Some nice solo moments here – courtesy of Steve Marcus on tenor and soprano sax, Gary Bribek on tenor, and Barry Keiner on piano. Titles include "Bouncin With Bud", "Fiesta", "Funk City Ola", and "Cape Verdean Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Very hard-burning work from Buddy's hip band of the mid 60s – a large ensemble, but one that features searing horn parts that cut through the bigger arrangements with ease! Buddy really had an ear for tuning power with personality at this point in his career – and although the group comes on with the raging energy that's every bit the Rich calling card in the 60s, they also more than make their individual voices known. Ernie Watts, Jay Corre, and Charles Owens all provide excellent contributions to the set – and titles include "Standing Up In A Hammock", "Luv", "Something For Willie", "Group Shot", "The Rotten Kid", and "New Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy takes on the grooves of the younger generation – and serves up one of his funkiest records of the time! Buddy's working here with arranger John LaBarbera – a youthful talent with a wonderful ability for bringing together horns in a freshly creative way – one that completely revitalizes the Buddy Rich sound for the 70s, and which gives some especially great solo space to John's brother Pat LaBarbera, whose work on reeds really makes the album great! There's a beautiful groove to the whole set – a sense of soul and lyrical imagination that goes way past the bombastic sound you might normally expect from Buddy. More proof that the RCA years are filled with under-discovered Rich gems – and featuring the tracks "Space Shuttle", "Best Coast", "Wave", "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey", and "Sassy Strut". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary meeting of these two jazz talents – and knowing the famous temper of Buddy Rich, this probably really was a battle of the drummers! Kidding aside, though, the set's a very unusual one for Buddy – as the group here features players normally associated with Max Roach – a very cool lineup that includes Julian Priester on trombone, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, and Stanley Turrentine on tenor – all of whom keep things cool, and bring in some great solo moments when needed! Rich also brings a few of his key men to the set, too – including Phil Woods on alto and Willie Dennis on trombone – on titles that include "Sleep", "The Casbah", "Limehouse Blues", and "Big Foot". CD

Buddy Rich just sings, not plays drums – and given his famous temper, we're guessing that all the folks in the studio told him he sounds like Mel Torme! Actually, Buddy's not bad on vocals – and he's got a down to earth charm that can make a record like this a surprising charmer – especially when he sings next to players who include Ben Webster on tenor, Harry Edison on trumpet, and Howard Roberts on guitar! CD also includes the 1959 album The Voice Is Rich with the Hal Mooney Orchestra. CD

One of the funkiest Buddy Rich albums of the 70s – a mad screaming affair that's overflowing with great tunes! The band on the set is very full – with a heck of a lot of trumpets in the brass section, set next to searing sax work by the great Pat LaBarbera. But even better is the rhythm section – which grooves in a hard electric funk mode, thanks to guitar from Joe Beck, bass from Tony Levin, and some surprisingly smoking drums from Buddy himself! Tracks are all very nicely grooving – and titles include "Kilimanjaro Cookout", "Nuttville", "Senator Sam", "Waltz Of The Mushroom Hunters", and "Big Mac". CD

Hard-swinging Buddy Rich from the prime early 70s years – not exactly an all-out funk affair, but still a great groover, with plenty of hip little big band numbers! The groove here is nice and lean – and Buddy and the group are working at Buddy's own club – hitting that trademark all-out Rich sound, but still leaving plenty of room for the soloists. The group's got some great soul jazz players – including Sonny Fortune on alto, Jack Wilkins on guitar, and Kenny Barron on piano – as well as some really smoking tenor work from Sal Nistico, who's always adaptable to a setting like this. The album's got a tasty version of Herbie Hancock's "Chameleon", plus other nice tracks that include "Sierra Lonely", "Nica's Dream", "Billy's Bounce", "Cardin Blue" and "Jumpin At The Woodside". LP, Vinyl record album

