60s issue of obscure 1953 recordings made by Joe Sullivan in San Francisco – mostly solo, but with some occasional drums and bass. LP, Vinyl record album

A great little ep of tracks from Joe R Lewis – one of the lesser-known figures of the Chicago house scene of the 80s, and an artist who had a sound that presaged some of the New York styles of the late 80s and early 90s. The set's got a nice moody feel overall, and features 6 tracks that include "Sometimes I", "All Aboard House Train (inst)", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Separate Ways (insane mix)", "Change Reaction (headache mix)", and "Set Me Free (radio)" with vocals by Janene Moran. 12-inch, Vinyl record

We couldn't think up a better title to describe the way that Joe Tex approached soul music in the 60s – giving 110% to his music, working like a dog to climb the ranks that were already filled with other budding soul stars! This album's a perfect example of Joe at his best – nearly all original tunes recorded in close collaboration with producer Buddy Killen, whose unique talents really brought out the best in Joe's honest apporach to soul music. The album includes the studio version of the classic groover "Papa Was Too", and loads of other classics like "SYSLJFM (The Letter Song)", "I've Got To Do A Little Bit Better", "Half A Mind", "I Believe I'm Gonna Make It", "Watch The One (That Brings The Bad News)', and "A Woman Sees A Hard Time (When Her Man Is Gone)". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare session as a leader from trumpeter Johnny Coles – a player who cut some great work in the groups of James Moody and Gil Evans, but who shines even more brightly on this classic Blue Note album! Coles really has an ear for finding the hippest side of his instrument – and he blows with a style that's unlike anyone else we can think of – and certainly far from the mellower tones of his previous leader set for Columbia. This album's got a great mix of hardbop and modern ideas – right up there with the best Blue Note had to offer at the time – and the group's filled with equally hip players who include Joe Henderson on tenor, Leo Wright on alto and flute, Duke Pearson on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and either Pete LaRoca or Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "Heavy Legs", "Hobo Joe", "Jano", and "Little Johnny C". Very hip, very hard, and very swingin! LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album cut by Randy during the height of her career! She'd just broken big with her vocals on "Street Life" by the Crusaders – and although that track's not on here, the Crusaders team of Wilton Felder, Stix Hooper, and Joe Sample produced the album, and have given it a very similar sound to that track. There's a few weak moments where Randy's singing in a mellower style that lets her voice wobble a bit too much – but the stronger tracks have a good jazz funk groove, and these include "Blue Flame", "Last Night At Danceland", and "My Heart Is Not As Young As It Used To Be". LP, Vinyl record album

A really cool little record – way more so than you might expect! Actor Laurence Harvey reads passages from the cheesy book in the title, but the set also features some cool instrumental work from Herbie Mann – with an unusual group that includes Ahmed Abdul-Malik on bass, Hagood Hardy on vibes, Ray Mantilla on conga, and Joe Puma on guitar! LP, Vinyl record album

One of Johnny Hammond's most obscure records – and a great little album that's filled with short tracks played by a largeish group – all in a groove that's almost got a cop show feel! The album's got a gritty, dirty feel that's totally great – a nice change from Johnny's early 60s soul jazz, and a definite nod at the funk that would come in the 70s. There's twin tenors on the date from Houston Person and Earl Edwards – who often blow together on the heads, creating a mini-horn section sort of feel that then breaks up into more of a small combo mode as the set rolls on. Guitar is by the wonderful Wally Richardson, who works alongside electric bass from Jimmy Lewis – rumbling nicely next to Hammond's newly-lean sound on the organ. Added congas from Richard Landrum round out the set – and titles include the wonderful "NYPD", plus "Dirty Apple", "Ode To Billie Joe", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Tara's Theme", and "I Got A Woman". LP, Vinyl record album

