tricky Sam, Harry Carney, Barney Bigard, and Ben Webster. CD

Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax & clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax & clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax & clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar & whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown & Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart & Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes & vocals & Herb Jeffries & Ivie Anderson on vocals. CD

A great little session that builds on the strength of Johnny Hodges' small group 50s sessions for Verve – and which lets Duke Ellington in on some of the action! The format is nicely stripped-down throughout – featuring Hodges in sextet and septet formation with players who include Ben Webster on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Les Spann on flute, Lawrence Brown on trombone, and Jo Jones on drums. Surprisingly, Duke's actually only on piano on three tracks on the album – Billy Strayhorn handles keys on the other – but the session's still a great example of small combo Ellingtonia at its best, the special way Ellington players could extrapolate his ideas into a leaner formation on a record like this! Titles include "Ruint", "Stompy Jones", "Big Shoe", "Going Up", "Just A Memory", and "You Need to Rock". CD

Blues-a-plenty, but still pretty darn jazzy too – as the "blues" in the title is just Verve's code for the way the album's put together – loose, unstructured, and a great format for Johnny Hodges to do some wonderful blowing on alto sax! The album also features strong work from Ben Webster, too – whose tone is perfect for the late nite vibe of the record – and other players include Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Billy Strayhorn on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Sam Woodyard on drums – kind of an Ellington small combo, relaxing here in a wonderfully intimate setting. The sound is beautiful, and the album's one of Hodges' best-ever for Verve – with cuts that include "Cool Your Motor", "Honey Hill", "Saturday Afternoon Blues", and "I Didn't Know About You". CD

Blues-a-plenty, but still pretty darn jazzy too – as the "blues" in the title is just Verve's code for the way the album's put together – loose, unstructured, and a great format for Johnny Hodges to do some wonderful blowing on alto sax! The album also features strong work from Ben Webster, too – whose tone is perfect for the late nite vibe of the record – and other players include Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Vic Dickenson on trombone, Billy Strayhorn on piano, Jimmy Woode on bass, and Sam Woodyard on drums – kind of an Ellington small combo, relaxing here in a wonderfully intimate setting. The sound is beautiful, and the album's one of Hodges' best-ever for Verve – with cuts that include "Cool Your Motor", "Honey Hill", "Saturday Afternoon Blues", and "I Didn't Know About You". CD

The complete master takes of Billie Holiday's years recording for Verve, Clef, and Norgran – distilled down from the much larger box set issued a few years earlier – and without all the over-repeated alternates and odd versions that made that other collection a bit frustrating! The work here is all the real deal – 6 CDs worth of tracks recorded with some of the greatest accompaniment Billie ever received in the studio – backing by players who include Charlie Shavers, Harry Edison, Tony Scott, Willie Smith, Flip Phillips, Paul Quinichette, Ben Webster, and many others – all documented here nicely in the 60 page book of notes that comes with the set! As with the Charlie Parker Masters collection, this one is very limited edition – packaged in a silver tin box and totally 100 tracks in all! CD

An early cooker from Richard Groove Holmes – and one of the most important Hammond jazz sets to come out of the west coast at the time! At a point when most folks think the east has a lock on the instrument, Groove bursts forth here with a great hard-edged sound – proof that the LA scene didn't just go for cool jazz and the occasional hardbop date – and the start of a great run of records that would have Holmes sounding great all through the 60s! The lineup is nicely unusual, too – with guitar from Chicagoan George Freeman, then on the west coast – and a key part of Holmes' group for years – and trombone from the excellent Lawrence Tricky Lofton, a player who rarely recorded, but made some great sides with Carmell Jones. The group also features Les McCann on piano, a nice combo with the organ – plus Ben Webster on tenor and Ron Jefferson on drums. Titles include "Good Groove", "That Healin' Feelin'", "Them That's Got", and "Deep Purple". CD

With Al Hall on bass, Albert Nicholas on clarinet, Hot Lips Page on trumpet, JC Heard on drums, Jimmy Shirley on guitar, Ben Webster on tenor sax & JC Higginbotham on trombone. CD

Easy-going Verve swing at its best – the kind of small group session that let a player like Harry "Sweets" Edison shine in a way that he didn't always get to do in a larger group! For this set, Edison's joined by Ben Webster on tenor sax, Barney Kessel on guitar, Jimmy Rowles on piano, Alvin Stoller on drums and Joe Mondragon on bass – in a format that features tunes that are a bit shorter than on some of the other Verve swing sides of the time, but still very much with a relaxed and open-ended feel. Titles include several Edison originals – including "Hollering At The Watkins", "Used To Be Basie", "Studio Call", "Opus 711", "K.M. Blues", and "Walkin With Sweets". CD

Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax and clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax and clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax and clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar and whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown and Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart and Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes and vocals and Herb Jeffries and Ivie Anderson on vocals. CD