Nothing "blues" about this set – as Buddy Rich is working with some of the best soul jazz players of the Groove Merchant label – on a set that's one of his few small combo albums from the 70s! The vibe is very relaxed and laidback, and even Buddy's tight drumming can't over-hype the sound. Tracks are longish and open – more in the Prestige jazz mode of the 60s than the usual funkier style of the Groove Merchant label – and the sextet features Jimmy McGriff on organ, George Freeman on guitar, Kenny Barron on electric piano, Illinois Jacquet on tenor, and Bob Cranshaw on bass. Titles include "Soft Winds", "Sweet Georgia Brown", "How Long", "Courage", and "Alright". LP, Vinyl record album

With Bucky Pizzarelli on guitar, Milt Hinton on bass, Lionel Hampton on vibes, and Teddy Wilson on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

70s pressing of rare 50s material! LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic work from the legendary Buddy Rich – one of his Pacific Jazz albums from that stretch when Buddy was opening up his bag, and getting very groovy in his music! The album's a live one – and as with the rest from the decade, really has the Buddy Rich sound moving forward, thanks to some great younger players – in this case the up and coming Bobby Shew on trumpet and Ernie Watts on alto – plus the lesser-known Chuck Findley on trumpet and Jay Corre on tenor. Arrangements are by some older west coast talents – including Bill Holman and Shorty Rogers – but the feel is very 60s, and very groovy throughout. Cathy Rich sings on the album's funky version of "The Beat Goes On" – and other titles include "Wack Wack", "Norwegian Wood", "Monitor Theme", "Big Swing Face", and "Mexicali Nose". CD

Groovy stuff! We'd never say a bad word about Buddy (or else he'd sock us one!), but this album is particularly nice – as it features Rich's swinging late 60s group doing some pop/jazz covers of groovy 60s tunes, plus some very tasty originals! All tracks are pretty short, and the band plays with a tight fire that reminds us of some of the best moments on the Blue Juice compilations. Includes covers of "Hello, I Love You", "Soul Kitchen", "Comin Home Baby", and "Love And Peace" – plus tasty originals like "Wonderbag", and "Soul Lady". CD

With featured soloists Mark Lopeman on alto, Steve Marcus on alto and tenor, Andy Gravish on trumpet, Dave Carpenter on bass, and Lee Musiker on piano. LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary meeting of these two jazz talents – and knowing the famous temper of Buddy Rich, this probably really was a battle of the drummers! Kidding aside, though, the set's a very unusual one for Buddy – as the group here features players normally associated with Max Roach – a very cool lineup that includes Julian Priester on trombone, Tommy Turrentine on trumpet, and Stanley Turrentine on tenor – all of whom keep things cool, and bring in some great solo moments when needed! Rich also brings a few of his key men to the set, too – including Phil Woods on alto and Willie Dennis on trombone – on titles that include "Sleep", "The Casbah", "Limehouse Blues", and "Big Foot". LP, Vinyl record album

Buddy Rich on drums, Bob Bowly and Mike Rubino on alto saxophone, Jay Craig on baritone saxophone, Brock Answer on bass, Matt Harris on piano, Steve Marcus on soprano saxophone, Chris Bacas and Steve Marcus on tenor saxophone, James Martin, Sigfreid Trager, and Thomas Garling on trombone, Eric Miyashiro, Greg Gilbert, Jay Watson, and Kevin Richardson on trumpet. CD

Joe Ascione on drums, Bob Haggart on bass, Brian Ogilvie on clarinet and saxophone, James Chirillo on guitar, Mark Shane on piano, Billy Mitchell on tenor saxophone, Dan Barrett on trombone, and Randy Sandke on trumpet. CD

