Includes music from Jan & Dean, Champs, Big Al Downing & The Poe Kats, Huelyn Duvall, Dave Burgess, Riptides, Kuf-Linx, Jerry Fuller, Scatman Crothers and more – 50 tracks in all! CD

Nicely relaxed jam session material by a group of late swing players that includes Williams, Coleman Hawkins, Rex Stewart, Bud Freeman, Hank Jones, Milt Hinton, and Billy Bauer. The tracks are all trad standards – like "I'm Beginning To See The Light", "When Your Lover Has Gone", "I Got A Right To Sing The Blues", "I Knew You When", "Walkin' My Baby Back Home", and "Do Nothing Till You Hear From Me" – plus one original, "Alphonse and Gaston". CD

Tracks include "Fantastic Rhythm" and "Let Nature Take Its Course", unabridged versions of "Chelsea Bridge" and "Pretty Girl", and Strayhorn's 1942 arrangements of "Something To Live For". CD

Features Billy Drewes on reeds, Frank Kimbrough on piano, and Ben Monder on guitar. CD

... CD

Ben Webster on tenor saxophone, Cees Slinger on piano, Rob Langereis on bass, and John Engels on drums. CD

... CD

Frank Foster on tenor saxophone, Ted Dunbar on guitar, Mickey Tucker on piano, Earl May on bass, and Billy Hart on drums. CD

The legendary Nat Adderley is definitely in good company here – a group with excellent work on alto from Antonio Hart – a player who comes off in a very different way than the famous alto of Nat's late brother, Cannonball! Antonio seems to open up some nicely dark currents in Adderley's music – underscored by the piano work of Rob Bargard, who can do a great job of shading things in from below – while the whole group moves with great rhythm work from the team of Walter Booker on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums. Tunes include two great Bargard originals – "Rob's New Tune" and "War Zone" – plus versions of "Rwanda", "Sermonette", "Corcovado", and "Unit Seven". CD

Masterful later work from saxophonist Gary Bartz – proof that he kept on growing and maturing his style after his initial explosive years in the 70s! This album is a bit more subtle than those righteous classics, but still carries a lot of message in the music – a suite of tracks composed by Gary Bartz and pianist Larry Willis – whose sharp-yet-round tones are a perfect accompaniment to Gary in the quartet alongside the bass of Buster Williams and the drums of Ben Riley! And yes, there's no vocals, nor funky bits – but the maturing power of Gary's message really comes through loud and clear – on titles that include "Children Of Harlem", "Tico Tico", "Amos & Andy Theme", "Heavy Blue", and "Tap Dancer". CD

With Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. CD

Spanky Davis on trumpet and Roy Eldridge on vocals – with Artie Baker on clarinet, Bobby Pratt or Dick Katz on piano, Frank Tate on bass, and Eddie Locke on drums. CD

Features Bert Van Den Brink on piano, Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. CD

Rick Margitza on saxophone, Kevin Hays on piano, George Mraz on bass, and Al Foster on drums. CD

Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Lee Konitz on alto saxophone. CD

Cedar Walton on piano, Dale Barlow on tenor saxophone, Billy Higgins on drums & Dave Williams on bass. CD

Harry Allen and Scott Hamilton on tenor – with Rossano Sportiello on piano, Joel Forbes on bass, and Chuck Riggs on drums. CD

Tracks include "Take The A-Train", "Wrong Track", "Mood Indigo", "In A Sentimental Mood", and "Obbele Boep 'm Pam" which features special guest Jaap Blonk on vocals. CD

A really different album from pianist Enrico Pieranunzi – and one that really lives up to its title! Rather than being song-based – featuring compositions by Enrico or some of his contemporaries – the record features the trio improvising, but never in a free jazz way – always with a groove, and a strong sense of rhythmic cohesion – but clearly improvising their way through the 18 short numbers that make up the set! The energy is great – in ways that maybe make the record one of Pieranunzi's most compelling records – and the rest of the group features Hein Van De Geyn on bass and Hans Van Oosterhout on drums. Titles include "Forms" 1 through 18. CD

