Direction, 1968. Very Good+ Gatefold
An incredible late album from Bobby Darin – and a real treasure! The record was cut after Darin's mid 60s fascination with the work of Tim Hardin, most of which he re-recorded for Atlantic during that time – but it's got a similar style to the Hardin years, yet features some stunning ...
Warner, Mid 60s. Very Good+
US issue of a bunch of sides that Pet cut for Vogue Records, with classic Tony Hatch arrangements backing her up. The titles aren't ones that are usually associated with Petula, but she makes them her own with groovy Brit pop arrangements. Titles include "Volare", "Morgen", ...
Columbia, Late 50s. Sealed
How can we even begin to describe the genius of Lambert Hendricks and Ross? The group was a jazz vocal supergroup that merged three talents that had already made a big name in the bebop vocalese field – Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and the lovely Annie Ross – and the project was an ...
Inner City, 1981. Very Good-
A wonderfully moody album from Abbey Lincoln – one that's a bit more laidback than some of her other efforts, but no less soulful! There's kind of a broken, jagged sound to the record – a late nite vibe that's blue and melancholy, and which gets some great support from the tenor sax of ...
Roulette, 1976. Sealed
Excellent work from Betty Carter – much more sophisticated than some of her 60s work! The album features Betty recorded in that hip trio format that she developed to fantastic heights during the decade. Betty sings standards and originals with a warmth an imagination that we can hardly ...
Rosemary Clooney with Duke Ellington
Blue Rose
Columbia, 1956. Very Good+
Fantastic stuff, and proof that Rosemary Clooney was always one heck of a great singer – with strengths in jazz that you didn't always hear in her pop work! As you'd guess from the cover, Duke Ellington's leading the group on the album – and most of the tracks here are older Ellington ...
MPS (Germany), 1981. Near Mint-
By the time of this early 80s recording, original Hi-Lo's member Gene Puerling had been crafting sly vocal jazz gems for MPS with the Singers Unlimited – mixing together smooth 70s production and slight electric instrumental touches, to get a sublime sound that took the harmony approach of ...
Capitol, Late 60s. Sealed
A classic set of tracks from Peggy – featuring the sublime hit "Is That All There Is?", produced by Lieber & Stoller, and arranged and conducted by Randy Newman. Other arrangements are by the likes of Mike Melvoin, Mundell Lowe, George Tipton, and Bobby Bryant – all of ...
Verve, 1961. Very Good+
A nice little Verve session that breaks from the usual format – especially the "Songbooks" one – and features Ella in LA with small group backing by Jim Hall, Lou Levy, Wilfred Middlebrooks, and Gus Johnson. The set was recorded live at the Crescendo – in a jazzily ...
Bethlehem, 1957. Sealed
An insane record – simply insane! Mel Torme wrote the California Suite as a tribute to his home state during the glorious postwar years of growth and boom – and it contains some of the weirdest songs he ever sung! At the base, the work is driven by the same west coast jazz ...
Blue Marge (France), 1980. Sealed Gatefold
A wonderfully moody album from Abbey Lincoln – one that's a bit more laidback than some of her other efforts, but no less soulful! There's kind of a broken, jagged sound to the record – a late nite vibe that's blue and melancholy, and which gets some great support from the tenor sax of ...
Riverside, 1958. Very Good+
Early work by Abbey – recorded in a mode that's straighter than she'd sound a few years later – less angry, more like other jazz vocalists of the time, but still with that unmistakable Abbey Lincoln quality in the voice! The arrangements on the set are by Benny Golson – using ...
Roulette, 1961. Near Mint-
Sarah Vaughan may be known for an earlier recording of After Hours for the Columbia label in the 50s – but on this early 60s set for Roulette, the title really fits her style – and is perfect for the mature, melancholy way that Vaughan has of putting over a tune! Sarah always had a ...
Capitol, Mid 50s. Very Good
Ann's a more lustily voiced singer than the sort that usually worked with Stan Kenton during the 50s – with a deep range in her delivery of a song, and a mode of singing that's a bit more unbridled than you'd expect for someone working under Stan. This set's a lot more Ann's album than it is ...
Epic, Early 60s. Very Good
One of the few albums ever recorded by Joan Shaw – a pretty hip singer from the 60s, working here in a nice small group setting. Joan's vocals are a bit rough, which is possibly why she never made it big, but she does have a way of putting over a tune that grabs us nicely – kind of ...