London's always been one of the hippest cities in the world – but back during the postwar years, there was an especially wonderful outpouring of music on the scene – a rich array of new sounds and styles pulled from around the globe – as so many residents from crumbling British empire came to live in the UK! Musicians and listeners arrived in London with plenty of cultural baggage on hand – influences from the Caribbean, West Africa, and India too – plus other smaller scenes that once fell under the British banner, all now the fuel for the cultural fire that was happening in England! The title here tells plenty about the music being made in this newly-formed scene – bits of African highlife, Jamaican calypso, American jazz, Cuban Latin, and more – all filtered into the modernism of the 50s, and given a new twist that was decidedly urban as well. The package may well be the most impressive so far in this legendary series – and is certainly the one that moves the farthest past any sort of easy expectations or cultural conventions. Titles include "Women Police In England" by Mighty Terror, "My Sorrow" by West African Swing Stars, "Cricket Umpires" by Lord Kitchener, "Jordhu" by Caribbean Swing Band, "Trumpet Highlife" by Shake Keane, "Calypso Mambo" by George Browne, "Cuban Nightingale" by Buddy Pipp's Highlifers, "Kitch" by The Quavers, "Tabu" by Mona Baptiste, and "King Jimmy Foo Foo" by Tejan Sie with The West African Rhythm Brothers. LP, Vinyl record album

A triple-trumpet session with a really wonderful sound – the kind of all-star date that only a label like Verve could have done so well! As you'll guess from the title, the record's a showcase for the three trumpeters in the lead – and the tracks are long, with plenty of space for each player to state their case in a very distinct solo voice. Rhythm is by a familiar quartet that features Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums – and the use of guitar in a set like this creates an especially ringing tone at the bottom, one that often seems echoed by the brighter notes of the trumpet over the top. The album's got a great extended "Ballad Medley", plus long takes on "Tour De Force" and "Steeplechase". CD

Jazz At The Philharmonic material from 1952 featuring Eldridge and Shavers on trumpet and Lester Young on tenor – with Benny Carter on alto, Flip Phillips on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, Berney Kessel on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums – on three long tracks that include "Jam Session Blues", "The Trumpet Battle", and a "Ballad Medley". LP, Vinyl record album

A classic meeting of two giants from the early years of bop – altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie – brought together here in a session that Norman Granz would later list as one of the truest realizations of his vision for recording jazz music! Parker's sharp lines are a great contrast to the robust horn work of Diz – and the players work here with a rhythm section that features Thelonious Monk on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Titles include "Relaxin With Lee", "Leap Frog", "Oscar For Treadwell", and "Mohawk". The LP also includes a number of alternate takes, and has a nice photo of the 2 jazz giants on the cover. This CD version includes all the takes from the sessions, including chatter between takes, 20 b9it restoration, new liner notes, photographs and cover art. CD

Great small combo work from one of the most important saxophonists in the early days of Verve Records! Flip plays tenor in a quintet with Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

With Lionel Hampton, Harry Edison, Buddy Rich, Red Callender, and Barney Kessel. CD

Joinewd by Ella Fitzgerald on a dozen tracks. Backed by the Oscar Peterson trio with Buddy Rich or Louis Bellson added, Russ Garcia's orchestra, or Armstrong's own stalwart all-stars. CD

Includes recordings from the Junior Jazz At The Auditorium session in 1946 with Hoard McGhee on trumpet, Les Robinson on alto, Jack McVea and Lucky Thompson on tenor, Jimmy Bunn on piano, Irving Ashby on guitar, Red Callendar on bass, and Jackie Mills on drums; plus from WNEW's "Saturday Night Swing Session" in 1947 with Fats Navarro on trumpet, Bill Harris on trombone, Allen Eager and Charlie Ventura on tenor, Ralph Burns on piano, Al Valente on guitar, Chubby Jackson on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Prime jam session material from Verve – nothing fancy, but a great vinyl document of the same spirit that Norman Granz was putting into his famous cross-genre concerts at the time! Players include Wardell Gray, Count Basie, Buddy Rich, Stan Getz, Willie Smith, Harry Edison, Freddie Greene, and John Simmons – and the album features 2 long tracks: "Apple Jam" and "Ballad Medley". LP, Vinyl record album