Ella's performing songs written by or associated with Duke–what could be better? Here she's backed by two different Ellington groups–-one a big band, the other a small group, whose members included Stuff Smith, Barney Kessel, and Ben Webster. Titles include "Rockin' In Rhythm", "Caravan", "Take The A Train", "Clementine", and "Perdido", all performed with the with the big band, and "Satin Doll", "It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)", "Cottontail", and "Do Nothing Till You Here From Me", backed by the small group. Sublime! CD

An all-star set for Hawk – one that has him blowing with backing from the Oscar Peterson Trio, plus some additional work by Hank Jones, and guest trumpet from Roy Eldridge, and even a bit of additional tenor from Ben Webster! Phew, with all those players on the set, you might expect the album to feature a lot of head-butting – but it's actually one of Hawk's best later sides, and was recorded in a nicely open-ended mode that lets most of the players get in some good moments without having to bump elbows. Titles include "Nabob", "Honey Flower", "Maria", and "Hanid". CD features two bonus tracks "Cocktails For Two" & "Honey Flower (alternate)". CD

A classic album – one that pairs the arranging talents of the great French composer Michel Legrand, with a host of American jazz players – including Miles Davis, Ben Webster, Milt Hinton, Donald Byrd, Hank Jones, and John Coltrane. The tracks are a beautiful blend of Legrand's best arranging styles from his soundtrack work, and they show his keen talent for setting up complicated orchestrations, then letting the soloist step forth into the spotlight with individual brilliance. The titles are mostly jazz standards, but they're done in a great way, with lots of twists and turns that keep things fresh. Titles include "Round Midnight", "Night In Tunisia", "Nuages", "In A Mist", and "Django". CD

A jazz treasure chest – an extraordinary bounty of Bird on Verve! You get absolutely everything here, master takes, alternate takes, loads of previously unissued material, rehearsals, incomplete takes, you get it all! Sidemen include Benny Carter, Kenny Clarke, Miles Davis, Roy Eldridge, Gil Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, John Lewis, Machito, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Buddy Rich, Max Roach, Ben Webster and Lester Young. There's 177 (!!) tracks in all, so we can't list all the titles here, but some of them include "Blues For Norman", "The Bird", "Repetition", "No Noise", "Okiedoke", "The Opener", "Lester Leaps In", "Flyin' Home", "Perdido", "Everything Happens To Me", "April In Paris", "Summertime", "I Didn't Know What Time It Was", "Bloomdido", "Mohawk", "My Melancholy Baby", "Leapfrog", "East Of The Sun", "I'll Remember April", "Au Privave", "KC Blues", "Swedish Schnapps", "Estrellita", "Funky Blues", "Jam Blues", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Love For Sale". CD

Early work by pianist and bandleader Teddy Wilson, working here with Billie Holiday, Ben Webster, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Lester Young, and the Chocolate Dandies. Titles include "Once Upon A Time", "My Melancholy Baby", "Handful Of Keys", "If I Were You", "Say It With A Kiss", and "Wham (Re Bop Boom Bam)" – 24 tracks total. CD

Special guests include Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Earl Hines, and Woody Herman. CD

A live recording from Cornell University, features Johnny Hodges on alto, plus Ben Webster on tenor. CD

A great little session that builds on the strength of Johnny Hodges' small group 50s sessions for Verve – and which lets Duke Ellington in on some of the action! The format is nicely stripped-down throughout – featuring Hodges in sextet and septet formation with players who include Ben Webster on tenor, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, Les Spann on flute, Lawrence Brown on trombone, and Jo Jones on drums. Surprisingly, Duke's actually only on piano on three tracks on the album – Billy Strayhorn handles keys on the other – but the session's still a great example of small combo Ellingtonia at its best, the special way Ellington players could extrapolate his ideas into a leaner formation on a record like this! Titles include "Ruint", "Stompy Jones", "Big Shoe", "Going Up", "Just A Memory", and "You Need to Rock". CD

Ben Webster and Coleman Hawkins on alto saxophone, Bill Pemberton on bass, Buster Bailey on baritone clarinet, Jimmy Crawford on drums, Al Casey on guitar, Red Richards on piano, Garvin Bushell and Hilton Jefferson on saxophone, Haywood Henry on tenor saxophone, Benny Morton, Dickie Wells, and J.C. Higginbotham on trombone, and Emmett Berry, Joe Thomas, Rex Stewart, and Taft Jordan on trumpet. CD

Includes 88 tracks recorded with Miles Davis, Lester Young, Illinois Jacquet, Max Roach, Teddy Wilson, Hank Jones, Ben Webster, Don Byas, and others! CD

