Cool moody work from Chet Baker – a very unusual set that has him blowing with a larger group than usual! The set's real star is Jack Montrose – the great west coast arranger who had a perfect talent for taking horns and locking them up tight to create a sound full of gloss and surprise! Montrose plays tenor sax on the set – in a three sax section that also features Herb Geller and Bob Gordon – and the rest of the group includes Russ Freeman on piano, Shelly Manne on drums, and Joe Mondragon on bass. Chet's work is great too – but the real appeal of the set is the Montrose-styled groove – very nice all the way through! Tracks include "Ergo", "A Dandy Line", "Pro Defunctus", "Goodbye", "Headline", and "Little Old Lady". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the tightest, sharpest sessions ever from trumpeter Conte Candoli – an early date done for Bethlehem Records, with a quartet setting that gives Conte plenty of room to cook! The solos are bold and fierce right from the start – with an energy that goes beyond even Candoli's work in bigger groups – and the rhythms are often very lively, and seem to push Conte onto his best level of expression – thanks to work from Stan Levey on drums, Max Bennett on bass, and Claude Williamson on piano. There's a bit more bite here than you'd guess from the west coast pedigree of the group – and titles include "On The Alamo", "I Can't Get Started", "Tune For Tex", "Fine & Dandy", "Night Flight", and "I'll Remember April". CD

Titles include "Fine And Dandy", "Emaline", "Limehouse Blues", "I've Got The World On A String", "What Is This Thing Called Love", "All God's Chillun Got Rhythm", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Lots of early reggae classics – work from Desmond Dekker, Dandy Livingston, Jimmy Cliff, Maytals, Bob Marley, Ethiopians, and others! LP, Vinyl record album

Dizzy and strings – a surprisingly great combination! Although it was Charlie Parker who first made famous the modernist "jazz with strings" approach, Dizzy does wonderfully here in the format – working in similar fashion with edgey backing from the "Operatic String Orchestra" in sessions recorded in Paris in the early 50s! The material was originally only issued as a number of separate 78rpm singles, but is brought together here with full notes and a few bonus tracks – making for a wonderful album that documents this really under-represented part of Dizzy's career. The solos are warm, but edgey – blown over the top of backings that shimmer with rich colors, but have a slightly modern bent. Titles include "Fine & Dandy", "Stormy Weather", "The Very Thought Of You", "Jalousie", "Sweet & Lovely", "The Man I Love", and "Ghost Of A Chance". CD

Two great forces from the postwar world of jazz, coming together here in a rare set that was originally only issued in Japan! The alto of Lou Donaldson had cut plenty of funky, soulful records in the 70s – but here, he's returned to the charms of his earliest work on Blue Note – and spins out these stunning long solos alongside the piano of Red Garland – who's equally great, and supports Donaldson with the soulful style of his best work alongside Coltrane on late 50s sessions for Prestige! The rest of the group features the great Jamil Nasser on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – players who really help make this session a cut above anything you might expect – and titles include "Stella By Starlight", "Blues", "Misty", "Fine & Dandy", and "The Best Things In Life Are Free". CD

Two great forces from the postwar world of jazz, coming together here in a rare set that was originally only issued in Japan! The alto of Lou Donaldson had cut plenty of funky, soulful records in the 70s – but here, he's returned to the charms of his earliest work on Blue Note – and spins out these stunning long solos alongside the piano of Red Garland – who's equally great, and supports Donaldson with the soulful style of his best work alongside Coltrane on late 50s sessions for Prestige! The rest of the group features the great Jamil Nasser on bass and Jimmy Cobb on drums – players who really help make this session a cut above anything you might expect – and titles include "Stella By Starlight", "Blues", "Misty", "Fine & Dandy", and "The Best Things In Life Are Free". CD features the bonus track "I Got It Bad". CD

The last in a series of rare 50s live material from Chet Baker – featuring a near-lost performance from the Tiffany Club in LA, recorded in 1954 with a group that includes Russ Freeman on piano, Carson Smith on bass, and Bob Neel on drums. The tracks are presented in crystal-clear long versions – really sparkling with a sound that's tremendous for a live set at the time – and which is even more amazing, considering that most of the tracks hadn't been issued before. A few numbers were issued in edited form on an Italian label, and later briefly on one of the out of print Mosaic box sets – but the CD features the full performance – 12 tracks in all, all in unedited takes. Titles include "Lullaby Of the Leaves", "Russ Job", "The Wind", "Frenesi", "Carson City Stage", and "A Dandy Line". CD

Kathy, we'd follow you anywhere – not just for your sultry look on the cover of this album, but for your warm and wonderful vocals throughout the set! The notes describe Barr as "vibrant, vivacious, vital, and full of volcanic tenderness too" – and given the presentation of the tunes here, we'd certainly find it hard to disagree. Kathy's got a great way with a torchy mellow tune, but shines even better on some of the more uptempo numbers – scored nicely by Jerry Fielding with a slightly jazzy undercurrent that really pushes the dynamic edge in Barr's vocals. Titles include "Love Is Here To Stay", "Cuddle Up A Little Closer", "How Long Has This Been Going On", "I'm Just Wild About Harry", "Bye Bye Blackbird", "Day In Day Out", and "Fine & Dandy". LP, Vinyl record album