With sidemen that include Buck Clayton, Willie Smith, Buddy Rich, and JC Heard in the 1946 sessions; and Roy Eldridge, Benny Carter, Flip Phillips, Oscar Peterson, and Herb Ellis in 1953. LP, Vinyl record album

Japan's legendary drummer steps out here with a killer combo – definitely a "big 4", given that the group features excellent tenor work from Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto, plus Fender Rhodes and acoustic piano from Hideo Ichikawa! Kawaguchi's famous sense of swing really gets the whole thing going – that big, round approach to the drums that was somewhere in a space between Art Blakey and Buddy Rich – and which was definitely hitting some of its hipper tones by the time of this 70s set. The group also features Takashi Mizuhashi on bass – and titles include "Invader 7", "Albatross", "Monday Samba", and "Sleepy's Funk". CD

An intensely jamming album from guitarist John McLaughlin – and a record that set a whole new tone for electric jazz in the 70s! The album was recorded shortly after McLaughlin's work with Miles Davis on Bitches Brew and Tony Williams on the first Emergency album – and in a way, it's a key piece of the jazz-rock fusion puzzle that has those two sets as cornerstones. McLaughlin's working here with keyboardist Larry Young from the Emergency group – playing both his usual organ on the record, plus a bit of electric piano – and the rest of the group includes bassist Billy Rich, plus superdrummer Buddy Miles – really giving a lot of power to the album's sound at the bottom! McLaughlin is getting into a bit of his mystic trip on the record, but is still playing with a lot of electric power here – plenty distorted and fuzzy on most numbers, and really jamming throughout! Titles include "Devotion", "Dragon Song", "Marbles", "Siren", "Don't Let The Dragon Eat Your Mother", and "Purpose Of When". CD

A classic meeting of two giants from the early years of bop – altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie – brought together here in a session that Norman Granz would later list as one of the truest realizations of his vision for recording jazz music! Parker's sharp lines are a great contrast to the robust horn work of Diz – and the players work here with a rhythm section that features Thelonious Monk on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Titles include "Relaxin With Lee", "Leap Frog", "Oscar For Treadwell", and "Mohawk". The LP also includes a number of alternate takes, and has a nice photo of the 2 jazz giants on the cover. This CD version includes all the takes from the sessions, including chatter between takes, 20 b9it restoration, new liner notes, photographs and cover art. CD

A fantastic collection that has the pianist working in variety of small group settings. Notable sidemen include Curly Russell, George Duvivier, Lloyd Trotman, Percy Heath and Ray Brown on bass; Art Blakey, Art Taylor, Buddy Rich, Kenny Clarke, Max Roach and Osie Johnson on drums. CD

Fantastic material from pianist Art Tatum – a musician who's usually captured solo or in trio modes, but who's working here on some fantastic 50s sessions produced by Norman Granz – very much in a Verve style, with all-star players on board throughout – artists who include Benny Carter, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, Barney Kessel, Ben Webster, Buddy DeFranco, Louis Bellson, and Roy Eldridge! CD

Essential stuff! This set collects all of Pres' studio sessions for Norman Granz and Verve and features John Lewis, Buddy Rich, Nat King Cole, Teddy Wilson, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, and Barney Kessel. The whole thing is comes in a cool hardbound, accordion fold package and includes a great 100 page book packed with great photos, notes, and essays. CD

Includes 85 tracks and features Lester Young with Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, and more! CD

A collection of late 30s recordings pulled from several sessions – with sidemen that include Ray Coniff, Georgie Auld, Gus Bivona, Buddy Rich, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

50s work with Count Basie on piano, Gerry Mulligan on baritone, Roy Eldridge on trumpet, and Buddy Rich on drums! LP, Vinyl record album

