With Eddie Costa on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Osie Johnson on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

Genius work from one of the most solid groups in 60s jazz – the quintet co-led by trumpeter Clark Terry and trombonist Bob Brookmeyer – a legendary ensemble that drew on the best talents of both players, but grew into something greater! Brookmeyer's playing valve trombone throughout on the tunes – played in a fluid, trumpety way that matches perfectly with Terry's own phrasing – and which almost creates a sense of counterpoint on the head arrangements, yet which never falls into styles that are too academic or modern. There's a fluid easy grace here that's really surprising – with none of Terry's gutbuckety tricks or Brookmeyer's too experimental moments – and overall, the group have a solid, soulful quality that almost reminds us of the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet, or of some of Farmer's other key recordings of the 60s. Rhythm is by the trio of Roger Kellaway on piano, Bill Crow on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – and the album features 10 numbers in all, including "Tete A Tete", "Pretty Girl", "Blue China", "Blindman, Blindman", "Sometime Ago", "Hymn", "Step right Up", "Weep" and "Straight No Chaser". LP, Vinyl record album

The team of Clark Terry & Bob Brookmeyer shouldn't work so well together – but on 60s classics like this they really gel together nicely – and although Terry's always been an optimist, and Brookmeyer's had a history as a modernist, the pair cut some great records together! This set's one of the best of a short run the Terry/Brookmeyer group cut for Mainstream in the mid 60s – a quintet session with Hank Jones on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – all players creative enough to match the playful spirit of the leaders, muting their rhythms one minute, and grooving them up the next! The mix of Terry's flugelhorn and Brookmeyer's trombone is especially great – a breathy approach to the horn parts that still swings hard, but with a fluid grace that's more pulsating than punctuating. Titles include a great version of Gary McFarland's "Milo's Other Samba", Jimmy Heath's "Gingerbread Boy", and the titles "Haig & Haig", "My Gal", "Naptown", and "Morning Mist". CD

Wonderful work from one of Clark Terry's best periods – and the kind of stripped-down swinging 60s set that really lets him show his most soulful side! The group features Terry on both trumpet and flugelhorn – working in co-leadership with Bob Brookmeyer on trombone – supported by the rhythm combo of Roger Kellaway on piano, Bill Crow on bass, and Dave Bailey on drums – a trio that swings in a smooth, sophisticated way that really matches the double brass sound in the frontline – lifting things to that special groove that Terry and Brookmeyer crafted together! Bailey's drums are nice and tight – arguably a good reason the best Terry records from this time are so good – and titles include a lot of playful originals like "Dancing On The Grave", "Ode To A Flugelhorn", "Green Stamps", "Hawg Jawz", and "Simple Waltz". CD

A magnificent set from the team of Art Farmer and Jim Hall – one of those rare pairings in jazz that somehow comes off sounding even way better than the sum of its parts – and that's saying a lot, given that the parts here are already pretty darn great! Farmer's flugelhorn and Hall's guitar create these wonderful shapes in sound – softly coming together with a vibe that's very modern, yet also soulful – gently swinging while still experimenting – with a combination that's completely wonderful! Think of Bob Brookmeyer and Clark Terry, or Bill Evans and Jim Hall – and you'll be somewhere in the territory of these magically unique sounds – augmented with some gentle rhythm work by Steve Swallow on bass and Walter Perkins on drums. Titles include "By Myself", "Days Of Wine & Roses", "Sometime Ago", and "My Kinda Love". CD only bonus track "Loads of Love" CD