Some of the greatest work ever recorded by tenorist Buck Hill – a local player on the DC scene, and one who hardly ever got his due on record! We'd rank Buck right up there with Von Freeman – another local player who spent years honing his tenor sound in a local setting, yet who never got the right sort of fame because he kept away from the New York or LA scenes. And here, Hill's got an incredibly timeless sound in his horn – really deep, beautiful, and undeniably soulful – a sense of raspy tone that goes back to Lester Young or Ben Webster, but a freer, more open sense of swing too – brought out nicely by rhythm work from Reuben Brown on piano, Wilbur Little on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. This set features the second half of a great live European performance from 1981 – with titles that include "Alone Together", "Impressions", and "Penn Station". CD

Notable sidemen include Teddy Wilson, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Lester Young, Henry Red Allen, and Ben Webster. CD

Brilliant work from the "Vice Pres" – tenorist Paul Quinichette, stepping out here in one the best of of his all-too-few sessions as a leader! Paul's tone is amazing throughout – very much on a par with that of Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins, and proof that his admission to the jazz "executive branch" in the 50s was well deserved. The tunes are shortish, but very swinging – and Quinichette's tenor work dominates in a group that also includes Nat Pierce, Henry Coker, Thad Jones, Freddie Green, and Joe Newman. There's a Basie-esque swing overall – but the final result is miles from Basie, and has a very different vibe overall. Titles include "Big Deal", "Happy Feeling", "Pardon The Blues Please", "Start Here", and "The Kid From Denver". CD features all the material from the album Kid From Denver – plus 4 more bonus tracks from other sessions Quinichette recorded with the Gene Roland sextet and septet – "Suitcase", "Minor Scene", "Colonel Hodge", and "The Creeper". CD

Notable sidemen include Roy Eldridge, Benny Carter, Cozy Cole, Harold Baker, Ben Webster, JC Heard, Doc Cheatham, and Thelma Carpenter. CD

Music from Mel Torme, Jimmy Smith, Kenny Burrell, Bud Powell, Ben Webster, Fred Astaire, Stan Getz, Bill Evans, Tal Farlow, Coleman Hawkins, and more. CD

A great documentation of this rare live set from 1940 – one of the best slices of Ellington from the time! Johnny Hodges on alto sax, Duke Ellington on piano, Harry Carney on baritone sax and clarinet, Jimmy Blanton on bass, Otto Hardwick on alto sax and clarinet, Barney Bigard on tenor sax and clarinet, Sonny Greer on drums, Freddy Guy on guitar and whistle, Ben Webster on tenor sax, Juan Tizol, Lawrence Brown and Tricky Sam Nanton on trombones, Rex Stewart and Wallace Jones on trumpets, Ray Nance on trumpet, vibes and vocals and Herb Jeffries and Ivie Anderson on vocals. CD

A real lost treasure from Art Farmer – a tremendous album that hardly ever shows up in the history books, and which, to our knowledge, appears here on CD for the first time ever – plus a bonus album of earlier Farmer work with the Mundell Lowe Septet! Many Faces is a rare 1964 jazz side for the mostly-pop Scepter label – featuring Farmer at the head of a small group working with Tommy Flanagan on piano, Charles McPherson on alto, and Steve Swallow or Ron Carter alternating on bass. The album was done under the direction of Tom McIntosh – the brilliant young composer who had a magical talent for blending together modern and lyrical modes while still keeping a strong degree of soul. McIntosh contributed a few tunes to the set, as did Dennis Sandole – the nearly-forgotten trumpeter from the Philly scene of the 50s. There's a dark beauty to this session that surpasses even many other Farmer sides from the time – and titles include "Hyacinth", "Ally", "Happy Feet", "Minuet In G", and "Saucer Eyes". 1958's Porgy & Bess finds Farmer playing trumpet for guitarist Mundell Lowe's Septet on a nice set of material from Gershwin – including lesser known numbers from the original play. Players include Tony Scott on clarinet and baritone, Ben Webster on tenor and either George Duvivier or Osie Johnson on the kit. Titles include "Summertime", "Bess, You Is My Woman", "I Love You Porgy", "Redhead Woman", "There's A Boat That's Leaving Soon For New York", "It Ain't Necessarily So" and more. CD

A great little live set from Von Freeman – and one of his best albums! Like some of his rare few sides from the 70s, this one features Von in a relaxed setting – blowing as the main lead soloist in front of a piano trio recorded at the Dakota Bar & Grill in St Paul, Minnesota, in 1996. Unlike other sets, though, this one really shows the edge that Von can have when he's working at his best. Gone are the easily-blown standards that never really illustrate the genius of Von that's been an influence on decades of players – from Andrew Hill to Malachi Favors to Eric Alexander. Freeman's range on the tenor is incredible – taking in a wealth of influences that runs from Coleman Hawkins to Ben Webster to Coltrane and Wayne Shorter – and while the rhythm section is comprised of younger players from St Paul, Von's the real talent here, and has plenty of room to work. Titles include "Footprints", "Caravan", "Crazy She Calls me", "Blues For Sunnyland", and "Bye Bye Blackbird". CD

