A great album, and one in which Nat King Cole returns to his roots as a jazz singer! The session differs greatly from Nat's other schmaltzy ones from the time, and it features a very "after midnight" sound – with Nat playing and singing backed only by a small combo that includes jazz greats like Harry Edison, Willie Smith, Jual Tizol, and Jack Costanzo. Plus, if that's not enough, this fab CD adds a whopping batch of extra tracks to the original LP – for a total of 18 beauties that sound perfect on a warm summer night, long after the sun has gone down. Titles include "Caravan", "Candy", "What Is There To Say", "You're Looking At Me", and "Blame It On My Youth". Great stuff! CD

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Mel Torme may have wrote "The Christmas Song", but Nat King Cole owned it – thanks to a classic recording for Capitol that became one of the best-remembered Christmas chestnuts of the time! Nat's original 1961 recording is followed up here with an array of classic Holiday tunes – done in a similarly easy-going style that was every bit the best side of Nat's later years. Titles include "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "I Saw Three Ships", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "Silent Night". Plus, this expanded version features a "duet" between Nat and Natalie on "The Christmas Song" – and "Nat's Christmas Wishes"! CD

Mel Torme may have wrote "The Christmas Song", but Nat King Cole owned it – thanks to a classic recording for Capitol that became one of the best-remembered Christmas chestnuts of the time! Nat's original 1961 recording is followed up here with an array of classic Holiday tunes – done in a similarly easy-going style that was every bit the best side of Nat's later years. Titles include "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", "I Saw Three Ships", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel", "O Come All Ye Faithful", and "Silent Night". Plus, this expanded version features a "duet" between Nat and Natalie on "The Christmas Song" – and "Nat's Christmas Wishes"! CD

Mel Torme may have written "The Christmas Song", but Nat King Cole owned it – thanks to a classic recording for Capitol that became one of the best-remembered Christmas chestnuts of the time! Nat's original 1961 recording is followed up here with an array of classic Holiday tunes – done in a similarly easy-going style that was every bit the best side of Nat's later years. Titles include "I Saw Three Ships", "O Holy Night", "The First Noel", "Away In A Manger", and "Silent Night". LP, Vinyl record album

Mostly trio material – with Irving Ashby on guitar and Johnny Miller or Joe Comfort on bass – plus a couple tracks recorded with the Metronome All-Stars featuring Dizzy Gillespie, Buddy Rich, Flip Phillips, and Shelly Manne. CD

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Early work by Nat King Cole, with Johnny Miller on bass and Oscar Moore on guitar. LP, Vinyl record album

A great small club performance from Nat King Cole – of the sort he never really recorded for Capitol Records, even though this set is right in the middle of his glory days on the label! In some ways, the set hearkens back to Nat's roots – maybe no surprise, as he's back in Chicago – and the combo here features John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, and Lee Young on drums – working with Cole to offer up some nicely lean versions of tunes you might know from his fuller, more polished studio versions. The set's a great reminder that at the core, even during the big years, Nat was still a jazzman at heart – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Funny", "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Nature Boy", "Route 66", "This Can't Be Love", "Somewhere Along The Way", "Mona Lisa/Too Young", "Exactly Like You", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Calypso Blues". CD

A classic from Nat King Cole – one of his greatest albums of the 50s, and a mature batch of ballads that show he had really developed into a heck of a singer! Arrangements are by Gordon Jenkins, and the set features a rich array of moody material – including "When I Fall In Love", "Stardust", "Stay As Sweet As You Are", "Love Letters", and "Where Can I Go Without You". CD

