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A real classic from Sammy Davis Jr & Carmen McRae! Given Sammy's great talent for personal interaction on the stage, as heard often on his key Rat Pack recordings, he's a real natural for this sort of duet mode – as he manages to talk and sing his way through the tunes beautifully, really opening up Carmen a heck of a lot, and getting her past the staid, serious mode of most of her 50s albums. Titles include "People Will Say We're In Love", "Happy To Make Your Acquaintance", "You're The Top", "Cheek To Cheek", "Baby It's Cold Outside", and "Tea For Two". LP, Vinyl record album

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With Warren Covington. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A rare bit of German jazz – and US issue of big band sides cut by Edelhagen for Deutsche Grammophon, packaged here with an odd postwar cover that has a cartoon of an American GI dancing in a crate from Germany! (Are we to suppose that like magnetic tape and rocket science, Edelhagen's music is just another treasure that was stolen from Germany after the war?) Titles include "Estrellita", "Stumbling", "Round About It", "Linger Awhile", and "Jazz Time Riff". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A wealth of wonderful work from Marianne Faithfull, all pulled from those key early years when she was part of the musical world of Andrew Loog Oldham and the Rolling Stones! Yet right from the start, despite the fact that she sang a few Stones songs on her own (and wrote a few for the group, too) – Marianne was always very much her own singer, and had a way with a song that was quite different than most of the other UK girl pop artists of the time too! Faithfull sometimes has a trill, and always has a sense of darkness on these singles – almost in the territory of the young Nico, but more tuneful and less moody – and superbly set up in just the right sort of arrangements by Mike Leander, David Whitaker, and even the great Jack Nitzsche. 2LP set features all the a and b-sides of these early singles – 22 tracks that include "Morning Sun", "Sister Morphine", "As Tears Go By", "Summer Nights", "The Sha La La Song", "Something Better", "I'd Like To Dial Your Number", "Counting", "That's Right Baby", "Tomorrow's Calling", "This Little Bird", "What Have I Done Wrong", and "Go Away From My World". LP, Vinyl record album

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... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe one of the first-ever rock and roll full-length albums – with Bill Haley's big title cut – plus "Shake Rattle & Roll", "Two Hound Dogs", "Razzle Dazzle", "ABC Boogie", "Burn That Candle", "Rock A Beatin Boogie", "Birth Of The Boogie", "Dim Dim The Lights", and "Mambo Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A jazz soundtrack double-header – one that features both the small combo and larger band version of the soundtrack to The Sweet Smell Of Success! The first half of the CD features the Chico Hamilton Quintet's album of music – a wonderful bit of cinematic jazz from the 50s. The combo was a key part of the LA scene at the time, but are oddly featured as a regular club act in the movie's New York setting – but we'll gladly forgive that geographic error, given that the music on the set is so great. The quality's a bit like some of the Hamilton Quintet work on World Pacific – but there's a slightly freer, more urgent feel here too – work that's sometimes somewhat driving, and beautifully blended from the guitar of John Pisano, clarinet of Paul Horn, cello of Fred Katz, piano of Carson Smith, and drums from Chico. Side one features a lot of short incidental cuts – like "Susan", "Cheek To Chico", "Jam", and "Night Beat" – and side 2 is an extended "Concerto Of Jazz Themes From The Soundtrack Of Sweet Smell Of Success". The second half of the CD features the full orchestral version of the Sweet Smell Of Success soundtrack – but done in a style that's almost as jazzy and swinging as the small combo one! Elmer Bernstein's at the helm here – and the music's a wonderful pastiche of modes that's right up there with his sublime score for The Man With The Golden Arm – done in a similar blend of driving jazz, somber moments, and some slightly more raucous touches! As with that album, the players are all great – and soloists on the album include Pete Candoli, Ted Nash, and Shelly Manne – west coast players despite the New York setting of the film, and playing here with a fair bit of grit in their groove. Titles include "The Street", "Hot Dogs & Juice", "Toots Shor's Blues", "Nite Spot Rock", "Love Scene", and "Out Of Darkness". CD

