Excellent work from Mel Torme – material recorded in the late 50s for Bethlehem Records – easily one of our favorite periods in the career of the Velvet Fog! The tunes here are tremendous – numbers that are tightly jazzy, often with hip west coast backing from arranger Marty Paich – who really knows how to balance together swinging rhythms and warmer tones that perfectly suit Torme's unique vocal style. In fact, if we dare say it, as great as Mel is in other settings, he'd also probably admit that the Bethlehem sides were the high point of his recorded career – material he'd reference often in later years. CD features 16 tracks in all – including "Lullaby Of Birdland", "The Lady Is A Tramp", "Lulu's Back In Town", "I Got It Bad & That Ain't Good", "They Can't Take That Away From Me", "It's All Right With Me", "Poor Little Extra Girl", "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "I Got Plenty O Nuttin", "Fascinating Rhythm", and "Just One Of Those Things". CD

Crackling hardbop from the pivotal jazz year of 1957 – featuring 2 rare Bethelehem albums by drummer Art Blakey, one of which features some great tenor work from a young John Coltrane! First up on the set is a rare big band session by Blakey – featuring the master drummer at the helm of a large group that includes Coltrane, Donald Byrd, Melba Liston, Sahib Shihab, Walter Bishop, and Al Cohn – coming together in a surprisingly fierce horn formation – almost like a regular Jazz Messengers group, but with triple horn power! Coltrane gets in a few nice licks on the big band tracks – and also steps out in two sparer quintet tracks from the same session – recorded with Byrd, Bishop, and Blakey in a more solo-focused sound. The last 7 tracks on the set are from the album Hard Drive – recorded with a group that includes here Junior Mance, Johnny Griffin, and Bill Hardman. The tracks are a bit freer than some of Blakey's Blue Note work – with more of a focus on the solos of the players, all held in check by Blakey's fiercely driven drumming. The CD features 15 tracks in all – titles that include "Pristine", "Tippin", "Midriff", "The Outer World", "Ain't Life Grand", "Late Date", "Deo X", "Sweet Sakeena", "Late Spring", "Krafty", and "For Miles & Miles". CD

One of Dexter Gordon's proudest moments of the 50s – a rock-solid session for Bethlehem – easily one of the best-remembered hardbop sides from the label's California years! The album's got a relaxed, free-blown sound that's quite nice – with Dex in the lead on tenor, supported by the trio of Kenny Drew on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums. Gordon's perhaps not as fully imaginative as he would become in the 60s, but his sound and control is still great throughout – and the rhythm section really helps knock this one out of the park. Titles include versions of "Darn That Dream", "Autumn In New York", "You Can Depend On Me", and "Confirmation", plus two originals "Number Four" and "Daddy Plays The Horn". CD

A great mid 50s recordings by one of the greatest pairings in popular jazz of the time – the twin-trombone lead work of JJ Johnson and Kai Winding, both players who'd come from differing backgrounds, but who created a wonderful new sound together! The interplay between the trombones on thesession is wonderful – a strongly pronounced mini-horn section – yet one that's fluid enough to work at a nice boppish pace, especially when paired with a rhythm section of Dick Katz and Al Harewood. Titles include "Thou Swell", "Gong Rock", "Out Of This World", "Lope City", "Mad About The Boy", "That's How I Feel About You", "Stolen Bass", and "It's All Right With Me". CD

A great little album from this overlooked singer – an east coast vocalist from the 50s, working here on one of the few sessions she ever recorded! Teal's got an exotic look on the cover, but the presentation of the music is right up there in the best mainstream jazz modes of the time – and unlike some of the other small combo vocal work on Bethlehem in the 50s, this album has the fuller feel of the sorts of records you might hear on a label like Capitol or Verve at the time. Ted Steele handles the arrangements – and is also credited with discovering Teal in Atlantic City – and the backings are a mix of jazzy flourishes and larger strings – never poppy or overdone. Titles include "Autumn Leaves", "El Cumbanchero", "Deed I Do", "For You My Love", "Who's Sorry Now", "Let's Fall In Love", and "Easy To Remember". CD also features three bonus alternate takes! CD

2 of the best studio albums from the legendary trumpeter Booker Little – back to back on 1 CD! The first 7 tracks on the set are from the Bethlehem album Booker Little & Friend – a fantastic sextet session recorded in 1961, shortly before Booker Little's death, and filled with all the promise and power he ever packed into his playing! The lineup includes Julian Preister, George Coleman, and Pete La Roca, and the groove is tight modern hard bop all the way through. An excellent album, and one of the best recordings ever on Bethlehem – with tracks that include "Matilde", "Booker's Blues", "Forward Flight", and "Victory and Sorrow". Next up are 6 tracks from the album Booker Little 4 & Max Roach – recorded for United Artists in 1958, at a time when Little was in the Max Roach band. The album is virtually a Max Roach session, as it features regular Roach group members Coleman and Little – plus bassist Art Davis and pianist Tommy Flanagan – all of whom fall perfectly into line behind Roach's masterful drumming on tracks like "Rounder's Mood", "Dungeon Waltz", and "Jewel's Tempo". 13 tracks in all. CD