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Late Nat King Cole – an album from the early 60s for Capitol, featuring expansive arrangements from Ralph Carmichael! The style here is a bit more flowery than on Nat's earlier work – with him singing in kind of a grand voice, amidst large orchestrations and occasional backing chorus vocals – in a mode that's not as smooch or intimate as his classic Capitol sides, but which still has some nice merits – especially in the way that Nat's voice seems to still have a tremendous amount of presence in the setting. Titles include "I've Grown Accustomed To Her Face", "Hymn To Him", "With A Little Bit Of Luck", "The Rain In Spain", and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Sublime instrumentals from Nat – his tinkling piano lines over lush arrangements – all in a sweet 50s Capitol mode! LP, Vinyl record album

Arrangements by Nelson Riddle, on a host of older WC Handy tunes – nicely updated by Cole! CD

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A great small club performance from Nat King Cole – of the sort he never really recorded for Capitol Records, even though this set is right in the middle of his glory days on the label! In some ways, the set hearkens back to Nat's roots – maybe no surprise, as he's back in Chicago – and the combo here features John Collins on guitar, Charlie Harris on bass, and Lee Young on drums – working with Cole to offer up some nicely lean versions of tunes you might know from his fuller, more polished studio versions. The set's a great reminder that at the core, even during the big years, Nat was still a jazzman at heart – as you'll hear on tunes that include "Funny", "Straighten Up & Fly Right", "Nature Boy", "Route 66", "This Can't Be Love", "Somewhere Along The Way", "Mona Lisa/Too Young", "Exactly Like You", "Sweet Lorraine", and "Calypso Blues". LP, Vinyl record album

Titles include "Babs", "Early Morning Blues", "Honeysuckle Rose", "Stop, The Red Light's On", "Honey Hush", "I Like To Riff", and "Hit The Ramp" – 22 tracks total. CD

Titles include "Straighten Up And Fly Right", "Frim Fram Sauce", "What Is This Thing Called Love", and "It's Only A Paper Moon" – 16 tracks in all. CD

The birth of a legend – the first seven albums from Motown giant Marvin Gaye, served up here in one nicely-priced package! The set's similar to the Original Album Classics series – in that it features each individual album in a tiny record sleeve – all stacked together in a nice box that brings all the music together – including a number of records that haven't been reissued in quite awhile! Even at this early point, Marvin's way ahead of the game – able to lay down hard, heavy soul tracks when he wants – but also slide into a ballad like nobody else, and even hit a few jazzier moments too. The range of modes here is really wonderful – showing that Motown was already trying to let Gaye move into the many directions he'd follow later on – and albums include the tearjerking When I'm Alone I Cry, the seminal Stubborn Kind Of Fellow, the duet with Mary Wells on Together, the soaring How Sweet It Is To Be Loved By You, the jazzy Tribute To Nat King Cole, the classy Hello Broadway, and the moody Soulful Moods Of Marvin Gaye. LP, Vinyl record album

The title tells the story of the album's concept – as Teddi King pays tribute to a dozen male "kings" of music – including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dick Haymes, and Billy Eckstine! The tunes are all signature numbers by each of the male stars – redone by Teddi here with a female twist, and set to backings by Lew Douglas and Johnny Richards – both of whom give Teddi some of the best support of her 50s career. Richards' backings are especially great – nicely dynamic, in a way that breaks past some of Teddi's sleepier qualities – and even on the mellower numbers, the King vocals are in full force, sung with even more promise than on previous albums for RCA. Titles include "Flamingo", "Unforgettable", "April Showers", "A Cottage For Sale", "This Love Of Mine", "Keeping Out Of Mischief Now", and "Temptation". LP, Vinyl record album

The title tells the story of the album's concept – as Teddi King pays tribute to a dozen male "kings" of music – including Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Dick Haymes, and Billy Eckstine! The tunes are all signature numbers by each of the male stars – redone by Teddi here with a female twist, and set to backings by Lew Douglas and Johnny Richards – both of whom give Teddi some of the best support of her 50s career. Richards' backings are especially great – nicely dynamic, in a way that breaks past some of Teddi's sleepier qualities – and even on the mellower numbers, the King vocals are in full force, sung with even more promise than on previous albums for RCA. Titles include "Flamingo", "Unforgettable", "April Showers", "A Cottage For Sale", "This Love Of Mine", "Keeping Out Of Mischief Now", and "Temptation". CD

