Near-lost work from Julie London – a later album for Liberty, the kind of record that should have become a classic – had she not recorded so much at the time that they got buried in the rush of all her releases! Julie's working in a nice upbeat, swinging style – with some great big band arrangements from west coast maestro Gerald Wilson – who really brings new life into Julie's style with the set! The tunes are mostly familiar 60s numbers on the set, but Wilson's lively backings are plenty playful, and show us a side of Julie that we'd never heard before. Titles include "She's Just A Quiet Girl", "Summertime", "Watermelon Man", "Girl Talk", "I Bruise Easily", and "Won't Someone Please Belong To Me". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare live session from Julie London – surprising in that most of her classic work for Liberty was put together with some real studio magic! Yet this time around, the live setting's a real charm – one that makes for a whole new side of London's personality – showing the singer to be much more of an entertainer than we would have expected. The solitary sultriness of Julie's studio albums is really on the backburner – at least in the overall feel fo the recording, with its pronounced audience noise, oft-swinging arrangements, and male vocal quartet in the mix – although when London starts to sing, things often hit that familiar mode, too. Titles include a very boozy version of "Daddy" – almost drunken, we'd say – plus "Lonesome Road", "Send For Me", "Gotta Move", "I Love Paris", "Cry Me A River", and "By Myself". CD

A landmark album in 50s vocal jazz – spare, moody, and evocative tunes from Julie London – sung in a stripped-down setting that few other singers would dare at the time! The sound of the set is as sexy as the cover – intimate, personal, and breathily sung in a mode that comes across with a brashly adult presentation of the material. Backing only features Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass – leaving Julie plenty of room to take over the record with her vocals – a real masterpiece of understatement, given the setting! Titles include her famous version of "Cry Me A River" – virtually THE version of the tune – plus "I Should Care", "Say It Isn't So", "Gone With The Wind", and "Can't Help Loving That Man". LP, Vinyl record album

Two early albums from Julie London – back to back on a single CD! First up is Julie Is Her Name – a landmark album in 50s vocal jazz – spare, moody, and evocative tunes from Julie London – sung in a stripped-down setting that few other singers would dare at the time! The sound of the set is as sexy as the cover – intimate, personal, and breathily sung in a mode that comes across with a brashly adult presentation of the material. Backing only features Barney Kessel on guitar and Ray Leatherwood on bass – leaving Julie plenty of room to take over the record with her vocals – a real masterpiece of understatement, given the setting! Titles include her famous version of "Cry Me A River" – virtually THE version of the tune – plus "I Should Care", "Say It Isn't So", "Gone With The Wind", "Laura", and "Can't Help Loving That Man". Volume 2 is a lesser-known follow-up to Julie London's classic Julie Is Her Name album. The approach here is similar to the first set – with Howard Roberts backing up Julie's vocals, in a style that's quite similar to that used by Barney Kessel the first time around. Red Mitchell's bass is really the only other instrumentation – and the spareness of the set is stunning – with a nakedness that gets past even Julie's heavy turtleneck on the cover! Titles include "If I'm Lucky", "Little White Lies", "Hot Toddy", "Blue Moon", "Goody Goody", and "Spring Is Here". CD

A sweet little swinger from Julie London – a record that goes for a bit of a Latin vibe, in ways that change things up nicely! Ernie Freeman handles the music, so the groove isn't really straight Latin – but more of a syncopated approach that's different from the smoother London sounds on other Liberty albums, topped with some bold trumpet flourishes and marimba bits, too – ala the sounds starting up over at A&M Records! Titles include "Perfida", "Adios", "Vaya Con Dios", "You Belong To My Heart", "Sway", and "Yours". LP, Vinyl record album

An overlooked gem from Julie London's early 60s years on Liberty Records – a time when she was changing up her sound a bit, but still staying strong as one of the sexiest vocalists on the west coast scene! Ernie Freeman handles the backing, and he brings in an undercurrent of soul that's mighty nice – some slight blusesy touches at the bottom of the arrangements, and a few occasional horn solos that give the record a nice bite, even when mellow. Titles include "That Sunday That Summer", "Charade", "Night Life", "Wheel Of Fortune", "Since I Fell For You", "Fools Rush In", "I Wish You Love", and a swinging version of "Wives & Lovers"! LP, Vinyl record album