A really sparkling session from trumpeter Stu Williamson – one of a few great records he cut for the Bethlehem label in the 50s, and a set that's one of the cookingest from the company at the time! Stu's trumpet lines are already mighty nice – tight, and often a bit bolder than others from the west coast – and he's got some excellent company on saxophone here – the great young Charlie Mariano on alto, playing with a nice edge on a few tracks – plus equally great work from Bill Holman on tenor and Jimmy Guiffre on baritone. The rhythm section cooks nicely, too – with a boppish swing on the best numbers, delivered on piano by Claude Williamson, bass by Leroy Vinnegar, and drums by Mel Lewis. Titles include "Oom's Tune", "Big Red", "Red Cross", "Hongry Child", and "Pee Jay". CD

A nice little bit of bop from LA – a tightly-crafted mid 50s date for the Bethlehem label – featuring drummer Stan Levey at the head of a great group of horn players! The album features some standout work from Dexter Gordon on tenor – making a rare appearance here as a sideman – and the frontline of the sextet also features Conte Candoli on trumpet and Frank Rosolino on trombone – both well-matched players, especially at this point in their careers. The group's completed by Leroy Vinnegar on bass and Lou Levy on piano – and there's a bit more bite on some tracks than the usual Bethlehem set. Titles include "Diggin For Diz", "Ruby My Dear", "Tune Up", "Stanley The Steamer", and "This Time The Drum's On Me". CD

Sprightly early work from the great Herbie Mann – key proof that Herb was always a hell of a talent on his chosen instrument! Mann blows both conventional flute and alto flute on the record – with a deftness of notes that may be the most fluid recorded at that date in jazz – especially given the loose quartet format of the album, which leaves plenty of room for Herbie right out front. Instrumentation includes guitar from either Joe Puma or Benny Weeks, bass from Keith Hodgson or Whitey Mitchell, and drums from Lee Rockey and Herbie Wasserman – but it's clear throughout that Mann's the main star of the set, and he really manages to do a hell of a lot in a very tight space. Titles include "After Work", "Chicken Little", "The Purple Grotto", "Spring Morning", "Deep Night", and "Moon Dreams". CD version includes 3 bonus tracks! CD

Dimitri's the king of the French club scene – so we're happy to have him sort through the classic Salsoul disco catalog, pick out his favorite tracks, and serve them up in one extended mix! The CD features 15 cuts in all, with a good blend of favorites and more obscure numbers – and titles include "Sadie" by Joe Bataan, "Law & Order" by Love Committee, "Ten Percent" by Double Exposure, "Boogie's Gonna Get Ya", "Here's To You" by Skyy, "Let's Go Another Round" by Inner Life feat Jocelyn Brown, "Moment Of My Life" by Inner Life with Jocelyn Brown, "Seconds" by The Salsoul Orchestra with Loleatta Holloway, "Catch Me On The Rebound" by Loleatta Holloway, and "Love is You" by Carol Williams. CD

One of the few great records that alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano cut with Shelly Manne – and a heck of a wonderful record that really set a new tone for Shelly's groove at the time! Things here are a bit looser and freer than before – longer tracks with more room for solos to really take flight – yet still a sense of modern arrangement that marked the Manne sound from its inception. The group's a quintet with Stu Williamson on trumpet, Russ Freeman on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Mariano on some especially nice alto solos – and the interplay between Charlie and Stu easily rivals the best Bethlehem recordings by the pair at the time. Titles include the excellent 10 minute "Pint Of Blues", an original by Charlie – plus Bill Holman's extended "Quartet", and versions of "The Wind", "Moose The Mooche", and "Tommyhawk". CD

One of Charles Mingus' true classics – and an essential album in any jazz collection! This 1959 gem was recorded by Mingus at a key point in his career – when he was rising from the jazz underground into the ranks of America's elite jazzmen, penning some of the most challenging work of his career, and working with incredible younger players that interpreted his work with a great deal of fire! The tracks are a bit more tightly arranged than work on some of Mingus' previous work for labels like Atlantic and Bethlehem, but that also gives them a razor-sharp emotional edge that's carried off perfectly by players who include John Handy and Shafi Hadi on alto saxes, Booker Ervin on tenor, Willie Dennis and Jimmy Knepper on trombones, Horace Parlan on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums. The album is filled with key Mingus classics – like "Better Git It In Your Soul", "Boogie Stop Shuffle", "Goodbye Pork Pie Hat", and "Fables of Faubus" – plus "Self Portrait In Three Colors", "Open Letter To Duke", and "Bird Call". CD

The first album in a legendary run of vocal jazz classics on Atlantic Records – and a set that really helped Chris Connor move to a new level of expression in her music! The sound here is much richer than Connor's previous recordings for Bethlehem – and the small combo jazz backings have been replaced by fuller orchestrations by Ralph Burns – done in a cool, edgey sort of way that really pushes Chris into newly sophisticated territory! The sound's on a par with the best June Christy/Pete Rugolo collaborations on Capitol – and the group's filled with some great jazz players, including Zoot Sims, John Lewis, Milt Hinton, and Oscar Pettiford. Titles include "I Get A Kick Out Of You", "My April Heart", "He Was Good to Me", "Where Are You", and "Get Out Of Town". CD