Early 50s material from Coleman Hawkins – strong tenor solos out front of some larger arrangemetns from Paul Neilson and Danny Mendelsohn. Titles include "Amber", "Lost In A Fog", "Lucky Duck", "Spellbound", and "Ruby". LP, Vinyl record album

The great , oft-remixed French composer turns the tables – and offers up a remix of his own work, the 10th Symphony of Beethoven, originally composed in 1979! The end result is a beautiful mix of sounds and electronics, underpinned by slowly unraveling symphonic passages – in a style that's much truer to Henry's original intents than any of the kiddie remix projects. Above all, the work clearly retains Henry's profound sense of humor – especially on passages like "Fantasie Flipper" and "Beethoven Seul". A masterwork that pushes the knob-addled remix mania to the next level! Other titles include "Marche Dans Le Temps", "Pas Perdus", "Presto", "Enfants", "Guerre", "Aube", "1/2 Finale" and "Finale". CD

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Ultra-hip vocals from Rita Hovink – a Dutch singer who's got a way of making even familiar material sound pretty darn fresh! Rita's working here with a cool combo that's got a great sense of arrangement – a way of opening up the tunes and finding some unusual instrumental modes that really pave the way for Hovink's vocal interpretations. The group features Rob Van Dijk on both piano and Hammond, and Wim Overgaauw on guitar – and a few tracks feature guest instrumentation from either Carl Schulze on vibes, Harry Verbeke on tenor, or Thijs Van Leer on flute. The tunes are almost all familiar, but done in very cool ways – and titles include "Sunrise Sunset", "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise", "After You've Gone", "Don't Sleep In The Subway", "Goodbye Charlie", "Little Man You've Had A Busy Day", and "The Fool On The Hill". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

Ear-opening work from Jon-Mark – best known as half of the Mark-Almond band with Johnny Almond, but here working as a solo act on his own – in a spare folksy mode that's right up there with some of the best on the Brit folk scene of the 60s! Jon's guitar playing alone is worth the price of admission – at a level that rivals that of Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, or some of the others of the new generation that have gotten more fame over the decades – and he's also a hell of a singer, with a voice that's at once ancient and youthful, maybe more tuned towards some older themes than Dylan politics, but also with a grooviness that echoes a bit of Donovan too. Apart from two tracks here that were issued as a single, all the other material has never been released – making the whole thing a huge discovery, finally given its due. Titles include "Blues For Hobbits", "Paris Bells", "Sally Free & Easy", "Portland Town", "The Vulture", "Love From Afar", "Gotta Make The Future Bright", "The First Time", "Black Girl", "North Country Fair", and "Once I Loved A Girl". CD

Very jazzy work from vocalist Beverly Kenny – sung with small combo backings throughout, and a style that's always fresh and lean! Some of the titles here are from earlier years, as implied by the title – but the sound of the record is in the best late 50s vocal jazz mode, thanks especially to the lineup of players on the set. Some musicians are stated outright – including Jerome Richardson on reeds, Chuck Wayne on guitar, Johnny Rae on vibes, and Eddie Bert on trombone – while other players are listed simply as "a flautist" or "a trumpeter", most likely due to contractual reasons! But even with this obscured identity in the notes, the players are all plenty darn great – and really help shape the sound of the record throughout. Titles include "Undecided", "I Had The Craziest Dream", "More Than You Know", "The Dipsy Doodle", "Somebody Else Is Taking My Place", "A Sunday Kind Of Love",a nd "Tampico". CD

Hip 70s work from Stan Kenton – 2 albums recorded live in the UK in 1972, both of them in the best modern style he was using at the time! As with some of Kenton's other excellent 70s sessions, the players on the records are lesser-known than on his classic sets – but all are extremely well-suited to the Kenton groove, and are younger players that have a free-thinking approach that makes for some great solo work. Tracks are all relatively long, and have a rhythmic pulse that's really great – not really electric, but clearly informed at times by the use of electric instrumentation in bigger bands at the time. Titles include "Malaga", "Artistry In Percussion", "Chiapas", "Bogota", "Fringe Benefits", "Walk Softly", and "Ambivalence". CD