Late work from trumpeter Clark Terry, but the kind of record that really lives up to his long legacy of specially-shaped sounds from his instrument – matched here by superb work from Al Grey on trombone! Terry always has this great way of evoking a mouthy, gritty vibe from his horn, while still delivering a clear, clean sound – and a great vision for a solo, even in a compact space – and that's carried forward here by very strong work from Al Grey, a player who didn't always get his chance to sparkle this much in later years! The group's got another great feature – no drums, just the bass of Marcus McLaurine and piano of Charles Fox – leaving plenty of open room for improvisation, and even more reliance on the inherently rhythmic styles of both hornmen. Titles include "Hooties Blues", "Greazy Blues", "Cool Vibes", "Sluggo", "Hip Hat Blues", and "The View From Glencove". CD

A highly unusual trio with Eric Vloeimans on trumpet, Tuur Florizoone on accordion, and Jord Brinkman on cello! CD

A striking session for Anita O'Day – and a refreshing change from her work of the 50s! This one has Anita singing with arrangements by Gary McFarland, a mix of easy jazz styles that show a more sophisticated side to her voice – a bit more careful than before, with more hidden in the background, and less of the in your face style of years past. Anita really rises to the challenge of the hip material – and does a great job with songs like "Senor Blues", "One More Mile", "A Woman Alone With The Blues", "I Want To Sing A Song", and "The Ballad Of The Sad Young Men". CD

A rich tapestry of Afro-Caribbean rhythms – and one of the most compelling albums we've heard in years from David Murray! The set features an expanded group of percussionists, vocalists, and other instrumentalists – fronted by lead solo stars David Murray and Pharoah Sanders – all jamming freely in styles that bring together bits of African, Haitian, and Cuban rhythms – forging them into a bold new sound for the project! Tracks are all quite longish, and given the previous skills that both Murray and Sanders have exhibited in such settings, they're more than up for the challenge of working with such a heady group of players! Titles include "Go To Jazz", "Gwotet", "Djolla Feeling", "La Jwa", "O Leonso", and "Ovwa". CD

A killer set from Count Basie – recorded during the height of his years at Roulette! The back cover of the record proclaims that "Basie Is Back Home" – clearly a bit by Birdland to lay claim to being the Count's home address, which is a bit of a challenge to his KC roots! Whatever the back story, though, the set's a nice one – swinging hard in that completely tight 60s mode, with a great lineup that includes Frank Foster and Budd Johnson on tenor, Thad Jones on trumpet, Bennie Powell on trombone, and Freddie Green on guitar – a really great group who definitely make the record a cooker! Tracks include "Good Time Blues", "Segue In C", "Little Pony", "Discommotion", and "Whirly Bird", which has a vocal by Jon Hendricks! CD features 8 more bonus tracks – recorded at the same time, and first issued on the Mosaic set Complete Roulette Live Recordings – titles that include "Easin It", "Corner Pocket", "Discommotion", "Whirly Bird (inst)", "I Needs To Be Bee'd With", and "A Little Tempo Please". CD

The second smash hit record in a row by Toni Braxton, and one of biggest and best of the mid 90s – the secret was out by this point to say the least! If the pressure was high to match the sales and creative strengths of the self-titled solo debut, Toni, composer/producer Babyface and producer LA Reid rise to the challenge with unforgettable songcraft and a built-to-last production aesthetic, carried to the heavens by Toni's voice. She's at her peak here, bringing a soulful resonance and all around depth to every note, whether it's on a chart ready pop soul confection, or a richly emotional ballad. Perhaps Toni's biggest moment as a superstar, but she personifies realness throughout! Includes "Come On Over Here", "You're Making Me High", "There's No Me Without You", the eternal "Un-Break My Heart", "Talking In His Sleep", "I Don't Want To", "Let It Flow", "In The Late Of Night" and more. CD