For years, singer Freddy Cole was known as the brother of Nat the king – but for decades, the brother has kept on giving us music much longer than the famous star – to a point where it's always such a pleasure to enjoy Freddy's sound as he keeps on evolving! The singer's developed a nicely raspy tone as the years have gone on – one that's perfectly suited to the laidback vibe of this album – which features Randy Napoleon on guitar and John Di Martino on piano, with arrangements from both of them throughout. Joel Frahm adds some especially nice tenor and soprano sax – peppering the tunes gently with a real understanding of the role of a saxophonist on a vocal date – and titles include "The Lonely One", "My Heart Tells Me", "Temptation", "I'll Always Leave The Door A Little Open", "My Mood Is You", and "Love Like This Can't Last". CD

An incredibly evocative record – one of the strangest of its kind, and an audio treasure that we've loved for years! Eden Ahbez first came into public prominence as the man who wrote "Nature Boy" for Nat King Cole – a dark, moody tune that was as mysterious and earthy as the man who wrote it! This album was recorded nearly a decade after Cole's original hit, and features Ahbez almost in Moondog-like territory – working in an amazing setting of odd instruments and exotic percussion – but also singing in this almost spiritualist kind of way! The record's got plenty of ties to the exotica scene of the late 50s – but also stand out from the pack with a mad vision that's all its own – a strange intersection of lines that one might draw between Moondog, Martin Denny, and Anton La Vey! Tracks include "The Wanderer", "Eden's Island", "Tradewind", "Full Moon", "Mongoose", "Market Place", "The Old Boat", "Island Girl" and "La Mar". Great expanded package – with bonus tracks that include the unreleased "Surf Rider", plus "The Wanderer (alt)", "Tobago (45 rpm mix)", "Jam Session 78", "India (demo)", "Big Square From Nowhere", and "The Planet Song". Also includes related tracks "Sahara" by Bob Romeo, "Song Of The Fool" by The Crew Cuts, "End Of Desire" by Jack Powers, "The Shepherd" by Herb Jeffries, "Hey Jacque" by The Mt Holyoke V8s, "Monterey (alt version)" by John Harris, "Big Rock Steam Roller" by Biggie McFadden, "Green Flamingo" by Robbie Lester, and "Lonely Island" by Gene Chandler. LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar pays tribute to Frank – but he uses his keys, not his voice – to come up with some great renditions of tunes from Sinatra's classic Capitol years! It's true that Peterson was known to vocalize on some sessions (most notably on his tribute to Nat King Cole, recorded a few years later) – but this album is straight trio grooving, with Peterson skipping soulfully over the keys of the piano, abetted by Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – in a wonderfully-crafted set of tunes that includes "Witchcraft", "Come Dance With Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "All Of Me", "It Happened In Monterey", and "The Tender Trap". LP, Vinyl record album

Featuring Nat King Cole, Dickie Wells, Count Basie, and Johnny Guarnieri. CD

Essential stuff! This set collects all of Pres' studio sessions for Norman Granz and Verve and features John Lewis, Buddy Rich, Nat King Cole, Teddy Wilson, Roy Eldridge, Oscar Peterson, and Barney Kessel. The whole thing is comes in a cool hardbound, accordion fold package and includes a great 100 page book packed with great photos, notes, and essays. CD

Includes 85 tracks and features Lester Young with Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Buck Clayton, Billie Holiday, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, and more! CD

