While not as funky as some of her other records for Discovery, this tasty session of vocal tracks still has Lorez singing in a beautifully soulful style, of the type that she's finally getting recognition for these days! The lady has always been one of our favorite vocalists, and she's got some nice backing here from the Mike Wofford trio, plus some additional tenor and flute work by Herman Riley. The whole thing's got a very nice round soulful sound – and titles include "Days of Wine & Roses", "I Remember You", "Early Autumn", and "My Shining Hour". LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements by Nelson Riddle, groovy tunes from Johnny Mercer, and titles that include "Something's Gotta Give", "Midnight Sun", "When A Woman Loves A Man", "I Remember You", "Too Marvelous For Words", "This Time The Dream's On Me", and "Single O". CD

The 3rd in Lorez's excellent series of albums dedicated to the songs of Johnny Mercer – and like previous volumes, recorded with some very soulful backing from the Gildo Mahones quartet! Gildo brings a gentle swing to the tracks that lets Lorez sing in a free and open range – one that she often didn't reach in earlier, more restricted albums. The set doesn't have any of the standout funk numbers of some of Lorez's other Mahones sets – but it is a really tasty one overall, with tracks that include I'm Building Up To An Awful Let Down", "Day In Day Out", "That Old Black Magic", "Bittersweet", "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home", and "Midnight Sun". LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements from Nelson Riddle, groovy tunes from Johnny Mercer, and titles that include "Something's Gotta Give", "Midnight Sun", "When A Woman Loves A Man", "I Remember You", "Too Marvelous For Words", "This Time The Dream's On Me", and "Single O". CD

Accompanied by Keith Ingram on piano, Ron Rubin on bass, and Derek Hogg on drums; with guests Danny Moss on tenor, Digby Fairweather on trumpet and cornet, and Duncan Lamont on tenor and flute. Titles include "Talk To Me Baby", "Fools Rush In", "At The Jazz Band Ball", "This Time The Dream's On Me/Dream", "One For My Baby", and "Harlem Butterfly". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic slice of rare Duke Ellington – a unique set that features both Duke and Billy Strayhorn on pianos, with just bass accompaniment – Wendell Marshall on side one, and Joe Shulman on side two! LP, Vinyl record album

Another soulful set of jazz standards that pairs the great Lorez with a group led by Gildo Mahones. Gildo's always been one of the best piano players we've heard accompaning a vocalist, and his work with Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross is the stuff of legends. This group has the added benefit of good tenor work by Herman Riley, and the band swings well with Lorez as she soulfully makes her way through tracks like "Mandy Is Two", "Skylark", "Harlem Butterfly", and "P.S. I Love You". LP, Vinyl record album

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An overstuffed package of work from Annie Ross – one that features a few key albums, plus some rare bonus tracks too! First up is A Handful Of Songs – which has Ross recording as a solo act back in England after leaving her famous group with Dave Lambert and John Hendricks! The style here is a bit like some of the solo work that Ross cut in the US at the end of the 50s – particularly her sides for Pacific Jazz – not as vocalese and solo-oriented as the sort of recordings that first got her noticed, but still a lot more dynamic than most straighter jazz singers of the time! Arrangements are pretty groovy overall – nicely jazzy, and penned by Johnnie Spence – also produced by John Barry, who really helps keep the right sort of "punch" in the set. Titles include "Fly Me To The Moon", "Nature Boy", "A Lot Of Livin To Do", "Like Someone In Love", "A Handful Of Songs", and "All Of You". Next is A Gasser – one of Annie Ross' rare albums as a solo act away from her trio with Jon Hendricks and Dave Lambert – and a great little session cut with small combo jazz backing, which gives the song a nice swinging edge! Zoot Sims is the main soloist on the tunes, Russ Freeman lays down piano tracks to set the mood – and other players include Jim Hall, Monte Budwig, Mel Lewis, and Bill Perkins – all of whom contribute wonderfully to the album, and give it a nicely grooving west coast finish. Titles include "I Was Doing Alright", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "Lucky Day", "Lucky So & So", and "Nobody's Baby". 2CD set also features material from the London cast recording of Cranks – which features Ross with Anthony Newley – plus some songs with Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross – and the tune "Let's Fly" by Johnny Mercer & The Pied Pipers, which was written by Ross. CD

One of the most beautiful albums to come from the Hoboken scene in the 80s – a Feelies side project that's every bit as great as that group's albums from the time! In fact, the style here is almost an answer to the mode of their classic Good Earth album – a similar blend of hypnotic rhythms, basslines, and acoustic guitar – but with a changed-up version of the group, so that their roles are shifted, and the sound is as well! But like Good Earth, the music here is deeply personal – much more so than the Feelies at their start – a real breath of fresh air in the 80s scene, with Dave Weckerman on vocals, and fantastic criss-crossed guitars from Glenn Mercer and Bill Million. Titles include "Shore Leave", "The Empty Pool", "Big Day", "Eternal Ice", "Return To Zion", "Child Of The Moon", "Modern Farmer", "Asperation", and "Powderfinger". LP, Vinyl record album

The ghost of Christmas past comes back to haunt us – but in the grooviest way possible, thanks to a fab selection of old school Holiday tunes from the folks at Bear Family! The music here is mostly from the 40s and 50s – and is mostly vocal overall, sung by artists who move through jazz, R&B, and pop vocal styles – often putting an extra sort of punch in a Christmas tune, with the kind of upbeat, optimistic quality that was often the best part of mainstream postwar music! There's few folks we'd trust more than Bear Family for a collection like this – and they do a great job – with titles that include "Here Comes Santa Claus" by The Mills Brothers, "Boogie Woogie Santa Claus" by Lionel Hampton with Sonny Parker, "Dig That Crazy Santa Claus" by Ralph Martierie, "The Christmas Spell" by Peggy Lee, "Santa Claus Got Stuck In My Chimney" by Ella Fitzgerald, "I Need A Man For Xmas" by Thelma Cooper, "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" by Johnny Mercer, "The Man With The Bag" by Kay Starr, and "Cool Yule" by Louis Armstrong. LP, Vinyl record album

A beautiful album of ballads from Bud Shank – quite unusual, given that most of his output at the time was in a small group mode – but a great little session, and one that's handled with sensitivity and soul that you might not hear on his other records! The backings are by the Len Mercer Strings – mostly done with a light touch, and never too overbearing – so that Bud's work on alto and flute is right upfront in the mix, the latter of which sounds especially nice in the setting – as there's a sharper edge that offsets the strings wonderfully. Titles include "Out Of This World", "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes", "These Foolish Things", "Deep Purple", "Embraceable You", and "When Your Lover Has Gone". CD