A new record by Blossom Dearie – and a really nice one! The set's on her own Daffodil label, but unlike a lot of the sets on that label, which are mostly trio ones, this one features a full group – with great arrangements by Cesar Camargo Mariano, a talent behind some of our favorite Brazilian jazz recordings! The feel here is light and lively – Blossom's vocals dancing with some nice small combo backing, performed by a group that includes Jay Berliner on guitar and Grady Tate on some occasional backup vocals. Titles include "Lvoe Dance", "Make Some Magic", "Wave", "The Ladies Who Lunch", and "Bluesette". CD

A mixture of studio and live recordings from Blossom Dearie – pulled together from some of her earlier albums on the Daffodil label into a great expanded package on CD! Most of the tunes here are done in an intimate, personal manner – with Dearie on vocals and keyboards, and just a bit of backing behind – and as on other records, there's an especially nice feel to the live numbers, especially when Blossom speaks a bit with the audience. Titles include "Bruce", "I Told You So", "Someone's Been Sending Me Flowers", "The Ballad Of The Shape Of Things", "Bye Bye Country Boy", "My Attorney Bernie", "I Told You So", "I Like You You're Nice", "Answering Machine", and "Touch The Hand Of Love". CD

Wonderful later work by Blossom Dearie – a 2LP set that's filled with wonderful compositions that rank with some of her best tunes! The style of the album is subtle – mostly just spare piano backing behind Blossom's vocals – but the tunes are opened up with that magical vocal approach that's always made Blossom one of the most distinct singers of her time. Original tunes include "Love Is An Elusive Celebration", "Winchester In Apple Blossom Time", "Touch The Hand Of Love", "Sunday Afternoon", and "Sweet Surprise" – and contains versions of "Sammy", "It Amazes Me", "A Wonderful Guy", "Jazz Musician", and "The Wheelers & Dealers". CD

A wonderful mid 70s session from Blossom Dearie – a small combo outing, but one that's less in the straighter trio style of some of her other records on the Daffodil label! The keyboards here are mostly electric, and used in a way that provides warmly flowing lines alongside Blossom's sweet vocals – in a style that almost makes the record feel like a fuller studio effort, but which retains the close-up and personal sense that always makes a Dearie record sound best. Titles are nearly all original numbers penned with Blossom's great sense of humor – with numbers that include "Hey John", "Sweet Georgie Fame", "I'm Shadowing You", "Many's The Time", "Isn't That The Thing To Do", "How Do You Say Auf Wiedersehn", and "Saving My Feeling For You". CD

One of the first great non-Japanese recordings by trumpeter Terumasa Hino – a smoking little live set from Germany, done at a time when Hino was working at the height of his youthful powers! The mode here is stretched out and open – never too outside, but very exploratory – in the direction that Hino took quite strongly on his Japanese albums as the 70s approached, but performed here in a style that's even more organic than those records. The group is all Japanese – with Motohiko Hino on drums and Mikio Masuda on piano – and added conga at the bottom of the backings almost gives the record an early 70s Impulse Records sort of feel – nice and spiritual, and plenty soulful! Titles include "Alone Alone & Alone", "Taro's Mood", "Black Daffodil", and "Predawn". CD also features a bonus CD of unreleased material – the tracks "Stella By Starlight", "Cycle Circle", and "Lullaby". CD

A majestic set of spiritual jazz numbers – performed by a core trio of Japanese pianist Miko Masuda, bassist Tsutomu Okada, and drummer Motohiko Hino – with guest performances by Terumasa Hino on trumpet, Takao Uematsu on tenor, and Hideo Miyata on flute! The added horns really push the album strongly past the usual trio style of the time – and it's clear that all players are drawing lots of inspiration from the post-Coltrane generation in the US – using new freedoms to really express themselves in their music, yet never going to far outside in their pursuit of a soulful sound. The tracks are all long and soaring, with some really great rhythms – and titles include "Prayer", "Add Some", "Pinocchio", "Black Daffodils", and "Hard Luck". CD

One of the most unique compilations we've ever heard – a set that gets at the really unique way that soul music came across on the British scene of the 60s – as American influences were mixed with local interpretations, which themselves drew plenty of influences from related scenes in the West Indies and South Africa at the time! The scope of expression here is hugely different than any American soul collections from the time – and while there's definitely a few Americans in the mix from time to time, they're mostly represented by recordings done in England, amidst a huge amount of artists who never get reissued on our side of the Atlantic! Usually, a set like this would be put together to show that Northern Soul created some upbeat music on the British scene – but with this gem of a collection, the scope is much wider, and really open to the influences that were running through black communities in England during these key post-colonial years. The package has a massive amount of music – 115 tracks in all, with a very cool book-styled package that's got superb notes and plenty of images – to support work by Lorraine Child, Peter Straker, Maxine Nightingale, Cy Grant, Cab Kaye, Dimples & Eddie, Ronnie Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Norma Lee, Jimmy Tomas, Jackie Edwards, Madeline Bell, Oliver Norman, The Fantastics, Root & Jenny Jackson, Ram John Holder, Simon K & The Meantimers, Caleb, The Foundations, The Soul Brothers, Blue Beaters, Seven Letters, Joe's All Stars, Sonny & The Daffodils, Tony Washington & The DCs, Davy Jones, Geoff Love, Ray Ellington, Emile Ford & The Big Six, Millie, Rico, Black Velvet, and many others! CD

One of the most unique compilations we've ever heard – a set that gets at the really unique way that soul music came across on the British scene of the 60s – as American influences were mixed with local interpretations, which themselves drew plenty of influences from related scenes in the West Indies and South Africa at the time! The scope of expression here is hugely different than any American soul collections from the time – and while there's definitely a few Americans in the mix from time to time, they're mostly represented by recordings done in England, amidst a huge amount of artists who never get reissued on our side of the Atlantic! Usually, a set like this would be put together to show that Northern Soul created some upbeat music on the British scene – but with this gem of a collection, the scope is much wider, and really open to the influences that were running through black communities in England during these key post-colonial years. The package has a massive amount of music – 115 tracks in all, with a very cool book-styled package that's got superb notes and plenty of images – to support work by Lorraine Child, Peter Straker, Maxine Nightingale, Cy Grant, Cab Kaye, Dimples & Eddie, Ronnie Jones, Ernest Ranglin, Norma Lee, Jimmy Tomas, Jackie Edwards, Madeline Bell, Oliver Norman, The Fantastics, Root & Jenny Jackson, Ram John Holder, Simon K & The Meantimers, Caleb, The Foundations, The Soul Brothers, Blue Beaters, Seven Letters, Joe's All Stars, Sonny & The Daffodils, Tony Washington & The DCs, Davy Jones, Geoff Love, Ray Ellington, Emile Ford & The Big Six, Millie, Rico, Black Velvet, and many others! CD