A dark suite of tracks dedicated to New York after hours – played by the wonderful Ellis Larkins, a vastly-overlooked 50s pianist who was always great at moody sessions like these! Most of the tunes are familiar ones – "Manhattan Serenade", "Lullaby Of Birdland", "Forty Five Minutes From Broadway", "Autumn In New York", and more – played by Larkins with a rich style that features very little other backing – all quite evocative, and really getting at the sad mode of New York as the lights start to dim. LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

One of Peggy Lee's greatest albums ever – a set of tracks recorded with the Gordon Jenkins chorus and orchestra, in a moody sound that would forever be remembered by the brilliant title track! "Lover" kicks off the whole set with a bang – soaring searing strings, over which Peggy rolls in on stronger vocals than she'd recorded in years – setting a pace that's nicely kept on tracks that include "River River", "Sans Souci", "I'm Glad There Is You", "This Is A Very Special Day", and "That's Him Over There". LP, Vinyl record album

A full, rich set of vocal tunes from Peggy Lee – all done in a style that's quite different than her later work at Capitol Records, but still mighty darn nice! Sy Oliver handled the arrangements for the record – and he brings in a blend of strings and jazz that really creates a lot of depth in the sound – a dynamic range that comes not just from Peggy's vocals, but from the larger orchestra as well – almost in the mode of some of Sinatra's 50s work at Capitol. The Oliver touch is a bit warmer and sometimes more sentimental – but given that Peggy's vocals always have that quality at their best, we can really appreciate it here! Titles include "That's Alright Honey", "Mister Wonderful", "The Come Back", "Joey Sings", "You Oughta Be Mine", and "Where Flamingos Fly". LP, Vinyl record album

A bit dreamy – but still quite nice work from Legrand – written for this 1967 remake of Noel Coward's Pretty Polly, a film that starred Hayley Mills in the lead role! Legrand's score has less of the jazzy touches of his French work from the time – but still breaks out with some really nice melodies at times. Matt Monro sings the title song in two versions – in that best "at the movies" style, the one that always made him a hit with soundtrack work. Titles include "The Race Is To The Swift", "Bugis Street, Where Old Friends Meet", "The Beautiful Transformation", "Goodbye Mr Critch", and "Lovers On The Shore". LP, Vinyl record album

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Ok, so this is a musical – not really our usual bag – but it does contain one of the greatest Sammy Davis Jr songs of all time: the sweetly swinging "Rhythm Of Life", which Sammy sings in character as "Big Daddy", a hip strutting street preacher who kicks it with a groovy punchy sound! Shirley's vocals aren't that great – kind of thin and wispy – but she does get some really great songs, including "I'm A Brass Band", "My Personal Property", and "Where Am I Going" – plus the over-tired "If My Friends Could See Me Now". Orchestrations are by Joseph Gershenson, and the album also has one nice groovy instrumental – "The Pompeii Club", a nice little frug number! LP, Vinyl record album

A set of 70s TV themes – all handled by Brit easy maestro Ray Martin, and featuring a fair bit of British TV tunes as well! TV Themes 2 is the funkier of the bunch – recorded a few years later, and with some great electric elements at times – the kind of cop/crime styles that make 70s TV soundtracks so great. There's definitely a few mellow cuts, but Martin's really expanded his reach on the record past usual British bits – bringing in some American shows to cook up the grooves a bit – and serving up the music in a blend of funky jazz and larger orchestrations. Titles include "Emmerdale Farm", "Warship", "Kojak", "Kung Fu", "Ironside", "European Football", "International Golf", "Film 74", and "Mission Impossible". The first TV Themes album (oddly featured second here on the disc), has Martin turning out good bits circa 1973 – tunes that are often an update of popular 60s television modes – a bit jazzy and jaunty at times, but some 70s elements creeping into the mix, although not as heavily funky as you might hear a few years later. Some of the songs were quite big on British TV, but weren't heard as strongly here in the US – and titles include "Top Of The Form", "Match Of The Day", "Nationwide", "General Hospital", "Crossroads", "Grandstand", "News At Ten", and "Midweek". CD also features 3 previously unissued bonus cuts – "Film 74", "Sale Of The Century", and "Star Trek". CD

