A collection of sides cut in the mid 60s by Wes during his association with Verve. Culled from the albums Movin' Wes, Bumpin', Goin' Out Of My Head and Tequila, these numbers all feature the larger arrangements that gave those albums a richer sound than his small group recordings, though Wes' ... LP, Vinyl record album

A Verve 80s twofer that combines Gerry Mulligan's sides with Stan Getz and Paul Desmond for the label onto one double album set. Mulligan's pairing with Getz is a great combo, with his baritone work cut nicely by Getz's wispy alto – making for a combination of horns that yeilds some ... LP, Vinyl record album

Unlike the mellower Breeze from the East LP (another Tjader "eastern" session), this one's got some very lively Latiny stuff – despite the orientalist theme of the LP. There's a monster version of Horace Silver's "Tokyo Blues", plus takes of Lalo Schifrin's "The ... LP, Vinyl record album

The genius of Bird and strings is hard to describe – an edgey approach that really goes far past most other "jazz with strings" projects, not a ballad-driven one, but a tensely strained one that brings out some of Parker's best soloing, almost in a moody soundtrack-type way. The ... LP, Vinyl record album

A great pairing of two of the coolest jazz talents of the 50s – icy-cool altoist Paul Desmond and warm-toned baritonist Gerry Mulligan! The group here continues the pianoless tradition of some of Mulligan's work of the decade – leaving plenty of room for amazing interplay between the ... LP, Vinyl record album

A rare "with strings" session for altoist Lee Konitz – recorded back in his great years with Verve, set to wonderful arrangements from a young Bill Russo! The style here is a bit darker and more spare than some of the other albums of this type from the time – and Russo brings ... LP, Vinyl record album

The title's a bit bluesy, and the record is too – one of the grittier collaborations between Hammond legend Jimmy Smith and ultra-hip arranger Oliver Nelson – who manages to make the whole thing come across with all the right soul styles in the end! There's definitely a nod to the ... LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from guitarist Johnny Smith – simple set, but one that really shows just how much he'd grown since his famous Roost Records sessions of the 50s! Smith was one of the founding fathers of jazz guitar in the postwar years – but his initial approach was often spare and ... 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 ... LP, Vinyl record album

A near-lost gem in Oscar Peterson's mid-50s catalog for Verve – and a sparkling set of trio numbers recorded at the Shakespeare Festival in Ontario! Despite the literate setting of the recording, the work's never stuffy or academic – and Peterson swings things mightily with his trio ... LP, Vinyl record album

Brilliant work from groundbreaking pianist McCoy Tyner – an album that has him firmly stepping out of the shadow of his old boss John Coltrane – and really taking off with a new level of spiritual jazz expression that Tyner's scene helped to foster in the 70s! The group on the set is a ... LP, Vinyl record album

Tight funky organ work from Billy Larkin and his hard-swingin Delegates combo! This stuff was the west coast equivalent of New Jersey organ combos – and you can bet your bippy that Billy & Co were blasting loud out of every jukebox on Central Ave during the 60s. This album's still got ... LP, Vinyl record album