A rare solo outing from vocalist Maria Cole – quite possibly because she was best known to the rest of the world as Mrs Nat King Cole! Maria's a dusky-voiced singer who worked with Duke Ellington in the 50s, but is getting a much sweeter touch here from arranger Billy Vaughn – who uses additional backing vocals next to Cole on the record, in that singer-meets-chorus style that was fading at the time, but still done by Vaughn better than most of his peers. The approach is fine, although it does overshadow Cole's unusual vocal style a bit – but given the strange and moody feel of her voice, the added singers actually create this odd sense of counterpoint that's pretty unique, and which makes the record stand out from most of the other work on Dot at the time. Titles include "My Heart Cries For You", "Fools Rush In", "I Get The Blues When It Rains", "I Get So Lonely", "You're Not Alone", and "My Personal Possession". CD

A deep look at the music and genius of Ornette Coleman – one that offers up so many different aspects of his career that go way past the records that we know and love – including lots of details of Coleman's early life, and his ties to other non-music communities as well! Author Maria Golia ran the Caravan Of Dreams venue with which Ornette was tied in the 80s – and really has a great sense of perspective on his work – not just locating him in Los Angeles and New York scenes that he helped shape – but also giving plenty of time to his Texas roots and overseas experiences. The book also includes some unpublished black and white photographs, and runs for 368 pages in this softcover edition. Book

Music from America, The New Seekers, Maria Muldaur, The Four Seasons, Frankie Valli, Seals & Crofts, England Dan & John Ford Coley, Bonnie Tyler, Robert John, George McCrae, Alan O'Day, KC & The Sunshine Band, Honey Cone, Jigsaw, Harry Chapin, Randy Vanwarmer, and more. CD

Steve Coleman on alto saxophone, Jonathan Finlayson on trumpet, Maria Grand on tenor saxophone, Rane Moore on clarinet, Kristin Lee on violin, Jen Shyu on vocals, Matt Mitchell on piano, Greg Chudzik on bass, and Neeraj Mehta on percussion. 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

The first ever career-spanning look at the music of legendary vocalist Asha Puthli – a singer who's maybe best known for her 70s club work on the European scene, but who also has a much wider range of expression – which you'll discover here! There's definitely some of the soul-based work that's made Asha a favorite with the rare groove scene over the years – but the set also includes early work with rock bands, and even a few experimental jazz numbers that predate her recordings for the discos! The double-length set is a delight throughout – a package that's really opened our eyes to sides of Asha's music we never knew – and titles include performances with Ornette Coleman on "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life", work with Charlie Mariano on "Mirror", vocals with The Surfers on "Sound Of Silence" and "Sunny", and with The Savages on "Pain" – plus solo tracks that include "Lies", "Right Down Here", "We're Gonna Bury The Rock", "Mister Moonlight", "1001 Nights Of Love (reprise)", "Music Machine", "Peek A Boo Boogie", "Devil Is Loose", "Space Talk", "I'm Gonna Dance", and "One Night Affair". CD

The first ever career-spanning look at the music of legendary vocalist Asha Puthli – a singer who's maybe best known for her 70s club work on the European scene, but who also has a much wider range of expression – which you'll discover here! There's definitely some of the soul-based work that's made Asha a favorite with the rare groove scene over the years – but the set also includes early work with rock bands, and even a few experimental jazz numbers that predate her recordings for the discos! The double-length set is a delight throughout – a package that's really opened our eyes to sides of Asha's music we never knew – and titles include performances with Ornette Coleman on "What Reason Could I Give" and "All My Life", work with Charlie Mariano on "Mirror", vocals with The Surfers on "Sound Of Silence" and "Sunny", and with The Savages on "Pain" – plus solo tracks that include "Lies", "Right Down Here", "We're Gonna Bury The Rock", "Mister Moonlight", "1001 Nights Of Love (reprise)", "Music Machine", "Peek A Boo Boogie", "Devil Is Loose", "Space Talk", "I'm Gonna Dance", and "One Night Affair". LP, Vinyl record album