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A gimmicky album – but a nice one! Carmen sings a set of "bird-related" songs – like "Skylark", "Bob White", "Flamingo", "Bye Bye Blackbird", and "Baltimore Oriole" – and while the idea of such a record might be painful, it's made surprisingly great thanks to some help from arranger Ralph Burns! Burns backs Carmen with some strong mid-size combos, and comes up with some shimmering approaches to the songs that get past the hokier style they might have, and suits them perfectly to Carmen's deeply soulful vocals. LP, Vinyl record album

A cool session for Decca that has Carmen's vocals flowing out wonderfully amidst some very haunting backings! The sound here is a bit unusual – given that the groups are headed by accordion Mat Mathews and pianist Dick Katz – both of whom have a good ear for unusual phrasing, and who help keep the record from being just another torchy vocal set from the 50s. Carmen's warmly fluid voice cascades nicely over the top of the tunes – and instrumentation often features a bit of guitar from Mundell Lowe luring in the background – furthering the warmth of the record, and almost giving it a nicely laidback, late nite quality. Titles include "Supper Time", "Yardbird Suite", "Something To Live For", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "I'll Remember April", and "This Will Make You Laugh". LP, Vinyl record album

Wonderful early work from Carmen McRae – a set of tunes originally composed by Noel Coward, served up by Carmen with a very hip 50s feel! The orchestrations here are by Jack Pleis, who really gets the mood right for the set – and shakes off some of the floweriness that could sometimes be associated with the tunes – all to clear the way nicely for Carmen's beautifully-poised early vocals. Ray Bryant plays piano on most numbers, and titles include "I'll See You Again", "Never Again", "World Weary", "Mad About The Boy", "Poor Little Rich Girl", and "A Room With A View". LP, Vinyl record album

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

An important 50s issue of material from Jay McShann's early 40s years – tracks recorded with assorted all-star members of his group – including a young Charlie Parker, as well as Paul Quinichette, Walter Brown, and Al Hibbler! Most of the work is in an older Kansas City jazz mode, with vocals on half the numbers – and tracks include "The Jumpin Blues" and "Hootie Blues", with work by Parker – plus "Dexter Blues", "Confessin The Blues", "Sepian Bounce", and "Swingmatism". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare session as a leader by trumpeter Jack Millman – one that's based around his own compositions, and which a large group of west coast players alongside some lesser-known 50s talents! Players include Fred Aguirre, Lin Halliday, Artie Anto, Mike Pacheco, Curtis Counce, Herb Geller, Jimmy Giuffre, Howard Roberts, and Don Friedman – playing arrangements of Millman tunes by Shorty Rogers, Jimmy Giuffre, Jack Montrose, and Pete Rugolo. Tracks are short, but have wonderfully constructed horn passages – as well as some very nice use of Latin percussion – and titles include "Tom & Jerry", "Bolero De Mendez", "Groove Juice", "Pink Lady", "The Turk", and "Bambi". CD

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One of Mark Murphy's first albums – quite different than his later work, but swinging and jazzy as he could always be! Ralph Burns arranged the set, and even at this early point, you can hear what a talent Murphy is – singing with a confident swing that wasn't often the case for male singers of the time – balancing carefully between older jazz modes, without falling into cocktail cliches that could often trap other vocalists. Titles include "Elmer's Tune", "Pick Yourself Up", "Let Yourself Go", "Ridin' High", and "Crazy Rhythm". LP, Vinyl record album

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Wonderful easy grooves – from an orchestra leader who couldn't read a note of music! During the 60s, Andrew Oldham was probably best known to the world as the flamboyant manager of the Rolling Stones – but during the same period, or at least the earliest stretch of it, he also headed up his own studio orchestra – working with pop arranger David Whittaker to craft some incredibly groovy albums! This one's the ensemble's fourth and final effort – a magical transformation of familiar Rolling Stones numbers into some sweet easy instrumentals – all asparkle with the best styles of mid 60s Brit easy, served up with orchestrations that run from baroque to breezy! Titles include "Blue Turns To Grey", "You Better Move On", "Heart Of Stone", "Time Is On My Side", "The Last Time", "Theme For A Rolling Stone", and "Tell Me". CD