Riverside, 1962. Very Good
Given what a freewheeling, open-minded, and lyrical jazz singer Mark Murphy is, it's hard to imagine him really loving "the blues" – and fortunately, most of that love is extended in the title, because the album itself is less of the blues effort that you might think. True, the ...
Jon Hendricks & Company
Love
Muse, 1982. Very Good+
Jon's going back to the Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross format here – working with a group of singers known as Company (featuring family members Michele and Judith Hendricks), running through vocalese versions of jazz tunes with the same solo line trading style used by LHR in the 50s and 60s. ...
Atlantic, 1959. Near Mint-
A lovely side by Chris Connor for Atlantic, recorded not too long after her stint at Bethlehem – where she'd perfected an icy cool style of singing that's still to be matched to this day! The album features larger arrangements by Richard Wess – but still has a light jazzy feel, ...
Jazzz, 1976. Near Mint-
Quite an unusual session for Carmen – one recorded live at a small club in Japan, featuring Carmen on vocals and piano, with no other accompaniment! The sound is wonderful – spare, free, and more intimate than we're used to hearing her – and given how often Carmen was recorded in ...
Mainstream, Mid 60s. Very Good+
One of the more obscure 60s albums cut by jazz vocalist Irene Kral – and a great little record that shows her to be more of a singer than we expected! Some of the tunes on the set have the straight vocals with band feel of Irene's other albums, but a few more go for a groovier sort of 60s ...
Prestige, 1957. Very Good+
An early, rootsy Mose Allison sides, mostly instrumental, bluesy piano trio numbers, but Mose busts out with some vocals on an early version of his signature tune "Parchman Farm" and "Lost Mind", and a spot of trumpet on "Trouble In Mind" . He's joined by Addison ...
Roulette, 1958. Very Good+
Jeri Southern can be a hell of a jazz singer when she wants – and that was definitely the case on this gem of a record – a laidback small combo setting with excellent guitar accompaniment from Johnny Smith! Smith's trademark tones really color the record in a great way – ...
Capitol, 1959. Very Good+
A later Capitol gem by June – where she reprisies a number of classics from her early years with Stan Kenton – new versions of late 40s tunes, done here with Pete Rugolo arrangements that go a good way towards showing how both he and June had grown during the 50s. Titles include "H ...
Bethlehem, Late 50s. Very Good+ 2LP
A tasty little 2LP set – one that collects the excellent late 50s vocal work cut for the Bethlehem label by Chris Connor! At the time, Chris had a sound that she virtually invented – icy vocals backed by small combo jazz, in a very spare and subtle setting – and the sound was, ...
Verve, 1956. Very Good
One of the strongest of Anita's mid 50s outings for Verve – a tightly-crafted set that benefits from some good arrangements from Buddy Bregman! The format is perfect for Anita – giving her little space to have to make decisions, and letting her concentrate on the tone and charm that ...
Light In The Attic, 1970. New Copy
One of the wildest of the classic Free Design albums, and one that will leave you scratching your head – thinking that these guys were either the biggest acid freaks around, or the most simplistic kiddie-minded adults you'll ever meet! We don't know what got into the water in the studio on ...
ABC, 1959. Very Good
A great 50s vocal session – for a number of reasons! One of the strongest is Patricia herself – a fresh-voice singer who's without hoke – backed by some moody arrangements from the Creed Taylor Orchestra. Even better is the selection of tunes – which includes a number of ...
Regent, Late 40s. Very Good+
Sublime work from Mr B – a collection of his earlier Savoy singles, assembled for a wonderful 50s album on the Regent label – and featuring some of the best jazz-based work in the classic Eckstine mode! As is well known, Billy's group of the time featured nothing but top-shelf jazz ...
Savoy, 1960/1985. Near Mint-
A later pressing of classic early work from Jimmy Scott – airy ballads and love songs, done in that incredible vocal style that has made Scott an enduring legend for countless years! Backings are very nice – sad and dreamy, perfectly fitting the mood of the tunes. The record's one of ...
United Artists, 1959. Very Good
Sparkling work from singer Irene Kral – and possibly the best album she ever cut! The backings here are by the Herb Pomeroy group – a slightly modern ensemble that still knows how to swing with a good dose of Boston soul – and the overall feel of the album's a lot more forceful ...