A fantastic illustration of the live music tradition on Brazil – one that really arose on records during the 60s, and blossomed strongly on 70s records like this – which feel almost more like an event than a recorded document! The concert features a magnificent meeting of Chico Buarque and Maria Bethania – both very strong talents on their own, balanced in this really great way amidst larger backings from Maestro Gaya – duetting on tunes that really turn into something special from their performance – never a challenge of egos, but instead a wonderful folding of strong ideals. Terra Trio provide the rhythms – and most numbers are Buarque originals – with titles that include "Flor Da Idade", "Vai Levando", "Bem Querer", "Noite Dos Mascarados", "Tanto Mar", "Gota D'Agua", "Com Acucar E Com Afeto", and "Sem Fantasia". CD

Damn great work from Ledisi – an artist who hasn't missed a beat since moving to the majors a few years back – sounding almost funkier than ever before, thanks to some impeccable production and razor-sharp instrumentation! Ledisi's vocals are beyond challenge – old school deep soul we first came to love years back, on her classic indie sets – and this time around, the instrumentation seems even rawer than we remember – as if there's an old school funky combo backing the singer up on some tracks, mixed with other numbers that have some fuller backings, but still really retain their edge. Production is by a crew with some really great ears for this sort of sound – Rex Rideout, Raphael Saadiq, and others – and from the songwriting credits, it's clear that Ledisi's still very much in charge of the overall shape of the album. Titles include "Runnin", "Everything Changes", "Turn Me Loose", "Love Never Changes", "Knockin", "Goin Thru Changes", "I Need Love", "Say No", "Please Stay", and "Trippin". CD

A definite joy from the legendary Teddy Pendergrass – a late 80s album, but one that manages to still stay in all the best territory of his classic early solo work! Like a rare few from his generation, Teddy never gets overwhelmed by some heavier R&B production – that more beat/bottom heavy style used in the late 80s – and instead, he almost takes the mode as a challenge to push his vocals even more –reminding all the younger singers that he's still very much the top of the heap, and able to open up with a tremendous range, and really sending the tunes home. Tracks include "Joy", "2 AM", "Good To You", "Love is The Power", "Can We Be Lovers", and "I'm Ready". CD

One of the biggest-selling albums ever on the Blue Note label – even though the music here started out in the realm of copyright infringement! Back in the early 90s, the British duo used a big Herbie Hancock sample for an underground club cut – and when Blue Note heard about the track, not only did they not challenge them, they signed them to the label, encouraged them to dig deep into the back catalog – and began a trend that started a huge amount of jazz sample-based records for decades to come! If you know Blue Note, you'll hear plenty of familiar moments here – recast as dance cuts on titles that include the hit "Cantaloop", built up from Herbie Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" – plus "I Got It Goin On", "Different Rhythms", "Eleven Long Years", "Lazy Day", "Cruisin", and "I Go To Work". CD

Even these many years into his career, pianist Mike Nock is still one of the most dynamic, rhythmic players we can think of – a really bold voice on the acoustic keys, and one who never fails to delight our ears! This recent album is simple and elegant, yet steps forth with the same sense of power that first made Nock a talent to watch back in the 60s – a way of playing the piano that almost challenges the bass and drums for rhythmic supremacy, participating equally in the warmly flowing groove of the tunes. Members of Nock's trio here include Toby Hall on drums and Brett Hirst on bass – and the session's filled with great original numbers that include "Communion", "Three Dee", "Drowning Joyfully", "Gravity Adjustment", "Acceptance", and "Changing Seasons Winter To Spring" – as well as a great version of Wayne Shorter's "ESP". CD