The sound of Gerry Mulligan in the early 60s – and one of the best records by his larger than usual Concert Jazz Band! Given Gerry's piano-less experiments of the 50s, it's surprising to actually have him as the pianist on this session – hitting the keys with a nice light touch, so that the larger horn section can take over most of the tunes – a beautifully-arranged ensemble who have a feel that's lighter than some of the groups of the 50s – such as the Kenton ensemble – yet one that's equally modern at times! The lineup is wonderful – with Clark Terry and Nick Travis on trumpets, Willie Dennis and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, and Gene Quill, Gene Allen, and Eddie Caine on saxes – plus guitar from Jim Hall, bass from Bill Crow, and drums from Gus Johnson. Titles include "Big City Life", "Bridgehampton South", "My Kind Of Love", "Pretty Gypsy", "Bridgehampton Strut", and "Big City Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Recorded live at the Village Vanguard, with special guests Clark Terry and Bob Brookmeyer, and featured soloists that include Dick Oatts on soprano, Jim McNeely on piano, Richard Perry on tenor, and Gary Pribeck on baritone. CD

2 jazzy gems from Michel Legrand – back to back on a single CD! Michel Legrand Big Band Plays Richard Rodgers is a pretty wonderful album by Legrand – way better than you'd guess from the title! Sure, the tunes are mostly numbers by Richard Rodgers, but Legrand handles them here with the best of his soundtrack skills – really opening them up with some amazingly deft arrangements, and working with a stellar set of American jazz players to give the tunes a sound that's as jazzy as possible – and swinging them with the inherent lyricism that always makes us love his music! Players are a great lineup – with Clark Terry and Ernie Royal on trumpets, Urbie Green and Bob Brookmeyer on trombones, Paul Gonsalves on tenor, Jerry Dodgion and Phil Woods on alto, Julious Watkins on French horn, Gary Burton on vibes, and Tommy Flanagan and Hank Jones on piano. Titles include "This Can't Be Love", "Falling In Love With Love", "Bali Hai", "Have You Met Miss Jones", "There's A Small Hotel", and "The Lady Is A Tramp". On the second album, Broadway is the beat, but the sound has plenty of Parisian touches, too – thanks to arrangements from the mighty Michel Legrand! Legrand's in a mode here that's somewhere between his earliest soundtracks, and the European-themed records he cut for Columbia in the late 50s – styles that are a bit more warm and sentimental than in later years, with evocative elements designed to coax the Broadway-based listener out on a voyage across the Atlantic! Strings are relatively full, and sometimes used with great dynamic energy – and titles include "Bewitched", "There's A Boat Dat's Leavin Soon For New York", "Old Devil Moon", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", and "Yesterdays". CD

An interesting LP, where Bethlehem pulled together two previous 10" sessions led by bassists for one LP! Pettiford's Basically Duike is a beautiful set – ostensibly a session of Ellington material, but one that features some great arrangements that really blow past the obvious! The group's an octet, with Pettiford leading trumpeters Clark Terry & Joe Wilder, trombonist Jimmy Cleveland, clarinetist Jimmy Hamilton, and alto saxophonist Dave Schildkraut – with Earl Knight on piano, taking Ellington's place in the arrangements. Titles include 2 Pettiford originals – "Tamalpais" and "Swing Until The Girls Come Home" – plus a Terry number called "Chuckles", and the tracks "Mood Indigo" and "Jack The Bear". The second side is an obscure side from Red Mitchell, a tight little sextet session featuring a group of LA players that includes Zoot Sims, Bob Brookmeyer, Claude Williamson, Stan Levey and Conte Candoli. The set cooks nicely, a snapping west coast bop side that's hard to come by in any format. Titles include "Happy Minor", "Bluesology", "Kelly Green" and "Scrapple From The Apple". LP, Vinyl record album

A nice fifteen track double LP set that has flugelhorn and trumpet player Clark Terry and his quintet – co-lead by trombonist Bobby Brookmeyer tackling pieces by Herbie Hancock, Thelonius Monk, Count Basie and others, as well as several originals. Bill Crow, Dave Bailey, and Roger Kellaway round out the group – and tracks include "Dancing On The Grave", "The Simple Waltz", "Ode To A Flugelhorn", "Hawg Jawz", "A Gal In Calico", "Green Stamps", "Straight No Chaser", "The King", and "Blindman, Blindman". LP, Vinyl record album