An oft-overlooked gem from Julie London – a dreamy album of Cole Porter tunes, and one that has her singing with small group backing, very much in the mode of some of her best early work for the Liberty label! The group on the album's the Bud Shank Quintet – with Shank on alto and flute, Joe Pass on guitar, Russ Freeman on piano, Monty Budwig on bass, and Colin Bailey on drums – a great little combo who give the work a light, lyrical feel, and a bit less of the sadness of other London albums. Freeman did the arrangements, and titles include "So In Love", "Get Out Of Town", "Easy To Love", "At Long Last Love", and "In The Still Of The Night". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the last albums in Julie London's legendary run for Liberty Records – a perfect cap to a phenomenal catalog, and one that still shows London very much at the top of her powers! The backings here are by three different talents – Don Bagley, Kirk Stuart, and Allyn Ferguson – but the sound is nicely unified, and most numbers make strong use of that breathy, up-close style of singing that Julie virtually invented back in the 50s – maybe not as sad and dreamy as back then, given all the mature modes and adult sensuality expressed in London's records of the 60s! Titles include "Bidin My Time", "Soon It's Gonna Rain", "Show Me The Way To Go Home", "This Can't Be Love", "Spring Will Be A Little Late This Year", "The Man I Love", and "The One I Love Belongs To Somebody Else". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

A very unusual album for Julie London – one of her few recordings ever to break the more traditional jazz format, and go for a mod sort of swinging 60s sound! The set features London versions of hits by The Doors, Beatles, Monkees, and others – all given a gentle groove by Tommy Oliver, who brings in just enough jazz to make the music work for Julie. And given her great style of singing – still quite laidback and sultry – the tunes take on a really unique feel here – hardly covers at all, and more whole new conceptions of cuts that include "Light My Fire", "Like To Get To Know You", "Stoned Soul Picnic", "Sunday Mornin", "Mighty Quinn", "Without Him", "And I Love Him", and "Come To Me Slowly". LP, Vinyl record album

One of Julie London's strongest overall albums – a great session that features small group backings with a warm and intimate feel! There's less of the languid sadness of some of Julie's other records, and more of the dreamy floating style of singers like Chris Connor or June Christy on this one. The feeling of the album's great, and it shows that Julie was much more than a pop singer with sexy looks and a smoky finish – although we're happy to hear that on here too! Titles include "Let There Be Love", "Goodbye", "You've Changed", "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To", "Lonesome Road", "They Didn't Believe Me", and "The Thrill Is Gone". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Early American work from Julie Andrews – recorded right at the start of her big fame on the stage, but with styles that almost hearken back more to the sound of her homeland! Many titles have musical elements or themes that echo the British Isles – a few traditional folk tunes here, or more sentimental styles there – all arranged by Irwin Kostal in ways that are not as swinging or bold as some of her more dynamic Broadway material. There's a sense of subtlety to some of the tunes, and a bit of sadness too – and titles on the set include "Canterbury Fair", "To A Wild Rose", "Where'er You Walk", "These Precious Things", "The Floral Dance", and "London Pride". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic collection of work from those years when singer Ann-Margret first popped up on the American market – young, fresh, and sexy – and willing to do whatever it took to make her music stand out from the pack! Ann-Margret's got a vocal range that's maybe deeper than most of her contemporaries – a lusty growl that makes you feel like she's singing from way down in her toes – with odd bluesy currents mixed with jazzier backings – all in a mode that has really blows away the sultry tones of previous singers like Peggy Lee or Julie London. This 30 track package is a very well-chosen array of tunes from the early RCA years – and includes lots of solo numbers, plus work with Elvis Presley and Al Hirt – on titles that include "Man's Favorite Sport", "Next Time", "Madrid/The Pleasure Seekers", "Mack The Knife", "My Baby Just Cares For Me", "Teach Me Tonight", "The Lady Loves Me", "You're The Boss", "Mr Wonderful", "That Old Black Magic", "Everything Makes Music When You're In Love", "Let Me Entertain You", "Take All The Kisses", "Something To Think About", and "Mister Kiss Kiss Bang Bang". CD

An unlikely, but amazing meeting of the avant jazz minds – a classic set that has LA trumpeter Bobby Bradford coming into play with the UK Spontaneous Music Ensemble, led by drummer John Stevens! The material was recorded, almost spontaneously, on a holiday trip Bradford made to London in 1971 – but the record's become an enduring classic, thanks to the creative energy of the players involved, and the dynamic quality of the improvisations in the studio! Bradford's trumpet sounds quite different here than in his better-known work of the time with reedman John Carter – much more outside and forceful, really set loose in the company of Stevens' group – which, in this incarnation, includes Trevor Watts on alto and soprano sax, Bob Norden on trombone, Ron Herman on bass, and Julie Tippetts on guitar and a bit of voice. Titles include "His Majesty Louis", "Bridget's Mother", and "Room 408". LP, Vinyl record album

