... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... CD

A really cool little record from Steve Lawrence – one that pairs the richness of his voice with Latin-tinged arrangements from Don Costa – kind of Steve's answer to Eydie Gorme's bossa record! LP, Vinyl record album

Nobody does the Holidays like Steve & Eydie – serving up the goods with that perfect blend of swing and schmaltz that sounds great during the eleven other months of the year, but somehow sounds especially nice at Christmas! Maybe it's the way they interact – which reminds us a lot of the kind of Holiday TV performances we grew up with – or maybe it's the way that Eydie somehow bubbles over with enthusiasm at these weirdly unexpected moments – as if she's hearing some of these seasonal classics for the very first time. Arrangements are by Don Costa, Al Cohn, and Pat Williams – and some tracks feature the pair together, some feature either Steve or Eydie on their own. Titles include "What Are you Doing New Year's Eve", "Sleigh Ride", "Winter Wonderland", "White Christmas", "Let It Snow", "The Christmas Song", "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". Great expanded edition – with bonus tracks that feature the pair singing "Hurry Home For Christmas" and "Baby It's Cold Outside" – plus Steve on "The First Noel", "Go Tell It On The Mountain", "White Christmas", and "Twas The Night Before Christmas" – and Eydie on "My Favorite Things" and "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear". CD

... LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly wonderful solo set from Steve Lawrence – recording away from Eydie Gorme here, but sounding plenty great on his own! Lawrence has a wide-ranging vocal style that really comes out in this album – an ability to swing a tune with a simple turn of a phrase, and a way of putting over a ballad that makes us wonder why he never shined more brightly as a solo romantic act on his own. Nick Perito contributed some equally dynamic arrangements to the set – matching Steve's finger-snapping swing on the upbeat numbers, but sitting back nicely to let the vocals dominate on the mellower ones –and although the tunes are mostly familiar ones, they're given a new sort of energy here. Titles include "Hooray For Love", "All About Love", "Isn't It A Pity", "Too Late Now", "Love Is A Season", "Blah Blah Blah", and "Lover In The House". LP, Vinyl record album

Steve Slagle on alto and soprano saxophone and flute, Scott Colley on bass, Lawrence Fields on piano, Roman Diaz on percussion, Bill Stewart on drums, with Dave Stryker on guitar. CD

One more amazing chapter in the mighty development of drummer Chico Hamilton – a killer 70s session for Blue Note – and a record that goes way beyond his earlier experiments of the 50s, modal grooves of the 60s, and funk work for the Flying Dutchman label! The style here is fusion, but way fresher than the usual type – neither jamming rock-styled, nor mellow and smooth – and instead always tickled by Hamilton's sense of a unique rhythm, and his continued great ear for inventive use of reeds – in this case handled by Arthur Blythe on alto and Arnie Lawrence on soprano and tenor sax. The set's also got Steve Turre on bass and trombone, and both Barry Finnerty and Joe Beck on electric guitars – but the real genius is Chico himself, who handled arrangements and wrote most of the album's great tracks. Titles include the exotic number "Abdullah & Abraham" – plus "Andy's Walk", "Peregrinations", "It's About That Time", "Sweet Dreams", "On & Off", "Little Lisa", and "Space For Stacy". CD

One of the most fantastic Pharoah Sanders albums – and one that we'd rate head and shoulders above most of his other work! You rarely see this one, which is a shame, because it's not only a beautiful spiritual masterpiece, but it's also got a sound that's very unique, and a nice shift from the Impulse records too! Pharoah's playing with a small group that includes instrumentation you don't usually hear on his albums – like organ and guitar – but the addition of these instruments is used in a way that augments Pharoah's spiritual style, not suppresses it – in a lineup that includes guitar from Munoz, organ from Jiggs Chase, bass from Steve Neil, drums from Greg Bandy, and percussion from Lawrence Killian – all very unusual players, which furthers the unusual sound of the album! Pharoah vocalizes a bit on a version of "Love Will Find A Way" that has a warm spacey groove, and a nice conga base – and the other tracks on the LP are "Harvest Time" and "Memories Of Edith Johnson". This beautiful package also includes rare material added to the album – two long live takes of "Harvest Time", a tremendous track that features Khalid Moss on electric piano and Pharoah stretching out in Teresa Records soulful modes – plus great notes as well! CD