Although we were never big fans of Buddy, we can endure him for this nice relaxed Verve session, because it offers some great playing by Prez in a very stripped down setting. The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy", who is actually Nat King Cole – not named on the cover because of contractual reasons! Cole and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards ("The Man I Love", "Mean To Me", "I've Found A New Baby", etc), the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs, and with great results! LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool set, and one that brings together a whole host of gems from the early years of Capitol Records – vocal, jazz, rock, and hillbilly humbers – 60 tracks in all, with selections from Les Baxter, The Four Freshmen, Nat King Cole, Gene Vincent, Ferlin Husky, Louis Prima, Dean Martin, The Four Knights, Tex Ritter, Ella Mae Morse, Nellie Lutcher, Jack Smith, Mel Torme, and many others. But oddly – no Frank Sinatra! LP, Vinyl record album

30 holiday hits from Nat King Cole, Dean Martin, Doris Day, Andy Williams, the Beach Boys, Brenda Lee, the Supremes, Perry Como, Bobby Helms, Eartha Kitt, Jose Feliciano, and more. CD

A really incredible package, and the kind of work that the Mosaic label maybe does better than any thing else – as the whole thing is an archival project that offers a very deep dig into the legendary V-Disc label – a WWII-era imprint that offered up work for the troops overseas, with special non-commercial presentations of some of the greatest jazz artists of the time! And while some V-Disc material has been brought from 78s to vinyl and CD reissues over the years, this is the first time the work's been presented in such a high-quality, comprehensive way – with a special focus on all the small group sessions for the project, with spoken introductions included next to musical passages, in a lineup of pre-bop players that's really mindblowing. Each session is presented with all the tracks recorded – and the 11CD package features 263 tracks in all, with work from Clark Terry, Ella Fitzgerald, Lennie Tristano, Gene Krupa, Betty Roche, John Kirby, Meade Lux Lewis, Nat King Cole, Fats Waller, Art Tatum, Mildred Bailey, Woody Herman, Sidney Bechet, Martha Tilton, Muggsy Spanier, Bob Crosby, Eddie Condon, Connie Boswell, Peanuts Hucko, and many others – including dozens of fantastic sidemen. A great limited box – with very detailed notes on all the sessions! CD

A really great genre-hopping Christmas collection – one that features jazzy tunes, vocal numbers, and a few rock and country tracks as well – all of which really live up to the vintage spirit of the image on the cover! The set follows nicely in the style of the similarly-titled predecessor – and features an array of 29 postwar tracks that come from that moment when the marketing of Holiday spirit was a very big part of the music business! There's plenty of familiar tunes here, done in unusual versions – and some more obscure Christmas cuts that definitely make the set worthwhile – on titles that include "Mrs Santa Claus" by Nat King Cole, "Peace On Earth" by Peggy Lee, "Hello Mr New Year" by The Coolbreezers, "Merry Christmas To You All" by Elton Britt, "Christmas Candy" by Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely, "It's A Marshmallow World" by Vic Damone, "Snowbound For Christmas" by The DeCastro Sisters, "Be A Santa" by McGuire Sisters, "When Santa Claus Gets Your Letter" by Gene Autry, "Sleigh Ride" by Johnny Desmond, "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Sammy Kaye with Don Cornell, "Christmas Is A Feeling In Your Heart" by Andy Williams, "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" by 101 Strings, "Jingle Bell Rock" by Eddy Arnold, and "Snowy White Snow & Jingle Bells" by Vaughn Monroe. CD

Music from the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Chuck Berry, Johnny Mathis, Lou Rawls with the Brian Setzer Orchestra, Charles Brown, Clarence Carter, Nat King Cole, Bobby Helms, David Newman, and Darlene Love with the Brian Setzer Orchestra. CD

Featuring Nat King Cole, Nancy Wilson, Lettermen, Tennessee Ernie Ford, and more. LP, Vinyl record album

Includes three tunes from a 1945 session by the Capitol International Jazzmen, with Bill Coleman on trumpet, Buster Bailey on clarinet, Benny Carter on alto, Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Nat King Cole on piano, Oscar Moore on guitar, John Kirby on bass, Max Roach on drums, and Kay Starr on vocals; four tunes by the Metronome All Stars from 1947 and 1951, with sidemen that include Dizzy Gilletpie, Buddy DeFranco, Flip Phillips, Nat King Cole, Buddy Rich, Miles Davis, Max Roach, and others; and a side's worth of material from Louis Bellson's Just Jazz All Stars from 1952, with Clark Terry, Juan Tizol, Wardell Gray, Billy Strayhorn, and others. LP, Vinyl record album