A treasure trove of undiscovered work from vocalist Jane Harvey – including rare sessions with Duke Ellington, Les Paul, and Don Elliott! At the end of the 50s, Jane was an up-and-coming singer with a hell of a lot of promise – a great jazz vocalist who could swing with the best of them, but also hit these rich-toned, very thoughtful modes that really set her apart from the more pop-oriented vocalists of the period. A few key albums of the time capture that depth, but this package provides a hell of a lot more, too – a much-needed addition to Jane's too-small catalog of recordings from the time. The Ellington material is sublime, and features Billy Strayhorn on piano – and there's nine Les Paul tracks, with Harvey's vocals really providing a different feel to his guitar than those of Mary Ford. CD also features some really obscure cuts from later years – including a few cut with her son Bob Thiele Jr! Titles include "I'm Gonna Go Fishing", "A Hundred Dreams From Now", "My Buddy", "All Of Me", "You Made Me Love You", "If I Could Be With You", "Interesting Changes", "I Love My Wife", "Dindi", and "Do It Again". 25 tracks in all – one of the biggest CDs in this series! CD

Featured soloists include Buck Clayton on trumpet, Flip Phillips on tenor, Trummy Young on trombone, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Illinois Jacquet on tenor, Ken Kersey on piano, Willie Smith on alto, Herb Ellis on guitar, Benny Fonville and Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich an Jo Jones on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

With Roy Eldridge and Dizzy Dillespie on trumpet, Flip Phillips, Lester Yong, and Illinois Jacquet on tenor, Oscar Peterson on piano, Herb Ellis on guitar, Ray Brown on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

One of the all-time classics in the JATP series – recorded in 1948, with a growing bop influence in the mix, and a group that includes Charlie Parker, Roy Eldridge, Lester Yougn, Buddy Rich, Flip Phillips, Hank Jones, and Ray Brown. The album includes 4 long tracks – "Lester Leaps In", "The Opener", "Embraceable You", and "The Closer". LP, Vinyl record album

With Buddy Rich, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, and Curly Russell. 78 RPM, Vinyl record

A classic meeting of two giants from the early years of bop – altoist Charlie Parker and trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie – brought together here in a session that Norman Granz would later list as one of the truest realizations of his vision for recording jazz music! Parker's sharp lines are a great contrast to the robust horn work of Diz – and the players work here with a rhythm section that features Thelonious Monk on piano, Curley Russell on bass, and Buddy Rich on drums. Titles include "Relaxin With Lee", "Leap Frog", "Oscar For Treadwell", and "Mohawk". Reissue of the original 10" – with a great David Stone Martin cover! CD

Featuring Billie Holiday, Buddy Rich, Roy Eldridge, Helen Forrest, Hit Lips Page, and Tony Pastor. CD

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins". CD

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins". CD

A beautifully soulful set from Horace Silver – hardly the "with brass" session you might guess from the title, and instead a well-integrated album that really showcases a new level of arranging genius from Horace! The set is heavy on hip horns – with work from Oscar Brashear, Bobby Bryant, and Tom Harrell on trumpets – plus Frank Rosolinon on trombone, Jerome Richardson on alto and soprano sax, Buddy Collette on flute, and Bob Berg on tenor – but these instruments are often wrapped up in this warmly rolling groove driven by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Al Foster – inherently funky, but much more complicated from a rhythmic perspective – and rolling out beautifully with a really imaginative vibe! Tunes are all originals by Silver – wonderful little numbers filled with passion and life – almost painting in sound, with really rich tones and colors throughout. Titles include "The Sophisticated Hippie", "Dameron's Dance", "Barbara", "Adjustment", "Mysticism", and "Kissin Cousins". 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

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". CD

Includes music by Toshiko Akiyoshi, Nina Simone, Buddy Rich, Gil Evans, The Brecker Brothers, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Louis Armstrong. CD