A great 2-fer – with 2 different classics from Dave Brubeck! First up is Gone With The Wind – a surprisingly nice little album from Brubeck – one that's mostly comprised of old-fashioned type tunes, but which all take on a hip new light in the hands of his classic quartet! As usual, Paul Desmond's one of the main assets of the set – working with Brubeck to forge a slightly off-beat and swinging approach that brings plenty of nice moments to tunes like "Gone With The Wind", "Ol Man River", "Shortnin Bread", "Camptown Races", and "The Lonesome Road". Time Out is easily the crowning moment of genius for the legendary Dave Brubeck Quartet – the moment when all things came together magically, and the group somehow elevated themselves to a whole new level in jazz! At the time of the set, Brubeck, Paul Desmond, and the rest had already been making plenty of waves with their creative yet swinging approaches to modern jazz – heard on a number of successful albums for Fantasy and Columbia in the 50s. But with this record, they really knocked one out of the park – blending Desmond's cool alto, Brubeck's unusual piano phrasing, Joe Morello's melodic drum work, and Eugene Wright's pulsating bass into a waltzing, almost modal groove that crossed over to many camps at the time! The classics "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo Ala Turk" were both hits on their own – but all titles are great, and include "Kathy's Waltz", "Strange Medow Lark", "Everybody's Jumpin", and "Pick Up Sticks". LP, Vinyl record album

A great little album that's as hip as its cover image – one of 3 seminal mid 50s recordings for Imperial by LA altoist Sonny Criss! At this point in his career, Criss had a sharp-edged sound that could easily rival the best work by Sonny Stitt or Charlie Parker on the alto sax – but he also had a groove that was a bit more spacious, and a tone that was slightly more raspy – a wonderful quality that we can only describe as Criss-esque, recorded perfectly in the Imperial studios! The group here is a tight quartet – with Sonny Clark on piano, Leroy Vinnegar on bass, and Lawrence Marable on drums – and Criss' solos are brilliant throughout! Titles include "Wailin With Joe", "The Man I Love", "Blues For Rose", "Blue Prelude", and "Summertime". LP, Vinyl record album

Tremendous work from Sonny Rollins – one of his most sharp-edged sessions of the mid 60s, and a bold departure from some of his previous work for RCA, with a crackling sense of energy that more than lives up to the exclamation point in the title – a starker quality than some of Sonny's earlier records, and one that brings out some sharper tones in his horn, even on the mellower numbers. The rhythm support is loose, but somewhat soulful and spontaneous – and features Ray Bryant on piano, Walter Booker on bass, and Mickey Roker on drums – an unusual pairing for Sonny, but that's what makes them so great. In a way, the album's almost Rollins' equivalent of John Coltrane's earlier Ballads album for Impulse – in that it includes familiar tunes, but remade into completely new numbers by the sound of the leader. Titles include "Green Dolphin Street", "Three Little Words", "Hold Em Joe", "The Blue Room", plus "Alfie's Theme". LP, Vinyl record album

A great early album from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – tempering the noisiness of their first album just a little bit, and showing Cave's enormous respect for darker strains of blues and proto rock of earlier decades in a really emphatic way – and his great talent for recasting those influences in his own howling poet visage. Amazing stuff that hasn't aged a day since the mid 80s. Includes "Tupelo", "Say Goodbye To The Little Girl Tree", "Train-Long Suffering", "The Black Crow King", their belligerent cover of Bob Dylan's "Wanted Man", "Knocking On Joe", "The Six Strings That Drew Blood" and more. LP, Vinyl record album

An essential Blue Note album by the great vibist Bobby Hutcherson, and a record that's split into 2 different sides, each of which display different aspects of Hutcherson's talents. The first four tracks are mellow and lyrical, with the kind of lovely melodic writing that is best illustrated by the cut "Little B's Poem" – included here, and still one of Hutcherson's most enduring works. The next four tracks show Hutcherson more as the accomplished modernist, working with edgey talents like James Spaulding on alto and flute, Freddie Hubbard on trumpet, Herbie Hancock on piano, Ron Carter on bass, and the great Joe Chambers on drums – who also wrote all 4 of the tracks in this segment. The work is a key example of Hutcherson's devotion to the Blue Note "new thing" sound, and titles include "Air", "Juba Dance", and "Pastoral". LP, Vinyl record album

Given that Chet Baker's a singer himself, it's a bit surprising that he's working here with another vocalist – but that oddity aside, the album's a great little session that's got an intimate feel that's a bit different than Baker's own vocal work! Pace's voice is much fuller and richer than Chet's – with a range that would have been very much at home doing more dramatic pop material of the era, yet which also fits in very comfortably in this laidback small group session. Baker himself plays trumpet on the record, backing Johnny up – and other players include Herbie Mann on flute, Joe Berle on piano, Jimmie Burke on bass, and either Philly Joe Jones or Ed Thigpen on drums. Titles include "All Or Nothing At All", "The Way You Look Tonight", "Yesterdays", "Everything I've Got Belongs To You", "When The Sun Comes Out", and "This Is Always". LP, Vinyl record album