An unlikely, but amazing meeting of the avant jazz minds – a classic set that has LA trumpeter Bobby Bradford coming into play with the UK Spontaneous Music Ensemble, led by drummer John Stevens! The material was recorded, almost spontaneously, on a holiday trip Bradford made to London in 1971 – but the record's become an enduring classic, thanks to the creative energy of the players involved, and the dynamic quality of the improvisations in the studio! Bradford's trumpet sounds quite different here than in his better-known work of the time with reedman John Carter – much more outside and forceful, really set loose in the company of Stevens' group – which, in this incarnation, includes Trevor Watts on alto and soprano sax, Bob Norden on trombone, Ron Herman on bass, and Julie Tippetts on guitar and a bit of voice. Titles include "Fragment" and "Rhythm Piece". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest soundtracks of the 60s – presented here in a massive package that brings forth a wealth of never-reissued music! Piero Piccioni really hit his stride for the music to this film that was directed by its star – the effervescent Alberto Sordi – a fantastic send-up on the London scene of the time, set to a range of modly romping tunes! Piccioni handled the main music – often with loads of great piano and organ lines – but there's also some great vocal moments too, sung by Lydia MacDonald, Julie Rogers, and even Sordi – and the record also features a few touches from I Cantori Moderni, and a bit of music from Ennio Morricone too. Titles include the wonderful "Mr Dante Fontana", a nutty groover about the mod fashion scene in London – and it also features the famous tracks "Richmond Bridge" and "You Never Told Me". Titles include a few versions of "Fontana" and "Richmond", plus "Ascot Dream", "Magic Castle", "Tango Walk", "Drag Beat", "This Is Life", "Palace Parade March", "Babylon, I'm Coming", and "His Dream Has Come True". 3CD set features the full original album in both mono and stereo – plus 71 bonus tracks from the film score! CD

The deepest work to date from Vibration Black Finger – a group headed up by UK drummer Lascelle Gordon, and who effortlessly mix together acoustic jazz elements and other sonic elements – very much in the best spirit of some of their contemporaries on the London scene! Gordon's drums and percussion are at the core of each number – but the instrumentation shifts a fair bit as the set goes on – with flute, piano, keyboards, reeds, and bass from a variety of different guests – including Nat Birchall on tenor and Julie Kjaer on alto and flute! There's a few vocal moments – courtesy of the great Maggie Nicols and Ebony Rose – but most of the set is instrumental, and titles include "Soul Fire", "Only In A Dream", "Persia & Cornelius", "Twelve Wire Byrd", "Gutkind's Dream", "Can't You See What I'm Trying To Say", "Acting For Liberation", and "Empty Streets". CD

The deepest work to date from Vibration Black Finger – a group headed up by UK drummer Lascelle Gordon, and who effortlessly mix together acoustic jazz elements and other sonic elements – very much in the best spirit of some of their contemporaries on the London scene! Gordon's drums and percussion are at the core of each number – but the instrumentation shifts a fair bit as the set goes on – with flute, piano, keyboards, reeds, and bass from a variety of different guests – including Nat Birchall on tenor and Julie Kjaer on alto and flute! There's a few vocal moments – courtesy of the great Maggie Nicols and Ebony Rose – but most of the set is instrumental, and titles include "Soul Fire", "Only In A Dream", "Persia & Cornelius", "Twelve Wire Byrd", "Gutkind's Dream", "Can't You See What I'm Trying To Say", "Acting For Liberation", and "Empty Streets". LP, Vinyl record album

Compelling duets between guitarists Larry Coryell and Philip Catherine – a studio album recorded in London, hot on the heels of their performance together at the Berliner Jazztage! Although known for their electric musings at the time, both players work here mostly in an acoustic mode – creating beautifully intimate interplay without any other instrumentation at all – in ways that are mostly jazzy, but which also echo the evolution of the guitar during the decade in other genres as well. Titles include "Ms Julie", "Home Comings", "Airpower", "Twin House", "Mortgage On Your Soul", and "Gloryell". LP, Vinyl record album

Includes 20 tracks from Chet Baker, June Christy, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland, The Four Preps, Julie London, Sarah Vaughan, Keely Smith, and Andy Russell. CD

A vocal-heavy entry in the Ultra Lounge catalog – and one that follows the spirit of the single-artist titles in the Wild Cool & Swinging series from Capitol! The set's pretty darn upbeat – never too wild, nor too cool, and almost always swinging – and the tracks are mostly great bits from that late 50s/early 60s point when jazz vocals were grooving things up a bit more – shaking off some of the more romantic modes of previous years, and really packing a punch for the growing Vegas generation! Titles include "Fever" by Peggy Lee, "More" by Bobby Darin, "Dig That Crazy Chick" by Sam Butera, "Ain't That A Kick In The Head" by Dean Martin, "Closer To The Bone" by Louis Prima, "Nobody But Me" by Lou Rawls, "Little Girl" by Vic Damone, "LOVE" by Nat King Cole, "Hello Dolly" by Bobby Darin, "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" by Julie London, and "Danke Shoen" by Wayne Newton. CD