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

Nat King Cole as a leader and a sideman – incredible material from 1936-1946 – featuring the King Cole Trio, side work with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, Dexter Gordon, The Keynoters and The Lester Young Trio! There's a number of great tunes here with Nat singing, but also a whole bunch of recordings that shine a light on his impeccable work as a group piano player of the finest caliber, working as Nat King Cole and under some funny pseudonyms while he was recording hits for Capitol! Packaged stunningly, even by Hip-O Select Standards – essentially housing the CDs in a hardcover book of 31-pages with an essay by David Ritz, 7 3/8" square package with detailed session notes, and beautifully reproduced art work from original 78s and 10-inch LPs! Disc one features 17 tracks by the King Cole Trio with Nat singing and at the piano, with Oscar Moore on guitar and and Wesley Prince on bass: "Sweet Lorraine", "This Side Up", "Babs", "Scotchin' With The Soda", "Slow Down", "Hit That Jive, Jack" and more. Disc one also includes 5 tracks with Eddie Cole's Solid Swingers, with Nat on piano, Eddie Cole on bass, Kenneth Roane on trumpet, Tommy Thompson on saxes and Jimmy Adams on drums:" Honey Hush" (with Eddie on vocals) plus an alternate take, "Thunder", "Stompin' At The Panama" and "(Bedtime) Sleep, Baby Sleep". Last up on disc one, four tracks by the Keynoters with Willie Smith on alto, Nat as Lord Calvert on piano, Red Callender on bass and Jackie Mills on drums: "The Way You Look Tonight", "My Old Flame" and more. Disc 2 is comprised of Jazz At The Philharmonic: Los Angeles, July 1944, with collective personal including Nat as Shorty Nadine on piano and singing on "Sweet Lorraine", Shorty Sherlock on trumpet, JJ Johnson on trombone, Illinois Jacquet and Jack McVea on tenor, Red Callender on bass, Lee Young on drums, and Carolyn Richards singing on "The Man I Love". Other titles include "Blues", "Tea For Two", "Rosetta", "Bugle Call Rag", "Oh, Lady, Be Good!" and more. Disc 3 starts with 1943/44 material by Dexter Gordon's group featuring Nat on piano, Sweets Edison on trumpet, Gordon on tenor, Red Callender or Johnny Miller on bass and Clifford Owens on drums: "I've Found A New Baby", "I Blowed And Gone" and more. That's followed by Lester Young Trio material of similar vintage with Nat as Aye Guy on piano, Young on Tenor and Buddy Rich on drums: "I Cover The Water Front", "The Man I Love", "Peg Of My Heart" and more. Last, but not least, Keynoters alternate takes including "The You You Look Tonight", "Airiness A La Nat" and "I can't Believe That You're In Love With Me". CD

The full session of a rare 1953 performance by Harry Sweets Edison – originally issued by Pacific Jazz on a 10" LP, and paired here with another rare session from the same year! The first 7 tracks on the set are from the Haig set – and feature Edison blowing open and easy with backing from a trio led by pianist Arnold Ross. Titles include "September In The Rain", "Just You Just Me", "These Foolish Things", and "Tea For Two". The CD also features 3 tracks from a 1953 set with Buddy Rich that originally came out on Clef – titles that include "Me & My Jaguar", "Just Blues", and "Let's Fall In Love". CD

Features tracks from separate live dates in 1955 and 1991, with contributions from Hank Jones, Barney Kessel, James Moody, Buddy Rich, Art Tatum, Clark Terry and more! – 8 tracks total. CD

Art Tatum with Louie Bellson, Red Callender, Benny Carter, Buddy De Franco, Bill Douglass, Roy Eldridge, Lionel Hampton, Jo Jones, Buddy Rich, John Simmons, Alvin Stoller & Ben Webster. CD

Notable sidemen include Ben Webster, Lionel Hampton, Buddy DeFranco, Roy Eldridge, Barney Kessell, and Buddy Rich. CD

An early trio session by Lester Young – recorded with Buddy Rich on drums! The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy" – Nat King Cole under another name! Guy and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards, the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs – and other titles include "I've Found A New Baby", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "Somebody Loves Me". CD