A double-length set of work from one of the greatest pianists of the 50s – both of his Atlantic albums together on a single CD! First up is the self-titled Lennie Tristano, from 1955 – darkly imaginative work from the great Tristano – and one of the few full albums he ever cut as a leader! The record features the incredible track "Turkish Mambo" – which has Tristano overdubbed 3 times in this dark modal way that's totally amazing, and which will hook you into his playing immediately! A number of other tracks feature a quartet with Lee Konitz – always a good match for Tristano – and a few others have a great trio that's completed by Peter Ind and Jeff Morton. Tracks include "Requiem", "East 32nd", "You Go To My Head", and "Line Up". New Tristano is an incredible record by Lennie – one that features him playing solo piano, but in a way that's so inventive, so creative, so pyrotechnic, that Atlantic Records had to include text on the back cover saying "No use is made of multi-tracking, over-dubbing, or tape-speeding." The album's also one of the last (the last?) that Lennie ever cut – and although many other players are kind of faltering in last sessions like this, Lennie's sounding better than ever – ready to take on a realm of new challenges in the 60s. Titles include "Love Lines", "G Minor Complex", "Becoming", and "Deliberation". CD

Tremendous work from Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings – a set that took a bit longer to hit the racks than expected, but which really shows a richness that more than makes up for the delay! Sharon's a singer who's always been great – but she steps out strongly here with a sense of maturity that seems to take her vocals even farther than before – and The Dap Kings are more than ready to match her energy with some funky work of their own! Jones has gone through a lot in recent years – both with the band and in her own personal life – and the record's a proud summation of life's challenges and triumphs, served up in the instant-classic style that has made Sharon one of the greatest living soul singers of the past few decades. Bosco Mann knocked things out of the park with his raw production – and also wrote a good number of tracks on the set too – and titles include "Making Up & Breaking Up", "Long Time Wrong Time", "People Don't Get What They Deserve", "Retreat", "Stranger To My Happiness", and "Now I See". CD

The team of Jackie & Roy have a charm that never seems to go away – even on later recordings like these which you might imagine to be suspect! The pair fit together so perfect vocally – and after decades of swinging together on a range of jazzy material they seem better equipped than ever to tackle a range of musical challenges. As usual, Jackie dominates on the gentler tunes, but the best numbers have Roy coming up with strong and warm support. Backing is by a trio led by Roy on piano, plus additional horns, strings, and guest instrumentalists that vary from track to track. Highlights include the Annie Ross tune "Music Is Forever", Jackie's own "Fred Astaire", and the lovely Fran Landesman tune "Through The Windows Of Cars" – and the album also features new versions of Jackie & Roy classics "Cheerful Little Earful" and "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" – and the tracks "I Know That You Know", "You Didn't Tell Me It Was Wrong", and "The Duke". CD

Conductor Antal Dorati earned his reputation on a range of vivid, colorful recordings with the Minneapolis Symphony – but he could also be a committed modernist when he wanted, as you'll hear on this fantastic set with the London Symphony from 1962! The works here represent some of the sharpest new currents for orchestra in the early 20th century – and Dorati responds wonderful to the challenges, which include as much energy in the rhythms as in the tonal colors. Performances include "Five Pieces For Orchestra (Op 16)" by Schoenberg, "Five Pieces For Orchestra (Op 10)" by Webern, and "Three Pieces For Orchestra (Op 6)" by Berg. CD

A great little set that really lives up to the promise of its title – and it's claim to offer up "commercial recordings of Anglo-European American vernacular music that challenges the stereotypes"! The set's a wealth of obscure 78rpm recordings that really defy genre convention – and which show that the 20s was easily one of the most experimental times in American music – a point when later common styles were really quite new, and still very fluid – bits of later blues, folk, or country intermingling equally – often from sources that you wouldn't expect a decade or two later. These tracks are all acoustic, but feature really inventive instrumentation – especially when modes of a generation or two before are pushed into new phrasings with decidedly (then) modern flavors. As usual with these Tompkins Square reissues, the sound quality is great – and the package offers up some good notes to help situate the music too. Titles include "Caliope" by Lewis Brothers, "Bacon & Cabbage" by Blind Joe Mangrum & Fred Shriver, "Don't Get One Woman On Your Mind" by Willard Hodgin, "The Whale Did I Know He Did" by Mustard & Gravy, "Ladies Quadrille" by The Happy Hayseeds, "Dill Pickles Rag" by McLaughlin's Old Time Melody Makers, and "Down In Tennessee Blues" by Homer Davenport. CD