A landmark album from Joe Cocker – and a set that took blue-eyed soul in a whole new direction at the end of the 60s! The album's a surprising stunner all the way through – one that really gets past some of the overdone Cocker cliches that held on a bit too strongly in later years – served up here in relative simplicity, with core backing by Chris Stainton and The Grease Band, plus some key LA help from Leon Russell, and a bevy of backup singers that includes Merry Clayton, Bonnie Bramlett, Rita Coolidge, and Patrice Holloway. Russell co-produced the set, and his soulful touch definitely helps do a lot for Cocker's already-amazing vocals – adding in an undercurrent of funk that wasn't heard on Joe's first album. Titles include a classic remake of "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window", plus "Delta Lady", "Something", "That's Your Business Now", "Hitchcock Railway", "Dear Landlord", "Darling Be Home Soon", and "Hello Little Friend". LP, Vinyl record album

We put the catalog number in the title of this one because it seemed that Blue Note was putting out too many title-less Hank Mobley albums during the late 50s. Who cares, though? This album's a great batch of hardbop tracks that show Mobley at his finest, and which hardly need a title to hang them together. The group's a sextet, with little-known reed player Curtis Porter on alto and tenor, plus Sonny Clark on piano and Bill Hardman on trumpet. Titles include "Mighty Moe & Joe" and "News" (both written by Porter), plus Mobley's "Double Exposure". Prime hardbop material, and with a great cover that has Mobley looking like an alien behind a microphone! LP, Vinyl record album

Landmark stuff – a killer session of funky guitar jazz, and the record that gave Ivan "Boogaloo" Joe Jones his nickname! The set's a full-on wailer that really blows away Joe's first two on Prestige – breaking out ouf the box with a killer lineup that includes Rusty Bryant on tenor, Bernard Purdie on drums, and Sonny Phillips on organ – all working with Joe's incredibly tight guitar lines to craft some wicked tunes that take soul jazz firmly into the sound of the 70s! Titles include "Boogaloo Joe", "People Are Talking", "Dream On Little Dreamer", and "Atlantic City Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking little set from Freddie Hubbard, recorded during his great back-to-basics years of the early 80s! The tracks here are all quite long, and informed by a strong sense of hardbop – but they also open up with some sharper, more modern moments at times – of the sort that keenly reflect Freddie's best roots during his early years at Blue Note. The other players here are all quite strong – especially well-matched for the energy of such a record – with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and Joe Henderson on tenor, plus rhythm from Billy Childs on piano, Larry Klein on bass, and Steve Houghton on drums. The LP presents all tracks in long, unedited takes – titles that include "Birdlike", "The Intrepid Fox", and "Sky Dive". LP, Vinyl record album

Classic work from Joe Hinton – a labelmate to Bobby Blue Bland and Little Junior Parker on Duke Records, but an artist who was a bit more jazzy! The set includes his classic "Funny" – plus "If It Ain't One Thing", "Be Ever Wonderful", "The Whole Town's Talking", "Baby Please", "I'm Waiting", and "Tell Her The Truth". LP, Vinyl record album

Sweet electric funk from trumpeter Donald Byrd – one of his first forays into an electric mode, and done in a style that's very different than his better-known soul fusion of the mid 70s! Before Byrd hooked up with Larry Mizell and started recording his smooth fusion grooves on records like Blackbyrd and Street Lady – he recorded this gem, kind of a "lost" album that has Donald working in an open-ended electric sound – one that's clearly inspired by the experiments of Miles Davis, but which has a generally funkier feel overall! The tracks are very long – with lots of spiraling keyboard and trumpet solos – and the hip players on the set include Bobby Hutcherson on vibes, David T Walker on guitar, Harold Land on tenor, and Joe Sample on organ – a very cool combo that's got a cross between The Crusaders and the Hutcherson/Land quintet! We love the tracks on this set – especially "The Emperor" and "The Little Rasti", which are both over 15 minutes long, and have a haunting spacey sound that's a departure from Donald's usual work! LP, Vinyl record album