Scott Hamilton blows some wonderfully smokey tenor here – sounding great in the company of Eddie Higgins' trio! The date's got a really old school tenor sort of sound – echoes of Ben Webster and Lester Young, but updated too – taken to the clear, mature territory of Higgins' recent sessions with his trio for Venus Records – although this time around with Hamilton, the group's a quartet, with Steve Gilmore on bass and Bill Goodwin on drums. The ballads are especially nice, but we like the gentle swingers too – and titles include "You're My Everything", "By Myself", "Melancholy Rhapsody", "You Don't Know What Love Is", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Lullaby Of The Leaves". CD

A cooker from DC tenorist Buck Hill – one of those great local players who never got their due strongly until late in life! Buck's got a tremendous sound on his horn – full and rich in feeling, with occasional raspy edges that really grab us, and a warm command of his instrument that really belies his many decades in music. Yet Buck's also not just blowing familiar notes, either – and, like Von Freeman out of Chicago, he's a dedicatedly creative player who keeps things on edge throughout the set, even in familiar territory. The approach is a bit like that of Ben Webster late in life, but sharper overall – and the group on the date includes Barry Harris on piano, Ray Drummond on bass, and Freddie Waits on drums. Titles include "Jazz Ballad", "Tenor Madness", "On The Trail", "Hail To The Redskins",a nd "Chelsea Bridge". CD also features the bonus track "Vierd Blues". CD

Notable sidemen include Teddy Wilson, Johnny Hodges, Ben Webster, and Bunny Berigan. CD

An expanded version of the first album to carry the Jazz At The Philharmonic formula into the studio – and a record that virtually coined the term "jam session" for 50s jazz! Norman Granz repeats the style he'd done so well in a live setting – and brings together a host of all-star players in a very relaxed, open environment – one that gives them all plenty of space to open up and hit some nice long solos. Players include Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Benny Carter in a three-alto frontline, plus Flip Phillips and Ben Webster on tenor, Barney Kessel on guitar, Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and JC Heard on drums. Side one features the original "Jam Blues", and side two features a "Ballad Medley", with each solo star taking one of the tunes in the set. Also features the material from vol 2 – "Funky Blues" and "What Is This Thing Called Love". CD

Includes 20 tracks with Tiny Grimes on guitar, Ben Webster on tenor, Benny Morton on trombone, Edmond Hall on clarinet, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, and Slam Stewart on bass. CD

The legendary European tenorist is still sounding wonderful here – deep-toned and dexterous, as he works with a tight quartet in the nicely intimate setting of a jazz club in Copenhagen! Jesper Thilo is proof that once a soloist hones their craft on their horn, their creativity never dims – and that's definitely the case here, as the tenor lines have the feel of late life work by Sonny Stitt or Ben Webster – as Jesper blows to accompaniment from Soren Kristiansen on piano, Daniel Franck on bass, and Frands Rifbjerg on drums. Titles include "Memories of You", "I'll Remember April", "Oh Gee", "Blue N Boogie", "Sweets To The Sweet", and "Lester Leaps In/Montmartre Blues". CD

Features backings by Gerry Mulligan, Ben Webster, Jimmy Rowles, Leroy Vinnegar, and Mel Lewis – plus additional tracks with Roy Eldridge and Earl Hines. CD

Music from Benny Carter, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Shirley Scott, Charles Mingus, Johnny Hodges, Clark Terry, Earl Hines, Ben Webster, Yuseef Lateef, Pee Wee Russell and more. CD

Featuring Sonny Criss, Art Tatum, Herbie Mann, Dave Brubeck, Ray Bryant, Art Pepper, Ben Webster, and John Coltrane – 12 tracks in all. CD

The first album to carry the Jazz At The Philharmonic formula into the studio – and a record that virtually coined the term "jam session" for 50s jazz! Norman Granz repeats the style he'd done so well in a live setting – and brings together a host of all-star players in a very relaxed, open environment – one that gives them all plenty of space to open up and hit some nice long solos. Players include Charlie Parker, Johnny Hodges, and Benny Carter in a three-alto frontline, plus Flip Phillips and Ben Webster on tenor, Barney Kessel on guitar, Oscar Peterson on piano, Ray Brown on bass, and JC Heard on drums. Side one features the original "Jam Blues", and side two features a "Ballad Medley", with each solo star taking one of the tunes in the set. Also features the material from vol 2 – "Funky Blues" and "What Is This Thing Called Love". CD

Music from Cannonball Adderley, Gene Ammons, Miles Davis, Billy Eckstine, Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Dexter Gordon, Coleman Hawkins, Charlie Parker, Little Jimmy Scott, Ben Webster, Lester Young, and morre – 58 tracks total! CD