Oscar pays tribute to Frank – but he uses his keys, not his voice – to come up with some great renditions of tunes from Sinatra's classic Capitol years! It's true that Peterson was known to vocalize on some sessions (most notably on his tribute to Nat King Cole, recorded a few years later) – but this album is straight trio grooving, with Peterson skipping soulfully over the keys of the piano, abetted by Ray Brown on bass and Ed Thigpen on drums – in a wonderfully-crafted set of tunes that includes "Witchcraft", "Come Dance With Me", "You Make Me Feel So Young", "All Of Me", "It Happened In Monterey", and "The Tender Trap". CD

An early trio session by Lester Young – recorded with Buddy Rich on drums! The record also features an obscure pianist named "Aye Guy" – Nat King Cole under another name! Guy and Young trade lines in a very nicely relaxed format, and even though the record's mostly all standards, the group works well with the material. The one original track – "Back To The Land" – is a live improvised one, recorded in the studio with no overdubs – and other titles include "I've Found A New Baby", "I Cover The Waterfront", and "Somebody Loves Me". CD

Vocal gems from the 50s and 60s – served up with a special recipe for a cocktail to boot! The collection is one done for Japan's classy Avanti restaurant – and it features a range of different work from the Columbia/Sony catalog – some of it moody and torchy, others much more upbeat, swinging, and jazzy! There's a nice mix of the hip and mainstream going on here – well-remembered tracks and more obscure gems – a total of 16 tracks that includes music from Mark Murphy, Peggy Lee, Dean Martin, The Four Freshmen, Vic Damone, Blossom Dearie, Julie London, Bobby Troup, Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, Nat King Cole, Bobby Darin, June Christy, and Keely Smith. CD

A really unique chapter in the career of Ornette Coleman – an album that he produced by himself in 1962, away from any other label – as an effort to showcase the newly freer sounds of his music! The recording's the first in a really groundbreaking stretch for the 60s – and it was fortunately finally issued by ESP Records a few years after the recording – providing a nice link between Coleman's earlier experiments and the sound of the younger generation usually showcased by the label. The group's a trio, with a sound that's quite different than the more rhythmic modes of Coleman on Atlantic Records – a freer, less structured lineup that features percussion from Charles Moffett and bass from David Izenzon. One track also adds in a string quartet – making the record one of Coleman's first experiments with this format – and titles include a 23 minute recording of "The Ark", plus "Doughnut", "Sadness", and "Dedication To Poets and Writers". LP, Vinyl record album

Two rare European records from Freddy Cole – best known to most of us in the US as a jazz singer! One More Love Song is surprisingly soulful set from Freddy – quite different than some of the straighter jazz vocals he's cut over the years! This rare gem was recorded in The Netherlands in the mid 70s – and features backings from Jerry Van Rooyen and Tony Noite, both of whom mix jazzy inflections with fuller orchestrations – helping to bring Cole's rich background into a whole new light! Freddy's voice still has that wonderful trademark rasp – familiar to, yet quite different than brother Nat – and the use of some smoother soul modes makes for a really great contrast. Titles include "One More Love Song", "I Loved You", "I Need You So", "Still Wanna Be With You", "Isn't She Lovely", and "Here Is Where Your Love Belongs". Right From The Heart has Freddy Cole taking on a mix of adult ballads and some groovier numbers – set to arrangements by John Gally, Hennie Bekker, and Steve Gray – and recorded in London with a nicely mature feel. There's a bit of polish to the production, especially on the more upbeat cuts – but the mellower numbers still have Cole singing in a great old school mode. Titles include "The Girl From The Piano Bar", "To Be With You", "Teach Me Tonight", "Summer Love", "Somewhere Down The Line", and "Right From The Start". CD