These early Osibisa records always used to be fairly common years back – perhaps because they were always a bit too hippy dippy and loose for the older funk crowd. But now, in today's blunted groove culture, they seem to have found a new appreciation for their trippy Afro funk style, and their nice laidback groove. This album includes a great version of Roland Kirk's "Spirits Up Above", plus "Beautiful 7", "Move On", "Survival", and "Rabiatu" – all of which have the band's trademark Afro funk groove. Nice Roger Dean cover, too! CD

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A wonderful bit of sunshine pop from the very obscure Peppermint Rainbow – a male/female harmony group with a sound that was a lot like the Mamas & Papas – blending folk rock and sweet pop into a really sunny groove! The album's worth it alone for the massive title track – "Will You Be Staying After Sunday", a tune that's got a sad undercurrent that seems to single-handedly dismantle all of the sexual freedom offered by the late 60s with a one sentence confession of the emotionality that was also attached. Other tracks are also nice – and include "Don't Wake Me Up In The Morning Michael", "Run Like The Devil", "I Found Out I Was A Woman", and "Walking In Different Circles" – most of which were written by arranger/producer Paul Leka. LP, Vinyl record album

Early merengue tracks, nice and raw – with titles that include "La Pachanga", "Just A Minor Merengue", "Comiendome Un Cable", "National Emblem Merengue", "Trumpet In Merengue", and "La Escalarita". LP, Vinyl record album

A 70s issue of 2 seminal sides from George Russell, originally recorded in the 50s. The first, New York New York is a wonderful album from George Russell – and a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast that includes John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Max Roach, and Hal McKusick – all working together to paint tones on the tunes that George has crafted to set up his scene of New York in the 50s. Most importantly, though, Jon Hendricks acts as the narrator of the album – talking and scatting in hipster mode, laying out a bit of beat rapportage about the Big Apple, all done in a very cool 50s style that's a bit different from his own vocal work. Titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". And don't let the title of the second, Jazz In The Space Age, mislead you into thinking it's a record of bachelor pad musi. The set's one of Russell's finest recordings of the 50s, and it features some wonderful work in odd tones and scales, executed by another awesome cast of players, including Bill Evans, Paul Bley, Hal McKusick, Bob Brookmeyer, and David Young. An essential chapter in Russell's career, and nice to have in any form. Titles include "Chromatic Universe (parts 1, 2, & 3)", "Dimensions", "Waltz From Outer Space", and "The Lydiot". LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful album from George Russell – and a refreshing change from his overly-academic modernist work! The session's an unusual one – a musical portrait of New York City, performed with an all-star cast that includes John Coltrane, Art Farmer, Bill Evans, Phil Woods, Benny Golson, Max Roach, and Hal McKusick – all working together to paint tones on the tunes that George has crafted to set up his scene of New York in the 50s. Most importantly, though, Jon Hendricks acts as the narrator of the album – talking and scatting in hipster mode, laying out a bit of beat rapportage about the Big Apple, all done in a very cool 50s style that's a bit different from his own vocal work. Titles include "Manhattan", "Big City Blues", "Manhattan-Rico", and "A Helluva Town". LP, Vinyl record album

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... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

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An early album that compiles material that Jeri Southern recorded in her first few years for Decca Records – tunes done in the dreamy, romantic style that was one of Southern's key calling cards in the 50s! The style is never too sleepy, nor too commercial – and instead, Jeri's got a great way of putting over a moody late nite tune without resorting to common cliches. Backings are by Sy Oliver, Camarata, Sonny Burke, and others – but the album's got a nicely unified feel, thanks to Jeri's strong vocals in the lead. Torchy stuff, but in an uncommon way – and with titles that include "When I Fall In Love", "Give Me Time", "Something I Dreamed Last Night", "Remind Me", "That Ole Devil Called Love", and "What Good Am I Without You". LP, Vinyl record album

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... LP, Vinyl record album