Keystone bop indeed – a smoking little set from Freddie Hubbard, recorded during his great back-to-basics years of the early 80s! The tracks here are all quite long, and informed by a strong sense of hard bop – but they also open up with some sharper, more modern moments at times – of the sort that keenly reflect Freddie's best roots during his early years at Blue Note. The other players here are all quite strong – especially well-matched for the energy of such a record – with Bobby Hutcherson on vibes and Joe Henderson on tenor, plus rhythm from Billy Childs on piano, Larry Klein on bass, and Steve Houghton on drums. 3 lengthy tracks: "The Littlest One Of All", "One Of Another Kind", and "Body & Soul". LP, Vinyl record album

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A great little set from T-Bone – recorded at the end of the 60s, with a lineup that includes other blues musicians like Joe Turner, Otis Spann, and George Harmonica Smith, plus jazz funk players like Paul Humphrey and Ernie Watts! The vibe is very laidback – and most tracks on the album stretch out in an extended free-form style that's quite unusual compared to T-Bone's other records. As usual, his guitar and vocals are very soulful – and titles include "Paris Blues", "Blues Jam", and "Jot's Blues". A real gem on Flying Dutchman/Bluestime. LP, Vinyl record album

Heavy funk from the Florida scene, and a set that brings together some real killers from the much-lauded Saadia label – an imprint that followed on the scene after the earlier Deep City label, and which definitely set the tone for all sorts of funky 45s from TK Records to come! There's some players here you'll know from later fame – and they're set up on really raw, gritty cuts that more than live up to the funky 45 fame that has made Saadia one of the real indie greats from the south back in the day – a definite top-shelf label presented here in an all-killer, no-filler collection! Titles include "Right On Brother" and "Cold Sweat" by Brother Williams, "Do Right Man" and "Blind Man" by Little Beaver & The Rocketeers, "It's All Lover" and "Good Things" by Pearl Dowell, "Just Can't Help Myself" and "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" by Robert Moore, "Super Funky" by Thunder Lighting & Rain, "Do Right Man" by Sam Baker, and "Somebody Done Took My Baby & Gone" by Joey Gilmore. LP, Vinyl record album

Solo guitar by Joe Pass – a beautiful little album that's a perfect showcase for the new sensitivity in his music during his years at Pablo records! The Joe Pass heard here is light years away from the guitar player who made a few gimmicky records a decade before – and this album has Joe coming across with a gentle, but sophisticated approach to his instrument that we never would have expected in the past! Titles include "Blues For Basie", "Blues For OP", "Misty", "Grooveyard", "Giant Steps", "Five Hundred Miles High", and "Limehouse Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great little record from Clark Terry – filled with warmth, humor, and some really great grooves! The core of the album is the track "Mumbles", one that's based around Terry kind of slurring a scat vocal to a jazzy 60s groove. The track was a minor hit at the time, and Mainstream recorded a whole album around it – using the arranging talents of Joe Cain, who runs through a lot of elements that really make the set cook – from Latin percussion, to Hammond organ grooving, electric guitar, and an overall sound that's got a hip Verve Records feel. Players include Vinnie Bell on guitar, Willie Bobo on percussion, Grady Tate on drums, and Jerome Richardson on reeds – and Cain really makes the record groove in ways that we've never heard on another Terry session. Titles include "Mumbles", "Rum & Mumbles", "Big Spender", "The Mumbler Strikes Again", "El Blues Latino", and "The Cat From Cadiz". LP, Vinyl record album

An interesting little album by Basie – most notable in that it features him playing a bit of organ, which is always a treat! Basie's not the greatest talent on the organ, but he is one of the first jazz players to use the instrument in a wider context, and hearing the album's a good way to check out the organ jazz scene and sound before Jimmy Smith got his hands atop the Hammond and shook the whole thing up! Players on the set include Freddie Green, Paul Quinichette, Buddy Rich, and Joe Newman – and titles include "Stan Shorthair", "Count's Organ Blues", "KC Organ Blues", "Royal Garden Blues", and "Basie Beat". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweet little set from Chick Corea – one that's got a bit of a Return To Forever vibe at times, but maybe taken down into tighter territory overall – which makes for pure jazz funk greatness throughout! Some tunes have a nice sense of groove – the choppy fusion of RTF, but more focused, and providing a great bump at the bottom for Chick to solo over the top – on Fender Rhodes, clavinet, and piano – with help from Joe Farrell on a variety of reeds, Bunny Brunel on bass, and Airto on percussion! There's a small bit of vocals on the set, but Chick's keys are the main star – and titles include "Slinky", "Drifting", "Glebe St Blues", "Fickle Funk", "Bagatelle 4", and "Hot News Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Basie was getting all over the place during the 50s – and this set's a great little concert recorded in London! The album's classic Basie for Verve – with Joe Williams on vocals on 3 tracks, and a tight group that includes Thad Jones, Joe Newman, Benny Powell, Matthew Gee, and Frank Foster. Titles include "Flute Juice", "Nails", "Blues Backstage", "Corner Pocket", "Roll Em Pete", and "Well All Right Okay You Win". LP, Vinyl record album