A really unique chapter in the career of Ornette Coleman – an album that he produced by himself in 1962, away from any other label – as an effort to showcase the newly freer sounds of his music! The recording's the first in a really groundbreaking stretch for the 60s – and it was fortunately finally issued by ESP Records a few years after the recording – providing a nice link between Coleman's earlier experiments and the sound of the younger generation usually showcased by the label. The group's a trio, with a sound that's quite different than the more rhythmic modes of Coleman on Atlantic Records – a freer, less structured lineup that features percussion from Charles Moffett and bass from David Izenzon. One track also adds in a string quartet – making the record one of Coleman's first experiments with this format – and titles include a 23 minute recording of "The Ark", plus "Doughnut", "Sadness", and "Dedication To Poets and Writers". CD

Two rare European records from Freddy Cole – best known to most of us in the US as a jazz singer! One More Love Song is surprisingly soulful set from Freddy – quite different than some of the straighter jazz vocals he's cut over the years! This rare gem was recorded in The Netherlands in the mid 70s – and features backings from Jerry Van Rooyen and Tony Noite, both of whom mix jazzy inflections with fuller orchestrations – helping to bring Cole's rich background into a whole new light! Freddy's voice still has that wonderful trademark rasp – familiar to, yet quite different than brother Nat – and the use of some smoother soul modes makes for a really great contrast. Titles include "One More Love Song", "I Loved You", "I Need You So", "Still Wanna Be With You", "Isn't She Lovely", and "Here Is Where Your Love Belongs". Right From The Heart has Freddy Cole taking on a mix of adult ballads and some groovier numbers – set to arrangements by John Gally, Hennie Bekker, and Steve Gray – and recorded in London with a nicely mature feel. There's a bit of polish to the production, especially on the more upbeat cuts – but the mellower numbers still have Cole singing in a great old school mode. Titles include "The Girl From The Piano Bar", "To Be With You", "Teach Me Tonight", "Summer Love", "Somewhere Down The Line", and "Right From The Start". CD

Features tracks by Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwoods, Ramones, Ralph Burns, Nicolette Larson, Vanity 6, and June Pointer. LP, Vinyl record album

A standout session from guitar giant Kenny Burrell – and a set that's maybe one of his most modern albums of the 60s! The record features backings from arranger Gil Evans – most famous for his work with Miles Davis, and working here in a style that's nicely different with Kenny – less overwhelming in his approach to the charts, with a mode that still really lets Burrell dominate, and maybe even sets him free from the role of rhythm, so that he can really show off some of the more sophisticated sides of his playing! The album's one of a handful that have Burrell working this way from the time – and as on the others, there's sometimes a quality that's even more soulful than some of his records with smaller groups – a real surprise, but a great one too. The group features an excellent array of top-shelf musicians – including Johnny Coles on trumpet, Lee Konitz on alto, Steve Lacy on soprano, and Richie Kamuca on tenor – and titles include "Lotus Land", "Downstairs", "Moon & Sand", "Terrace Theme", "Greensleeves", and "Loie". LP, Vinyl record album

A great late performance by Sam Rivers – one that has the musician working with all the free-thinking imagination he gave the world on his groundbreaking improvisation albums of the 70s! Sam blows tenor and soprano here, but is also pretty amazing on piano and flute – and the rest of the trio is equally multi-instrumental – as bassist Doug Matthews plays bass clarinet as well – and Anthony Cole not only handles drums, but also tenor and piano! The set begins with a beautifully bold, long improvisation – then moves into a number of shorter tracks with really fantastic shifts in sound and approach – before hitting another long improvisation near the end, and one more very long one as the final moment of the performance. Titles include "Unity", "Beatrice", "Offering", "Drum Solo", "Improvisation 1", "Bass Solo", and "Improvisation 3". CD