One of the most fantastic Pharoah Sanders albums – and one that we'd rate head and shoulders above most of his other work! You rarely see this one, which is a shame, because it's not only a beautiful spiritual masterpiece, but it's also got a sound that's very unique, and a nice shift from the Impulse records too! Pharoah's playing with a small group that includes instrumentation you don't usually hear on his albums – like organ and guitar – but the addition of these instruments is used in a way that augments Pharoah's spiritual style, not suppresses it – in a lineup that includes guitar from Munoz, organ from Jiggs Chase, bass from Steve Neil, drums from Greg Bandy, and percussion from Lawrence Killian – all very unusual players, which furthers the unusual sound of the album! Pharoah vocalizes a bit on a version of "Love Will Find A Way" that has a warm spacey groove, and a nice conga base – and the other tracks on the LP are "Harvest Time" and "Memories Of Edith Johnson". This beautiful package also includes rare material added to the album – two long live takes of "Harvest Time", a tremendous track that features Khalid Moss on electric piano and Pharoah stretching out in Teresa Records soulful modes – plus great notes as well! LP, Vinyl record album

Music from Linda Laurie, Gary Stites, Lathy Linden, Bobby Peterson Quintet, Steve Lawrence, Paul Chaplain, Lolita, Ronnie Love, Ray Peterson, James MacArthur, and more – 27 songs in all. CD

A very groovy set of tracks – and one that comes packaged with its own roulette wheel in the cover! The package goes for an all-Vegas style of vocal tracks – swinging and upbeat numbers that make you feel like you're in the set of the original Oceans Eleven, or following Fredo around in Godfather 2. There's a total of 20 tracks in all, and titles include "Games People Play" by Mel Torme, "Who's Got The Action" by Dean Martin, "Lucky Day" by Judy Garland, "I'm Shooting High" by Nat King Cole, "Something's Comin" by Vic Damone, "With Plenty Of Money & You" by Count Basie & Tony Bennett, "Shangri La" by Wayne Newton, "Big Spender" by Peggy Lee, "Night & Day" by Steve Lawrence, "Ain't That A Kick In the Head" by Sammy Davis Jr, and "This Could Be The Start Of Something" by Jack Jones. Packaging has a great roulette wheel with moving ball surrounded by green velvet. CD

An excellent soundtrack to this early 70s thriller that starred George C Scott! Jerry Goldsmith has come up with some strong action themes that are very much in a Lalo Schifrin mode – mixing guitar, electric harpsichord, and strings with a harder-edged groove so that there's a lot of space in the overall blend of elements – allowing each one to step out nicely, identified on its own! Even the mellower tracks are great – with an airy feel that recalls some of Michel Legrand's best action scores at the end of the 60s – with colors that flow out and really give the record a sense of soul! Steve Lawrence sings "The Last Run" in a mode that recalls Matt Munro's performances on other thriller soundtracks – and other titles include "Claudie's Stockings", "The Trap", "Border Crossing", "Rickard Escapes", and "Double Cross". LP, Vinyl record album

Follow up to the first Wild & Swingin collection – with music from Eydie Gorme, Steve Lawrence, Bobby Darin, Nancy Wilson, Louis Prima, Vic Damone, Peggy Lee, Wayne Newton, Tony Bennett, Dinah Washington, and more. CD

A very groovy set of tracks – the perfect soundtrack for a weekend in Las Vegas! The package goes for an all-Vegas style of vocal tracks – swinging and upbeat numbers that make you feel like you're in the set of the original Oceans Eleven, or following Fredo around in Godfather 2. There's a total of 20 tracks in all, and titles include "Games People Play" by Mel Torme, "Who's Got The Action" by Dean Martin, "Lucky Day" by Judy Garland, "I'm Shooting High" by Nat King Cole, "Something's Comin" by Vic Damone, "With Plenty Of Money & You" by Count Basie & Tony Bennett, "Shangri La" by Wayne Newton, "Big Spender" by Peggy Lee, "Night & Day" by Steve Lawrence, "Ain't That A Kick In the Head" by Sammy Davis Jr, and "This Could Be The Start Of Something" by Jack Jones. CD

A great document of the ever-evolving city of Chicago – one that focuses on key areas and landmarks – initially presented in vintage postcards, often with a few examples of each – then shown in more contemporary photographs too! The book is similar to other projects from the authors – in that it does a fantastic job of capturing a city that often disappears too fast – a place that's so bent on change and progress that it sometimes never remembers itself – and needs a volume like this to help us do so! Parks, beaches, businesses, and famous buildings all get some coverage – and the oversized book is hardcover, full color, and 208 pages. Book