A real gem from the height of Dizzy's big band years at Verve – a stunning little set that features a hip larger group that includes Joe Gordon, Melba Liston, Rod Leavitt, Phil Woods, Ernie Wilkins, and Billy Mitchell. The groove here is well-orchestrated, well-placed soul – with less of the playful bop touches of earlier sides, and more of a hiply modern style that shows Dizzy stretching out in larger shades of color and tone. And while the "World Statesmen" cover and image might make you wary of some gimmick on the set, the album's key Gillespie through and through – a deft turn away from the styles of the bop years, into a world of sound that would support his career strongly for years to come! Titles include "Tour De Force", "Doodlin", "Night In Tunisia", "The Champ", "My Reverie", and "Dizzy's Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

A hip little record – produced by Bob Thiele as pre-Flying Dutchman effort, and with some of the great vibe of the blues records on that label! The set's got an unusual lineup – with jazzman Richard Williams on trumpet, plus Ed Davis on tenor, Marshall Hooks on guitar, Curtis Tillman on bass, Robert Schedel on piano, and Big Jim Wynn on saxophones. One track also features guitar from Art Adams and harmonica from Lightnin Rod – and titles include "Blues For Reverend King", "Ode To Billie Joe", "If You Were A Rabbit", "Juicy Harmonica", "Help Me", and "A Letter To The President". LP, Vinyl record album

Culled from the rich history of the Atlantic records label, and lovingly put together with great notes and everything! Tracks include "Lowe Groovin", "Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere", & "Applejack" by Joe Morris, "That Old Black Magic", "Annie Laurie", & "Midnight Special" by Tiny Grimes, "Cole Slaw", by Frank Cully, "So Long", "I'll Get Along Somehow", "Daddy Daddy", & "5-10-15 Hours" by Ruth Brown, "One Monkey Don't Stop No Show" & "Drinkin Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" by Stick Mcghee, "The Chill Is On", "Chains Of Love", & "Sweet Sixteen" by Joe Turner, "Hey Little Girl" & "Mardi Gras In New Orleans" by Professor Longhair, "Fool Fool Fool" & "One Mint Julep" by the Clovers, and "The Midnight Hour" by Ray Charles. LP, Vinyl record album

Essential 2LP set of rare R&B material from the legendary Okeh label – known to many as one of the 50's best labels for the genre! Sure, you'll find a few hits on here – like Screamin Jay Hawkins' "I Put A Spell On Your" – but the real nice bits are the obscurer tracks, like "Please Say You Want Me" by The Schoolboys, "Dumplins" by Doc Bagby, "Peanuts" by Little Joe, "Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)" by The Treneirs, and "Baby You're My Only Love", a real early one from Billy Stewart. Great stuff throughout, and a nice set of notes. LP, Vinyl record album

The cover's a bit cartoony, but the group's got a nicely down to earth sound – a UK blend of roots rock and deeper blues currents – but served up in that 70s style that takes all the best elements way past their familiar incarnations! The group sports two singers – a young Robert Palmer and female vocalist Elkie Brooks – and although Palmer would soon emerge as a more pop-oriented artist, he's got plenty of soulful chops here – but maybe still only second to Elkie, who soars out with the sort of inspiration that must have touched Janis Joplin as well. Titles include "Circles", "Leg Up", "See The World", "Never Met A Dog", "Live A Little Get Somewhere", and "Avinu Malkenu". LP, Vinyl record album

An unusual small label collection of rare postwar blues from Chicago – with work by Floyd Smith, Othum Brown, Baby Face Leroy, Little Walter, Delta Joe, Snooky & Moody, JB Hutto & His Hawks, Johnny Shines, and John Brim! LP, Vinyl record album