A standout session from guitar giant Kenny Burrell – and a set that's maybe one of his most modern albums of the 60s! The record features backings from arranger Gil Evans – most famous for his work with Miles Davis, and working here in a style that's nicely different with Kenny – less overwhelming in his approach to the charts, with a mode that still really lets Burrell dominate, and maybe even sets him free from the role of rhythm, so that he can really show off some of the more sophisticated sides of his playing! The album's one of a handful that have Burrell working this way from the time – and as on the others, there's sometimes a quality that's even more soulful than some of his records with smaller groups – a real surprise, but a great one too. The group features an excellent array of top-shelf musicians – including Johnny Coles on trumpet, Lee Konitz on alto, Steve Lacy on soprano, and Richie Kamuca on tenor – and titles include "Lotus Land", "Downstairs", "Moon & Sand", "Terrace Theme", "Greensleeves", and "Loie". CD

Spectacular work from one of the most groundbreaking groups of its time – the legendary John Carter/Bobby Bradford Quartet – quite possibly the hippest thing going in the LA scene of the late 60s! The group includes Carter on alto and tenor, Bradford on trumpet – working together in these amazing lines that have both players running off together in a style that's free, but often quite rhythmic – spurred on to move past the new freedoms unlocked by the Ornette Coleman group a few years before! Yet the vibe here is very different than Ornette, too – given the bold, righteous power that comes through in the voices of both players – working here at a level that seems to blow away just about anything else going on in the American avant garde at the time. The group has just two more players to round out its amazing sound – Tom Williamson on bass, and Bruz Freeman (brother of Von and George!) on drums – and all tracks are long and free, yet also fragile and intimate – with an almost painterly sense of beauty and emotion that stands in stark contrast to much of the avant work of the time coming out of the east coast. Titles include "Domino", "Abstractions For Three Lovers", "Woman", and "The Second Set". CD

A great set of tracks – even if it is a discographer's nightmare! 12 tracks on the album are from a session originally done under the name of Machito – and features Herbie as the main soloist, over a set of wonderfully lush Latin jazz backings! The feel is nicely exotic – right up there with Herbie's best work of this nature, and done with a heavy groove, thanks to Machito's touch – sounding very similar to his legendary Kenya album. The remaining 8 tracks on the set are pulled from a late 50s session for the tiny Mode label – a tasty bit of west coast jazz that has a very different feel than the Machito material, but which is equally nice! Herbie plays piccolo and tenor in addition to flute – working with a small group that includes Jimmy Rowles, Mel Lewis, and Buddy Colette. Titles on the CD include "Answer Me", "Give A Little Whistle", "Bacao", "Perdido", "Afternoon Death", "Brazilian Soft Shoe", "African Flute", "The Davis Cup", and "Carabunta". CD

A huge collection of rare singles from the vaults of the legendary Treasure Isle label – a company who was home to some of the hippest tracks from the early days of ska – and also did a great job of getting the music to the UK scene as well! This package goes past the familiar Treasure Isle hits, as the 7" singles feature previously unreleased tracks and rare alternate versions – all packaged up in a great box set with a mighty sharp look. The whole thing is great – nice and raw, and very different than ska revival material of later years – and this 3CD set features all the material that was on the 7" box set done a few years back, plus 74 more bonus tracks! Core cuts include "You Wish Me Bad (take 6)" by The Spanishtonians, "Love Me Or Leave Me (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "I'm All Alone (take 1)" by Frank Cosmo, "Oh Misery (take 2)" by The Duke Reid Group, "Thinking Of The Future" by Stranger Cole, "Fooling Around" by The Rio Grandes, "Renegade (take 1)" by The Zodiacs, "Smokey Ska (take 1)" by The Baba Brooks Band, "Practice What You Preach" by Owen & Leon Silvera, "My True Confession (take 1)" by The Silvertones, "Til My Dying Day" by Winston & Slim, "Road To Nowhere (orig mix)" by Lyn Taitt & The Baba Brooks Band, "What A Bailing (take 1)" by Duke Reid Group, The Army Is Searching (take 2)" by Basil Caral & Group, "Storm Warning (take 1)" by Lyn Taitt & the Boys, "Want Me Cock (take 1)" by Owen & Leon Silvera, and "How Know Your Friend (take 1)" by Derrick Morgan – with bonus material by Duke Reid, The Movers, Justin Hinds, Tommy McCook, Froggy, Lynn Tait, Eric Morris, Baba Brooks, Lloyd & Glenn, Derrick & Naomi, The Miracles, The Zodiacs, The Melodies, Sensations, and many many more. CD

Very early work from later star composer Cy Coleman – working here in a jazz trio mode, with John Cresci on bass and Ernie Furtado on drums! Titles include "One Two Three", "You Took Advantage Of Me", "Heat Wave", "Imagination", and "April In Paris". A unique small label release! LP, Vinyl record album

Sonny Criss plays Cole Porter – and the results are way greater than the sum of the parts – even though those parts are already pretty darn great! Criss' alto sax has a superb tone at this time – razor-sharp, and nicely crisp – yet still filled with warmth that sets it apart from some of his more modern contemporaries – a beautiful balance that really illuminates these tunes, and has you thinking of them as fresh Criss compositions, not older Porter standards. The instrumentation is quite fresh, too – thanks to the addition of Larry Bunker on vibes, which is a really nice surprise – and piano by Sonny Clark and Jimmy Bunn. The great Lawrence Marable plays drums – and titles include "I Love You", "Easy To Love", "Night & Day", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Something of an addition to the Verve "songbook" mode of the 50s – but it's also one that's a lot more dynamic than the others, thanks to some very jazzy arrangements from Billy May! The groove here is very upbeat and jazzy – hard-swinging in the manner that May forged with Sinatra over at Capitol, with lots of twists and turns in the backings that really help transform the tunes! Anita's dynamic vocals really match the spirit of the arrangements – and soar out with a quality that's some of her best and boldest at Verve. Titles include "I Love You", "Get Out Of Town", "Just One Of Those Things", "Easy To Love", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Love For Sale". CD also has 6 bonus tracks including "You're The Top", "My Heart Belongs To Daddy", "Why Shouldn't I", "From This Moment On", "Love For Sale" and "Just One Of Those Things". CD

Important second chapter work from Ornette Coleman – a record that marked a real shift in his sound from the Atlantic Records years – issued by Blue Note at a level that gave the rest of the world a chance to see what Ornette had been cooking up on the underground scene! The album was recorded in Stockholm – in the tradition of European live performances that saw Coleman grow so strongly in the mid 60s – and the tracks are long, free, and full of improvised moments – with Ornette adding in trumpet and violin next to his familiar alto – in a trio with David Izenzon on bass and Charles Moffett on drums – both fantastic players who can be loose at the right moments, and bring things back at others. Tracks are long and unbridled – with less of the rhythmic changes that you'd hear in work by the classic quartet, and more of a full-on fierce soloing mode. Titles include "Snowflakes & Sunshine", "Morning Song", "The Riddle", and "Antiques" – and the CD features 3 bonus alternate takes! CD

Something of an addition to the Verve "songbook" mode of the 50s – but it's also one that's a lot more dynamic than the others, thanks to some very jazzy arrangements from Billy May! The groove here is very upbeat and jazzy – hard-swinging in the manner that May forged with Sinatra over at Capitol, with lots of twists and turns in the backings that really help transform the tunes! Anita's dynamic vocals really match the spirit of the arrangements – and soar out with a quality that's some of her best and boldest at Verve. Titles include "I Love You", "Get Out Of Town", "Just One Of Those Things", "Easy To Love", "I Get A Kick Out Of You", and "Love For Sale". LP, Vinyl record album