Two of the biggest singers who ever worked for Verve Records – captured perfectly at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957! Ella Fitzgerald steps out with a strong, lively groove on the first half of the set – swinging things with a looser, more upbeat quality than on some of her mellower Verve studio sets of the late 50s – really grooving it up with small combo backing from the trio of pianist Don Abney! Billie Holiday also gets some small combo backing too – a hip trio with Mal Waldron on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Jo Jones on drums – often a bit more laidback than the group on Ella's sides, but in a great way that helps Holiday hit a very intimate sound, even before this large audience. Ella sings "This Can't Be Love", "Body & Soul", "April In Paris", "I Got A Crush On You", and "Airmail Special" – and Billie sings "Nice Work If You Can Get It", "What A Little Moonlight Can Do", "My Man", "Willow Weep For Me", and "Lady Sings The Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Love's first album – a seminal bit of Sunset Strip rock, and every bit as powerful today as it was in the 60s! The style's a bit sharper-edged than the group's classic and more familiar Forever Changes set, but it's still pretty darn great – a completely fresh batch of guitar-heavy tunes that bristle with a sound that's a lot more sinister than some of the group's contemporaries. There's a few folksy or bluesy elements in the mix, but they're almost used in a way that parodies bigger acts of the time – turning the familiar into the freaky, all with a sense of power that's simply mindblowing. Titles include the group's excellent version of Burt Bacharach's "My Little Red Book", plus "Hey Joe", "Emotions", "A Message To Pretty", "Mushroom Clouds", "And More", and "Coloured Balls Falling". LP, Vinyl record album

Quite an obscure one by Love – a mid 70s record that actually has quite a bit of soul in the mix! The album almost seems to be going for a Sly Stone approach – expanding the group past Arthur Lee and crew with a host of additional players that include Harvey Mandel, Bobby Lyle, and Joey Deguero. There's still plenty of bluesy and rocky tracks – but there's also a great cover of William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful For What You Got" – done in a chunky mode that really hits a great groove with us (and which is proof that people were covering the tune even back when it was first released!) Other tracks move between soulful rock, Thin Lizzy-esque compressed guitar numbers, and other styles that show a bit more soul than might be expected. Titles include "Time Is Like A River", "Everybody's Gotta Live", "You Said You Would", "Busted Feet", "With A Little Energy", and "Who Are You". LP, Vinyl record album

Johnny's very much in his "revival" mode here – dipping back to his earlier R&B roots, and working with a host of famous older blues singers. The set's got vocals by Roy Milton, Roy Brown, Esther Phillips, Mighty Mouth Evans, Ivory Joe Hunter, Eddie Cleanhead Vinson, Margie Evans, and Big Joe Turner – and even though Shuggie Otis is on the album, the whole thing's a pretty bluesy affair overall. Titles include "Shuggie's Boogie", "Plastic Man", "Margie's Boogie", "Baby You Don't Know", "Little Esther's Blues", "RM Blues", "Goin Back To LA", "Willie & The Hand Jive", and "Since I Met You Baby". LP, Vinyl record album

A really wonderful collaboration between two very unlikely partners – and a great album that really stands out as some of the best work from both artists in the 60s! Count Basie's group gets hard and soulful on the record – and even a little funky on the best cuts – and Jackie Wilson is in a raw bluesy vocal style that recalls the best moments of his earlier Brunswick singles – a great edge that makes the whole Basie groove sound even more hard-hitting than ever. Benny Carter arranged, but the groove is more a hard-edged Count Basie mode mixed with Brunswick soul styles – and Jackie blows it out over the top on great versions of "Funky Broadway", "Ode To Billie Joe", "I Was Made To Love Her", "Even When You Cry", and "Respect". Also features a version of "For Your Precious Love" that was a bit of a hit for the pair! LP, Vinyl record album

As beautiful an illustration of the genius of Lester Young as you could ever hope to find – tight, short small group numbers recorded with a keen focus on Young's amazing tone – all served up with beautiful sound throughout! The cover bills the set as being by Young and his orchestra, but the material's presented in a variety of different small group settings – with Verve regulars who include Ray Brown on bass, Hank Jones or John Lewis on piano, and Buddy Rich or Joe Jones on drums. There's no other horns on the date, so Lester's tenor is right out front on all numbers – and titles include "Little Pee Blues", "Neenah", "Thou Swell", "Up N Adam", "Encore", and "Frenesi". LP, Vinyl record album